ambiguous.

[Jun]

Enter.

Sandaled feet once again tread a path along the great beige outback. I was restless ~ as Tsuchikage I was expected to do so much for my estate, however I couldn't just sit around anymore. Allegiance to the Akegarasu came first anyways, and I felt a second encounter with the mysterious Sasuda was on the horizon. And speaking of horizons, the sky matched that of my kimono, with light tones of violet and orange intertwined in its fine fabric. A rosy Masanori rattled along my petite spine as I strided across familiar land. An abrupt glimpse backward was made, and with it I noted that the Iwagakure gates were still within sight. Admittedly, I had been missing sky hair, the only friend I had made since my ascension in rank. Though it seemed he was a true vagabond, going wherever his heart desired. A pale hand clutched the Iwa headband tucked neatly into the recesses of an elegant dress. Wherever he was, I prayed that his heart desired to be at my side.

We could accomplish great things together ~ he and I.

[/justify][/font]

[chiatsuki]

There was a silent aura grasping at the edges of a tanned silhouette. This was me, of course, and the emotion spawning from me was only a result of the time I'd wasted here in iwa no sato. I was here for but one reason... the very same reason that had begun to dull with age yet as my eyes fell upon her eyes once more my hopes would have been regenerated. I was sickened, to some extent, yet the feeling became somewhat overshadowed as the raven haired mistress turned her head to the rear... probably to hide the fact she had spotted me. Was she nervous? ... Was I nervous? I'd never felt the feeling before now as my hands shook bitterly to my sides in aggravation. Ugh.

where have you been..."

[♠Solo♠]

"You guys intending on going somewhere without me?" A shouting voice broke through the silent screens the Tsuchikage and Hyoka had created. The setting ruined, by the rambunctious Kyousei, Kei. His staff dangled on his shoulder, flailing behind him, as did his clothing. It would take no time at all for the swift shinobi to catch up to the two. The familiar figure of Hyoka would guide him once his hawk like eyes caught the sillouete. However he would appear to be traveling with another. Without having had even given it another thought, the wild headed Genin caught the two.

"Hey, guy." Kei would say, as he now stood a decent speaking distance from the two. Clenching his free fist he would slightly punch Hyoka in the arm, slight enough for even a small infant to endure. His smiling face went over to the marvelous looking woman Hyoka stood with. She looked familiar. Maybe he had seen her somewhere before. Somewhere on one of his many adventures. Her name escaped him, but something touched his soul, telling him that he knew her from somewhere. That's when it hit him. The expression on his face would not deny that he realized, a very important fact.

"Y-you're...," he lifted his finger and pointed to her. The moment of confusion was so close to being over, he could touch it with his fingers. It was close. The feeling of finally having a case closed, or a door finally shut. A moment of clarity was upon him...almost.

"No idea."

He would shrug as he gave up on the memory, allowing it to escape within the confines of his mind, where it may have resurfaced before, and may resurface later.

He was their's now.

[¤ SFS ¤]

"What a week this one was."

[/b] A young man exhaled with a deep sense of being calm and relaxed after literally months of being moody and generally reserved. To be fair, generally reserved was always his thing but moody was a new development and was glad to be rid of it. He was starting to feel like his old self again. His tall build of lean muscle was warmed by a deep black thermal¹ almost as black as his hair... almost. His Iwagakure headband tied around his right bicep, outside of the thermal. He'd left his normal fighter jacket at home but what he had was more than enough to keep him comfortable. He didn't need to worry about protection as he was still fully armed. He just felt like tonight would be one where he would need to get loose but that didn't mean to abandon his packs and weapons. His body was cleaned after a long and challenging week and a trip to the Firefly House. His mind was cleaned by just knowing that he could do what he wanted for a few days before there were anymore missions to have to worry about.

It was one of those nights that seemed to invite a story. Take a wrong turn, meet up with the wrong people, let a strange and growing amount of complicating (but not uncommonly enjoyable) sequences of circumstances unfold and what you have afterwards if you make it back to your bed that night and wake up the next morning is... a story to tell. Tonight was a night for an adventure or a sucky night that was supposed to be an adventure. Either way whatever the night had in store he wouldn't have found it back home in his bed. Retracing the routes he'd learned from recent missions he would head out to Blast City and try to find Kasha. However before he could do so he caught the sound of a familiar voice.

"You guys intending on going somewhere without me?"

