Neverland [Team Akuseru/Mission]

[.DEVIOUS]

Kade walked around his apartment, carefully picking the right equipment for the mission in which his team was about to partake. No matter how slowly and carefully he packed, though, he was soon ready, with all of his gear stowed away safely and ready for use at a moment's notice. In his hip pack he held his secondary weapons while his katana lay sheathed across his pack, the hilt in easy reaching distance for his right hand should it be needed.

The sun had just broken over the horizon, its light cutting through the realm of the ephemeral to bring back harsh, daunting reality. There was no warmth in this light, for although Kade trusted Akuseru, the Genin also knew that the mission that the Jounin had signed his team up for was going to be in no way easy. It would fall upon him, then, to make sure that no harm came to his teammates, and he was sure that it was in this very first reunion that Kade would be forced to display the talents that he had worked so hard to accumulate in Akuseru's absence, and that he had worked just as hard to keep secret.

Well, that was a thought for another day. Right now, it was time to maneuver towards the Gate. Akuseru had said to meet there just after dawn, and the Genin did not want to be late.

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SPOILER: Click to show

name; Scouting Party
rank; a
description; There have been some rumors of a paradise zone somewhere to the east of the village. Not just any luxiourious plot of land either, something pulled straight out of a fairly tail. Waterfall’s, fruit tree’s and all the iron and stone one could pick a shovel at. On top of that it’s perfectly nestled between some mountain ranges making it wonderful strategically. This is gonna work slightly against us, however, as the zone is incredibly protected by a group of powerful non-ninja’s. If we want a snowballs chance in Hell of claiming this land for ourselves, we’re gonna need to heavily scout it out first.
reward; 400 experience, 10,000 ryo
minimum shinobi; one
mission status; interminable

[Axcel]

Today is definitely the day! Akuseru had repeated the line over and over in his head, having thrown a fit after he returned to the village after learning that he had been waiting at a rendezvous spot a day earlier. However, now he knew that today was, without a doubt, the day of their mission. Save for his primary weapons, Akuseru was armed with all his equipment (ankle weights included), and garbed in standard shinobi attire. His flak jacket, shinobi sandals, and hitai-ate all made him look like a generic shinobi that represented the Hidden Cloud. Additionally, he had gotten a haircut as well. Gone were the long white locks that had grown over the past seven years—the Hyuuga sported a hairstyle that Kade and Xu find nostalgia in.

As he made his way towards the gate, his thoughts of his teammates. He wondered how much Xu and Kade had grown during the last seven years. They had said little during their reunion, however, they were shinobi. It was unlikely they hadn’t progressed at all during the time regardless of the fact that they were still Genin. Akuseru, on the surface, had changed little—his prowess within the Hyuuga arts were already considered prodigal before he had disappeared. What he did learn was how to better execute these techniques and how deal with a myriad of other situations with more finesse than before. He was more experienced now.

It wouldn’t take long until he arrived at the gates. Dawn was approaching—if Akuseru ended up waiting for hours again he was going to throw one hell of a tantrum.

[xu]

She yawned. Despite constantly laying down and closing her eyes, Xu often found sleep hard to come by. Mr Mew never had that problem. She was jealous.
"We're looking for paradise. I heard it's nearby." She explained quietly to the stuffed cat, as she made her meandering way down one of the village's streets. It was strange though. If it was a paradise, why couldn't they just share it? Surely everyone deserved to have a glimpse, didn't they? Yet it seemed the place was guarded by people who didn't want anyone else to visit. Maybe they were just shy.

"Akuseru seemed happy to see you again." Xu said with a small smile, hoisting the cat up in her arms as she walked.
"I don't think Kade ever liked you though." She continued, her smile fading into a thoughtful frown. It really was good to see them both after so long. She could tell from their chakra that they'd both grown, although that was only to be expected after graduating from the academy, and from their squad so long ago. It felt a bit odd though. Instead of their dear sensei leading them, Akuseru himself was in charge. No longer three equals under a teacher, the three had been separated into a hierarchy. Perhaps that explained the change in the arcana. As The Fool continues on his journey, he grows, and changes his outlook.

"The Emperor? I don't think so, Mr Mew. He's still a bit silly." The gates were in sight. Stifling another yawn, Xu wandered onwards.

