Rock Climbing [M]

[Leonov]

name: head in the clouds!
rank: b
description: relationships with other villages are rather lacking right now. i'd like you to travel to kumogakure and speak with the raikage. establish his feelings about our village, and his current stance on a diplomacy with iwagakure. we're not seeking an allegiance, not officially, but i want him to know we are open and friendly to his people.
objective: establish ties with kumogakure! (not bffls!)
client: lady tsuchikage
reward: 100 exp, 2000 ryo

[The Search for Kumogakure]

The way to the Lightning Country was well enough, as the group had been able circumnavigate the land between the Earth and Lightning Country easily enough. However, the change in terrain had slowly set in, and the altitude got higher and higher as the air got thinner and thinner. Trees and forests grew sparser- not by too much - but it was noticeable, as the three walked up and down steep cliffs and areas.

"Shit. It's getting colder." The blonde grabbed at his jacket and pulled it tighter over his body as a chill breeze was slowly hitting the group. They were walking up a gradual incline up, higher and higher, along a rocky, mountain-like landform. The temperature was standable, but definitely not the kind of weather you could wear a t-shirt in. The cold wind would make sure to keep that from happening.

Maximilian turned his head to the other two Chuunin, then back in front of him. "So. How's everything going? Anything think we're getting any closer?" The blonde tried to get them to talk more. The trip up to this point wasn't too talkative. They did speak occasionally, introductions and small things and teamwork strategy, but otherwise, they were silent.

Maximilian wasn't one for silence when nothing was going on. As his boots hit the ground, his eyes surveying the land for any indicator or a mark that could lead them into the right direction for the Cloud village. So far, he saw nothing in particular. His head cocked back to the other two, and frowned a bit. "Almost kind of worried. I hope they greet us with a warm reception..." Kumo was a completely different village, of course.

[kama]

Go!

True, both the Land of Thunder and the Land of Earth were quite similar yet, different from each other. The so isolated land where nothing but mountains and rocks remained as the kings of the sight, though the forest also made its scene, however, the most noticeable difference between both lands was the weather, certainly the opposite as Tsuchi no Kuni, though quite pleasant for those living in such a hot one as Iwagakure, at least for the kunoichi.

Such cold situation will be onfirmed by the blonde genin, whose statement came with what seemed to be the beginning of a conversation.

"Impossible for me to say"

The silver haired lady stated, at this point she could not confirm or deny the distance between the village and they both, though maybe jin would, with a small turn to see the Chuunin the lady would stare at him, awaiting to see if any statement will come out of his mouth.

If someone would decide where to go surely it would be Jin, after all, this was his mission, he was the leader of the squad. Since the kunoichi just met them both she did not know if they had been here in the past, or if any of their previous experiences could allow the group to get faster to the village.

Soon after, the genin shall speak again.

"A talkative huh?"

Personally, the illusionist was not the type to get social for fun or mere curiosity, if she were to start a conversation with someone something needed to get in exchange. As for Jin, it was still unknown the type of person he could be, at least for her at the time.

"As far as I remember, kumogakure is a neutral village towards Iwagakure..."

She stated in an attempt to continue the conversation with the blonde, she knew that as a team socilize was a must, and if things get out of control in kumo, at least knowing a little bit of each shall benefit the group.

"Meaning that they are not our enemies... Nor allies"

Emphasizing the very last part of her sentence in an attempt to make it clear that anything could be expected.

[/blockquote]

[spade]

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The transition to the Lightning country wasn't too hard for me since I simply adjusted my clothing to the cold temperatures by throwing on a light jacket. The two countries didn't really differ from each other too much seeing as Iwagakure had tons and tons of mountains as well, albeit our temperatures were way warmer. "From what I've learned, I believe the Gates are hidden beyond a bunch of mountains... why would they just simply be out in the open?" I wasn't expecting to find the gates to this village anytime soon, I shook my head. I should have asked them for the location while we were in the village earlier. I thought to myself as we continued to walk.

"Honestly, I wish some of their ninja came out right now. We could just simply ask for their help all the way back to their gates, we are part of a neutral village." I cooed, lagging behind the two of my comrades. I had to be the one on lookout throughout the entirety of this mission since I was the leader, it won't be cool if I came back with a two dead bodies would it? "We just have to keep searching, I doubt any of you actually expected to find it as soon as you waltzed into the land, what kind of village would be in the open, that's why we call them Hidden Villages."

Regardless we were going to have to do quite some searching; coupled with a little luck and we might just find this village. I hoped luck was hanging above our shoulders, waiting for a perfect time to unveil a path towards the village. But, without any kind of sign for now we were stuck searching this godforsaken land for the next few hours before we set up camp.

