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Masumi's questions would be answered in due time, but not in the typical manner. As the dark-haired boy made himself known, Kouketsu dropped his arm from the Mizukage's path, clearly content with who it was that had presented themselves. It'd been quite some time since he'd seen the young boy, but the fact they'd met again was a good sign: either his mission had been completed, or he hadn't gotten to it yet. Both had their pros and cons, more so than him being dead.

"You're late." Granted, the Kirigakure natives had only arrived merely a handful of seconds ago. It didn't change the fact that Kouketsu expected him to be present, and visible, prior to.

The white-robed ANBU took several steps further from the Mizukage, glancing at her over his shoulder once he was within an arm's reach of the younger man. "I apologize for the inconvenience, Mizukage. I have some unfinished business with this gentleman."

In the time it took his right arm to raise past his waist, a small pouch was acquired in the crest of his palm. Within, a rather large sum of ryo for the boy's trouble. In return, he would receive the exact location of Konohagakure - for personal use, of course. And with that business concluded, another doorway was opened. "And as for our other engagements? How is that coming?"

Once Masumi had comfortably taken her position on the boat, Kouketsu then took his own. It wasn't a large boat nor was it lavish. It was meant for very specific uses, such as shuttling the Mizukage and her escort(s) to the main land whenever it was that they needed. The ferry man was a much older individual, with rotted teeth and thin hair. He wore a large rice-hat that obscured much of his face, but he was known and trusted by Kouketsu.

It wasn't the most impressive of jobs, but it'd passed down generation to generation.

Rather than sit, Kouketsu stood as they bested the small waves separating Mizu no Kuni from the continent. He couldn't imagine what business Masumi had with the Leaf, especially considering the volatile terms he'd left Mist with concerning them. The possibility of their wouldbe assassination attempt when he was in power was still fresh in his mind, and he definitely wouldn't pass the opportunity to pay them back were it to arise.

Still, he remained silent.

Abrupt.

There wasn't any tell-tale hint, or even a fleeting suspicion, that could've given the man's arrival away to the Mizukage. As I've already stated, he very abruptly appeared at her left side, silent and stoic in his eerie glory. He donned the standard white-robes she'd given him, the matching porcelain mask, and a startling off-set pair of black gloves. The only items he carried with him was the lone blade fastened to the small of his back, and the utility pouch just shy of the weapon's western flank.

Fully evolved eyes¹ glanced over the Mizukage's frame once, revealing all the information he needed. "A wise choice," he admired from behind his mask.

Those same eyes immediately reverted to their lesser state, taking on a slate and dull onyx hue. As her escort, he'd allow her to take the first step in their long journey to the land of fire. It'd been quite some time since he last visited the fabled forests of Hi no Kuni - almost ten full years, since his previous defect.

This would give him the opportunity he needed to tie up some loose ends.

"Silly child," the masked man chided, "I'm not asking you to trust me. You don't need to know anything about me to follow orders, nor do I need to know anything about you to give them. I'm simply extending an invitation to you in an attempt to cure your boredom," as you put it?""

Suddenly, the voice took on a mocking tone. "Weren't you just cursing those that adored peace? And now you're sounding just like them. Interesting how that works out."

It would be several moments for the boy to absorb what was said, and give him more than enough time to form whatever reaction he wanted to. However, the masked ANBU would've shrugged any ill-willed words and interrupted him if he wasn't quick:

"Will you kill for me, yes or no?"

"Calm down." The voice came from a white-robed figure lurking on a branch several stories above the child, crouching while he peered from behind a porcelain feline-styled mask. Clearly, the ANBU had been watching him from the moment he'd left the village. It wasn't often such low-ranking ninja were given permission to exit Kirigakure without supervision, and his previous statements only confirmed the captain's sneaking suspicion. The boy probably would've went missing had he not interfered.

The feline mask tilted to the side, almost as if in confusion. "You needn't get so worked up over peace, child. War is something very few cope well with."

The ANBU's hands were obscured by the excessively long sleeves of his white cloak, though one might presume he was armed. Still, he hadn't so much as moved from his debut position. And still the feline masked lay tilted, analyzing the boy before him. "Besides, you only need to look in the proper places for a thrill."

Kouketsu heard the crying before he actually saw it, but when he turned around to see what had happened, his train of thought had been instant derailed. Hisanna had missed one of the men that had used their comrades for cover, and despite a sharp flower sticking out of his leg, he was still more than capable of skewering the girl like a wild boar. His sword aimed for her back, and had he been a foot closer, Kouketsu wouldn't have been able to make it in time.

All but vanishing from the scene, the white-robed ANBU appeared just to the south of Hisanna's flank. His right hand pushed her shoulder, forcing her down, while his left rose to take the length of the blade clean through his palm. Still, there wasn't so much as a grunt of pain to escape his lips.

Instead, there was only the sound of tearing flesh as the kunai in his right hand rose swiftly and into the bottom of his jaw, penetrating all the way to his brain. The man's body went instantly limp, and he fell to his knees, hands still on his blade. The cold, calculating eyes behind the porcelain masked surveyed the carnage to his left hand with a disinterested look, and without so much as flinching he ripped the blade from his palm.

Bleeding profusely, he did little to cover it beside wrapping a piece of cloth around the wound. "Be more careful, next time."

Already he was walking away from her, back to the head of the group. "Move out."

The first two that would attack came from directly in front of Kouketsu, brandishing their rusted swords as if they were truly proud to wield them. They moved with a brisk pace, so the handful of meters that separated them from their target was crossed almost instantly. Still, in that brief amount of time that it took them to reach Kouketsu, he'd already expanded the set from that single seal he'd performed and held, branching off into several others.

The bandits swung their swords wildly, clearing aiming to just dice the white-robed man before them into bits. Unfortunately, their assault never got pass the first strike.

Clank! The sound echoed over the chorus of burning wood, and the bandits found themselves struggling against the small blade of a kunai, held in opposite to their swords by a white-robed figure on either side of their initial target. Kouketsu was already onto yet another set of seals, crouching low beneath the bridge of defense that his mizu bunshin had formed, completing the technique in the time it would've taken a normal person to blink.

The mizu bunshin pressed forward with all their liquid might, throwing their assailant's arms high above their own head. Suddenly, those same hands which once coddled a kunai - even the kunai itself - hastily transformed into water, returning to its natural state. The makeshift rivers devoured the men before them, capturing them in a sphere of liquid that was stronger than any steel.

Nothing else needed to be done, as the two captured bandits would drowned in only a few moments. Kouketsu, knowing this, had already passed through the small aperture between the two clones, his hands once more sinking to the utility pouch at the small of his back.

____

Meanwhile, a handful of the remaining thugs quickly moved to the rear of the group in an attempt to flank them. They were surprised to find a rather attractive young woman guarding their friends, and could barely control themselves from making some sort've obscene comment.

"How about you just come with us, babe?" one chided.

"Yeah, we'll take real good care of you," another added while licking the dull side of his sword. "I promise we don't bite."

"Speak for yourself," a third jumped in. "I might just be tempted to bite those juicy titties right off of her."

A sea of incredulous laughter followed thereafter, and with nothing further to say, the trio of men charged the woman, ignoring the pretty flowers she was standing on.