Shadows of the Shinobi War

[ZeroNumerous]

Lani

Whilst most ninja would cower in fear in front of Mibu Mitsuo or even the buxom Masumi--and they would be rightly justified in doing so given their capability for destruction--Lani was not like most ninja. She had just one thing to worry about at the moment, and that was not the imposing authority figures or even embarrassment. No, it was far simpler. She had to scratch her head, and quickly before the sensation drive her mad(der?). She quickly busied herself attempting to rub the top of her head against Akane-sensei's arm, since she knew that scratching yourself in public was very very rude. "Tora-sensei~ my head itches~!"

[Callos_DeTerran]

Akane

I hate failing. Akane thought sourly to herself as she sat silently in the debriefing after giving her account about what had occurred. The silence of Taro didn't un-nerve her. It was good that he had a decent respect for authority and the sooner he got in-grained in him the better, though she might need to talk to him about loosening up some. Lani on the other hand...

"Lani, if you don't stop that then you won't get the surprise I have for you." She whispered stead-fastedly refusing to break her rock hard posture or to show the annoyance she was feeling on her expressionless face. There should be an award..a medal maybe for not getting angry.

"No ma'am." Akane said respectfully to Masumi, giving a brief incline of her head so she wouldn't have to see any disappointment that might have flickered across the other's eyes...or from seeing the empty Kage's place. "The closest I could gather is that he was either a patriot from Kusagakure, he seemed indignant about infringements upon their territory, or he was faking it very well. But he seemed to expect somebody to catch up to him, which I think would suggest is that he is either experienced with our system for keeping an eye out for intruders or he assumed pursuit would be after him shortly. If it's the first case then I'm worried he's been here before and we just haven't caught him."

For a brief minute she paused, reluctant to bring up more of her own speculations, "I can say that he didn't seem to be the combat type. He was more worried about escaping then just killing us and retreating once the coast was clear. You don't send non-combat types into enemy territory unless it's for a reason." Not once did her eyes flicker to the Mibu head. Her respect for Masumi was genuine and earnest but it seemed...like a facade for him.

[Paragon Badger]

The woman leaned back in her chair, stroking her chin idly. "Yes... That's troubling." She said, looking around for a brief moment to the other elders for confirmation before continuing, "If this ninja was working for the village, it's doubtful they'll give us any aid in apprehending him... but we should send an envoy, just in case."

Mitsuo's eyes turned to regard the woman from across the Kage seat, though his posture did not budge an inch. Masumi turned her attention towards the Mibu clansman, and then back to the team.

"Err, right. Akane, I'm afraid Kagekure has to borrow one of your genin for awhile; Uh..Satori Sarutobi." She said, holding up a paper of the boy's information, "Nevertheless, if you accept, we have already organized for a replacement to make up the deficet."

The 'young' woman took out another scroll and tossed it to the jounin.

"Ah! Akane, I'd like for you and your squad to take some time off in the next few days. Looks like that grass nin didn't run off without leaving a scratch or two." Masumi said, flashing a smile for the first time since the meeting began.

"Yes..." One of the elders replied, "After today's failure, they could use the free time to practice."

The woman narrowed her eyes and sighed, obviously more sympathetic towards the jounin and her team than anyone else in the room.

"You're dismissed." Mitsuo abruptly commanded as his eyes settled back upon Akane and her team.

[Rogue 7]

Taro

Taro waits for his sensei to leave before following. As soon as the door closes behind him, he lets out an explosive breath and starts breathing very heavily.

[Paragon Badger]

Music! <3

As the team left Kagekure military headquarters, they came upon the village in its' late evening routine. Spear and naganita-wielding shinobi meandered along the palisade catwalks, keeping a watchful eye on the forests that lay beyond three of the village's five sides, though many of the nearby trees were cut down for a better defensive position. The walls themselves were covered for every inch by poison tipped spikes, while the palisades had but one massive gate, and Hideo's team were just getting back and being subjected to the half-hour long identification that Akane and her genin just endured before the debriefing.

