Konoha's Future [Please Grade]

[Kayori]

SPOILER: Click to show

Earth and Fire
Rank: A
Description: The Tsuchikage has sent his ANBU with a letter asking of peace between the villages of Konohagakure and Iwagakure. He has requested that a reply be sent back to a mutual meeting place for both parties. The Hokage and village elders can only see this alliance as being nothing but helpful for Konohagakure. Take the letter written out by the elder, on the behalf of the Hokage, and deliver it to the meeting point in Kusa.
Objective: Deliver the letter and ensure peace. Make sure no one other than the correct eyes sees the letter.
Reward: 150 EXP & 5,000 Ryo

It had been awhile since he had actually stepped back here. There were lesser people now, with the casualties of the Great War. Being the Hokage's very own srike force, the ANBU members had selflessly volunteered themselves to fight in the very front of the lines. Since first day they had stepped into the ANBU headquarters, all of them shared the same mindset. The Hokage and the village came first, with their own lives coming behind.

Elite warriors as they were, the Konoha ANBU had led the charge on many fronts in the war and many of them had fought on to their last breaths before finally succumbing to their fatal wounds or their opponents. They were not many that could take down a fully-trained ANBU member, but in the war, sometimes skill and training weren't that important. If you lack the luck, you could just as easily die from a stray kunai or shuriken no matter how much training you had.

With Iwagakure and its Tsuchikage having sent an ANBU for this peace mission, it was only appropriate that Konohagakure would do the same. They would send one of their few remaining ANBU on this mission as well.

Nodding to a few people as he walked to his locker room, Kayori quickly stripped himself of his weapons and other equipment, setting them down on a table in front of the row of lockers. Once he had patted himself down and made sure nothing was left on him, the Uchiha stripped himself of his clothes and stuffed them into his locker.

It didn't take long for him to put on the dark grey sleeveless turtleneck, normal pants of the same color with the ends tucked into his shinobi sandals. Gloves that reached past his elbows were swiftly put on, with the light grey metal arm guards strapped down to his lower arm. The last thing to be put on was the light grey ANBU vest. The vest, similar to the flak jacket, appeared to be thin and flimsy, but within it was a layer of mesh armour.

Kayori walked over to the mirror that spanned from the floor to the ceiling and looked himself over to see if he had missed anything. It had been so long since he had been in this outfit. Satisfied, the ANBU member walked to the table to being re-equipping himself. His hunting sword, Sosaku, was in its sheath and he strapped it behind his back, which he could pull out with his right hand. His equipment pouch, containing his kunai and shuriken, were strapped to his right thigh. The remaining items on the table were a summoning scroll, a folded world map, and his ANBU mask.

The summoning scroll and folded world map were slid into the concealed pockets inside his vest. Grabbing his mask from the table with his thumb and middle finger on each side of the mask, Kayori fitted it onto his face. Done, the blonde-haired Jounin then walked out of the locker room, eager to carry out his mission.

As he walked past the mirror on his way out, he gave himself a quick glance. The dog mask was the most intimidating mask he could find among the ones prepared by the ANBU.

[Kayori]

Now in ANBU garb, Kayori dashed as fast as he could, towards the village gates. He had asked for the Iwa ANBU to meet him there as he prepared himself for the mission. There had been a slight miscalculation on the Uchiha's part. Despite the mask to hide his identity and the ANBU armor to not distinguish himself from the other members, he had introduced himself to the Samurai earlier and the Iwa-nin had been there. Now, in ANBU outfit to meet him, his identity as one of Konoha's ANBU would no longer be a secret to the Iwa ANBU.

The two ANBU members, one from Iwa and the other from Konoha, looked at each other through the slits in their masks that passed off as eye holes. They were sizing each other up for the first time, their eyes darting up and down, left and right, studying the features and build of each other behind their masks.

