Naruto d20 (Team A)

[ChronicLunacy]

Ibaraki Masaru

Masaru crouched by the Shina woman. She was still breathing, but obviously unconscious. He looked back at the similar form of Michiko on the ground some ways away and nodded in respect for what the other genin had done. This woman was dangerous, and Michiko had taken her on one-on-one and beaten her through her own unique brand of deception and attack. Masaru had gained a new respect for Michiko after seeing that she had gone all-out against her opponent. The Shina woman might possibly be a chuunin, and Michiko had beaten her. That took either genius or the kind of determination he didn't often see in his fellow genin.

Still, Shina was dangerous. He took that length of kousen he'd been holding and untied it from around his arm. Using that, he bound Shina's hands and gagged her using a length of cloth from her kimono. He debated simply killing her, and truthfully he would have felt no remorse for doing so, but it would be better if they could interrogate her for information as to why she was even there in the first place. The way he had her tied up, she couldn't perform any seals nor make use of anything that required her voice to activate. Nor could she annoy them if she woke up. He dragged Shina's body back over to where Michiko lay and laid a hand on his throat to activate his radio. He hoped Keimatsu-sensei was still in range. "Sensei, Michiko has disabled our attacker and we have her in custody, but Michiko is down as well and I have two of the children with me. I will attempt to get them moving, but some help would be appreciated if you are finished there." he said.

He lightly slapped Michiko's cheek, trying to get her to wake up, while at the same time turning his head toward the back entrance of the cave and calling, "Gojo. Come here, please." He would then instruct the child to wait with his webbed-up friend at the chain-link fence on the other side of the cave for the moment while continuing to rouse Michiko. Throughout, he kept an eye on Shina for signs of wakefulness as well, in case he had to put her down again or for good. He had to get Michiko moving, free the kid who remained trapped in Shina's webs, carry Shina, and get all of them out.

[Catch]

Michiko

Lying sprawled across the earthen floor, Michiko stirred after a few minutes, sitting up slowly and scrubbing at her eyes with her fist. She blinked a few time and glanced around the cavern, noticing the absence of the mist and Masaru standing over her. Touching her cheek, she looked up at him with slight grin.

"Sir, I don't remember ordering a wake-up call, but if that's how you do it around here, remind me to skip the complimentary breakfast," she said, ruining the sarcasm with a stifled yawn. "How long was I out, anyway?"

With a kip up to her feet, she rose and stretched, glancing about the room and rubbing the stiffness out of her neck. The hard ground had not been an ideal location for a nap, regardless of how short it was. Clear of the mist, the cavern seemed far smaller than it had earlier, and she let out a low whistle when her eyes fell on Shina's burned form.

"Eeesh, she's not too pretty anymore. Well, better her than me, I guess. She still alive?" she asked over her shoulder.

Despite her cheeky composure, Michiko's stomach turned at the sight of the woman, scorched and crumpled on the cavern floor. She had been cruel and manipulating, a true spider preying on helpless children, but Michiko hoped the woman had survived. It made her uncomfortable, the idea of killing another shinobi, so she ripped her gaze from Shina's body and crossed the cavern to peer down at the silken cocoon.

"How's about we cut this thing open, eh? I'd like to get these kids out before they end up all mentally scarred and twitchy."

[Callos_DeTerran]

"All wrapped up here, heading for an exit right now. I'll meet you there." Keimatsu's message was brief and too the point, cutting off quickly and with a strain in his voice that most likely came from carrying a heavy body.

With the both of them working at it at the same time, it was simple enough for Masaru and Michiko to rip open the cocoon to reveal it's contents. Two pairs of wide eyes stared up at the two genin as both of the Academy students awkwardly climbed free of the webbing to look around with confusion in their eyes. That changed though as Gojo came running into the cavern straight towards the other children.

Laughter came from all three of them easily now that they were re-united with each other, and their excited babbling was refreshing for the two injured or weary genin. With a bit of resignation to him, Masaru went over to the unconscious ninja who had assaulted them and the children, checking her vitals and quickly finding a weak, but steady, pulse.

[ChronicLunacy]

Ibaraki Masaru

"Yes, Sensei. Michiko and the children have woken. we are moving." Masaru said as he walked over to where Shina still lay, breathing harshly through her burned countenance. Something unexplained went through him as he saw where she would scar unless a medical ninja properly saw to her and he touched his mouth and cheek through his own mask. Being like Shina in any way was...disturbing. He hoped they returned her to her pale perfection just so they wouldn't share anything. Besides, he wondered what damage it would do to her psyche if she became the monster he was outside that she already was inside.

"She will live unless there are some internal injuries I am unaware of. I like her better unconscious." Masaru said in reply to Michiko's question. He hoisted Shina onto his back in a fireman's carry and made his way back to the others. The children had been reunited, and their frenzied excitement was nearly infectious. Masaru had to watch them for a moment, his head tilting slightly to the side in an almost sad way, despite the emotionless mask that was his only expression. Fortunately, he was able to quickly shake it off and get back to business. "Let's go, Michiko." he said, nodding towards the fence that remained the only barrier left barring their way to the outside world.

[Catch]

Michiko

The sight of bouncing children and the sound of their laughter raised Michiko's spirits and she happily joined them, hoisting Gojo up on her shoulders and shepherding the other two towards the door at the end of the cavern. Their smiles were contagious, and she was not about to let a little thing like almost dying dampen her usual cheer. She fished a handful of candies out of her pockets, passing one to each of the children, making sure to learn their names and find out who was missing. Keimatsu probably had the last few in his custody, but she wanted to be sure.

