Where the wanderer finds a home

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Don't you think it's time to move on?

The words for tou-san and kaa-san's last letter reverberated in her head. Kitiara rolled to the other side of her bed in her apartment trying (and failing) to diminish the sound the words. Sure, she had stayed in the Sand village for far longer than she thought she would (give or take 11 months longer) but still, it was nice here. She had friends, teachers and a steady income. What wasn't there to love?

But then Kitiara was reminded of why she had left her hometown in the first place, Kitiara had exactly the same things as she did in Suna (aside from a steady income), so why did she stay? Didn't she want to do what she had set out to do in the first place? Wasn't her objective to explore the shinobi world and learn more about the different cultures out there? Maybe she had grown too comfortable with the life she had led here.

It was November now, a year since the kunoichi had first come to Suna and a year and two months since she had left her parents. Her 20th birthday last July had come and gone, and with it went more time. Time that she could've spent in various villages and towns, gathering new information and items. But instead, Kitiara was here in Sunagakure. Don't get her wrong, she had a wonderful time celebrating with the new friends (who were slowly becoming like family to the 20 year old) she had obtained, but what about all the other people she had yet to meet?

Perhaps it was time for her to pass on to a new village. If her mind couldn't sense it, then her body could. She was slowly becoming more and more restless as the days went by. Even her friends, especially Emi (one of Kitiara's closest friend and first friend in Suna), could feel that there was something off about her, in these last few weeks. She would always brush off her questions with a simple "nothing" because she didn't know why either. She would always respond with the same look of if you don't want to tell me now, fine. But I know that something is wrong.

All these thoughts of the future were giving her a small headache, so she decided it was best to stop thinking about it and go for a walk. The Nadeshiko native slipped her chisa katanas onto her back and walked out of her apartment. Walking through Sunagakure in the middle of the night, when the Moon was shining high in the sky, was a feat in itself. The streets weren't busy (mainly because everyone was asleep) which brought an eerie and daunting nature to the village.

On the way to my spot, she passed the academy. The shinobi academy was quite similar to the other buildings in the hidden village. It had a rounded roof and small windows lining its sides. It too, like the others, was made from clay to help keep the children and teachers (like me) cool. Working there was a blessing and a curse. Kitiara loved it because, in a way, she was shaping the younger generation into people who helped protect their loved ones and their village from serious dangers. But, at the same time, she felt like there was a possibility that she was preparing them for their deaths. Although the kunoichi didn't witness the Third Shinobi World War, the horrors of it that she had heard about were terrifying to even think about. One could never know whether they've taught their student everything they need to know to survive until the 12-year old is called to be put on the front lines of one of the deadliest wars ever to have happened. Only then, will a teacher know if they've done enough.

Finally reaching the training grounds, Kitiara paused to have a look around and see if anyone was present. They weren't, which was good because she had some steam to let off that night. The frustration of knowing that she would have to leave and say goodbye to everyone soon had built up inside her and demanded to be released.

Kitiara walked into training ground 2 and saw training dummies strewn across it. Huffing a sigh, she tiredly collected them all one by one and lined them up on their corrective posts. Now, she could do what she had come for. She unsheathed her katanas and held them at the ready. She closed her eyes and breathed. The kunoichi was waiting for the right moment. The right moment to str-