[center][h1]At the border of the Land of Iron[/h1]
[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMoGwL7kQx4]Agnus Dei X[/url][/center]

The teams had been travelling for a while now, towards the border. Ayame had grown slightly agitated at the longer waiting times, but she supposed it was wholly possible the two late teams had gotten hindered at their mission and were late for just that reason. However, in order to be slightly more timely, and not arrive at midnight, the teams had been put on a double speed order - they were to move at a much more rapid pace, with the four jonin at the front to set the pace. Due to that they approached the border much more rapidly than originally anticipated. This was sure to bring them there on time. [color=black]“Fuji..”[/color] Ayame said, softly to not alert the others, although it was highly likeable that Tsukiko had noticed a presence - a very powerful one at that - in the area too. Perhaps even Megumi could've noted this, although Ayame wasn't sure about her abilities in that regard. [color=silver][b]"I know."[/b][/color] the man replied, allowing his bamboo stick to slide down his sleeve and onto his palm. Regardless of the presence the team had to continue until they made themselves known. The person's chakra was leaking all over the place, signalling that this person was much more powerful than your standard fodder shinobi. It also made it impossible to pinpoint where the person was exactly. The chakra was so thick, and so powerful, the chunin might even sense it without sensory capabilities. And given that the  jonin had a team of chunin and even genin with them who hadn't experienced powerful shinobi like the one in the area, it was a neccesity to go to the Land of Iron as quickly as possible to shake them off.

They were about to cross a crossroads, following it straight ahead although obviously they were above the crossroads using the branches as a quicker method of transport. It was at this point that Tsukiko likely would've noticed movement to her left, but also to her right. Anyone else trained similarily to Tsukiko in the art of having honed senses would've noticed too, although the sounds were vague and were just vague enough to be mistaken for a rustle of wind passing through leaves, or an animal passing through a path. However things quickly ickly calmed down and the chakra that seeped through the area seemed to dissapear, as well as the sounds. All seemed clear again. Ayame let loose a relieved sigh, wondering if any of the chunin had noticed anything. 

Ayame fell down from the branches and landed on the path. It was best if they'd stay on the ground, to make sure that in the case of an attack they'd have free movement and a capability to oversee what was happening without leaves blocking the way. She stopped for a moment and looked around at the area before turning around fully and facing Fujitora, Tsukiko and Megumi. [color=black]“What do we do?”[/color] It was clear she was talking about this chakra pattern that the jonins would've noticed, but she spoke in a hushed tone to ensure that the chunin and genin couldn't hear them. 

Following his sister, after all she was the boss of this operation, he stood stoic behind her as this overwhelming presence was making the Jonin commander feel just as uncomfortable as a child staring directly at their closet door in the middle of the night. Something nasty was there, and it felt all too familiar. [color=silver][b]"... Don't move, I'll..."[/b][/color], as he was preparing to use his scattering ability to scout this intimidating area, he was stopped by what was happening right before his eyes. It left him paralyzed in, not fear, but in awe to the sudden milling of leafs in one area. He'd turn to acknowledge their presence and without hesitation readied his bamboo. [color=silver][b]"Aya."[/b][/color]

After warning his sister, he placed the end of his bamboo right over his mouth and blew directly into it. The sound of a discorded trumpet came out of it at first, but the air released into it would allow a small spherical projectile to be fired at the direction of the amassed leafs. The bullet's goal would be to hit whatever was using these leafs as a means of appearing and explode into many shrapnel of enhanced material from his most powerful technique. 

Ayame turned just as quickly as Fuji, noting it at pretty much the same speed as he did. [color=black]“Hai.”[/color] she said, stating it rather matter of factly. At the same time as Fujitora, she slid several senbon out of her sleeves - not poisoned, as she'd expended that already - and threw them towards the whirlwind of leaves. Similarily, Megumi and Tsukiko were expected to also have noticed the strange disturbance in leaves and to have attacked it. Likely the chunin and genin would be stranged out by the fact that they seemed to attack air, but it's purpose became clear soon enough.