[.DEVIOUS]

The teenage boy finally reached the Gates. Dawn had come and gone and Kade had been worried that the rest of the people on the team were going to be there before him. However, he was the first person on the team to reach the gates, bringing a smile to Kade's face. While it was a slight source of paranoia (what if something has happened to the rest of the team?!) for the Genin, Kade had enough faith in his team to know that nothing could have happened to his team while they were in the town.

Standing near the Gate, it wouldn't be long until he would see Akuseru's arrival.

"Good morning, Akuseru-san." Nodding his head towards his mentor, the medical shinobi would keep his eyes on the man who had reformed Team Akuseru for only a moment before letting his eyes wander back around the city, looking for the other member of the team. Luckily, she wouldn't be far behind Akuseru and Kade smiled.

"Good morning, Xu-chan!" Waving towards the girl, Kade would await her response and her true arrival before turning towards Akuseru, waiting for a true mission debriefing. The following mission was going to be the making point or the breaking point of Team Akuseru, and Kade was determined to ensure that he would perform his job well.

[/justify]

[Axcel]

Akuseru arrived at the gates along with dawn. The Hyuuga sighed out of relief after seeing Kade already there. Despite having told himself that today was the day of the mission, he couldn’t help but think there was a chance it would end up being a repeat of the day before. He acknowledged his teammate with a smile and a nod, before being greeted by Kade’s familiar voice.

“Would you drop the honorific already, Kade?” Aksueru said with a frown. He considered Kade his closest friend seven years ago and still did. Just before he had disappeared, he managed to convince Kade to drop the formalities—yet after he had left and now returned, it would seem that old habit had returned. Before he could rant further, Xu had arrived. Just as he had done with Kade, Akuseru greeted her with a warm smile and a nod.

Once the three had properly grouped up and gotten their greetings out of the way, Akuseru would turn to Xu. “Xu, why don’t you brief us on what our mission is?” They had gone over it the day they picked their mission, but he felt it would be best to make sure his teammates remembered. . .

[xu]

"Good morning." She said vaguely, joining the two boys, or perhaps men now, at the gates. It was still quite cool, as early as it was. Xu blinked at Akuseru's request, and rummaged in her pouch for the slip.
"We are to locate the 'paradise ground'. We are to remain unseen and unheard as we perform reconnaissance around the area, avoiding any encounter with the hostiles who currently occupy the place. After confirming its location, and indeed, its existence, we must attain any knowledge that will help Kumogakure in claiming this land for its own. Akuseru must refrain from being loud, and Kade must enjoy himself." The sensor recited, adding in her own directive at the end.

It was an odd mission. Entirely selfish, even for a shinobi village. She could see its value, but what right did Kumogakure have to demand ownership of the land? Xu didn't take particular issue with it herself, but she was curious to monitor Akuseru's demeanor as they performed the operation. Just how much had he changed?
"I believe the place exists. But it is dangerous." She added, in her usual airy monotone.

[.DEVIOUS]

Since the group had arrived and were finally together once more, the medical Genin would step away from the wall which he had been leaning gently against and straighten himself out. Not quite standing at attention, he'd still be extremely attentive as Xu spoke about the mission, but he couldn't help but frown slightly at the last bit of the directive. Kade's eyes lowered to the ground momentarily.

"Does it really say that..?" His voice was soft as he mumbled, mostly to himself, before shaking his head to dispel the thought. Of course it was something that Xu added, and Kade tried his best not to sigh. With a shrug, Kade brought his eyes back to look his teammates in the face before managing to straighten the frown out of his face.

"If this place exists, its likely to be well defended. Should we begin discussing a strategy to ensure that we aren't caught off guard and discovered? Your thoughts, Akuseru-san?" Of course Kade completely ignored Akuseru's request, referring to the man with the same honorific that Akuseru had spent years struggling to get Kade to work past. As he spoke, Kade turned and began to make a move towards the Gate. They would need to be leaving here soon anyways, and it was easier to discuss strategy and travel than to simply remain in one place and waste time.

[/justify]

[Axcel]

Akuseru threw his head back in a fit of laughter at Xu’s own personal addition to the mission details. His laugh was loud and Kade was already frowning. They were off to a bad start already. “Good job Xu—to be honest, I forgot what exactly the mission entailed and was relying on your memory so I wouldn’t have to check!” There wasn’t a single hint of shame in the Jounin’s voice.

