[Event] Fishing in Hot Waters

Age : 28 Posts : 3640

Fishing In Hot Waters wrote:

Mission Title: Fishing in Hot Waters
Mission Type: Event
Mission Location: Yu no Kuni - The Hot Springs
Shinobi Requirement: 3 v 3
Mission Rank: B
Mission Objective A: Being a country of neutrality, Yu no Kuni seeks only to look out for themselves and to not interfere with the affairs of the great powers that currently exist within the world. With fishing being one of their main sources of income for their fragile economy, they find it necessary to expand their fisheries into international waters that are currently maintained by no other countries. The Water Country finds this to be an irresponsible move of the Hot Springs country and has already threatened to attack any fishing ships that fly the Hot Springs flag within international waters, with Yu no Kuni continuing to fish within the waters, Kirigakure have finally resorted to force by surrounding the waters of Yu no Kuni with a blockade, in attempt to force the government of Yu no Kuni to submit to their will.
Mission Objective B: With the news of the blockade surrounding Yu no Kuni, the Hokage views this move as a chance to form an ally with the currently neutral Hot Springs country. By sending out their own forces, they shall attempt to end the blockade whether through force or through diplomacy, what must be done is to end the blockade in order for the Hot Springs country to ally with them.

Village Representatives:

Konohagakure:

Kumogakure:

Kirigakure:

Posting Order:

Wildfire [Mission Object. B]
Ancladar [Mission Object. B]
Chris [Mission Object. B]
Tsutsubell [Mission Object. A]
Liam the Lamo [Mission Object. A]
Yamikura [Mission Object. A]

~ Mission START! ~

As a prestigious higher-ranked elite Jounin of Konohagakure, Katsumi Kimiko had long since lost track of the amount of missions she had completed. She was young for a shinobi at her calibre, but already she was one of the most well-known kunoichi that the Hidden Leaf had to offer. Four days previously, she had been called into a meeting with the Godaime Hokage along with two Genin, Ashikaga Kazuhiko and Yamanaka Kiyomi. Funnily enough, she was familiar with both Genin; one was a friend of hers, and the other was her student. It was probably because of these reasons that the three of them had been chosen, but the Hokage didn’t explain such trivial matters. He got straight down to business. Kirigakure had become violent with the neutral Yu no Kuni, raising a blockade around the other country’s waters. According to the information gathered, the Hot Springs country was only seeking waters that their fishing could continue in, and the Hidden Mist village had retaliated almost immediately to show their distaste as Yu no Kuni continued to fish in international waters. An over-reaction, most probably, but a problem that Konoha couldn’t ignore. With no vast amounts of sea near the Fire Country, they relied on exports for such a trade, mainly from Yu no Kuni, funnily enough. Thus far, Yu no Kuni’s government hadn’t bent to Kirigakure’s will, but it was only a matter of time. If the weak country did as they were bid, their economy would end in tatters due to the fish shortage in their own waters.

Recognising the need to act, the Hokage had called forth his own forces to combat the issue before it became a great crisis. That was why the three Konoha shinobi had been dispatched across the Fire Country to reach Yu no Kuni. Their opponents were Kirigakure, and they had to try and dispel the blockade before it was too late. If successful, this mission could end in an alliance between the neutral Yu no Kuni and Konoha, an alliance that would prove to be very useful if the events happening around the world had anything to offer. So many things seemed to be happening at once, and they weren’t particularly good to say the least. On the surface, they were trivial issues that could be stopped with simple talking or minimalistic force, but like this situation, it could erupt into so much more. This issue could mean a war between Konoha and Kiri if things went particularly badly, and it could most likely end in such a way, especially since they were at loggerheads in terms of their agreements. Basically, they didn’t agree. One village was trying to crush Yu no Kuni, and the other was trying to save it and build an alliance.

Having been involved in many missions with a high risk added and consequences that could do more than just rock the boat, the Katsumi felt calm and collected on the journey to the Hot Springs Country. She would be leading the two Genin assigned to her, and she would have to do so in a manner that minimised the risk to them and heightened their chance for success at the same time. As was protocol, she had received files on the two lower-ranking shinobi, and on the voyage via boat, she had spent her time studying the files… even if she already knew a great deal of detail about her team mates. Such was the benefits of being the Genin’s friend or sensei respectively. Kazuhiko specialised in Ninjutsu and Taijutsu, making him a good mixture for up-front and mid-ranged combat. He utilised the elements of Suiton, Doton and Mokuton; the Senju’s prized element. In many ways, he made up for the shortcomings of his team leader for this mission, being able to cover a broader range of elements. From her own knowledge, she knew that her friend was very… stubborn. But a very intelligent fighter to boot. They would need that mentality in their upcoming task, she was sure of that much. He had a quick mind and was able to quickly devise the best strategies depending on the situation, something that his sensei lacked particular ability with. Of course, Kimiko possessed a good amount of intelligence and smarts, and she was able to plan effectively as a team leader/ sensei, but she wouldn’t put it down as her strong suit. Unlike other higher ranking shinobi, she was open to suggestions from anybody, whether they be of her own rank or ranks below. She viewed everybody as her equal, and nobody as lesser or better than her. So not only she did not look down on people, but she never looked at an opponent as being impossible to beat. A good mentality to have.

Moving onto Yamanaka Kiyomi, the blonde girl would act as their long-range support. She utilised powerful Genjutsu for her rank, and she was a prodigy within her well-known clan. Numerous times in training she had demonstrated the ability to think quickly and effectively, as well as using rather obscure methods of combat. She wasn’t a close-range fighter and she greatly lacked in stamina, so she would need quite a lot of up-close support. That was a price Kimiko was willing to pay, however, because it would mean having a strong Genjutsu practitioner that could hold great sway in their fight to come. Because of the Genin of her team greatly balancing one another’s strengths out, she could pair them to fight together while she was freed up to fight higher ranking shinobi and/ or make diplomatic decisions that could ultimately bring about their victory. As for the Katsumi herself, she was able to fight at close, mid and long ranges with ease, especially since the recent upgrades to her arsenal that could not be discounted. Not only was she a master of Katon and Fuuton elements, which gave her the utilisation of Enton (smoke) and Neton (sound), she was proficient in her use of Fuuinjutsu and sealing techniques adapted for combat uses. She practised Weaponry at the mid-range, meaning that she wielded a great variety of weapons that she kept sealed in scrolls or special seals located about her body, and thus she wasn’t weighed down by the very cumbersome additions. The only visible weapon she kept about her person was the Nodachi kept in its sheath and strap around her waist. Perhaps it would also work in her favour for she was dressed in her typical flashy attire, seemingly impossible to move and fight in. Underestimation from their opponent could be a huge advantage, especially since Kimiko was perfectly able to fight in anything she wore. She was garbed in her current favoured green kimono that was longer at the back than at the front, and a pair of thigh-high patterned black boots. Her hands were partially covered with black fingerless gloves, and her Konoha headband was attached proudly to her upper right thigh. Her ebony locks were left loose with the front-most bangs pinned back behind her ears, but the same shorter ones skimmed down above her right eye. Her hair was shorter than it had been, because on an A-Rank mission she was forced to cut most of it off in order to complete a disguise.

Her deep chocolate eyes focused straight ahead at their destination, and it became obvious that the blockade was truly… something. Ships belonging to Kiri had surrounded the country, and forlorn Yu no Kuni ships were all sitting at the port, unused for it was pointless to fish in waters where fish was scarce. The blockade wasn’t helping sea life at present either, because the great numbers of alien boats scared what little fish there were away from the location. If this kept up for much longer, Yu no Kuni would collapse from the inside out, and that couldn’t be allowed to happen. “Captain, slow our speed and change our course. Circle the boat around to port side, aiming to avoid the lookouts. Raise the decoy flag.” She spoke without looking at the man guiding their little ship, raising an arm in the direction she wished him to sail. Judging by the fact that the boat began to turn slowly to the right-hand side, her orders had not fallen on deaf ears. Shortly afterwards, the formerly flagless ship flew the flag bearing Kirigakure’s village symbol, an added precautionary measure to fool the casual onlooker. This should hopefully buy them more time to get further around and enter through a gap in the blockade, aiming to then land on Yu no Kuni itself and head straight for the higher-ups.