Finally, it was Kayori who broke the silence. He held his hand out, waiting for the man to return his handshake. Both were firm in their grips and once an unspoken alliance of sorts were established through it, Kayori then took the lead and walked up to the guards at the gate. The guards had been looking at the odd spectacle all this while, it was rare for an ANBU from another village to be in Konoha and not do anything hostile.

"I'm on a mission for the Hokage. Open the gates," Kayori ordered. Without the mask, he would have requested them to open the gates in a more friendly manner. But behind the mask, it was all business. The Konoha ANBU could never show weakness.

"Your codename?" the lead guard asked as he took out a different logbook.

"Huntsman," the Jounin whispered, to which the guard nodded to and ordered his men to commence with opening the gates.

The gates hadn't even fully opened, just enough for one man to pass through and Kayori was through it, confident of his partner's ability to keep up with him. It was full speed from here on. According to the Iwa-nin, they were on a tight schedule. The Tsuchikage was expected to be somewhere else in a day or two, and that was the only window of time that they had to arrive in Kusa no Kuni.

[Kayori]

At maximum speed, the two ANBU kept up with each other. The two of them were tired from running the whole day, as they weren't in possession of much time if they wanted to make it in time to Kusa to meet the Tsuchikage. Prideful and with neither of them wanting to admit they were weaker than the other, both ANBU members were silent throughout the whole journey.

With the geography of the world now changed, Kayori lagged slightly behind the Iwa ANBU as he allowed the latter to lead the way. According to the map, Kusa was in between Iwa and Konoha, and it would be far easier for the Iwa ANBU to take the lead. At least before they found Kusa, since the Konoha-nin was sure that none of them knew where it was exactly.

It took them exactly one day, with the sun setting and the moon rising up into the sky to take its place before they arrived at the borders of Hi no Kuni. It was obvious that the two of them were quite exhausted from the hurried journey, but they continued to push onwards as they exited Hi no Kuni.

[Exit Hi no Kunii. Entering Kusa's borders]

[永遠に]

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[Kayori]

The change of terrain was quite abrupt. One minute they had been traversing a forest full of obstacles, having to constantly sweep leaves out of their sight. And the other minute, they had arrived at some sort of plains. Comparing the two, Konohagakure was truly the Hidden Village of the Leaves indeed.

The Iwa ANBU showed no signs of recognition at the plains that stretched out before him. Even if he had, there was no way for Kayori to even find out since both of them were hiding behind their masks. They continued walking for a short while, before finally stumbling onto a path.

As they walked down the path, the two of them forced to slow down due to their lack of knowledge regarding Kusa's geography, the two ANBU took in everything they could with their trained eyes. Each of them were making notes, to put on the world map each held within their pockets. It wasn't until the road split off into three more paths that Kayori finally spoke.

"On your way to Konoha, you definitely had to pass through Kusa. Which way should we take?" the Konoha-nin asked as he turned around to face the Iwa-nin behind him, jerking his thumb in the direction of the signs. "The signs are barely readable."

Without speaking, the Iwa-nin pointed in the direction of the third sign. There were nothing on it, and to most, they might have thought it was a prank to put up an empty sign. Frowning, Kayori gazed intently at the Iwa-nin, hoping to get a good look into his partner's eyes and to see if this was all an elaborate trap to kill him.

But, in the end, the need to complete the mission erased all doubts. Since this Iwa-nin was trusted enough by the Tsuchikage to carry such an important message to Konoha, Kayori supposed that he could trust the Iwa-nin.

And it was down the third path they took, walking past the blank sign, with something looking like a village in the horizon.

[永遠に]

[/i] chosen this path would he be trapped with the choice this path were impending for him to take. The two ANBU members trusted their instinct for surely it were adept at this point in their lives. The path they had chosen was incorrect. A hospital was always based within a major shinobi village and that alone would have been the key for their success… Kayori should have delved deeper into his own thought and not relied on his counterpart for the direction he lusted for.

