Data Control [p?!]

[vetti vedi vicious]

So she was on assignment, some sort of border patrol. A distant, distant border. Originally the plan was to bring some of the young genin along with her as to show them the surroundings of the village, but Kirino had been informed only hours before she was to leave that the objective had changed. Apparently something suspicious was happening in Fire, though no one told her what exactly what this suspicious activity even possibly could be. Well, ultimately, it was an order and that was enough to get her moving without any complaint. She liked walking anyway, it gave her some time to take in her surroundings, the beauty of nature and such. So she went.

[From Water to Fire that is!]

[vetti vedi vicious]

Oh fire country, oh fire country, god bless your trees and grass.

So she had arrived in the land that was to be home to the Hidden Leaf village. She had been given only the most vague directions as to where to go initially, so on her way out of the village she had purchased a cheap map for civilians. This, of course, didn't show her where any villages were, but instead some random landmarks, and where the actual cities were in each country. However, it only showed these locations in a fairly vague manner, as the map was massive in how much ground it covered, despite physically being very small. She'd give a scan of the area around her, her brows lowered in confusion and slight annoyance. You'd think after all the time she served with her village they'd have the respect to tell her where she was actually supposed to go.

Kirino gave the map another quick look trying to assess where she actually currently was. Her theory was if she just went to the area that was the furthest from every landmark and city on some sort of average, she'd be close at least. She was just assuming that was the logic the nin of Leaf used when choosing a location for a village, despite the fact said village was likely formed before a number of the surrounding landmarks and such were made. Just a while left to go, perhaps it would just be in the next clearing, she'd tell herself.

Currently Goto found herself on a long dirt path that was bordered on both sides by rows of trees. These seemed abundant in this land for whatever reason. The whole thing made her feel like she was in some virtual reality, some bizarre alternate dimension. Folding her map and placing it in her pocket, she stopped, sensing something nearby. Normally anyone else would immediately take a defensive stance and prepare for the worse, being in foreign territory, but not Kirino. Instead she looked around calling out, like the next victim in a slasher film. There was no worry in her voice, just an innocent curiosity.

"Hello? Someone there?"

[King]

Though his brother had originally agreed to escort him on this little mission into their origins and history, a sudden development had caused the siblings to separate. Apparently, some sort've beast - the Yonbi, to be specific - was terrorizing the Kusa no Kuni country side. He'd heard talk of the Great Five attempting to restore order and structure to some, if not all, of the lesser villages. Before they could do that, though, they'd need to take care of the more obvious problems. It was hard to restart a government with a massive beast thrashing around.

So, Ashura didn't hold it against his brother when he took up arms for the cause. It was obvious that the dark-haired triplet was far more interested in finding their parents that the fair-haired one, which actually explained why he was here and Ota wasn't. Still, he couldn't deny that it would've been nice have some company. This promised to be a fairly long, if not difficult, journey.

"Hello. Someone there?"

Far too caught up in his thoughts and cloud-gazing, Ashura hadn't even noticed the silhouette defining the young woman just before the curve of the horizon. While it might have been smarter to tread closer to the line of caution, taking up some sort of stance of readiness, Ashura did not. Instead, the boy simply continued with his slow and casual pace, both hands stuffed into the lining of his pockets. His eyes, however, were focused now; he was watching the girl, more so to figure out what it was that she was trying to do.

Not attempting to hide his presence, her answer would've been answered if she just looked directly in front of her. Assuming she didn't, his voice would have served a similar purpose. "Just me," he replied with a light and cheerful tone. "I apologize if I startled you; didn't think I'd see anyone out here."

Of course, the first thing he searched for was something to mark her as a ninja, either from Konoha or some other village. Personally, Ashura wore his headband wrapped around his waist.

"You lost or something, miss?" Two big, blackish gray eyes gazed at her from behind long pitch hair. "If so, where are you trying to go? I may be able to help you."

[vetti vedi vicious]

Oh, it was just a little kid!

