Grey. If there was one word to describe Hiro's life it was grey. From the goulash they served in the orphanage, to the concrete alleyways that he would lurk in, either avoiding or ambushing those who would do him harm, or the near perpetual blanket of clouds that covered his home. Well, home was a stretch. Could you call a place that saw you as a cancer to be destroyed as a home? Hiro wouldn't know. He didn't exactly have a benchmark to compare it to. Looking down from his perch atop a building he watched as the people more dour than usual. In the wake of the Jinchuuriki's rampage many of the land's crops were destroyed. In a place that saw so little sunlight it would be devastating. True there was always the fish, but there was only so much that could be taken without risking long term damage. And so with empty stomachs the people of the village of Kiri didn't bother to hide their sour disposition. 

[i]It's like these people haven't gone without a meal before.[/i] Thought Hiro sardonically. It was then that the Hatori boy noticed his mark had turned their back. Since before the sun had risen Hiro had been sitting on this rooftop by the marketplace waiting for the baker who had set up his stand to sell. And so he had waited in the morning rain, not even daring to shiver for if he was seen he'd be weak -too weak- to make a stand today. [i]And if I don't make a point of not being messed with at the academy now, I'll have to keep stealing just to survive the wolves that lurk those halls.[/i] thought Hiro grimly.

And so Hiro swung down onto the drainage pipe and slid down the pipe and casually made his way across the muddy street hands in his pockets making his move when the baker went to unload more goods from his cart. With one arm Hiro swept up as many of the small, individually wrapped foods as he could, stacking precariously on top of each other as he stuffed them underneath his shirt. It was a rookie mistake to grab something big, not only did it bulge but if you were caught you couldn't drop it to throw off your assailant without losing your entire stash. Rounding the corner Hiro started making long strides, making sure to press his foot down extra deep as he did so until he  was in the grassy lot behind the building, where he hopped from patch to patched and started walking back towards the market, making sure to walk on the opposite side of the alley this time- only to see the baker tearing his way down the alleyway the middle aged man's face red, his mustache bristled. 

"YOU THERE BOY! GIVE BACK WHAT YOU TOOK AND MAYBE I WON'T CUT OFF YOUR THIEVING HANDS!" he screamed

"I don't know what you're talking-" Hiro started but the man quickly boxed him in his left ear taking out a roll that was protruding from Hiro's hoodie pocket.

"LIE TO ME WILL YOU!?!? WHEN I'M DONE WITH YOU I'LL MAKE SURE THAT YOUR LEGS ARE SO BROKEN YOU WON'T EVEN MAKE TO THE ROAD LET ALONE MY STALL!" 

Hiro raised his hands in defense. "Easy gramps! It wasn't me honest! Some guy with purple hair did it. He gave me a roll to keep me quiet honest!" Filling his face with as much fear as possible Hiro gave him pleading eyes. It wasn't too hard to pull off. He had years of experience being afraid. The baker looked at him for what seemed like an eternity before his eyes wandered to the foot prints in the mud, and then those Hiro had made previously. "Alright," the baker said slowly. "I reckon I believe your story. But if I ever see you around here again they won't ever find the body, ya hear!?" Hiro nodded emphatically. As the baker started to follow his false tracks, Hiro called out, "W-wait!"

The baker stopped and turned to look at him but said nothing. Enough of an opening Hiro proposed. "I uh- don't suppose I could keep that roll, C-could I?" he asked wringing his hands nervously. The baker looked like he was about to pop a blood vessel before he let out a deep, belly-rolling laugh. "You got balls kid, I'll give you that." he said before tossing the roll in the mud before Hiro's feet. Without hesitation Hiro picked it up and began digging into it with a fervor he could only wish was acting before quickly scampering off in the opposite direction.

[i]You have no idea[/i] Hiro thought as he hid his grin beneath his hood, all the while loading what was under his clothing onto the baker's cart before dragging all of it off.

                                                  *******************************
For the first time in a long time Hiro couldn't eat another bite. Filled with sweets, meats and other treats the tiny thief had made his most daring score with dashing success. And so with more food than he could ever hope for he found himself leaving it by the side of the orphanage with a simple note that only read "DONATION" While he would deny it was charity and that he was simply laundering the food so that it would be dry in a place where he could eat it later, the thought of the delicious food brought a smile to his face. Full, successful, and very nearly close to warm he had barely noticed the passage of time as he found his way to the academy. Soon he found himself in a classroom filled with his peers, and while his instincts screamed at him to sit in the back where no one could sneak up to him he clamped down on them. If he was going to make an impression on his teacher he would have to be up front, or at the very least not huddled up in a corner. And so as he and his classmates shuffled in he found himself about halfway up the room, taking the window seat. As everyone else filled in the other seats and settled down their teacher asked them introduce themselves the girl next to him stood up and said, [color=00aeef]"I am Hozuki Yoshiru, of the Hozuki Clan. I hope that we will all get along and I am also not a girl."[/color]

Hiro blinked. Well then. Maybe his class wouldn't be as cut-throat as he thought. At the very least he wasn't going to be the first person to get jumped. Well if there was ever a time to introduce himself, it was after the bizarre GUY. Standing up after the boy(?) Hiro stood up and bowed to their sensei before standing up straight. "My name is Hatori Hiro. Clanless. Some of you may know me," He said, making a point of looking up and several kids with broken noses and what looked like the claw marks of an animal all over their face, before turning back to their teacher. "Some of you may not. While I will not cause any issues among my class mates, I will end any that come up." And just like that he sat back down. Hiro was proud of himself. Not only had he made a point that he did not associate himself with his parents, he hadn't even pulled out the makeshift shiv that he had on his person at all times. His luck was beginning to change. He could feel it.