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[COLOR=black][sup][b]Empire of Stone | Chunin | Squad Four[/b][/sup][/COLOR][/center][hr][INDENT][sup][COLOR=black][b]TIME:[/b] [i]ONE DAY AGO - 4:30PM[/i] | [b]LOCATION:[/b] [i]Amegakure - Landing Pad[/i] | [b]INTERACTION:[/b] [i]None[/i][/COLOR][/sup][/INDENT]

The VTOL aircraft had lived up to every expectation, but being from the Empire of Stone, Sakana knew full well what the luxuries of the aircraft entailed. At almost precisely 4.30 they had touch down, and Sakana was allowed to get off the aircraft. It was faster than traveling by foot - only by a little - but it was indefinitely more relaxing, and saved on stamina quite a bit. [b]“Good afternoon, mr. Uragiri,”[/b] one of the attendants said, bowing politely and far deeper than she had to for the otherwise unremarkable boy. [b]“If you would just follow me this way,”[/b] she proceeded, standing up straight again and gesturing to the stairs off the landing pad. [b]“We're a small walk away from the hotel where you will be staying alongside your companions for the duration of your stay.”[/b]

Sakana struck a casual pose, holding his two hands in his pockets while he ogled the greeter up and down. Finally, he raised his one hand up, taking the wooden toothpick from his mouth and slowly lowering it, before shooting it off with his finger. [color=black][b]“Hai. Thank you.”[/b][/color] Following the woman down the stairs into the streets of Amegakure, Sakana was ill impressed with the location. He'd been here before, as an envoy of the Empire of Stone. That was back when they still referred to him as 'that one kid with a deathwish,' where he was treated like some proof of the Raijin Dynasties' savageness. To send a young kid, barely 14, out into the fields of war with a seal that activated when he died? Truly savage. By now they had learned that that had nothing to do with the Raijin dynasties, and everything with Sakana himself. 

Was that why he was sent here? As an insult to the Raijin Dynasty? A reminder that their banished soldiers would find a home in Iwagakure, and flourish there? Sakana had his doubts that the Raijin Dynasties would even remember his name, let alone his face. As uncommon as the duels were to challenge the leading dynasties, there were plenty of other reasons to get banished and marked with a cross. Desertion. Cowardice. Incompetence. Any reason the superiors wanted you banished for, it’d be enough. Most of the banished people didn’t make it out alive, being free game. Sakana had gotten lucky that the Iwagakure nin he found didn’t kill him on sight, but rather took him in. Now, he was standing in Amegakure. [color=black][b]“This is fate,”[/b][/color] he reminded himself. 

A new era was about to begin. He would be at the vanguard. 

[hr]
[INDENT][sup][COLOR=black][b]TIME:[/b] [i]PRESENT DAY – 7.30AM[/i] | [b]LOCATION:[/b] [i]Amegakure – Hotel Room[/i] | [b]INTERACTION:[/b] [i]None[/i][/COLOR][/sup][/INDENT]

It seemed that Iwagakure had spared every expense they could, as the room Sakana had been given was rather spartanesque. Though it was far from the tribal housing in the Raijin Dynasties, it wasn’t the comfort of the Empire of Stone that he was used to. This mattered very little, if at all, to Sakana. He was here for soldiering, not to take a vacation. As soon as he got up, he ate breakfast, showered, brushed his teeth and combed his hair meticulously. 

He then got dressed, putting on a black mesh wifebeater, before pulling the Iwagakure flak vest over it. He loaded the front pouch with kunai, explosive tags, and other goods, then adjusted the vest until it sat comfortably with the new weight. He wore the standard shinobi slacks and sandals, with his Iwagakure shinobi headband hanging from a belt loop. It was yet another reminder that he had had conflicting allegiances – an Iwagakure headband, a Raijin mark of banishment. Last, he pulled on his long gloves that reached up to just below his shoulders, with the fingers cut off so that he could feel and form handseals just as effectively. 

All in all, he took his time getting ready, and he ended up leaving at 8.30, or something around that time.

[hr]
[INDENT][sup][COLOR=black][b]TIME:[/b] [i]PRESENT DAY – 8.50AM[/i] | [b]LOCATION:[/b] [i]Amegakure – Great Hall[/i] | [b]INTERACTION:[/b] [i]None[/i][/COLOR][/sup][/INDENT]

The coordinator at the entrance proved to be quite organized, as a simple affirmation of an image on her PDA, as well as Sakana providing her his name was enough to let him in. He was given some number, which corresponded to a seating arrangement of sorts, no doubt for his team, so he proceeded to his seat without any interaction with anyone else. From the corner of his eye he caught the looks of someone he recognized, a man whose name he only knew as Homuru, recognized by his mask and jacket. He was with the ANBU, or more specifically, the Tiger Division, as far as Sakana knew. What the specifics were of that, he could not tell. What Sakana could tell was that Homuru was a skilled individual, because only competent people made it to the Tiger Division. 

Sakana found his seat slightly behind and to the right of Homuru, in a different area from Homuru completely, barring any conversation between them – not that either of them were going to be interested in talking, most likely. Sakana sat down with his unnaturally calm composure, not even batting an eye as more people entered. Kuro was quick to follow his entry, and was someone Sakana was more familiar with than this Homuru. Miyako Kurosawa would’ve been easy to mistake for an Uragiri, had she had black eyes. Her black hair matched that of Sakana both in color and length, and their black clothing matched as well, as if they’d color coordinated.  [color=black][b]“Miyako,”[/b][/color] Sakana greeted her, whenever she’d arrive, though not much else could be said, as Sakana wasn’t innately familiar with Miyako as a person. He simply knew of her. 

The two other shinobi on their team were from Kirigakure and, inevitably, meant that Sakana could do little else than to regard them as hired swords. Unreliable, stubborn and untrained in organized warfare. They were no doubt here just to fill the ranks, to guard the caravan and protect non-shinobi personnel. Whenever these two, namely Shinji and Koko, would enter, they’d find Sakana’s black eyes resting on them, inspecting them without as much as a word. Withholding his commentary for now, he simply regarded them, waiting for them to speak up and introduce themselves.