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In a remote village, on the island west of the main isle of the Water Country.

Michio wandered his way towards yet another pub musing over his findings, there seemed to be a large amount of growing unrest, and he still wasn't used to the amount of wariness around him. As an official of sorts from Kirigakure he expected some kind of respect but not this underlying hostility. He nervously touched his forehead protector, as he headed towards the pub and saw a familiar looking women in dark clothing walked out turning the sign to “closed” as she went out hurriedly. He waited until she was out of sight then trying the handle discovered it was unlocked. Upon looking inside he saw what appeared to be the owner of the pub, slowly bleeding through two wounds already dead. Clearly they were recently given since he was still bleeding and most likely by the woman who had just left.

He mentally filed away her appearance in case he saw her again and wrote down the death in his journal along with a brief sketch of the suspected murderer, the journal was filled with the details of his visit to the island so far. So far that was the only exceptional thing that had happened. He would continue to watch to see if anything else happened but in the mean time he decided to attempt to look for the familiar woman he had seen earlier. As he looked for her he wondered how Mika-san's mission was going, hopefully better than his as he had only managed to figure out that everyone seemed to dislike the anyone and anything from Kirigakure.

Ryuu nodded at his Sensei before be went off to search for his teammate. As the boy walked around the arena he secretly hoped that his teammate would not be one who is prejudiced like most of the other people he knew around this villge. Well those his age at least. When he saw a girl that was standing alone by the exit of the arena, Jason walked over towards her. He approached her slowly and hoped that this was the girl he was told to go find. When he reached her, the boy looked over her. He seemed to be just a little bit taller than she was, "Excuse me, but are you Yoshikuni? Eiji Sensei told me I should come introduce myself to you if you are" He stated then waited for her response. Which hopefully would not involve her saying she wasn't the girl he was looking for.

Hiroshi Hon & Sayuri Cho
A not so dead lead
Part 2

"Does this mean that he was attacked, Hiroshi-Sensei?"

Hiroshi waited a while with his response."It seems that way. Whoever attacked him, either reported it or engaged in a pursuit. Or, this cloth and blood are not his and we will lose our only lead, and that means ANBU intervention. So this lead better be worth it." Sayuri nodded at Hiroshi, not really sure what to say so she just remained silent. Hiroshi remained silent as well, as they both waited for Hirudora to lead Chinatsu and Akira back to them. A minute or two passed before he heard a familiar growl approaching, and as he turned, his team was arriving." Hirudora, Akira, Chinatsu! I am glad you made it in such a short time! Quickly gather up, we have no time to waste." All Hiroshi had to do was to point at the cloth and Hirudora, as soon as he landed, smelled the cloth.

" It is a strong scent, Hiroshi. I think I can track him with great accuracy ... but I smell more than just one people, but I am unsure about the exact number. We have to proceed carefully." Hiroshi considered for a while, then he turned to his team." Very well. HIrudora is right. We have to move carefully, but quickly at the same time. Hirudora will go in front of me. Chinatsu, you will go between - Akira and Sayuri will be the back line. If we come into an confrontation, I want you to work together. I know it will not be a problem. Remember, we are no longer in the safety of the village - we might soon find ourselves in the middle of a small fight. I want all of you to stay on your toes, watch your surroundings and report anything out of the usual. Lead us, Hirudora!"

WIth a nod, the tiger lept off, making surprisingly little noise in doing so. Hiroshi waved his hand to give them the signal to move into formation, and leaped after Hirudora. Sayuri witnessed everything silently, and waved at Akira and Chinatsu to follow the lead. She was prepared to take a leading role in her team if necessary, and while she was worried about how the others might react to it, Sayuri decided to step up if needed. Giving the forest ahead of them a grim, observing look, she felt nervousity creeping up to her. Will she be able to do so, even if it meant warding out Chinatsu´s ... weird talk and Akira´s passivity?

Kei and Aki's Great Adventure!

The First Steps into the Big World.

A collab by Gero, Fieryfly and Roran Hawkins



Her hand was firmly stuck in Akimoto's and Kei was making sure that Aki was totally walking in front because that would mean she could hide behind him when it would be needed. This whole idea had started so great with sneaking away, but now that they were walking through the mass of people it suddenly was really scary. With big eyes Kei looked to all the people. Who were they? Why were they so big? She inched closer to Aki as they made it through the hallway and towards the exit.

His eyes were big as he looked around. This city was very different than home. Why did they build their houses like that? Why were they wearing different clothes? The boy was full of questions as he kept leading him and his sister. Then he started to frown. There were a lot of grown ups. What were they doing? That dark green cloud had looked like fun, but had bored Akimoto at some point. ''Hmmm.'' Looking at his left, he saw grown ups. But looking at his right, there was no difference. Leading further the way, Akimoto frowned more as it seemed that the grown ups weren't paying that much attention to them.

The world around the little child was like an explosion of experiences. It was especially strange to see all those big people walk around, not noticing her. Usually they paid a lot of attention to the toddler of a year and a half, and even when she had gotten up and walked for some of those extraordinarily stupendously large people they hadn't even noticed her. Pff! So after walking for a while she had taken to sitting down outside of the arena complex, pouting about how everyone was stupid. Except her father, but he was distracted and didn't pay her any attention, so he was a bit stupid. Like stupid, but not with an S. Like her mother's name. Ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss. It sounded really cool when she said it out loud like that.

"Aki..." Kei's voice was tiny. This was way too scary for her liking. Somehow they had managed to exit the building and thus enter the city and she didn't recognize anything! Where were they? She looked back as Aki pulled her further. Maybe she should go back to her mother, but going alone, no she couldn't do that! That was way too scary too! "Akiiii." She pressed again.

The boy hadn't an ear for his sister the first time. He kept walking, frowning as he looked around. Of course now and then turning around a corner. He wanted to see more of the city that was so different. Only the second time Akimoto turned his head as he stopped. ''Yes?'' Akimoto asked, frowning less. He wasn't sure what Kei wanted. Maybe she was also full of questions? But they then had to find answers.

"I don't wanna..." Kei started before her eyes caught something. Between all the tall people and all the people walking around there was one just as small as them. Kei's mouth opened to point this out to Aki, but there were people shouting around her and her voice was so tiny. Yet now she had found something. "Look." She said waving in the general direction of the little being on the opposite side of the road. "Is she lost?"

Akimoto stopped frowning as he understood that Kei didn't want to continue. Halting, they were standing in the midst of a sea of long legs. Not able to figure out where they had came from, Akitmoto was looking around. Only when Kei pointed and tried to show him that there was another small person, like them, Akimoto thought about it. It was clear that Kei wanted to go to the person. But he wasn't so sure. Softly squeezing Kei's hand, Akimoto mustered his courage. He was after all the little champion! Puffing his cheeks for a moment, he took his o so brave step forward towards the small girl. ''Lets go to her.'' He told Kei, continue to try to wade through the sea of those long legs. Hopefully he would be able to avoid dealing with people that were so tall when he was old.

Almost excited Kei nodded and took the same step forwards as Aki. All those legs were passing by, but there was a path between them. There was a way to the other side, to the other person that was like them. Somehow the legs never hit them as they moved, which was strange because they were very small, but Kei didn't mind of course. With almost kind of, sort of, confident strides she stepped towards the girl, shaking avoided another pair of legs and feet and finally after what seemed to be ages arrived at the other side of the road. But now that she was actually there it was suddenly hard to speak and the words got caught in her throat as she watched the little girl siss.

