Pale Dawns

Peragus was snoozing lazily upon the lowest branch of a tree in a park in Konohagakure. His long blue hair splayed out and draping over the the branch beneath his head. His arms acting as a cushion for his head as he lay upon his back. His blue mantle and robe bottoms covered him to well and his boots were upon his feet, one ankle atop the other. He was not deeply asleep by any means and the warm morning air of the village hidden in the leaves made for a comfortable little snooze as he napped. Clouds dotted the sky as the dawn sun began its daily trek across the sky. The bright orange hued star still barely over the horizon. It colored the sky a deep purple and the clouds had a pinkish cast to them.

It was a good morning for a nap, soon Peragus would either go train or find some breakfast. But he liked spending the early mornings like this, around nature and not confined to his bedroom. Don't get him wrong, he enjoyed his home and loved the feeling of snoozing lazily in bed too. But it was different than snoozing outside. Some might call that crazy, some homeless person somewhere in the world would hate him for the sentiment he was sure. However that was not him and that was not his problem.

The park was large and had a sprawling field within it for people to play with their pets or have family outings together or simply to gather with friends. Currently there were some people around but they had not bothered him yet, if they intended to at all. All in all he was content and comfortable in his tree taking his nap.

[1]

Ren walked down the street with a frown on his face, his hands behind his head with his fingers interlocked, his elbows level with his face as he tried to think of something to do today. He had planned on going to the training area, but they wouldn't let him in saying he had been there to much and needed rest. What the hell was rest? Was all the male could think about as he walked through the streets of Konohagakure. He was not use to this, he enjoyed training his craft, but what was he supposed to do other than that? It's not like he could go casting different fire techniques while he walked. The village had rules about such things and techniques like his were forbidden in the village outside of the training areas, he thought about trying to go outside the village into the forest that surrounded it. But the last time he had tried they told him genin weren't permitted out of the gates unless on a mission with a team, it was a real bummer.

He was out of options as far as a place to be able to train, but maybe he could still salvage the day somehow. He began to try to think of things he could do, but it always lead back to his Ninjutsu. If he was a Taijutsu user this wouldn't be such a problem, people can practice that stuff anywhere it seemed, but he was never much for the physical aspect of things, relying heavily upon his Ninjutsu abilities especially his Katon element. The male would groan, still unable to come up with a plausible thing to do on his forced day off from the training areas. Stopping in the middle of the street Ren would lower his arms and begin looking around to see if anything looked interesting, there were several shops but nothing that caught his eye right away.

Ren continued walking looking for something, anything, until he came to the park. He saw some families, here and there, he considered going and asking on of them what they do for fun, but quickly decided against it. As he scanned the park, his eyes would fall upon a tree. At first he thought someone had painted a blue stripe on the tree, but then the wind would blow and he would see it move. Approaching the tree, Ren would eventually make out the man laying on the low branch of it. It was obvious that the man was relaxing, and normally he would just leave the man be and go train. Since he can't do that though, he might as well ask this guy if he knew of a way to help him. "Yo, Blue." Ren would call up to the guy in the tree, he wouldn't wait for a response from the man before adding. "How do you relax?"

Peragus continued his lazy doze, his blindfolded eyes hidden from the world, even if they had not been closed. Still, he heard the feet of an individual stepping closer upon the grass and knew that he had company. A voice would call out, referring to him as ‘blue’ and ask him how he relaxed. Scratch that, he was asking how one relaxed in general it would seem. He’d activate his byakugan lazily, the bulging veins hidden behind his blindfold. With that active he could see the individual that was speaking to him.

The man had referred to him as ‘blue’ no doubt for the blue hoodie he wore and for lack of an actual name. The man was six foot, putting him a few inches below Peragus himself and he seemed to have a leaner look. Like something you’d find in athletes focused on running. A strong jawline and short, messy black hair. Peragus would crack a grin as he spoke. “Well don’t we look like just the most generic individual anyones ever seen?” He would say, a teasing tone in his voice as he rolled off the branch, turning in air to land nimbly on his feet. Then he would stand to his full height of 6’4. His white hair normally fell in his face but it was short enough that with the help of the headband over his eyes it was held up in a bit of a spiky mop. “One relaxes by finding something ‘relaxing’ to do. The name is Peragus by the way.” He would say as he rolled his neck to loosen it up after laying and dozing in tree branch. “So, based on your question I assume you don’t know what you might find relaxing? No hobbies you would use to wind down or anything?” He would ask his tone curious. He would look toward the man, his byakugan still active and just as hidden.