At the northern side, from atop a cliff, looming over the village like a protective mother, lay the giant tree that cast much of Kagekure in shadows. From such a height, the village's keenest observers could see into the open plains and rivers that extended beyond. The bored shinobi archers and snipers, cloaked in foliage, yawned as their chakra-enhanced eyes scanned the wilderness beyond, bathed as it was in the orange glow of a setting sun.

In the village proper, merchants closed up their shops in the bazaar and headed home, ducking and weaving through crowded backroads and alleys to find their cramped appartments. Kagekure was smaller than most villages, but it had long outgrown its walls, and buildings now sprawled upwards. The old saying, 'In Kagekure, not an inch seperates one from their neighbor.' was proven to the jounin and genin as even the headquarters was literally beneath a set of apartments that had grown over, and ontop of, the military structure.

Through these crowded streets (and sometimes, a 'street' was nothing more than a ladder or a pole to slide down), children played hide-and-go-seek, or as the more dignified youth preferred to call it, playing ninja. Ornery neighbors shouted at the kids as they snuck into any open window or door they could find.

Still at the steps leading up to the headquarters, Akane and her team were approached by a solitary crow, the black creature boldly landing upon the jounin's shoulder before letting out a loud caw.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Akane

Upon leaving the debriefing Akane took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, only glancing at Taro before flashing him a grin.

"Shouldn't be so nervous, I'm pretty sure Mitsuo actually feeds on fear. And you..." The jounin joked lightly, giving him a nudge in the side before glancing over at Lani. That brief look was quickly followed by a thwap of the blunted naginata against the back of Lani's head and an irate growl. "...need to learn how to act in front of the elders. I get enough flak as it is without one of my genin acting like an affectionate kitten in the middle of the de-briefing."

Words trailed off though as she took in the sight of Kagekure in all it's evening glory, watching the comings and goings of the people with a silent and appreciative look out over the Hidden Village. How couldn't she enjoy the sight? This was her home and she wouldn't live anywhere else in the entire world. Thus it came as no small surprise when the crow came winging down out of the sky to land on her shoulder, twisting her head to look at it with some surprise. "This is different..." She mutters softly, eyes watching the crow intently.

[Paragon Badger]

The crow looked around, analyzing each of genin for a moment before squawking into Akane's ear. The little beast then departed, fluttering away to land a few paces infront of her. It tilted its' head to her, cawed again, and took a few lightfooted steps up the road.

The bird spun around, looking up at the team expectedly as it pumped its wings and cawed again.

[ZeroNumerous]

Lani

Something.. bestial awoke in the little kunochi. Seeing a bird hopping around and making itself obvious only goaded her into leaping forward on all fours, growling like an animal. Lani leaps after the Raven, attempting to grab and catch it whilst gnashing her teeth like a hunting cat.

[Rogue 7]

Taro smiled weakly at his sensei's advice. It was nice to know that he seemed to have a friend. And watching Lani jump at the crow, he couldn't help himself. He burst out laughing- though it came out less as helpless laughter and more as particularly nervous chuckling, but that counted. He was amazed that, despite all of his problems and special status in the village, he was the normal one on his team.

[Paragon Badger]

As Lani chased the small crow, it frightfully made its escape, sending feathers into the air like falling cherry blossums... were it not for the pitch blackness of their color.

Nevertheless, it remained always out of reach, and assuming that it was followed, lead the girl and her team to a bench in one of the less crowded streets of Kagekure.

There lay a figure, no more than a boy, veiled in the shadow of a nearby building. He was laid upon his back, a straw hat covering his face, while an arm dangled from the bench and allowed his fingers to graze the surface of the ground. All around, from the nearby gutter to the rooftops above, a murder of crows waited, silent save for the occasional caw every few moments.