Like if he could sense Kei's excitment, Akimoto would try to walk differently. With more confident. Yes, he was the little champion. Son of Aiko the silent and Zakito the brave. Yes! He would show his sister the path throught the annoying wood of tall legs. Huffing his cheeks, he almost fell as one of this legs blocked his way. Coming to a halt, he looked up. Clenching his free hand in a fist, Akimoto raised it up in a dramatic manner. ''Stupid leg tree.'' He muttered. But after he managed to lead his twin sister out of the dangerous moving forest of tall legs, Akimoto raised his hand, only to lose his balance. His eyes widened with shock and fear. What? Suddenly, he fell as he let go of Kei's hand. Falling flat on his face. ''Aaaauuwww...'' Thus ended the heroic journey the woods of tall legs.

"You look stupid." The girl said on a decisive tone, pointing at the boy who had fallen on his face. "What's your name?" She then asked after a short pause, during which she intensely frowned at both of the newcomers. "My name is Sachi Emiya. The best name ever."

Kei stared to the girl when she spoke only then to notice that the rock she had been holding on to had fallen flat on his face. She stared at him too. He always fell. Aki was really stupid. Kei never fell of course. She could walk just as good as mom. And just as good as dad. She looked back at the girl who had called Aki stupid too and nodded. "He is stupid." She said decisively as she tried to decide what to do. Should she walk to the wall? Or should she help Aki up? Oh, but first she had to introduce herself like she had learned. "Kei Hon." She mumbled with a bow. "I don't know if it is the best name."

Clenching his hands into fists, Akimoto didn't want to cry. He was a champion. A little one, but he wasn't stupid. Pouting as he managed to get up, he felt that his nose was not feeling comfortable. Briefly placing his left hand to check if it was still on the same place, Akimoto heard what the girl said. Sachi was the best name ever? But what was his name then? He thought his name was super nice. Did that mean that his mother and father weren't in time to name him Sachi? That was so unfair. ''Akimoto Hon.'' He muttered, not really feeling that happy. Why didn't he have the best name ever?

"Even your name is stupid!" Sachi said convinced, before sticking out her tongue at the boy. Stupid boy! Yes he was! "It has no S or E in it, so it is really stupid."

Kei glanced back and forth between Aki and the new girl. Sachi. The best name. Did that mean she was the best person too? Because your name kind of determined who you were. She was Kei after all and her name was Kei. "Akimoto is not a stupid name." She said then because that had to be true. Her mother and father had given Aki that name right? And her mother and father were really cool.

Surprised, the little champion regained his hope. His valour was back! A smile formed on his lips as he heard what Kei said. Huffing his cheeks, Akimoto placed his fists on his side as he tried to make himself a bit bigger than he was. ''My name isn't stupid.'' He said, almost in the same manner as Kei, like he would need to confirm the words of his sister. Realizing who's words he was confirming, Akimoto became confused. Dropping his brave and heroic pose, he lowered his head as his right hand went to his chin. Kei was usually mean and then nice. But what if she was trying to be mean while being nice? No, she wouldn't try to be mean and nice. What would she be then? A nice meanie? That made no sense! There couldn't be such a thing! Or maybe..

Suddenly a large threatening shadow loomed over the group of children as one of the grown-ups approached them from the large group they had just escaped from. "Ah, here you are! I've been looking for you two!" Kensuke said with a friendly voice, kneeling down to be at eye-level with the children. "Your mother will be worried sick by now!" He added on a light tone, before sending a look at the other girl, who looked at him with the meanest frown he ever saw. "And who is your new friend over there?"

Kei's head shot up immediately as she heard Kensuke's voice as she stared up at the adult with big open eyes. It was that really cool guy! He was also reeallly tall, but suddenly became less tall and way closer to them. Kei decided that hiding behind Akimoto was now the best course of action. Normally she would hide behind her mother, because she was strong and just as tall as this guy, but today Aki would have to do. She grabbed the hand of her twin brother and forced him forwards a bit so that he would be before her and in the way of Kensuke. Still it seemed unpolite not to answer his question so she opened her mouth to tell the guy who this girl was when her voice was intercepted by another one.

"Her name is Sachi." A voice came from behind Kensuke. "I believe I told you that once." The voice didn't sound mad, but rather... on edge. Uncomfortable. A hint of anger. And that was exactly how Eiji had felt when he had started to run around in panic for his lost daughter and now had found her with the killer of his wife before her. Kensuke Nimatsu. How was it that he had to be here. Now. At this time. At this moment. With his daughter. The faiths really liked to toy with his mind, didn't they, pushing him in the path of this guy again. For a moment all he could see was how that man had stood before Samaki. How they had greeted one another. How they had fought. And he could see him cut through her once again. But that was not now. Kensuke wouldn't slash through his child. He knew that. He believed that. And yet... "I suggest you move."

Startled by the sound of another tall leg tree, Akimoto's eyes widened. He looked up to the person. He had seen him before. The one that he had tried to befriend, but his mother had kept him on her lap. That had been troublesome as the person looked cool, so far a tall leg tree could look cool. Except his mother and father. They were also tall leg trees, but they were different. At least they called him by his title. With Kei shoving him in front of her, he huffed his cheeks again as he tried to frown. He would impress this tall leg tree! Only then to be surprised. His mouth dropped as he saw how the tall leg tree became smaller! He wasn't aware that the blond person could do such a thing. This one was thus full of tricks. But before Akimoto could answer back, after Kei had spoken, another tall leg tree came and approached them. Wary of the sudden two tall persons, Akimoto was considering a way out. He had to make sure that he and Kei could escape. Maybe they should bring Sachi with them. A companion with the best name, but not the best smile. Never the less, a champion as small as him couldn't leave such a good name bearer alone! Keeping a close on the two, a devious and cunning plan was being produced in the mind of the little champion.

''Sshh. Like before.'' Akimoto whispered to Kei. Hoping she would pick up the hint of what they had done before to sneak away, they had just wait for the right moment. Stupid tall grown ups always had something to discuss or talk about with each other.

Startled by the sudden arrival of the man he looked over his shoulder, and then felt his heart skip a beat. While he had been startled by the sudden voice, he was scared to death for a moment when he realized who it belonged to. Eiji Emiya. The man whose wife he had killed during a simple duel, right infront of his eyes. The man in this world with the most right to hate him and kill him. He wanted to say something, but all he could feel was a painful sensation of guilt and sadness running through his chest as he swallowed his words, knowing that no words would help here. Stepping aside as he asked him to, he allowed the man to reach his daughter, as he stared at the ground between his feet.

"Dad!" Sachi said, and stood up a tad too fast for her own good, nearly falling over, but skillfully recovering, unlike the stupid kid. "He is stupid!" She said, pointing at the boy who was 'secretly' whispering in her sister's ear. She stared intensely at her father with the most hopeful look, biting on her lip with anticipation of his words. He had to agree. I mean like, he didn't even have an E nor an S in his name! So stupid! Duh!