Konoha to the rescue.

Age : 32 Posts : 544

Excited wasn't the word one would use to describe Kiyomi right now. Scared would be the apt word. This would be her first international mission. Yes it was diplomatic, but diplomacy could dissolve into combat in an instant. The heir to the clan had thought her first mission would have been a simple escort mission. Not something that may or may not start an international incident and dissolve into war. Somehow during the mission debrief with the Hokage she had managed not to show her nerves in front of the others.

Now aboard the ship she was paler than usual as the boat sailed along to their destination. Hopefully, the others would think it was sea sickness and not nerves. Looking weak, especially once they met the kiri ninja could ruin the mission. Her saving grace came in the form of her teacher. It was hard not to whoop for joy since her sensei was with her for this mission along with another genin she barely knew. It was sad Makoto didn't get assigned to the mission with them, but the higher ups made the choices not her. She simply had to deal with them and hope for the best.

Kiyomi would stick close to her teacher, just in case things got hairy. Her combat prowess was shaky at best. Her main role was hiding in the back and attempt to confuse or snare an enemy with genjutsu or her mind body transfer. If she hid her body well enough and hit an enemy with it, then that was one less shinobi in the fight. It would be easy to get rid of them out on water like this. All she had to do was jump in the water and waste all her opponents air. It was cruel, but if meant saving her fellow Konoha shinobi's lives she'd have to do it.

That was only if it came to a fight though. Maybe the other side would be more interested in talking than fighting. After all surely someone from Kiri had to see how wrong it was to exploit such a meager country that couldn't hardly defend itself. And surely the Hot Springs Country would realize they needed help to stay independent from kiri. They'd find out soon enough.

Age : 28 Posts : 3145

Kazuhiko was not surprised when he was called to the Hokage's office. He had anticipated that a mission would soon be granted to him; the council would no doubt like to play on any emotions he could have had in regards to the death of his recent sensei. Of course, seeing as the Yondaime had spent mere seconds with the youth, no such feelings existed and neither was Kauzuhiko a fervent patriot, so trying to use his emotions as some sort of bargaining tool or source of motivation, was hardly the right approach in his particular case. However what the administration got right was just who he was assigned to the mission with - Katsumi, Kimiko. She was a friend and yet also a role model of sorts, though the noble wouldn't openly admit it; ironically, not weeks ago, they had talked about working together and so it had come to be. Kimiko had suggested training and fate being the comedian it was, had granted them this opportunity - granted them a little more than they bargained for. Still, Kazuhiko felt strangely calm about his assignment. It was refreshing to travel outside of the village; prior to becoming a shinobi, the youth did so often but ever since he had rejoined the military, he was kept either inside the village or working in the Fire Country, neither of which he had felt gave him enough 'leg-room'. Plus he had never been to the Hot Springs Country. The Ashikaga traded with the Land of Lightning via the sea rather than through Yu No Kuni, which itself wasn't seen as a lucrative enough location and so wasn't a target of the growing business-clan. Still, in terms of strategic value, it was one of the two countries situated in between the Countries of Lightning and Fire, and the only easy target in terms of Water gaining a foothold on the mainland; to summarise, it was very important. In fact, although the pretext for the blockade was financial, Kazuhiko feared the desires of the Mizukage extended past a mere trade disagreement. Although the mission suggested a peaceful approach, the young noble couldn't help but deduce that combat was the most likeliest result. He just hoped that Kimiko would be prepared for the outcome he felt was far more realistic.

The young man found that Kimiko wasn't the only comrade to be assigned to the task alongside him. It turned out that his second partner was none other than one of the genin Kimiko had previously mentioned; not surprisingly, the young kunoichi kept close to her sensei and as such, Kauzhiko had very little interaction with her, which wasn't exactly the optimum condition for such an assignment. It was partially the age difference and yet also his reluctance to interact and her shy nature, that meant that achieving any bond was rather difficult. Truth be told, Kazuhiko also didn't really feel that she was the most important of assets - it was a slightly cruel way of thinking, but the girl wasn't much of a fighter, and fighting, he felt, would be key to the task. After all, it would likely be Kimiko who would be doing most of the talking, rather than the two genin, so their diplomatic prowess would go on unnoticed - hence, there was no use for them to have it in the first place. Since this was a blockade they would be dealing with, his Suiton affinity and Kimiko's Katon techniques would be key to dealing with the swarm of boats. The two were also well versed with close combat, whereas the girl was not. She would have a supporting role should any conflict come to pass, and since Kazuhiko wasn't planning to get hurt, he saw very little use in her. Perhaps she would surprise him, but as things stood, his opinion of her wasn't high, though he kept such things to himself and remained polite around her. After all, she was an important member of the Yamanaka Clan, and though they weren't one of the Ashikaga's friends, the two weren't enemies either; she was also Kimiko's student, and he didn't want to hurt his relationship with the Jounin via behaving badly towards the young girl.

For the majority of the journey, the youth stayed in his cabin. He had spent most of his time reading, which might have seemed like an odd choice, but the constant movement of the boat, as commanded by the waves around it, placed him in a strangely ideal mood for reading. Somehow, the irregular swaying placed his mind at rest, so he missed out on much of the planning or interactions on-board, though he didn't really think that the village would involve a genin in such anyway. Then again, he was a Chuunin now; it was a little known fact, indeed, unknown to both of his comrades. Just as the three were leaving the meeting with the new hokage, a man that Kazuhiko had little opinion about, as of yet, the Senju puled him aside and told him of his rank up. The reasons were clear, or so Kauzhiko perceived them - war was close, and he had the skills of a Chuunin, even if his personality and attitude were lacking. That and Kazuhiko felt the Hokage wanted the three to make a stronger impression, on the civilians as well as the enemy. Although it might have not seemed all that great, there was a huge difference in how a Genin and a Chuunin was perceived. The general census was that anyone could be the prior, but not everyone could become the latter. Kimiko was well known, so the team was already well equipped in terms of their dramatic effect. Seeing a second high ranking shinobi was merely a cherry on the top.

Indeed, the youth had saved it to be such a cherry. Until he was informed that they were nearing their target, he had hidden the vest in his bags and kept the knowledge to himself. But since the mission was about to begin, the youth got up from his bed, tossing the book he had been reading aside and for the first time, donned the vest. It went right over his pearly-white shirt, which had been curiously unaffected by the slightly dirty conditions of the ship. In turn, the vest was partially covered by the black coat he was so very fond of. Kazuhiko found that some of the equipment he would normally store in the long, swooping garment could now be comfortably transferred to the pockets of the brand new vest, so that if need be, he could be rid of the slight hindrance that his coat could be at certain times, and still keep his equipment with him.

He looked at himself in the mirror, with great curiosity. Although the process had not begun on the boat journey alone, a stubble had come to decorate his face and his hair too, had grown. The vest suited him somewhat perfectly, strengthening the importance that his exotic clothes insinuated and though one couldn't say it went well with his eyes, the brown of his hair combined with the vivid green truly accentuated his Senju heritage. Thus, armed with his coat, with his shirt, with his vest and with his black, loose trousers, not to forget the sandals, he marched out of his room, grabbing his favourite ebony walking stick just before the door closed; he felt confident and invigourated.

Up on the deck, the youth found that the older female was giving out orders, though somewhat unsuccessfully. Kazuhiko saw that the sailors were too busy listening to their real captain, to heed the words of the inexperienced figurehead, that the jounin was though she didn't seem slighted by this at all, and so he made no great note of it. That and the boat didn't belong to Konohagakure in the first place; it was a member of the Daiymo's military, and so its crew didn't technically have to listen to the shinobi on-board. Of course, since the Daiymo stood to gain much from this assignment, the ship was technically given to the village as a gift, along with its sailors, but that still didn't change the fact that the men were merely civilians (that is, they couldn't utilise chakra) who didn't have a great fondness for shinobi, their own or otherwise, and enjoyed taking any chance they could get to defy them. Of course, the team didn't necessarily need the boat, especially if the situation was solved amiably, so the relationship was neutral at best. Moreover if a conflict broke out, the ship and its crew would be on its own as the focus would be on destroying the Kiri boats & aiding the village, rather than protecting a 'rental'. Thus, Kazuhiko wasn't very surprised to see such subtle insubordination.

