[center][b][i]A plan in motion.
A dangerous hunt.

Part I

A collab between Lillydove and Gerontis.

Summary :
After some days of travel, Team 3 is wandering around. Both are sent on a mission to bring down or capture a missing nin that had murdered his parents, after which he tried to spark a conflict between the Cloud and the Fire Union.[/center][/b][/i]

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[hider=On the move.]
The mountains were visible on the horizon. Standing on a branch, Satoshi felt like he was going home and in a certain sense it was. The mountainous region that was the border of the Lightning and Frost country was the main place of operation for the Black Guard. Thinking back to his days of serving with the border patrol unit, Satoshi realized how much he missed this time there. [b]''I suppose it is now only a day travel and then we will be at the mountain passes.''[/b] He would say before looking at where the sun was. From the position and color of the sky, it was evidently clear that it would be soon getting dark. [b]''Shall we make camp or do you wish to continue?''[/b] Satoshi asked his student.

Hanako enjoyed the scenery till now, focusing more on where they were presently instead of the different veiws and the differences from the village they had. She felt like she should check the area for anything or anyone, being so far from home was making her a bit antsy. [b]"Alright.."[/b] Hanako said, nodding. She was also feeling a bit tired from all the travel and the way the sun was it would be dark fairly soon. [b]"I think that would be wise, would you like me to check for anything?"[/b]she asked.

Dropping himself from the branch to the ground, Satoshi thought about it. [b]''Yes please.''[/b] He didn't expect anything else than maybe forest critters around them, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Looking around, Satoshi was trying to see for a suitable place to make camp. With only two, they wouldn't need much space like a full team. Forming the kai handsignal with his left hand, Satoshi would also briefly try to sense the area for any chakra signatures.

Stopping a second after she heard his answer, she let herself slide down the boulder and down to the ground. Walking about three stesp away, she stopped and performed the Ram hand seal, sending her chakra into the Earth. Seconds later, she felt the hum of the earth, the rush of her charka and the pitter patter of the steps of the small animals that lived on it. She couldnt detect any unusual chakra signatures or any at all for that matter. Her posture relaxed, breifly, before her chakra came flooding back into her, essentially muffling the hum of the earth. [b]"I could not detect anything unusual,"[/b] Hanako reported back.

Hearing Hanako reporting that she couldn't detect anything unusual, he nodded as he lowered his left hand. Neither could he. That didn't mean that the area was safe, but the chance of being ambushed by an enemy was at least by some margins smaller. [b]''Lets set up camp then.''[/b] Satoshi said as he turned to the right. They were standing on the edge of the pine forest that was in front of the mountainous region. Pondering if they should make a camp within the forest or on the edge, Satoshi decided something. [b]''What do you think? Where should we make camp?''[/b]

She thought about his question, they seemed too out in the open to make it here. [b]"I think the forest would provide better cover for us than here, we would not be in the open if we are surrounded by the trees,"[/b] Hanako said. Curious if he would agree or not, she took a step in the direction of the forest. She also would feel safer in the forest surrounded by all the trees than with none around her.

[b]''That sounds good.''[/b] Satoshi replied. He glanced at the shoulderbag at his side and would take a step towards the forest as well. When he noticed that she stopped, he nodded and friendly gestured that she could take the lead. [b]''Have you often camped?''[/b] He asked, thinking briefly back about his early days in the Black Guard. If there was one thing he liked, it was to camp in the wild.

Noticing his gesture, she turned and headed deeper into the forest, deep enough that it would be hard for them to be ambushed. She stopped about a hundred meters into the forest and turned to him. [b]"I think this is good,"[/b]Hanako said. She had to smile at his question, she nodded. [b]"Yes, we make an effort to camp at least three times a year, a way of remembering the past,"[/b] she said. Her mother had taught her that before the Asushika Clan had settled, their clan was nomadic and roamed the land for many years, she did not want her child to forget that. 

Following his student, Satoshi stayed quiet as he was simply observing how she would start to work. The way how one would make a camp could mean the difference between surviving a nightly ambush and not. That and of course making it a bit comfortable, he thought with a small smirk. He was also personally a bit curious to see if there was some special ritual or perhaps way on how her clan made camp. Not that it was important, but he liked to learn about others and their way of life.

