Shinobu Kitano - An Solved Inconvenience

[Silksteel]

It was never an easy thing being one of the only kids your age in the middle of nowhere. A small collection of huts in Lightning Country, with people who did few things of importance. Some farm work, raising some animals. But very little else. Such an existence, of a rural wasteland was a world of wide eyed fascination as a child, but as one had discovered what was behind every rock and tree, some at least began to feel more jaded with the world. Bored, cynical, and uncertain that life would ever get better. The soil was meager, and money was never really something that people had in this part of the country. They scraped by their existence with what little they had. Such a life however, was not something that Shinobu had wanted for himself. He had dreams he wanted to accomplish. He had goals of greatness and becoming something more.

Unfortunately, for the likes of him, and with what little options he had available, he became little more than an annoyance for the local lord and his men. It started as some practical jokes when he was younger. Hiding some of their things when they were off duty, disrupting or mocking some minor officials. But like all things, eventually these became little more than childish, boring pastimes. Eventually, Shinobu found the pleasures of gambling halls, and bars. It was a dangerous combination of his quick mind, his willingness to try and find something interesting to do, and his relatively loose moral code that made him the less legal nuisance that he became with time. Having no money to gamble with himself, he would either con drunk soldiers or guardsmen out of their coin, or would cheat with dice or card games in order to perpetuate his habits of drinking, and gambling. He became quite good at it. Enough so, that the men would often complain to their superiors about him.

Those that did try and handle him often found that the young man taught himself how to fight. At least marginally well in a bar setting, not being afraid to bash some heads if people got too rough with him, or if they happened to catch on to some of his less legal means of beating them. There was little honor to be had. But it was at least, one hell of a good time. Shinobu bought things he wanted for the first time, and didn't feel too bad about where the money was coming from. But all things unfortunately do come to an end. After a particularly successful night, Shinobu had noticed that one of the men at the gambling hall was a local official, a magistrate of some kind, but nobody of real importance. Shinobu got the man drunk, and helped himself to some of his belongings.

Unwittingly, Shinobu uncovered evidence of the mans corruption. He had also not been as unconscious as Shinobu had originally anticipated. The next day, he was thrown in Irons and brought before the local lord, to attest to his crimes of reading sensitive information. His habit of parting his men of their coin, cheating them, stealing from them, and being an overall pest was not something that worked in his favor, and his words that the man was corrupt fell on deaf ears. The man was not an idiot however. He saw in Shinobu a man who, perhaps with some guidance, and some lessons in discipline, could actually become an asset. Or, at the very least, would not survive long and he would be gone anyway. A choice was given. Shinobu could either join the Kumogakure Shinobi academy, or rot in prison.

It really wasn't much of a question which he would choose. He hadn't ever been in a prison cell, and he certainly didn't intend to change that fact right this moment. He was taken to the outskirts of Kumogakure, with little more than the clothes on his back, and a few bruises under his clothing from a man he is pretty sure he had nearly bankrupted at one of the tables only a week prior. He was told he was going to be taught discipline. He was told he would learn what Honor was, and to serve his country. They didn't seem to remember who it was they were talking to...