The duration in which the sun remained absent was not a pleasant one for Saitou. His recent stint in the less than pleasant land of Kaminari no Kuni had left him somewhat deprived of the all important vitamin D; it had even taken a while for him to become once more accustomed to the bright skies below which he resided. However, such things were of the past, for now. Very few days in the village were like this, and so when they did indeed arrive, it was in fact rather uncommon to see the normal throngs of crowds, milling about as they attempted to make their way from one point to another. Business was poor for most vendors, but this small patch was simply more of an indoor holiday to most of the village. Our young hero was stationed upon his bed, back against the rough plaster of his wall. It had begun to flake and was rather bleak. Not that he minded, of course, for normally, he spent little time inside his singular floored residence unless he was sleeping; unfortunately, he had little choice about what to do now. The weather had called a halt to his training and no missions had arrived as of late. No people would be about for him to gather or congregate with, and he'd been sleeping far too much recently. His roost, formed of a nest of blankets and sheet atop a mattress - probably the most valuable thing he owned - was rather comfortable. Saitou simply sat there, head resting against the window that overlooked so many buildings to its enormity in height. Not to say the building had any element of grandeur. It was a cheap affair, built to house the lesser in wealth of the village. There was no element of homeliness, either; in fact, with his recent pay rise from his earlier promotion to Chûnin and now to Special Jônin, he felt he could afford to move out. He looked forward to doing so.

The rain drummed upon the clouded glass of his only connection with the outside world, bar the balcony he did not particularly feel like stepping out on. Some evenings, he'd watch the sun set from out there. If he attempted to do such a thing later tonight, he was confident he would be rewarded primarily with a blast of cold wind and heavy droplets descending upon his face. And even if he did brave such things, there was no sun to be seen. For it had fled beyond yonder clouds which had amassed around this one area in particular, an ominous sign of something looming. The incessant storm had left Saitou irritable and somewhat bored, more than anything else. It was a tedious nuisance, and an unexpected one, at that. His eyes surveyed each winding path in the maze of houses and other such constructs; normally, one could expect to be greeted with the sight of the humdrum cascade of bodies, meandering about. Instead, such intrusion upon the village's appearance only revealed one with empty streets. For Konohagakure, the storm had caused the village to almost look rather, well, barren. All that remained were the pillars of smoke, rising candescently from the brick framework of the stone buildings, as well as the buildings themselves. The pitter patter that had encompassed Saitou's senses for so long was consistent in its continuity, the torrential deluge seemingly never ending.

With a sigh, he realised he could not bear this any longer. He was sat, staring at a world he wished to delve into, but stuck within the prison chambers of his own conformity. The rain should not cease his enjoyment of life, surely? Slowly pivoting so his legs now touched the floor, he rose, preparing himself to leave the apartment that seemed to have engrossed him so these past few days. Grabbing the coat that had adorned his shoulders during his stint outside the country, he swung open his door for the first time it what felt like many, many years.

Swathed in black, the rain surged in a steady stream upon his head, the torrents seemingly unstoppable. His feet, half shrouded in the material of his sandals, slapped against the earth beneath him as he walked. The pattern and direction of movement he adopted was indeed meaningless, no aim but to explore and see the world that had receded. As the rain had come, the people had gone. Disappeared, squirrelling back into their mounds in fear of the damp and bitter cold. Any point of exposed skin was sure to be bit and cut by the howling wind, which rattled windows and violently swayed even the strongest and largest of trees. The atmosphere was bleak, the world around him seemingly forsaken - a bit like the north. However, this did little to dampen the now rising spirits of the youth, whom was sincerely enjoying his time in the freezing cold downpour. He was unaware of where his feet nor his legs marched towards, simply following his instinct, which told him to head in bizarre directions, sometimes walking up a street only to return to where he was a few minutes ago. This mindless wandering completely absorbed him.