[2]

How can he see with the blindfold on his face, was the first thought that occurred to Ren as he watched the man drop from the branch onto his feet. They were near the same height, though the man was slightly taller causing Ren to look up ever so slightly still unable to understand how the guy was able to see. When the man spoke of finding something relaxing to do, Ren couldn't help but think that was exactly his problem he didn't know how to find something relaxing or what something relaxing would even be. "Apologies, my name is Ren Uchiha." Ren would say bowing respectfully to the man after hearing the man introduced himself, he wasn't sure the man could actually see him or not but he would bow nonetheless. When the man asked his questions about hobbies Ren's head would drop slightly, "Well I train, I find that to be relaxing, that's usually what I do to as you say wind down from a day. Never really have had time for other things, I would be in the training facility now if they had not told me I spent too much time there and needed to do something else for a day or two. But I don't know what there is to do, I don't really get out much." Ren's words would be calm and respectful with a small hint of resentment when he said he spent too much time at the training facility, though whether it was resentment for himself or resentment of those that refused his entry would be unclear.

Growing up his father pushed him everyday to be better than the day before, it was all he did, it was all he knew. Ren use to often wonder if his life would have been different if his mother were still alive, if he would have been more like the rest of the people in the village or if he would still be the same. Though he would never be able to answer the question and gave up on the wondering long ago, still now with this blindfolded man before him the question reared it's head in his mind once more. Would he have been more like this man, if his mother was still around? "Perhaps, that is of course if you don't mind, you could show me relaxing things?"

Peragus would listen to the man, he would introduce himself as ‘Ren Uchiha’. Which the white haired man would assume explained the ‘most generic looking person’ factoid. From what he saw most in that clan had dark hair and eyes and preferred to keep it short. Still it had been only a jest. Ren did not seem to notice or care about the comment though so Peragus would let it pass. All in all the man would eventually go into how he relaxes, which was to train. Which was most definitely not relaxing. Eventually the man would explain that he did not get out much and eventually asked him to show him some relaxing things.

That..was something Peragus could do sure, I mean he had intended to train today but in reality he didn’t really have all that much too train at the moment. He couldn’t progress further in the arts of the Hyuuga until he mastered his own Byakugan further. So there wasn’t much he could do for the moment anyway. He might be able to create some techniques but he did not really know where to start with that. ‘Perhaps something to do with gentle fist and lightning..’ He would think to himself before moving on with the conversation at hand. All in all the blindfolded man really did not have much going on. He might as well use it to help a guy out. Besides, they were both Konoha nin, and that made Ren a brother, or maybe a distantly related cousin. Who knew?

“Sure, I can show you some things. You say you train a lot to relax too right? Well that my friend is not really relaxing. Think of relaxing as ‘resting’. You need to do things that are restful and rejuvenating. Some like to lay back and watch the clouds. Some like to soak in a hot spring, some like to cook, create art of some form. Everyone has their hobbies and things they enjoy doing that bring them peace. Doing such things also makes you a more well rounded and well adjusted individual. So it’s a good thing to find out about yourself. Do any of the things I mentioned above sound interesting?” He would ask his tone curious.

[3]

Ren would listen to Peragus as the man explained that relaxing was like resting, which would instantly confuse Ren. 'isn't resting sleeping?' he would think to himself as he continued to listen to the man standing in front of him. Looking at the clouds seemed boring, and while Ren enjoyed a hot bath as much as the next he wouldn't say he would enjoy the hot springs as there were just too many people there for him to find it relaxing. Ren wasn't terrible at cooking, but he hardly enjoyed it. He would cook only if he had too, which luckily for him was not very often these days since he had been down in work for the village. The art though would spark a small interest in Ren, of course it would come back to training as he viewed his jutsu as his works of art. When the man would finish and ask Ren if anything sounded interesting Ren would think for a moment wanting to get his words right before answering the man.

