Recent Posts

drudgery ♥

Hmm, was he waiting for somebody? If this were simply a social outing, we could be waiting rather a long time. I didn't exactly fancy surveillance while he were taking his sweetheart out on a date. Though perhaps it would be good for Matsumoto to observe courtship, I didn't want him to turn out like most men when he grew up. It was strange, I was growing rather fond of the boy. He wasn't the typical shinobi youth, all fire and recklessness. He seemed rather more... thoughtful? It was hard to tell, he wasn't particularly forthcoming. Still, he certainly seemed to have a great deal of potential. If only I had the chance to spend such time with the Genin of my own village...

My thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of some fashionably scruffy men, their garb seemingly denoting their association with one another. My, could this be trouble? Perhaps our target was in with some bad sorts? I did hope we would not be dragged on some cat and mouse chase, following him to entirely unhelpful locations...

"Well, see, I was lookin' for you the other day, but you weren't around. I had the money then, too, all ready," The Kirigakure shinobi, Oshitaka as we had now learned, said. He looked rather stressed, clearly he had not been expecting such visitors. Poor man, resorting to hiring such thugs? How embarrassing for a shinobi!
"Ah, that's just too bad. Well, as long as you have it, let's just go get it, shall we?" Could this be to our benefit? If he had money stashed away anywhere, it would be at his home, no? And his home would be...

"I mean, sure, no problem, ahaa! It's pretty far though, you know? Hidden village, and all that..." Naturally they knew he was a shinobi, and as such, would know where he lived. Oshitaka seemed understandably reluctant, but his questioner seemed not to care.
"Better get going then, huh?" Ooh, you wonderful man Kinomura! If only you knew how much you were helping us! Two of Kinomura's 'friends' strutted over to Oshitaka, taking up position on either side of him, looking ominously friendly.

"Y-yeah, sure..."

house of windows ♥

"So, you must be the man of the hour?" I cooed, my voice preceding me as my heels echoed on the cold tiled floors. I entered behind him, spotting Harpie lounging nearby. At least she was working, mostly.
"You have my thanks, darling. What a stroke of luck you happened upon our dear Hitto!" I stopped beside him, one hand on my hip, the other gesturing airily.
"Your name? Allegiance?" I asked, smiling. Though he was a stranger, he had done us a great favour, and I would not treat him discourteously simply based upon his being foreign.

Still, it was clear he wanted something. If it were truly aid given for aid's sake, he would have been content to drop Hitto off with the shinobi at the Gateway. No, this man was after more. A reward perhaps? That could have been asked for much earlier, it did not require my involvement. That meant that... I glanced over at Harpie, who was glaring at our guest. She tended to glare at everybody though, so it was not particularly ominous. There was such an inherent distrust in shinobi! Would he really go to the effort of saving the Genin's life only to achieve some nefarious goal? Perhaps I was simply too trusting in such matters.

"You will, of course, be compensated for your services. But please, tell me more about what happened,"

Spider ANBU;
Dominatrix, Lolita

She seemed sincere. Perhaps she knew the Tsuchikage? Though the council ruled, Mitzy had been preferred in many ways by the common citizenry of Iwagakure. She was more lenient, more caring, more understanding. Naturally, many shinobi found her soft, and agreed with the council's strict policies, but she certainly had her appeal amongst the less severe types. Still, at the girl's words, Lolita looked abashed, and even Dominatrix frowned.

She had a point. Dominatrix had insisted on sending ANBU to accompany Mitzy, even if she had just taken Succubus, but the Tsuchikage had refused point blank. She was fleeing, she said, and she wouldn't leave Iwagakure without some who would look out for it. Hence, all six Spider ANBU had remained behind, to act where she could not.
"She is no longer in Iwagakure. No longer in the Land of Earth, I should imagine. She is... safer, that way," Dominatrix explained.

The Valentine Mansion had an elaborate sensory system, and the ANBU was confident that in divulging such information, none would hear but this girl. After all, Mitzy had been a sensor type shinobi, and was more capable in those matters than even her ANBU.
"But she still needs protecting, you know?" Lolita began, "The more we do here in the village, the less the council can turn their eyes elsewhere, and find her. We'll give her time to plan and gather aid, so she can return," She didn't sound optimistic, the hesitant words coming from the Tsuchikage's typically assured visage.