That was, however, until something much larger caught his attention; although he could not detect anything out of the ordinary with his eye, nor any of the normal senses a human would posses. But he was no ordinary human, for he was a shinobi. And one that possessed an innate ability, the ability to sense any presences of chakra, which most living beings had a small amount of. However, this was no small amount. This was a multitude of power, one that easily surpassed Saitou's own; in fact, the enormity of this source of raw energy could rival some senior Jônin, perhaps even the Hokage. However, he did not recognise it at all. He knew what the chakra source signature of the Hokage was akin to, and it was nothing like the one he felt now. Neither were the emotions he picked up upon very, well, adult like. He noticed an element of fear, soon touched with a restoration of determination, all of which emanating towards his right, which lead to the Hot Springs area of the village. He was only a few dozen metres from it, and, surprised at the revelation he had come across, he attempted to enter the building. Tugging the door, he came to an abrupt halt. It was closed. The door was locked. The powerful person within was an intruder.

Saitou's mind began to race as he moved around the perimeter, eyes scanning, searching, scrutinising. How on earth had a foreign shinobi with so much power snuck in beyond the gates of the village, past all the guards, and why into the hot springs of all places? Then it struck him. They must have entered through the hot springs! Whilst he had never looked for himself, he was sure there would be some form of aqueducts or piping that lead from the water source to the world outside the village. He stumbled, his eyes now locking onto something of great interest; a small segment of wire had been cut. Which meant someone had broken into the area from the outside. What on earth would implore them to do such a thing? Perhaps they were an assassin, intended to come in then out through the springs, and Saitou was about to catch him on his return journey. Wriggling through, he pursued his target, a hunter stalking his prey. He made sure as to stay out of sight, keeping behind anything he found, always checking for any signs of life; he could sense his adversary a fair while ahead, by one of the pools.

Squatting low behind a wooden sauna construct near to the water, the purple haired youth laid eyes upon his target for the first time - he seemed young, too young to have such a magnitude of power. It was uncommon even for the most senior of people to have such a wealth of chakra, yet there was a boy afore his eyes, possessing such things. Truly, truly stunning. Then, Saitou observed something which bewildered him even more; a Konohagakure headband! What on earth did this mean? Had it been stolen, from his victim perhaps? A way of going undetected throughout the village, passing off as another young genin; god knows they were countless in number, the way the academy churned them out these days. The Shinobi simply watched his counterpart as he went about his business.

Saitou could feel the presence moving further and further away with every passing moment he waited; indeed, he was exiting through some unknown catacomb of piping about him. Quickly removing his cumbersome coat and flinging it across a tree branch, before removing his footwear, the youth perched upon the stone border of the pool, inhaling deeply. He waited for the boy to be some way ahead of him, so that when he resurfaced, he could do so a large distance away from the other, as to remain undetected. However, he knew that, when tailing an opponent, it was of paramount importance to not be too far behind. Allowing himself to become so would result in him losing his target. Deciding the time was right, he plunged into the warm depths, his skin tingling at the mixture of warm water and rain droplets.

The time spent in the piping was somewhat hellish for Saitou; we was a natural with using water in his jutsu, and he could swim comfortably, but this mixture of a tight space and a lack of oxygen was not particularly enjoyable. However, his burning desire to not let his village down, additionally to his overwhelming curiosity, kept him going. Time seemed to pass slowly down there, and every twist and turn felt the same to him. He did not know where he was going, but luckily, he could follow the presence he could sense, without having to come into a range from which he was visible.

Finally, he felt his adversary resurfacing, or at least, coming to a stop. Hopefully, that wasn't because he'd finally ran out of air; he could feel an element of pain in the other boys inner energy that emanated from a body now seemingly stationary. Saitou had to quietly resurface, now closer than he'd been at any point, and hide behind a gathering of craggy rocks, keeping low. He did not bother attempting to gain a visual of his opponent. As long as he could detect where he was, he would know when he went on the move. Indeed, it was not long before he began to walk once more; Saitou could easily have done something now at this point in the traversal, but his curiosity got the better of him. He wanted to see just where the boy was going. However, he was wary of not letting his chance slip away from him, so he kept his distance at the perfect amount, making sure to hide himself, always keeping up. Normally, he felt walking like this would be an arduous task. But with the excitement garnered from being undetected and having to remain so, time passed quickly.