As soon as Sachi spoke to him Eiji's features softened and he stepped forward and kneeled to meet the girl and lift her up in his arms. "I told you not to run off, little eggplant." He said to her, but he didn't sound very mad. He poked her cheek with his finger. "If I have to look for you and Kuni all the time I won't be able to do my job. Ever. I'll only be running after you guys." He hoisted the little girl a bit higher and took a step back. "And you can't go around and call people you just met stupid whoever," his eyes shot to Kensuke, "they are." He smiled back to the girl. "I'm sure they are... nice."

Kei in the meantime found it a good idea to follow Aki's lead. Sneaking away did sound good though... Kensuke was really cool. But he was also really big and kind of intimidating and kind of scary. But cool. She bit her lip. Kensuke had said that her mother was worried. She turned to Aki. "Shall we sneak back to mom?" She whispered back as she followed her brother.

With mild interest Eiji watched the two go. "Your kids are escaping." He said slightly amused to the downcast Kensuke.

Sneaking away, Akimoto wasn't paying much attention. Our hero was walking again through the dreaded leg forest. Frowning, Akimoto wasn't seeing any legs anymore. But mean and scary tall trees. Without a trust worthy sword or shield, he had only his armor and courage. ''Hmm.'' His frown was replaced with a curious look around. He had to protect the princess and then manage to find their mother. But first getting rid of those grown ups. And find a good name. Maybe he could find a better name than Sachi. Or find the place where he name came from. Then he could bring it back home and also be liked for the best name ever. But still different than Sachi. The imaginary world was shattered as he realized that Kei had asked him something. ''Yes, yes. But first, we must escape!'' Akimoto told her. Hoping to keep him and his sister hidden among the crowd, Akimoto realized something. He had no clue where they were or where their mother was. Shocked by the grim fact, Akimoto started to look around. His lower lip trembling as he started to feel scared. His mother, where was she? Producing some soft sounds, Akimoto wasn't sure what he should do now.

As Eiji warned him about Aki and Kei running off again he felt angry with himself for being so incompetent. He couldn't even keep track of two kids right underneath his nose. He turned around to catch the two devils in the process of sneaking off, and sighed deeply as he picked both up, one in each arm. "Now don't go running off again. Because I've been here before doesn't mean I can't get lost here too. Thereby, your mom would kill me if I'd lose you two." He told both of them as he turned back towards Eiji and Sachi, and immediately grew a pained expression again as he looked the man in the eyes. He looked away and tried not to be awkward, horribly failed, and was then saved by the children's oblivious innocence, which in this case, didn't make him feel better.

"Is that man stupid too, daddy?" Sachi asked Eiji as he picked her up, playing with his red hairs. Her daddy had like the most amazing red hair, as if he was like, on fire. It was awesome. He always told her that her hair was nicer though, as it had the same colour as mom. She always wondered who this mom-person had been, that her dad talked so much about it. Maybe she should ask daddy if she had been stupid too. But she had red hair too, and had a cool name, so maybe she wasn't. But she'd ask just to be sure, once.

For a moment Eiji could only stare at his daughter. He blinked once. He blinked twice. And then he laughed. Here he was, standing once again opposing the man who had killed the woman he had loved with all his heart, on his arm a small child on his arm while the other man was trying to restrain two, and Sachi just had to ask that question. If he wouldn't know better he would say that she had timed this perfectly. Thought it out for months with that frown that she always carried. The one that reminded him so much of her. It was the only question she could ask at this exact time and this exact place and it made him laugh. Childeren, he thought, were really amazing sometimes. "Yes," Eiji replied. "I'd say he is pretty stupid."

He had expected him to explain her something about her mother and his involvement in her death, he had expected a hateful gaze and a painful silence, he had expected a sneering comment about how damn stupid he was, but nothing in the world could have prepared him for this. Eiji ... burst into laughter ...? No, that must've been the last item on the improbability drive based on what he expected. When the man then added that he was pretty stupid, all Kensuke could do was stare at the man as if he just grew a new pair of arms.

"Yeah, he does look pretty stupid like that." Sachi said, content with her father's approval so recently after saying that she shouldn't call everyone stupid. At least she was right about this guy. He had blond hairs? Pfff! Come on! That was sooooooo uncool.

Why was he picked up? Worse, why was Kei picked up? Akimoto started to make all kind of soft sounds, trying to protest against Kensuke picking them up. What if Kei didn't like this? Then she would cry and he would feel bad. He was supposed to keep her safe and happy. A bit in panick, Akimoto noticed that Kei wasn't crying, so he shouldn't worry too much about it. Listening to what was being said, Akimoto realized that Sachi called Kensuke stupid. But now Akimoto realized it. He looked at Kensuke and back at Eiji and Sachi. Then back at Kensuke. Looking displeased, Akimoto raised his right hand and pointed to Kensuke's face. ''He isn't stupid.'' Instead of mumbling or muttering the words, Akimoto spoke them with normal volume. ''He is... scary, but nice. Like a friendly giant.'' Akimoto looked at Kensuke. Frowning, Akimoto didn't like it that the tall person was called stupid. Maybe he wasn't that bad, even as a tall person. ''He knows mom.'' Trying to sound confident, Akimoto was a bit intimidated by the other person. Eiji had red hair like his mother and Yukara. Did that mean he was a Cho too? Then they were family, weren't they?

Unlike Akimoto Kei wasn't paying the least attention to the strange new man and the little new girl that they had met. She was being held in one arm by Kensuke. Kei stared to his face from the side, her eyes big almost shocked. Then her ears picked something up about someone being stupid. Kensuke being stupid. That couldn't be true. And he wasn't scary either. Well he was, but he was like... tall. And blond. He was like... a hero from the stories. Way more then Aki. Aki was way too small. Pondering about all of this Kei didn't speak to either of the people present.

Eiji didn't speak either. He watched his daughter for a moment, his laughter dying away. No, he hadn't forgiven Kensuke for what he had done, he realized. Forgiveness might never happen, but as he observed the boy he could see that hate was also no longer present. He didn't hate this man which brought a frown to his face. Why didn't he hate him? He should. He had all the right. But then there was Sachi's face and he knew he wouldn't. It was a promise. He turned slightly as if he was going to walk away but then seemed to change his mind. "Nimatsu." He said slowly. "Look past it."

At first baffled as the supposedly hilarious moment passed, an awkward silence fell as Kensuke sought for a way out of the conversation. However, to his surprise, Eiji, who had also looked as if he wanted to walk away, started talking to him again. He looked at the man as he spoke with a guilty look, and rapidly blinked a few times when he said to look past it. A strange exhilarating feeling rushed through his body as he realized what the man had said. He instantly knew what Eiji had meant to say, but somewhere a voice still refuted that because why would the man ever forgive him? Suddenly he realized he had just stood there absentmindedly, and sighed, relaxing a bit. He felt the need to thank him for it, but that would just make things awkward again.

"No, wait." Eiji raised his free hand before Kensuke could even utter a full word. "I am not forgiving you. I am not sure if I can do that. Ever. I am just saying that at present... Let's say that I don't really feel like bashing in your face anymore. If that means anything." His tone was almost humorous. "So please extend the courtesy." He shot Sachi another look. "Besides it seems we both have our arms full."