[/b][/right]Is that...? He quickly took a gaze over to see Kei, the Iwa-genin he'd been doing missions with and Hyoka, the Kusa Chuunin whom he had also been doing missions with in the company of a short attractive woman with focus in her eyes. He assumed her to be a princess or a diplomat of some kind. The three of them moved with such purpose he instinctively picked up on that energy. He fell in line to at least make sure whatever they were up to wasn't something he was supposed to have already been ready for. "Did we get a new mission?" If they were on some kind of bodyguard detail he felt his talents could come in handy to back them up should trouble arise. Moving in a group of four was optimum for shinobi squads even if one person wasn't a shinobi, so it only made sense to him to come along.

SPOILER: Click to show

¹as pictured in icon.

[/size][/blockquote]

[Jun]

"Where have you been?"

[/right]

That voice, I recognized it like a classic case of deja vu. Without me even thinking I turned again to identify a face, only to catch an unexplained skittish emotion. It was my lone friend, Hyoka-kun, bearing exotic hair that was as brilliant as ever. My darling guise was flushed of any color besides red and in that moment I gave only silence. Our glares met like old mates ~ like a third coming of that divine maroon and sapphire coalescence. There was a pause, yet with our frames being no more than three feet apart that lapse seemed much greater. A single foot found itself drift towards him, but it was a faint step, akin to learning to walk again. Then I fell into him and hugged sky hair tightly. Strangely enough, I felt it was more so my soul than my physical being that had an affection towards him. Regardless, I gained reassurance in his embrace ~ all of a sudden I didn't feel so weighed down.

I figured I'd get it out of the way now, while we were alone. However, a speech different from our own reach my ears and I pulled away swiftly, brushing away the light wrinkles in my lively kimono. If my companion did incline to return the squeeze, he'd find that our caress would end there. Just in time for another presence to enter our nostalgic scene.

"You guys intending on going somewhere without me?"

[/right]

I stepped away from Hyoka, allowing for the shinobi with hair the same shade as blood to arrive and land a playful gesture on my foreign friend's arm. This lad then addressed me with a finger rather than a title. My name alluded him apparently, and I returned his clueless taunt with the faintest of smiles. He was shorter than even me, but he had a cheerfulness about him that reminded me of little Teru ~ albeit not as sinful. "It's Anemone," I'd answer, successfully filling in the blank for him. "Like the flower."

"Did we get a new mission?"

And as if one weren't enough, there was a second new comer. He was a handsome male, with raven hair of his own. Following his entrance I'd muse ~ had my ocean headed ally really met worthy friends already? He hadn't been in Iwagakure for more than a week according to Yoko. So there were four of us now, an ideal number for top priority assignments. "Something like that," I spoke to the shinobi dressed in black attire this time. "I've been asked to meet with the Kusakage in Shi no Mori. Care to join?"






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[chiatsuki]

Instead of the initial response I had been expecting – the result of our encounter would pronounce a feeling much greater than the one I’d already felt. Within such a close encounter, standing but only three feet away from her, my heart beat seemed to stop as she edged nearer. I’d meet within the center of her gesture with a similar riposte. As her arms tugged around my neck I would wrap my own along her waist as I took a moment to breathe in her scent as if to track her. I could feel her somewhat tug away slightly as I kissed at the base of her neck.

"You guys intending on going somewhere without me?"

The words would cause a schism between us in the instant as her eyes turned from me at the appearance of two familiar faces. ‘hnn..’ – my initial thoughts to the two soldiers of earth making their way to our position. She would have fully stepped away from me now, but not before I’d tried my hardest to conceal the urge to pull her back in. I would find my hands somewhat stuck in place as I allowed her to escape. Our relationship was silently energetic yet words couldn’t come to mouth when it came to expressing how it had changed me.

Sky-water hues fell upon the second of the brats I’d met within my stay here in iwa no sato – he’d given me a slight tap along the shoulder, a simply “brotherly” gesture I’d found myself getting annoyed at.

“Of course n–”

My eyes opened fully as the words drifted slowly from Anemone’s lips. She spoke of meeting with the leader of kusagakure? What type of madness was this?! – sweat would begin to drip beneath my forehead as the tension seemed to have become airborne in the instant her words began to register to me. “ Oh..?” a soft response booming from my soft voice box – the sound emanating it seemed to become somewhat staggered as I turned to the horizon from where a smoke could be seen permeating a boat’s chimney.