Michiko was glad that Masaru was carrying the unconscious Shina. It made her uncomfortable, having almost killed the woman, yet she was still a little irate that someone would use a handful of Academy students like mice for an experiment. What had she intended, and what had her sister done? The mission was a success, she supposed, yet there was still much to unravel. No spider's web was ever simple, and this one by the spider sisters was probably far more complex than it appeared. At any rate, Michiko was glad to be leaving. The training grounds were treacherous, and she was tired, far more so than she had been in a long time. She looked forward to having a few days of rest and a few answers to some nagging questions.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Captive and children in hand Masaru and Michiko briefly investigated the chain-link opening they had seen, finding it to be locked with the same kind of bulky metal lock that had been on the one they had entered through. Reason said that if it was similar to the previous lock then it'd need a rather blocky wooden key that hadn't been provided to them.

Which left searching for another exit or merely leaving from the same direction they had come from. Simple enough to return too and after taking a couple of seconds to get the attention of all the Academy students, they had set off for the entrance they knew off. Luckily nothing seemed to have returned to settle into the path the two genin had chosen for nothing particularly malicious was encountered along the way back. By the time they returned to that first fork that had seperated Keimatsu and themselves, the jounin and his gaggle of charges were rounding the curve. Two of the children he had with him seemed to share the...drained look that Gojo possessed but otherwise seemed fine. Keimatsu himself was awkwardly carrying his opponent over his own shoulder, a lanky dark haired woman who as limp as a noodle.

Just outside of the gate, Rio sat in the shade of a tree in the company of the first child they had rescued, looking all the more anxious for the waiting for his team-mates to return.

[ChronicLunacy]

Ibaraki Masaru

"Sensei." Masaru nodded in greeting to the jounin. Seeing the other woman over Keimatsu's shoulder, he turned his own head slightly to make sure his own prisoner was still passed out, then nodded again. The jounin probably had something of the same kind of trouble that his students had encountered. He continued on to the gate in his customary silence.

When they'd finally left the training grounds and met up with Rio once again, Masaru took a rest. He laid his captive on the ground gently, made sure her brindings were secure, and then sat some distance from her. He laid his sword on the ground and folded his legs underneath him in a kind of meditative posture.

[Catch]

Michiko

((OOC: Sorry about the late posting and all, I've been super-sick recently and my creativity has been pretty much shot.))

The locked exit surprised Michiko, and she tugged at the heavy padlock, frowning. Had the woman proven to be as dangerous as the children made out, Michiko had intended to escape through the chain-link gate, leaving a few explosive surprises for the spider-girl if she gave chase. Though Michiko had managed to defeat Shina, this unforeseen flaw in her plan made her decidedly uncomfortable. She had relied on chance and a near-suicidal attack to win and perhaps luck would not be with her the next time.

Ignoring the knot in her stomach, Michiko quickly joined the gaggle of children, herding them out of the cave with her usual brand of cheeky entertainment. The training grounds seemed different on the way back, now that the tension had faded, and Michiko found herself far more at ease when surrounded by bubbly academy students. She was tired, though, far more than she had been in a long time, and she felt weary after expending so much chakra. Being tossed about like a ragdoll didn't help either, she supposed. Regardless, she enjoyed walk and at the sight of her sensei, she greeted him with her standard cheek.

"Hey Keimatsu, who's that? Don't tell me you found yourself a girlfriend, 'cause she looks a little old for you. 'Sides, women don't take too kindly to being knocked unconscious." She muttered as an afterthought, "I would know."

"Anyway, this is her sister, I think," she continued, jerking her thumb at Masaru's carried burden. "Said her name was Gumoshin... does that ring any bells for you? She set up a little nest down the east passage, complete with a few kids in cocoons for snacks. What's going on here, anyway?"

[Bariko]

((OOC: Yeah, I am back. It's end of term here, so I've been doing exams, sorry.))

As his comrades returned, Rio felt a wave of relief, quickly followed by confusion about the two women. Oh no... I left right before there was a fight? Some teammate I am.

Rio climbed to his feet and headed to his comrades. "Hey, guys. Did you, uh, run into some trouble?" he asked, motioning to the women. "Hope I didn't inconvenience you too much by taking off. I guess fighting a giant spider web is just out of my league," he laughed.

As they returned to where Rio had been waiting, and Masaru sat, Rio remained standing, waiting to hear Keimatsu's response to Michiko's questions.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Depositing his captive on the ground with a loud groan, Keimatsu looks....irate as his gaze sweeps around to the various genin, academy students, and captured ninja. After pausing for a moment to glare at Rio, the jounin sweeps it around to nod at Michiko and Masaru. "I think you should look again, she's a bit young for me Michiko-kohai."

The brief bit of levity hardly seemed to brighten his mood at all, instead looking as if it had been forced out like a mechanical response, but his down to earth tone quickly reverted to the matters at hand. "Gumoshin is a clan name...bunch of people obsessed with spiders from what I've heard, but I've never met one. Why? Was your opponent a real Gumoshin or just bluffing because mine was most certainly not."

Shaking his head like a wet dog coming out of a lake, the pint-sized jounin smiled a bit wearily and shook his head. "We can have the debriefing later today, for now get the children to their homes while I escort our captives to the proper people."