Kensuke relaxed as the man spoke, and a strange peaceful feeling got hold of him, yet not entirely. Somewhere he was still conflicted about the entire string of events, but Eiji's words did much to easen the painful feeling of guilt right now. "I'm trying." He replied equally cryptically to avoid the children from understand anything of their conversation. "It seems so." He replied calmly in response to his second remark, upon which he took interest to Sachi. He didn't want to ask about her age, she should be about ... almost two years by now? It had been a year and a half since he killed Samaki, and Sachi'd have to be born a bit earlier. "You know Sachi, your father was right, I am pretty stupid."

"I know!" She replied triumphantly, sending Kensuke, Aki and Kei the most complacent look ever found on a two year old. Even the guy himself knew he was stupid! Maybe he wasn't so stupid after all! Wait. What. No, he was stupid. He definately was stupid. But what if he realized he was, did that make him un-stupid? Making a confused thinking face she finally concluded he was pretty stupid anyways, and sticked out her tongue at the stupid tall guy.

"All right, come on." Eiji said, shaking his head slightly at Sachi's antics. "Because of you I left the match and left my new student alone. Time to get back to them both. We gotta see Kuni, okay?" He asked though it wasn't really a question since he was going anyway. "We have to tell her how amazing her fight was." But at the mention of that Eiji's thoughts actually went back to his original troubles before he had found out that his daughter had disappeared. Something was not right with Kuni and he had to figure out what to do about it. "Say bye."

Pouting at her dad she gave him her best impression of big and begging eyes, untill she realized his father was immune to that. Snorting she gave in to his demands. "Bye."

Kensuke grinned and nudged both Kei and Akimoto hanging around in his arms. "You guys say goodbye to your friend too." He told them, awaiting them to most likely equally reluctantly say goodbye.

Akimoto wasn't paying much attention. Though the man with the red hair had caught his attention at first, Akimoto was looking around. There was too much too explore. too many secrets that were just laying there or here that he had to find. Heroes and champions did that kind of thing and he wanted to do that. The conversation between the two long legs wasn't much of his concern. Probably something boring and not worthy to be paying attention to. Not while there were secrets, treasures and tales of legends laying in wait for him! Frowning as he noticed a person that looked differently, Akimoto mumbled something as he tried to stretch towards the bypassing person. In a swift manner, Akimoto held something in his right hand. The person that had passed by, kept on walking while Akimoto smiled, looking with a proud look at his new found treasure. A hat, no less! Putting on the rather big hat, Akimoto was already living in his imaginary world, again.

At first Kei had only been staring to Kensuke and had been trying to pay attention to what he was saying. But he kept talking to that other man and not to them so Kei soon lost interest as well. Only then she saw that Aki had actually managed to get hold of something. Now that would not stand. If Aki had something she had to have it as well. So she tried to reach for it past Kensuke's face, but, for obvious reasons, wasn't able to reach the hat. "Not fair!" She called to her brother. "Give me."

He sighed audibly as he saw how Aki had gotten hold of a hat, which Kei was trying to get a hold of. He shook both children softly in his arms so they'd pay attention to him. "Guys. Say goodbye to your friend, don't be rude." He repeated, distracting Aki enough so he could grab the hat with his hand.

Friends? Akimoto looked confused and then the blond long leg shook him! Surprised, Akimoto wanted to protest. Who would dare to shake a champion? Unless he was a villian, then he could do so. But with his attention being drawn from the hat, Akimoto's eyes widened as he noticed that Kensuke took it. That was even worse than how Kei often took what he liked! ''Nuuuuu. Mine hat.'' Akimoto muttered, not paying attention to Eiji nor Sachi. Friends? That girl wasn't his friend, though she had the best name ever. And even if that man had hair like mother, he wasn't interesting anymore. The hat was.

Giving Akimoto a stern look he waited untill the young boy would say goodbye. "Do I need to tell mom you didn't want to befriend someone?" Looking with a frown at Kensuke, the small boy wondered what the long leg meant with that. Why would he befriend somebody who called people stupid? There was something as a logical limitation to things. Muttering something softly, he stared at the hat. ''Mine hat.''

Kensuke ignored the child, instead staring and waiting untill he'd say goodbye. The intense dissappointed look on his face would certainly help convince the young rebel to listen. Instead Kei got the hint and remembered her mother's words. Something about being polite. With her eyes still on the hate Kei mumbled. "Goodbye." For a moment she looked at the two new people, but then she was drawn back to Aki and more importantly to Kensuke's face that was increadibly close to her and it was kind of intimidating.

He sighed in annoyance of the two children and turned to Eiji to apologize for the children's rebellious behavior when ... He was gone. He looked around the crowd, using his length and even tip-toed to see the red-haired man, to no avail. Silenced and dumbfounded he turned around and walked back to the arenas. Aiko'd be waiting for him.

Yoshikuni Sadako

Standing near the entrance to the field she had previously fought in and looking around, Kuni wondered where Eiji was at. She figured that he must be looking for her as well, and perhaps even merely waited for her to be finished with Reyna. That would be like him, not wanting to interfere. As she moved to stand on the tip of her toes to try and see a bit better, she was approached by a boy who appeared to be the same age as her. Moving back to stand properly on her feet, she listened as he gave her a very short and simple explanation.

"Well, you have found me. Yoshikuni Sadako, at your service!" Kuni said and took a deep bow in an unusual way, moving her right hand across her chest as she lowered her body forward. After getting up from the odd bow, she gave the boy a smile "Don't call me Yoshikuni though. Everyone calls me Kuni. Anyways, you said he told you to come introduce yourself, so go ahead and do that." She said and looked at him. The fact he called Eiji 'sensei' meant that he was most likely a new team member, which was great. She knew that Eiji thought from time to time that there was something wrong with him that caused him to keep losing students, so she hoped this one was going to stay, just like she was always going to be there for Eiji.

"Call you Kuni, alright then. My name is Ryuu Uchiha, it is a pleasure to meet you." Ryuu said quietly. The boy was very obviously not used to actually talking to other people. He shifted uncomfortably as he looked at the girl. "It's really a pleasure to meet somebody who doesn't know me just by seeing me and instantly reject me. A refreshing break from the academy." Ryuu admitted before realizing what he had just said. The boy tried to hide but there was just a hint in his facial features that showed he hadn't meant to say something personal like that.

Meisa Ichi,

An evening home,
Alone with Mayumi.

After a long day at the Hokage Office, Meisa sighed. The door went open as Meisa threw a quick glance in the hallway. As she closed the door and kicked off her shoes, somebody opened the door and smiled at her. ''Lady Meisa-sama.'' The young girl made a bow towards Meisa. It was the nanny of Mayumi, who told that the girl had been sweet and lovely. Thanking the nanny and reaching out to her wallet, Meisa paid the young girl and wished her a pleasant evening. Walking into the living room, Meisa sighed. She had literally shut down every sound as she walked towards the couch. Sighing again, she dropped herself on the couch and only then heard some muttering. On the floor, Mayumi was holding some toy. But her attention wasn't at the toy. With a big smile, it was focused on Meisa. Who looked with a frown at the infant. ''Sweet and lovely?'' Meisa thought to herself. The child grabbed the toy, which looked like some sort of animal, with both her hands. Muttering something, Mayumi held the toy up. Like she was presenting Meisa how cool and nice the toy was.

