destroy everything.

[Jun]

OOC ~ Invite only. Though more likely than not you'll be denied.

---

Enter.

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6 months it had been since I defected. . .

[/right]

And now I was fresh off the kill. My willowy frame stood over the remnants of an Iwa shinobi, with ocean eyes casting a look out into the distant sunset. It made for an anxious feeling ~ returning to one's homeland when they were unwanted. I could feel the concrete beats of a worried heart against my breast as a trained hand sheathed the black tanto used to commit an act of murder. He had died just a minute ago, yet the haunting images were already reeling in a head hidden behind the most mocking of masks. We remained on one of many cliff-sides that made up Tsuchi no Kuni and under the salmon colored sky I'd come here seeking out the location of my former village. Though this was no friendly visit ~ I had arrived to take lives, that was all. Soon I turned away from the corpse that had fallen victim to potent Genjutsu, presumably a Chuunin on patrol duty, and passed on with feet tapping against firm earth. Then, dressed in all raven attire, including a set of dark gloves I'd take my leave. By the time Iwagakure no Sato was reached it would surely be nightfall ~ an ideal setting for someone such as I, Miyako Jun. I thrived on stealth & cunning, for there was no love, no honor or forgiveness. No bonds.

There was only coldness.











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[KEITH]

The feet of the great Senju would grace the soil of Tsuchi no Kuni with the presence of one of the few survivors. He had been traveling far and wide for a chance to get into Iwagakure and get its location, like he had wanted to get into all villages and have their locations. He didn't carry any sign of being from a particular village, so if any Iwa-nin were to see him, they would claim him to be from a village right away, perhaps. He would soon come across two figures that were away from him by only ten meters, and he would close it swiftly with his movements across the great earth.

As he had gotten closer, he could see that there was one with a mask and another just below masked person's feet. She would walk off from the dead body before he could reach them, though he would remain silent, as he looked onward toward the masked person dressed in black. He looked off of the side of the cliff, and noticed how far down was the earth beneath them from where they had walked upon. Thinking that it was quite dangerous to do such a thing, the young Senju had moved up onto the mainland of the earth, instead of moving along the cliff.

He had thought that maybe this person before him had known where Iwagakure was and planning on attacking it, due to killing one of its shinobi. If so, it would be the perfect opportunity for him to find the village, and probably cause a little bit of mayhem while he was at it. He wouldn't mind getting his name known, plus some payback for Kusagakure, due to Iwagakure forces attacking them and destroying the village not too long ago. He sped up to reach the masked person, and then called out to them.

["Hey! You there, do you know where Iwagakure is? And, why have you killed that Iwagakure shinobi back there? Not that I care, but I sense a motive emitting from the aura of death around you."]

The young Senju had spoken in a calm and gentle tone, holding no hostility at all in his voice. He had worn his typical white and black attire (see profile), along with his cascading, brunette hair hanging down from his skull, and his blueish-grey eyes fixed upon the back of the masked persons head. He wanted to get her attention, and hopefully he would so obtain it, it would be lovely if she was traveling toward Iwagakure, it sort of make him really excited to hear their response to his questions. But even if the person wouldn't give him the answer that he had so desired, maybe they would at least stop and acknowledge the young male, and his entire figure.

He wouldn't just be a voice in their head calling out to him; he was a physical being with a strong presence.

[Jun]

"Hey! You there, do you know where Iwagakure is?"

[/right]

Alarmed, my head shot up to meet the soul standing no more than 10 meters from me. Had I been tracked so soon? Off the bat he had sent a volley of questions my way and honestly, it was all quite overwhelming. He possessed a flourishing, coffee coated mane with mesmerizing eyes to match. As I gazed blankly upon this male I felt a strange sensation inside of a heart I thought I killed long ago. He asked of the recent homicide, and though his words held not the least bit of killing intent I'd answer them as vaguely as possible. Rather than speak, I turned briefly and made a last look at the departed man he had mentioned. My motives? "For the thrill." I answered truthfully, voice coming as hallow from behind a blue disguise. This newcomer I scanned in entirety, only to find that he held no signs of loyalty to any hidden village. I had inquiries of my own, such as what nation he hailed from and what business he had in Iwagakure, however I figured they would only lead to more questions so my mouth remained silent. A skirmish was to unfold soon ~ this was no time for understanding. As for my own headband, it too had remained hidden. I removed it from its pocket and tossed it precisely to land at the side of the deceased ninja without it's emblem being noticed. Assuming I survived this whole ordeal, I'd come back for it at a later time. Until then, with my only form of identification laying face down in the dirt my masked persona turned and uttered one last word before long strides were made against the breeze.

