Purple Haze [mission|o]

[Akihiko]

It was a couple days of travel before he managed to reach the shores of Kaminari no Kuni, laying low and evading popular areas, he traveled on the outskirts of this country. From the shores, it was a simple task to take a raft while no one was watching, and he leaped into a small vessel, casting off before anyone could pay notice. His oversea voyage was much smoother than the time prior, and the waters leading from the land of thunder to that of water were rather stagnant. Mild waves and a steady current of wind propeling the small dinghy to the shores of Mizu no Kuni, whered he hit sand and drag his vessel onto the shore so as not to be swept out to sea.

Traveling via mist and night, his movement stayed concealed in the forests of Mizu no Kuni, until he found what he sought. A simple clue to guide him in his quest for Kirigakure. This clue came at a small price, one that Mugen was willing to sacrifice: the privelage of peace. At last he was forced to cast aside his diplomacy, and utilize fear as a vessel to truth. During the midst of his third night's stay in Water Country, the shinobi happened upon a small camp of three men hailing Kirigakure. From appearance they were typical grunts of the village, and had little to no role in the function or systems implemented to keep the village running smoothly. In other words, they were the worthless shinobi of Kirigakure.

Emerging from complete darkness, a rain of senbon pierced the campgrounds, slaying two-thirds of the occupants in a matter of seconds. Each had been pierced through a vital organ, precisely and efficiently killing them before they could comprehend what was happening. The third of the trio, had been injured, and then knocked unconscious by a firm blow to the temple. A quick and easy method of submission, and when his light were out, he was bound tightly to a tree at the edge of their camp, a bucket full of water jolting him from his slumber. "Wake up."

^{— SEARCHING FOR KIRIGAKURE}

[Akihiko]

The expression on his face was one of grim realization. He'd come across the fact that he had been both captured and subdued, a true shame to the village of Kirigakure. "Good morning," the kagehebi declared with a smile. But his actions rather contradicted his greeting, for the kiri-oni on his right arm dug gently into the flesh of his captive, a slight tear in skin resulting in a drop of blood falling the course of his neck. He shook with fear, succumbing to the pressure of Mugen's threat. At this point, it'd be easy to pry an answer from the weak clutches of this worthless shinobi. "Tell me the location of your village," Mugen cooed, cocking his head as he dug the claw further into the captive's throat.

"I won't tell you!" the man roared, thrashing his body around for several seconds before giving up and going limp. He stared viciously into the eyes of the snake, a fatal mistake to say the least. Mugen shifted his hand from the throat of his captive, to his tied feet which lay bare to the biting chill of tonight's climate. One by one, the shinobi began to slice a toe off, inducing a wrath of gut turning pain. By the time he had reached the fourth toe, the kirigakure shinobi had lost it, everything came spilling out. This was the moment Mugen had been waiting for, the direction of Kirigakure would finally be revealed.

But just as he had called him worthless, he realized the truth of this statement. For all the man could stutter, was a vague clue to the location of Kirigakure, "It's in the densest area of mist! Look in the valley," his cries died out as he fell back into an unconscious state, and Mugen realized how unhelpful this existance was. Nonetheless, he had started something that there was no turning back from, and so the captive met his end. To clear the evidence, all three bodies were thrown on the fire, which had been built and fortified to burn until their corpses turned to ash. All their materials and belongings were buried fifty meters from the campground, in a secluded area where the trees grew so close together it was impossible to see past.

^{— SEARCHING FOR KIRIGAKURE}

[Akihiko]

Mugen had finally found a clue, but he was still far from finding the village of Kirigakure, or so he thought, for the clues given seemed so feeble and vague. Regardless, he did as he had always done and followed up on the small hint, making his way south towards the center of Mizu no Kuni. With that approach, it was impossible for him not to stumble upon the base of the Mizu mountains. By sunrise, Mugen had found his way to the mountanous terrain. But from his small position at the base of the mountain, it was impossible to see more than twenty meters up it's surface, where dense fog had gathered. "This must be it," he thought, a reasuuring feeling of self satisfaction gifting him.

But as he began to climb, he'd soon realize the difficulties that awaited him. Beyond rigorous terrain, composed mostly of loose slippery rock, the pathway seemed to get thicker and thicker with fog, to the point that Mugen could hardly see more than a couple feet in front of him. His little to nonexistant field of vision, coupled with the narrow and slippery path made his trek that of a slow nature. If he rushed to much, he'd either fall off the path, or cause a landslide. In this case, it was the latter. The fog had cleared up enough to allow the shinobi a ten foot feild of vision, wising him up to the fact that sheer cliff dropped off the left side of the trail. In the path ahead, a bit of road had fallen off, creating a gap between Mugen and Kirigakure.

This was an easily overcome challenge, and the chuunin merely leaped from one side to the other, surmounting the small gap with little effort. But as he landed, the impact that followed signaled the start of a landslide. The earth beneath him shook, sliding out from underneath his feet. Rocks crashed down from the sharp mountain ascending to his right, he was lucky to avoid the large boulder that smashed just behind him. Pushing hard off of the shifting earth, his comprised his entire focus into a single moment, coalescing with adrenaline for a graceful touch. Breaking out into a full speed dash, the shinobi cleared ground quickly, wary of the cliff edge to his immediate left. He stopped running after about thirty paces, turning back to survey the damage of a near fatal landslide. But his field of vision had shrunk once again, consuming him and his surrounding in the thick veil of mist.

^{— SEARCHING FOR KIRIGAKURE}

[Akihiko]

Head down and heart racing, the shinobi continued on the thickly veiled path, watching every step with a heightened awareness and a greater sense of anticipation. He felt vulnerable after his last encounter with a landslide, but the significance of his mission meant that he had to continue searching. As the captive had revealed, the village was located in the thickest fog, but what was the last part of his hint. He closed his eyes, stopping in his tracks as he thought back to the encounter. "It's in the densest area of mist! Look in the valley" it hit him suddenly, and his eyes shot open. Of course, he had to look for a valley. But how in gods name would he find a valley in this sort of weather?

It seemed hopeless, pushing along the trail and stubbornly clinging to the clue he'd received from his mild interrogation. But he was an adamant force, and he'd need to find the village before crossing paths with one of it's members. Picking up his pace, the shinobi continued along the path for roughly another hour before the mist had unveiled enough to uncover something. In the depths of valley below, he could see the crests of building tops breaking through this thick fog. Without doubt, this had to be the village of Kirigakure. Sure enough, as soon as the thought entered his head, the sound of approaching shinobi alerted the kusa nin.

They were drawing near, and with the cliff edge to his left, and a sharp incline to his right, there seemed to be little room for escape. But at the last minuted Mugen manage, leaping high into the air, he plunged his sword between the cracks of thick rock. The force of his penetration allowing him to cling onto the sword as a safehold until the shinobi had passed, and since he was leaving soon as well, he'd be long gone before they returned to the gate. After removing his map from his pocket, he traced his progress so far through the mountain, marking an 'x' on the placement of Kirigakure. From here, he'd pocket the map, treking out of the ridge before taking an alternate route off of the mountain. He had found another trail head back along the way he'd come, and took the route to reach the western coast of Mizu no Kuni. Soon enough he'd see his home sweet home.

^{—FOUND KIRIGAKURE & EXIT}