I'MMA FIND YOU! [Searching]

[Ohta]

Sou lazed around. He wasn't too bothered about the morning or being in enemy territory. He kept himself to himself and nobody bothered him. Currently the boy was around a stoked fire, under a blanket that fed through most of the smoke and stopped it from being too noticable. His Kagura shingan was active and he was just sharpening his skills. Lately he had known about his own increase in the range he could feel. He could feel the nearby civilians, doing their dirty work, or the squirrels squirming along the tree to find their food. It was simple, but nonetheless ever so effective.

He was in the outskirts of a rural urban area of the town. Nobody seemed to care about his existance- it was how he liked it. He was planning to take the route that the locals knew that took them to "Kumogakure no sato." Though they knew he was there, he had been unable to obtain any proper information to the whereabouts of Kumogakure. Nobody was willing to reveal the secret, to this petty ninja- and by no means was Sou going to resort to Torture. Not yet, anyway.

The past couple of weeks hadn't been bad. Sou had been holed up in a little area, just setting up his base of prep and sorting out any prolonged things that could happen under his travelling. But so far, he had found nothing. But he wasn't going to give up and by far was sure as hell not going to stop now. The boy was reading over his world map, he opened up the area he was currently in, and began writing down little details on the sides of the pages, as to remember them in the future for any advancements that could be made in the future. But nonetheless he began taking his time would get ready to move, today was going to be the day he found Kumogakure no Sato. He made some handseals, and began running.

"I fuckin' hope so too.."

Active-

SPOILER: Click to show

Kagura Shingan (Kagura Mind's Eye)
Rank: D, C, B, A,S
Type: Supplementary / Sensory Ninjutsu
Range: 0 - 50 meters
Special: When first learned, the Sensor can extend their Mind's Eye up to 10 meters in any direction. Each new rank extends the range by 10 more meters, for a maximum of 50 meters. Upon learing the 'S' ranked version, the user will no longer have to close their eyes nor form handseals to activate.
Description: Kagura Shingan is an advanced Sensory Ninjutsu technique used by all sensors, and serves as the root to the entire sensory tree. After a series of handseals, the sensor closes their eyes and uses their inate ability to detect chakra in order to determine the location of their opponent by the faintest of chakra trails, as well as discerning the size of an approaching unseen force, and even their chakra capacity.
Domain: Sensors

Kagura Kinzu (Kagura's Supression)
Rank: C
Type: Supplementary / Sensory Ninjutsu
Range: See 'Mind's Eye'
Special: Allows the Sensor to suppress their chakra so that other sensors or even chakra sensing vision cannot spot them.
Description: With this enhancement to Kagura Shingan, the sensor is now able to block out their chakra signal, so that other methods of chakra detection cannot trace them. While they remain nonetheless visible, without a chakra trail the sensor is free to move about stealthily without having fear of getting caught.
Domain: Sensors. Kagura Shingan 'C'

[Comatose]

As with anything Hidden, it was just that. The location of any hidden village was a well-guarded secret; snitches were silenced, tracks were covered, and maps were burned, all in the effort of keeping the locations secret. However, there was always someone with a big mouth. Secrets don't often stay secrets forever.

Running the direction he was, Sou could only find himself in one of two places. Either he ran past a stream which cut through a portion of the landscape, or he came to a smaller rather unknown fishing village along it. The Fishing village seemed rather desolate, with but only a few villagers sitting around in it, but beyond the stream didn't look to promising either. Beyond the stream lied rolling hills which obscured what was beyond it from view.

While the Fishing Village provided the ability to ask people directly where the village was, beyond the stream presented the possibility of finding another larger village, with possibly even more people.

What he should choose certainly wasn't clear.

[Ohta]

"Fucking hell... a crossroad."

Sou hadn't gained much ground before he was faced with a first problem, a river- or a village. Well any well thought ninja should have staved to the shadows and so that was exactly what Sou would do. He kept his techniques active in the event a ninja might come through the area- he'd know before anything would happen...too much. A village was much too dangerous at this time- going deeper into the country only meant a higher chance of mortality. Sou wanted to minimize that as much as possible.