"I see you're dressed as sharply as ever" the youth remarked with his melodic voice, walking up to stand beside her; the Chuunin seemed extremely energetic and his voice could be even considered perky, but perhaps that was solely because it was Kimiko he was speaking with. He made no great effort to hide the new vest that adorned his torso, though he didn't announce it either, wanting the woman to see it for herself - to be more exact, he wanted to see her reaction when she noticed it on him. "I hope you know what we're getting ourselves into" he added, though the melody changed very much in the few seconds he had allowed her time to respond to his semi-compliment. The remark was solemn and serious, and his tone of voice changed so effortlessly and so very quickly, that it emphasised the words even more so than the grave manner with which he had spoken them. "I cannot see a peaceful way out of this" he admitted, casting his gaze across the water towards, what looked from here, to be unmanned, ghost-ships - such was the distance. His golden eyes burned brightly, but whether from some sort of excitement, curiosity or a blood-lust - or else it was a sad flame - it wasn't clear.

Age : 31 Posts : 157

Kirigakure was many things. Its reputation behooves itself in terms of cruelty, and coldness. Tsurino knew first hand of the reputation and the sour taste her home seemed to leave in people’s mouths. A bully, yes in some terms Kirigakure has always been colder more businesslike to the villages but never a bully. That was the case in this situation as well. For months now Kirigakure has warned against the fishing in their waters near their village for months. As they combat illegal fishing within their own people much less have to worry about another government’s inability to guide it’s small number of people. They requested on multiple occasions to cease such actions or Kirigakure would be forced to take action. Not violent action mind you, simply action like the slapping of ones wrist.

If they were going to continue to steal from Kirigakure’s water like children then Kirigakure will be forced to take a guardian like action in order for them to understand. To Kirigakure’s understanding. If you want to fish within our waters, you have to be our ally. Yet with no answer and continued fishing Kirigakure forged a blockade around the harbor stopping any ship from leaving or entering. The swift hand of Kirigakure descended swiftly. Tsurino understood why it caused everyone such a panic though there was really truly no need. They had been surprisingly diplomatic from this point forward. Yet the bias for her village would never go unseen.

Tsurino was called by her Mizukage-sama up to his office and explained about the situation. Tsurino was well versed in the Yu No Kuni Tension. She had been the one to speak directly to the village many times before in urging them to cease in the past. So it had finally come to taking action. The children she was assigned with to be her team were known to her. Though she had not experienced their abilities in person, merely on paper while recognizing their faces, this would not be a problem however. She had confidence in their abilities as well as their ability to work together. This should be, if at all possible a diplomatic mission and Tsurino was returning to Yu No Kuni one final time in order to sway their opinions and allow them to continue fishing in international waters with Kirigakure as their ally.

A dark cloud was coming over their world. Tsurino wanted to keep it at bay for as long as possible. So here she was. Standing on the deck of a ship that rose and sank in the swells of the bays currents. She turned her Technicolor gaze to the deep vibrant blue waters with dismay. Of course, it only had to be her sitting here, floating upon a line of ships. This was a cosmic Joke, Inoshi must have been teasing her, pushing her boundaries to prepare for the coming currents.

Reached up Tsurino traced her fingers against the small white collar around her neck. The white blended with her skin. Attached to a cord which traced up to an ear bud fixed comfortably into her ear. The collar itself was obscured around her village headband which she had donned around her neck. Tsurino dressed for the occasion. Her Torso was wrapped, brests bound in a warm white cloth, A light grey poncho rested over her shoulders, the high collar barely kissing at her chin. This allowed her free movement as the poncho stopped at her elbows. Hanging only off her shoulders while her stomach remained free and open to the thick misty air. She wore coupled with the poncho a pair of black fatigues that hung from her hips upon a belt that was anchored with various packs any Jounin of her caliber should have. Tied tightly to her ankles before wrapped down to a pair of petite black Taijutsu slippers. Tsurino only looked for comfort, freedom to move her body the way she needed during any situation. This was her uniform, Her village symbol could see shining on her headband donned around her neck, outside of the poncho. Her snowy white hair fell down her back, anchored halfway down by a large scarlet bead, a custom of her clan following the bead which brushed against her left cheek.

She lifted her hand, pressing the small button against her neck so she could communicate with the two that came with her. ” Remain together now. Report anything you see and remember we are trying to be as diplomatic as possible. Refrain from causing unneeded trouble. These people will become our allies.” she murmured to her team members. They were children yes but she trusted them as equals.

One of the sailors approached her and touched her shoulder in order to get her attention. “Tsurino-san. We have a ship approaching.” He murmured to her motioning to a ship approaching from the distance. Her eyes narrowed. That couldn’t be right. It was not a fishing ship, Many smaller fishing villages already were allied with Kirigakure out of necessity, there was nothing to prove by coming here.

”Whose is it?” she asked, her voice was cold and curt. The sailor reached up, rubbing the back of his neck, shooting her a grave look that made her jaw tighten.

“They sail under Kirigakure’s flag.” He murmured. Tsurino walked to the stern of the ship. Placing her hands against the bow. “It’s not one of ours though. Different hull, different mast, But I can’t say for sure who.” He replied, placing his eyes against a pair of binoculars. Tsurino sighed and pressed her finger against the button located on her neck.

”This is Tsurino. We have an incoming vessel off the starboard side. Do not let them pass through the blockade. Repeat, stop them where they stand and await my arrival. Do not be rash, do not be violent unless provoked first is that clear?” She released the button, feeling other ships already moving to block off the entrance to the port. This was not a blockade to be trifled with. A dozen ships armed to the teeth stood at the ready. Tsurino remained worried however. If this ship was not their own, who were they, and what did they want.

”Flag them down if you will.” she asked to the sailor who had alerted her. Though she has asked the offer was not a question. He nodded quickly before rushing off. Water…it always had to be water didn’t it. She felt a sick feeling in her stomach. Was it Shou? A pirate vessel or a smuggling boat attempting to pick at the village while he curled itself in a corner? Or was it somebody else. Whatever the case soon she would have her answer.

Age : 32 Posts : 89

I WILL be the best, and I don't care who I have to go through.

It had been quite odd that Liam had been assigned a B rank mission right off the rip; especially one that had the possibility of shinobi interference. He certainly was not going to complain about it what so ever. If the Mizukage felt that he was capable of completing such a mission, then who was he to question that. The mission was pretty straight forward, though it definitely posed complicated results, especially since Yu no Kuni was a neutral land; meaning that it had no affiliations toward any larger nation and that it was completely independent. Liam had been assigned to work with two other shinobi, one other genin and jonin, so at least he had help and experience as well with a jonin on the team. Since he was rather new to the shinobi world, he didn’t know either people but would certainly not act like a complete idiot; which of course was his usual sarcastic, cocky, and dickish self.

He stood out on the top deck of the ship with the other genin and the team leader standing off a little ways so they could cover more ground as they looked out upon the water and the Yu no Kuni island outskirts. Liam had dressed his self in his usual manner, meaning that he wore his crimson colored headband diagonally across his forehead, though his crystal blue eyes were left uncovered. His shirt matched that of the forehead protector cloth and lay a little loose on Liam’s torso; simply because he didn’t like the way tight clothes felt on him; it was as if they were restricting his movements and just wouldn’t let go, so he always made sure that his cloths were a little baggy, nothing noticeable though. Most of the boy’s shirt was covered by a black hooded jacket that remained unzipped to allow more breathing room for the genin, the hood also rested on his back; he didn’t really deem it necessary to wear the hood, since he really wasn’t hiding from anything. The pants looked like black capris and ended mid-way down the shin while black tape and sandals covered the rest of his legs and feet. The ninja equipment was carried in a pouch that was taped to the right leg of Liam, using crimson as the color, so it matched his shirt and forehead protector. It was an unknown problem for Liam that he had to match everything that he wore and so sometimes it got him in trouble for being late to things he had no idea what to wear. It is why he ultimately decided that this would really be his outfit for almost everything except for fancy benefits and what not. This was all trivial stuff and really didn’t matter right now, so as he continued to look across the water, he heard his captain come across on the radios that they had set up earlier.

