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Shizue would smile and nod her head to the third member of her team. Indeed he had missed her introduction. "Oki, Shizue. It's nice to meet you." Unlike her previous mistake with trying to ruffle Rael's hair, she didn't try and do it with Kagirinai. Last thing she needed was for both of her team mates to be absolutely annoyed with her on the first day. How would they be able to prove anything to their sensei if that was the case.

How would she prove anything to him if that was the case.

Though with introductions behind them and Shizue's own suggestion actually taken up on by Yokumaru it seemed that their bonding would be happening sooner than she expected. After all, shinobi best bonded in the thrill of the fight hiding amongst the shadows awaiting for their blades to drip blood. Of course, as a kunoichi she had a bit more of a upfront approach that only her feminine assets allowed her in combat. Unfortunately those couldn't be used here.

"A sparring match between the three of us and you? Hm. Not bad." She would look to Rael in slight disbelief. "The handicap could look like its on him seeing as how its the three of us versus him, but really three Genin versus a skilled Head Jounin of Kirigakure? That in itself is OUR handicap." She would smile though, something she found herself doing a lot of around them. Perhaps it was because they were kids and she didn't feel comfortable getting overly serious. Or perhaps it was their sensei's overly charismatic demeanor.

Regardless it was quite contagious.

"Well, why don't we take this away from town and into the land surrounding the village. Nothing better to train in than actual terrain. None of those 'training grounds' areas. That only breeds simple, narrow minded fighters." She would look to Yokumaru as if to ask for permission to continue forward before moving away from the group to take a few steps towards the east where the nearest city line was. The ever clicking of her heels present, that is until she stopped.

"Sensei, why don't you let Rael, Kagirinai, and I go in first. We'll need a quick debriefing on each others strong points."

Once they were out of ear's reach Rael wasted no time in getting down to business. Normally Shizue would find that quality quite endearing in a fellow shinobi. Not to say that she didn't find it that with him, but being so young, not even in the double digits mind you, it almost had her worried. Made her wonder if Kagirinai was just as business oriented despite his usual timid and quiet demeanor. Kids these days.

Perhaps tomorrow if we are all free I'll take the two of them out and do something...fun.

Despite the thought of 'fun' being odd for her after so long, she quickly dismissed the thought in order to think of Rael's preposition. He brought up a good point. Being subtle and working from the shadows had always been the duties of a shinobi while carrying out their marks and missions. However, also making a loud entrance and trouncing the thugs would send a message to any others that could be in the area. Both had their advantages and both had their flaws.

"Honestly, as much as an impression going in full force could potentially make I think finding the lot of them dead in the morning would cause more of a scare." An almost sadistic smirk dared to pull at her lips before she quelled the urge. Murdering the thugs in the middle of the night to be found in the morning would be a shock and send fear into others under the pretense of what if they were next? Would someone just come in one night and slaughter them? If not that night, what about the next night?

It was much better than a ruckus.

That decided Shizue continued to walk forward towards the particular part of the market district that the thugs were said to dwell in, hopefully with Rael close in toe. Once they were a little over a block away she would stop and duck into a tight alleyway nodding for Rael to follow. They had the advantage not only in skill and haggard appearance but of who they were. She was a woman and he was a child. It made things so much easier.

"Men like this prey on women while taunting and kicking children around. They won't know what hit them. Act as helpless and normal as possible Rael in order to lure them out. At this time of night and with this sections reputation we should be audience free."

Now all that was left was to slip back out and round the next corner and it was go time.

No more than she had introduced herself, the fourth member of their squad decided to join them as well. Shizue couldn't help but be a little discouraged however. Like the boy before her, her other team mate, too, was a small child. Perhaps this was her punishment for quitting for such a long time in order to refine her skills. She did it all for Kirigakure no Sato though. This wasn't exactly something she considered to be reward.

Regardless, she smiled at the new comer who's garb wasn't like that of any place she had seen before. Surely it wasn't Kiri material, that was for sure. And the other boy, Rael, who had pulled away from her when she tried to ruffle his hair seemed like a brat. This Kagirinai also seemed a little back watered. The only person who seemed talented, or at least of some use, was their team captain. Yokumaru was a saint to be given two children like this and be okay with it.