Saitou observed that the youth had sustained some form of injury, which appeared to be around his head. He was somewhat happy about that. If his opponent was weakened at not at his full abilities, when he did confront him, the task would be made a fair bit easier. However, he began to panic as he saw that he was meeting with two more people. They exchanged some short lived, one sided words that he could not quite pick out, before preparing to embark. Saitou wondered who they were; what on earth had he managed to walk into this time? Either way, they were involved with potentially criminal activities, and had to be stopped. Walking quickly to keep up, he cursed as he saw ropes begin to be untied, the boat departing. It appeared there was no way for him to embark; however, he had something up his sleeve. Going into a personal, unique kit of his, he withdrew something which could potentially save him in this situation. Reaching into his pouch, he withdrew a 'Suke-Ringu' kunai, a kunai with small adaptations made to it. Rather than be orientated towards combat, it designed for getting footholds. He grabbed the eighteen metre spool of string in his kit, and, with no time to cut it to size, tied it around the hole on one end of the kunai, before throwing it into the base of the boat, near the back end. This thud would, hopefully, sound like the rudder, or something bumping into the boat. The string had not quite run out of length yet, giving him time to descend into the water as quietly as possible.

Tugging on the makeshift rope, but only lightly as to not dislodge it, Saitou managed to catch up the boat before it began to gain speed at a pace that would be too quick for him. He made sure to keep below the surface of the water, as to be harder to see; when he caught up to his kunai, he grasped onto the wood of the boat, wet fingers scrambling for a strong purchase. Rising slowly as to avoid making too much noise, he found himself weighed down by the water in his clothes. He was soaked right through, his black t-shirt now skin tight. Not a pleasant sensation at all. Using his kunai as a foothold, he placed one hand around a small port cabin window, utilising the wood which jutted slightly outward to haul himself upward. Casting his gaze back to the harbour, he realised the land was beginning to fade. Saitou knew he'd have to be quick with the remainder of this trip.

Securing one hand around the brim of the deck, he flung his weight upwards, over the banister, one hand drawing a kunai from its pouch. "All of you, halt! I am Masaki, Saitou, Special Jônin of the leaf village, and you will listen to what I say. You, explain your business for sneaking out of the village. And you oldies, move and I kill you; you're currently under suspicion of assisting unauthorised escape. Now, kid, want to tell me what this shit's all about? I've swam through god knows what, I am unbelievably cold, I want an explanation that's valid, or I'm hauling your arse back to Konoha. Got that?" He observed the positions of everyone about the deck. The couple were by the helm, the man steering, the woman navigating, whilst his main attention was focused upon the boy sat about three metres from him. Saitou kept his kunai raised, feeling very jumpy; he was ready to dive into action the moment any sudden movements were made.

OOC:

The youth afore him spouted what Saitou could only deduce was drivel, but he had no evidence to conjure that would support this case. Whilst the excuses he had provided were somewhat accurate, he still felt it was odd that he'd been so suspicious in his departure, sneaking through watering pipes. If indeed he was embarking upon some trade link related adventure as he claimed, business in order to aid the village, surely he'd have left via the village gates? Saitou himself had recently ventured out of Konohagakure no Sato and into the wide world around him, and he'd left with a chariot that had awaited him at the gates. He hadn't even asked permission, the guards simply allowed him out to pursue his personal errand. If one were on official business such as this, everything would be much more professional and proper. He would leave with an escort, probably, due to his young age; one could never be too careful when going about a country, a lowly youth would need to be looked after. The boy in front of Saitou had spoke of promotion to a Chûnin. This confirmed that the large chakra presence that he represented in a physical body dwelled within a mere genin, a grunt of a village.

