Getting out of Hazzard County

“What gives, the weather’s so crappy, and rain? Since when did rain become a routine? To top it off, it’s not even normal rain, it’s sticky gunk from hell, aghhh! I need a drink,” the boy spoke in a low, grouchy tone, lamenting the unfortunate climate his village had been subject to for the past few weeks. The appearance of the rain and its viscous property was random and unexpected, almost something of a plague for the citizens of Iwagakure; the phenomenon sparked bizarre rumours, like retribution of the gods for lack of devotion and his favorite, the return of the Sage of Six Paths. How absurd, there wasn’t even the slightest bit of sense or logic in that premise. Then again, who could blame them? The malicious rain pouring down from the skies was starting to corrupt whatever was left of their sanity.

He subtly stuck his hand out the window of the joint, his wishful thinking inciting his act of defiance against the crowd, the ever-growing group who cowered away from the rain and opted to slack indoors. The rain, usually a sight for the kids to behold and a time for rustic shenanigans, had veered from its course of cultivating morale amongst the villagers to demoralizing and essentially halting activity in the village. The village streets were covered with mud, so no one sane dared to go outside and mingle or engage in activity. The Aburame, unfortunately, was becoming one of them; although he endorsed the lifestyle of slackers and undemanding routines, even this was a bit too much.

“Why, why us? Why! Even the heavens have concealed their faces from us, hidden away behind those ominous clouds,” Chinou sulked, retracting his soaked hand from the aperture as he gazed wistfully into the clouded sky. There was nothing left to do but watch and wait, hopefully the Tsuchikage would soon be back to rescue his beloved people from the calamity they faced. Wait a minute, he soon came to a realization, rectifying his posture as he awoke from his stupor. the Tsuchikage is gone? He left us… he left the village, even our Kage has abandoned us! AGH, we’re hopeless, he soon sank back down onto his knees, resting upon the window sill. The Genin sobbed silently, his nature and reasoning beginning to decay like the spirits of his fellow shinobis had.

“And you bastards are competent drinking yourselves to sleep, slacking in here all day, futile, he mumbled under his breath, bringing himself up to stand as he proceeded to leave the Inn, jumping out the window and immediately embedded himself onto the parched wall of the building. Before him was a puddle of sludge he had no intention of walking through, his hygiene a priority before any daring feats he was bent on taking on. “Maybe I didn’t think this through. I should really stop being so high-strung with my brilliant ideas,” he lectured himself, as he contemplated on his alternatives. He glanced back at the window, decidedly wanting to retire back into the snug shelter, only to witness a kid latch the doors shut, chuckling mischievously.    

“Little brat! Window is out of the equation… now what?” he sighed and simply stared ahead at his inevitable predestination. He took a step forward and another, then another and as his tolerance of the muck streets coupled with his vigilant composure and heightened awareness cultivated, he soon began walking casually through the mud-filled streets. “Worth every money I make off these missions I’m about to take on! Those lazy bastards will have nothing to do by the time I’m finished. Who gets to laugh last now? Taha!” Chinou chuckled cruelly as would maneuver his way back to the Kage’s office, his journey cut short by the sighting of the white-haired prodigy.

Jin-sama? Looks like I’m not the only one up and about today. I wonder what he’s up to. Maybe he's going to save us! Is he going to stop the rain? Aww man, Jin-sama is so cool. I wonder if I dyed my hair white... The Aburame stopped his advance towards the Jounin, his yellow-coated, bespectacled figure waving from his distance of fifty meters away as he called out, acknowledging and saluting the pale-skinned Jounin. “Jin-Sama! What’re you doing out in this horrid weather?!” he inquired curiously, given the circumstances of the village and the virtually empty streets. Chinou figured he was the only one sane - insane enough to trek in the sticky, hot drizzling climate. The village gates were ways behind the two, so a theory of the Jounin possibly abandoning the village had yet to cross the young Aburame's mind.

The Jounin had maintained his pace towards Chinou, his strange commitment to his course an enigma that puzzled the Aburame. Detached and seemingly introverted, one of his flippant idols had disregarded him, as though he was the scum of the village. There wasn’t even a smile or a form of sincere tenderness towards the Genin who had so eagerly saluted the white-haired sensation with optimism and adoration, but instead, his thrilled recognition of Jin Jotetsu was met with disparagement; like a kid downhearted by the ill revelation of his idol, Chinou was discouraged. So the young shinobi simply watched as the Jounin embarked on his alleged important mission.