"Well, to be honest with you none of that stuff sounded that interesting. I was forced into starting training at a young age, but now I find it the most relaxing. I use my Ninjutsu as an expression of myself, I guess you could say it's my own form of art. It brings me peace and joy when I train as it is my way of perfecting that art, that I once did not understand and I resented. I do it until I cannot do it any longer and then I sleep, that is how I get through most days." Ren would pausing for a second to clear his throat, "of course that is the problem. My art can only be expressed in the training grounds due to the potential hazard of damage the flames can cause." Ren would stop talking and look up to the sun for a few seconds before looking down to the ground, wondering if he should tell the guy he just likes to watch things burn, but decided to wait to see what the guy had to say about what Ren had already said. The last thing he wanted was for someone to think he was a pyro that was going to try and burn down the village, that would cause more problems then they are worth.

Peragus would listen intently to the man’s words, nodding appropriately as he considered. It would seem it was a case of parental abuse. It might not have been the physical, body beating kind. However forcing a child into training at a young age was still abuse in its own right. The white haired man considered that. Training from such a young age while not developing certain interests and hobbies would indeed cause the sort of situation the man was describing. He could not relax outside of training, because he was so used to it that he found the act in itself relaxing.

Peragus considered that. The list he had given had essentially been declined but some of that stuff was something many people enjoyed. He seemed to need a physical outlet. However he wondered if something else was not at work. “Tell me, do you always find yourself moving through a given task as quickly as possible and moving onto the next? Set aside the question of whether or not you perform the task adequately. The question is whether or not you take the time to find enjoyment in it.” He would ask, his tone curious. If the answer to that was yes then Peragus had an idea. What would need to happen then would be that one might need to slow Ren down to potentially enjoy a task fully. To really take in what was happening and find relaxation in it. He had an idea or two toward that end only it would only work in regards to one or two of the idea’s he had given before. Specifically the arts, and the hot springs.

[4]

Ren would think on the question the man asked before he would answer as the answer was both yes and no at the same time, after a moment or two he would finally respond. "It depends on the task really. If its something like a chore or something that needs to be done, then sure I guess I could say I rush through it. I try to hurry so that I can move on to the next task, so the quicker I do it the better. But at the same time when it comes to learning new things like jutsu, especially Katon techniques, I like to take my time so that I can perfect it. So I guess my answer would depend on the task, when it comes to learning things I like then I take my time, but with everything else, yes because I want it to be done as quickly as possible so I can move on to something else. So no I don't really try to take time to enjoy it, because I don't enjoy it. I just want to get it over with and move on."

Though he was pretty sure he answered the man's question, he was unsure whether or not he was answering it right. Talking to him, Ren would watch for any sign of change in the man's demeanor or speech, considering his eyes were covered it was impossible for Ren to properly judge any facial expressions the man may or may not have been making. Forcing him to rely on his hearing of the man's voice to see if it changes or his body language, which would not be easy for him, still he would try without drawing attention to what he was doing. Ren thought about activating his Sharingan, but decided against it. There was no reason for him to use it, yet. For the time being he would simply watch to see how the man reacted to his answer and wait for the man's answer.

Peragus would listen intently to the man as he answered the question that he had posed. So he did have a tendency to rush through things that did not interest him. Given that the only thing that seemed to interest him was training in some form. It was safe to assume that Ren rushed through many things. He considered that for a few moments before nodding to himself. “Alright, part of the issue I think is that you don’t take your time with things to try to appreciate them fully. If you’ll humor me for a while, I might be able to help with that and show you a few relaxing things. My thoughts are leaning toward the hot springs for the moment, then food, and possibly art. That said I wanna save the art for last because what I’m thinking of can double as a form of training and given you’re banned from the training grounds to rest for a day or two I’d rather show you that idea as a last resort.” He would explain.

His ideas involved forcing Ren to take some time to really consider how things most people found relaxing affected senses he normally would not use. Given the man had introduced himself as an Uchiha. Peragus was going to assume that he, like most others even those without special eyes, relied on his sense of sight. He of course being someone who normally went around with a blindfold on, had a unique perspective on that. Even if he cheated outrageously by using his byakugan to see. Many times he did indeed have the kekkai genkai off and simply enjoyed life through the other senses. “Provided you’re willing to humor me, come with me. I’ll rent a private hot spring so it’s not crowded. Then we can get some lunch and if I can’t help you find relaxation in those activities then I’ll show you my thoughts on how you might use art to your advantage.” He would say before turning and heading toward the hot springs.