As the boy appeared over in the distance, she didn't lower her guard, because she didn't have one up in the first place. Instead she gave a wave, raising her arm above her head to do so. He spoke in response to her question fairly quickly, not leaving any room for awkward silence or anything of the sort. Oh, was he ever so cute! His voice was as adorable as his cute lil' face, the combination filling Kirino with excitement. He continued, his apology for the most part going over Goto's head as she was too focused on how cute the kid was, but she managed to catch the tail end of it. She lowered herself to his height by bending at the knees, crouching.

"Oh, I'm fine."

She replied in an equally cheerful tone, if slightly (unintentionally) condescending. Now on his level, Kirino noticed the headband that was around the child's waist, noting he was from Leaf. They made ninja this young? She was baffled, to say the least, but supposed it was possible after a moment. Her own attire, a plain white long sleeved blouse matched with black leggings, had her headband tied around her right arm, as per usual.

The boy asked a question, and made an offer. She had to react quickly. Could she reveal her objective to this boy? Was that allowed? The only reason she was promoted was for being lucky in combat, it had nothing to do with her ability to assess such situations! 'Remain calm, it's just a kid,' she reminded herself, retaining her cheerful demeanor. She couldn't stall in her mind any longer without arising suspicion, it was time to act.

"No, it's okay. I'm just having a little vacation from my regular duties, taking a long walk. What about you? Are you old enough to be wandering around like this on your own?"

[King]

The surprise on her face was obvious - almost painfully so. Ashura was used to it, though. Though there were ninja his age in more parts of the world than one, very few had reached the level that he and his siblings had. Considered prodigies not only by the most elite in the Hidden Leaf, but those of their neighbors as well, it was strange that his ego was still so small. Humility was by far one of the dark-haired boy's greatest assets; it was something his other half, his brother, lacked entirely. Together, they balanced the ticket quite well.

"I might not be old enough," he admitted, "but I'm plenty qualified." Unlike his newfound acquantiance, Ashura had no hesitance in revealing who he was or where he stood in ranking. "Ashura Uchiha, Jounin of the Hidden Leaf. It's a pleasure to meet you--"

The trailing of his statement would've hinted he wished to know her name, though he wouldn't be offended if she decided not to tell him. Everyone was different, after all.

Not figuring her to be an enemy, Ashura stepped closer. "Besides, you could say that I'm on a vacation like you." For a child, his vocabulary was quite stunning. He spoke fluently, as if he was an adult. "I'm looking for someone very important; I need to talk to them."

[vetti vedi vicious]

An Uchiha?! Well, she was fucked. As a Kunoichi that knew very little outside of Genjutsu, the name alone was frightening, and even then she would never imagined actually meeting a Uchiha. Yet, one this young couldn't be that harmf- Oh, he was a Jounin. That made sense. This kid that was at least ten years younger than her was a Jounin. He was more mature, much stronger, and probably more educated than Kirino despite being born after she had left the academy! It was a tad intimidating, but she managed to reassure herself fairly quickly, shrugging off the disbelief that weighed on her. There was no way he could be that mature, it just wasn't a possibility in her mind. The kid was probably just playing pretend. Yes, that was likely the case, and such became the assumption Kirino continued the conversation under. The boy paused, allowing Kirino to speak.

"Kirino Goto, hailing from Hidden Mist. Pleased, Uchiha."

It could be noted it was a near miracle she used "hailing" correctly in a sentence. She smiled during the extension her own greeting, hoping to keep formal as possible for at least a moment, a near impossibility for Kirino. He approached after this, speaking once more. He was on vacation as well, was he? Well that certainly was a pleasant surprise. Then again, she had been lying when she mentioned her "vacation," so now she had to consider the possibility that the boy was doing the same. He continued, now informing her of his goal.

Looking for someone, was he? All by himself? He said he was qualified, but he also said he was a Jounin. 'Oh sure you are, little boy,' she thought to herself, nearly wanting to give the boy a big hug just for suggesting such a cute idea. Well, now it was Kirino's turn to play big sister! She had always wanted a little brother to watch after and play around with, and now was her chance! Sure, she was "basically" an adult now, but it was better late than never! Goto kept her crouching stance, staying on the boy's level, keeping a playful tone. So much for being formal.

"Oh, and who might this someone be? Perhaps I could help out!"