"Follow."

Exit.

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[KEITH]

The Senju had carefully watched the masked person before him, seeing how they would react to his questions. The masked person would stop their advancement to reply to the young male behind them, turning toward him to respond. His eyes were strong and sharp; he would be able to look into the mask of the one before him, piercing into the eye holes with his own trying to them. He didn't like the idea of a mask covering up the identity of someone who he was talking to; it had reminded him of that one guy who he had just met in Sunagakure.

But, then and now, he was the one who had initiated the conversations with both masked people. It must have just been his rotten luck that he would have met these kinds of people, but he would just have to deal with it. When the masked person had begun to speak, he would hear a feminine voice come from beneath the mask and out into the air. Was it a woman behind the mask?

He wasn't sure, but if it was, it would have surely made things a lot more interesting. She would take off into a direction after tossing an object over toward the carcass that she had left behind, instructing the Senju to follow after her.

["What an interesting turn of events..."]

The young Senju had said, before following after the masked woman, hopefully she was taking him into the direction of the village he had wished to go to. Or maybe it could be a trap or something to get rid of him? She could have thought that he was an Iwa-nin undercover, but he would find out sooner or later what was up with the masked chick. With the aura of death that he could feel around her growing stronger, he had known that things were going to get a bit chaotic.

Exit.

[Jun]

My movement thereafter came with haste ~ a lithe frame carried itself across the uninspiring terrain with rare looks over my shoulder to confirm that the newcomer was still ensuing his desire to find Iwagakure. My pace held little concern for the male and it was likely he'd catch on to that fact. I journeyed at my own pace, yet I acknowledged that this was a fitting time for introductions. After all, if we were to kill alongside each other, it was only beneficial to know of one another's strengths and such. Still, I wouldn't spill too much this early in our expedition. "Where is your headband, ninja? And what awaits you in Iwagakure?" I interrogated him stiffly, with my sight never leaving the path ahead. While we toured the land I found both my clothing and hair being influenced by the wind ~ it was the cleanest feeling in the world. Soon enough we'd begin our dance with death.

And I lived for moments like those.

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[KEITH]

The Senju had moved along the terrain with great speed, following along behind the female shinobi who was ahead of him. He was a bit interested in the shinobi who was ahead of him, and wondered why she had worn a mask. Usually, when a shinobi would go on to commit a great crime, and were successful, they would want their face seen and their name known. But, maybe there was a special reason for why should conceal her identity from the Senju.

He'd probably find out eventually, so he wouldn't complain about it, hopefully she was nicer than the guy he had met in Sunagakure, who was known as "Jizu." He had sped up his pace a bit, but he wouldn't rival her speed, and move along side by side with her, due to not knowing what kind of person she was, he wasn't going to easily trust her. Though, he was a bit surprised when she would try to start a conversation with him, he wouldn't have thought she was the type to care about his reasons for finding Iwagakure. He wouldn't mind a little chat with the kunoichi, though, for the Senju which she would get to know a bit about was quite the social butterfly.

After he would listen to the questions she had to say, a smirk would come across his face, looking directly in front of him as he continued to move onward.

["Oh, so you're questioning me now? What a turn, I thought that I would be the one in the questioning position. But, it's hidden. You can't travel within other shinobi's country while wearing your headbands, especially in times like this. And, I simply wish to just have Iwagakure's location for now, I have bigger plans for it in the future. That's my secret, though. Is a thrill all you really want?"]

He would continue to follow the kunoichi after answering her questions, though with adding a little more to it, he didn't want to come off as a dull individual. He wasn't too far away from her as they would move; he'd only be about five meters to the right of her and three meters behind her. He had made sure that he would move at a safe distance, he didn't want any combat to commence, at least not yet. He had then started to think back to his days in Kusagakure when he was younger, and the battle against Iwagakure when it was taken to Tsuchi no Kuni's soil, and how many Kusa-nin's blood were spilled into the dirt they he had strolled upon.

It had fired him up, and made him a bit hungrier for revenge - and this woman would be the key for him to gain it.

[Jun]

"Is a thrill all you really want?"

