9 Chapter 9: The Village Hidden In The Leaves

Keitaro spent another couple of hours practicing his calligraphy in the study. He was pleased with his improvements but was still annoyed at the fact that his handwriting was still quite unsightly. His fingers and wrist where still quite weak and he was having problems keeping the brush steady. The only thig he could think of was maybe doing some exercises to help with his hands dexterity, by otherwise he'd simply have to wait till he got older to improve drastically.

Finished with that, he made his way to the kitchen and devoured the meal that his father had prepared for him. Finished with that, he found himself unsure of what to do with the rest of his day. With no internet of Tv to keep him occupied, Keitaro found that there really much for him to do.

With boredom being the main driving force, he decided to take a stroll around the village. He wasn't bond to become lost, and even if he was it wouldn't be to difficult to get some help getting back home.

He opened the front door of the house and after making sure the door was secured he sped off down the pathway towards the centre of the village. He made sure to wave to the nice aunty that lived next door so that she knew he was out as he went, just in case his father or brother came home early and were concerned about his disappearance.

This was the first time that he would have been walking around the village on his own and he wanted to take it all in. Reading about the village and watching the occasional episode when it came out was completely different from seeing it person. 

The lively atmosphere with all the bustling people gave the village a sense of life that Keitaro hadn't experienced before. Even though it was obvious that people had things they were doing, it was almost as if they had all the time in the world to do it. No one was rushing around, no one seemed to be in much of a hurry, and even the few people who seemed busy, where pausing from time to time to start a conversation with the occasional stall owner. 

It was heartwarming being surrounded by so much positivity. No one was clutching unto their purses or bags ever weary of pickpockets, none of the people seemed adverse to interacting with each other, and the harmony of the village seemed to be ever present.

There was a visible closeness that everyone exhibited that just wasn't present in his past life. A hidden undercurrent of implicit trust and a sense of belonging that everyone seemed to share. 

Of course that may have been the appearance on the surface, but Keitaro wasn't fooled so easily. Years spent living on the street meant that he had no other choice but to develop the skills needed to see beneath surface. Being able to understand the hidden intentions of those around him had been an invaluable skill, and form what he could see right now, these people where indeed a close nit community but with several clear distinctions amongst them.

It wasn't obvious, but there were clearly a few people who were more important than others, even if they seemed to all be regular civilians.

It was in the subtle way that the crowd always seemed to part to allow certain people passage, as to not hinder them without a word. How the store venders adopted a more reserved and servantly demeanour when dealing with certain clientele. The way that the venders added a few extra pounds of produce within an order without batting an eye when they noticed who the person placing the order was. 

It was the little things and hidden looks of trepidation that helped him notice who were 'important' and it didn't much thought to realize why that was the case.

All of these people where apart of, or attached to a clan in some way shape or fashion. They sported a clan symbol in various ways and the degree with which they wore their clan symbols, showcased their closeness and connections to a particular clan. Those women who wore hair ornaments and earrings with the clan symbols were most likely to be wives who had married into a clan, those who wore small pins with the clans symbol on their chests were most likely outsiders who were employed by the clan in some capacity, and those who were actual members of the clans wore their clans symbols prominently on their clothes in some way. Usually on their backs.

Keitaro wasn't too surprised by this discovery though, as it was already known that the Clans within the village made up a larger part of the upper class society. He recalled the time he had been taken to the market by his dad and seen as a vendor was accosted by several shinobi hailing from a minor clan.

What ever the problem had been, the clan shinobi had destroyed the stall and thrown the produce all over the floor. There had been quite the crowd that watched the spectacle, but none of them had offered assistance to the battered stall owner. It was only when the leaf police force arrived that the carnage was brought to a stop. Of course even then, the only thing that really happened was the clan members being taken away while the stall owner had been left to his own devices.

The difference between those born to a clan, and those without was startlingly clear, yet it was mostly hidden beneath the facade of peace and tranquillity. 

Keitaro didn't care too much about it though, why would he care about something that didn't affect him? He hadn't even been to the Inuzuka clan's compound before so he had no connection to them besides his mother, and given that he intended to become a shinobi regardless he wasn't going to be viewed as a regular civilian anyway. 

He brushed away thoughts of the villages problems and made his way from the market and found himself headed towards the direction of one of the parks scattered around the village. he chose this one because he wanted to view the ever iconic Hokage Statues.

From the first Hokage right up to the current fourth, all of their bust were expertly carved from the mountain and looked over the village like gradian deities. He thought of how in the future Naruto would often find a way to scale the giant mountain and cover in paint and all manner of graffiti and couldn't help but laugh to himself. 

'Maybe I should try my hand at it someday, though I doubt I'd get away with it and only get a scolding as punishment.'

He mused to himself for a while before getting board and heading back home. He was pleasantly surprised to see an extra pair of shoes on the front step when he arrived. Thankfully he recognized them and his thoughts where proven right when he entered the house and found his brother in the living room packing up a few things into a shinobi bag. 

"Kentaro, how come your home so early?" 

Kentaro smiled as he looked away form the kunai he had been inspecting and faced his younger brother.

"Hey Kei, was wondering where you were. We had a half day today because our sensi was feeling unwell, so he sent us home." 

Kentaro quickly placed all of the exposed weaponry that he had been inspecting back into his bag and latched it tightly before addressing Keitaro once more.

"I'm only going to be here for a little while since me and a few of the other guys are going to be heading out to train in a bit. We want to get in some extra combat practice today and a few older students who are off and are going to be there as sparing partners for us. I'm looking forward to the challenge, if I'm being honest."

Keitaro's eyes lit up at his brother words and immediately transitioned into a dotting younger brother fawning over his amazing older sibling.

"Really, do you think I could come and watch you guys? I promise not to get in the way or anything, I just want to watch you guys train!"

Kentaro froze for a moment before giving his brother a sceptical look.

"Are you sure? its not really going to be all that fun if you come with me you know. You're just going to have to sit to the side like last time."

"Yeah I'm sure, I'm going to go change and be right back!"

Keitaro assured his brother and quickly headed up stairs to change into more outdoorsy clothing. There was no way he was going to miss a chance to see chakra inaction.