Sou then began taking his way down the stream, or in that general direction anyway- he would try and stay away from villages. Well- as much as that could happen, anyway. He would begin moving past the shadows of the stream, keeping only a few meters away from the actual water, instead of wading through the water.

He wasn't sure, but he would find out in due time.

hopefully.

[Comatose]

There was no clear gauge of whether or not Sou had made the proper choice. The stream emptied into larger murky pool of sorts, one which even the most stupid of travelers wouldn't want to step foot in. However, again, past the stream and the murky pool lied those rolling hills. Though Sou could not physically see what was over those hills, his Kagura's Eye allowed him to view what was over those hills from afar.

There was. . nothing there. No cities anyway. However, just on the edge of his view a few bodies moved. Unfortunately, because it was on the the edge of his capabilities he could not quite make out what sort of bodies they were. There were three of these entities, moving across the landscape in a most specific heading. Two of the bodies were upright; bipedal, and the final one on all fours.

Again, like with any journey, Sou was presented with a decision to make. Should he see what those entities were? Or should he turn around and talk to those villagers he skipped?

[Ohta]

Sou wasn't very impressed- however he would make use of the murky pools to some extent. He got as close to the water as he dared as to not fall in, and would effortlessly dip the tips of half of his senbon into the murky- possibly bacteria infected water would do. It was a good thing, of sorts- prehaps it could be useful in the future. He them placed them cautiously back into their pockets- so he wouldn't pierce himself on the senbon. But then things had appeared in both his vision and Sensor range. He wasn't particularly fussed about them- except for the sheer curiousness about them. They may be shinobi, or not- but hopefully he'd be able to make something of them. Sou didn't like the fact that they had the upper ground. But they were moving in a straightforward direction- maybe there would be a village nearby that they would move to? Hopefully.

Sou would be slightly sneaky. He would follow them as far back as about as both his sensor and vision allowed. He didn't want to approach them, but he wouldn't follow them far- not extremely far anyway. So Sou began to pace himself behind them. They had chakra, so they were living. He wasn't completetly sure what they were. If only they were closer instead on the brink of his range, he may have been able to tell what they were.

Maybe, just maybe they'd lead him in the right direction. Best case scenario? They were able to help him. Worst case scenario? They were shinobi, with a friend. Even worser case scenario? Leading him in the completely wrong direction.

[Comatose]

Sou could eventually fish out what they were, and their purpose was clear. The two men held either side of the saddle of a mule, guiding it in the direction they were traveling for an unknown purpose. On the mule's back were a bunch of rather large leather sacks. As they raised their hoods and shook them, freeing the dirt that had settled there during their journey, a glint of light at their foreheads would reveal something interesting. Could it be a village headband?

The angle and the fact that it was a reflection from the surface of the so-called forehead headband didn't allow Sou to quite catch the village of origin.

They proceeded what would be westward, the mule's tail dangling and brushing the dirt behind them. An interesting trick it was that they taught the beast, this meant they could cover their tracks with minimal effort. If they were going through so much effort they assuredly must be affiliated with one the villages around, or one surely shady bunch.

Soon Sou would be too far away from the village and the hills for them to matter anymore. It would take too much time and effort to backtrack.

[Ohta]

Sou was turning to move away- he had gone far enough before he saw a glint of steel over their foreheads. Shinobi? Prehaps. But he would not find out- they could be stronger than him. The least he wanted was a scuffle.

So he lined himself up with them, and began moving in the exact opposite direction of where they were going. Hopefully, that would lead to a village of sorts. So Sou would begin moving in that direction, having done all he could thus far. He mapped out the area mentally just in case he was moving in the wrong direction. As long as he knew he was going in the right direction he wouldn't be too botherd. What he would hate was if he was actually moving away from Kumogakure.. but he didn't want to do that. He noticed that the mule they were looking after were covering their tracks. Prehaps they were shinobi going too, or nukenin moving from? He would find out.

[Comatose]

What Sou would not know is that one of them was also a sensor. They were aware they were being followed. They stopped for a moment and consulted a map, before changing their heading a little bit. Were they purposely throwing off their follower?