”Remain together now. Report anything you see and remember we are trying to be as diplomatic as possible. Refrain from causing unneeded trouble. These people will become our allies.” Liam had paid close attention to what Captain Tsurino had said and not a moment after her end made sure that she knew he understood what was said.

”I copy Captain Tsurino.”

Liam was hoping that there would be some action on this mission, as it would prove to be fruitful experience for not only him but the other genin as well. In the grand scheme of things, the Captains way was definitely better, it limited loss of life for not only civilians but also for them as well, because there was just no telling who else would be here and what kind of abilities that they would hold. Liam’s eyes narrowed slightly to try and get a better look across the water to make sure that he hadn’t missed anything and just as he was doing this he heard his radio click over, like someone was getting ready to say something, and sure enough it was his captain once more.

”This is Tsurino. We have an incoming vessel off the starboard side. Do not let them pass through the blockade. Repeat, stop them where they stand and await my arrival. Do not be rash and do not be violent unless provoked first, is that clear?” With his eyes suddenly widening, Liam quickly headed across the starboard side to try and block the unknown vessel that was approaching on their blockade. It had been very clear in the mission brief that they were to allow no one to disturb their business in Yu no Kuni and as much as Liam would like to crush them right now, he had no idea who they were, so he would just halt in front of their ship or boat and try and keep them at bay until his captain arrived for back up. It only took seconds for him to get into position and see the boat that was incoming, though he got a small surprise when he saw what it was flying. It was flying a Kirigakure flag, though it was definitely not one of their boats, the mast was smaller and the hull was shaped differently than the other boats. It was definitely an imposter trying to cross through and get into the country unnoticed, though it seems they had failed.

Looking on at the unknown ship that kept pressing his way, Liam had held up his hand to signal the ship to halt and just in case that was not enough, which he didn’t honestly expect it to be, he would project his voice loudly enough and in a calm manner to help assure that he succeeded in getting the ship to stop. It wouldn’t be that difficult because of the still water, nothing had been moving in this area since Kiri had placed their blockade, so Liam knew full well that the ship would be able to stop.

”I need you to slow your vessel down and come to a stop there fellas.” The young boy’s voice had projected quite nicely in the open area and you could even hear a slight echo off in the distance. Liam had done his part as ordered by Captain Tsurino and now he would wait for her arrival and also see if the ship would stop. If this was not the conclusion that came about, then there would be no other option but to use force and get that ship turned around in another direction, which wouldn’t be hard seeing as they were kiri ninja and they were on water. Well the boats were on water; Liam had been standing on the bowsprit of the ship that guarded the way these people had been coming. Hopefully his teammates would arrive shortly and provide some sort of help in case he needed it.

Words: 1146 | Tags: #Event

Age : 28 Posts : 50

Zhan was more than thrilled to be taking on a B-rank mission. Finally, he could show the village what he was made of. The boy was completely gun ho about the mission. He wouldn't stop smiling or fantasizing about how would combat enemy ninja and save the day. This lasted right up until Zhan found himself vomiting off the side of the ship. He had never spent much time at sea below the deck of a ship. This proved to be too much for the poor boy and soon he had a bad case of seasickness. It didn't last too long though, he forced himself to hold down his lunch and spent more time above deck. He had no objections to being above deck due to the foul smells below that plagued his powerful nose. Garbed in his usual tattered vest and shorts, barefooted and adorned with a small array of weapons, Zhan looked out at the ocean. And thus, most of his trip was spent in that fashion, not doing much but relaxing, enjoying the salty breeze and pestering the sailors.

He often asked them questions about the ship. A few were delighted to tell him about the various ropes and sails along with their functions but, more often were they too busy to be bothered with entertaining a curious child. This didn't bother him much though for, his real curiosity was in their captain. “A jonin!” He thought. Zhan had seen the awe inspiring power of a jonin level ninja but, besides his mother, he had never fought alongside one before. What power did she have? How did she obtain it? What could be learned from observing her? Zhan was not one to seek out violence but, a part of him hoped they would run into trouble so that he could see her in action. He often stared at her when he thought she wasn't looking, his eyes wide with curiosity and amazement.

Zhan was pestering a sailor about how a ship floats when his captain's voice rang in his ear. Quick to obey, Zhan tossed his spear into his right hand and sped to the starboard side of the ship. There he took his place to the right of his teammate, greeting him with a curt nod. He surveyed the ship and sniffed the air. All he could gather was the typical sweat from the sailors aboard the approaching ship. His grip around the spear tightened as he looked out and awaited their reply. He spoke in a low voice to his comrade, “I hope this goes over smoothly...”

Age : 28 Posts : 3640

It seemed to be common knowledge that Kimiko was not a sailor, and instead she was a trained kunoichi. The men on the boat were wary about following her orders, and seemed to take their time about it. She sighed, watching the sailors through partly narrowed eyes, but she turned away and looked out across the waters to avoid causing any trouble. The Daimyo wouldn’t be too happy if he learnt that his men had been knocked out before the mission could even begin, but a Konoha shinobi no less. She was used to having her orders obeyed without question due to her rank and experience, but she guessed that because her expertise didn’t lie in this field, she had no right to shout and try to get her way in this matter. For the majority of their voyage, she had not seen her friend Kazuhiko whatsoever. He had stayed below deck and kept to himself, but she didn’t want to really think about such things. He would do what he wished, and she didn’t mind just so long as he listened to her when things came down to it. At her side stood Kiyomi, her blonde Yamanaka student who had also been assigned to this mission. The girl had barely left the side of her sensei, and the young ebony-haired woman wasn’t one to complain. She understood the nerves that the young girl must be feeling; these were strange waters, and this was a B-Rank assignment. It was possibly dangerous, should diplomatic means not work according to plan, and the girl had every right to be nervous. As such, the Katsumi had not been harsh with the girl and left her to her own devices, every so often smiling in her direction to try and ease the situation.

Slowly but surely, the sailors obeyed orders from their captain and did as they were bid, sailing to the right-hand side with the Kirigakure flag flying. The boats that were part of the blockade did not seem to be manned heavily, and Kimiko was hopeful that this tactic could work. Due to the Fire Country’s close proximity with the Hot Springs Country, it had been possible to travel across land, but travelling by sea made much more sense due to the nature of their situation. A sea blockade couldn’t be stopped from the land, after all. While they sailed slowly in the direction of their destination, the ebony-haired Jounin heard gentle footsteps approaching; so quiet that somebody who wasn’t so akin to using their senses wouldn’t have noticed. When Kazuhiko spoke, she wasn’t surprised and merely smiled when he commented on her style of dress. “Why thank you. You know that I always try and look my best, Kazu-san.” She laughed softly, keeping her voice low in spite of the fact that she couldn’t see or sense any enemies in their immediate perimeter. She didn’t feel particularly comfortable talking on their boat, courtesy of the hired sailors that ferried them around. The youth came to stand beside her, and she turned to look at him with a small smile painted on her lips. She was rather notorious for her perception of subtle differences, but the main difference about her team mate was very, very noticeable. He wore a Chuunin vest, an item specifically reserved for those of that rank. She smiled at him whole-heartedly, proud of her friend for him being promoted to the rank he deserved. He was skilled enough for the position, but numerous things had been holding him back, namely his persona and other such trivialities. It seemed that for this mission, he had been given the honour to take it as a Chuunin. She made no mention of it straight away, however, and returned her attention to gaze out across the waters. In spite of her relaxed demeanour she was portraying, every strong muscle in her body was tense. She was a tightly coiled spring, ready to pounce or change at even the tiniest moment’s notice. That was the way one had to be in these situations, something she had learnt through plenty of experience.