Staring at the child, Meisa then resolute turned her head away. The reaction made Mayumi's eyes widen. The child couldn't understand clearly why her mother neither had any interest in what she liked or attention for her. Muttering, the child started to slowly approach Meisa. ''Mommy.'' Mayumi muttered, her cheeks blushing a bit. She wasn't sure if she would annoy or bother her mother in any way with approaching.

Meisa turned her head and her facial expression changed. Mayumi was around two steps away from her and stretched the toy towards her. A big smile was formed on the lips of the child, hoping that her mother would take the toy. ''Scram.'' Meisa said with a stern tone. The expression of the woman was a stern look. One that made Mayumi stumble backwards and look surprised. Had she angered her mother? How? She wanted to show and let her mother play with her toy elephant. Stumbling back, Mayumi fell on her rear and looked up to her mother. Why was her mother so angry? Father wasn't so stern or angry on her. He was sweet and friendly, but why wasn't mother like that?

''Go and play somewhere else.'' Meisa said on the same cold tone as she looked with a bit of disgust at the child. Tears were forming at the corners of Mayumi's eyes. She couldn't understand it. As she turned around, wanting to move away and not bother her mother, Meisa already stood up. She was taking a few steps towards Mayumi. This caused the child to look over her shoulder. Maybe her mother was now going to pay attention to her? With renewed hope, Mayumi turned around and stretched out a hand towards Meisa.

Who walked past her.

The hand had barely managed to grab a bit of Meisa's pants. Her mother walked straight past her, leaving Mayumi to stand alone in the living room. With Meisa leaving the room, the lower lip of Mayumi started to tremble. Looking at the toy, the elephant, she slowly sat and stared at the toy. It was a really nice toy, but why didn't mother like it? Everybody like elephants. The nanny loved them, she said that. Why didn't mother care or love the elephant? Or her? Silently tears were rolling down Mayumi's cheeks. She didn't want to play anymore with the elephant.

Saki Yamanaka
Konohagakure chuunin of Team 7.

Euhm.

Saki was a bit surprised. She thought that Kensuke had asked her to accompany him and here she sat. Alone. The girl had her legs crossed and her arms as well while she noticed how the group went away. The match was over and frankly, her opinion on one team mate was already lowered by what she had seen. Looking a bit bored, Saki was thinking on what she should do now. Amegakure wasn't a place where she had any thing what interested her.

Rising from the seat, she took a glance in the field where Ezuri had fought and lost from Koike. Walking towards the exit of the tribune, Saki thought on what she could do. Kensuke was busy with something. One of her team mates was cringing in pain and crying. Her other team mate was probably still fighting or done with it. Almost Saki had looked annoyed, but she decided to find or do something that would cheer or distract her.

Walking straight into the rain, Saki smiled a bit. If there was one thing she didn't mind then it was the rain that poured from the sky. Unlike the Leaf, Mist or any place she had been the rain provided a nice change. Though after several minutes, Saki had enough of it. Getting to shelter, she decided to head to the hotel where she had a room. Maybe she should get changed and then find a nice place to eat dinner? Considering that Kensuke had his own plan, she decided to not bother to find him. A bit of time alone was something she actually preferred.

Aiko Cho-Hon,
Konohagakure Jounin sensei of Team 8,

Taking a rest.

Aiko looked nervous. Her hands were clam as she locked the door. Taking a step back, she looked still with a nervous look at the door. Testing it out, she closed her eyes. It was locked. The door was locked. The windows were locked. Slowly, Aiko turned around. Both Kei and Akimoto were on the second bed in the room. Together they had fallen asleep. Probably tired out by the events of the day. Glad that the two were asleep, Aiko realized she could take a rest as well. Koike had passed his match and Katsu had managed to gain a draw. Both had done their best and she was still proud of what they had accomplished. Realizing that it wasn't over, Aiko looked at the bed.

It was all empty. All just for her to lay and rest on. To close her eyes and fall asleep. Walking towards the bed, Aiko felt the soft sheets. Not caring that she was laying on the sheets and not underneath them, Aiko closed her eyes. A smile started to grow on the thin lips of the woman, who was about to enjoy her well earned rest. Then her eyes shot open.

Akimoto stood at the edge of the bed. His head was just barely in view as he stared at his mother. A bit confused, she wanted to ask him what was wrong. ''Mommy, I want a story.'' The boy softly asked. Blinking a few times, Aiko wanted to tell him no. That he should get to bed so that she could get her rest. Instead, Aiko sighed and smiled. ''Shh. Come.'' Laying on her side, she watched how Akimoto get on the bed. Beaming, he laid next to his mother as he looked at her, his eyes filled with anticipation of what kind of story he would get to hear from her. ''What about a story of a brave hero?'' Aiko asked on a soft tone. Kei was still asleep and luckily, Akimoto seemed to understand the hint. The question was a bit silly, in the boy's opinion. Who didn't love to hear about the adventures of a brave hero?

Thinking for a moment, Aiko had a story for him. ''Long, long ago. In a land far away, there was a young man. One that had a very big heart and courage, never seen before.'' Aiko started. Though she would bend it a bit, it was actually more a myth from the Cho clan. But it would come in handy to tell Akimoto about it in a version he would certainly love. ''Did he had white hair? And a sword? And.. and .. a twin sister?'' Akimoto asked on a hushed, but eager tone.

The questions made Aiko smile as she gently ruffled a bit through the boy's hair. ''Yes, he had white hair. And even two swords that he could wield like one never had seen before. And though he hailed from a loving and caring family, the hero had no name.'' This caused Akimoto to open his mouth as his eyes widen. A nameless hero! ''Our nameless hero traveled a long time on his own. Sometimes he would make a friend or two and spend time with them. But forever the road was calling to him, for there were unknown places that he wished to see. Knowledge long lost that he wanted to recover. But most of all, he was seeking for what was very important. Worth more than all the money in the world. More valuable than a whole continent or the riches of the most powerful rulers.''

The boy was totally fixed on the tale that his mother was telling him. He could see himself, on top of a horse. Seeking for what was so important. Already Akimoto was trying to think what it could be. A third sword? A secret that would tell him how to be smarter than Kei. Or perhaps the best name! That would be great for a nameless hero. ''On one day, the hero rode on top of his steed towards a more mountainous region. He had heard of a very wise queen. The rumour was going that she had an answer to every question and though the hero doubted if that was true, he decided to try to see and gain an audience with this queen. The problem was that she only lived in a beautiful castle high up in the mountains. A place hard to reach for those who weren't known with the paths that would lead to her castle or who didn't had wings to fly with.'' Aiko continued. She thought more about the myth and figured she couldn't really change most part of it. Maybe make it less grim than it actually was.

''It took the hero quite some time, but he eventually managed to reach the castle of the queen in the mountains. And he saw that it was a wonderful place. It was built like it was part of the mountain itself. Strong, yet having a certain majestic grace to it. And thus the nameless hero ventured into the castle and..'' Aiko paused. She noticed that Akimoto had fallen asleep. With a smile on his lips as he clenched his hands into fists. Noticing something, Aiko sighed as she nodded. Silently, Kei would pull and climb on the bed on the other side. ''Mommy?''