More importantly, the boy spoke of an agreement between the land of lightning, home to the village hidden in the clouds, and the place in which the three shinobi aboard the boat resided within. Saitou had never heard of such things; indeed, having recently been in Kumogakure itself, it still seemed very hostile to anyone under suspicion of being a foreign shinobi. In fact, a youth had followed him many the mile purely because he suspected him of being 'odd'. This did not seem like a place which had turned a new leaf and come to accept their worldly neighbours. Furthermore, when issued a message from the village itself, he had been told to remain undercover, for fear of being punished if his true identity were revealed. Despite this, Saitou knew there was a chance he'd simply not heard of such new relations. But if he hadn't, then why on earth had this kid? It all seemed too suspicious to him. Just small things that didn't quite fit together, causing him to want to raise questions; he was curious by nature, but there was something so odd about this case. However, the older boy knew he was the eldest and most senior here. Because of this, he needed to retain an element of composure and authority. Looking at the kid who had spoken so condescendingly, so patronisingly, he refrained from sneering; regardless of who was right, this little shit was in no place to act the little smart arse. It was this attitude that pushed Saitou to dig a little deeper.

He lowered his weapon slowly, without returning it to its holder, instead keeping it within his damp palm. Moreover, he decided he should take a more subtle approach, be more pleasant on the outside but remain sincere and firm. The youth wanted it known that he meant business and would be persistent in his suspicions. However, it would be hard to pry any further. That was, of course, until he had a small brain wave, an idea that would not only appear plausible, but also logical and would be very beneficial if anything troublesome were afoot here."Right, I've still got some questions, but let us conduct this in a civil manner. You, the other one, take a pew; might as well work together, as our interests are the same. Now, runaway kid; I've got a fair few questions for you, so I hope you're ready for some talking. First things first, what's your name? Same question for you, other guy; unless you're profoundly death, I'm sure you'll know mine. Next, how old are you? I can sense you've got a shit ton of chakra, more than most people my rank, yet you've mentioned Chûnin exams, so you're only a genin. What's up with that? Moving on to item number 3, you've mentioned a treaty between the villages of Konohagakure and Kumogakure, correct? Sounds like bull to me, I've just returned from Kumogakure myself, and there's no way we're at peace with them. Plus nobody else in the village has mentioned it to me, even someone setting me a B rank mission the other day told me to remain undercover there. Doesn't sound like we've gone from making war to making love now, does it? Next item on the agenda, the oldies, who are they? Maybe I'm being rambunctious in bandying about somewhat offensive terms, but I don't like it when my subordinates refuse to show me a little respect when addressing me, and so I shan't act with respect. And for my ending, this isn't a question, so much as a rhetorical proposition that you have no choice in. These seas could be rather dangerous, particularly for a genin such as yourself. And as I've said, I've been to Kumo recently; if we encounter anyone from there, I should be adept and brushing them away. Besides, not like me and whasshisfacewhofollowedme have another way to get back; if you say you'll be back tomorrow, well then, I'm sure we can accompany you for just a day. Wouldn't you agree mate?"

As Saitou informed the pair of shinobi about him, he locked his violet eyes in a fierce conflict with those of the boy he'd followed, the intensity within them daring the other to contest his idea. The purple haired youth thought this plan flawless, utterly perfect. If the other were innocent of the crimes he'd accused him of, then no harm would be done, bar the original outburst he'd launched into previously. And, in the case that he were indeed guilty of attempted escape, which could perhaps be seen as an act against the village and thus treason, then Saitou had not let him get away so easily. If the boy remained adamant that he and the other shinobi whom had tailed him were to leave, he'd only be arousing suspicion about himself. After all, why would he want to push away a helping hand? The senior, superior male of the boat knew that it was possible the powerful genin would possibly say he wanted the credit of the 'discovery' to be all his, so that he would look better in the eyes of the Hokage, thus earning his much wanted promotion. However, any attempts to push Saitou away would only continue to confirm what his impressions and instincts were telling him. Of course, he did not enjoy knowing the prospect of perhaps having to engage the youth in battle loomed upon him. That multitudinous chakra source he could sense was not one he wanted to attempt to combat, but at least it was two against one, the advantage being on his side. Saitou knew that he'd be expected to take the lead, were any battle to ensure this verbal conflict. This did not settle well with him; however, he had a plan to kill the youth, were it required. Only problem was, nobody onboard would be left unaffected.