If it was true that Kusa no Sato had inaugurated another leader I was sure to be at the crossroads of a plethora of malignant thoughts… especially considering I’d be meeting whomever this person was. ‘I guess the time has come Hyoka..’ I’d say to myself as my fingertips curled into the edges of my kusagakure head band – pulling it swiftly out of the loop that had been tied around my forehead, dropping it into the ground as I looked with disgust to the three before me. I wasn’t necessarily disgusted at them – but they would soon know what it meant as I pivoted and turned into the direction of a trail that would be taking us into the land of grass.

“ We should get going if we are going to shi no mori. It’s a long journey from here..”

[♠Solo♠]

"Ahhhh." The young and wild shinobi exclaimed, ignorant to the moment he had interrupted. He stood as tall as he could to the lady, granted she rose just some distance higher than he did. A harm he was born to live with, being small and a incredible physical force. In essence his build worked out for him, as his opponent never expected to be struck so viciously by such a small frame. He had years to grow, however.

He planted his favorite toy into the ground. An iron rod he carried around with him. It stood taller than himself, but not by much. It would appear that he would be the midget of the group. Not shamed, but embarrassed. The personality that was Kyousei, Kei needed to have a frame that would ensue the fear in the back of people's minds, just upon glance at him. He would have to continue to surprise people for just some years longer.

Another familiar face arrived. Sen from their previous missions. Four shinobi in a group. "Smells like adventure." he would exclaim only to himself. Their destination was Shi no Mori. A place he had never ventured to before. Whatever political reasoning they had being there, rather, whatever business they had being there at all would fly right over Kei's head. He cared little. The toned fighter was looking down the path Hyoka pointed down with his eyes. Kei caught the glance of cat like hues, for only a split second. Then he eyed the path in the same manner as his Chuunin elder, turning his body like a top to face it.

"What are we waiting for? Let's move!" He took up his staff from the ground, gripping his strong hand around it, and placing it on his shoulder once more, holding on to the end of it.

[¤ SFS ¤]

The coast was clear, he was clear, it turned out that they in essence would be on a bodyguard detail but it was not originally to be his mission. The woman mentioned almost casually that she was to meet Kusakage in Shi no Mori. The genin didn't express his bewilderment outwardly but without a doubt he was bewildered. He didn't know what or where Shi no Mori was. He wasn't even aware that Kusagakure no Sato even had a Kage system and what's more if they had a Kage system why was this leader just now reaching out to Iwagakure no Sato? Was it because soon they would have a new Kage, or had Kusa recently found new leadership itself?

Often new Kage who wanted to change their village reached out to others for their own reasons. But, were they even reaching out to Iwagakure no Sato at all? Hyoka was from Kusa, he couldn't recognize the woman so it ward hard to make heads or tails of her outside of her having some sort of seemingly important title or position. What was she though to Iwa? What was it about her meeting up with the Kusakage that required two Iwa Genin and a Kusa Chunnin?

"We should get going if we are going to shi no mori. It’s a long journey from here.."

[/i][/color][/right]The sound of the Chuunin's voice rattled him back to reality as the others took off following him to their destination. Before he did she same however, he would come to a stop a few feet from where he was just standing; a Kusagakure no Sato headband lie in the dirt. He wasn't sure why Hyoka dropped it or even if the man did it on purpose. Though, the thought of him having actually done it on accident wasn't very likely. He picked up the discarded cloth and metal and stuffed it into one of his packs.¹ He assumed the Chuunin had his reasons so he wouldn't be waiting until they got in front of the Kusakage to go "Oh hey, you threw away your headband tonight when you heard we were coming here but I picked it back up for you." Instead he would simply keep it, if he noticed Hyoka looking for it later, he would surely give it back.

In a full sprint he would move to catch up with the others formation had to stay tight while traveling to a foreign and in Sen's case, never before explored area. There was no time for anyone to get left behind or killed for wandering into some well known trap set by the natives. Following routine he began to pool his knowledge of his three associates to formulate which of them was the most and least powerful. This data gathering had to be put on hold however as he realized he knew nothing about the woman outside of the fact that their genes combined would make for some gorgeous babies. He was fine keeping a mental question mark on her identity for now but until he knew of the surroundings and the strengths and weaknesses of his associates, they were all in danger.

SPOILER: Click to show

¹Kusagakure no Sato headband, acquired.

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[Jun]

I felt his lips grace my skin and took it to be a gesture of closeness. His eyes, I had seen the vulgarity in them and I had witnessed first hand his craving for the battlefield. Out there he was truly at ease, yet in his arms I sensed a side of him that longed for things more subtle ~ like the touch of a woman. It seemed that at the end of the day the desires of a man weren't so sophisticated after all. As for the others, Hyoka-kun wasn't as enlivened to see them as I had thought. Rather, he'd allow his feelings to get the best of him and with an impassioned tug he banished his own Kusagakure headband to the dirt. At first glance it was a peculiar sight, but in due time it'd all come together.