Since he decided to not follow these individuals any more there would be nothing more heard of them. Going in their directly opposite direction didn't mean that was where they had come from. However, following that path as he would Sou would come upon a great rock that had seemed out of place. Etched into the rock seemed like something of a map of sorts pointing out that going to the exact east of it lead one to a village.

It definitely wouldn't be that easy, would it? Regardless of this taking a look in the general area around the rock held other clues. There were several more identical rocks like it behind it, having similar markings pointing in random other directions. These rocks led up to a hill, which was overshadowed by what was the beginning of a chain of mountains of which the top of was not clearly visible.

How would Sou proceed?

[Ohta]

Well it didn't take long to find a new clue. Sou had went in the opposite direction and as of which had been able to find rocks in a orientation. He looked at the markings on a rock that caught his eye, and looked to the east. Just about nothing, really. But he knew there was another rock behind it, and many more before that- He saw them when walking to them. He went around the left side of the first rock and continued to walk- looking at the markings etched on all of them, trying to remember them- they all pointed to somewhere different, all having markings of a village- but in different directions.

He jotted down these positions on the corner of his world map, his current co-ordinates and then the information that the rocks provided. But it would be cut short, he had made his way to the top of the hill and he would come onto the first big clue. Mountains, big ones too. Sou immediately made the decision to move towards the mountains- but not through them. He was going to go to the most remotely straightforward area and search for a path going through the mountain. Civilians needed to get through and Sou was pretty sure that a Shinobi wouldn't carry every civilian for the purpose of getting them into the village.

That was what he was looking for. The entrance to the mountains that would lead to a village, or even better- Kumogakure.

[Comatose]

He had found what he had been looking for. The path of rocks leading up the mountainside would be the route that Ninja would take, hopping effortlessly from rock to rock, and up the mountain toward their gate and home. This path was not guarded for obvious reasons, it was only known to Ninja of Kumogakure itself, and represented the fastest way to the gates. Only they knew the exact route in, avoiding any treacherous areas.

Adjacent to this, not more than a mile away, was a smaller path, only marked by the cutting out of the mountain around it. It didn't take a genius to see that the rocks had been cut and shaped, and the ground had been somewhat smoothed. Following this path into the mountains would lead Sou to what he wanted, the Hidden Village of the Cloud's Gates. Surely the guards would have already known he was there.

[Ohta]

Sou knew now that he was in dangerous territory. He had begun to find his way through the mountains and had found two ways. He could take the more open route, and possibly die through the fact he wasn't much of a climber. Or secondly, take the more civilian route that only a genius would figure out. Genius, of course, being sarcastically.

He'd take the second route. Being wise, he removed his headband and any sort of item that would lead him to being labelled a Sunagakure Shinobi. He quickly berated himself, why hadn't he done that before? Stupid, stupid, stupid. He hadn't any jutsu active, not unless you counted his passively active jutsu.

He made way quickly to the entrance. The name of Kumogakure was truely deserved. waaaannnnd of the wooooocks and mountaaaaains. Jeeze.

[Ohta]

SPOILER: Click to show

3 Aug 11, 02:02 PM
Comatose: You can continue by yourself.
3 Aug 11, 02:02 PM
Comatose: The location was found.

True to it's word, with no guards, and no hidden security or failsafes- Sou had taken the route with little to no harm done to him, not unless you counting him stubbing his own toe, almost falling over a dishevelled looking rock. He would make his way through the caverns- having being man made and everything. It was a good part of work, keeping area's stabilised while letting people know where the area was.

Passing through the mountain after some time, there he came to it- Kumogakure no sato in all of it's glory... of however it could be. It was certain to be shinobi-infested, and Sou didn't really want to be that long. Sou would accurately mark down it's location, and also kept it mentally sound, so it could be recorded back to mother russia Sunagakure.

Sou smirked, turned his back and began his swift retreat, to another unknown location.

/exit.

-Location of Kumogakure found and logged in world map.

[Axcel]

Sou: +38 exp

Comatose: +41 exp