Kiriagakure (Take 2)

[ChronicLunacy]

Ruyuno Daichi

Team Shize:

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Contrary to popular belief, Daichi had been awake, if immobile, nearly the entire time. He had laid in the back of that wagon, his sword next to him, with his eyes nearly glowing with red hatred through his newly scarred visage. No one bothered him and he didn't speak to anyone the entire way back, preferring the company of his own thoughts.

Nor did his silence break when he was carted to the hospital, though he did commit the names and faces of the rather rude guards that had carried them there to memory for future reference. He hadn't much enjoyed their tone, nor their remarks when they had thought him asleep.

During treatment, Daichi instructed the medical nin to do nothing about the scars on his face. He'd decided to keep them, much to the surprise of the attending physician, as a reminder of what happened when you assumed your "teammates" would focus on a common enemy instead of turn on you mid-battle. He'd never make that mistake again, nor forget the particulars of his lesson.

Daichi was stretching his long limbs free of the aches and pains associated with recovery when Shize finally showed up. He turned toward their new team leader and, instead of displaying his usual attitude, bowed low at the waist. "Shize-sama, I'm Ruyuno Daichi. It is an honor." he said earnestly. His trainer, Guro, nor Shimata-sama would talk with him much about the other Swordsmen, but Daichi had learned some about Nechima Shize. Besides, simply being one of the Swordsmen of the Mist was enough to earn him more respect than Daichi would give even the Mizukage. To serve and train under him was very much an honor. "I'm more than ready to leave here. There is much to do." he replied, his lips twisting up in a small smirk.

[Fanatic-Templar]

Akimaru Nakamura

Tracking alone in the wilderness

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Akimaru bent down to study the ground. The traitor, Yuriko, had evidently met up with someone from the attack on the rearguard. Whether the person they were carrying with them was a fallen ally or a prisoner, or something else, was unknown, but as far as Akimaru could tell, nobody was missing from the teams sent in the escort mission, so the former was the most likely. And apparently, she had not yet met up with the genjutsu user, so either that one had taken another path... or was still behind him. Akimaru scanned the trail at his back for signs of somebody's presence, but finding nothing, he quickly took up the chase again. Carrying that third person would slow down his quarry, he had a chance to catch up with them, something he very much hoped to do before he was caught in a pincer.

The hawk's signal was an unwelcome interruption. Just a few more minutes, damn it! I need to know something! The tracks were heading towards Kirigakure. Maybe these bandits were simply ridiculously brazen, but Akimaru didn't think so. Both times they had faced 'bandits' since he joined Team Genira, there had been rogue Mist Ninja among them, and both times they had claimed to be acting in Kirigakure's interests, and against the Mizukage. If Akimaru's reasoning was correct, these 'bandits' were being by some faction within Kirigakure itself. Which would explain the concept of 'Team Genira' as well. A team of rejects and freaks dependent entirely on the Mizukage... and therefore, loyal. In theory.

Since he already had a fair idea where he thought Yuriko was headed, he abandoned the tracking and picked up his speed. Trying to remain hidden as well as he could, he ran forth. Given the circumstances, and his katsugan he would almost certainly see the 'bandits' before they saw him...

Akimaru returned to find the atmosphere around the caravan much heavier then when he'd left. Despite having remained mostly distant from every other ninja on the mission, or perhaps because of that, Akimaru still felt the weight of the mood shift, and he was quite befuddled as to what had brought it on, since nobody seemed very eager to talk, or open to answering questions. As such, he kept by himself for the return trip, only speaking as they arrived in Kirigakure to say "Tetsuo-taichou, after the report, I'd like to have a talk with you."

Team Genira

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Akimaru keeps his usual silence as he attends the Mizukage, unwilling to attract attention, as ever.

[PhoeKun]

Natsumi

Team Shize:

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If the residents of the village wanted to make their views toward bloodline ninja known, they didn't show it quite enough to hammer the point home to Natsumi - she was much to concerned with the well-being of her friends and team mates to really pay attention. She wasn't at all sure what to make of her first mission, the thrill of a job done clashing mightily with the events that led to this point in the first place. Were all missions like this? Maybe that's why Genira seems so grumpy sometimes...

She was startled out of her reverie by the sound of bodies being tossed on the hospital desk, and apart from the bewildered stare she shared with the receptionist, from there she found it very hard to focus on anything but Daichi. She'd never been so scared as she was when Miharu had suddenly torn into him... she wasn't sure she liked those scars, either. She hoped they would go away.