Briefly his gaze passed over Rio again...and when it did Keimatsu's voice dropped an octave and became cold and chilly. "And after that you and I are going to have a long talk about your conduct on a mission. Understood?"

[Bariko]

Rio felt his facial expression cool and chill. Awesome, first day.

His expression blank, Rio's eyes were closed when he said, "Yes. Understood." Rio put his headphones on his ears and began listening to an unknown tune. He looked at the youth he'd accompanied out of the training grounds. "Where do you live? Let's get you home." Wordlessly, he began leading his charge away from the others, his usually friendly attitude completely absent.

[ChronicLunacy]

Masaru

The masked genin rose from his seat, replacing his sword on his back. "She is Gumoshin." he said in response to Keimatsu's question and left it at that without any further explanation. He crouched briefly by Shina to check her bindings and state of consciousness once again, making sure she was secure, before returning to the crowd of children that had gathered together, animatedly discussing their previous plight. He still wasn't good with children, so when he approached them he made sure to pick out Gojo as the one he knew.

"Gojo, tell your friends it's time for all of you to go home. We'll take you." he said gruffly in that deep, almost monotone voice, like he was ordering the kid around. Still, if one was perceptive enough, you could see that Masaru was feeling rather awkward. He'd feel more comfortable helping to deal with the prisoners than take a bunch of kids home. He didn't know how to interact with them any more than he knew how to talk to kids his own age, as Michiko and Rio could testify.

[Catch]

Michiko

Michiko shrugged at Keimatsu's comment, though it tickled a curiosity at the back of her mind. So there was a spider clan of ninja, but who and from where? Keimatsu must know more, she figured, though she doubted he would reveal the whole story immediately. Swirling questions gnawed at her, but she stuffed them into a corner of her mind, instead focusing on the moment.

"Dunno; how do you tell a real one from a fake? This one here made nice work of wrapping these kids up like a sushi plate," she said, nodding to Shina's unconscious form. The woman looked better, she thought, though consciousness was probably still hours, maybe days away. Curiosity still nagged at her--who was this woman, and where was she from? Would they interrogate her and what would she reveal.

Instead of pelting her sensei with questions, Michiko concentrated on herding the remaining children together with a cheery smile and letting them lead her towards their respective homes. Along the way, she did her best to raise their spirits with her usual goofball humor. The kids had been through quite a day, and while she wanted to pick every brain that had interacted with the two women, Michiko set her questions aside in favor of making light of the whole day. She would get her answers soon, but for now she was content to play the babysitter.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Keimatsu paused to pick up his own captive once more and as his team lead away the children they could see him picking up Shina before jumping unto a nearby tree and springing away. The kid with whom Rio was escorting followed the Jounin with bright young eyes before turning back to the genin. "Man, is he your sensei? He's just so cool! You should have seen him during the fight!"

It didn't take much time to return the children to their homes but Keimatsu didn't show up either until the sun was dipping low over the horizon. As he seemed prone to do, it didn't take long for Keimatsu to zero in on where his Genin were and merely told them to follow. Surprisingly he did not guide them back to his own home or too where the mission had begun, instead the child-like genin had them meet at a place they had only really passed by. The fortress-like center where the village leaders met and assigned missions to ninja teams.

Once they arrived he leaned against the outside wall beside the door and looked over each of them critically. "Report. Leave out nothing. Not even your own theories or questions." His tone was as solemn as always but he was looked....pale and withdrawn..

[Catch]

Michiko

After escorting the children to their homes, Michiko felt drained, only now did she notice all the aches and bruises she had accrued during the mission. Haste and determination had dulled the pain and but now the full weight of her exhaustion rested heavily on the girl. Walking became a chore of drudgery and it didn't help that the young academy students were a rowdy bunch, which wasn't all that unusual, but they were especially energetic for kids that had come quite close to being a spider's meal.

That thought and a hundred other nagged at Michiko's mind. Despite her body's reluctance to keep moving, her mind raced along dozens of pathways and possibilities which only ended in more questions. Single-minded resolve kept her feet pumping and she focused on ignoring the various pangs of protest given by her worn-out feet. This was her first real mission, the kind that didn't involve pulling weeds or chasing cats and she intended to succeed, which meant finding answers and soon.

Keitmatsu's arrival had surprised Michiko only slightly, as she was quite throughly entrenched in puzzling out the unknown details of the mission. So focused was her contemplation that when he appeared behind her and tapped her shoulder, she cleared a few vertical feet before coming back down with a red-faced sheepish grin. She followed him with a sort of restrained eagerness, suppressing her swirling thoughts, at least until her teammates had been gathered and she could let her mind gush out the questions she had dammed up.

By the time Masaru and Rio had been collected and the group reached the village center, Michiko had her thoughts finally arranged in some semblance of order and she was both relieved and eager at the opportunity to tell her tale to Keimatsu, and Rio too, considering he had missed a fair amount of the action. She hoped they would be impressed--after all, she had faced another ninja one-on-one and come out the victor, a first for Michiko.

She cleared her throat, and after a pause, began.

"Well, I s'pose the best place to start is the beginning. After you let us into the training ground, we wandered around for quite a bit, trying to avoid most of the hazards and traps. We had been gone quite a bit before I heard someone crying at the other end of this passageway, so of course, we went right in. It probably woulda been easy, 'cept there was this huge spider lurking above us and it had spun a bunch of invisible threads everywhere."