“Caught off guard?” Akuseru raised a brow at the notion that their team would be caught off guard. Had Kade forgotten who his teammates were? “Our team consists of both a Hyuuga and a sensor—even if we were by some chance to exhibit zero caution we would still find our enemies before they find us.” Their intel stated that they would be up against a group of people who weren’t versed in the shinobi arts. No matter how strong they were, if they weren’t capable of using jutsu then they were going to have an even harder time dealing with the different kinds of techniques that team Akuseru was capable of.

The Hyuuga turned on his heel and faced Kumogakure no Sato’s gates. “We can discuss it on the way, let’s head out!”

[xu]

She yawned, following the two as Akuseru decided they should move out. They lacked strategy, but had skill on their side. As the Hyuuga had pointed out, detection and scouting came innately to their team, and against foes who had no knowledge of the shinobi jutsu, there was little to no chance they'd be caught off guard. Of course, Xu could predict the future too, that would help.

She rummaged in her pouch, pulling out the first card she found. The Chariot. Well, naturally. Xu already knew their mission would be successful. She looked up from the card, and found herself already falling behind. Long legs were an unfair advantage. But she couldn't feel too sorry for herself, as her poor cat had legs far shorter than any of them.
"Come on Mr Mew. I'll protect you." And she picked up her pace, eyes skywards.

[.DEVIOUS]

Even though they were loud, Kade was glad that his teammates were, at least, enjoying themselves. While he didn't very openly display his emotions, at the same time he was pleased that the team could be so at ease with each other even after the long time that had passed between them. Xu had even made a joke at his expense! While it had taken Kade a moment to realize, in fact, that it was a joke, it made him internally smile. The group was now moving out towards the gates, but some of the words that Akuseru said made Kade somewhat nervous.

Overconfidence was the surest way to destroy a successful mission. It was true that the group had both a Hyuuga and a Sensor, but they wouldn't be using their abilities all the time. If they did, they would both run out of chakra. They still needed to have a plan in place in order to ensure that they didn't fail, but Akuseru had never been one for planning ahead, preferring to move with the spur of the moment that made grouping with him rather... difficult.

As they made some distance outside of the gate, Kade would quicken his pace, letting his strides become both longer and faster. He wasn't running, or even jogging, but he was certainly setting a brisk walk that the medical Genin expected his team to match, if not exceed, in which case he would follow suit.

"Someone else should take the lead. I don't really feel comfortable in the front."

The words out of Kade's mouth, the young man would begin to slow himself down. Akuseru would probably rush forward like he always did, and it would always be easier to support and follow him than it would be to make his own decisions or actions.

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[Axcel]

Before Kade could even finish speaking, Akuseru had darted to the front with a cheesy smile on his face. Whenever he was a kid in the academy, he never got to be line leader. Now, as a Jounin, he seeks to make up for the void that his past created by walking in the front whenever the opportunity presented itself. It was a bit melodramatic, but Akuseru had always been like that. Over the top, dramatic, and eccentric in general.

“Hmhmhmm. . .” Akuseru mumbled as he walked along the rocky, mountainous path they had taken shortly after they departed from the gates. It probably wouldn’t take too long before they would arrive at the location their mission intel had suggested them to begin their search at. Before team Akuseru did reach their destination, he hoped to catch up with his teammates yet had no idea where to start. They didn’t talk much about themselves unless they were asked about something particular. Clearly that meant Akuseru had to ask embarrassing questions.

A grin crept onto the Hyuuga’s face as his lips parted to speak. “So, Xu! It’s been seven long years—have you been seeing anyon--” Akuseru couldn’t finish his question without having to struggle with his tough battle of stifling his laughter. He said enough though to warrant a response of some kind from the Shikigami.

“How about you, Kade?” The Black Sheep of the Hitogoroshi tended to be more surprising than he let on, so it was worth inquiring about his personal life as well.

[xu]

Kade really hadn't changed much. Never one to put himself forwards. She was similar herself, and that was probably a big component in their easy friendship with Akuseru. He'd always had the energy and confidence that both herself and Kade sometimes lacked. It was sort of natural that he'd end up leading them. As the Hyuuga bounded ahead, he asked them an unusual question, between laughing.
"Seeing... anyone?" Xu murmured, looking down at Mr Mew quizzically.

