Kanso turned after closing the door. The small entrance hall continued for just a few feet before opening up into a larger room, a couch and end table in view from where he stood marked it the living room. He walked in. Along the white walls hung a few pictures. Some flowers, a mountain landscape, and a picture of Kanso's family. He walked over to the last picture, brushing his fingers gently over the glass framed image of his mother before lifting the whole picture off the wall, placing it on the table. A small panel with a few buttons was hidden behind it's hanging place.
"Predictable."
Kanso basically spat the word out as his momentarily subsided anger returned, he punched in a short code on the buttons. A quick beep sounded and the entire house seemed to shudder slightly. Now Kanso was free to do whatever he wanted, the house had instantly soundproofed itself on lockdown. Kanso thought he wanted to yell, scream, curse, whatever he could that would otherwise disturb the peace around him. He thought it would make him feel better if it were an option but he just stood there silently. He looked down at the table, seeing the back of the picture frame he had set down, a remote control, and an empty, ceramic vase. He snatched it up and threw it as hard as he could against the opposite wall, barely missing the television stand on it's flight. It connected, bounced off the wall, and slid nearly all the way back to Kanso across the hardwood floor. 'Of course.' Kanso thought sarcastically to himself.
Sighing, the boy picked up the undamaged vase, returning it and the picture frame to their original places. He wiped his eyes and looked around, seeing that one of the doorways transitioned to a tiled hardwood and followed it. The kitchen seemed more furnished than the rest of the house was expected to be by Kanso. A sink built into a marble bar with drawers, a double door fridge, a stove, a few cabinets, and a table set big enough to seat four. He pulled a glass from a cabinet and filled it with water. Then he checked the drawers for some aspirin, dropping two and one other pill in the cold water and watching them dissolve. He was done being angry, but now he was just frustrated and had a huge, throbbing headache.
After downing and washing the glass, Kanso returned to the living room. He saw a few dust prints on the floor where he had walked, knowing exactly how hard it was going to be to keep the hardwood clean when most roads in and out of the town were made of dirt or packed gravel. He decided not to bother with it yet and instead focused on his muddy backpack. 'Now THAT was a mess, good job dad' he thought as he picked it up. He started to look for the bedroom for him to dump out all of the stuff that was inside his pack when a light noise tone echoed through the house.
He turned back at the door, wondering who it could be. He wouldn't imagine anyone walking up to this house, except maybe to visit him specifically, and didn't think that word of his arrival had yet reached the city governor or 'Hokage' as these people referred to him. He left his bag in a small hall by a closet door, so it wouldn't be in the way if Kanso did have company, and returned to the living room. A dull knock came through the door as he unlocked his house with the control panel, he quickly moved back to the door and opened it.
"Yes?"
A young man stood in the doorway, wearing the same general outfit as other ninja from the Leaf Village. He held out a letter.
"I'm sorry I must make this brief, but the Hokage has sent a letter of welcome to this address upon hearing of your arrival."
Kanso had barely grasped the paper before the ninja suddenly disappeared. Kanso flinched in shock and looked around for the late teenager, but he was gone. 'Everything seems to happen so fast around here' Kanso thought. He gulped and opened the letter after closing the door. A thick stack of money came out, which Kanso stuffed in a pocket before reading the accompanying letter. Again, the Hokage addressed himself as just Mr. Hiruzen. Kanso was also beyond relieved that the note was written in his native writing.
"Kanso.
It is nice to hear that you've made it to the village quickly and safely. I heard about your run-in with one of my shinobi and regret any damages done. I hope you will enjoy your stay and I wish you contact me if any concerns should appear. I've decided to send you a personal trainer by tomorrow morning, to give you a chance to rest after traveling so far. If you find him in any way unsatisfactory, I would like you to voice your opinions, there are other shinobi available that would enjoy the chance to teach you. In hopes that this may further our and our countries relationships, you won't be held to the duties of other shinobi that may risk your life. As a side note, I would suggest you as your assigned or later chosen trainer about meeting other aspiring ninja. There are several your age and I think it best that you spend time training or doing the 'hanging out' with them, they're sure to be friendly."
The mostly informal letter ended there. Kanso was impressed at how mostly well translated it had been, but he was still upset. He didn't want to be babied and he didn't come to make friends. He decided he was going to seek out these other kids, learn exactly what level of ninja they were and attempt to match their strength. If he could do that, then it wouldn't really matter if he went on missions or not. He would just be less experienced and still have all of the skills.
"Alright."
He said to himself, that was one meeting down and it was barely passed morning. He just needed to talk to one other person.