Pausing a moment, her brow furrowed in thought and she snapped her fingers, as if remembering an important detail.

"Come to think of it, that thing was pretty feisty, especially so for being wounded. When I first spotted it, there was a pair of what looked like crescent blades sticking out of its side, which means somebody must have fought it before we did. Anyway, Rio got himself caught in the webs, so I worked on cutting him out and finding the kid while Masaru squashed the spider, so to speak," she explained, grinning at Rio and giving an approving nod to her somber companion.

"We fared alright and the kid was okay, if a little scared, but it would have been pretty dangerous for him to follow us, so Rio opted to take him back." She shrugged uncomfortably, remembering the harsh words Keimatsu had for Rio once he had rendezvoused with them, hastily adding what reasoning she could. "I suppose we shouldn't have split up, but none of us were really comfortable with bringing the kid deeper into the grounds, especially with the dangers we encountered."

She hoped that helped absolve a little of Rio's guilt, and she shot him a quick sympathetic look before continuing on. "After that, we found another one of the Academy kids, except this one was wrapped up in spiderweb like some sorta cocoon. I figured it had to have been the giant spider's work, like it had saved him as a snack for later. When we cut him out, he was real pale--looked like chakra drain to me--and all he did was mutter about the two women--probably the Gumoshin sisters."

"That's when we radioed you, Keimatsu," she explained. "The technique you described, well it wore off and when I asked him about it, the kid claimed he hadn't seen any spider, which means it must have been girls that wrapped him up and sucked out his chakra. It only got stranger from there," she said, exhaling slowly.

"I picked up a trail after that, two pairs of regular tracks--girl-sized ones, I think and then two other pairs that must have belonged to some of the students. That means that the kids were willingly following these girls, rather than being carried or tied up, so I get the feeling that the Gumoshin sisters planned on separating them one by one before pouncing on them. Then again, that means they must have screwed up at one point because at least one got away--the first kid we found was hiding, not covered in webs or chakra drained," she mused.

Anyway, Masaru and I followed the tracks until they split, and we took the trail that lead away from your half of the training ground, which lead to this dark and creepy cavern with another cocoon. Oh, and another spider waiting for us, though this one might have been a bit uglier," she grinned.

"Since Rio was gone and we had the kid to look after, Masaru and I played it careful at first, so he snuck around to cut open the cocoon while I kept the spider-girl busy. Even though we got the drop on her, she probably would had the advantage, what with her disappearing into thin air and all, but I managed to fill the whole cavern with mist to give Masaru some time. Her plan fell apart pretty quick after that because she stumbled around like a blind bull and I stuck her pretty good right on the jaw," Michiko explained excitedly, miming a solid right hook.

"After that, she hit me with some spiderweb technique and whipped me 'round like a rag doll, which hurt like hell, but I dropped an exploding tag on her, which did some real damage, I think. After that, well, she snuck up behind me and used some weird genjustu tech which made me real sleepy--I couldn't land another hit on her, so I dropped another tag right at her feet," she said with a toothy grin.

"I passed out cold right after that, but considering I'm up and she's down, I think I won," she pronounced. "That was pretty much the end of it, I think. Masaru cut the kids out and radioed you again, then we made our way back to the entrance."

With her story finished, Michiko took short, satisfied breath but barely paused before launching into her speculation. I've pretty much figured out how these girls abducted the Academy runts, but what I'm not sure is why, and who they really are. I mean, they must have been from this village for the kids to have willingly followed them, right? If so, are they spies or sleeper agents or just two girls with delusions of grandeur? On top of that, who fought the spider? Someone apparently did enough damage to it to make the thing angry enough to try and eat us, but whoever it was either was in too much of a hurry to kill it or they left it alive for a reason. The spider girls, I could see them keeping the beast as a pet, so I doubt they'd have a reason to attack it, which means there was someone else there besides us," she explained quickly, the words falling out of her mouth.

"Was it you Keimatsu? Or was it someone else...? Am I even close here?"

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Holy crap, that's long. Well, he did say to leave nothing out.

[ChronicLunacy]

Masaru

The masked genin was in need of some rest himself, but as usual he remained his boring, stoic self. He stayed silent as Michiko related the story of their mission in the training grounds. He agreed with it for the most part, except for a minor detail here and there which he spoke up to address.

"In my opinion, the kids were running from the Gumoshin kunoichi, though we can get the children to verify that. The spider I assume was a longtime inhabitant of the training grounds before I killed it, due to the expansive nest it had made for itself. The ninja may have brought it under their control somehow, but I gathered that its injuries were from some past encounter. Everything else is as Michiko-san has related. Our attacker said her name was Gumoshin Shina. I do not have any evidence to back up that claim besides the spider-like jutsu she displayed during the fight. Using the information I have available to me, I can only draw that these two were working alone, since I cannot recall Gumoshin Shina saying or alluding otherwise. Why they were after the children I also cannot say for sure at this time and I have no wish to speculate." he said dryly, as if reading from a textbook.

[Bariko]

Rio sat silently, listening to the account Michiko told. he smiled slightly at her defense of his actions, appreciating the gesture. He was feeling a tad rushed himself, as he had just barely managed to make good use of his free time before being brought here by Keimatsu. Still, he managed to take in all the facts, and made note of the more noticeable events. She beat a ninja one-on-one? Impressive.