"I don't understand the question." She responded mechanically, before looking over at Kade to see his reaction to the same question. How odd, to ask something like that. She saw plenty of people everyday, who was he referring to? Either way, she supposed he was simply trying to catch up on all the time he'd missed. They'd all missed out, really. Being separated for so long. But the dynamic between them seemed to remain unscathed.

"Who are you seeing, Akuseru?"

[.DEVIOUS]

"No changes to report, boss." The words, soft out of the Hitogoroshi's mouth, lay across the mirth of Kade's team. There were spoken lightly, meant in jest, but there was a troubled sort of sorrow that bespoke the potential of loss. To be fair, the medical ninja had never actually been in love with anyone, but one of the few people who were kind to him from his family had passed away recently, the elderly oba-san who had treated Kade with respect instead of shunning him for "failing to enhance the glory of the Hitogoroshi name". Of anyone in the group, Akuseru had been opened up to the most when the entire team was younger, and there was a chance he would understand why Kade wasn't keen to talk about the subject.

No matter what, though, the group had managed to cover quite a bit of distance in what seemed like a short amount of time. It seemed that being inside of the group dynamic made travel time pass more easily, the scenery changing from the large mountaintops of Kumogakure no Sato into more of the flatlands as the group moved easterly. Although it seemed as but minutes, the group had actually been traveling for hours, and would soon be approaching their destination.

"The mountains have smoothed out some. Chances are we'll be arriving in our targeted location sometime soon. Anyone know where we should start our search?"

[/justify]

[Axcel]

How boring! Akuseru frowned at his teammate’s responses. Xu was either playing dumb to avoid the question or was still as dense as ever. He figured she at least would have had something amusing to say, Meanwhile Kade remained stoic as ever, giving a quick reply with no elaboration. From what Akuseru could tell, he usually didn’t let people in his circle and tended to push people away before letting them in, so that was somewhat expected. Xu turned the question over to Akuseru--it was finally his turn!

“I’m seeing Kade’s mom, of course.” He roared with laughter, but the joyous mood would take a sudden turn as the scenery began to change. Kade was quick to point that out. Akuseru kept walking while his gaze fell towards the general direction of their destination.

The veins surrounding his eyes throbbed as his pupils faded away. The world had been revealed to him. He could see and comprehend even the most miniscule of details--such as a bird feeding it’s children worms over a hundred meters towards the south and snake slithering away from a hawk three hundred meters towards the east. Akuseru’s focus was elsewhere. Although he saw as much as the Byakagun allowed him to, his face was still facing toward their destination. It took him but a moment to find what he was looking for—a group of armed civilians patrolling an area just under a kilometer away.

“That way,” Akuseru raised an arm and pointed towards their new destination (which wasn’t too far from their original). “There are seven—they aren’t adept in nature manipulation at all. They’re all armed and exhibiting vigilant behavior.” Those three traits were defining enough for Akuseru. If they went towards them, he was certain they would be able to lead them to “paradise.”

[xu]

She couldn't quite follow Akuseru sometimes. But thankfully, she didn't have to spend time pondering his words, as they were already in range of their targets, and the beginning of their mission. Quietly forming the familiar handseal, she confirmed Akuseru's observation.
"They do not possess shinobi levels of chakra. Assumed civilians, likely skilled in close quarters combat though. A minor threat." She said, adding to what information the Hyuuga had already gleaned through his rather more impressive eyes.

"Should we attempt to follow them? They fit the description of those awaiting us at 'paradise'." Xu retained her handseal, and her focus as she spoke, keeping track of any movements. The people seemed to be heading somewhere, whether returning to, or leaving the 'paradise area', it was hard to say. She wasn't particularly fond of fighting, but had no qualms doing so to protect her companions. Perhaps a tad ironic, given that her skill level was the lowest of the three.

Mr Mew hung over her elbow as she had her hands clasped together, his little arms dangling. She stood behind the other two, mostly due to her smaller legs never quite managing to keep up with the boys. At least they had a lead. It would be up to Akuseru how they followed it. His first test as their official leader.