Directional [T]

[Apple]

Having already informed both participants who I'd requested to come with me to meet me outside the gates, as I'd expected, one of them had already turned up whilst I'd been elsewhere in the village attempting to gather the things that I'd need, weaponry and so forth for my own defense should anything happen. I did, however, have great faith in the small team that I'd created from both people taking part, so I hoped that it didn't have to resort to that. Standing a short distance away from the gates, but still clearly in view from the gates themselves and the ANBU that patrolled it, I weaved my right hand through my hair, before positioning it back on my hip as I softly conversed with the masked ANBU to my side. As the majority of what were going to do during our outing is travel, it was necessary for me to change my clothes. We'd be walking in mountainous regions and henceforth, wearing a long silky dress wasn't practical and I didn't want my own ignorance to become problems. And so, instead, I wore a simple collaboration of a black long sleeved shirt that successfully covered the expanse of my middle, and a pair of standard black shinobi leggings. Directly below my stomach was wrapped a belt bearing a generous selection of pouches, and my bladed weapons for easy use. In addition to this, the long black gloves that I always wore, and black shoes, similar to those I wore most days, except that the heel seemed non existant on these, permitting me to cover more ground safely without being concerned about my field of balance. And above this all was then draped a black wool cape which bore white detailing, that masked three-quarters of my body. Whilst I looked quite different to compare with the norm, it was only understandable seeing as we were going to be traveling. Both hands on hips, I waited for Esei's arrival.

Hushed words continued to be exchanged between the masked man and I, and every once in a while I turned my head towards the gates, to see if the chuunin would appear. He was by no means late as time stood now; but I merely hoped that he wouldn't be too long.

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After the meeting with Blanche I rushed to get something to eat, and headed back home where I managed to quickly get dressed. I was garbed in an all black outfit, black slacks, black shirt, and black tennis shoes perfect for running around on the mountainous area. I threw on my original Chūnin Flak Jacket that I haven't worn in a while, it bore the symbol of Kusagakure on the left hand side over my heart. Covering my attire was a ankle long black hooded robe, which I wore just for the sake of looking like a sneaky beaver.

"Time to go." I left my house and began to walk towards the gates, for now my face was revealed as the hood has yet to be used. As I approached Blanche I noticed another individual with her, he gave off a weird aura, and I had no idea who it was because he bore a mask that covered his face. He was probably part of the ANBU, but something in my gut told me otherwise. "Hey! I'm kinda disappointed that you made it here before me." I cooed with a smile, letting out a soft chuckle.

"So we ready to go?" It'd be better to get a move on now, then later. I didn't really like traveling in the dark.

[Apple]

Thankfully enough, it seemed as if he’d heeded the words I’d left him with, and chosen to not be too late in meeting both I and his co-guard outside of the village gates. I watched carefully then as he came up towards the two of us, sealing our appearance as a three-man team. With the ANBU too bearing a similar, generic black cloak, we seemed to fit the part, although in my own case it was for practicality over how good it looked. The weather in Kaminari no kuni was changeable. At the times the sun could be shining, burning all that came below it slowly but surely, but most times I found that storms reigned in the country, brewing up lightning bolts and thunder above all, and rain, too. The cape offered protection from the elements, and helped to keep in heat, too. Esei then voiced his dismay over not having beat the both of us to the meeting point, but I’d been here for a short while, going through an imaginary list in my head to make sure that I’d brought everything that I required. With the satisfaction that I hadn’t forgotten anything, I turned my head towards the Uchiha once more, and prepared to brief him on the travel plans that I’d mapped out. And of course, I made the first move, beginning to walk in the direction that would lead us on the best path to Kaminari no Kuni. We could either choose to pass through Hi no Kuni and then travel north, or we could instead travel through the other minor nations and then aim north towards Kaminari no Kuni once we reached its borders. Choosing the latter, as it meant that we had less distance to cover, I’d then lower my hands from my hips, allowing them to dangle by my sides. It would take a long while to get to Kaminari; but that was only expected.

"We'll be making the most of the daylight that we have today.
Tonight we'll be staying in an Inn; I'll cover the costs."

