Getting a Stretch

It was eight in the morning and Naomi had already been up since four o'clock. There was always work to be done around the farm, and Naomi would complete her fair share of chores before getting ready to start her day again, this time as a ninja. After washing up she dressed in her usual outfit and ran downstairs to the kitchen. Naomi wore a pair of light brown boots which rode up her leg covering her calf. Both boots have the same design with a blue lace tied at the tops. To complete her simple outfit is a one-piece light blue cheongsam with golden embroidery and a brown sash around her waist. The free design of her outfit provides comfort during most seasons and is flexible given her labor intensive duties as a farmhand, ninja, and apprentice metalworker, fletcher, and leatherworker. Naomi wears her forehead protector around her left arm like an armband, the cloth being blue in color to match the rest of her outfit.

Naomi sports naturally dark green hair which is fastened into a long ponytail which rides down her back. Despite her labor intensive lifestyle she prefers to take care of herself given her soft, fair skin as opposed to what would normally be rough and tan. Her eyes are a blue in color. Standing at 5'7 and weighing in roughly 135 lbs she is rather tall for her age, which is natural in her family for being taller, heartier folk compared to the average population.

The young woman prepared her own lunch box to take with her before she left. It was cost effective compared to eating out, and generally healthier than what most street food vendors provided. She packed two separate sandwiched, one being an egg salad while the other filled with margarine and blueberry jam. To pair she included a few sides: leftover nikujaga, goma-ae, and a grilled mackerel. Compared to her breakfast is was a bit lighter, but given her lifestyle she needed a high calorie diet to have to energy to not only sustain herself, but to grow stronger.

"See y'all for dinner!" Naomi hollered standing in the doorway to her parents and siblings, wherever they were in the house.

Shutting the door behind her she needed to run a quick errand first. Naomi wanted to take her weapon tinkering skills to the next level and actually create something from scratch. This required some ingots, wood, and leather to make the tools she needed. Holding her double-decker lunch box close to her chest she traveled to the village market from her family's property. The journey would take roughly two hours given a steady pace. Living in part of the rural areas of Konoha she was close to the outskirts of the village in the more forested parts of the land. This made for a pleasant journey as she enjoyed nature's bounty and gradually traveled closer to civilization.

Inadequacy was a word that Chiaki had only recently come to understand. She was lacking in discipline, those men from the Uchiha Clan would say. There was no grace in the manner she handled a weapon. Her body was weak and unrefined. The level of chakra efficiency she operated at would barely allow her to be proficient at ninjutsu. Idle whisperings of her failures proliferated among her new family as common gossip, never hidden from her ears. The more mundane worries and envies of a girl her age, newly budding into adulthood, had been annulled in short order. Trampled over by the overbearing expectations of her clan. With her awakening of the Sharingan she was brought into the clan, but it was made clear to her immediately that she would never be accepted until she fit the part as well.

A thud rang out, the soil beneath her impacted down by her weight. Just when Chiaki had thought she was getting somewhere with this tree walking stuff she ended up landing flat on her ass, falling a good few feet. It would surely leave a bruise, and as she would slowly and sorely stand the impression of her rear end in the dirt would be clear. Little clumps of sod and soil would be brushed away from her behind, and the young woman would let out a tired sigh.

The other splotches of dirt, and in some cases fresh stains of grass, that coated her sweat pants made it clear that this wasn’t the first time today that she had fallen. Her outfit was altogether nothing special- A black tracksuit that she had been graciously gifted for the purpose of early outdoor training like this. Maybe a sign that her new family wasn’t as tyrannical as she thought.

This impromptu training session of hers wasn’t all too far away from the Uchiha Clan compound, just far enough away that she could have a secluded rural area to herself. The spread out nature of the village made it so there was plenty of rural space within the walls, and plenty of rural training areas. Plenty of space for nobody to see her embarrass herself like this.

Naomi tread at her usual pace, which was noticeably more steady than most people would prefer. When by herself like this she often enjoyed taking in the sights and relishing in the woodlands the Land of Fire composed primarily of. Despite living there it was never a dull moment for her. Small critters roamed freely, new blossoms blooming, and plenty of tale-telling clues which were more than enough to keep her occupied during her journey. Being passionate about the environment was something she was nurtured into. Not only was she a farm girl, but living the life she did, Naomi was constantly outdoors and spent long periods of time traveling the forest by herself. No games or company to keep her distracted.

It was during this was her route interrupted. A larger predator awaited just ahead as the leaves rustled from above. Was it a cougar? She wasn't expecting a fight, and in fact was incapable of defending herself against a large cat if it came down to it. She could likely prevail though would suffer several grievous injuries. Something she hoped to avoid entirely. Her pacing slowed down as the rustling slowed. To think she was a few days from creating her own weaponry. Stepping aside into the cover of a tree she kneeled down in a low squat holding her lunchbox dear to her chest.

As her eyes narrowed in on the source the ruckus revealed itself as a young adolescent girl who had lost her fight with gravity. As she impacted the earth her body visibly jiggled all around causing a bit of empathy to stir up inside Naomi. Falls gradually became unpleasant the older she grew, obviously due to the higher body mass. Although she was toughening up to being tossed around it wasn't something someone got used to over night. Standing upright she came from behind her cover and trotted over to the girl who had fallen just as she was recovering. Stopping just a couple meters from the girl she maintained her space. "You're the first kid I know that can't climb a tree. You don't go out much?" The more Naomi got a read on the girl's appearance the worse it got. She looked somewhat frail, and seeing as her clothes were covered in grass and dirt told Naomi this wasn't a one time failure.

But eventually some pity come over Naomi. She had time to spare. As long as she was back before dinner everything would be alright. "It's not that hard..." Naomi said, setting her lunch box at the base of the tree gingerly before raising her hands near her face, spitting lightly into each, and rubbing her palms together to get some grip. "You just grab ahold of something sturdy," Hopping off the ground and gaining some air she gripped a low hanging branch firmly as some features became more apparent showing she was a developing, healthy woman. "Then you swing your legs over like this." Naomi explained with no strain in her voice displaying control over her actions. And with that said the young woman slung her right leg over the branch as she carried the rest of her body over. And with no effort Naomi was sitting astride the tree branch with both thighs clamping down on the wooden support.

The loincloth on her cheongsam fell freely on either side of the branch. "You should really go outside more, though. It'll make this a lot easier. Why do you wanna climb a tree anyways? You aren't playing with friends and you aren't a kid."

After the brief minutes she spent entertaining this stranger Naomi was hit with the realization that she was on a time constraint. "Love to chat but I gotta get going!!" She said with honest urgency. Sliding off the branch she took off in a jog towards town. Crafting awaits.

[Purchasing:

Leather | 200 ryo per Unit x2
Steel | 500 ryo per Unit x2
Wood | 100 ryo per Unit x3
Explosive Tag | 1,500 ryo ea. 15 feet blast radius. x10
Bandage Wrap | 500 ryo ea.

Total: 17,200 ryo]

[Exit]