[5]

Listening to the man, Ren would think for a second or two before answering. The man seemed smart enough to know what he was talking about, and in all honesty, it was not like he had any other options for things to do today. Perhaps by spending the day with Peragus he could learn a thing or two about relaxing or at the very least learn how to make better small talk, consider that was another aspect about him that he fell short on. Ren would be concerned about the hot springs at first, though when the man stated he would rent a private spring it would ease his mind slightly as there would not be a crowd which would be a major relief for him. "Alright Peragus, I will humor you. As you said, I am banned from the training grounds, so it is not like I have anything better to do, so if you think this will help then I will do it." He replied before beginning to walk behind Peragus on their way to the hot springs, his hands behind his head with his arms in the air as he had been doing before he saw Peragus.

As they walked Ren's mind would begin to wander towards the training grounds and all the different techniques that he could have been learning, if it had not been for the fact that they told him to go do something else for a change. There were so many Katon techniques that he had not learned yet and some that he had learned yet had not mastered. Still aware of the man next to him however should Peragus have more questions for him, though otherwise Ren would follow him to the hot springs to see what the man had in mind.

With Ren’s acceptance of Peragus’ plans for him for the day they would be off. It would not take long and as they moved it would be obvious to anyone watching that the blindfolded man had absolutely no difficulty in traversing the crowds of the village. He moved easily, avoiding people and evening catching a falling apple from the bag of a young woman who had almost fallen and offering it back to her. All the while the white haired man had his byakugan active and was able to see everything around him easily. It would not take long to reach the hot springs and when they entered Peragus would speak to the man at the counter. “Private spring please for my friend and I.” He would say, pulling some money out of his pocket. The clerk took the money, counting it to ensure it was all there. Honestly, it was as if no one trusted a blindfolded man to be able to count money, the nerve. Before instructing them to use to springs in the last door on the right.

Peragus would nod before heading to the indicated door and entering the changing room. Given that they were both male they would be in the same one “So, given the fact that you have issues relaxing in hot springs. I want to try a little experiment with you.” He would say, withdrawing a spare blindfold and offering it to the man. “Wear this inside. You can wait till you’re in the water to put it on if you want, trying to move around with it on is not for the inexperienced.” He would joke, flashing a grin as he spoke. “The idea is to deprive you of your sense of sight to that you focus on other senses. My hope is that when you focus on the other senses you’ll feel how relaxing a good hot spring really is.” He would explain.  

[6]

As he followed behind the man, seeing how he moved through a crowd and seem to know exactly where he was going and even interacting with others, Ren would begin to wonder if the man could see through his blindfold or had just trained his body to see without needing to see. Perhaps he was blind either born or afflicted later and had trained his body to respond without his eyes, it wouldn't be the first time a Shinobi had accomplished a feat that many thought was not possible, so it wouldn't be outside of the realm of possibilities. Though he would not have the nerve to actually ask the man about it, he would just go along with it. Once they got to the hot springs Ren would wait as Peragus spoke to the man behind the counter and waited as the man counted the Ryo before allowing them to go into the spring.

When they got to the changing room, Peragus would hand him a blindfold, and Ren would listen to the man as he explained his intention. Though Ren was skeptical of how this was going to help anything, he had agreed to do as the man had instructed in his attempt to learn to relax and so he would simply shrug and agree. "Ok," Ren would reply as he began removing his Haori and other garments, he thought about trying to walk with it like the man does but decided against it as he did not wish to walk into a wall, and like the man said it was not something for the inexperienced, though if this did work then Ren might have to consider using a blindfold more often. As he got into the water of the hot spring, he could feel the warmth washing over his muscles, this was probably something he had needed for such a long time, but he had always come up with an excuse as to not do it. As he went to put the blindfold on, he would briefly hesitate, uncertain if he wanted to do this, as this would be the first time, he willingly removed his eyes from an equation. Ren was the kind of guy that depended on his eyes, which the blindfold man might not understand given the circumstances, but it was not something that he would normally do.