Lani's prey removed itself from the affairs of ground-dwelling beings and joined the flock that lingered above, patiently waiting.

[Rogue 7]

Taro looks around, his player uncomfortably reminded of Alfred Hitchcock, as he observed the flock of crows that surrounded the area. He had been in and around Kagekure long enough to know that this was most definitely not natural, and more than a little creepy. Carrion birds congregating in an area...and then he saw the body.

"Oh, crap, is that kid dead? We'd better try and shoo these birds away."

Taro picks a rock up off the ground and throws it- he's not particularly aiming to hit any of the birds, just scare them off.

[Fanatic-Templar]

As his friends started cawing, the body stirred, then lifted his hand to raise the rim of his hat slightly. Still shadowed, his eyes took in the scene before him.

"Who'd you bring over, Quick? Do they have food?"

The crow apparently called Quick cawed in return, looking down on the new arrivals from his perch. There is a bit of a rustle up there, as some of the crows shift about, disturbed by a thrown rock. The boy stretches sleepily, apparently unconcerned by the annoyance of the crows. As he gets up, you notice that he's a very lanky and gaunt young kid, dressed in what can only be called rags of faded black cloth. His hat, however, is decorated by a number of black feathers, hanging around it from string and somewhat concealing his face.

"Oh, right. I forgot about them. Hey, please don't do that. Streak's getting angry. The older people who ask the questions told me to expect some new friends today. Are we going to hunt together? Do you have food?" The kid leans forward with that last question, and there is much cawing among the birds around.

[Rogue 7]

"Um...I'm sorry? Do you know these crows?" Taro was on a team with an Inuzuka, he had gotten used to the idea of animal nin-companions, but he'd never heard of crows before...particularly this many.
"And, um...if you're desperate, I've got a ration pill, but...those don't taste very good and they really aren't recommended unless you've got no other opitions."

[Fanatic-Templar]

The kid shrugged, unconcerned.

"I've eaten worse at times. When it comes to eating, you do what you have to do to stay alive. But I'm not that hungry right now, it's just that sometimes, when the older people come to see me, they bring me something to eat, and since they're the ones who told me to expect you, I figured you might have brought some too."

This said, he climbs atop his bench, sitting on the backrest.

"So, what're we going to be doing?"

[Paragon Badger]

4 weeks later...

The gates of Kagekure opened slowly and ardously, massive behemoths of dark iron and wood moving only under the will of the village's strongest shinobi. Much of the walls were plated in those dark iron fortifications, so that even the most talented katon master would have difficulty burning through.

As the metal beasts rose, Akane and her team casually walked out, backpacks adorned as the monstrously thick ropes holding the gate aloft went taut in the pulleys.

The team had orders to go to a nearby non-shinobi village, drop their uniforms and headbands, then scout around for any suspicious activity. It was obvious the ruling council knew more than they were letting on, but orders were orders...

The guards of the gates, jounin and chuunin level shinobi adept at memorizing and identifying the chakra signatures of everyone who passes by, nodded at the quartlet as they passed. The guards went back to a position of alertness, gripping their naganitas and spears firmly in their gauntlets. Truly, none took their post more seriously than the front-line guards, for they knew that should an attack come by surprise (as it always does in the ninja world), they'd be expected to fight to the death until the gates could be closed.

[Rogue 7]

(OOC- I had this post earlier, but I only got five free minutes at the train station (long story) and it ate it)

The first thing that his companions would note about Taro is that he is wearing a tight, black cloth mask almost up to his eyes. His hair has also been changed, being dyed a dirty blonde color from its normal black. He doesn't say anything about it yet, acting like his normal, reserved self. He seems...overly uncomfortable about leaving the village than he should be for such a mission.