[/right]

Eventually we reached what I considered to be a naturally occurring maze. Rounded boulders measuring up to 10 meters in height jutted up from the soil by the hundreds. The gaps between left enough space for our duo to dart around the randomly placed surfaces; though this labyrinth would continue on for at least another 60 meters or so. I tuned in to what the foreigner spoke of ~ it was more or less useless information. He hadn't divulged to me his home village, however it was a smart move on his end. And it didn't appear that he had any loved ones expecting him in Iwa; that too was fortunate for the lad. While listening, I managed to gain a first impression of his personality, and to me he came off as a bit too friendly for my tastes. Ah, though I wanted to, I would not ask of his name in fear that he'd question mine in return. Instead I'd choose to answer him in the most abrupt of ways. "The thrill is all I have left." It sounded harsh, but it was accurate ~ it was my reality. I had no past, nor future; I drew breath solely for this day and this hour. Neither one of us should have expected to see the sun rise the following morning. Anyone that had ever neared me, friend or foe, had shared one similar trait.

An untimely end.









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[KEITH]

He had wondered what was going through the kunoichi's mind, and why she had really wanted to attack Iwagakure. Just for the sake of the thrill wasn't pleasing enough for him, she had to have had a real reason for wanting to destroy the village, but if he were to ask, it would seem like she would just ignore the question. She had seemed like the type that had many secrets, and wouldn't plan on letting any of them out, no matter what the young shinobi would say or ask. It had put him in an awkward positions, because he had usually liked to talk, but now, it seemed like the best thing to do was stay quite or talk only a little bit.

While, he did have his interest in the girl, he also had a rekindled flame, blazing inside of his heart, for the revenge of Kusagakure. He couldn't help but keep thinking back to the days of the past, and fighting in the war alongside his family and friends, and also losing them to the war. Losing people in conflict was a natural thing, and if he could have, he would have rather gave up his own life for all of those he would have lost, he felt like he could have saved them if he had the chance. But, it would be a chance that he'd never be able to get again, and at least he still had a mother and siblings, they had lived within Konohagakure, living a safe and peaceful life.

Whereas, their son and brother are out here in the cruel shinobi world, doing what he has to, to make a living for his family. The name he had donned wasn't his own real name, it was the name of someone in his life who he had cherished more than anything in the world, he wanted to make that boy famous, and he would do so by using his name and spreading it across the world. Someday, he would have grown up to be a splendid shinobi. Though, before the woman had replied to him, the duo would come across a maze, which was filled with many earthen objects along the path, which could be seen more as obstacles, more than anything.

He would arch an eyebrow as they had gotten closer to it, wondering what it was that the two was about to enter into it. It was a natural maze created by the great land of Tsuchi no Kuni, and to be quite honest, the Senju wasn't expecting to see anything like this. It seemed that the girl might have been familiar with it, and he would continue to move behind her, following her through the maze.

["I hope we make it to Iwagakure before nightfall, I fear that it would not be to our advantage to go in the night."]

The Senju didn't know of the kunoichi's abilities, he had only known of his own, and he would know that he wasn't really suited for night time fighting. He wasn't that he couldn't do it, though, but it just wasn't something that he had liked doing. The woman probably had a fighting style that could help him out to his advantage, he wouldn't be able to find out this due to the two not talking, or more so her not willing to talk about at all. He wouldn't force anything on her; perhaps it would be a good surprise in the end, only time could tell after all.

[Jun]

"I hope we make it to Iwagakure before nightfall, I fear that it would not be to our advantage to go in the night."

[/right]

"You're wrong." I cut him off sharply; perhaps he wasn't fond of the dark but I was. Besides, what could prove more satisfying than taking a life under the stars? "The night will be our ally." As if it came natural, my body made a swift streak to the right and sprinted around yet another elongated stone. My partner in crime seemed apprehensive about something, that much seemed certain ~ though this was no time to for second guessing. Regardless, it was already in my mind that we'd purposely arrive in Iwagakre at twilight. Still, perhaps I had been a bit too jagged? "I'm savvy with illusions. . .how about yourself?" I'd at least give him that much about myself, hoping that it'd spur a bit of reassurance in the soul behind me. By the time we stalked the end of the earthen forest our destination appeared high out yonder. In addition, night was closing in fast ~ we had maybe less than an hour of light remaining. 250 meters away and up in the solid hills Iwagakure awaited straight ahead. For a moment I halted our advance, if only to allow my accomplice a quick rest. Once he stopped beside me I'd point a gloved finger into the mountains.

"There."