[luneth]

enter.

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width, 425px][STYLE=margin: 10px 22px 10px 22px; text-align: justify;font-family: arial;font-size: 12px;]A rather drab day up until this point, the patrol duty assigned to Haru had forced him to keep watch over a specific region near Kaminari’s southern border. With the majority of the country’s landmass being surrounded by water, the relatively small region he observed was, literally, the only way in or out via ground travel. It would make his job much easier – his divine vision encompassing an entire kilometer, he’d simply sit within a hidden vantage point, visually scrutinizing each individual entering or exiting the land. The job was one given to Haru almost routinely, as he was capable of performing the task far more effectively than the average shinobi, and while boring, it did offer an opportunity for relaxation and an escape from his separate, exhausting duties within Kumogakure. Fulfilling his habitual obligation just as he always had, the adolescent Hyūga would allow his penetrating gaze to assertively examine the groups of citizens, travelers, and fellow kumo-nin entering and exiting. It would be during this time, several hours following his start, that something in particular would catch his eye. Pale eyes inspecting a certain trio, two male and one female, his gaze would halt in surprise upon the sight of an Iwagakure hitai-ate. He wouldn’t take it lightly; with their villages currently standing impartial towards one another, he couldn't accurately discern whether or not they were here for positive or the opposite. Trained in protocol, the Chūnin’s lightweight fingers would immediately begin weaving in and out, performing a set of handseals that would send a single Bunshin out from his current vantage point, it’s purpose being to confront the group with the question of their intentions. With the group nearly twenty meters away and passing, the clone would arrive from behind, catching up as it would voice Haru’s concern in a serious, poised manner, on the defense should they attack. The Bunshin would be garbed in the exact raiments worn by Haru, including a mask veiling facial features, and a Kumogakure hitai-ate visible as a bracelet fastened around his right wrist. “HALT~!” it would call, grabbing their attention as the clone would continue forward, “what is your business here?” The clone would show no indication of knowledge toward their home-land, appearing to question them for no reason other than their crossing of a checkpoint just beyond the Kaminari border. [atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width, 425px][/style]

SPOILER: Click to show

[activated]byakugan; mid low.
[used]raiton bunshin; mid low.

[Leonov]

The trek so far was uneventful. The responses he got was satisfactory, as Maximilian nodded to the both of them when they replied to him. Maximilian smiled lightly - very lightly - before turning his head forward, and walking on. "Neutral. Fuck, this can go both ways." The trek wasn't too tough, with sparse traffic. Eventually, they were completely alone on the path they took. That is, until they were interrupted.

Behind the trio, an individual appeared. Maximilian tensed, and turned his body around to see someone about twenty meters away from the group. Maximilian narrowed his eyes to get a better look at the individual, and from the looks of it, mostly based off the headband the man had on his arm, this was a Cloud shinobi. Seems they were heading the right direction, but meeting up with someone of the village was unexpected so soon.

Normally, Maximilian would be the first one to say something to newcomers. The blonde's defensive impulses kicked in as he remembered his dislike for outsiders and non-Iwa members, but despite the dislike, he buttoned his trap and kept quiet this time. He wasn't ging to jeopardize the mission just because of a few preconceptions he had of the people. He was smarter than that.

So instead of saying a word, Maximilian looked down to the ground, and turned halfway around so he could watch the path ahead of them, in the opposite direction of where the Cloud ninja came from. He was the low-ranking member of the team. The Chuunin had the more authority, and the more experience, so Max kept his words to himself, and let them lead off. He had to think with his head, not with his heart.

[kama]

The kumo-shinobi!

The Chuunin's words were so correct, none of them expected to find the village anytime soon, though luck may change. With a sudden change of destiny a visitor came to the group, his accesory, the kumogakure headband, led to the most logcal idea, a Kumo-shinobi.

Certainly with the shinobi's appearance the group's goal was to be shortened by a lot, not because they were close to the village, but becase there was a chance for this visitor to lead them to the village.

In response to the kumo-shinobi statement the lady would vow in such a fashionable way as if still wearing her long white dress as a sign of respect and diplomacy as she awaited for Jin to make his statement, who, as the leader of this mission was expected to speak first.

[/blockquote]

[spade]

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Most of the dreaded time spent to find a pathway was to no avail. There was nothing that indicated if we were going the right way, it's not like the village had signs showing us where to go. I wasn't losing hope yet, I hoped my comrades weren't neither... this was a high ranking mission and mostly because we had to find the village itself.

"...?"