With a deep breath he would place the blindfold over his eyes, tying it off at the back before trying to relax in the water. The warm water felt nice, however it did not seem any different with the blindfold on, though that might just be his impatience talking. Ren would sit there for a few moments before moving to a different spot to see if there was a difference and then move again after another few minutes as he tried to find a comfortable way to relax. It was not going well for him.

Peragus would hear the Uchiha’s impatient moving around in the hot tub and speak, his tone quiet, almost relaxed. “Stop fidgeting so much. Be still, and quiet, let the hot water soak into your muscles and relax you with its heat. To relax is to let the body become less tense, or anxious. But you seem to constantly live in such a state. Take the blindfold off a moment and look at me. My arms specifically as it’s easier to see there. Do you see tension there? Do you see me wound up like a bowstring? Look at yourself, do you feel a tension in your body, as if you’re ready to move like a cut wire the instant something happens? That’s good to have on a mission, or even in training. But you’ve got to learn to let that tension loosen. Let go, nothing bad will happen if you do.” He would say, explaining more about relaxing.

“That said, this might simply not be a good activity for you to relax. You might find your relaxation in other pursuits which is fine. But give this one a chance to work. My next idea was enjoying a nice, hot meal. My favorite place doesn’t open for a bit yet and I’m buying. So take some time now, and try to let go.” He would finish, it was possible that having an idea of the next task on the list might allow the man to relax somewhat. Some people were like that, needing to have the next step firmly in mind before they could let any peace come to them. It meant they could transition easily and smoothly to the next task when it was time to do so. Peragus would let silence fall for a time, letting himself relax within the hot water and letting his mind wander somewhat as he considered his plans. He needed to figure out how to combine his own lightning release with his clan's taijutsu capabilities. He knew it would be possible, if somewhat difficult to get the hang of.

After a time he would wordlessly activate his Byakugan, checking the suns position to judge the time. His favorite lunch destination would be opening soon. So it was as good a time as any to leave. Besides if Ren wasn’t able to relax after this long in the springs than it meant hot springs simply weren’t his cup of tea. Which was fine. “Time to go, any luck?” He would ask curiously, even if so he would buy the man lunch. He had already said he would after all. He would stand, moving toward the edge of the spring and moving out of it and toward the changing room.

[7]

Ren would roll his eyes as he removed his blindfold, was this guy serious. What he was asking is impossible, to relax would mean letting his guard down and the moment he let his guard down something would happen and it would be his fault. 'How could he possibly expect me to relax here?' The man's mention of food later would settle Ren though, as he was beginning to find himself hungry.

Ren would take a deep inhale of breath, as he would attempt to do as the man was doing and just relax. It wasn't by any means easy, his mind seemed to be running at a hundred meters per second. Thinking of all the terrible things that could possibly go wrong with this, even though the other man seemed so confident that nothing bad was going to happen. Though it would take a while, Ren's mind would begin to slow as the male mentally repeated the last of the other man's words in his mind, 'let go' as he allowed the warmth of the water to soak into him. Finding his eyes slowly drifting close however, Ren would force them open though remained unmoving in the water. 'Is this what relaxing is like? It's peaceful, but a little boring. Can't fall asleep.'

Ren's mind would snap back to reality at the man's words, saying it was time to go and asking him if he had any luck. "Well my body feels a little weird, Numb almost. Is that what relaxing supposed to feel like?" Ren replied as he too began getting out of the water, feeling his legs be a little weak as he climbed out and headed to the changing room. "My legs and arms feel like jelly, but my back feels nice. So i suppose that's something right?" Ren would ask as he put his clothing back on, before asking what was really on his mind. "So where are we eating?" After all how could he pass on a free meal.

He would listen to the man’s question, an almost ‘numb’ feeling? That…That was probably the sudden release of a large amount of tension. Which was a good thing indeed. “That’s not normally what relaxing feels like no, or at least not to the extend you’re feeling it. You’ve built up a great deal of tension and stress since you hadn’t been relaxing or letting yourself loose a bit. That numb sensation is probably a large portion of that tension bleeding out. It can have a serious effect on the body." He would say as they moved to leave. As they dressed Ren would comment that his legs and arms feel like jelly, which told Peragus that they felt loose for probably the first time in a very long time. It was a good thing and overall if he maintained a regime of training and included relaxing in his normal day he would find himself getting stronger at more of an increased pace.