Kazuhiko spoke again, mentioning that the situation they were involved in was quite… difficult. Kimiko nodded, fully realising the magnitude of their operation and how many things could go wrong. But she was determined to set things right. “Yes, I am aware of it, as I’m sure you already are.” She paused, eyes locking on some of the nearest blockade boats. She could have sworn she had just seen movement aboard one of them. “This is a mission that requires delicacy. I have never come into contact with Kirigakure shinobi before, and have no idea how they will react to our presence. The decoy and approach by sea was protocol only; I know that they won’t buy into it.” Disclosing her thoughts to the youths at either side of her, she raised her head and nodded slowly, as if considering their situation. “I am hoping that things can be solved civilly. If not, we shall do everything in our power to cement this alliance by force instead.” She leant her arms forward onto the metal barrier in front of her, raising a hand and cupping her chin as she gazed out across the waters. Her friend spoke his mind and made mention of how he couldn’t see a peaceful way out of this situation, a frame of mind she could appreciate in their current predicament. The fact that a blockade had been set up spoke of possible violent measures ready to be taken by Kirigakure, and this very place was like a powder keg just waiting to go up in flames and explosions if the right care wasn’t taken. She sighed deeply and glanced at the young student by her other side, giving her a reassuring smile before returning her attention to Kazuhiko on her opposite side. “You must try to see one, because that is the path that I am hoping to take. We do not want to sink to their level, do we? To fight a blockade is nearly as bad as placing one around a country in the first place.” It was strange how she had matured since her youth. If a younger Kimiko were here today, she would give the order to go in all guns blazing to smash the opposition and save Yu no Kuni in that manner. Sometimes, things had to be handled with great care before being roughed up when they wouldn’t listen.

One of the ships within the blockade started sending signals to the Konoha nin on their ship. Kimiko turned and looked at the captain, expecting answers just by the look on her face. “They are requesting we sail to their side.” The man stated as if he was talking to an idiot, and the tone of voice set the Katsumi on edge. She didn’t appreciate being talked down to, especially not when she could kill the man in an instant if she wished to. Swallowing back her pride, she nodded. “Do as they are asking. Draw up alongside their ship and we’ll see what they want.” She said, and to her surprise, the captain did as he was bid this time, without mutterings of how he despised shinobi. The fake Kirigakure flag they had been flying under was withdrawn, and the flagless ship approached the blockade ahead. A young blonde boy from the ship told them to slow down and come to a stop beside their blockade vessel, and the captain complied, luckily. If things were on the level of concern that Kimiko expected, any disobedience or sudden movements now could be fatal, and this powder keg would set off instantly. She approached the gangplank on their own ship, looking across to the other vessel with wariness set deep in her chocolate brown eyes. It was frustrating that her original plan had not come into fruition, but she had not been expecting it to. Not really.

She stood patiently, glancing about the side of the vessel. She had already seen the blonde boy from before, but no other sign of anybody else had alerted her to their presence. “Excuse me.” She called, her voice not holding even the tiniest drop of malice. She turned quickly to her team mates, waving a hand as an indication for them to follow and stand at either side of her. There was safety to be had in numbers, and she realised this. Not wishing to present a threatening image to the Kirigakure blockade vessel, she cleared her throat and placed a somewhat fake half-smile on her lips. “May I speak with whoever is in charge of your operation?” The request was harmless, she hoped it sounded as such. To resolve this by peaceful means… this was what the Katsumi was hoping.

Age : 32 Posts : 544

The reassuring smiles from her teacher were a little comforting. They seemed to say "Don't worry I won't let anything happen to you." However, that was working up her nerves as well. It was what her brother had told her the night her clan compound had attacked. Then because of her lack of ability he was killed. Forcing the thought to the back of her mind she simply tried to focus on the waves. She wasn't a child ,by shinobi standards, anymore. She could fight now or die trying to save her teacher. She couldn't live with herself if someone tried to save her once again and died right in front of her.

As for the young chuunin, Kiyomi had no idea what to say to him. He seemed nice enough and knew Kimiko, but it seemed really hard to start up a casual conversation when they were on such an important mission. Normally it wouldn't be so hard to talk to him, but it didn't seem right to comment on the weather or reminisce on some past mission with Kimiko. It would be distracting and that could have deadly consequences for a shinobi. At least listening to those two was amusing. A small smirk played on her lips as they bantered with one another.

It looked like everything was going to be okay until they were hailed by a Kiri ship. The small smirk melted off her face faster than an ice cube in lava. It was replaced by a thin determined line as she awaited her orders. She did a quick check of all her gear. Everything seemed in order. Her kit had been packed and repacked, until she finally realized they weren't going to fall out of the pack. Her dagger was in her belt, not that she wished to use it since she lacked in the strength department.

Calm down. This is diplomacy don't be so worried about it coming to a fight. No side wants a war. That's what she kept telling herself anyways. Who knew what the other side wanted. By all accounts Kirigakure is supposed to be the most war hungry village out of any of the great nations. Hopefully, that rumor proved false and they simple talked. Kiyomi couldn't keep her body from readying to act though as the ship pulled up beside them. Since no orders had been given to her, she simply waited next to Kimiko waiting to see how it would all pan out. Her mind also raced over her known jutsu and she had settled on using a fire jutsu to either burn the ship, or her strongest wind jutsu to blow the other ship away so they could flee. It depended on the situation.

Age : 28 Posts : 3145

Kazuhiko was not surprised by Kimiko's responses, though he couldn't help but grimace ever so slightly nonetheless. Whilst he valued peace, the youth was selfish enough to put his own safety before the safety of others, that is, he would rather be prepared for a conflict from the start than to be, most likely, suddenly thrown into a chaotic brawl with sailors and shinobi of both sides alike. If he could have had things his way, the mission would have taken a different course altogether, but then that was most likely the thought on everyone's mind ever since the fake-ship had been hailed. First of all, he would have had the vessel sail proudly under the Konohagakure Flag, to show the people that the famed Leaf had come to their aid; as things stood currently, from the shore, it would have seemed as if merely a new ship had joined the blockade - if their spirits weren't low enough, the villagers were bound to lose another chunk of whatever little faith they had left, in light of this development. However more worryingly perhaps, the whole plan placed Konoha's integrity and honour into question. How could their Mist counterparts trust them after such a stunt? Whilst Kazuhiko had never been raised or encouraged to adhere to honourable conduct, especially in combat, he saw the value of honour in diplomacy. The two forces were unknown to each other and yet already, the first impression was highly unfavourable. Of course, the noble knew that their approach had been dictated by the Administration rather than Kimiko herself, yet still, he felt that she could have sought a better beginning to such a difficult task. Bending the rules now and again didn't hurt anyone.

It didn't help either, that there was very little communication between the three. As soon as they had been found out, it seemed Kimiko had set herself on some plan of action and expected her team to follow in suit. Yet not knowing what to do, and indeed, allowing Kazuhiko such freedom was never a great idea - the youth himself realised this and was well aware of his potential to screw this task up, hence he kept himself in check... for now. Still from the moment this decoy-plan had failed, he couldn't help but let his mind run to the drawing board, racing up and down his skull as it toyed excitedly with plots, ideas and new approaches to replace their already-failed scheme. However much to his surprise and disappointment, Kimiko had already decided to simply heed the hail without much ado - it was all rather anticlimactic. It seemed awfully early to give up on any advantage they might have had over the blockade, whether this was the element of surprise or the sheer momentum of the boat, that would have been very useful in regards to ramming and forcing their way past the other vessels. Alas, they simply gave all that up, in good will perhaps, and whatever was going on inside her head, Kazuhiko was simply barred from taking a peek. For all he knew, she was planning to assassinate everyone on board and take over this 'real' Mist-vessel, to then carry on with the original plan given to them. Of course, he knew that such a plot was not in her style and felt that, more likely than not, her great idea would simply consist of talking.

Much to his dismay, as the two boats - the other was seemingly the leader the blockade, or so he guessed, being slightly bigger and more menacing than the rest - came closer and closer, his orders seemed to be 'stand by' and being the restless kind of man he was, the youth couldn't help but grow increasingly stressful with his own idleness. In truth the prospect of speech was in no way daunting to him and indeed he would happily consider, depending on who Kirigakure could deliver in terms of speakers, it almost fun and if not so, then perhaps intellectually stimulating. At least, that's what he would have thought had he been on land, alike per usual. Having spent their last four days on the seas however, had altered this viewpoint somewhat - speaking and being idle was all he had done, and it wasn't surprising that doing more talking, would be to toy with his fragile psyche. He was raring for a fight. As such restraining himself and retaining control was quite a task, which the young Chuunin was capably carrying out in place of actual orders. The sight of a young child taking command on the other vessel, however, lit a fire in him that endangered his stability; although he had the willpower of many men, much like many men, the thought of combat filled him with an insatiable notion of attaining limitless thrill. Fortunately, the sight of Kimiko managed to dull his lust for excitement; even if her heart was in the wrong place, she was formidable and an aura radiated from her that kept him in check.