[King]

Ashura wanted to laugh. It was clear she was trying to keep her composure, and even clearer that she didn't believe a single word he'd said thus far, but he saw no reason to ruin her game. In the end, it was irrelevant. Those that knew who he was knew of his status and rank, and that was all that mattered. Besides, it was always so much more fun when they refused to entertain the idea that he was, in fact, more capable than nearly half of the current shinobi population. Still, he couldn't help but edge her on. "You don't have to crouch, miss. The rest of my ANBU unit is a lot taller than you; I'm used to looking up."

When she inquired about his search, his more serious demeanor seemed to melt away. "You might think it's strange," he continued when she'd finished speaking, "but I'm looking for my parents. I've never met them."

As if the topic itself brought his eyes to the sky, he found himself gazing at the clouds above them. "Me and my brother and sister were adopted by our aunt and uncle. We've never met our real parents, and no one will tell us who they were or where they're from." Snapping back to reality, the boy's eyes fell on the girl again. "It's just something I've got to do, you know?"

Taking another step closer so that there was only several feet (four) separating them, he flashed a smile. "I appreciate the offer, but I don't want to burden you. You're on your own vacation, remember? I'll be fine by myself, I promise."

[vetti vedi vicious]

The boy appeared to be responding well, and didn't seem at all concerned about being out alone, going on to make a comment about her stance.

"If you say so."

She pushed herself up, standing straight, cocking her head slightly to a side, still smiling. He went on to speak of the details of his purpose in being this far out in the middle of nowhere. His quest was a noble one, seeking his origins, his parents. The boy's eyes seemed to wander as he continued, Kirino's line of sight following, trying to figure out what he was looking at specifically. He went on to make a few slightly more surprising statements, ones that were a far too detailed to be fabricated.

"Well, now that I think of it, you do look like someone I know..." She had only ever really met one Uchiha, the man that once reigned over her village years ago coming to mind when she looked at the child. That, and for whatever reason his little round head reminded her of someone else, though she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Her face scrunched up with intensity as she delved into her own mind in search of who it was that she was thinking of, but nothing came up. So with that, Goto gave a shrug, relaxing.

"Well, nevermind, it's probably nothing."

Her past actions would indicate it most likely was nothing, as it would have still probably been nothing if she had thought it was. The boy came closer now, his little grin as cute as ever. Kirino's face became slightly devoid of expression as she fantasized grabbing the boy up and spinning around with him in her arms. It would be a surprise to anyone that knew her that she hadn't already done so. Snapping out of this, she listened once more. An idea struck her.

"Well, I don't know this place very well to be honest with you. Actually, I might just be a bit lost! I didn't actually have anywhere in mind for a place to go, if you know what I mean. Maybe I could just tag along with you, yeah? Who knows, I could actually be a bit helpful!"

[King]

Come to think of it, her tagging along wasn't such a bad idea after all. He was just musing about how company would have been nice, and with his siblings being tied up with whatever it was that they'd chosen to do, what harm could it bring? She really didn't seem like the type to have some ulterior motive for being here, so the young boy didn't see a problem. Then again, even if it was an explosion waiting to happen, he was more than capable of handling the situation.

"You sure?" he inquired, his smile still beaming. "I mean, I'm not even sure where I'm going. Just following clues that Hokage-sama gave me; I wasn't able to beat it all out of him!"

Just thinking about the little scuffle they'd had before he was given permission to leave caused him to wince a little, the bump on the back of his head still somewhat fiery. The old geezer definitely knew how to throw a punch, but Ashura's persistence had paid off, to say the least.

He shrugged. "Who knows what kind of trouble I could stumble into. You positive you wanna come along?"

The tone in his voice would've been all it took to suggest he, in all honesty, wanted her to come. Even if he was an elite shinobi, being lonely was something he'd never learned to cope with. That's probably one of the main reasons he was out here looking for his parents in the first place.

[vetti vedi vicious]

Oh, she could so easily imagine the small boy pounding on the legs of his kage with those little fists. How cute!

"Awww~"

He mentioned the possibility of trouble, Kirino unsure as to if this was meant to imply he did or did not want her tagging along. For her own sake, she assumed the latter. Well, apparently he wasn't sure where he was going either, but it didn't matter much. Kirino's real motive in this was to make her way around fire, hopefully discovering whatever the fuck it was she was supposed to discover. She still had no clue what that was, but at this point the entire mission was slipping her mind. The idea of just going on an adventure with this lil' tyke was too appealing!