Hanako looked around the area before she decided to see if she could find some wood or something that would catch fire just as easily. [b]"We should look for some fallen branches to start a fire,"[/b] Hanako said. When she would camp with her parents and some of clans folk in her clan they never stayed on the ground at night. Always in a tree or somewhere above ground as to not disturb the wildlife and it was safer for them as well. [b]"Are you keen on the trees or do you prefer the ground?"[/b] she asked.

[b]''I don't mind either.''[/b] Satoshi replied, lightly shrugging. [b]''Besides, you are now the one who is deciding how the camp will be and where we will camp.''[/b] He friendly continued. Shoving his left hand in the pocket of his pants, he let his right arm hang by his side as he briefly glanced around. He didn't mind to give his student a chance to take the lead on tasks like this as one day she would perhaps have to do it without his help or presence. Deciding to remain further silent and simply follow her, Satoshi was thinking about a song that always managed to stay in the back of his head.

[b]"We could escape an ambush or an attack more easily on the ground being able to run without needing to get out of a tree. But a tree would already offer some form of shelter and if someone or something was looking for it we would see it first,"[/b] Hanako said. There were a lot of advantages and disadvantages to either side but she always felt more comfortable above ground. But now was not the time to be selfish. [b]"The ground should be fine,"[/b] she said. She scanned the ground for any fallen branches to start a fire with. 

Noticing that she looked for fallen branches, Satoshi soon joined her in. He was half wondering how loose or stern he should be with Hanako. He hadn't ever mentored a chuunin before, so should he perhaps be a bit more loose with her? As in that she could have more responsibilities? It sounded justified to him. She didn't had earned the rank with battering her eyelashes, he thought to himself. [b]''Sounds good with me.''[/b] He decided to say on a cheerful tone. While he was collecting some branches, he would use his sensory technique to scan the area around them now and then. The fact that they were nearing the mountain passes didn't mean that he could be less cautious.

Once she had a decent amount of fallen branches she put them in the middle of the camp site and arranged them in a way so they would both keep and maintain fire. She took two of them and began to start a fire, it took a few tries but eventually it sparked and there was a flame. [b]"We should not let it be for too long, it will attract some of the inhabitants of the forest to us,"[/b] Hanako said. It was one thing she was taught, fire was warm but it came with trouble if left alone. She did not want to have to harm the inhabitants of the forest if they came to investigate the cause of the fire. 

[b]''Aye, agreed.''[/b] Satoshi said. He would put the branches he had collected at the fire. Sighing, he enjoyed the warmth and light of the fire. Kneeling down, he moved his bag in order to grab some provision out of it. They didn't had much with them as he believed that they wouldn't need that much. Though they had some tracking to do and trying to figure out information, he had some coin on person in case they would run low or even out of their current provision. It existed out of simple bread and some fruit, together with bottled water. Taking out a bottle, Satoshi took a nip. [b]''I hope that the pass I had in mind isn't blocked by too much snow.''[/b] He mumbled the words as he thought about it. It wouldn't be a huge problem, but he would like it if the pass wouldn't be too much snowed under. That could cost them some valuable time.

She nodded as she sat close to the fire and stared into it for a moment. [b]"What do you know of the land?"[/b] Hanako asked. She wondered if he knew of the ways to make it on his own in the forest or if he did not know. She did not want to eat at the moment and glanced back at the fire as she waited for his answer. [b]"Sometimes the land is your greatest ally,"[/b] she said quietly.

The question made Satoshi consider what he should say. He wanted to say he knew enough to know what was possible for him and what wasn't. As his primary chakra nature affinity was for earth, he assumed he knew enough. Then his training and past at the Black Guards that had taught him also how to navigate through the mountain forests at the region that was the border of the Frost and Lightning, Satoshi nodded. [b]''I believe I do know enough. Of course, I don't mind to learn more as I don't think I have learned every possible thing about the land.''[/b] Taking another sip of his bottle, Satoshi continued his answer. [b]''And that is true. I have been taught that the environment can either be your best ally or your worst enemy. To understand on how to navigate and use the area around you, you can often use it more as an ally than letting it become an enemy. So to say.''[/b][/hider]