However, deep down, knowing that she couldn't run or change this outcome, she felt as though they were now her responsibility. Like, for some reason, despite the three of them being under Yokumaru's watch, the two of them were even more so under her's. Sighing, she sidestepped away from the two children and closer towards Yokumaru who would then address them and ask how they were feeling.

"Fine. I'd like to see the extent of what my new team mates are capable of. Also, perhaps see what my new sensei is capable of as well. After all, I have been...away...from the shinobi world a while." She smiled curtly after her words while then resting a hand on the hilt of her blade, fingers tapping along it almost lovingly. "Not to mention the three of you already have a bond that I couldn't even compare with---not yet anyways. That needs to change."

Now circling around her team, heels ever clicking along the pavement, her cerulean eyes took in her sensei, though knowing he was a Jounin of the Mist was enough to know how talented he was, then. Then they fell on the silent boy Kagirinai who almost seemed serpent like in appearance; how odd. Finally they fell on Rael who seemed to be a bit of a temperamental, but cute for a cute his age.

"Shall we perhaps go and train? Hm, sensei?" Her eyes fell back onto Yokumaru now, curt smile still in place.

Shizue, needless to say, stopped any and all sort of movement the moment that Akuharu had raised his hand. After all, they were in this together and if he had a better plan then she would gladly back him up no matter what. However she wasn't quite expecting him to attack them, even if it was to scare them and secure their own freedom. It was the method in which he did so that seemed to almost frighten her more than what the two warriors before them had done.

He used his own blood as a weapon. Like crafting Suiton itself he used his blood as the medium instead. Slowly it swelled into a large bubble swirling with his blood until it would eventually take the form of a large crocodile head. Tendrils of blood writhed and slithered their way along the two warriors weapons only to form smaller heads like the original that they came from. It was a sight to see and once that solidified the fact that he was completely beyond her skill level.

Simply out of her league.

Words escaped his lips then but it did not come out addressing her. The language was foreign, it was theirs and he directed it to them both but seemed focused on the woman. The man looks irritated as if completely insulted while the woman looked panicked, as if whatever her partner had said really was able to crawl under their skin. Deep down she enjoyed the looks on their faces, after all, Akuharu and herself didn't do anything to warrant such violence.

Then he spoke to and she knew her lips parted and mouth fell slightly agape at his comment. "It's not the violence in the language that I mind, it's the fact that I can't understand it." As she spoke, a tinge of pink touched her face, perhaps to being called Akuharu's wife. However to blend in and come face to face with the leader of the tribe they needed to be on equal footing. As husband and wife, they would be. Even so it was still embarrassing.

Within moments the two would call to others and as they all peered towards Shizue as well as Akuharu they were led to the heart of their community. Despite all the eyes on them she couldn't help but appreciate how well structured their living area had been compared to what most would stereotypically think in regards to a swamp living tribe. Regardless, it was absolutely beautiful. That's when the two escorts would leave, however giving instruction before hand.

The way the woman looked at Shizue bothered her, and though she didn't mean to she knew she returned some sort of look as if to say 'back off'. Normally she was in decent control of herself but this time around she couldn't help but feel intimidated, or perhaps challenged would be a better word. Then he spoke again, translating. It was annoying to say the least that she couldn't be part in this.

"That's fine. We'll wait and when the rite comes we'll pass. I have the utmost confidence in your abilities Akuharu. Simply from seeing your control of Suiton via your own blood." She would start, though pausing to follow Akuharu over to seats made of vines where she would take a seat with him following suit after. "Myself, however, I am worried about a little. But I refuse to fall to these people."

Shizue would let her cerulean eyes take in Akuharu's form moe indefinitely now, taking in his height, his body type, and the musculature he held beneath the ANBU armor her wore. His face was handsome as well, at least to her, however she would never dare comment on such a thing. His question, however she could answer. "Six years ago."

She was silent for a moment, before a small smile graced her lips. "I am still a Genin however that's only because I've been locked away training for those six years. I wasn't exactly the best of kunoichi when in my youth and that isn't the kind of behavior Kirigakure no Sato takes kindly too." Her smile widened a little now. "So I trained with my cousin and together we grew strong, however he wasn't ready to leave yet I yearned for the outside world once more---"

Shizue stopped herself, clearing her throat and cutting her story short. She was rambling and she didn't want to bore her partner with silly ideals and dreams when all he did was ask a simple question. "What about you, Akuharu? You must have trained quite hard to be so fluently talented."