When the attacks came close to the whirlwind of leaves, a poof of white clouds appeared in the whirlwind, confirming the idea that Fujitora and Ayame had about it. The sound of metal could be heard, like Ayame's senbon hitting their targets. But Ayame had made that mistake again, so she stood ready anyway. When the smoke cleared, it revealed who was there. Or rather, who [i]were[/i] there. A giant circular shape, with moss growing on it and vines hanging from it, and a rennaissance-like shoe stepped out of the mass, seemingly unharmed whatsoever from the previous assault. It was Gian, the same [url=http://i.imgur.com/MZy8QOs.png ]joker-like bloke[/url] who encountered the two dominant Jonin of the group seven year ago. His clothes were exactly the same, a mix of white, red and gold in an attire one would only see in theatres. He was wearing an opera mask, a weak endeavor to conceal his identity. [color=gold]"The coast is clear, my mistress~"[/color] he'd warn the one he was accompanying. As he bowed down to the direction of his 'mistress's' appearance, Ayame could clearly see the mass of senbon she had hurled early, all held in a bundle in his hand.

Meanwhile, the round shape had multiple dark spots of black, what looked like coal or charrings, on it. It seemed to be from Fujitora's attack, but there'd also be remnants of anything the other jonin had thrown at the whirlwind of leaves. Slowly, the round figure went up, the whipvines following it in a trail. The round figure revealed itself to be an umbrella with patches of grass, and even flowers and a small tree sapling growing on it. From the sides whipvines hung. Underneath the umbrella was a [url=http://safebooru.org//images/1442/5d60f7f636b34c1906b7e8c2b6f1bdf87958b024.jpg?1510003]very beautiful young lady[/url], although she was dressed in appropiate battle armor for the fight that was seemingly going to erupt. [color=4D765D]“Thank you, Gian. You're a sweetheart.”[/color] she said to her companion while she moved the umbrella to lean on her shoulder. The movement of the umbrella finally revealed the ladies' eyes, which were as white as the eyes of a Hyuga. [color=4D765D]“How are you, Fujitora, Ayame?”[/color] she said, finally acknowledging those in front of her, who she didn't pay attention to at first.

Realizing who it was, he lowered his guard and retreated his baton into his sleeve. Fujitora could only deduce that this would end up like last time if they tried anything, but they also had the youths to think about as well as their own colleagues. If seven years ago they couldn't even get a scratch on these people, it'll be a bloodbath for the others. [color=silver][b]"Kusaru. What is it that you want?"[/b][/color] he said with a deep voice and an expression lacking any form of vulnerability. He didn't consider this as a casual thing anymore, this mission escalated to something they couldn't even control in a matter of seconds. But why were they attacking now of all time?

[color=4D765D]“That's not a very nice way to greet me.”[/color] Kusaru answered, somewhat unhappy that Fujitora had already revealed her name to the chunin and genin. She had preferred to toy around with them a bit longer, but upon hearing the name the team would likely already know who she was. She was somewhat of a famous, but also infamous figure of the shinobi world. The only reason that Fujitora and Ayame weren't attacking right away to get rid of this rogue shinobi, was because Kusaru was way too strong for them. [color=4D765D]“I had hoped to catch you mid-mission, but I suppose this will do just fine.”[/color] she said, looking at the ronin that was being dragged along. She smirked at the sight of it, though her charm made sure it looked more like a cheeky smile than anything else. Her eyes dragged across the group, looking at each person individually. She recognised a few of them from intelligence reports received from Miyoshi, otherwise known as Bravery. 

[i]Aoi Don Maquia[/i]. Interesting girl. Her hiden was interesting, and she'd proven useful on more than one occasion. She'd be a fine addition, if only to discover the secrets behind her mucus hiden. [i]Ueno Haruka[/i]. A bland boy, if anything, but it was just that that made him interesting to Kusaru. Her eyes rested upon him longer than on anyone else, looking seductive as always. He'd be easier to manipulate, perhaps. [i]Yamato Minamoru[/i]. The boy was a hard worker, ruthless, sacrificial to the point where it was almost insane. And above all, his father was influential. He'd be a useful asset too although Kusaru would probably see him sacrificing himself earlier than she'd like. The boy was powerful, so that'd be sad. Maybe he'd be a prime candidate for her.. more manipulative techniques. [i]Shin Maru[/i]. Not a very.. known boy. Kusaru had read only little bits about him, but he was part of some special part of the Maru clan. He was interesting, if only for that kekkei genkai. And then.. [i]Megumi Tanpopo.[/i] An interesting girl, one that was likely very [i]very[/i] much susceptible to Kusaru's charms and charisma. Or even the more refined techniques. Besides, she was also useful. Kusaru would make a mental note to ask Bravery to gather more intelligence on that little lady. 