After his comrades were finished, Rio cleared his throat before saying "As far as my actions in leaving the mission, yes, they were in error. As Michiko said, we were hesitant to expose the child to more danger. Also, we had no idea of the eventual combat situation. I deemed it a good idea to bring him to safety, and in an identical situation, I likely would do the same. As it is, this does not excuse the fact that I abandoned my teammates in a potentially dangerous situation. I accept responsibility for my actions and any punishment you see fit to deal out Keimatsu-sensei."

[Callos_DeTerran]

With a shake of his head, the kid-sized jounin responded softly. "I fought no spider..I didn't fight any animals during my trek but that was to be expected. The spider probably tripped a trap or, as you said Masaru, got assaulted some time in the past and escaped the encounter alive." Keimatsu paused after this statement and gazed around at the assembled shinobi, eyes flickering to two buildings on opposite sides of the street leading up to the village center before he spoke again.

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Listen to this while reading further.

His voice had become cold...sterile almost, the tone one would expect from someone who harbored no emotional depth whatsoever or was desperately trying to hide it. "A well-detailed report, thoroughly described and with...valid theories supported by evidence. Fine deduction work for the information that you gathered during the mission, a mission which can only be described as an utter success. You not only fulfilled the official mission's parameters but also my own directions without so much as a hitch and your all fine ninja."

Again the jounin stopped as if considering what each of you had said. Sunlight continued to falter as he stood there silently. Orange and red light gave way to a shadow that slowly crept up the front of the center and the four ninja who stood before it until all of them were in the shadowy dusk. It was only once the vivid colors of the sunset had passed over Keimatsu's face that a pale and withdrawn look to it, haggard in a way that you have never seen the kid-sized vibrant Jounin look. Finally those sharp sapphire eyes rose to rest on Rio and his voice was soft when he spoke. “Every time you make a decision you should consider how it will affect your team-mates, not just the mission. If something had happened to them because you weren’t there then that knowledge would haunt you for years, if not the rest of your life. You’ll always wonder that if you had been there if you could have made a difference or could have taken one of their places for that fatal blow…but I’m not going to punish you.” Again he stopped and his shoulders slumped with the weight of years he couldn’t possibly have experienced himself. When next he spoke it was as if an old man was calling out through Keimatsu’s mouth.

“I no longer have the authority too.”

At those words people stood up on the roof-tops that Keimatsu had glanced at before responding to the report. Two to the left and one to the right and each wearing the unmistakable white animal masks of the ANBU elite, each of the stoic shinobi crossed their arms over black cowls and peered down at the scene with intensity of vultures waiting for their prey to finally die. Each of the three masks was different, bearing resemblances to different animals in their own abstract way. A lizard, monkey, and dog were all represented by the ANBU on the rooftops.

“As of this point Team Keimatsu has been dissolved. Ihesamo wishes to congratulate you on a job well done and to reward you with an important task for the village to show his gratitude for saving the children. Starting tonight the three of you are going to be assigned on a deep-cover mission to the Land of Fire and assigned a new guardian to guide your way and to teach you, he’s an old friend of mine so there shouldn’t be any trouble between you and him. You’ll receive orders and missions from him which I expect you to complete perfectly. Given the nature of this mission you are not to reveal to anybody that you hail from Kagekure or even imply the presence of this mission. Not even to other Kagekure nin. To…prevent the temptation you are to leave immediately without speaking to anybody or gathering your things…a cover story has been created to explain your absence to family and friends…the ANBU are here to escort all of you outside the boundaries of the village and ensure the secrecy that is required is maintained….You…..you have no choice in this matter, the mission is mandatory.” With those final cracked words Keimatsu fell silent and his eyes dropped to the street below once more. Like the trained professionals that they are, the ANBU hardly make any noise as they leap from the rooftops to land in a crouch behind each of the three genin, looming over them once they rose to their feet and the bone white masks obscured by the shadows of their cowls.

“Keimatsu-sensei…it’s time that you finish your good-byes. Ihesamo was adamant about our orders.” Intoned the grim voice of the monkey-masked ANBU and Keimatsu nodded before approaching his team and holding his hand out to Masaru.

“Yes..I suppose it is. Until we met again Masaru…my friend can handle what the Mibu surgeons do for you…Stay strong and stay viligant in your duties. Remember Masaru…it may hurt opening yourself up to people but it’ll hurt more to have nobody at all.” The Jounin’s grip on the black-garbed Masaru’s hand was tight and resolute, lingering for a moment before he released the genin and stood in front of Rio. “Remember what I said Rio…You have a good head on your shoulders and it could keep your friends alive longer if you put it to use…I know you didn’t leave on purpose but every life is valuable, not just the life of those your hired to protect or guard and especially your squad-mates.” His tone held none of the ice or anger that it had held before but a quiet imploring tone that was odd coming from the usually mysterious and close-lipped Keimatsu but it didn’t keep him from reaching his hand out to shake Rio’s just as respectfully as he had Masaru’s own. Finally he stood in front of Michiko.

A smile ghosted across his face for just a moment before he spoke to her. “Michiko-kohai…I promised your father I’d look after you but it looks like I have to pass that duty unto someone else. Take care of these guys…and yourself…you’ll grow up to be a fine woman Michiko-kohai but you need to make it there first.” There was a pause, for just a moment, before Keimatsu stepped forward and awkwardly pulled the blond genin into a tight hug.

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Michiko only

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You feel the Jounin reach around behind you under the cover of your coat, opening your shuriken pouch and slipping something inside of it before he whispered so softly it was hard to even be sure he had spoken. “Open it once your outside of the village and your positive it’s just you three…not a second sooner.