That was his homeland after all ~ so did something about my mention of the Kusakage re-open past wounds for him? His reaction alone was enough for me to question the individual I was requested to meet with.

“ We should get going if we are going to shi no mori. It’s a long journey from here..”

[/right]

That said, a distant ally turned and prepared to take his leave. It was true that we had quite the voyage ahead of us but his current mood wouldn't make the trip transpire any faster. Before we moved however, there was still one thing left to settle. My fishing through various pockets came frenzied, still I managed to grasp that metallic crown in just enough time to stop sky hair and take him by the hand. If he did choose to halt, he'd find a shining Iwa headband folded neatly in his palm ~ this one had been meant for him all along. "I want you to stay beside me." My sanguine sight took another look into his eyes, if only to confirm that what I had just said had been genuine. Then the others chimed in, as it seemed they too were ready to take their leave. I couldn't keep them waiting, so I joined in their departure.

"Stay close. You'll all be acting as my bodyguard from now on."





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[chiatsuki]

Anger was like a heat that flushed through ones entire body when they grew aggravated. I’d found myself becoming quite hot as I turned on my heels to meet with grassy path –

[/ul][/ul]

If it was the choice of the current kusakage to pair with that of a major nation – he or she would soon find themselves dealing with the brutes of the funikumi clan. Being the leader I couldn’t be seen with the likes of these major nation shinobi or I would surely be taken to an elder to face a mutiny trial. I couldn’t help myself – Anemone’s sanguine pools had driven me insane from the very moment I’d laid eyes on her, even now, as our eyes met one another within the centerfold of all this chaos.

Her gesture was one that guaranteed me trust with her village, but I was unsure she knew of what she was truly stepping into. Although I knew myself to be somewhat of the traitor, now, in the eyes of my family, but my goals and intentions stuck true to strengthening the will and power of the minor nations – no matter what anyone thought.

My attitude towards the detail of their being a new leader in kusa no sato was only aimed at the plans he, or she, had for the village of grass. If it conflicted with my own plans we would find ourselves at the crossroads of one another. The Funikumi clan was the rightful heir to the throne; I’ve always known this to be true, we were the last of the men and women to fight for the grounds of our village –

[/b] be in charge… it was going to have to be me, the general funikumi. [/ul][/ul][/ul]

I seldom thought of my brothers and their whereabouts – they were sure to have heard of my return from my last visit home. They were expecting a meeting of sorts, and that’s exactly what I would be providing them with. All that needed to be done now was to fill in the information to the ears of my new team, for they were just as important to this plot as anyone else.

“Excuse my attitude, comrades. But I wasn’t expecting the inauguration of a leader in kusa no sato anytime soon. You see – that title is supposed to be within the hands of a funikumi – a member of the only clan whom stood against the armies of the major nations against their attack on our homeland… and if it isn’t, well, let’s just say there might be some blood on my hands before our return to Iwa no Sato..”

[/font][/Justify][/Blockquote]

[♠Solo♠]

The Chuunin's words surfed through his ears, from one to another, slipping bits and pieces of information into his ears. His childish smile dispersed into a confused frown, as the information of an inauguration would be trusted to him. It definitely wasn't intended, but those were the best kinds of adventures. Especially the mention of blood.

Oh, blood sounded fantastic to the enthusiastic Genin. He wasn't completely sure who Hyoka was, nor did he truly care. The same went for the other assistant in his recent mission completions. Unfamiliar faces, but his involvement would have included some possible boring work. He would be hired muscle for now. A mercenary of the group. Only when the leaders snapped and ordered their hound to strike would he find himself active...or so he had hoped to promise himself.

They all moved through the lands, swiftly, on formation. It was the basic diamond formation held by a group of four. Kei kept to the left, giving him eyesight of all three of his traveling companions. He still understood little of what was happening in the world around him, but he wouldn't question, dare he make himself seem idiotic. The wind would creep past his frame as it pushed against his swift moving body. They all kept up to speed pretty well. It would be a fun exploration of the lands.