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[KEITH]

Her voice had cut through the air, like the sharpest blade in response to his statement about attacking in the night. She had blatantly told him that he was wrong about what would happen when night would fall, that it would be their advantage, or more so hers. He would find out a little bit more about her as she had begun to talk, she went on to tell him what kind of style that she had specialized in, and it was surprising to him. Not many people had specialized in Genjutsu, it was a hard art to learn and master, so if this girl was actually as good as she made herself seem, perhaps the battle would go in there way.

But, he wouldn't know what they were up against until they had arrived; he still felt that it might not be so easy still. He wasn't afraid or anything, he just didn't want to underestimate his opponents, though confidence was needed if one were to be able to stand up to the odds, and two shinobi versus a village would no doubt do that to them. The kunoichi had wanted to know about the shinobi she was traveling with as well, more specifically, what he would specialize in. It was important that she knew, so that she wouldn't get in his way during combat, or vice versa.

With a proud grin emerging upon his face as they would continue to move through the maze, he would reply to her in his natural calm tone, though soothing to the ears to hear.

["I specialize in Ninjutsu, but more specifically, Mokuton. The combination of Suiton and Doton being used simultaneously."]

He had given a little more to his description of it, just in case she didn't know what his style was or what it was made of. Not many people in the world had shared this ability with him, which made it really unique and rare, but perhaps she has heard of it? It so, it would be good on his behalf, she'd know that he wasn't a pushover, and possessed a very powerful set of jutsu at his disposal. They advanced further through the maze until they would come to the end of it, moving swiftly through the terrain, until the kunoichi would come to a stop not so far after the maze, and the shinobi stopped at her said.

When she had spoken, and pointed out into the direction of where Iwagakure would be located, his eyes would follow her hand where her finger had pointed. He nodded, and turned his head back toward her, looking at her, still dressed in her mask and clothing, concealing who she was away from the shinobi.

["Well, let's keep moving then, masked-girl. I am getting a bit anxious to see their faces when we arrive."]

The young shinobi had said as he would smile at the female, before looking off back into the direction of where Iwagakure was. It wasn't that far away, and he had thought he would never be able to see this day, now it just laid beyond his horizon.

[Jun]

Mokuton. . .

Trees then? "That's interesting. You'll make a fine mate." It was a difficult thing to impress me, however he managed to do so with a smooth voice. Had he been able to see my sea toned sight, he'd have noticed just how much they were swelling with curiosity. Never before had I come across a persona able to manipulate their chakras in such an incomparable way ~ this man was truly in his own league. So it seemed that whatever nameless deity was out there had acted in my favor and placed this shinobi at my side. Indeed I had great use for his talents; my eyes could hardly wait to see his Ninjutsu come to fruition. Upon ceasing our stride his eyes too locked on the grand city hidden in the alps. I had led him here as promised, yet he showed no signs of continuing on without me.

"Well, let's keep moving then, masked-girl. I am getting a bit anxious to see their faces when we arrive."

[/right]

Beneath my demon mask a slight smirk began to form. He had stuck around for this long, therefore I'd at best give him the honor of knowing the face he was about to commit terrorism alongside. Slowly but gracefully I'd slide the mask upward so that it rested atop my head. In turn, a face most alluring was revealed as I tossed him a foxy glance. This was what he had been wanting all along ~ I was well aware of that. "Tch. You're quite handsome, wood boy. If we live to see another day I'd like to see you again." That said, I donned my disguise once more and took off in the direction of Iwa. My acquaintance was lucky ~ not many men were given the opportunity he was granted. Our ascension up the mountain was swift, not to mention under a sheet of darkness. With his concerns surely satisfied, I figured he wouldn't pass up a chance at meeting me again under less threatening circumstances.

He'd have been better off making a deal with the devil.

Exit.

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[KEITH]

The shinobi had gazed off into the distance, seeing where Iwagakure was and how close that they were to reaching their destination. He couldn't help but keep smiling, the village was just right there, right within his grasp, but, he couldn't help but feel bad, or rather, an ill feeling had overcame him. He had known what would be awaiting him once he would have gotten into Iwagakure, and it would slowly begin to creep more into his mind. The young kunoichi would then speak, her voice emitting out into the air in a melodic tone which rang through the ears of the shinobi, alerting him and gaining his attention.

He would turn his head to look back at her, and to his surprise, she would begin to remove her mask from her face, it was something he hadn't expected her to do, at least not yet. And, to his pleasure, the girl had been quite the looker, earning his full attention, his body would turn around toward her, becoming more interested as the moments would past. She had complimented him upon his appearance, and began talking about how she wished that she could see him again if they were able to escape this night alive. He would smile softly at her, he wasn't use to receiving such compliments, probably due to his personality, and the type of person he was had turned women off to him.