''Yes, sweety?'' Aiko asked as she would lay on her back. With one arm, she reached towards Akimoto and the other towards Kei. Laying close to her mother, Kei closed her eyes. After a moment she asked her question. ''Mommy, may I and Akimoto go on an adventure one day?'' The question surprised Aiko a bit, but she smiled and had to even held a laugh back.

''As long as you stay together, Kei.''

Kiyomi Sato-Hon,
Hokage apprentice,
Leader of Team 2.

Laying on her back, Kiyomi stared at the ceiling. She couldn't get the idea out of her head. She had been responsible for Katsuko's death. Yumi's loss of memory and what else? Narrowing her eyes, she tried to find a reason to make it up. A way that she could make things better, but she couldn't turn time back. It had happened and she had to live with the consequence and result. Though she disliked what they were. Sighing, she closed her eyes and suddenly fell like her room was too small. It felt like a prison that kept her in such a gloomy mood. Getting up, Kiyomi thought about what she could do. Hayate was together with Mimi in Amegakure. As was Kensuke. And going to Amegakure wasn't an option while she had been tasked to help Tatsuya. Who wasn't in a good mood either, at least the last time they had spoken. HIsoka was also at Amegakure and as she kept trying to come up with a name of a person she would like to spend some time with, Kiyomi realized something. Why didn't she just spend some time by herself? It wasn't like she never had done that, but that was mostly just training and studying. It was time to do something exciting. Something that had nothing to do with being a jounin or the one that managed the Konoha Guardians. No, it would have to be something that she had not done before to pass time.

Walking towards the door of her room, Kiyomi thought about her options. Somebody was snoring and she noticed Samehada in the corner of her room. Maybe it would be best if she would go alone for now. Matatabi was most of the time silent, so she wouldn't need to worry about him. Opening the door and closing it softly behind her, a smile was growing on Kiyomi's lips. She was dressed in her casual atire, but she carried no pouch. No weaponry at all. This time she would spend time on doing something fun. And harmless or well, almost completely harmless.

Exiting the house, Kiyomi felt a bit excited. There were many things she could do. Realizing that there were most of the time ANBU following her actions, Kiyomi thought differently about it. Remembering that she had gone a bit worried and angry over it, only to turn indifferent towards it, she thought of something. She had her own invisible escort. That would come in handy!

Though she still had the dark thoughts in the back of her head, she managed to slowly distract herself. Now all she would need to figure out was what she would do. There were some things that were going through her mind. Like jumping off the Hokage Mountain? Though then she would need to use ninjutsu or tools to not jump to her death. Thinking about some other options, Kiyomi was absent mindly walking through Konohagakure. Biting on her lower lip, she noticed something. She had to step aside as a carriage was heading down the street. While she would step aside, she saw the horses. Not really though an expert on the animals, they brought a brief experience back. One that she had enjoyed. A memory she cherished.

''I could do that.'' Kiyomi mumbled to herself as she would then head towards the main gates. She had to pass the inner gate of the inner wall, but she had no problem with that. At least being infamous had a plus at times like that. Heading towards the merchant quarters, it was not that busy as usual. With the evening most merchants weren't really as active as they were in the noon or afternoon. Still, there were some places that were still trying to sell or were just open. Hearing the sounds of the animals, Kiyomi started to smile. While she was heading towards a stable, Kiyomi wondered for a brief moment. She was thinking about her being half a Sato. Did that mean she would get a rush and joy from riding a horse? That was what most nomads did, right? One way to find out, she thought to herself.

Entering the stables, she noticed some horses. Some of them were quite big. Curious, but yet careful, Kiyomi approached a big black colored one. He was in his pen and eyed Kiyomi curiously. ''Hey there.~'' Kiyomi softly said as she stretched her hand. The horse's nostrils widened as the animal seemed to sniff her hand. Slowly taking a step towards the curious animal, Kiyomi smiled. ''You're a pretty one, aren't you?~'' Then she had to jump back. Surprised, she quickly examined her hand. The horse whinnied as it throw up its head and for some reason Kiyomi thought it was mocking her. ''That wasn't nice.''

''A wild one, he is.'' Hearing the voice, Kiyomi looked over her shoulder. Noticing a man with a pitchfork approaching her, Kiyomi tried to flash a smile. ''Sorry, I didn't mean to trouble-'' But the man raised his free hand and shook his head. ''No, no. Don't worry lass. I was just going to set him and two others in the meadow nearby. Just need to wait for my sons and daughter to help me out to bring the horses outside.'' The man said. He smiled at her as he nodded with his head. ''What is your name, lass?''

Feeling a bit embarrassed as she had almost been bitten by a horse, Kiyomi smiled and answered back. ''Kiyomi Sato-Hon, sir. Pleasure to meet you.'' The man seemed to frown. Rubbing his chin with his free hand, he leaned more on the pitchfork as he seemed to ponder. ''Familiar name, that is.'' He mumbled briefly, on which he then cleared his throat. ''The name is Lee. Lee Akaike. Pleasure to meet you too. But what brings you to the stable?'' The question made Kiyomi a bit shy. She wasn't sure how to phrase it and started to realize it could be a bit rude to just enter a stable and then ask to how expensive it was to rent a horse for an evening. ''I wanted to see...if I could like..''

''Try to ride a horse? Hahahahaha, sorry miss, but that is quite funny. I have been in the horse business for quite some time. But never have I met somebody who just approached the wildest stallion and then express she wanted to ride a horse.'' While the man laughed, Kiyomi felt a bit shy and embarrassed. She wanted to mock him back as she got the idea he was doing that. But she remembered her lessons well. Trying to look calm, she then tried to answer back in a serious tone. ''I would love to rent a horse for an evening. What is the price for that, mister Akaike-san?'' Kiyomi asked.

Her question caused the man to slowly stop laughing as he then seemed to think about something. ''I know a good deal. Come back over ten minutes. Then you can ride with me and get a ride for free. Only, you need to ride Kazeya.'' Lee nodded towards the horse, who snorted as he shook his head. Looking sideways at the black stallion, Kiyomi thought about it. Then she decided to take the chance. ''Mister Akaike-san, I will see you within ten minutes.'' Kiyomi flashed a smile as she would then quickly run away. She had something in mind. Lee looked at how she ran and chuckled. ''Poor lass. Well, time to saddle some of you, heh.''

---

Ten minutes later.



''Everything is ready, pa.'' One of the boys said. Three boys and one girl were checking if the horses were saddled up like they should be. Sitting on top of a grey mare, Lee looked at his children. He scoffed. ''Well, seems the lass-'' But then he heard somebody. ''Here I am!'' Kiyomi came running around the corner. She had a pair of apples in her hand and a shoulderbag. ''Well, seems she came after all.'' One of the boys said, grinning. Two boys exchanged a grin after they had examined Kiyomi. Kazehaya snorted as he shook his head before he eyed Lee. ''He is all yours, Miss Sato-Hon.'' Lee said, gesturing to the stallion. Kiyomi frowned as she approached the horse, who was much bigger than the others ones. At a few steps away from the horse, she raised up her left hand, offering a red apple to the horse. It bowed his head and sniffed at the apple and then took a bite.