It looked like luck found its way to us and dropped us a present right before our eyes... not literally seeing as the voice came from behind us; regardless we were now on the right track. I slowly turned around with my hands in the air, a smirk creasing the sides of my face as I noticed the hitai-ate on his wrist; a kumogakure shinobi! Looks like we'd be heading towards those gates sooner than later. Each of my comrades waited on me to began speaking while I analyzed the boy right in front of me until he ignited a spark in my memory.

"Ohoho! You're the boy that recently passed the Chūnin Exams in second place right? The Hyūga? You did real well actually, I really wanted to see you fight Akuharu but.. it is what it is." My voice bellowed as I slowly reached into the side of my pocket— "Now, now I'm just reaching into my pocket for a scroll, we were sent by the Tsuchikage to offer a potential alliance to your village and well... we sorta got lost." I chuckled a bit before tossing over the mission scroll towards the boy.

"So, would you be willing to guide us to the gates? I'd like to speak to the Raikage as soon as possible and be on our way, I'm really busy." I spoke hoping he'd agree to my terms, I honestly didn't want to hurt the boy and endangering a future alliance between the two of our villages... hopefully he reacted rationally.

[luneth]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width, 425px][STYLE=margin: 10px 22px 10px 22px; text-align: justify;font-family: arial;font-size: 12px;] The vigilant shinobi would view the proceedings from afar, closely attending to the body language and expressions of each individual standing before his clone, awaiting a response to his inquiry. With the group turning around, he would be answered by the leading shinobi; examining him, Haru’s eyes would stop momentarily on his hair, tinged with white and blue, an attribute the young Hyūga had never seen before. The comical eccentricity would calm the kumo-nin’s angst slightly, the iwa-nin furthering this sense of relief as his reply would be both friendly and, seemingly, genuine. It was true, he'd competed in the latest Chūnin Exams, being one of only two shinobi to have successfully triumphed the harsh trials. Upon being recognized, the clone would remove it’s mask, making eye contact with the speaking shinobi as he'd nod with a slight chuckle, afterward catching the scroll that had been flung in his direction. Haru’s Byakugan would scan it from afar, judging its authenticity while concurrently keeping watch of the three foreigners ahead. The combination of his forthcoming comments, honesty, and subsequent scroll would rid the kumogakure devotee of his earlier, negative premonitions; with no reason to react otherwise, he would reply in the same affable manner he himself had been addressed. “well.. i don't see any reason in denying your request," he would answer, expression growing grave as he would voice words in addition, "however, as ninja, you three know what would happen should you go against your word.. hehe, but if you are truly here for an alliance, you should have nothing to worry about.. simply agree that you won't cause any trouble, and i will show you the way." [atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width, 425px][/style]

SPOILER: Click to show

[activated]byakugan; low.
[in use]raiton bunshin.

[Leonov]

The blonde breathed a sigh of relief as their reason for coming there was accepted by the ninja, and his gaze drifted from the area behind them to the location of the Cloud shinobi. Hearing Jin speak of this individual's achievements seemed impressive, but at the moment, the Sansutsomu couldn't put too much care into such small talk. He crossed his arms over his chest and gave the Cloud ninja a small smile.

"No trouble here. It wouldn't be smart causing shit so far away from home anyways." The blonde nodded to himself, and took a step toward his two teammates. He was willing to be taken to the Cloud village, and get this vital mission over with. The help of this Kumo ninja will assist in the task, so hopefully this would speed up the process by quite a bit.

"I guess lead the way," he chimed in to the other person, and his gaze went to Jin and Rosario, hoping that if they made eye contact, that he could send them a message that nothing seemed to be wrong at the moment. Though that meant little. Maximilian was still lightly tensed, as this was still strange territory, and the people who resided there weren't their friends just yet.

[kama]

An ally?

Quite a surprise, the village hidden in the clouds seemed to be closer than expected, and not talking about distance, but the way to fin it, with a shinobi of the village leadiing the way shall they be there in no time. After the statements made of the white eyed boy the scarlet iris girl shall do nothing but nod in accordance.

Within moments, the blond's voice shall be heard, and Rosario shall do nothing but agree with his statement, a simple glance at the boy and the other Chuunin of Iwagakure expelling, in certain way an expression of calm shall allow the duo to know that, like the blond guy, she seemed to be safe with the foreign shinobi's statement.

