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[indent][sup][color=black][b]Location: Uragiri Clan Compound [Koi Breeding Pond] | Time: 9AM [9:12] | Interaction: Team 7 [Sakamoto Isami -- [@Shizuochan], Shinjo Tsubasa -- [@McHaggis], Kajiya Tatsuya -- [@Raijinslayer][/b][/color][/sup][/indent]

Sakana's black eyes shifted left to right across the faces of his new students as they answered his questions, one by one. He grinned at Tsubasa's answer, the corners of his lips curving upwards as if he was amused by her answer. [color=black][b]“So someone putting you here isn't fate? Hmmm. I think it was fate. The Sage wills it.”[/b][/color] He was going to say more, but he paused long enough to give the impression that the next person should speak, which caused the Kajiya boy to pipe up about his weapons. The upward curve on his lip curved up even more, his grin now beginning to show his teeth -- the corner teeth were particularly sharp and seemed to have been filed to this state, which was a trick usually reserved for Kirigakure swordsmen of the mist, but had seemingly been adopted in part by Sakana. It seemed that he intended to embrace the scary looks his clan had in full and utilize them as best as he could.

When the boy spoke of smithing him two weapons, Sakana rapidly pulled out the two knives that were slung across his shoulder, spinning them in his hands, before holding them out in front of him. [color=black][b]“Like these? Good choice. Even if it's a bit standard. I suppose that's what I should expect from you -- standard, no innovation, just another Kajiya. Right?”[/b][/color] His grin seemed to disappear momentarily and the enjoyment in his eyes made way for something a bit more sinister, something more serious. Was he trying to harp on the Kajiya's feelings? To hit the snares that would sollicit a response from the boy? Maybe he was, but before anyone could even think of that let alone question him about it, he sheathed the knives again, turning to the last student. 

Sakamoto Isami. Just like Tatsuya, he gave a standard answer, something that seemed to irk Sakana, a corner of his eye twitching slightly as the boy spoke. Was this the caliber of students they had nowadays -- pansies that just said whatever they thought the teacher wanted to hear? He gave no response at all to Isami, ignoring his answer in favor of pondering the quality of shinobi nowadays. 

The awkwardness made way for the spectacle of watching Tatsuya run into the koi pond, as if on purpose, and though it might've been humourous to his peers, as a laugh erupted from the clan compound just a few meters away from an on-looker who happened to catch the scenario, Sakana just peered over at Tatsuya with a disapproving glare. [color=black][b]“I see,”[/b][/color] he just said. [i]They can't even augment chakra to stand on water yet,[/i] he thought to himself. This would make the upcoming mission harder than it should be. 

[color=black][b]“Okay, listen up. We're leaving in five minutes, so I hope you all brought everything you need. You can read the scroll, but it's not that interesting. You'll be paid a thousand ryo, and our mission is to go to the border and just observe what is happening. Basically, we're running an errant to collect information.”[/b][/color]

He'd raise his hand and scratch the back of his head a little bit, seemingly bored with the prospect of the mission. It was simple, and even though it would be considered slightly too politically charged for genin in most cases, it wasn't like they would be able to fuck this up unless something really went wrong. [color=black][b]“As we may deal with foreign shinobi I suggest you stay close to me. Neither side will be allowed to engage the other -- atleast, unless Kusagakure has decided we are enemies now -- so it's not like they'll kill you. But I don't want you kids starting a war just because you got provoked.”[/b][/color]

And though that concept seemed exaggerated, it was certainly in the realm of possibilities.

[color=black][b]“Let's go.”[/b][/color] Sakana departed almost immediately, leaving the genin behind to follow him. The traveling must've been an arduous task for them, especially for Tatsuya, who was now forced to work in wet clothing. Thankfully, in Amegakure, almost everyone was always wet. Perhaps he'd gotten used to it by now.

[hr]

Within an hour they had reached the border, jumping from tree branch to tree branch before Sakana would land on the ground, placing them on top of a hill that overlooked a nearby valley, and with that, the road that was the primary entryway in and out of Kusagakure no Sato. Where there had previously been a steady stream of traders there was now an empty road with a set of two jonin standing near a border house. While team 7 was still out of sight, Sakana pondered the situation at hand momentarily. [color=black][b]“Set up in this area. They probably know we're here, but try to be somewhat hidden. We have to wait for a trader to try and go into Kusagakure to see what is going on.”[/b][/color]