Nonetheless, although she had not ordered such, as they walked up on to the gangplank, the youth placed his hand on the younger girl's shoulder, pulling her aside momentarily. "It would be really beneficial if you could link us all telepathically, kiddo" he suggested, smiling encouragingly, before he hurried to join the Jounin, his step casual and his attention purposefully diverted from his young teammate so to give the impression that whatever words had been exchanged, they were of no importance. He felt rather smug about this intervention on his part.

The grand mix of his foreign, black-dominated clothing, as well as his messy brown hair, growing stubble and passionately burning golden eyes amounted to quite a sight; hopefully, his ebony staff gave his opponents the mistaken impression of injury or else, of handicap. Whether for better or for worse, he looked more like his father by the day. His father was a frightening man. It would be interesting to see what exactly would follow after this first maladroit encounter. If he was to successfully emulate his father not only in appearance but also in personality, Kazuhiko would have to pull of a miracle - that's what the renowned Ashikaga did - though his younger counterpart, had unfortunately perhaps lost a degree of shrewdness along the way of evolution, as his thoughts were centred on far simpler notions and desires. It was hard to live up to the fame of someone so infamous. His tongue was bronze, more so than silver, yet his combat skills were second to none.

Age : 31 Posts : 157

Tsurino skipped quickly from boat to boat like a rock flicked upon the water towards her team mates. She had only been a few ships away. But the incoming ship was approaching fast and she was sure they would request to see the appointed leader of this established blockade. That was, regrettably her. Slowing on the final boat she approached her team mates as the mysterious ship began to turn, no doubt to pull up beside them. So far so good she supposed. She eyed the tense looks giving to the other ship by the other sailors now. Each and every one of the men and women on this ship were from Kirigakure. Each was a hardened sailor that did as they were told.

As she walked through the decks of the blockade, sailors that caught her gaze knew without words to lower their anxieties and not to attack or threaten the maintaining peace of this mission by any sudden and rash movements. As the ship broke through the fog they flashed over their lights, Liam’s voice broke out over the tense silence followed by three bells signaling to the other ship that they should turn on their port bow and anchor. Technicolor eyes narrowed as she approached her team mates. The children watched the ship approach from the bow of their ship. Their ships were a fleet. Kirigakure crafted some of the best ships in the Shinobi world. From fast travel to quiet stealth that left nary a ripple upon the churning ocean surface.

She looked away from the water, focusing on the ship that turned and began to slow down, coming up beside them with a wail of their fog horn. The air seemed to reverberate as her ship replied, shaking the water in the air and informing the ship that it was close enough to cast a plank over. The sailors on the other ship didn’t look up from their tasks, they were frightened and rightfully so. After an attempted decoy has failed they were untrustworthy and ultimately trying to sneak past them. Yet the three that caught Tsurino’s attention were obviously the three in charge. Each individual wore their village headband with honor. Konoha, what were they doing this far out. They must have been sent, called to the hot springs expecting to be crowned a hero who saved the village from the bullies from Kirigakure.

It in fact was not true. Yuni No Kuni had remained neutral from everyone, including Konoha. Though Tsurino believed this was in fact a foolhardy attempt to pressure the village to side with them. In itself the blockade was a foolish endeavor. But missions were missions and she would remain loyal to the mission, her own personal opinions aside.

Tsurino did not speak as she reached the other members of her team. Looking up to the Shinobi from the village hidden in the forest she placed a hand upon Liam’s shoulder. He had done well, now it was time to allow diplomacy. If there was going to be a fight let it be known that Konoha was the one to cast the first stone. A plank was dropped between the two ships and the surprise guests walked upon it quickly. The one who stood in front was obviously the leader. She commanded attention clothed elegantly for such a mission. Still Tsurino understood. It was a similar enjoyment, though she chose comfort and utility over her own appearance in this particular time.

She smiled, Tsurino did not. This was not a formal or cordial arrival and she would not lie and show she was thrilled to see them. Her stance and expression were not threatening; In fact Tsurino was very relaxed. Her hand fell from her team mate’s shoulder and nodded. She gazed towards the Jounin and nodded in acknowledgement.

” I am Tsurino Kaguya, I speak for the operation as well as Kirigakure on this matter.” She spoke calmly, formally though she could sense the tense emotions hanging in the air. The two behind the curious Konoha Kunoichi remained silent. The boy clutched at a white staff, leaning against it though her keen eyes found nothing wrong with him in the slightest. A ploy, whatever the need for the staff he surely did not bring it out of sentiment. But his eyes, the way his body fell. He was tense, almost defensive in the simple act of walking down a plank Tsurino did not doubt they were expecting Kirigakure to look like pirates. The thought left a bitter taste in her mouth and she turned her attention towards the other. The girl beside him was terrified, her whole body was shaking. In all honesty she had every right to be. If the rumors of Kirigakure remained to be the godless pit of the bloody mist Tsurino would be concerned if it did not strike some fear. Yet to show it was concerning. It was why she did not fault the boy for looking so skeptically on the idea of remaining peace between the two factions.

”May I ask you who are, as well as your reason for interrupting my village’s operations. Why you raised our flag and what you believe you will accomplish by being here, interrupting a peaceful military action. “ The Kaguya remained still, however she took a position standing in front of her team mates. It was her job to ensure the safety of The blockade as well as to solidify an alliance with Yuni No Kuni. That being said she did take special care in calming her own team mates. There was no reason for violence when they could discuss this like human beings. Tsurino knew firsthand the carnage of jumping into a battle without proper guidance. Her own blood taught her to pick her battles.

[OOC: I hereby apologize for the quality of my post. I have a horrific headache right now at 4am. ]

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Age : 28 Posts : 3640

A gangplank was lowered between the two ships, and the three Konoha shinobi were given permission to come aboard the Kirigakure blockade vessel. An elegant-looking woman had joined the two younger boys, and just by looking at the trio it was obvious that they were shinobi. There was a certain look about a person that could distinguish their profession, and shinobi was quite the… narrowed profession choice. Specific characteristics set aside a shinobi from a civilian, from the way they walked and composed themselves, to their overall appearance. Training to become such a specialised individual was hard on the body, and even females developed rock hard muscles with all the work, even if they weren’t particularly visible.

Kimiko, as per usual, was showing a lot of flesh and her body was well-toned, especially her powerful legs that were mostly revealed thanks to the odd style of kimono she sported. Although the taller female did not smile, she seemed relaxed and there was no tension within her body that the Konoha Jounin could see. That in turn made her relax, and the small smile stayed painted on her lips. The white-haired woman nodded and spoke, introducing herself to be called Tsurino Kaguya, and revealing that she was in charge of the operation that Kirigakure was part of. Well, as she put it, she ‘spoke’ for it, which was all well and good. The Kage of respective villages gave out missions, not the shinobi that acted upon them. All of their lives, shinobi were supposed to follow orders, and that was all they did if they wished to become a powerful individual; until they could actually give the orders for themselves. “Good day to you, Tsurino-san.” It was odd for the ebony-haired female to use such a high honorific, especially since she was so used to giving people nicknames and shortened, friendly honorifics such as ‘chan’ or ‘kun’. She realised the magnitude of this operation, however, and the need to be polite until given reason not to be.

She stood ahead of her two team mates, looking out the corners of each eye to check on them and make sure they were okay. Kiyomi looked particularly nervous, and understandably so; they were literally face to face with the enemy here. The potential enemy at least. They needn’t be the enemy if they co-operated, and Kimiko was determined to do the same. She was a born fighter, but she realised the need for peace when it was presented to her on a silver platter like this right now. The white-haired Tsurino spoke up again, asking numerous questions that did of course need to be answered if this was to become a diplomatic solution. She asked why the Konoha nin were here, why they had raised Kirigakure’s flag and why they were trying to interrupt a peaceful military action. Instead of rising to any challenge that anybody else could have seen in those words, the Katsumi female tilted her head to the side and regained the small, barely detectable smile on her lips. She raised her hands up to either side of her, indicating the Chuunin and Genin that had been assigned on her team to complete their mission. “My name is Katsumi Kimiko, Master Jounin of Konohagakure no Sato. Perhaps listed in your bingo books as the Konoha Blaze, or maybe even Konoha no Kibo. You may refer to me as you wish.” She paused briefly, clasping her hands together in front of her in a casual manner. “This is Kazuhiko, a Chuunin of Konohagakure, a great friend of mine. And this is Kiyomi, a Genin of our village and my personal student. We are here for the same reason why you are supporting this blockade; down to orders from our superiors.”