"One hundred percent sure, Ashura!"

Her pure enthusiastic nature was showing itself true. She had already forgotten why it was exactly they were going out to adventure, but she didn't care, it was an adventure none the less!

[King]

So long as she was positive that she wanted to come, Ashura wasn't about to try and stop her. In fact, his faux worry melted away almost immediately. Again, his hands found themselves resting in their respective pockets and his eyes drifted back to the sky. It was so strange, but he almost lost himself right then and there; it was so easy to when you were as star-crossed and cloud-envious as the dark haired prodigy before her. But, it had its perks. For instance, as if by some divine gift, he'd thought of their destination - one of the clouds took shape in the form of a country he'd seen on a map before.

"Well, I'm heading to Kaze no Kuni first." Already, his feet were slowly pushing him further up the road. "I think Hokage-sama said that one of my parent's old friends lived there. Could've been Tsuchi no Kuni, though. I'm not sure."

He gave a very light shrug as he kept on moving along, glancing over to his side at the woman that was surely beside him. "So, you said I look familiar? Maybe you knew my parents, but just don't remember? That'd be cool - in an awkward kind of way, ha."

[vetti vedi vicious]

The boy appeared to get lost in his thoughts, something Kirino wasn't very familiar with (being more of the lost in nothing type). Jounin or not, he seemed pretty smart, well put together for his age. Either that or he was delusional, but what were the chances of that? Kirino looked upwards to see if he was actually looking at something, then gasping as one of the clouds above shifted shape rapidly. Confusing, but it really didn't mean anything to her. It didn't morph into a dragon or anything, at least. The boy spoke after that and began moving, Goto taking a moment to notice this, taking a few quick paces to catch up. She trailed close behind, then at his side.

Apparently he had a plan. Kaze. She wasn't too good with locations, being more of a follower, or a textless map reader, than, well, a person that new locations well. At least she recognized Tsuchi. That said, she couldn't figure out why it was the friends of his parents that he was going to see, rather than just where they actually lived. It took her moment to realize said friends could probably just recognize the kid and tell him everything. She muttered an "Oh.." to herself as this realization hit.

The next point he made had her thinking. She didn't see how it was awkward at all, but spoke anyway.

"Well, maybe I did know them! Do you know anything at all about them? Where they lived, or what they did..? Anything?"

Perhaps something that he did know would jog her memory, or so she hoped. It was worth a shot.

[King]

"I don't know a single thing about them," Ashura laughed. "That's why I'm looking for them."

Yes, it was an odd journey. People usually had something to go on when they were hunting down someone. Unfortunately, the Hokage had given the jounin all the clues he was willing to. If there was one thing Ashura had come to know, it was that his master never went back on his word. Clearly, he'd vowed his silence.

"But, it's whatever. I'm pretty persistent," he continued. "I'lll -- well, now we'll, find 'em. I can't wait."

The journey to Kaze no Kuni was going to be slightly long, but at least he wouldn't be alone now.

Move to Kaze no Kuni

[vetti vedi vicious]

Nothing at all, huh? Well that was no starting point, but apparently they were headed in at least some sort of direction. Kaze was certainly better than nothing, asking random civilians or something of the like. Of course, in her mind, this would just be a brief, two or three day journey. When the boy said persistent, Kirino was still under the assumption he was just a kid that had a bit too much self confidence (without the usual rudeness that comes with it). What she did believe was the kid's enthusiasm. It wasn't every day you heard "I can't wait" from such a young man when a continent spanning quest was involved. Goto giggled as he began forward, Ashura's last comment tickling her.

"Same here."

Perhaps she wasn't quite as excited about the whole thing as the Uchiha, but the concept itself was enough to entertain Kirino, enough so that she'd travel such a distance alone with such a young man without reporting back to her home. It wouldn't take that long anyway, right? How long could a kid like this last without getting bored? Well, she'd find out soon enough.

[Messatsu!]

Moved To Kaze no Kuni