Even while she was pleasantly surprised, Kiyomi was on guard. Nearly had she pulled back her hand, but she managed to control her nerves. Lee chuckled and then gave a signal. His children mounted the horses they were supposed to ride. ''Go on ahead. I will try to help Miss Sato-Hon over here.'' This earned the laughter of one of the boys and it annoyed Kiyomi. Focusing her attention on the horse, she tried to whisper things. Instead of telling him how pretty or big he was, she just talked about stuff. About how she would like to have Hayate here or Midori. That she knew a nomadic clan and then just started to whisper about the Sato Clan. Not that she had in mind that it would help to convince the horse to let her mount on him. But if she could distract him with the apple and whispers, it was better than just trying to jump on his back.

Interested, Lee watched how Kiyomi offered the horse another apple, this time managing to do so without worrying too much of getting bitten. Approaching the side of the horse, Kiyomi patted the neck of the animal. She continued her rambling softly about the Sato Clan. How she had played a very fun game with Midori, on trying to jump on the back of a horse.

Then finally, as Kazehaya finished the second apple, Kiyomi slowly mounted on his back. Not that she was a stranger to a horse back as she remembered the few times she had been on them. Mostly just for travel or to chase a target. And the last time just for fun, though it wasn't probably fun for the surprised horses. ''Well done, Miss. Shall we proceed?'' Lee asked amused. Nodding, Kiyomi took the reins and then softly tried to instruct Kazehaya to move forwards. Instead the animal shook his head as he then whinnied. ''You need to show him who is the boss, Miss Sato-Hon. Creatures with such fierce attitude don't tend to listen to soft words and actions. You need to force him.''

Though she nodded, Kiyomi felt a bit in conflict. Why would she need to force him? It brought somehow back the memory of when she had tried to force Matatabi into trying to open a bit up to her. No, forcing Kazehaya wouldn't do it. ''Mister Akaike, may I suggest something?'' Kiyomi asked, on which the man nodded and frowned. ''What about a race?'' She asked, patting the neck of Kazehaya. The question of Kiyomi made the man burst out in laughter.

''A race? Good miss, I think that would be unfair. This mare is the fastest of the stable. I don't think Kazehaya could keep up with her, not as long as he won't listen.'' Shaking his head, the man beckoned her to try to use force. Almost had she done it, but Kiyomi decided to give it another try. Straighten her back, she smiled. ''But if it isn't a problem, then why not give it a try? I think somebody might surprise you, Miss Akaike.'' Kiyomi said, though she didn't feel that confident. But somewhere, she had the idea that it could work.

''Fine, I don't think I can see much harm in it. Though, if you fall of the horse then it is your own responsibility!''

---

Outside the gates of Konohagakure.



Kiyomi took some deep breaths. She looked at her side and saw the son of Lee that had laughed. He sat on top of the mare as he had switched with his father. Maybe for the better, Kiyomi thought as she hoped she had more of a chance now. Not that winning was important. But the rush of sprinting with the stallion and just being a bit outside, and near, Konohagakure would hopefully clear her mind a bit better.

''Ready?''

The daughter of Lee looked at both one of her siblings and Kiyomi. Both nodded to signal that they were ready. ''I will promise you something. If you do your best, I will buy you more apples.'' Kiyomi whispered as the daughter started to count down from five. ''Ride with me and not for me. Okay? We can win, together.'' The stallion turned his head a bit, like he was giving her a glance. It was hard for Kiyomi to understand what kind of look he was giving her, but she noticed the ears were down. Was that a good or -

''Go!''

The boy with the grey mare shot forward, like an arrow shoot from a bow! Kiyomi blinked with her eyes and then she felt a gust. Gripping with both her hands at the reins, she only realized a moment later what was going on. Kazehaya sprinted, trying to keep up with the grey mare. Trying to ride as best as possible, Kiyomi gritted her teeth. The boy was more experienced and they were so fast! They were gaining a growing distance between them. Squinting her eyes, Kiyomi tried to adjust herself to move better with the horse. Kazehaya whinnied as he lowered his head a bit, trying to move faster to keep up. ''Come on, we can do this.'' Kiyomi mumbled, trying to move her body a bit closer to the horse instead of away.



They were racing down the dusty road, away from Konohagakure. With the forest at the sides, Kiyomi focused only on the back of the grey mare and the boy. Tighten her grip, she smiled. The rush of the wind, the race and the speed were just breathtaking. Not the kind of adraline that rushed in her body when she was fighting head to head against a strong foe. Then she heard something, which made her head whip to the left. ''See ya!'' The daughter of Lee grinned and winked at Kiyomi. Surprised, Kiyomi noticed how she and the other boys were passing her. Like it was easy! Frowning, she then tried to more her best. Kazehaya snorted as he then almost slowed down. ''Come on! Kazehaya! Quick as the wind!'' Kiyomi said, on a loud tone. The horse shook his head. They were losing the others!

''Let show them, together!'' The horse then gained a bit more speed as the road would soon split up. The children of Lee took the left and Kiyomi followed, trying to keep up with them. The horse then shook his head again, turning his head to try to eye at Kiyomi. She then noticed what was wrong. He looked like he was in doubt or that was at least what she guessed. ''Together, promised! Now lets go! We got to show them who is boss, right?'' The stallion shook his head and narrowed his eyes briefly. Beaming, she noticed how the distance between her and the few others became smaller. They were catching up!

Smiling, she passed the first two sons of Lee and winked at one, who looked surprised. Then she had just to catch up with the daughter and the remaining son, who was riding on the back of the grey mare. They were still at some distance, but she noticed that they were catching up. Getting more excited, Kiyomi started to mumble that Kazehaya should try to go faster. Try to live up to his name. Like she should.

The thought surprised her a bit, but she managed to stay focused. The daughter looked over her shoulder, noticing that Kiyomi was approaching and catching up. Squinting her eyes, she then whipped her head to try to do her best to remain ahead of her and Kazehaya. But eventually, Kiyomi and Kazehaya caught up with her. ''Bye!'' Kiyomi stuck out her tongue as Kazehaya whinnied. Earning a surprised look from Lee's daughter, Kiyomi noticed how Kazehaya went even faster. It seemed that he was going to give everything he had left!

''A little bit closer!'' Kiyomi mumbled. She leaned far forward. There was just the grey mare and the boy. If they could pass them and then gain distance, they would have won the race. ''Go Kazehaya! You're awesome!'' Kiyomi said, with quite some enthusiasm in her voice. ''Nearly there!''

Kensuke Nimatsu - Team 7 jounin

His clone spectating Shisen's fight poofed away when Shisen Inuzuka surrendered the match to her opponent, much to Kensuke's liking as the clone's dissapearance gave him the information. It had been a relatively long and even fight, and at several points Shisen and both Masami had come close to concluding the match. All in all, very exciting for those watching, and even more of a disappointment for those spectators when it ended so calmly. All in all, as a sensei he was quite content with Shisen's achievements, and with Ezuri's, but both had obviously realized that they still had a lot to learn. At least, so he hoped. Returning the two brats in his arms to Aiko sitting in the arena where Ezuri faced off against Koike Hon, he pondered about being kind to his genin for once.

Ofcourse not.