So, they had to wait. It'd take [i]well[/i] over another hour, meaning they'd have to sit around doing nothing for at least that duration of time. The realities of being a shinobi weren't as exciting as they might've been lead to believe in the academy, though Sakana seemed largely unphased, his eyes constantly scanning the area. Finally, a trader appeared on the horizon on a horse-drawn carriage full of barrels with weapons in them. Probably one of Amegakure's exporting traders, and lacking any indication of clans on the barrels or carriage, it seemed he was just transporting 'regular' weapons. [color=black][b]“Psh,”[/b][/color] Sakana hissed to his students. [color=black][b]“Pay attention.”[/b][/color]

As the carriage pulled up to the border checkpoint, the two jonin stopped the cart and made the man get down from it, glancing over the cart and the weapons. The watchful eye would notice that one of the jonin was grabbing a few of the wares and pocketing them, and at one point even the untrained eye would've noticed that he grabbed a batch of at least five swords and pulled them away, turning his body slightly and throwing them into a nearby ditch before continuing. 

The other jonin, meanwhile, kept the man occupied by going through his papers and talking to him, which at some points almost seemed like an interrogation. Clearly the man wasn't being treated as nicely as he should've been treated, though that on it's own wasn't worthy of intervening for. Admittedly, the act of theft wasn't exactly something Sakana would go to war for either. 

It seemed like the two jonin were done, as the man was pointed back and told to leave. At that point Sakana was satisfied with the info they had obtained so far - namely that the Kusagakure shinobi were just stealing the wares instead of paying for them - and he moved to turn around and leave the area to report back. As the trader threw up his arms in anger and turned around, though, the nearby jonin kicked him in the leg, causing the man to kneel forward, at which point the jonin pulled out a sword and made ready to decapitate the man. It seemed they intended to steal the entire cart full of wares.

[color=black][b]“Team,”[/b][/color] Sakana piped up, his voice now louder and more commanding than before. [color=black][b]“I'm going to go in. Technically our mission is done, but letting our traders be killed will weaken the village. Wait for the right moment and then move in to help me, so stay hidden for now. Tsubasa, since you gave the least stupid answer to my questions, you'll be in charge of the other two while I'm down there. Understood?”[/b][/color]

They couldn't even answer, as Sakana used the shunshin no jutsu to body-flicker down into the valley, appearing between the jonin and the trader precisely when the man brought down his sword. With a rapid movement Sakana pulled out one of his two knives, holding it diagonally to the right, up into the air, and blocking the strike with relative ease. [color=black][b]“Atsui!”[/b][/color] Sakana promptly yelled, and inside of his mouth a seal unfurled, before Sakana blew out air forwards, shooting a big fire ball out towards the jonin. 

Despite catching him off guard, it seemed Sakana's attack paired with the blocking of the sword was slightly too predictable. The jonin jumped backwards, evading the fireball with some ease, while his buddy jumped back to stand behind his comapanion. [color=black][b]“That's Amegakure no Sato property,”[/b][/color] Sakana told them, his eyes scanning the two of them. While he knew the first one of the two was watching him, he also noticed that the second jonin was eyeing the hill they had been positioned on. [color=black][b]“Bodagado,”[/b][/color] Sakana quickly clarified -- it was a lie, because if he was bodagado, then the team on the hill would be a squad of three chunin at the least, if not jonin. In reality, it was a team of freshly graduated genin.

Never the less, the man bought into the bluff, and shifted his eyes to the jonin in front of him, namely Sakana. [color=black][b]“I'm the only one authorized to cross the border. The rest are here to observe. I'm afraid I'm alone.”[/b][/color] Yet another lie, meant to draw the men into the trap that Sakana had set -- although perhaps the genin didn't even realize that this was a trap. If the two jonin could be convinced that Sakana would have to fight alone, then it would confuse them even more when a squad of three genin appeared suddenly. 

Expecting to win this fight would be foolish -- but saving the trader and his wares, while fighting off the two jonin would be sufficient enough. The two Kusagakure shinobi seemed to realize that they'd be better off killing Sakana quickly, and although that'd be an act of war -- killing every witness would remove that problem. [color=gray][b]“You made a mistake coming here if you're the only one allowed to fight. I never understood the weird Amegakure authorizations and border-guard, but I don't think I care. It's what's gonna get you killed today. Temei, lets go!”[/b][/color]

Without warning the two shinobi rushed forward, one of them drawing a katana from his back while the other weaved handseals, for a technique Sakana didn't even recognize. In response, Sakana moved forward too, raising his blade to counter the man's katana - relying on his genin to see that [i]now[/i] would be the right time to move forward and engage the other jonin. One genin versus a jonin was not even close to an even fight, and even two genin together would be useless, but three of them might be just enough to overwhelm him and force him onto the defense.

But, would they realize?