She smiled seductively at Ayame and Fujitora. [color=4D765D]“I just wanted to come here and.. see the two of you. It's nice to also meet your friends.”[/color] Ayame would stand by idly, battle ready but somewhat at ease. Her face however said otherwise, as it was very concentrated on the surroundings. She was so concentrated that she didn't even dare move to give the chunin orders, and simply hoped they would understand the situation at hand. [color=black]“Yes. You've seen us. Is this all, lady Hyuga? We have something to do.”[/color] she'd say, although not particularily rude, more like she was trying to dissuade Kusaru and make her go away. Kusaru didn't answer, simply watching idly with her white eyes. It would take a minute before Kusaru would answer. [color=4D765D]“I wished there was another Hyuga amongst you. We don't have many in Kirigakure, and they are even more scarce outside the villages. Sadly.”[/color] The standoff would continue in silence for moments more, waiting for either side to do [i]anything.[/i] All Kusaru did was stand idly by, looking at the crew and smiling seductively, charismatically, almost not befitting the dangerous situation.

A sudden sound of metal clanging occured as Gian stood straight once more. Slowly but surely, he took a step forward, passing his supposed leader as if he was confronting the whole group. He lifted his chin in a somewhat cartoony fashion, taking the people before him for lower beings he could arrogantly step over. [color=gold]"Kuku~ Mistress, I feel like a sort of tension in the air! Is it freeball if they cross the line?"[/color] he'd ask his mistress, but as he finished talking, a true tension took shape in the air. A different chakra engulfed the area, but advanced shinobi weren't the only ones capable of feeling it, everyone could. Weaker chuunin would feel somewhat uneasy in it, almost nauseous, but not enough ot hinder their performance. Jonin would easily shrug off the feeling, but would come with a new set of worry as this wave of 'tension' evidently wasn't just for show.

[hr]
[center][IMG]http://i59.tinypic.com/v3ev60.png[/IMG]

[h2][color=9e0039]Yamato Minamoru, “Young Master”[/color][/h2][/center]
[hr]

Yamato had been following at the front of the troupe of chunin, followed up by Aoi and then Nobunaga. Most of the teams had stayed in their original groupings, except for the jonins who would end up at the front near Ayame and Fujitora. He didn't say much anymore, preoccupied with following the last in line of the jonins, which was Megumi. Besides that he was also busy looking around. He'd been interested in the land of Iron for some time, wondering if he could find anything of interest here. Surely it'd be much better living here, in the relative calmth, rather than his house where anyone and anyone seemed capable of breaking in, such as Aoi or Saburo.

However something changed in the air once they reached a certain portion of the forest, almost at the border. It was a.. strange sensation that Yamato hadn't felt before, a sense that said something powerful was nearby. It was confirmed to him, personally, that something was going on when Ayame lowered to the ground, and Fujitora and others followed suit. He didn't say anything to the other chunin though, and pretended that all was fine. 

However as soon as the jonins would start attacking a whirlwind of leaves, he knew that something was [i]really[/i] up and he rushed forwards, only stopping besides the jonin that was [i]supposedly[/i] still in charge of him, Tsukiko. He listened in carefully, standing by in a combat ready position, hearing what the woman had to say. The womans words were calm and peaceful, despite the attacks that had just happened, but Yamato wasn't fooled. The jonins were still on edge, and it seemed that Ayame and Fujitora had dealt with this woman before.

It was only then that it was revealed this woman was actually [i]Kusaru[/i], or otherwise known as [i]the Angel.[/i] So her presence was what filled the air with chakra earlier.. she must be incredibly powerful. Not that that would sway Yamato. Almost everyone in Konohagakure would know this woman, and if they didn't, they surely knew once someone said the first few words of an explanation who she was. The woman was incredibly famous, although some would prefer the term [i]in[/i]famous. 

She continued talking and her words sounded very sweet, and without realising it he lowered his guard a little bit. That was only rectified once that.. strange man next to the Savior stepped forth, and asked if they had freeball in case any of the Konohagakure shinobi would cross the line. A strange sensation filled the air, bringing Yamato a bit off of his piece, but he quickly shrugged it off and raised his fist. [i]Cross the line..[/i] [b]I'll fucking show you the line by shoving your face into it.[/b]

[color=9e0039]“Let me show you how it's done, Tsukiko-chan.”[/color] Yamato said, an arrogant and self assured smirk on his face. With his left hand, he's softly push Tsukiko aside by her arm, with his right he'd flick back his wrist and enlighten his hand in flames. [color=9e0039]“You might be revered as a God by some, Kusaru, the Savior. But I am the only God here.”[/color] He'd step forwards, but as his foot sank into the ground, the Jonin commander would attempt to firmly grasp the young man's forearm. "[color=silver][b]Minamoru, know yo-...[/b][/color]" but before he could finish Yamato had already stepped further, evading the grasp without even realising it. Fujitora wasn't going to intervene anymore than that. It was a lost game to him, and if he couldn't stop him now, it wasn't worth the risk afterward. 