With it a few hours past mid-day, we had a good few hours before nightfall began to drop, and truly, I wasn't attracted to the idea of walking in the pitch darkness, even if we did have means to combat such lack of light. Passing by trees, bushes and various foliage, we continued to move deeper in to the forestry of Kusa no Kuni, the path that I'd chosen being safe from the traps and the pitfalls that had been set up elsewhere. "We have a long journey ahead of us tomorrow - so make sure that you get enough sleep tonight." An early start, too, although I figured that Esei would only expect that from the amount of distance that we had to cover during the day. If we didn't meet Kumogakure by nightfall tomorrow either, we'd have to stay somewhere overnight and then start again in the morning. I'd done my fair share of sleeping rough, and not to say that I'd become snobbish, but having a bed to sleep on was a luxury that I was more than willing to pay for. "I'm expecting that we'll arrive in Kumogakure by about six o' clock - even later, perhaps." I spoke, continuing to move my feet across the earthen ground, making sure not to stumble over any visible tree roots. Despite the condition that was weighing down on me, I was as nimble as I could be at this point. Whilst not confident enough that I could last for long sprinting, I was nonetheless quite good at walking through the forests quickly, both the ANBU and Esei to either side. Some shade of faux darkness fell over us as we delved deeper and deeper in to the forestry, but it was nothing that would require the aid of some kind of light source. There were some areas in these ancient forests which required such amenities, but thankfully enough we weren't headed there today, I having chosen to avoid those areas for the sake of safety. Minutes passed and I continued to traverse the land, and then for the first time in a short while, my head turned to glance softly at the chuunin to my left, a hesitant pause before my voice began to chime.

"..Esei.."

"..Thank you for supporting us at the meeting."

"I appreciate it - we all do."

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Despite the way that I sometimes spoke to him, I wanted him to know that we truly did appreciate his help.
Pressing my hand against one of the many trees around us, I kept moving.

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"How nice of you!" I mused as I continued to walk alongside Blanche, looking around from time to time in case someone tried to intercept us on our way there. This would be my first time traveling to Kumogakure so I was quite ecstatic, however, I hated the rain at times, so I hoped upon our arrival it was actually a sunny day. Oddly enough, it was quite chilly in Kusagakure today which I didn't mind at all, the heat was too much for me sometimes. The last time I went for a long journey like this I was going to Iwagakure, it was terrible. I was by myself and climbing all those rugged mountains just wasn't my thing. At least this time we'll be sleeping inside of an inn, on a comfortable bed, unlike my travel last time where I had to sleep on the cold, grassy floor.

"If only we had a mode of transportation that flew us to Kumogakure." I complained, thinking about all the things that we could use. It made me ponder whether or not I should find a summoning contract with a bird, the travels would be way easier than now, but would they be a good enough aid for battle? I expected this journey to be quite awkward, or at the very least, very quiet. That's exactly what it was, no one was speaking at all, besides Blanche who took the time to thank me for my support.

"It's my pleasure! As cliche as it sounds, you can always count on me, alright?" I said with a smile while I began to rub the back of my head, a habit I picked up when I would get too happy, or extremely nervous. "So, what exactly happened to their leader?" I questioned, I didn't want to make this journey a boring one so I took the initiative of trying to start up a conversation. I was especially curious about the situation at hand, so it was like killing two birds with one stone, awesome.

[Apple]

Had I not planned out our journey beforehand, traveling safely across the forestry of Kusa no Kuni would have perhaps been more difficult than it was proving at the moment. Despite the fact that I was sure that both Esei and the ANBU were slightly unsure of what route exactly I was taking, after years and years of endless traveling I'd become quite adept at such things - which was why, despite merely moving through an area where each turning looked the same as the last, I looked fiercely focused on where I was going. It was easy to get lost within these woods, and I was determined not to lead my team around in circles when we had somewhere to be. The journey to Kumogakure would take quite a while, but - it was completely necessary. As Esei perked up, speaking of the possibility of flying to Kumogakure, I silently agreed. Although I didn't mind walking, the distance we had to travel was quite large - if we were to fly, then it would be so much easier - and much more carefree. I'd heard rumors of shinobi being able to summon grand creatures that could help them travel across the world with their assistance, but unfortunately, I wasn't one of those people.