[/blockquote]

[spade]

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It seemed like the boy was cooperating with us, thank Buddha! I honestly didn't want to walk around these mountains, fight mountain lions, and maybe not even find the gates by the end of the week. "Don't worry, we're only here on official business. We wouldn't want to screw this potential alliance up in any way." I commented before folding my arms together. Both of my comrades agreed with what I had to say just several moments ago so I wasn't too worried about the Chūnins response. All we had to do now was just wait for him to guide us to the gates.

(SORRY FOR SHORT POST)

[luneth]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width, 425px][STYLE=margin: 10px 22px 10px 22px; text-align: justify;font-family: arial;font-size: 12px;][after you all exit, just post in kumo's gates, i'll give the permission to let you in.] Monitoring the group, he would make note of the blonde’s sigh, and their momentary glances towards one another, afterward listening to their leader speak once again, as he would agree that they were there for business and business only. The clone would produce a slight smile at the words, stepping aside as Haru himself would make his way from his previous vantage point, visible twenty meters behind the group, he would stride toward them at a brisk pace. Arriving, he would give a single nod to the trio, allowing his clone to lead as he himself would tail the group. They would be headed for Kumogakure, escorted by Haru himself. With the union of both his all-seeing white eyes and years of residence within the country, he had effectively discovered each and every shortcut the land had to offer. Not only would Kaminari's vast habitat be familiar to the short-lived Chūnin, but even more, the barren, rock-strewn mountains and pathways would have become second-nature, with Haru moving through the land effortlessly, and without much thought. They would arrive before long; the trip taking only a fraction of what it might have, had they attempted to search for the hidden village alone. With their first destination being Kumogakure’s gates, what had from afar appeared to be nothing more than one of the area’s tallest mountains, would eventually show itself as the pathway toward the village, with its upper half, similar to the rest of the mountains within the region, hidden behind the veil of thick, heavy clouds. Kumogakure would lie just beyond. exit.[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width, 425px][/style]

SPOILER: Click to show

[activated]byakugan; low.
[in use]raiton bunshin.

[Leonov]

With the Kumo ninja's blessing, Maximilian breathed a sigh of relief as his tenseness died down across his whole body. Things were going to plan, and the three Iwagakure ninjas were finally allowed to move forward. Maximilian, the lowest of the three, bowed his head down low as they would let the Cloud ninja pass, and turning on his heels, the blonde would follow along with his allies to where the other was leading them.

With a shiver, the Sansutsomu hugged himself and shivered lightly as he walked on, still unaccustomed to the high altitudes and cold that accompanied the environment. "Motherfuck, still cold as shit here." He maintained his composure as best as he could and tried to gain control of his shakes as they moved forward, toward the entrance of their first mission target.

The path seemed to open itself up to the eyes of the Genin. Maximilian noticed how the path took them to what seemed to be towering mountains before them. But with some scrutiny with the eyes, Maximilian noticed something very peculiar about them. And from what it seemed, the Cloud ninja was leading the trio right to it. The entrance to the village.

[Exit]

[kama]

Arriving a new village!

Certainly the group was quite away from the desired place, the kumo shinobi led them to higher spots, the temperature began to decrease with every single step done, the wind blew harder and harder, instead of the normal hair waving, the air currents were so strong that it could rip even through thin paper. With the path on the mountains getting thin and thin every second the way to get in there became harder and harder.

For sure, normal humans could not get in there without aid, no joke that this was a hidden village, yet, something that made the kunoichi wonder. Was this village harder to found than Iwagakure? Was it the village hidden in the stone an easier target to foes? Or what is something else?

Slightly turning to see the others, true, the path to kumo was different, harder, yet not impossible, they were Iwagakure shinobis and as that, moving through the area was just different, but how?

And then, she just realized it, they had got used to Iwagakure, its temperature, its own way back to the village, it was as hard as this to get to the village, just, it was natural for them, the heat, the poisonous insects lying between the rocks, the lack of water and the monotonous sightseen was part of the village's maze, just as the height, the cold, the narrow paths and every other single details found on its way to Kumogakure, however, such experience was about to end, the village was just there, at the distance, awaiting for the group's arrival.

[/blockquote]

[exit]

[spade]

We were finally going somewhere, now that we were on the move we didn't really have anything to worry about. However you couldn't let your guard down in situations like these. We were in unknown territory and for all we knew this might be a trap. Sure that may be unlikely but the ninja world is a sick, and twisted place. I sure as hell wasn't going to get killed by an ambush as I was ready for something to happen, I sure hoped the rest of my cell was too.

Regardless I was going to absorb any significant landmarks into my memory so that if I ever decided to come visit Kumogakure again at a later date I'd have something to help guide me to the village. Trekking through the mountains I really hoped we arrived at our location soon enough... it was getting way too cold for me.

EXIT