He would have to flood the boat in water, which he could conjure either using his chakra or from the plentiful source about him, and bring it crashing down onto the boat, rupturing the hull and thus hopefully drowning anyone he fought. Of course, this had the potential to not work. His opponent might simply find a large chuck of wood upon which to grab onto and float to safety. Maybe he needed an extra plan, something a little more efficient. And perhaps even something that didn't threaten his life, nor that of the other shinobi whom had joined him in valiantly swimming through water pipes to pursue the interests of the village. Of course, he wasn't too certain how much help the other would be; he didn't look too old. What if he was a genin too? Admittedly, any help was something to go in Saitou's favour. If he had a strong attack or two up his sleeve, then the purple haired boy could work in conjunction with him to distract their opponent, before the other threw out a finisher that would be too difficult to dodge. After all, working against two opponents upon such a short playing field would certainly be difficult. Not that all three shinobi weren't capable of widening the field of play, and walking upon water; but that meant there'd be no cover, and it would be whoever had the strongest jutsu wins out on such an arena. Saitou was certain he'd win that battle. Being a special jonin, he had high ranking techniques normally reserved for people of his seniority.

Reclining into a seat, kunai still in hand, he began to make himself comfortable, but still ready to pounce when required. With a small smirk, he noticed all three shinobi had different shades of violet in their eyes; it was a rare trait, so it was a large coincidence for them all to share it. Perhaps that was not the only thing they shared.

OOC:

Saitou was less than happy with the response he achieved from his efforts to interrogate. His inquiries had not pried to far into the realms of the unknown, he felt, but they had been met with first resistance and a lack of co-operation, leaving him with no choice as to drop the queries and allow them to sit until later. Certainly, the little authority he bore did not satisfy the youths afore him. In order to gain their respect, he would probably have to conduct himself in a more impressive manner. He'd openly acknowledged his failure in judgement by storming onto the boat so rambunctiously and raising hell, but he'd do it again were he in the same position. Saitou felt he had every reason to be suspicious. If he had not investigated, then it was likely that a possible fugitive could've got away and run amok about the country. Admittedly, his initial assumption did appear to be some way off the mark; regardless, it was a question in need of an answer. Why was Ogatami, as he dubbed himself, leaving the village in such a manner? Now that'd he bandied about his inquiries, however, he was not satisfied with the answers, but nor was he so confident of the level of guilt the boy bore upon his shoulders.

What angered him more than anything was the lack of respect from the third party, the shinobi whom had tailed him as he tailed the other. He was hardly one to talk, in more sense than one. The third violet eyed boy had seen suspicious actions and acted accordingly. When it was required to allow him to pursue his investigation, he had also climbed upon the boat. Rather than take the lead and make some action, he'd silently sat there like a twat, and offered no co-operation whatsoever. Saitou felt his prospects nose-dive. If battle ensued, could he even rely on this youth? Would he have to deal with him, too? With a sigh, he ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head a bit. The outcome of the expedition so far had disappointed him greatly. He slowly rose and inclined his head a tad, mind formulating a damage control plan already as he addressed the youths one last time in their initial session. "Right, well then, if that's all we're going to say for now. Thank you, Ogatami-San, please, go about as you would. You too, uhh... I'll just call you ponytail. Or fishnets. Whatever you'd rather. Anyway, just relax and enjoy yourself if you can, we might be here a small while. If either of you need me, which I highly doubt as it's literally just water around here, I'm going to speak to our hosts then be on my way below deck. Until then."

Saitou knew that 'until then' was hardly necessary, as the people he was speaking to were all gathered on one sea faring vessel, meaning it was likely they'd always be pretty close together in distance, and probably bumping into each other on a regular basis. With his small but polite mannerism gesticulated, he hopped down the staircase towards the frontal point of the boat, where the old couple could be found. He sheathed his kunai and kept a respectable distance from them, clearing his throat loudly. There were a few moments of verbal silence about the trio, just the wind whistling about Saitou's ears as the sails flapped above him. After seconds passed, the man turned to reply. The woman kept her arms folded, gazing out to sea. Not that there was much worth attempting to see, for little about here could catch the eye, bar the occasional animal that could swim or fly. This gesture was purely orientated to informing the youth that his actions had been brash and uncouth. Regardless, the special Jônin did not hold anything against the old girl for expressing such emotions. However, he did feel it best they improved relations a bit as to not have a negative tension, for together they'd be sailing these oceans.