He didn’t even know my name. He called me a kid. Jin-sama is definitely not cool, not cool at all. I hope you die on your mission you jerk! his negative trail of thought continued , overreacting like the emotional girl he could sometimes become, a transition he had no control over, he was human afterall and before he realized he was condemning a fellow Iwagakure shinobi, it was too late. His thoughts had increasingly become suggestive with indictable intentions to which he steadily stirred to, bringing his hands to his head to soothe his frenzied brute with light strokes to the temple.

But then he got over it, regaining his composure even if it was marginally, for it still poured and the high temperature only got intense by the minute; probably because he wore a coat. He had playful heroes for a reason, he didn’t really take them seriously, and they were just there to entertain his otherwise tedious routine. Situations like these only served to give him credible, dynamic character – one he could boastfully dictate to his peers, and the more he allowed himself to be emotionally entwined in these escapades, the more believable they became. Otherwise, Chinou was simply too self-loyal and apathetic to care about idols and frivolous pursuits of the like.

He had better things to concern himself about, such as the safety and flourishing of his beloved village, so when Mr. Jotetsu supposedly tried to justify his necessity of departure from the village as the outcome of an important mission, it gave cause for alarm, the Aburame’s already spirited consciousness ascending into new heights of deliriousness; perhaps not exactly crazed, but rather alarmed, to say the least. Although he believed the ruse for a moment, the subsequent plunge of his forged, yet still authentic admiration for the Jounin after being blown off caused unnecessary close speculation of Jin Jotetsu and his character; the attention leading to multiple theories ultimately leading to the young Genin’s conclusion to treason.

Chinou, however, had no evidence to his blasphemous accusation of treason, so he attempted to find one before the suspected felon escaped. Then he realized he had been absorbed with his thoughts this whole while and had forgotten to make use of the sacred freedom of speech. Usually, such a lengthy absence of a voice that had been so jubilant not too long ago would, under normal circumstances, incite one to turn around and confirm his state of wellness, but Jin Jotetsu kept on his march towards the gates, determined to leave … and complete this so-dubbed mission of grave importance.

Is he really that focused on his task that he doesn’t even check up on me? Huh, are we really that adamant about orders? I hope I don’t act like that! he tried to credit his village’s Jounin with the rock-hard attitude of Iwagakure shinobis, simply for the sake of Jin Jotetsu being a shinobi of Iwagakure just like he was. The heat was probably just messing with his insight. They were comrades until the Jounin declared himself no longer part of his treasured village, so he gave it a rest, his facade emerged once more and he excused the Jounin’s distasteful conduct and waved good-bye.  “Be careful Jin-sama! Return-” the rest of his parting words faded out, unintelligible, the sighting of an even greater shinobi the cause of Chinou’s case of tied tongue.

The Aburame too began his advancement towards the gates that where distanced, but still in range to hear the Kage call out to him shortly. His feet still bulldozed through the filthy street as though he’d forgotten his basic training at the academy. It was something about nature that intrigued and fascinated the young Aburame. He wasn’t afraid of which critters inhabited the mud soaking his naked, sandaled-feet, in fact he embraced them. They would cause him no harm, maybe tickle a bit here and there but ultimately, these critters were innocent and harmless. The enigma surrounding the Genin’s abnormal relation which nature would have surely elevated upon the execution of his next action.

Chinou, distracted from his previous prying on the village’s gates and the discussion between the Kage, guards and Jin-sama crouched and retrieved a worm from the dirty stream amongst the tiny rocks before him, standing up to intimately analyze the wriggling creature around his right hand. It seemed as though his interest in the events transpiring about the gates had diminished, until he continued his walk towards the gates, contorting his hand in various directions to follow the same circular path the worm unknowingly traversed. “So adorable, you little wittle e-” he whispered to no one in particular, his commentary of adulation and cuddling again interrupted by the Kage, to which he straightened his posture and made his way hastily to the side of Hideaki-sama.

With hands pocketed only after the little creature was set free into his habitat, Chinou bowed to his Kage and welcomed him back home gleefully, “Hideaki-sama, welcome back home! How can I be of assistance?”