The grassy plains would grow larger as they walked upon the path into a darkening area shaded by the height of the grass. The sound of men and metal filled its darkness with sound. The two shinobi would have to use their skill of prowess to stay alive within these. This was bandit territory and all who entered would need a safeguard to get them out. Hopefully these two shinobi did.[/i] As they continued they would come upon a place filled with light within an opening at the top of a few giant trees which encircled the center of the plains. Everything else seemed to be shaded off by some sort of cloth.

It was hot, steaming hot, within these confines and only the most stable-minded could see it fit to survive here without going insane. A man along a wooden table is sharpening kunai. Bald head with tattoos scattered amongst it like a pirate king. He looked up seeing the the two new figures approach but he could not see their faces.

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Think on your toes Jounin. This is no game.

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[Kayori]

"I'm getting a bad feeling about this... Are you sure we're taking the right path? I don't remember Kusagakure being like this," Kayori said as he looked at the Iwa-nin. The Iwa-nin turned to look at Kayori as well, but without a word, turned back to the road ahead and continued walking.

Originally, the grass had lined the sides of the road but they made more and more progress, the grass began to grow on the road. Pretty soon, the grass had reached knee height. Now, the grass were getting taller and taller. Kayori looked around him as he walked. The grass was so tall and thick that it was easy for an ambush here.

"No wonder you can hide a shinobi village in here," the Uchiha remarked.

The entire area was getting darker as they proceeded further and further in. The sound of metal ringing were prevalent in the air, and Kayori recognized that sound instantly. They were headed for a forge. During his days as a Genin, he had spent more than enough time at a swordsmith's, and he knew he could recognize the sound of a hammer beating down on metal anywhere.

The duo finally came upon a clearing, shaded by trees and cloth, made to resemble a dome in the middle of the tall grass. It was sweltering hot, and Kayori was beginning to regretting being in his ANBU uniform. A bald tattooed man was sitting at a table facing the entrance of the enclosed area.

"Huntsman, from Konoha," Kayori offered. It was standard procedure to use his codename instead of his real name when he was on duty. The Iwa-nin continued to keep quiet, which forced the Uchiha to answer in his stead. "This is my partner, Owl."

As he replied, Kayori's right hand was flexing his fingers very slowly. His instincts told him to run, but he stood his ground. Worse come to worse, he would have to fight his way out of here.

[chiatsuki]

[/spoiler]


Intricate. The moment seemed but too sudden for the ANBU shinobi who stuttered their words like a kid caught red handed stealing from the cafeteria. The bald headed man pushed his glasses down to get a better look. He had asked for their names yes… but their purpose had not been stated and there was nothing more than he loved to do… than to kick out an outsider. These Jounin had not acted of their rank barging in so half-heartedly. Even the youngest of genin are taught to conceal their position when entering a place of unknown presence. The man would raise from his chair showing off his bronzed skin… a chiseled body of pure brute and brawn. His fists griped upon the table acting as stilts for his aching body.

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This man was obviously in control of some sort of muscle-power. From the sudden excitement he had now felt there were now a group of shadows moving hastily blocking up the exit. The lights turned on from around the room revealing the ANBU with their masks. They had really gone off the deep end now. This search for kusa was a very impeding one indeed. It was testing the patience of these two jounin but they would have to be wittier than they had previously to get out of this predicament. Men swarmed them in no particular costume guarding every exit they could find possible. This was obviously some illegal operation… one that didn’t intend to be shut down.

Think long and hard Kayori, your previous actions have been feeble but maybe you aren’t in as much danger as you think…. Maybe these men could help you.

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[Kayori]

Kayori looked around him. He didn't know what the Iwa-nin was thinking behind his mask, but this was obviously the part where he was supposed to save his own ass, rather than die together along with the Iwa-nin whose face he had never even had a glimpse of. He wasn't sure if he could take out the man who had surrounded them, and chances were slim. Very slim, if you add in the fact that the Iwa-nin might just leave him to die.

