Kai sat silently, listened attentively and gave a slight nod every now and then as everyone took their time to speak. It seemed like everyone was ready, perhaps not entirely comfortable with the thought of leaving the village, but still ready. When Ichiro failed to contain himself and almost screamed one would have to be blind not to notice the panic in Kai's eyes. His hand instantly shot up toward his mouth with a silencing gesture, but he was anything but calm. As his friend seemed to realize his mistake Kai went over to one of the tiny slits and peeked out. People were moving outside, they were in a residential area after all, you could look outside almost any time, day or night, and there would be someone out walking. No one looked like they had heard or reacted to the shout. They had been lucky. If they had been living in one of the great villages the ANBU probably would've been knocking on their door right about now, demanding answers with blades half drawn and faces hidden behind masks. On the other hand, if they really had been in one of the great villages they probably wouldn't have had to escape to get some proper training and missions to earn their living. 

Satisfied with the way people kept moving outside Kai returned to the small circle of ninjas. His eyes were locked on Ichiro and in his mind he was weighing the arguments for and against a proper scolding. He settled for silence. Ichiro was a companion, an adult and a ninja of the same rank. Neither of them had any kind of authority over the other, anyone was entirely free to get up and leave at any time if they wanted to. The work they'd put in to find this small group of like-minded was staggering. Hours of stalking, watching. Then talking, generally, earning trust, slowly hinting about things that could be. So many had to be abandoned because they couldn't be trusted with keeping the escape secret. 

Kai relaxed and sat down on his knees, one deep breath and his shoulders dropped, there would be a lot to worry about later. 
“Looks like we're as ready as we're going to get.” He said and almost jumped when he heard the distinct sound of someone knocking on the door upstairs. [i]ANBU[/i] was his first thought, the second being if the small slits were large enough for him to escape through. In the next instant his thoughts had gathered somewhat. It was pretty ridiculous to think about ANBU in that moment. Gobi didn't have an ANBU force… Right? 


Right?