Time passed with each step that we took within the forestry, and despite being ruler over my village, which was based within this country, even I had to comment on its slightly mundane views. Despite the fact that the forestry was indeed beautiful, I found it most inconvenient when traveling as everything tended to look the same, making navigating slightly more difficult than it would be elsewhere. But, it was no problem to us at the moment, my right hand continuing to gently touch against each tree that dared come close, my gloved hands feeling the rough texture of the bark that it bore. Hopefully then next few hours would pass quickly - we had a while left until the last dot of sunlight escaped from the darkening sky, and by then I was hoping that we'd be able to find somewhere to stay overnight. Having traveled around the world several times over, I knew of several places that we could go to within Taki no Kuni - and a few other past the border of the small country, if we reached that far. With so many small villages lingering about, there was bound to be somewhere, right? Paying a short glance across to each guard at either side, I then turned my gaze back towards the direction I was heading in, swift feet taking me across the shaded floor of the forest. It was times like these that I was glad I'd taken the cape, as the evening chill began to slowly set in, clinging to whatever skin that was revealed to the world. It seemed that the other two had heeded such a suggestion as well, wearing similar garments.

But - his response to my word of thanks seemed to be accepted in a somewhat content way, and I softly nodded in response. Even after having made him victim to the chakra addiction that consumed me he still seemed intent on staying and making himself useful to both myself and the village, and as he spoke such words now I felt almost.. guilty for what I'd done, which was understandable. But it wouldn't be long until the same need would come over me again and I'd be blindly hunting again for chakra. However - having taken provisions to make sure that this wouldn't happen, I was sure that I wouldn't need to prey once more on poor Esei. Taking a deep breath, I kept walking across the uneven terrain of Kusa no Kuni, my ears twitching ever so slightly as I heard the chuunin's voice begin to sound again - the ANBU to my side, granted, was silent.

"So, what exactly happened to their leader?"





"He was murdered during the attack on the village."

My tone was slightly quieter than the one I'd previously used, and considerably .. darker, although it was within good reason. Not only did it make me consider the safety of my own village - but Kumogakure was a large village to compare with Kusa, what were the chances that they would decide to target us next? I was sure that it was simply a one-off attack, but you could never know for sure when you lived in a world alike our own. Soratsu and his village had been attacked, too - by Iwagakure forces. What's to say that the same people hadn't attacked Kumogakure? And what's to say, with both Kumogakure and Sunagakure close allies of my own village, that I and Kusagakure weren't the next prime targets? Unseen beneath the woolen cape that I wore, I moved to place my left hand upon my stomach, if only to try and soothe myself from the paranoia which was steadily building up and up in my mind. I was strong - I was more than aware of that, and I wanted nothing more than to protect my people when the time would come to it. But with my current situation, I was unable to - and it concerned me. My gaze having been locked on Esei as I spoke, I then turned away again. "We'll be visiting where he's buried in order to pay our respects" I spoke, detailing one of the things that we'd be doing upon arriving in Kumogakure. Being the leader of an allied nation, and coming along with two representatives, it was the least that we could do. Eiichiro was the man who I'd created the foundation of the alliance with, and I was more than intent on building on what we'd made instead of allowing it to crumble. By doing such a small thing as visiting him and laying down some flowers, not only was I doing it out of my own desire, but I was sure that it would reflect well on the connection between both villages in a way. "..A new Raikage has been named; Ishitsuru, Heihachi." his ascension had been quick - as the attack had merely happened a few days ago as far as the envoy from Kumogakure had said; but then again, it was best to make sure that the village had some kind of figurehead that could help bring it back from the ruin that it had been submerged in to.

"..I'm merely hoping that these attacks aren't part of something bigger.."

I murmured in a concerned tone - It was understandable for me to muse such thoughts.

..Or perhaps I was merely being paranoid.