“It is, it means you’ve released a lot of that tension. Hot Springs seem to work for you after all if you can keep from being impatient.” He would respond, flashing a grin at the man as they left the changing room. “I’ll still show you a couple of more ways too and give you some idea of some stuff you can do besides what I show you. For now, food can be a great way to relax. My favorite ramen place just opened for the day so let’s go.” He would say moving through the streets. The ramen place was a small stand with four stools set up. The place was run by an old man and his cute daughter. Somewhere in his mind Peragus wondered briefly about time space continuums and stereotypes and other such nonsense in regards to the ramen stand owner and his daughter. Regardless, they had the best noodles in town so far as Peragus knew. “Order whatever you want but expect to get at least two bowls, if not more.” He would say to Ren as he sat a stool. “Shrimp Ramen old man, gimme that disabled discount.” He would call out in the familiar tone of a jest. “The only thing about you that’s disabled is your sense of humor.” The old man would call back. Prompting the blindfolded man to laugh.

[8]

The feeling in his legs slowly coming back, Ren would follow Peragus from the changing room in our into the brightness of the day. As Peragus explained that if he wouldn't be impatient the hot springs would work better, Ren would make a mental note to come back to it later when he had another day off to attempt it again. As they neared the ramen shop or rather stall, considering it was just a small stand with four stools, Ren would take a seat next to Peragus. Looking at the menu as Peragus place his order, Ren would finally decide, "I'll take some Tonkotsu Ramen, please." Ren would state as the old man looked to him for his order, the Uchiha had not had Ramen from this shop before considering he usually ate at the Ramen shop near the Uchiha district, so he was interested to see which would taste better. Considering it was the blindfolded man's favorite place, the way him and the owner talked the man was a regular here, Ren had to believe that this had good Ramen or else why would someone come back so much.

Ren would grab a pair of chopsticks from the counter, twirling them both between his fingers like drumsticks as they waited for their meal. "So I guess you come here a lot, huh?" Ren would ask despite already believing he knew the answer, he simply would try to make small talk as they waited so that it wouldn't be awkward silence. After a minute or so after the man answered his first question Ren would ask another, this one being one he would be more interested in, something that would be noticeable by the change in his voice as a hint of curiosity and excitement would be heard. "So what exactly do you do for the village? Are you a Jounin or something, often out on dangerous missions?"

His comrade ordered the Tonkotsu Ramen, a delicious choice and when he did Peragus spoke. “I want you to use the blindfold here too. Don’t worry, they won’t judge, I come here too much personally for them to judge something as silly as wearing a blindfold. By all means wait till you see the food first. It looks as delicious as it is. However I want you to remove your sight from the equation here too. Focus on the sensations, the textures, the taste, smell, take it slow. You’ve got time after all, the food isn’t going anywhere and I’m not timing you on eating. Eating is also a form of relaxation for some. Particularly eating something hot, filling, and soothing. In which ramen is all three. See if enjoying a nice, hot meal helps you relax some. Do that, and take your time with it. Finish the bowl like that, blind and focusing on the other senses, and I’ll tell you about a no hassle, low key way to practice your fire release and work on getting better, or at least more efficient with it.” He would say, his words calm.

Fire release chakra was one of the more dangerous types of chakra to train normally because fire jutsu tended to cause widespread damage. However there were a few low key ways to practice and get more efficient with it overall that didn’t involve harming anyone at all. At least not really. As a non-fire user, Peragus normally wouldn’t know this type of thing. However he spent a lot of time seemingly sleeping around in the training grounds. In various tree’s and such. It made him appear to be horrifically lazy. Although he did not mind that in the least. He wasn’t really sleeping after all, well usually. What he was doing was scouting people with his Byakugan active. The very idea of training publicly with other people around was abhorrent to the Hyuuga. The point of being a shinobi was for your capabilities to be a secret after all. Many however did not subscribe to that belief. Peragus was more than willing to take advantage of that and utilize his Byakugan to watch and learn about people. He did his own training privately, using the same bloodline to ensure he had no witnesses.