As a shinobi who relied on fighting more than talking, Kayori was going to have break through his limits to get out of this situation. Taking a gamble, the Uchiha brought his left hand out, fingers tight, palm out towards the bald man. He was gesturing for him to wait as his right hand went to the weapon slung across his back. His action prompted the men surrounding them to clutch their weapons, but Kayori surprised them when he unstrapped it from his back and put it on the table. The next thing to follow was his mask.

The Konoha-nin knew of the risks to his identity that this action would cost him, but the risks would be null if he were to die here and now. Completely revealing his identity, hoping that this would let down the bald man and his gang's guard as well as gain their trust even by a little, Kayori then looked at the man in the eyes.

"I'm sorry. That was dumb of me. My name's Kayori, and I think we could work out some sort of deal," the shinobi said, his hands moving and gesturing as he spoke. It had seemed ages ago since his last diplomatic mission, and he was truly rusty.

Pointing to some random direction, Kayori began, "I'm on my way to Kusagakure for a meeting with the Tsuchikage regarding an alliance between the Leaf and Earth. Consider this, the war has just ended. Shops destroyed, men killed. And what comes after an allied victory? Either wars or alliances. And what happens if there's a war? We are gonna need weapons. Huge numbers, but only so little people who are capable of providing us with what we want. So, I'm going to make you a deal. You will supply Konohagakure and Hi no Kuni with your weapons, and Konoha supplies you with protection."

"Think about it, Kusa is placed between the Leaf and Earth, and with both villages entering in an alliance, there might be a chance of Iwa contracting you and offering you the same protection as well. Imagine, two out of the five major shinobi villages are going to side with you. Even if Iwa refuses, there is still Konoha. And Konoha is not to be trifled with. And, if there is the possibility that Iwa and Konoha breaks their alliance, you will still be the winning party. If the two villages were to go to war, I strongly believe that Iwa, in their bid to weaken Konoha, will seek you out and offer you an even better deal. It's a win-win situation no matter the odds. I can personally assure you, with this deal, you will gain so much money for you and your men that will be enough to last you for generations, and you have no fear of anyone trying to disrupt your business."

Clearing his throat after the long speech, Kayori then turned around as he looked at all of the men around them with his arms wide open in welcome and a confident smile on his face. To the men, Kayori offered, "You guys are definitely skilled, even more skilled than the ones working in the hidden villages if I may say. This deal will not only secure your life and ease you financially, you will even be able to prove your skills to the world. Show the world the might of your killing tools."

Finally, turning back to face the bald man, Kayori concluded by asking,"How about it? Do I have a deal?" As the question came out, the Konoha-nin's right hand stretched outwards towards the bald man, waiting for him to reply his handshake with an assuring grin on his face.

[chiatsuki]

[/i]. The bald man gave no hesitation, he awaited for the jounin to lay out his deal upon the table. A match would be stricken within the middle of his dialogue to light a cigarette. He continued by blowing out the smoke above his own head awaiting for the jounins comment to subside. After it had he’d take another pull whilst closing his eyes allowing the nicotine to calm his nerves.

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He gestured behind him where a small beacon of light could be seen. The mask that he’d laid upon the table would be taken into the mans custody so he would have to return here after going to iwagakure… if that were really his intentions. The jounin now had even more on his hands to do alongside the alliance message he’d have to rally to the tsuchikage. The route was given to them but what they’d choose to do next would be completely up to them.

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[Kayori]

His mask. Losing the mask wasn't important, he could get one easily when he was back in Konoha without any fuss. But without his mask, he would be exposed throughout the whole journey to Kusa and even to the Tsuchikage. Having his identity revealed to the leader of Tsuchikage and his shinobi was an even bigger problem than losing his mask.

But then, the Iwa ANBU had already seen his face long enough to be able to draw a composite picture of him. Even if he could hide his identity from the Tsuchikage this once, the Iwa-nin could still provide him with a picture. There was no longer any point to this. The mistake had been done the moment he chose to trust the Iwa-nin rather than his instincts, and he would have to bear the consequences, taking each step as it came.