Her gaze never left his form, something about him was simply mesmerizing. Perhaps it was his strength, his wisdom, or maybe because he wasn't like most men she knew to inhabit that of the 'Bloody Mist Village. He was just different.

Akuharu was a polite man, something that she hadn't been quite used to with the men of Kirigakure no Sato. Most were ruthless, heartless, or even down right drunken leches. However he seemed to be the refined diamond in the rough sort of analogy. It was something that she could appreciate greatly and one she had been thankful for in a partner for such a mission as this one. Needless to say it made her feel a little more comfortable.

"Shizue is fine." She started, stepping only two steps closer to him. "I ran into no difficulties, however it has been some time since I ventured out this far so I do hope I hadn't kept you waiting long."

Nothing more was really said between the two of them. Shizue couldn't help but stare at the strange blank white eye he possessed next to the coal colored one. Perhaps he had been blinded in a previous battle? Again, something to find worth in the man before her. If such was the case he indeed was a warrior she felt privileged to be with. Even as he gestured towards the Ai'koi Domain before them she felt little fear as she followed.

The closer that they got to the structure of a gate in an impasse. Two figures emerged however, a man and a woman, both much larger in stature than the two of them. Shizue could only infer they were life partners, or so the pairing system for the tribe had been referenced to her. However peace was clearly not on the agenda. With snarls and growls as well as foreign tongue the two lunged towards them intent on, presumably, questioning why they had come.

With sharpened daggers to their throats Shizue couldn't help but gulp and look up to the nasty female warrior as well as glance to the obvious stare of the male. She hated men like that, who stared at her like she had been nothing but a piece of meat ready to bite into. It disgusted her. However, there was nothing Shizue could do so close to the point of fate's decision. Death or salvation.

"Akuharu. What now? I can't understand them. Should we kill them and move forward..."

Shizue talked carefully, only partially moving her lips but the sound of her voice escaping between them low enough for her partner to hear her. Of course she had no clue if the two warriors before he could hear or not. If she could bet money, she would say they probably could but it all depended on these next few moments. Do they attack and strike down the two that bar their path or would Akuharu somehow have an alternate solution.

Regardless a feeling she had long suppressed began to creepily chill along the base of her spine---Fear.

There had never been a reason for her to stray so far form home. This desolate memory of a place once proud bothered her. However many years it had been she couldn't say for sure, but she never did lay her cerulean eyes upon it when it was in its prime. After all, year after year of solitude will do that to an individual. It was odd to see the world as it was now. After all it had at least been half a decade since she had seen it.

However the world she knew then was riddled with war. Though the same thing could be said of today, those playing their pieces were gunning for peace and not domination. As a child then, domination was the scariest part of war. The Nidaime Mizukage, Hozuki Masami, was a maiden of war and a hostel being bent on conquering. That's the world she hid herself from and prepared for. Now, it seemed like the world needed to prepare for her.

Walking, or trudging more likely, through the swamp land Shizue hopped from place to place, flitting through the terrain like it was nothing. Even in heels it was an impressive endeavor for a woman such as herself. But the prospect of war was still rooted in everything she, as a kunoichi, did and thrived on. As much as she hated it, that was her purpose here in the very swamp she journeyed through. However she wasn't to do this alone.

The Ai'koi were known to be terrifying warriors and their reputation had been well known. However any single ambassador from Kirigakure no Sato who spoke would have their words fall on deaf ears. She was to meet a man she only knew as Akuharu. No other details were given. However the name was familiar, as if he had achieved something great recently. Despite this, no face flashed in the recesses of her mind like she had hoped.

When she did finally get close to the entrance to the Ai'koi rulers lands a man had already taken a seat there. Just by looks alone it was quite clear than he was a shinobi rather than part of the warrior clan. Perhaps she had been a little late? Traversing through a swampland was hard work and the fact he beat her here was a sign of skill in itself. It was something that she could admire, already, about her partner. In all intents and purposes for their mission, he indeed was hers.

"Akuharu." She started, her heels finding solid ground as their clicks were dampened by the soft cushion of dirt. The steps necessary to close their distance was made and she would stand behind him, roughly 2.5 meters away. "I'm Shizue. It's a pleasure."