Dominatrix slipped a hand into her dress, before presenting the girl with a slip of paper, bearing mission details upon it.
"You are a shinobi, and we shall contract you as such,"

SPOILER: Click to show

{mission details}Protect the Valentine Mansion
Rank: B
Description: Though Mitzy does not hide here, by establishing a defence, we lead the Iwagakure Council off guard. As well as defending the building from potential attacks, we shall keep up the illusion of the Tsuchikage taking shelter here, to further mislead our enemies.
Objective: Defend the Valentine Mansion, convince attackers the Tsuchikage is within.
Restrictions: None
Client: Spider ANBU
Minimum: None
Rewards: 75 EXP, 5000 Ryo

"If you choose to work for us, you will have to be extremely careful within Iwagakure. Council buildings are no longer safe for you, and you can trust only us. What say you?"

ALEXANDRIA MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

An old fashioned building, in the style of most of Iwagakure's important locations, The Alexandria Memorial Hospital is named for a kunoichi lost to the annuls of the village's history. Stately and well laid out, the hospital is spacious and elegant, with excessive capacity to prevent crowding. One can often find medical shinobi honing their craft here, with senior council staff overseeing proceedings.

♥ Iwagakure shinobi may recover here for no charge.

♥ Foreign shinobi may seek aid here, but must pay a sum according to their injury upon their recovery.

♥ You may rp general hospital staff, including doctors and nurses.

♥ Iwagakure medical shinobi will by paid for any healing they do here on player characters.

carmen, carmen ♥

Whatever I had expected, it had not been this. The way he changed his movements, his demeanour, it was captivating! I had naturally thought along the lines of his androgynous appearance being an asset in matters of espionage or disguise, but Matsumoto had given no hint that he was aware of it himself. Indeed, he had seemed, to me, if not oblivious then entirely indifferent to how feminine he looked. As I eavesdropped on their conversation, my smile widened. Truly, I was so proud! Kunoichi were often at an inherent disadvantage to male shinobi, at least in terms of raw strength, and I had always believed in using every weapon at our disposal - charm and appearance chief among them.

But perhaps I ought to play a minor part in this deception too, so I stood with my arms crossed, looking impatient, as I listened. Poor man, though. Kirigakure shinobi or not, he was clearly interested in my companion. Though, given the ages... perhaps I shouldn't feel too sorry for him. It was rather inappropriate. Although, that was an interesting thought... Was Matsumoto interested in men? I hoped he wasn't particularly interested in anybody, given his young age, but children grew up so fast these days!

Ah, but there it was. Wonderfully done, Matsumoto!
"Come along dear, stop bothering the nice man. Father's waiting, I'm sure we'll find your little rabbit soon," I called, marching over to my companion and putting an arm around his slender shoulders. I hoped I looked more like his elder sister than his mother - I was still young! I smiled at the man apologetically, before ushering Matsumoto away. When we were far enough away, I laughed softly.
"My, my, my, you're full of surprises aren't you?"

I led the way around a corner and down a small side street, even emptier than the rather sparse main thoroughfare.
"Consider me most impressed, I could scarcely have done it better!" It was perhaps not true, as men were simple creatures and I had rather more obvious assets with which to manipulate them, but still, it did not detract from the boy's victory.
"The problem now is - will he return to Kirigakure? And should he do so, it may not be for some time yet. I suppose we shall simply have to keep him in our sights for now," I peered around the corner as I said that, noting that he sat there still, having returned to his meal.

the littlest birds ♥

If he did not feel comfortable speaking on a topic, I would not press it. Though he was technically my subordinate on this mission, he was still a person, and I would treat him with such respect. I couldn't help smiling at his comment, however. It must be quite striking, seeing it for the first time, though he would've gotten a better view on the boat that carried us here. As I led the way down into the town proper, I considered his question.

"With tact, naturally. We shouldn't arouse too much suspicion simply asking about its general direction, as we will have to search manually regardless. I do, however, have a rather more preferable plan, but it has its drawbacks..." I wouldn't elaborate, as I was undecided myself. I would simply have to attempt it when we were close enough. As we narrowed the distance, reaching the bottom of the hill, the town gates drew up before us - though it was more an unassuming archway, plain and rather empty, as only a few people came and went at a time.