But, the threat of terrorism was the last thing that we needed.

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"Murdered, huh?" Well that was quite unfortunate. But if he was weak enough to get killed, then maybe it was his time to go? Or, his opponents were simply just that strong, how scary. "Of course." I wasn't too fond of funerals to be honest, but I wasn't a disrespectful individual and would pay my respects towards the late Raikage.

"A new Raikage already? Oh man... I really wonder who could have truly pulled something of this sort off." I knew that deep down Blanche wanted to find out who did this to her dear friend and then take the initiative in hunting them down. I could tell from the way the tone in her voice changed when I mentioned the recently murdered Raikage. They were close, or that's what I heard anyway. But, throughout all of this I could only think about a much larger picture, what if they were trying to take out every major village leader?

"What if they come for you Blanche?" My voice got a bit more serious than usual, my happy go lucky persona diminishing as I continued to speak. "I can't help but feel as if there's something more going on. I wonder if any other village would issue an attack like that" The scenery around us was beautiful, however I was too caught up in our conversation that I wasn't really paying attention to the forestry that surrounded us everywhere we stepped.

I enjoyed having conversations while traveling as it usually made the time go by way faster than usual. Thus why I preferred to travel in groups of two or more instead of just myself, especially when I didn't have a device to hold music inside that I could listen to distract myself from the lengthy distance between the two destinations.

[Apple]

The matter of Eiichiro's death was a grim one. But it wasn't the first time that I'd heard of a village leader getting killed by others. There had been another - Anemone. Her surname escaped me, but during her brief stay as Tsuchikage, I'd heard that she'd been the victim of an attack, and had been murdered. Such news had stirred me at the time - but now, as Soratsu had almost been killed from an attack by Iwagakure's hand, and with Eiichiro having been struck down, too, it was easy to think that there was something going on. But I didn't particularly like talking about things like that. It was the first time during my reign that I felt truly concerned for the safety of my village. Whilst they were too busy worrying themselves over Kouketsu and whether he'd be the one to destroy the village, there were much bigger, and more probable things lingering in the air. The truth was he'd do nothing, but despite my time as Kusakage and the work I'd done, and the manipulation I had over people, there was little that could change their minds - but I still strove to do so regardless of whether or not they'd believe me - believe us. I forebode myself to simply stop and allow them to say or do what they wanted about my own personal life - it was mine, and although there was one detail that I wanted them to be aware of, I didn't want my entire life to be scrutinized. It wasn't that I couldn't take it - it was simply moreso because I didn't want to hear them speak such things about my family - about him. ..I'd grown soft - too soft for my own good. But perhaps this was just the way it was meant to be, and the way that it was to be.

Passing through the forestry, I listened as the chuunin spoke about his curiosity as to who it had been. Alike himself, and I was sure, hundreds of others within Kumogakure, I too wanted to find out and make sure that they'd received adequate punishment for what they'd done - perhaps I was so bold as to say that I wanted to see them killed, although given my condition, I digressed that it wouldn't be by my hand exactly. "..I have a few assumptions, but - alike yourself, I'm not sure." I was easily blinded by rage and being silently angry at the whole ordeal at the moment, I managed to control such feelings to some extent so that it wouldn't show on the apathetic expression that my face bore. Turning to look at the boy again, I continued to speak. "..Our other ally - Sunagakure, was attacked by none other than Iwagakure. As far as I've heard, its kage was quite severely injured." I spoke. What happened within the compound was classified information, and I wasn't too keen on divulging it, even to Esei. The sheer condition that Soratsu had been rendered to, the molten flesh that glued to his clothing, the smell - softly parting my right hand between the fold of my cape, I softly pressed it against my mouth, as if to stop something from coming out, before returning it to my side. It all came back to me in that very moment just how severe his injuries had been. Whilst I understood this at the time, placing it in to context with Eiichiro's death - were they both deliberate attacks by the same people? Was Iwagakure to blame for all of this? "..I primarily suspect Iwa - but I don't see why they would launch an attack on Kumogakure.." Slowly but surely such small seeds were planted within my mind, and I couldn't draw away from them. By taking away the allies that Kusagakure had, were they closing in on us tactically so that we had little help to call for when they'd strike?