Finally Keimatsu released Michiko and reached up to brush moisture from his eyes before turning his back on the three of you. Without pause he stepped towards the thick doors of the village center and opened them wide enough to enter and without looking back spoke just once more.

“Good-bye team.” And with a deep ominous boom the doors slammed shut behind him, the last sight of Keimatsu being his bright red hair. And then there was just the three genin and the ANBU who stood behind them, silent and waiting until one spoke for just a moment.

“Come on…let’s get you kids started out there” And then they were corralling the genin towards the East Gate in utter silence, but didn’t make a move to keep their charges from speaking…

[ChronicLunacy]

Masaru

Even the stoic Masaru stiffened with surprise when Keimatsu suddenly announced that he would no longer be their jounin, his head turning sharply to the side at the sight of the ANBU on the rooftops. He turned his head back over to Michiko and Rio more slowly. He gauged their reactions while he listened to Keimatsu outline the bare bones of their new mission.

He was sorely in need of additional information. Why was Keimatsu acting as if he'd done something wrong? Was he being removed from their team due to something he'd done? Was he going against the village in some way? Did it have to do with their mission? Was this some sort of conspiracy? Did he need help? Who was this "friend"? Could they trust him? A thousand questions flew through his mind in the blink of an eye, all to stop when Keimatsu approached him to say goodbye. He took the shorter ninja's hand almost hesitantly, but returned Keimatsu's firm grip. His head tilted to the side slightly like a confused dog at his former jounin's words but there was no other outward sign of emotion. He answered with a respectful bow and said, "Yes, sensei."

He watched Keimatsu leave silently, as always. He didn't turn to regard the ANBU nin behind them until after the doors had closed with their resounding boom. Then he calmly looked to the elders, then to the ANBU, and began moving towards the East Gate without a further word. He knew that no one would talk to him about his questions, and he couldn't force an ANBU Elite to give up his secrets. He had to do what he did best and be patient, play along and wait for an opportunity.

[Bariko]

Rio listened to everything Keimatsu said. He didn't quite understand everything, but his mind was working on the facts he did know.

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Made private checks with DM, using said information.

After the brief goodbye from his sensei, Rio felt a tad relieved that he would not be getting the punishment, he had been so far dreading. But mostly, he felt slight confusion. What was happening? He believed he had an inkling, but he couldn't say anything at the present moment. Instead, he accepted what was happening, and silently continued to process the information being imparted.

After the compliment on his "good head" Rio chuckles a little, "Thank you, sensei. It's been a pleasure working with you."

As he watched the doors close with a loud noise, Rio turned to face the gate. As the ANBU said tey should leave, Rio started walking forward calmly. As he did, he reached up and removed his forehead protector. "We should get these hidden. We don't hail from Kagekure anymore, right?" he said as he put his into his pack. "We're not from here anymore, as far as this mission goes. We should discuss things when were... out of the village," he said, his eyes darting to the ANBU members nearby.

"We should consider what we know, and share our information ASAP."

[Catch]

Michiko

Keimatsu's cold tone was unsettling to Michiko, and for some time now, she had sensed that something was wrong, but she had not expected this. While she was genuinely bothered by his departure, questions slowly began blossom in the back of her mind and her curiosity impatiently tugged at its restraints, eager to discover the secret. He hadn't told them anything of substance, aside from the fact that he was leaving, and there had to be a reason, a reason she had to know.

Her mind racing, Michiko forced her burgeoning investigative spirit into a small corner of her mind, and she chewed her lip with the effort. Her teammates would have their own speculations, she reasoned, and she very much wanted to learn what Keimatsu had not told them. And the note, the note! She almost grinned when he slipped it into her pouch and she hugged him back very genuinely, if only to hide the glint in her eye.

"Thanks, Keimatsu," she said with a knowing smile. "For everything."

With their goodbyes finished and the group headed towards the gate, Michiko picked up her walking pace. There was much delving to be done, and the sooner the three genin were out of the village, the closer they would be to puzzling out Keimatsu's secret and how it related to their new mission. The note seemed to burn in her pocket, and her fingers twitched with the anticipation of reading it.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Kagekure was as silent as a grave as the three ANBU guided Rio, Masaru, and Michiko through the dark streets of the village. Not a single sound stirred and it was if every step echoed of the buildings and window panes to come booming back to the trio. Only once was there a sign that life stirred with a window shutting abruptly, the darkened occupant quickly rushing away from the opening as the shinobi walked past. The ANBU said nothing as Rio slipped off his headband, not a motion from them, but when he spoke of gathering what they knew the one behind him quickly laid a stern hand on his shoulder and shook his head.

It wasn't the only time either, any time one of the genin tried to talk about what was happening their accompanying ANBU was quick to move to stop it without ever saying a word themselves. Silent as death itself not a word was ever spoken between the elite until they had finally reached the east gate. Cast aside in the shinobi assault on the village little had been done to actually repair or reconstruct the once mighty gates. Sheperding the three just past the perimeter of the wall the ANBU stopped and pointed farther up ahead. At the beginning of the incline that lead out of the valley there were three bundles of backpacks and apparently one of for each of them. Though they didn't follow the genin past the village gates the cowled ninja kept those creepy white masks focused on the genin as they ascended to the packs. From there it'd only be about a half hours walk to completely get out of the valley and be truly 'alone'...