[¤ SFS ¤]

It was happening, the aforementioned "growing amount of complicating (but not uncommonly enjoyable) sequences of circumstances" were happening literally in front of him. The woman revealed an Iwagakure headband from her person before offering it to Hyoka after he dropped his own. He took it easily enough and revealed his plans for the evening. It was a bit of a let down to hear it out loud; he was going along and might be fighting and a body count was to be expected. "So it's gonna be one of those kinda nights." He was in no real mood to get his hands dirty with the blood of others but the expanding circumstances were telling him leaving wasn't an option. There was an extremely short list of people who could make a foreigner a ninja of the Hidden Stone and as far as he knew all but one of those kinds of positions would probably be filled with elders. The only remaining position that could grant such power yet plausibly be filled by someone so young was that of the Iwa leader, the Tsuchikage. That meant that if she wasn't just some politician giving Hyoka a headband for some symbolic personal reason then she was their new Tsuchikage and Hyoka was more or less a ninja of stone now.

He wasn't sure which one he should be in awe about but the details of this mission were becoming less clear with all the information he got.

• They were in route to meet the Kusakage with a woman he'd never worked with in the village before taking point.
  
• Hyoka would possibly be having it out with someone on the way to, or once they arrived at, the Kusakage's location
  
• The woman was possibly the new Tsuchikage
  
• Hyoka was possibly now an official shinobi of Hidden Stone

Some of the details clashed with others, like why the Tsuchikage would offer a foreigner a headband of the village if they were likely to attack people on the way to what Sen himself expected was a summit between two Kage. None of it lead him to any place good so he put it to the back of his mind and kept up with the pace of the others. From the rear his gaze to the left caught sight of Kei who seemed just as ready as always. A moment of reflection made him quick to realize that much of the details he was sniffing for didn't matter now and might not even matter later. What ever was going to happen was going to happen and all he could do is relax, remain alert and be ready not for anything, but for everything. For this mission he would have to be a little more like Kei.

"If we're going to be working together on an assignment this important I have to point out that the four of us don't really know each other. That could be a problem later so how about I go first." Instead of ranting about where and how he grew up and stating whether or not he enjoyed long walks on the beach, he let the information flow out as formally as possible, short, and to the point "Tokomaru Sen, Genin, Youton user." His baritone would cut through any silence as he spoke up and then awaited their responses. He was so insistent on not giving the Kusa-nin his name during their many missions together it felt like a betrayal of that dedication to anonymity to simply let his name go so easily. With what they were walking into it would save some time and possibly their lives for each of them to know what the others were capable of. Even if only in the most general sense possible.

[Nhar'qual]

Info; Prepare for the most entertainment you've seen since Hobo With A Shotgun.

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"I think we've put enough distance between the village and ourselves, break for camp. We leave at first light..."

He spoke so calmly despite the adrenaline that pumped through his veins and the thoughts that raced through his mind. Yet oddly enough he was still not worried despite the circumstances. He honestly felt like what he and the rest of his group had done was a justified thing with no wronging coming from it...nor their future plans. And what had they done? Well they had branded themselves enemies of the current Kusakage, Blanche, as well as all of the other returning Kusagakure shinobi. Who were they to come back to the village after abandoning it?! The mere thought of those who would return as if nothing had happened caused his stomach to twist into a tight knot which in reflection left his fists balled tightly.

---

"I'll go ahead and scout the surrounding area, make sure we weren't followed or anything."[/color]

Bright blue eyes bounced from one individual to the next. To say he wasn't a bit worried or thought what they had done was possibly wrong would be nothing short of the golden truth. Fixing his cap he'd give everyone a nod before stopping to bow to his older brother. Who was the entire reason he had chosen to go along with everything. He couldn't just abandon his older brother. Yet as he began to jump into the nearest tree a pulse echoed through his mind.

"Tsk. Quit being a baby. We have done nothing wrong! Those traitors deserve everything that we're going to bring to the table!"[/color][/i]

How bothersome it was to share a mind...a body with twin who had more evil intentions then oneself. Scratching his head he'd continue to jump from tree to tree, doing his scouting duties. "Yeah...I know...It's just....Heh, it's whatever, I've come this far so there's no backing out."[/color] [/i]
Taking a more serious look upon his face, it was clear that his twin's ability to manipulate him was still very effective and easily done.

---

Running his dagger like tongue along his dull teeth, he found himself the last to stop in their path. After all he had been the defending portion of the group the entire time. Making sure the others got out safely and that none of the defending shinobi got anywhere near the group to potentially be any sort of threat. Rolling his large shoulders he now found himself the one setting up camp as the others did as they would. Lucius their leader found himself sitting off to the side on a tree stump, his younger brothers Adlar and Adler, and Yamilex just walked around in circles before taking to sitting beside Lucius on the stump. And while Hartwig himself knew the others generally used him and looked down upon him, save for Adlar, it didn't bother him as he just enjoyed being some use to others. Bowing before his younger twin brothers before they went out to scout he'd quickly return to finishing setting up camp.