It was true, of course it was. Kimiko agreed with the Hokage on the matter that this blockade needed to be stopped, but she wasn’t about to play her whole hand yet, especially not with the possible hostile situation. She looked back over her shoulder at the ship they had arrived on, and saw that the sailors had all vanished below decks. They obviously didn’t want to get involved with these affairs. “And I’m sure you can understand the need to do what administration says. The kind Daimyo of the Fire Country lent us one of his ships, and we were told to use a decoy flag because they assumed it was the best action.” Her voice had lowered slightly, but not to make the speech quiet. “I may not be a dab hand at warfare or other such things, but I am rather certain that a blockade is… far less peaceful than it seems.” She had to tread carefully, of that she was rather clear. She kept a measured, assured tone of voice throughout while she was speaking to the Kirigakure shinobi, careful not to make any sudden movements that could make her come across as violent. “We were sent here to reach a compromise with this blockade. I am hopeful that such a matter can be solved through peaceful means, as I’m sure you are, Tsurino-san.” She bowed her head respectfully, and then stepped back to allow the other shinobi room to talk, discuss, or whatever else they wished to do. Although she may not appear as such, she was battle ready at any given point. Her main strategy, even though it seemed odd, was to make the opponent underestimate her in any way possible, mainly through the attire she chose to wear. Under normal circumstances, nobody could fight in such garb comfortably or effectively. Kimiko was rather good at doing so in her experiences, and she much preferred it to more sensible attire, which was… rather odd.

She stood patiently, hands clasped in front of her while retaining a small smile on her face to make herself less of a threat to the Kirigakure shinobi they were faced with at present. She hoped that Kiyomi and Kazuhiko kept straight, upright ways about them in order to make sure they didn’t seem weak of afraid, or apprehensive for a battle. They should try and look as un-threatening as possible. She didn’t wish to turn and inspect her team mates for fear of missing something happening in front of her, and any sudden movements could be counted as an excuse for an attack on them. As such, she remained patient and silent after her small bouts of speech, hoping upon hope that this would soon be solved in a civilised manner.

Age : 32 Posts : 544

Kazuhiko's request brought Kiyomi out of her inactive seeming stupor. She nodded "Right, sorry." Before the Kiri nin got within sight she formed the few handseal needed for the jutsu and linked them all. There we go. Sorry for the delay, I'm more nervous than I need to be. Is there anything else I should do before they get here? Perhaps we should go over any combat related plans in case things go south.

She realized that neither may not know how to speak telepathically, so an little explanation was in order. Oops. I should explain really quickly.To speak telepathically simply make believe you're talking in your mind. If you want to keep things private just think normally. It's really not hard at all once you get used to it. With the explanation out of the way she could focus on appearing as if she wasn't up to something like keeping their unit linked.

As the kiri team approached Kiyomi was surprised that they seemed well, rather normal. She had expected shady looking characters with shark like teeth. Instead she saw two young men close to her age and a beautiful kunochi closer to Kimiko's age. It just goes to show not to believe everything you hear. However, just because they didn't appear dangerous didn't mean they weren't. The woman introduced herself as a Kaguya. A huge red flag went of there. The Kaguya's were exceptionally strong in taijutsu. No one ever wanted to fight them in hand to hand combat especially Kiyomi. Taijutsu was her worst field of study.

Trying not to look like a wink link in the chain Kiyomi stood tall ,for her, and proud as she watched the trio of Kiri nin, namely their leader discuss matters with Kimiko. The kiri jounin's opinion on peaceful was strange to her. Nothing involving military action could be really called peaceful could it. It meant you were always ready for war and therefore ready to kill. Not very peaceful in Kiyomi's mind. Truth be told she had nothing to really add to the conversation yet, so she kept her peace. For now.

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Age : 28 Posts : 3145

If young Kazuhiko had seemed tense, the arrival of the leader of this naval 'blockade' placed him at ease, so much so that the relaxation of his muscles was practically clear to even an untrained eye. Still he relied on his staff, despite the pair of piercing heterochromic irises seemingly looking past the subtle attempt at trickery. Or maybe that was just an impression he had conjured. Whatever the case, the two younger persons seemed fooled or so he hoped, and certainly the sailors of the opposing ship gave the youth the kind of look - contempt mixed with curiosity and ill-will - which made him convinced they were judging him with his (apparent) handicap in mind. Could he chuckle or smile in this situation, he would have, but of course he couldn't. In fact, the gesture alone was likely enough to spark the conflict he feared was so inevitable; the tension was definitely at such a level.

With the Yamanaka Genin announcing her completion of his request, the youth found himself all at once very anxious. Although he saw the many benefits of being telepathically connected to the three, he was also aware of his own terrible tendency to think, judge, assume and condemn others - all of these done in very quick successions, that were often incoherent himself - though no words that could prove such thought processes would ever end up leaving his lips. The girl gave the two a quick lesson in the workings of the technique and judging by the lack of reaction from the others, it seemed that for now, Kazuhiko had kept mentally silent. Still, the fear remained, especially, as it was augmented by the arrival of the white-haired woman...

Kazuhiko never associated himself closely with the male stereotype. He considered himself more refined than the average homosapien, with heightened talents and augmented skills and abilities, all partially due to his status as a shinobi and his possession of the gift of chakra. Though the noble didn't see himself as completely superior or alien, he denied himself most thoughts that the average man would have. But of course, there were exceptions. With Kimiko herself, the youth found it quite difficult to keep his gaze and thoughts away from her (which he did, thankfully). Perhaps the thought of her anger or the anger of her... temporary partner made this more possible. However, the new arrival was a rather different case. It wasn't so easy to hide his interest in this particular instance.

Perhaps it was her exoticism; she was something new and shiny - something novel - an alluring treasure from a different world. Though she was visibly older, Kazuhiko couldn't help but admire her, though his golden eyes looked ever indifferent and his gaze might as well have been empty. Yet behind that emptiness - behind that veil of gold - lay an unsated curiosity. The youth was well versed in keeping concentrated, but he couldn't help but to take in the sight of the proud Kiri woman. She was tall and fair skinned; there was a sense of extinct beauty about her - her whole essence was reminiscent of snow, melting away with the passage of time. The quantity of clothing that covered, what looked like, a muscular body was lacking - the youth wondered, for a second, if she and Kimiko understood what tact or social acceptability was. And yet though many would enjoy this lack, Kazuhiko almost scowled; to reveal her to such extent, was to destroy the mystery of her person; her bare stomach mocked his sharpened kunai - she seemed perfectly prepared to perform seppuku. It would be a shame to kill her.

"Perhaps we should take this talk to a cabin, or an office?" the youth interceded not seconds after Kimiko had finished speaking. "Diplomacy is not best achieved whilst standing" he added, that being his apparent reason for the suggestion. Whether the youth was voicing a complaint, a reference to whatever condition caused him to use the staff or else, merely showing preference, the suggestion seemed to be merely a reminder of etiquette. His voice had been as melodic as ever, elegance brimming from the few vocal strings he had strung. Perhaps that too would be used to explain his suggestion: nobles hated standing around.

But that's not where he stopped - perhaps he sought to test the waters, but he added swiftly, his tongue ever quick: "It's rather unbecoming to speak of such important matters with these many ears about us. If the three of us could converse over a cup of tea perhaps, that would be much appreciated"; he was of course, referring to himself, Kimiko and the beautiful white-haired Jounin. The suggestion, though perhaps granting the two Leaf-shinobi an advantage, had its detriment also: the young Yamanaka would be left to fend for herself, against the two older Genin; the less experience Konoha crew would be left to fight the famed sea-masters. Regardless, denying this offer would be for the Kiri Jounin to show that she didn't trust in her own skills and in the skills of her two teammates. It would be far more beneficial, for the moral of her men that is, to fearlessly agree to the suggestion of the raven-haired youth, especially since as far as most were concerned, he was a cripple and so, of little danger. It was a cunning move on his part.