As such he picked up a great deal of useful little information. Such as how some fire release users trained their control with their element by using it to heat things, like tea. The concept should easily be repeatable in say, a bowl of ramen. Or even while relaxing in a hot spring. Hell the thicker broth and volume of the spring would probably make it more difficult and therefore better practice. All the while not truly taxing the body or even needing to be tensed up to do. Perfect training for days when one was supposed to be relaxing and wanted something else to do.

Of course Ren needed the basics of relaxing before Peragus was going to tell him of that. Otherwise he would just cheat and the guy would be tensed up all of the time and end up killing himself early because of it. Peragus might be secretive of his capabilities but paranoia was simply an occupational hazard. Everyone in the village was still comrades to him. Family even in his own mind. As such he would help the base problem first. Then give Ren the information. The Uchiha might even think learning to relax was unnecessary after he showed him. However with the initial relaxation already having been begun in the springs it would only be a matter of time before Ren was doing it normally without thinking of it. As such he had already technically entrapped the Uchiha in a more healthy lifestyle in a way. Or at least that was the intent, once he showed him a few other ways people relaxed. He would be off to do whatever it was he was going to do.

Then Peragus might find that tree again, that branch had been pretty comfy all things considered.

Their ramen arrived and the blindfolded man idly, without missing a beat picked up his bowl and Ren’s bowl and swapped them. He had seen the waitress try the prank to see if she could fool Peragus. It was a little game they played, she would give him an entirely different bowl, sometimes not even of Ramen, and see if he noticed. This time she had opted to simply try to swap both of their bowls and see if he noticed. He had, and now Ren had his Tonkotsu and Peragus had his Shrimp. “And you call this service?!” He would cry out in mock indignation, his tone having no real heat to it. The waitress would giggle in amusement before sticking her tongue out at him and going to do something else. “So, what do I do for the village? Sleep, sometimes pick up trash or walk some dogs. Genin aren’t allowed to do much.” He would say idly, chuckling as he did. If Ren thought he was a Jounin then he supposed he took the mentor approach a little too strongly.


[9]

Ren would find the man's request rather odd, though he supposed it was no different than the hot springs. The man was obvious convinced that Ren's eyesight was the root of him not being able to relax and Ren wouldn't know any better to change that opinion so the young Uchiha would simply shrug it off and do as the man suggested once his food arrived. Ren had never eaten blindfolded before, though he could say that about a lot of things as he has never done anything blindfolded before today so it wasn't saying much. And if the man was offering to give him some kind of secret to training for doing it, then Ren was all the more interested in doing it. As they waited for their food, while not long, Ren's mind would race with the different possibilities that this low key fire training was as well as all the training he could do in the future. His plan for an Ember Clone was a step in his mastery over fire however there was still so much to learn and do and try, and now with this man's secret low key fire training the males mind was going a hundred meters per second and he was just trying to keep up.

Ren would be so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't even notice that the woman had placed the wrong bowl in front of him, the young Uchiha went to say something and then noticed the pork bone in his ramen realizing that the man had switched them out for the proper order, the man proceeded to then mock the woman about it which she returned in kind by sticking out her tongue which to Ren seemed as though they did that kind of stuff often. Considering the man stated he comes here a lot, it was not unbelievable that the two had some form of a relationship whether friend or more, though Ren didn't care.

Ren was about to start eating when he remembered the man's request for him to eat blindfolded, setting his chopsticks back next to his bowl, Ren would tie the blindfold over his eyes before beginning to feel around in front of himself to find his chopsticks and bowl once more. Hearing the man say he was but a Genin too, Ren would slightly deflate. Was he so out of touch that even other Genin knew more about things than he did, he thought for sure the man was a Jounin or at the very least a Chuunin, he would have never expected the man to be the same rank as him. Still the man seemed to know his stuff and so for the time being he would take the man's advice, perhaps even continue to follow it after they parted ways however first he had to try to eat the ramen without seeing it, which seemed to be causing a bit of a problem for the Uchiha. The constant clattering of the chopsticks and the side of the bowl, as well as a good portion of his meal would end up on him though it wouldn't really stop him as he ate, doing as the man suggested eating slow though, would stop him from making a mess. "This really takes practice," he stated with a chuckle as he continued to try to blindly feed himself, "I just don't see how you can do this stuff with the blindfold on all the time."

