Chapter 1
Arriving in Konoha
"I'm really gonna have some trouble finding my way around..." Dakkuzen said as he walked through the front gates of Konoha, readjusting his backpack.
The village seemed to live up to its reputation, in size at least. Everywhere he looked, all Dakkuzen could see were buildings and people. Konoha was really bustling this afternoon, the streets flooded with people going through their normal routines or doing something new entirely. He was especially impressed by the giant carvings into the mountain on the southern end of the village.
"Hm, those must be their leaders. The Hokage I think they were called. Totally awesome..." Dakkuzen said to himself.
"Hello...sir?"
Dakkuzen turned to see two people staring at him. He quickly smiled and was relieved to see they smiled back, thinking that perhaps Konoha had some kind personalities in it after all. The rumors had told them that Konoha was full of cold, distant people. Though perhaps that was how Konoha was in times of war. He had heard the stories too many times to think they were false, the cold Konoha shinobi sweeping up the forces of their enemies without mercy, and when they were defeated, the Yellow Flash, blue eyes cold as the endless depths of the oceans, came out and took their place in battle.
Those had been stories from Dakkuzen's childhood, stories that had filled him with fear. This Konoha seemed different from the huge, conquering monster he had heard of from his parents in the Whirlpool village. As the two gate guard shinobi smiled back at him and another took out a clipboard, he began to disperse those thoughts and replace them with optimistic ones.
"Greetings traveler, my name is Izumo, and this is Kotetsu. How was your trip?" Izumo asked.
"It was pretty good, a little rough. I had to fight a little on the way there...Iwagakure ninja." Dakkuzen replied, pointing to a small wound on his shoulder.
"It's good to see you're alright. Judging from your apparel, you're a ninja of the Whirlpool village correct?" The man named Kotetsu asked, scratching his head.
"Yes, I am the ambassador for them actually...is your Hokage busy? I need to speak to her about the relationship between our two villages." Dakkuzen said, looking towards the center of the village.
"Not at the moment. We'll let you see her immediately, right after your injuries get healed. They haven't gotten too bad I trust?" Izumo asked.
"Not really...I've been taking care of myself...for the most part." Dakkuzen replied, flinching as Kotetsu touched the wound on his shoulder.
"Doesn't seem too bad...not enough to be healed by the Hokage. You should see Lady Shizune though, so she can check for infections and other complications. Ask for her at the hospital. She's an expert in healing, almost as good as Lord Hokage herself." Kotetsu said, patting Dakkuzen's back as the Whirlpool ninja walked into the Leaf village.
"Thank you. I'll remark to the Hokage how well her gate guard is doing." Dakkuzen said, turning back and smiling at both of the Chuunin before he walked deeper into the village.
Dakkuzen was still in awe as he walked deeper into the village, analyzing everything. He looked at the people, the buildings, and the many food stands. His wounds became numb and were in the back of his mind as he took in his new surroundings. There looked to be so much to do and see, he couldn't take it all in at once. He immediately felt overwhelmed as he politely made his way through the crowd. A woman who looked to be his age brushed past him and turned, smiling suggestively. He smiled back and continued towards the hospital.
"I'm really beginning to like it here..." He told himself as he looked back at the woman, who looked back at him as well.
He stood a little reluctantly at the double doors of the hospital, careful not to get in anyone's way. He had always hated going to the hospital, but his wounds required it, as much as he hated to admit it. His one fear was in a hospital...needles. He despised needles with every ounce of his being, and they filled him with fear. They had told at the gate that he would needed to be checked for infection, which would mean that he would need to be injected with needles. He shivered, and it took him a few more minutes before he mustered enough courage to push the double doors open and walk into the hospital.
"Damn needles..." He said as he looked at the hospital for the first time.
It was very clean on the inside, the floors, walls, and ceiling sparkling white. It, like the rest of the village, was very busy, with patients being carted to and fro. He walked up to the front counter, smiling at the pretty receptionist. She looked up from some paperwork she was doing and smiled back at him.
"How can I help you?" She asked.
"I was told to come here and ask for the Lady Shizune. I'm the ambassador from the Whirlpool village, and just needed my checkup and physical before I carried out my duties within the village." He told her, leaning over on the counter.
"Oh, that's right. Lady Shizune told me about you. She told me to give you this pass." The woman reached under the front desk, and gave him a pink slip of paper.
"Lady Shizune's office is in the northwest corner of the hospital. Just keep heading in that direction and you should find it. I don't think she's busy doing anything...just make sure anything she does during the checkup doesn't get rid of your good looks." The woman said, giggling as he walked away.
Dakkuzen almost did a double take when he heard that. He was definitely beginning to like it here. He made his way towards the corner of the hospital, in the direction the woman had told him to go. It took him awhile, but eventually he ended up outside of a door, where the label next to it said "Lady Shizune". He knocked and then slowly pushed open the door.