Yamato continued on his way, flicking back his left wrist by now too and engulfing it in flames. He knew this wouldn't be enough to even scratch her so he also augmented fuuton chakra, augmenting his fire fists even more, causing them to rise up higher and burn a bright blue hot color. He smirked even wider as he approached Kusaru, closing the distance slowly, but then faster as he went on into a light jog, and then a full on sprint. [color=9e0039]“[b]HHHHHHRAAAAAAAAA!![/b]”[/color] he'd yell as he approached Kusaru closer and closer, and swung his fist wildly in a wide circle at her face, the only part of her that wasn't covered by armor. 

[hr]
[center][img]http://i59.tinypic.com/1zlsnj5.png[/img]

[h2][color=fuchsia][b]Aoi Don Maquia[/b][/color][/h2][/center] 
[hr]

The mission was nearing its end and Aoi had already made up her mind on how she was going to deal with the upcoming weeks. That would obviously include not working and heading straight for girls night out and similar kind of stuff. That and work in the restaurant, she liked the money way too much to randomly take breaks from it. They returned into their set teams for the mission so Aoi was stuck with the two bores of the century and the wild Jonin of the bunch. At least it kept the clown calm for a little while longer. 

All of a sudden, everything stopped and the squads were put in a standstill. Only Ayame and Fujitora Sensei were mobile during this occurrance. The other Jonin acted up too as if they could feel danger coming their way, but Aoi didn't feel anything, or just barely. She wasn't trained in that kind of art yet, so to her she could only rely on a hunch, and given the caliber of their enemies, it would not be enough. When bushes would rattle and the air rise up in tension, she'd finally feel a certain level of uneasiness, prompting her to follow with her team down the branches, remaining behind the leading Jonin. 

The little clown remained somewhat oblivious to everything until leaves started to concentrate at one point, which likely caught the attention of everyone. In two specific cases, it caused violent retaliation. Senbons and an explosion, a little extreme in her opinion for a bunch of leaves, but Aoi would find out that they were in reality aiming for two real people appearing out of nowhere from that point. Aoi was obviously surprised but would only be rendered in absolute awe when neither of the Jonin-level attacks actually did anything to the duo. They simply casually blocked them all and proceeded to greet the two leaders as if this was everyday stuff. 

The jester guy looked funny, Aoi couldn't take him too seriously but he was definitely some crowd pleaser, a bit like her. However then woman was notably beautiful at first glance, but her voice and eloquence would make the young chuunin blush. She was simply mesmerized by the soothing sounds coming from the young lady's mouth along with her graceful body language and tones. Even with the Jonin being hostile toward her, she couldn't really know if she was truly an enemy or not, after all she didn't attack anyone and seemed calm. Aoi's naive mind and pretty pragmatic though overly simplified views on many issues became apparent in these types of situations. 

It would be with Gian's provocations and Yamato's sudden outburst that Aoi would have her bubble being popped and her train of thought being redirected to the true issues at hand. 

"[color=fuchsia]Yamato, what the hell?![/color]" 

It was all she could say to his barely justified rage. All the woman had done was introduce herself as Kusaru, a famous woman in Konoha Aoi heard about from time to time on TV but never truly realized how much charisma she had. Despite being devoid of political knowledge, Aoi found strange interest in Kusaru at this very moment. But now she knew there was going to be fighting, and taking the initiative was her thing, backing up a few meters behind to approach the other squads, she'd apply her gooey bungee on two specific people: Akio and Daiki. She wasn't sure as to why exactly, possibly due to her recent talk with Akio which affected her subconscious choices and Daiki because she was all too familiar with his fighting style. 

She herself applied the bungee from her back to a nearby tree behind her, sticking it near the peak of the wooden being. She'd then focus her attention of spitting random blobs of goo in different places in case there'd be a really bad situation. However she wasn't going to directly engage with so many people in the way (on her side), at least not without a little coordination.