"What if they come for you Blanche?"


"......."

Despite the fact that I had been noted in the past of having an indescribably strong will to survive past everything that was thrown at me, it was always a possibility. I'd survived Akira's bloody onslaught, and I'd found myself at the brink of death several times in the past but I'd pushed myself back with everything that I had. But, perhaps it was merely my own scrambled mind and paranoia that suggested that I wasn't going to die by the hands of man, but that of my son. The last time ... I could clearly remember being sprawled upon the ground, writhing in my own blood as I felt everything slipping away from me, I felt my life diminishing with each passing moment. I wasn't sure if I was going to survive this. I'd had such vivid dreams of my passing and it had always been in the same blood-encrusted way. I merely hoped that if it was to happen, then Kouketsu would do right and raise the child as I'd hoped. It wasn't a subject that I was open to discuss, perhaps merely because I was so terrified of death, but it was something that I couldn't help but have wander in to my mind in the darkest hours of night. Realizing that as I crossed the forestry I'd become distant-minded, I soon brought myself back down from my thoughts to reality, and turned my head to face Esei once more.

A soft, yet undoubtedly sad smile crept upon my face.

"..If they do come after me, then our first priority is, and always will be, the village."

I spoke such words maturely and confidently, despite the tinge of sadness that subtley laced them. Despite the hate that I'd channeled lately, I couldn't see myself doing anything other than leading the village. If I was to die - then I wasn't sure about how the people would take it. I was sure that a few would be content given recent news, but the last thing I wanted to happen was for the village to be thrown in to chaos, should it happen. With my left hand still subconsciously placed on my middle, I shifted its position slightly, it merely resting there comforting me. The chuunin had told me that it hadn't seemed as if they'd come to Kumogakure on the motive of wanting to kill the Raikage, and I could understand how that would play out. During an attack on one's village, it was natural for a leader to join in with the defense in order to protect their people - and it was unfortunate for those who died in the process. Soratsu had nearly been killed, and Eiichiro had been wiped from this earth completely. But even if their motive was to kill each respective leader of the nations, then I didn't want the village to be dealt more damage than it expected. I doubted my own capability to defend an entire village right now, my form hidden beneath a wool cloak which shrouded the weakness that had overcome me from the prying eyes of others. Although I and Kouketsu wanted the world to understand and accept what was happening, I didn't want to make myself seem like a walking target. Within Kusagakure I was protected by the confines of my village and opposed only by those within it - but the world outside the village walls was cruel, and I knew just how cruel it could become at times. I didn't doubt that finding out about my current situation would make them believe that attacking Kusagakure, and killing me would become somewhat easier.

"You must promise me, Esei - that you will do all that you can to protect our home."

"..If I am to die - under any circumstance.."

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A hesitant pause.

"..then I don't want the village to suffer."

Slowly but surely, the trees around us began to thin out as we approached Taki no Kuni.

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"Iwagakure, huh? I highly doubt it though, I heard their forces took a brutal setback when they invaded Sunagakure." It was true Sunagakure, our ally, got hit hard. Even though their leader, Soratsu was injured severely I heard he took out most of their forces before he was subdued himself. It just didn't make sense for Iwagakure to attack Kumogakure, the period of time between the two attacks just didn't work. I was sure Iwagakure would need to recover before it even attempted to attack another village. I truly had no idea who would do such a thing, but I had ruled out Iwagakure from the list of suspects in my mind.

A long silence fell upon the group after I asked Blanche what would happen if someone ever came to kill her. I wondered what she was thinking as we continued to walk, covering the distance quicker than I assumed us to have. Her answer was predictable, despite everything that happened she still managed to care for the village. This is why I placed so much trust into this one woman, I knew what she was capable of, and I knew she would never betray us. However, she wouldn't have to worry about dying anytime soon.