Maybe this woman would soon change that way she had thought about him, once she had gotten to know him better, after all. He would begin to compliment her as well, his blueish-grey eyes setting upon her deep, ocean blue ones.

["I should be the one giving the compliments. Why would you cover up such a beautiful face with mask? It'd be more effective to cause destruction while letting your enemies see such a sight, as you gave grace me with."]

The shinobi had said to the kunoichi, who would soon place her mask back upon her face, and took off toward Iwagakure once more. He had wanted to know more about her, but she was more interested in getting to the village and doing what she had planned. He couldn't help but keep remembering what would be there in there waiting for them; it had made him want to rethink things, since he had known that he wasn't ready for what was there in the village. He couldn't just let her go alone either, knowing that she wouldn't be able to handle what was there, and he wouldn't send her flying to her death.

He wanted to help her with her goals, but for now, the best method was to prepare for it, and he would have to help her, along with improving himself as well. When the woman would only be about twenty meters away from where he was, he would string a set of seals really fast, and then place his hands upon the ground. Before the kunoichi would enter into the thirty meter distance of the shinobi, beams of wood quickly coming from the desired path of the young kunoichi, and as she would continue to move toward her preset location, she wouldn't notice the silently growing beams would wrap around her feet and envelope them, stopping her from further advancement, then would continue its growth until the beams would wrap around her body, and ceasing her from further bodily movements. It was time for him to tell her the truth.

["I'm sorry, but I cannot allow you to go to Iwagakure at this time, at least, I can't let you go and attack it. There is something going to happen in Iwagakure soon, and if you were to go and fight them now, it would surely end with our lives being stolen from us. If you want to go there, and kill them for the thrill - you still can, but just not now. So please hear me out. I wouldn't want for you to get hurt."]

He didn't mean the kunoichi any harm, but he had to save her from making a mistake, even if she was planning on dying by attacking the village, he couldn't allow such a beautiful woman to do a foolish thing. Besides, there was other things he had to do as well, and he couldn't risk losing his life now, doing such a thing, he had many places that he had to travel to. And, the next place he had in mind for traveling to was Taki no Kuni, though Takigakure had no longer existed, he had known the country to be a beautiful place. But, he had also thought about going to Kaminari no Kuni, the mountainous country in the north-east.

He wanted the woman to accompany him on his journey, thinking that she could be a good companion and partner to take along with him upon his journey, but he had to wait and see how she would react now first.

---

Masteries: Chakra Reduction Lv2, Efficient Sealing Lv1
MR: S-Rank -> Low Consumption
Tree Restraint: B-Rank -> Low Consumption

Activation: 2^1/2 seconds = When feet would be caught from the moment handseals/ground touched.

[Jun]

Harsh.

[/right]

I'd see his tree Ninjutsu sooner than anticipated, but funny enough I was the target. The imprisonment came abruptly after what I thought would be the final commitment toward Iwagakure. Immediately a sharp hand went to the rear and pulled forth my tanto's edge. Still, branches warped from the ground, first capturing my legs then my entire frame with chakra too concentrated for me to escape. Alas, it seemed my aspirations were to be out on hold as I listened to brown mane's plea for an early retreat. Beneath my blue facade I scoffed ~ for a second I thought this man to be a coward. My mind wasn't so readily available to give in to reasoning; I was wild and beyond whatever constraints held normal ninja from their ambitions. Even so, my ears were given little choice but to hear this peace-maker out. I fathomed he wouldn't let me go unless I left Tsuchi no Kuni behind with him; therefore it was in my best interest to stay alive for a bit longer. "Another time then." I replied dully, while at the same time sheathing my blade. If he did choose to release me I'd turn back toward him and begin to walk past his figure without giving him a glance. In a direction opposite of where my persona wanted to be I'd trek ~ for now we were unlikely allies.





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[KEITH]

He didn't want to stop her, or keep her from fulfilling her goal, he'd let her go at it someday. She would even be able to go on her own if she had liked, but for now, he had other plans in mind for her. With his decision in mind to use the kunoichi to further his own plans, he would release the female from her bindings, she had wanted to see his Mokuton ability, now she had gotten to see and experience what it was like. Upon releasing her, she would sheath her blade she had previously planned on drawing, though if she had used it, that would have been the last time, and her beautiful fast would never again be embraced by those who long to see such a beauty.