[Bariko]

Rio felt the warning hand of the ANBU on his shoulder, confirming one of his more probable theories. One down, he thought.

Paying attention to the atmosphere of the village, specifically the absence of people entirely, he felt he could make another safe assumption out of a theory. Watching the ANBU keep his group in total silence, pieces began to fall in place in Rio's mind. Glancing over at Michiko, and then to Masaru, he couldn't help but feel a slight injustice at the situation. The window shutting by an unknown individual almost seemed like it added to the silence, rather than broke it.

In the corners of his mind, working furiously to process things, the silence of the world around him was nearly deafening. As the finally approached the ruined gate, Rio actually felt relief that once outside they would be free to talk to each other. He was relatively certain that his comrades hadn't figured out what was happening, and felt that he had to explain his thoughts to them, even if he had no concrete proof.

The natural surroundings outside of the village somehow seemed more welcoming and accepting than his home. The silence out here seemed less... oppressive.

As the group approached the packs, Rio hesitated, not moving to pick up his own. As he looked at the ground, seemingly lost in thought, Rio quietly asked his comrades one simple question.

"What do you think is going on here? Because I know."

[Catch]

Michiko

As the day's light slowly faded beyond the horizon and twilight descended on the village, a slight foreboding feeling tugged at Michiko and the eponymous shadows of Kagegakure seemed to cast a tangible gloom over her. She was elated to leave on a mission outside the village--outside the country!--yet this all felt so very sudden. Keimatsu had been stripped from them without warning and now they were being sent away--far away without little notice and no explanation. Like the creeping shadows, her doubts grew as she walked with her teammates in the grim silence.

When they reached the East Gate, Michiko hesitated as step, turning to look over her shoulder at the ruined village. Something tugged at her, a strange feeling, a distant recollection. Kagegakure had been her home since she was a little girl and now she was leaving, just as she and her mother had left another ten years before. The memories of her old home had faded with time, but she remembered the fear with clarity. Shaking her head, Michiko forced her feet to move again, beyond the gate and onto the darkened path that lay ahead. There was nothing to fear, not this time, and she had more important thoughts at hand.

As they gathered their packs and traveled up and out of the valley, Michiko's restless mind seemed to settle, though the nagging doubts remained. She shoved them down into a corner of her mind, and focused on her speculations of what the note in her belt pouch contained. Her fingers itched at the thought of reading it, and she eventually stuffed her hands into the pockets of her jacket to stifle the urge to tear it open before they were truly alone. Finally, when the three genin reached the edge of the valley, Michiko let out a satisfied breath. Their mission had truly begun, and she was ready. For anything.

To Rio, she held up a finger and reached behind her back, pulling out the folded note that had been riding in her belt pouch. She brandished it with an upwards flick of her eyebrows and unfolded it, a grin tugging at the side of her mouth.

"Let's find out."

[ChronicLunacy]

Ibaraki Masaru

True to his nature, Masaru stayed out of any speculation. Sure, he had ideas, but none were verifiable so he would not be sharing any of them. He had endured the departure from Kagekure in a stoic silence as deep as any of the village's perpetual shadows. When they reached the backpacks, he checked his first for anything out of the ordinary, then set about completely unpacking it before efficiently repacking again. He took stock and inventory of every piece of gear before stowing it in order of importance. He made sure to pack items he thought he might need quickly near the top, within easy reach. As he did this he ignored Rio's question, figuring the other genin would speak his mind no matter what Masaru had said in answer. However, when Michiko held up the note he did pause. His head tilted to the side in curiosity, displaying what for Masaru was like rabid interest if his teammates had gotten to know him at all in the past few days.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Masaru's investigation of his pack proved that most of the essentials had been packed in there before hand. There was clothing (Akin to what he had now), a sleeping back, a small bottle with ten pills inside (labeled food pills), twenty shuriken, and another forehead protector. With more then a little curiousness beginning to bud he pulled it out to find a stylized leaf carved into the front of it. Digging around some more he also found another note which seemed to have been attached to it.

"Wear only in emergency!" was all that it proclaimed in bold lettering that was unfamiliar to him. Obviously not Keimatsu's.

On the other hand the note that Michiko unfolded was clearly their jounin's handwriting. Crudely drawn stick figures of the three and all. What was written on it though was easy enough to read..

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"Michiko-kohai

You must heed my warning. Do not return to the village! If you do then the ANBU have orders to stop you at any cost, including assassination. Much more is going on here then meets the eye but you must trust Ihesamo's judgment in sending you away, he only has the best intentions at heart. My friend is as much a liaison as he is a teacher, he's a shinobi from the Leaf and it's because of him I was able to arrange for your safe travel there. Leaf headbands have been included with your supplies, only use them if approached by younger Leaf ninja. Older ones will be dealt with in other ways.

Listen, the kunoichi you brought in carried heavy news with them. Heavy enough to cause a panic in Kagekure if it got out. They weren't acting alone though and it's their comrades that are the real threats. Find them and you find a bargaining chip you can use. Information suggests they might have a hide out in the capital of our country, the Land of Birds. Theres certainly enough political unrest there to hide missing-nin of their caliber. Do NOT engage, just gather intel.

I packed something else in with your things Michiko...your father left it to me as a gift but it belongs with you. Just put it on and if things are getting hot pour some chakra into it and call out 'Seidai Mizuhogosha'. It'll keep you safer.