Peragus would hear the rustle of cloth as Ren tied the blindfold on and constant clatter as he tried to eat with the blindfold on. Peragus however was smooth and quiet as he ate at Ren’s comment and chuckle the Hyuuga would grin. “It does take a bit of practice but it’s easier if you hold the side of the bowl with one hand. Then you know where the bowl is, go for the middle of the bowl, not the edges, and stir it alot to settle the contents.” He would tell him before continuing on. That sort of advice was the kind of stuff one did not think about giving prior, as it was made up of small little actions and thoughts that one generally did subconsciously. Now they seemed obvious.

Peragus would continue to eat and eventually finish his bowl, setting the chopsticks across the top of it before leaning back a bit. “Relaxing by eating takes time and I should’ve guessed it would be more stressful than not removing your sight from it. The idea is to remove a sense so that the other senses work to compensate. Doing that can increase one's sense of taste, hearing, smell, all of it. And in almost anything action you can consider. Sight is the easiest to remove, hence the blindfold.” He would explain the reasoning behind his desire to constantly have Ren try to use a blindfold. After a few moments he would decide something, his blind eyes turning toward the Uchiha.

“Let me know when you’re done. I can probably talk you into the training facility. If I’m right then I know who’s on duty at the desk and can convince them to let you in.” He would say leaning forward onto the counter and resting his head on his arms. “Oh, and try using your fire chakra to heat your ramen when it gets cool. No jutsu, just raw fire manipulation. You can use the same idea in the hot springs too. Too much chakra and it’s too hot, not enough and it’s not hot enough. The hot springs will be harder due to the volume involved.” He would explain, giving the man the fire release training idea he had had before.

[10]

As he heard the man's advice, Ren would peak under the blindfold and grab the bowl in one hand, before quickly returning the blindfold over his eye and attempting again to eat blindfolded. Ren would inhale a deep breath listening as the man continued, before returning to his meal though still making noise as he ate, it was significantly less noise. He would ask for seconds as he finished the first, not realizing how hungry he was earlier. Though he probably ate it faster than he was suppose to with the first bowl he also knew he made a mess of himself, hearing the second bowl be placed in front of him he carefully reached forward and grabbed it picking it up without having to lift the blindfold. Ren hated to admit it but the man was right, having the blindfold on allowed him to hear the waitresses foot steps across the floor, and even place the bowl on the counter.

He would eat the second bowl more slowly, doing as the man suggested manipulating the fire chakra within him into his hand to warm the bowl as he ate. It was hard for him not to be excited at the prospect of training with the man, the fact that it took all of his strength not to scarf it all down and yell that he was ready for the training facility. As he kept himself calm, and eat the ramen slowly. Ensuring he took his time, so he could attempt to enjoy the experience as the man had suggested. He wasn't sure if he felt relaxed, but he was trying. As he finished his meal he would gently set the bowl on the counter, lifting his blindfold as he looked at the man.

"Alright I am ready when you are." Ren would state, with his stomach now full stomach he would be excited to get some training done and burn a few calories. Whenever the man was ready, Ren would follow him to the training facility.

After a time Ren would finish his meal as well, having chosen to go for a second bowl. That did not bother Peragus in the least, he had offered after all. Eventually when the Uchiha did finish his meal and state that he was ready the blindfolded Hyuuga would nod his head in acknowledgement before reaching for his wallet and paying for the bill. One of the beautiful things about ramen was that it was delicious, filling, and cheap. Everything a bachelor, or anyone else really, could hope for in a meal. Once that was done he would stand up and stretch rolling his neck to pop out any tension before nodding toward the man.

“Alright, let’s go see about getting you into the facility today. Keep in mind I can probably get you in today. Tomorrow and the day after you’ll have to actually spend time relaxing. You know what’s it’s supposed to feel like now so I think you’ll be alright.” He would explain before leading them off toward the Facility.

[Exit]

[11]

Ren would nod in understanding at the man's words, he was all too thankful that the man was willing to try and get him into the training facility today, considering that was what Ren had wanted from the beginning. Though now he held at least a small understanding of different things he could do when he wouldn't be allowed in the facility, in fact he was rather interested to take the man's suggestion of heating the water of the springs with his Katon. But he would save that for another day, and quietly followed the man from the stall and to the training facility.

Exit Thread
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