He didn't care how she thought of him, his eye following her as she made his way by him, only giving him a glance. He had known that this little matter would have destroyed whatever trust or bond that the two might have been growing, but one day she will understand why he had saved her, and that she would be thankful. Once she would proceed to two meters behind him, he would turn around himself, facing her direction. It was time to find out what he had in store of the kunoichi even if it was only a spec of the plan, he'd simply let her in, just a little bit, though.

He didn't want to spoil her with the surprises and ideas he had in mind, despite her probably not thinking much of it at all now, but he felt that he should at least tell her what she would be doing when she accompanied him.

["Anger is like a hot stone, masked-girl. But, anyway, just to let you in on why I wanted the village’s location is because I plan on attacking them one day. But, on a much larger scale than what we could have did. We need others, and we need money."]

He had said as he would approach the kunoichi from behind, walking directly behind her, stopping behind her if she would stop, but he would continue walking if she did, he'd be like her shadow. What he had basically told the female was that he was trying to gather a group of shinobi, to help him in his plan to attack villages, on a larger scale. This shinobi had a lot of dreams he had planned on making true, and how he would shape the shinobi world in his own way. But, he needed to build as a team as he had ventured across the world, and he needed money as well to fund such a thing, and a base.

He needed to do a lot before he would be able to make one of his dreams come true, he needed to ally himself with a village, but he wasn't sure of which one he should go to. His family had remained in Konohagakure, so he thought he should probably go there, but he felt like he should make another stop first, to see if he could find anyone interested in joining up with him. He would then move on to the side of the kunoichi, standing side by side with her, or walking by her side, he would look on to the setting sun that was so far in the distance, as the light would now begin to die out. The earth before them was covered with many rocks, stones, and boulders, each of all different sizes and some smaller, as he would step upon the smallest ones to crush them.

He would them move up some, so that now he was ahead of her, and that she would only see his back, which was dangerous to do in the shinobi world, leaving your back faced to someone could get you killed. But would she take this chance to attack him? She could kill him now, and then go back to Iwagakure to attack. What would she do?

Before she would do anything though, the shinobi's voice would cut through the air like the sharpest blades, and the kunoichi's ears would be sensitive to the way he had spoken. His calm and gentle voice had a hint of coldness in it, at the same time, it was warm and inviting.

["Will you follow me to Kaminari no Kuni, masked-girl?"]

He had yet to find out her name, but he would soon, if time had allowed for such a thing to happen, especially if the girl had chosen to attack by now. He wanted her to follow him, and if she did, what would be the true reason? Was she just bored and had nothing better to do? Did she secretly want to plot to kill him for ruining her chance?

Or did she follow him because something within her had called out to her to take up this opportunity, this once in a life time chance? Or would she just simply follow her heart? The young shinobi didn't know, but he'd wonder why if she had chosen to continue to follow him, but he wouldn't force it upon her to tell him.

[Jun]

"We need others, and we need money."

[/right]

I stopped in my tracks, thus ending the rhythmic crunch of soil beneath lithe feet. Was he really trying to be my teacher? His footsteps mimicked my own while I caught wind of the plan he spoke about ~ something along the lines of forming a band of missing nin. What made him any different from the rest of the world? Everyone wanted companions; everyone wanted money, surely the hidden villages had enough of both ingredients to smother him before he even began his quest for power. To control the world ~ that was a dream shared by nearly every soul I encountered, though the journey getting there may have been different from case to case. People like him were why I had left the ninja world to begin with; I was an animal, I lived purely off of instinct. But if that was so, why did I feel so inclined to accept his offer? Maybe it wasn't that end goal he was so interested in but more so the journey was what was calling me. Certainly he'd have a lot of blood on his hands by the time he reached the end of his road and I'd loved to have shared a bit of that red on my own hands as well.

"Will you follow me to Kaminari no Kuni, masked-girl?"

[/right]

So many things I had been musing over. I hadn't even noticed that he was a few feet ahead of me, now facing a day weary sun. My heart had no desire to join a team nor even begin placing faith in him ~ I'd done just fine living on my own up until now. My love for this world was long gone, therefore I hoped he hadn't had any thoughts about trying to change me later. But as of now I had nowhere else to go so it became my own decision to chase him for a little longer. At least until something more thrilling came along. Following his last question towards me came a long, eerie silence ~ so quiet one could overhear the chirp of crickets in nearby shrubbery. I stared out at him like a statue, arms falling loose at either side. Then finally I replied back, feeling that my intuition would never lead me astray.

"When do we leave?"
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