"Sure, take my mask. It will be the sign of our deal. I will have to return to Konoha immediately after the trip to Kusa and so not be able to return here first. I will see you in Konoha. When you reach the gates, just show the guards my mask and my name and they will get me," Kayori smiled outwardly as he shook the man's hand. The bald man had exerted more strength in the hand shake, trying to prove his dominance and Kayori just allowed him to express it without increasing the strength of his grip. He had enough problems as it is.

The two released their hands and Kayori swiftly swept his sword from the table and strapped it to his back again. Eyeing his mask one last time, decisions outweighing one another in his mind, Kayori then looked away and towards the Iwa-nin. "We got the directions now, let's go."

With their journey now unobstructed, both ANBU took speed in a matter of seconds as they headed towards where the bald man had pointed earlier. Kayori hoped with all he had that this was the right direction.

[chiatsuki]

[OOC: There is not much else I can do until after you head your way back to Konoha. You have entered Kusa now. The tsuchikage should take it from here]

[nnja2]

The Iwa ANBU arrived in Kusa no kuni with his Konoha counterpart with no trouble what so ever, the fact the Hokage had not met him was a little troubling but everything he had seen and experienced had allowed his mind to ease, Konoha was indeed showing it's true colors. As time passed at the designated meeting spot the Iwa ANBU began to worry, this was taking much longer than it ought to.

The ANBU let an hour or two pass, he sat cross legged on the lush grass and gazed intently toward Iwa, he knew what he had to do. Standing slowly and brushing any dirt off of himself the ANBU turned toward the Konoha nin. He stared for a moment before speaking in a serious tone, his voice low incase others were listening in.

"This is unlike the Tsuchikage, i fear something has happened, come we shall go to Iwa"

With that the ANBU would head off at quick pace eager to return to his village and find out why his Kage had not arrived on time, a bad feeling stuck in his gut he hoped everything was okay. The journey would not take too long from Kusa, and the ANBU was adamant that there pace would be as swift as possible.

Within a few hours the landscape had altered significantly, the grass became less lush and more sparse, there was a sense of desolation, with it for the Iwa ANBU came the familiar feeling of homse, they were now on the fringes of Tsuchi no kuni, there was not far to go. With the ANBu's knowledge of Tsuchi they would be able to traverse the easiest and quickest route avoiding any delays.

It would be a few hours after midnight that the lights of Iwa wold come into view, the ANBU was pleased at the time they had made it would take another half an hour before they came before the gates greeted by the ANBU on the walls. He would explain all to them and allow them passage. Home at last, now where was the Kage.

OOC: not an amazing post but should be sufficient to get you to Iwa

[Kayori]

The change in the landscape was amazing to Kayori no matter how many times he had seen it. First it had been the transforming from forests to tall grasses, and now, the tall grasses were slowly getting lower and lower as they were replaced by a more desolate setting. Rock formations of all shapes were dotting the surroundings now, with the occassional low hills and tall mountains that stood tall and proud, oblivious even to the strongest of gales.

What was previously clumped dirt that they had kicked up with each step, sprinting across the plains were now replaced with loose dirt and sand as they kicked up two trails of dust behind in their hasty journey to Iwa.

Kayori was truly relieved that he had brought his map along. They were now on their way to Iwa via the shortest way possible and he was taking mental snapshots of his surroundings as his legs carried him swift and low across the ground as they ran. There was barely any time for rest, but before exhaustion could set in and tire them out, the first signs of civilization began to appear on the orange horizon.

It was after midnight when they arrived at the gates, and arriving at such an unearthly hour was always reason for a detailed scrutinizing of his identity especially since he was a foreign shinobi. Relying on the Iwa-nin to explain the situation, Kayori merely stood there as the Iwa ANBU talked and discussed with the guards.

(Enter Iwa)

[Apple]

[/b][/color] to Tsuchi no kuni, you Leaf brat.[/ul]