"Almost done Lucius..."[/color]

---

While Yamilex was all for the idea of abandoning the village that had become flooded with returning traitors, the idea of leaving her home and the majority of her wealth behind was...sour to say the least. And while she had camped out during her younger years as a shinobi, she had grown out of it by time she had become a Chuunin and left the mundane life of a shinobi behind. Nonetheless she had been chosen to be a part of the group by Lucius himself. Though Yamilex shared a relationship with the man she knew she had been chosen for her skills as much as her company. Yet still it was all very sour to find her "royal" self out in the woods at night with no proper sleeping arrangements. Shooting a glance to the behemoth Hartwig and his younger brothers she'd scoff. They were talented..., but just not her cup of tea. But, in reality who was other then Lucius and herself? Oh yeah that was right...no one.

"Heh...I do wish you would have let Hartwig carry some more of my belongings...I do very much so hate the idea of sleeping out in the woods."[/color]

---

Watching how everyone quickly adjusted to taking up camp he'd give the twins Adlar and Adler a quick nod as they took off to scout before giving Hartwig a kind smile and a nod. Hartwig was an old friend and while many had always looked down upon him, Lucius had always been a true friend to the monster of a man. And as much as he loved Yamilex, he couldn't help, but chuckle at her obvious distaste for the woods. Wrapping his left arm around her as she sat beside him he'd speak, holding back a bit more laughter. "Oh just be happy we were able to take what we did."[/color] Giving her a peck on the cheek he'd rise from the stump before starting up a fire. They were in for something when the sun rose...he could feel it. But, what would it be?
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SPOILER: Click to show

We can have your group run into mine once I get into my second post.

[Jun]

OOC ~ I asked agent to do some storytelling for us. Good looking out bro =D

---

Sky hair accepted, though I still sensed that there was a storm brewing over his head. No matter what I'd say to appease him, his past life in Kusagakure would always send an unpleasant shiver down his spine. I wanted desperately to understand my friend but knew that patience was needed more at the moment.

". . .and if it isn’t, well, let’s just say there might be some blood on my hands before our return to Iwa no Sato..”

[/right]

His words came as a bit unnerving. However, I could appreciate his desire to have his own clan hold the top position; sympathize with it even. Wasn't that what I was striving for? It could very well be that we were all walking full on into an unavoidable conflict. Yet, I wasn't fearful of the future, only concerned. And needless to say, having Hyoka as an ally brought its hindrances ~ namely his own harmful ambitions. It was then that I inherited the perfect term for shinobi like him: ambiguous[/u]. He was a true enigma, working solely to the rhythm of his own agenda. And while obscure, I at least hoped he had enough good in him to remain faithful in me. I wanted nothing but the best for him. "I see. Well then, let's just hope that the new Kusakage is an impressionable person. . .for everyone's sake."I glanced over at ocean head, who was likely to be in his own state of mind. "I'd prefer to avoid a battle and I trust that you won't allow yourself to be provoked without good reason. Also, while I can't control your decision, I'd advise you to not become reckless." I'd finish there, probably making myself clear enough. The truth was, I wanted to make good relations with Kusa, but with the Funikumi as my bodyguard that seemed like more of a distant dream than a possibility.

"Tokomaru Sen, Genin, Youton user."

[/right]

Our party continued a well established pace, with my own footfall striding casually across bronze soil. The silent midnight topped male spoke up next, providing a sensible way for us to get accustomed with one another. Still walking, I gazed back at him and found eyes comparable to my own. It was remarkable ~ we could have passed as brother and sister under different circumstances. With him breaking the ice, I'd chime in next, assuming it to be ladies first anyhow. "Umeko, Anemone. Akegarasu Clan." I paused, never looking back even as I finished my brief introduction. "And Sandaime Tsuchikage." The last portion I said smoothly, as if the rank held no importance to me whatsoever. When in all honesty ~ it meant the world to me. What soul had dared give me a second look prior to my up-rise? Charmers and perverts maybe, but not much more. Regardless, I replied promptly, certain that I had answered a question resting on his mind since first setting his sight on my darling frame. I'd fall silent then, while my mind worked overtime in piecing this all together.

Travel to Kusa no Kuni~

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[chiatsuki]

[exiting on behalf of the success of you all's mission. We will see each other very soon. ]