K."

When she finally gets around to looking inside of her own pack, it hardly took any trouble at all for her to find what Keimatsu was talking about. Clanking delicately against each other at the very bottom of the other possessions (See whats in Masaru's pack) was an odd set of equipment. Intricately shaped and molded wrist and shin guards with a dainty circlet being used to keep them in roughly the same spot. They looked to be made out some silvery-gold metal that caught the moonlight nicely and glittered as if covered in jewels. Even if the metals weren't worth anything...they were still very beautiful pieces of work.

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Happy Birthday present Catch!

[Bariko]

Rio nodded as he read the note. "Basically what I knew. We've essentially been banished, to protect the village. Gives you a real warm, fuzzy feeling, doesn't it?" he chuckled. Checking through his pack, he found his own leaf headband, and promptly tossed his Kagekure headband in the pack.

He was not surprised, really, that Keimatsu had given Michiko the information, or the gift. Masaru was obviously effective, and Michiko had taken down her enemy one-on-one. Rio, himself had proved relatively useless in the recent situation, and so was likely to be ignored by his teammate oriented jounin -, no, former jounin. He mulled over all of this as he examined the contents of his pack. As he watched Michiko examining her gift, he placed his equipment inside, being rather careful with his containers of poison.

Leaning back, he observed his teammates, as Michiko tried to determine what her new gift did while Masaru remained as stoic as always. Standing up, he smiled at them. "Stop ogling and let's go. We've got intel to gather. Then a new home to find."

[ChronicLunacy]

Masaru

After repacking his bag and removing the Kagekure forehead protector from around his left bicep, he tucked that too away and shouldered everything. "We should move." he said in his usual deep, deadpan voice. He'd digested the information and was now ready to move on to the next objective. If they completed their mission then they could come back to the village. His family may have been gone but Masaru still had a home with the Mibu. Esanu was the closest thing to a father he had and it would be troublesome finding a new place in the world...especially considering his medical needs.

He cinched everything tightly to him and began walking.

[Catch]

Michiko

After hurriedly reading the note over a third time, Michiko was still confused, pursing her lips in irritation. She had been right in thinking there was more to their departure than Keimatsu had first let on, but this new information simply replaced her original questions with a double handful new ones. They had been banished to protect the village, that she could partially understand, but from what? How could three genin who knew practically nothing jeopardize an entire village? And Konoha, how did that fit into all of this? Keimatsu had sent them off to another country with nothing but a hunch and a rumor to go on.

Crumpling the note irritably in her fist, Michiko stuffed it into her pack rather roughly. She was about to toss the bag of gear over her shoulder when her hand brushed against something hand cool to the touch and she paused, lifting the bundle gently from the bottom of her pack. The silvery metal glinted and glittered, even in the fading light, and she was surprised to notice that it seemed to weigh almost nothing. Knelt down beside her back, cradling this seemingly-ancient armor, Michiko felt strange sense of reverent wonder. These belonged to my father, she thought, tracing a finger along the intricate patterns. And now I've inherited more than just a name.

Standing, Michiko slowly buckled on the legplates and wristguards, feeling her confidence growing as she tightened the straps, as if simply donning her father's armor seemed could wash her doubts away like the wave motif engraved into each piece. Finally, she reached behind her head and untied the Kagegakure symbol that had adorned her forehead for so long and replaced it with the silvery circlet, the delicate metal reflecting bits of light even while obscured by her bangs. Wearing the armor, Michiko felt, no, knew that she could accomplish this mission, whatever it was.

She smiled to her teammates, not one of her usual grins, but a small expression of satisfaction and confidence.

"Come on, then," she said to Rio. "Let's make the most of what daylight we have left."

As they headed east out of the valley, Michiko glanced once over her shoulder, taking one last look at the village fading in the distance. She would be back, she resolved. Home was not something she intended to give up easily.

[Callos_DeTerran]

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Art by osy057 (c) osy057.deviantart. com. He asks that anyone who uses his art put this up and I can happily oblige him.

Sunlight didn't last much longer as the trio ascended out of the valley that had become home for them into unknown territory with unknown goals. Despite the relatively tiring trek up and out of the valley, it all seemed to pass far to quickly leaving the question of where to go...and what to do. The road leading down to the village seemed to be the best path to follow by far since it was easy enough to stay on even in the darkness of night that was swiftly approaching.

Aside from that though a camp fire seemed to have been started much farther down the road and Keimatsu's words about his friend being meeting them outside of the boundaries of the village came unbidden to mind. With a quick glance amongst themselves they treaded off towards the bright light in the darkening night. As Masaru, Rio, and Michiko draw closer then can make out the silhouettes of two dome tents pegged up on opposite sides of the cheery little blaze. A carefully set ring of stones was set around the fire to contain it but on first glance there didn't seem to be anyone there. That quickly changed as lanky man emerged from one of the tents and approached the fire to sit by it's edge. Even as the three neared they could hear him whistling a jaunty little tune. Short un-kept black hair stuck up in spikes from his head and there was a...kind cast to his face. If it wasn't for the deep horizontal scar underneath his left eye most girls or women would have said he was dreamy. The long black coat that was zippered up against the oncoming cold, with two more at his shoulders, certainly didn't detract from his appeal. As he sat down he pulled the sheathed tanto from the back of his belt and laid it out in front of his open-toed shoes which were by the fire as if to dry. If he noticed the three genin observing his fire then he didn't show it.