The man, after gazing at Ogatami-san, the supposed walker of forests, turned to Saitou, his face steely and resistant. Inclining his head once more, the shinobi began to speak, expressing words that he hoped would even slightly cause to patch things up between the hosts and their unwanted guest. "I'd like to express my sincerest apologies for my perhaps rambunctious, unprofessional and unnecessary actions and words. As a Shinobi of Konohagakure no Sato, I am sorry for having conducted myself in such a negative manner and would wish to make you both aware that I am filled with regret for how I behaved. I would like to thank you for not reacting in a violent manner and remaining calm and hope you will be less than displeased at allowing me and fishnets to stay aboard for the remaining duration of this trip. My actions were only for the safety of my village. In hindsight, I can see that how I composed myself was perhaps incorrect and unpleasant, but I hope you can also understand and appreciate why I did what I did. It's a pleasure to make the acquaintance of the pair of you and I hope we can put this negativity behind us and start anew."

Saitou's wordy speech was literally textbook; upon being promoted to his current rank, he'd been ordered to attend a leadership course, which also included both a 'responsibility management' and a 'consequence management' course. One thing the small group had assessed was their ability to appease citizens. This was an area he'd succeeded in and thus could almost recite the example speech from heart. Of course, changes always had to be made where one had forgotten areas, or to suit the current situation. All in all, he was rather satisfied with his professional apology. When he was done, he inclined his head once more, before offering his hand to the man afore him. This gesture was supposedly intended to not make ordinary people feel isolated or alienated by a large shinobi of presence by bringing them onto a level of equality that made them feel as if both parties were on the same playing field. On top of this, an accepted handshake was a well known seal of approval. In situations like these, it was a universal seal of forgiveness. The man looked at him straight into his violet eyes, his portal to the soul, the gateway to one's true emotions suggesting signs of suppressed resentment. However, he, like Saitou, could see it was important that everyone made efforts to get along when on a vessel such as this one. Somewhat reluctantly, the man thrust his hand outward, taking the palm of a shinobi's hand against the rough calloused skin of his own. The shake was firm, the grip solid. He leaned in a bit for the motion, before releasing his hand and returning to the helm; his wife eventually turned, nodding her restrained appreciation. She was unable to look Saitou in the eye, her gaze cast downwards. Clearly, his impression had been one that lasted upon her.

Feeling as if he had done what he could in order to relieve the tension, he headed below deck, beginning to explore the ship. What little he saw revealed it was a rather ordinary vessel, not particularly big, grand or majestic. He noticed a small, shared bunk room, much to his dismay. Not particularly wanting to have to endure any more awkward conversation, he delved deeper into the depths of the boat, eventually finding a store room on the far side of a corridor. Barrels rolled about and crates shifted, ropes sat in large heaps, gathered about in various knots. Food was aplenty within the area, which was clearly well stocked. Spare equipment and the like could be found everywhere, anything extra you might need whilst aboard a boat. Planks and oars, ropes and sails ready to be placed on the rigging as well as all manner of nails and screws. Tools were strewn about too, hammers and saws and the like. A small group of rusty cutlasses could be found in corner, noticeably stiff in their sheathes. It was as if they hadn't been used in years. Finding a perch upon a wooden crate, Saitou propped his legs up upon an open lidded box, the sway of the hull rather soothing, the whole room seeming to move with the flow of the wave. He kept his ears keen, arms folded, counting down the minutes until something, anything, happened. He felt alone on this mission of his. Nobody knew where he was bar those aboard the ship. The village might think him missing if he was gone too long; and the only person he'd thought would be on his side, good ol' fishnets, well, he was a stoney faced bastard, that one. Saitou knew the only person he could count on was himself. Alone in this storeroom, only his thoughts to occupy him. He was a solitary being now, and he certainly felt more so than ever before.

OOC:

Topic Ended / Escape Voided.