For that matter, did it make sense for towns to become busier or more quiet with a war raging nearby? Naturally people fled danger, but those seeking business or opportunity tended to gravitate towards areas of conflict. As we passed beneath the arch and into the town itself, I closed my eyes and held a single handseal beneath my long, concealing sleeves.
"Don't let me bump into anything, darling," I teased, more than comfortable relying on my other senses. There was no need for sight when one could see the very energy of the world around them.

I hoped Matsumoto wouldn't question me, though I wasn't sure whether he had seen me use the jutsu during the mission? I couldn't recall. Regardless, I was searching for something quite vague, but it was the only starting point I had thought of. The best course of action was probably to simply tail a Kirigakure shinobi, but there was no guarantee we would spot one, and it was possible they would not display their headbands while here on business. My method involved searching for a chakra signature that was on the same level as a shinobi's, as well as the water release.

"Two o'clock, sweetie. Can you see a headband?"

SPOILER: Click to show

{jutsu}Kagura Shingan (Kagura Mind’s Eye) [150]
Rank: A
Range: Close (0m ~ 5m), Mid (5m ~ 10), Far (10m+)
Type: Supplementary
Handseals: 1
Chakra Consumption: Low per 15 meters: Miniscule sustain (1x Low)
Kagura Shingan is an advanced Sensory Ninjutsu technique used by all sensors, and serves as the root to the entire sensory tree. After performing the necessary handseal, the sensor closes their eyes and uses their innate 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.

This sensory technique can also discern whether or not a person is under the effects of a Genjutsu; which elements they have at their command (even advanced releases), and likewise mask their own Chakra signature (user’s) from other sensory ninja. The focus required to do the latter (masking their signature) prohibits their other sensing abilities, however.

Note: It should be noted that no other jutsu can be used while this technique is active. This jutsu requires Admin Approval. Restricted to Ninjutsu/Genjutsu Masters and Jack-of-all-trades. Consumes one release slot from Ninjutsu/Genjutsu Masters and either a release or fighting style slot from Jack-of-all-trades.

dissolve me ♥

It had been a long journey. I would be ever grateful for Matsumoto's company, especially through the arid desert of the land of wind, in which his guidance was immensely helpful. However, upon our trek through the land of fire, we were equally uninformed. Though I had performed a few missions there, none had given me many clues as to its geography, but fortunately our destination was straight forward - simply to pass directly across the country. My world recorder had proven invaluable there, and we had covered the distance in less than a week. Obtaining passage to the land of water was rather more difficult, given the tensions between the two lands, but passing ourselves off as a mother and daughter in need, alongside my trademark charms, had achieved our goal.

I laughed lightly, remembering the conversation. All negotiations fell to me, of course, given Matsumoto's rather lacking manners and charm, but his delicate, feminine appearance seemed to garner us slightly more sympathy. And finally, we were in the land of water, ready to begin our search. I wasn't quite sure where to begin, and asking around would have to be done with caution. Though I was a sensor type shinobi - my arsenal well equipped to deal with tracking and observing - finding a hidden village was a rather different matter than locating an enemy shinobi on the battlefield. 

"My, such grunt work! If only our task wasn't one of such secrecy, the Kazekage could've sent out a scouting force ahead of us," It had been difficult to conceal my true identity and motives from my companion as we traveled, but I couldn't quite make up my mind about telling him. On one hand, he was simply a Genin, and therefore not likely to be privy to any classified information, but on the other, he had proven himself useful, and I truly appreciated his help.

As far as Matsumoto knew, his task was simply to escort me to the land of water.
"I do hope you don't mind aiding me in my search? I'm quite sure the Kazekage can spare you for a day or two more," Of course, I knew nothing of the sort, but Aka Mu-n didn't strike me as the pedantic type.
"I apologise for the secrecy, but my mission is one of great diplomatic importance, direct orders from the Kazekage and all that. I'm sure you understand," All this lying, poor thing. But it was simply too dangerous to confess who I truly was, and what I hoped to achieve here...