"I promise." I whispered, a soft, comforting smile creasing my face. "But—that'll never happen Blanche! You'll be able to grow old, and wrinkly watching the village you brought back from destruction prosper and evolve before your very eyes. That's something that I will put my life on." Before I knew it we were crossing into Taki no Kuni, the sun was still shining but it was obvious that the sunlight was fading away as time slowly crept away from us.

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His next few words on the state of Iwagakure's forces after the attack was true. Why would the village launch an attack on Kumogakure if they were already in quite a bad state? Or had they already brought themselves back from the losses they'd suffered in suna, sending fresh shinobi off on to the field? It had been confirmed to me that Coco had been the one to organize the attack on Sunagakure - was she as ruthless to try again but this time instead, with a different village? It seemed.. unlike her, but at the same time, given the ruthlessness she showed by preying on Suna, I wasn't even too sure if I knew her as well as I thought I did much longer. Or perhaps it wasn't Iwa. Who then? Who in the entire shinobi world could be assumed to be guilty of such a crime? With the most likely nation crossed out, Kiri was the only other assumption that I had, although only due to its past and the connection that Coco had with Akira. I'd no doubt that he knew of the attack launched upon Sunagakure, and having only spoken to him a few times - one of which wherein I was attacked viciously by him - I hadn't made a correct judge of his character. He could be as guilty as the leaders who had ruled the village before him and made the village out to be the violent place that it's known for, its shinobi fed on a raw diet of blood and guts. Such nightmarish concepts came from the land, and as such; I was wary of the rumors that came from there. "We'll see if the Raikage has any information. He must know something.." I mused. Perhaps I was taking this more seriously than the victims themselves - I didn't know. But what I did know was if my own fears were in fact true, then it wouldn't be only me becoming paranoid about the situation at hand. The world having been so peaceful for a brief time, it seemed now that these strings of attacks wrenched it out of its harmonious state, and forcing us back in to wartime ideals. For the sake of my village, my people and my family, I hoped that this wasn't true, and they were merely two separate incidents.

The three of us continued our journey across Kusa no kuni as we bordered in on Taki, the trees becoming less and less exotic as we continued in to its land, the earth becoming considerably more damp beneath our feet, as pools of water began to appear around us. From what I could recall from Kouketsu's words all those months ago, he'd placed two people in charge of Takigakure - and it only led me to wonder exactly who those people were. Undoubtedly, I'd have to meet with them soon in order to confirm neutrality between our nations. But with another matter to think about right now, instead we charged through the forestry, Esei's voice perking up once more towards me as he commented on one of the other topics he'd brought up. Although his words were meaningful and all of good nature, I didn't particularly like the idea of growing older. Perhaps it was merely me who wished for eternal youth, as Kouketsu himself bore, or maybe it was just because I had too many things to do to grow old. The acceptance of my request of a simple promise was made, and I seemed somewhat more relaxed as I walked quickly through the forestry, listening to what he had to say, and formulating my own response to it. Again, as always, his positivity was a mystery to me. However, his comment about me growing wrinkly was disregarded. Thankfully, I was born with good genes and I still looked miraculously young for my age - I wasn't ready to be gaining wrinkles any time soon - and even if I did, I'd find some way to counter them.

"..I do hope that you're right, Esei.."

I spoke silently as I reflected on his words, the topic having become wider than I'd imagined.

I couldn't die.
Not now.

Hours of conversation passed, even the silent ANBU by my side starting to add in his own comments to the things that were being discussed. However, night began to crawl in on our group and on the world itself. Having been traveling, I was somewhat tired, and I didn't doubt that the other two were, as well. As we lurked the country, we soon came upon an Inn wherein we could rest for the night. And so darkness fell upon us steadily, dyeing the night sky an inky black. However - by the time that each star had come out of hiding, the three of us were inside. Having found a place to stay, I could only wonder what tomorrow would bring - both as far as the rest of our travel was concerned, and the the business that we had in Kumogakure.

Upon the first sight of dawn, the three of us would have already left the building, off to continue the long journey that we had ahead of us.

[TRAVELED TO KAMINARI NO KUNI]

EXIT!

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^—EXIT—

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