Mizu no Kuni had always been a beautiful place. It was somewhat underrated though, at least to an outsider. The country had an abundance of nature and although Erika had walked the streets countless millions of times, she had never quite stopped to admire what it had to offer. And neither did a lot of other people either, going about their busy lives and taking it for granted. Well, that was going to change today, the chestnut-haired girl had decided upon waking up and looking out of her bedroom window. She was going to take a break today, go live life a little, and breathe some fresh air. It seemed rather ironic, as her pink pupils scanned the small room around her, that she had just returned from a rather long mission out of the country. One would think that she would want to stay at home, to relax.

And she had truly considered that, sitting up in bed and casting her eyes once more to the window, tilling her head slightly so that she now took in the beautiful morning skies. It was indeed pretty, the clouds hanging overhead and seemed to be waiting patiently for the sun to make a grand appearance. Erika thought to herself about what exactly she wanted to do outdoors. Of course, she was always the type to just go for a walk along the busy streets of Kiri, go eat something and perhaps buy little trinkets. That was her idea of a perfect day spent outside. But she wanted to really experience and do something new. The girl got up from her bed, her feet slipping automatically into her furry grey bunny slippers and she put on a furry robe over her pajamas.

As she walked towards her closet, the girl noticed that she had a painting easel, a small little thing that was could be easily transported. Right, she had almost forgotten that she liked to paint and sketch, a hobby that she had basically threw aside once she became a shinobi, Erika had thrown away a lot of things once she had became a shinobi, things which she hoped to regain slowly. She had been too focused on training, spending a lot of time at the house with her family. She longed for some time alone, some time to explore the streets that were still unfamiliar to her at the age of eleven. And what better way to explore new places than to spend some time with nature? Mizu no Kuni had a lot to offer after all.

Her eyes scanned her clothes in the closet, something that took no more than a couple of seconds. The girl had been very frugal this past year, or for as long as she could remember, wearing the same clothes again and again so as not the spend money away from saving up for gifts for her father and brother. It wasn't entirely because she didn't like to spend money, in fact it was the opposite. She reached into her closet to grab a hoodie and track pants set, probably her most comfortable outdoor clothes in her wardrobe and proceeded to change out of her pajamas. She was going to go for a hike, preferably up a mountain or something so that she could paint some scenery. Although not much of an athlete, she always enjoyed sitting on top of mountains and taking in the beautiful landscape from such a height. Taking her easel, her sketchbook, some paint and brushes, she carefully placed her art supplies in a backpack and made her way out the door, into the morning air.

She was ready to make the best use of her little holiday.