Shinichi Kyousuke “and we’re walking…"

Shinichi’s mouth moved in a way that could only be thought of as a smirk when Kamiria responded to his question. ”We’ll aren’t you just a little spoil-sport today?” he responded with an obvious amount of sarcasm. ”I’m just kidding. I just thought you’d bring something different to occupy your time. Not even a ball of clay to mess around with? You’re gonna be sooooo bored.” at this point he was just teasing her while Niji went and got ready to take the lead. It seemed as if the second he finished his dialogue with Kamiria, Niji had grabbed the paper and began reading it, obviously needing to know where they would be heading.

”I know Niji, I know. It’s definitely been a long time since we’ve don’t something that wasn’t just a training session.” Shinichi looked over to Niji after speaking and found that Niji had already buried her face in the map. ”We’ll if I’d have to take a wild guess on when our last mission as a team took place I’d probably have to say at least a few months. That’s just a rough guess though.” Shinichi obviously didn’t care if the question was rhetoric or not. The second Niji began moving Shinichi followed, allowing both his students to go ahead of him. He wouldn’t be there for them forever so now would be a good time for them to practice their map reading skills which understandably would be more difficult for Kamiria.

The walk would take a while so Shinichi thought it’d be best to start briefing them a little more at the beginning of the walk, mostly just to kill some time. ”Alright you two, listen up. We’re heading to Kumotta Village, a good amount of home were left standing so we really don’t have to worry about that. I believe the main focus will be repairing stores and I assume helping in finishing the village council building which I’m mostly assuming has been nearly fixed at this point.” Shinichi surveyed the land in front of them and beside them and wasn’t met with anything special. Obviously they were heading to land at a lower altitude at the moment but Shinichi was sure that soon enough they would be heading back up to higher land soon enough.

Ahead of the trio lay a plethora of mountains and what some could explain as a carpet of foliage as most of it seemed to rest below them, further down the mountains. ”Of course we might have some deliveries to make but for the most part I expect this mission to be rather straight forward. I know you want a little bit more action Niji but this one might be a get-in-get-out type of scenario” he wasn’t going to lie to them, it defiantly was exciting to be out on a mission again but this one just seemed slightly boring.

A few minutes passed after the mini-briefing and the walk was already starting to become a bore. If it wasn’t for the nice scenery Shinichi would probably find himself doodling while walking. ”You know…it’s kinda weird” he spoke up out of nowhere. ”It seems that our little team is always rather repairing a city…or watching it fail” a moment of what he assumed was confused silence fell on the team. ”We were all their to watch a village suffer by the hands of Genkai’s men, all from our little basement hideout…and now, almost two years later we’re here, reversing the actions of irrational foot soldiers who followed Genkai’s orders. It might not be the same village but it’s still weird how it seems little missions like these are what bring us together again rather it be due to health reasons or months of individual training, we always end up back together, picking up pieces” Shinichi remained looking forward as he spoke, not having any reason to look around anymore as there were still relatively close to Kumo, probably an hour away by now and that’s when walking.

”I’m sorry.” he left a small break assuming that Niji and Kamiria would ask for the reasoning behind the apology. ”I’m sorry you both had to endure those dark times. I know as ninja you would need to see the evils of the world soon enough but…but that was too soon. I’m sorry you both saw what you did. I’m sorry you saw Kumo in the state it was in, I’m sorry I couldn’t do more” once again that regret for not doing more came back to Shinichi. He left the life of evil with hopes of creating a better future for the next generation and Shinichi still believed he could have done more.

So what if he intended to form a small rebellion after saving a village from his basement hideout? So what if he helped rebuild after Genkai was long gone? He was a day late and a dollar short and by the time he could do anything Genkai was long dead.

((I know its been *cough-cough*a month or so*cough-cough* but hes a post, hopefully the length justifies the wait. I will post with Kato later, just a heads up for anyone who cares))

Kiyomi Sato-Hon,
Hokage Apprentice,
Team leader of Team 2.

A clear sky.

She leaned back with a small smile on her lips. The sun was slowly going down and it created a nice coloring in the sky. Though knowing she had to head back, it was just so peaceful. Very relaxing to just lay against the stomach of the horse who had also laid on the ground. ''It is a shame we lost.'' Kiyomi mumbled, though she kept smiling. Though that they had lost the race, Lee had found it both amusing as impressive that she had managed to ride so well with Kazeya. Though she hadn't say it, Kiyomi wanted to joke that it was cause she was half Sato. With the horse laying relaxed and she with her back against him, she thought about it.

Right now she was kind of following the life that had been that of her mothers. That of a kunoichi of the Leaf. Maybe their goals and ideals were different, but they both had that in common. Her biological father was a nomad and she thought about the nomad life. Riding on top of a horse, traveling to new places. She had to say that she always had liked to explore and learn about distance places. A life of a nomad seemed not that bad, she thought to herself. Placing her hands at the back of her head, Kiyomi thought more about it. She wanted to become the next Hokage and so far everything was going as she would want it. Or perhaps she had expected it differently?

She half closed her eyes, still staring at the horizon. The beautiful lighted sky didn't bring any comfort at all as she thought about it. When she has been less serious about it, being Hokage meant something completely different than what it meant to her now. Understanding what was needed to do as the leader, what kind of decisions you would need to take. What kind of hardship you had to endure. It was completely different than what she had expected when she had tried to impersonate her uncle at some times. Back then it had seem like an easy task, where everybody respected you. Where nobody would dare try to mock you, cause you were somebody that was there for a whole country.

''Heh.'' Kiyomi sighed as she shook her head lightly. Maybe she was still a bit naive. But at least now she understood what it meant. Most of it. Only she wondered about the lessons. Both Hisoka and Meisa were wonderful people. They hadn't done anything to her or any sort of action in her opinion that was just rash or without a purpose. With Zakito it was just that she hoped that they would stay around for a very long time. Yes, becoming a Hokage would be great. But any time soon? No.

After all, she had some time to spend the day like this. To just relax and sit back, not needing to worry about a decision. Or any secret bothering her. Pushing such thoughts and memories away, she smiled as she would speak up. ''We should do this more often. Kazeya.'' Kiyomi whispered. The horse whinnied briefly and what seemed to her as a hushed tone. Yes, she was sure of it. Staying as the apprentice for quite some time would be perfect in her opinion.

Mika Hayashi,
Kirigakure Jounin,

Seeking out the first.

Glad with the fog, Mika would glance around. Without making a single sound, she slowly creeped forwards while holding a kunai in her right hand. Though she was sure that the fog had covered her approach to the island, she wanted to be on the safe side. After she had stalked around for ten minutes or so, she sighed. Storing the kunai away, she felt more relaxed. Though she wouldn't never think twice to say the words, she was happy with her ANBU training. It made her enable to see through many of the tactics and traps of the potential ANBU that would later be send after her. There were always tactics she couldn't herself neutralize, but knowing how the ANBU worked was a great advantage for her.

Walking towards the west, she was thinking about her current goal. With the current information it wouldn't be much of a problem to find the person. The talk and what might would come from that was the task that she found grim. Not that she was doubting herself or the chance of succeeding. However, time was running short as she was wondering how much time she actually had. Finding it frustrating that she didn't had a clear indication of how much time she had to organize the last few steps for the start of the revolution, Mika decided to not mentally complain too much about it. It was better than no time at all. Yet,

There was always a plan B.