By the time Shize himself enters, the girl has started to grow quite fidgety. Being cramped up in a single small room doesn't suit her at all, and the rush of having someone new to talk to washes almost all her fears and worries away. She beams at him, although her smile falls away to confusion in rapid order. She tilts her head far enough for her ear to touch her shoulder.

"Not... supposed to? I don't understand... Did somebody lie to Neechan? That was mean...

But, um... I mean... hi! I'm Natsumi! And I'm ready to go, sir! Please lead the way!"

Hopping to attention, she grins at the jounin, ever the well of boundless energy.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Nishi

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Swimming about in a black sea, not even remembering the last thing that had happened to him before he had blacked out. Did he win? Something told him that he hadn't, the silent shadows lurking on the edge of Nishi's consciousness doing nothing but shaking their heads. Where they disappointed or sad? Mad maybe? He'd never been good at reading facial expressions.

Light then, finally able to crack open his eyelids inside of the hospital room, wondering how he had gotten there and what had happened to the wagons. He did remember splintering wood. And now, apparently, much soreness. With a wince, the feminine boy sat up and felt about for his umbrella. Fingers closed about the bamboo hilt and he relaxed a little, content to know Yumi-sama was still close to him, even as the door opened.

"Nanee? Are you Shize-sensei?" He asks confusedly, head tilting to one side as his brain processed this new information. Shize was one of the Seven Swordsman of the Mist and...the one who had made his sword!

Another loud thud, as Nishi rolled out of the bed and unto the floor, kneeling there as he placed his forehead to the ground.

"Ahh! Shize-sensei! Thank you so much!"

[Catch]

Miharu

Mari had almost lost her head. The mindless aggression of the Rustbloods bristled Miharu like feathers rubbed the wrong way - they were a clan of mongrels, nipping, growling and swaggering in brutish displays of dominance. She had put down a favored son of the Sabiketsu in one swoop, and yet this little dog was still yapping defiance. Her head tilted to regard Mari with one eye dismissively.

"As if he would have not done the same."

The rest of the journey back to Kirigakure, Miharu could be spotted perched on the roof of the wagon containing the unconscious Daichi, eyes set toward the spot on the horizon where the village would appear. She had two trophies to return.

Team Genira:

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Miharu enterd the Mizukage's audience chamber with diffidence, heeling behind the bodyguards and Tetsuo, then bowing mechanically. The tilt of her head, the curve of her spine, the dropping of the eyes - all came from muscle memory, under the tutelage of the lash. Once again, the hood was on, and she differed to her handlers.

Miharu waited for Tetsuo to give his report in full, and spoke for herself only twice, after being prompted. Her account of the bandit encounter was concise:

"My companion and I spotted discovered the pass had been trapped with explosives, by the leader of the bandits. It was Yuirko," She held back a snarl, "a former teammate of mine."

"She claimed the caravan was transporting forbidden jutsu, and thought politeness and our brief time together would cloud our eyes. But Yuriko had an ambush waiting for us. Miharu shook her head bitterly. "I almost killed her, but she abandoned her team and fled."

When questioned about her actions regarding Daichi, Miharu's response is flat and practiced.

"I had just dispatched one of Yuriko's guards when I saw Daichi execute a potential prisoner. The man had already been shot down by Akimaru, and Daichi cut him into several pieces, instead of dealing with the other threats. I had warned him about jeopardizing the mission, she said with a touch of unapologetic firmness. "So I stopped him."

For the rest of the briefing, she remained silent, letting Tetsuo speak as the leader of the mission.

[Bariko]

Tetsuo

Tetsuo basically ignored the aggression from Mari, nodding towards Toku. As the wagons were readied and fallen comrades tended to, Tetsuo sighed slightly. Looking upwards to judge the time, he nodded and made to call back Akimaru. When he arrived, Tetsuo nodded to his request to speak later, and gestured for the wagons to resume their route.

Team Genira

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Tetsuo stood before the Mizukage, as well as Genira. Confident that he had completed the mission successfully, in returning the wagons and their contents to the village, he was nonetheless painfully aware that the mission had not been flawless, and they'd lost good guardsmen. Tetsuo stood somewhat ill at ease as he gave his report.

"The leader of the bandits was indeed Yuriko. She kept trying to reason with us, though they were obviously deceptions. I did get the feeling that she was working for someone we have no reason to suspect..." Bowing slightly, his hair falling, Tetsuo continued, "I apologize for not giving it more thought. I was more concerned with getting the wagons here and dealing with our wounded. I accept responsibility for the mission if you deem it a failure, or our losses too high. The success of getting the wagons here and still full was a team effort."

Tetsuo stood, visibly anxious, responding to questions as they came. His eyes flicked back and forth between the Kage and his jounin, trying to ascertain their response, hoping it's a good one.