As he passes through the gate, Taro introspects to himself. "I don't remember the gate guards back in Konoha being this alert. Maybe it's because we have the Hyuuga clan constantly on alert and all manner of detection jutsus up around the village...or maybe it's just because we're so big. This village has a lot of great shinobi, but there are just so few of them compared to us. If we didn't have the war with Iwagakure to deal with, and if we wanted to, we could easily wipe these guys out. But here I am, still stuck here after what...he...did. I wonder how close to real power he's gotten, and I'm the only one who can stop him...I need to get stronger.

[ZeroNumerous]

Spoiler

Show

Quick remainder: There's her sheet.

Lani

Unlike her companion, Lani was already out of uniform and incredibly comfortable. She wore a simple peasant's yukata with her shoulder-length hair covering the back of her head. She lacked any weaponry as she left her belt pouches and knuckle-dusters behind because she didn't want to compromise her disguise. Lani appears calm and serene, the picturesque woman in this day and age. Of course, anyone who knew her knew better than to assume she was happy about this.

[Fanatic-Templar]

The newer kid is also lacking anything that could be construed as a uniform, still wearing the same faded and tattered garments he had been first seen with. The boy seems to answer to whatever name has been given to him, though if pressed he offers forth the name 'Kioshi', adding something about it being 'his sister's gift'. He apparently doesn't tie too much importance to his appellation.

Without any specific mention to the contrary, however, he does hang on to that feathered straw hat.

He seems eager enough to be out, hopping around enthusiastically, even though it is doubtful how much he really cares about the orders that have been given to the team.

[Paragon Badger]

The team arrived to the village in question a few days later, with few problems. It was a bustling town, a neutral tether that bound many of Kagekure's neighbors to one another in trade and commerce. At first glance, there seemed to be nothing unusual going on. Everyone went about their business casually, yet the threat of war still loomed overhead. In fact, more than a few people were armed with peasant weaponry, and a good portion of them had around their necks a yellow scarf; no doubt the symbol of some local militia.

Other shinobi were about; Suna Nin from the south... Grass Nin from the east. They remained obvious, so they were probably on much less clandestine missions than the Kage ninja. Yet there seemed to be no trouble from them, as they presumably knew better than to start any conflict which could tarnish their village's good name and neutrality.

Spoiler

Show

Not waiting for Callos, since I only have a week now and even this mission may have to stop at a rest point and be concluded later.

[Rogue 7]

Taro, distinctly uncomfortable in his new blond hair and mask, did his best to appear inconspicuous and blend into the background...without looking like he was trying to, while at the same time keeping his eyes out for any Konoha nins. As a traitor to the village, he assumed that his portrait would be engrained on the eyelids of every ninja from his home country. Mostly he followed along with his teammates, letting Akane-sensei take the lead in anything involving talking with people. He would make himself more available if more information or comment was needed- experience told him that letting Lani talk was an invitation to disaster, while it didn't look too much like the new guy could handle conversation with normal people particularly well.

I really don't like being out of the village this much...there's too much of a chance that someone will recognize me. I hope we can get this done with quickly.

[Fanatic-Templar]

Eager to help out, the new kid keeps a watchful eye for anything suspicious, but having not been in a non-shinobi village in recent memory, his perception of normality is unfortunately skewered. Indeed, he acts like a child half his own age, pestering his comrades, and especially Akane, with questions of 'what's that?' and 'what are they doing?' regarding all manner of trivial incidents. With almost limitless enthusiasm, he sticks his head in every alley, peeks through any window in sight, and generally acts in a most undignified way.

[Rogue 7]

Taro makes an active effort to quiet the new kid (why couldn't he remember his name?!) down and stop his antics, incredibly anxious not to draw attention to their group. He answers questions quickly and tersely, and seems like he's seriously contemplating using his shadow possession jutsu to ensure that the kid stayed quiet and with the group.

"ummm...We really need to keep quiet and not draw attention to ourselves here. Please, stay with the group and stay quiet, or I'm going to have to stop you. I can do it without hurting you, but it'd probably be uncomfortable."

He looks uncomfortable asserting himself like this.