Age : 31 Posts : 157

((( MOTHER f&*^%*e$!!!!! IT DID IT AGAIN!!! Ok.ok....i'm sorry this will be crap. I'm so angry with my word i'm just posting it up. ))

Tsurino remained silent as Kimiko began to speak. The Kaguya listened quietly as she shifted gently with the sway and bob of the ship along the bay. Upon her introduction Tsurino merely nodded ”Yes I have heard of your name. Though more so in my travels through your country.” She said quietly, her voice was smooth like warm water over chilled skin. Tsurino had only left her village once in order to meet with fellow clan members in Kumogakure. While she did so she passed through Konoha’s country, finding the people kind and the weather warm and temperate.

Once more the Jounin from the Village hidden in the Mist remained silent. Swaying with the ship and watching them all carefully. There was something strange from both the Chuunin and Kimiko. They were Shinobi and trained ruthlessly in battle tactics. Her outfit did less to change her mind as Tsurino often wore the same clothing that the ebony haired woman standing across from her donned. Elegant comfort, she used her body as Tsurino often did not as a tool. As a distraction, abusing the strange obsession with covering ones skin. Whatever their game was, taking into account her comments on warfare, and Kazuhiko’s strange false injury. They wanted to be underestimated.

”It appears your Administration must think us fools if we are unable to discern our own ships from others.” Tsurino spoke calmly, an eyebrow raised casually but she still remained perfectly calm. ”Our flag raised or otherwise. When dealing with as many smuggling ships it has become nothing less than an art form.” She let her eyes drift to the Konoha ship, now devoid of all its sailors, while Kirigakure’s fleets remained out on the decks. Eyeing everyone warily.

”Still, the bias of Kirigakure being ruthless and cruel has not escaped our ears. We are aware of the infamous name given to us. It’s not completely false, to this I admit. But I assure you this military act is exactly what you see. Neutrality must end. The blockade is here to force no one’s hand. I am very aware of the responsibilities of a Shinobi, and adhering to the will of your administration.” Her words were spoken without a violent tone but in her mind her words were as sharp as razors. The will of her administration was not the will of her Mizukage. The act of the blockade was foolish and headstrong. Kirigakure’s Daimyo was worried more about others making alliances than Kirigakure gaining any alliances. He was a fool hearted old man who Tsurino carried no respect for. But it was her duty to carry out his orders….for as long as he remained in his position.

Her eyes flicked over to Kazuhiko as he spoke up quickly, requesting that they move to someplace more private to discuss such matters. It was a strange thing to request even in such a situation. That her own team mates would not accompany them and they would seem to abandon their youngest and by far the most terrified alone with two other Shinobi. No. Tsurino wished for this to be discussed with as little tension or conflict if it could be avoiding and it would be avoided. Fear led to irrational actions, actions one might regret later.

” If you would like to take this discussion indoors and away from the brine, you may follow me. There is a meeting hall we may speak in. Stray ears are the least of my concerns when we are discussing peace. However, I would not so much leave my team mates unattended with your student as I would believe you would feel comfortable leaving her alone in the company of my boys.” She looked to the young blond girl beside Kimiko. She shivered like a leaf in the wind. Fear floated off of her form like a bad smell.

”Kimiko-san. I suggest we either all discuss the matter of peace or only you and I. You must understand that though it seems we both do not wish any conflict to come between our villages, let alone upon a ship in the middle of the bay. As neither of us wants to be the cause of an all-out war. I’ll leave the choice to you.” it was the first time she offered a small smile, looking to Kiyomi. ”I assure on my word that if you truly come to us in peace we will not harm you. My village may be known for its brutality but I am not. We will not cast the first stone, if it should be cast.”

Age : 28 Posts : 50

    Zhan immediately tasked himself with refraining from participated in the ensuing diplomacy and instead to determining how to best act in the event of a fight breaking out. As such, he eyed each one of the Konoha shinobi carefully. He relaxed the grip on his polearm as the gangplank connected either ship. Careful to avoid revealing any sort of emotion, Zhan simply carefully studied all three of them. He did not hide his eyes as they searched up and down the three shinobi. He was trying to glean every bit of possible information from them as possible. The jonin and chuunin were obviously powerful combatants: The jonin from her mere title and the chuunin from his very build. The girl on the other hand, did not seem comfortable in her situation at all. Either she was heavily inexperienced or she had a ranged or supportive fighting style. Most likely a combination of the two. Zhan made a mental note of this, if this encounter turned to violence she would have to be subdued swiftly in order for his teammates to act effectively.

    Despite his hard and blank expression, Zhan was concerned. The simple fact was that they were outgunned. The Konoha had a Jounin, a chunin and a genin while the Kirigakure squad had one jounin, two genin and no chuunin. There were ways in which this could be useful but, they would not be easy to execute. The fact was, that they wouldn’t last in a drawn out battle. If a fight had to happen, it would have to be swift or, at least, they would have to be swift in dispatching the genin and chuunin so that they may focus entirely on the jounin.

    Everything, Zhan took from a hostile standpoint. Every last word, he played either how they might give each side a combative advantage. Most notable of this was the seemingly lame shinobi’s proposition to go inside. Were Zhan leading this mission he would have declined in a heartbeat. They were manipulating the battlefield, possibly to their advantage. Still, he abstained from making any sort of comment or revealing his concern. Instead, he let his eyes bore into each of the shinobi again and again.

OOC: Sorry for the short length. Currently going through a nasty breakup. And Tsu, maybe you should try using Google docs. It saves every change you make automaticly so, as long as noone hacks google, you won’t lose anything.

Posts : 363

[I've PMed Liam concerning this thread, and if I do not hear from him soon or information concerning his absence, I will have him removed from this thread. If you do hear him from him, please inform me as soon as possible so we may straighten out the post order misshap.

P.S. I am moderating this thread, if you were not aware.]

Age : 28 Posts : 3640

Thus far, things were looking promising. Tsurino retained a calm, composed demeanour that spoke nothing of deceit or of ill-will, which made the Katsumi female relax, although not entirely. She knew, as she was becoming a rather fluent practitioner in such arts, that deception was a clever craft that many used in their line of work, and even though she trusted the Kiri Jounin, she erred on the side of caution; as she was sure the Kiri Nin were doing in return. It was only natural. What wasn’t natural, but seemed to be so much more the case at the moment, was the great amount of violence accompanying decisions when it wasn’t otherwise necessary. It was dubbed ‘the shinobi way’, but in all honesty it was just brutal decisions made by administration that could have easily been avoided. The Kaguya woman claimed that she had heard of her Konoha counterpart, albeit by travelling through Hi no Kuni. Kimiko bowed her head slightly as a sign of acknowledgement, and offered a small, barely detectable smile at the woman facing her. “I do hope that your travels through the Fire Country were pleasant. I have not heard your name before, I must admit, Tsurino-san, but that is mainly because I become rather blinkered in my efforts of peace for my own village. Well met regardless.” She curtsied a little, just enough for it to be deemed respectful and yet not half-hearted, before straightening up once more with her back straight as a board. After saying as much, the Kiri Jounin stated that the Administration for Konoha, and the Fire Country, must think that Kirigakure were fooled to be tricked with the little ‘plan’ they had formulated for success.

The ebony-haired female made no comment, because this was her country she would betray if she denounced them. Instead she merely nodded, accepting the criticism to bear upon herself as opposed to the administration and Daimyo of their country. It wasn’t fair and just, but that was the way their world worked; not just for Konoha in their homeland. All across the world, rich Daimyos controlled land and administration that they didn’t understand and merely monopolised it for their own capital gain. To them, it was still a game, where they could throw out hundreds of lives and brush the blood onto other peoples’ hands. Tsurino commented carefully, and truthfully about the nature of their village and the great burden that came with it. For a time in the past, Kirigakure were dubbed ‘The Bloody Village of the Mist’, or other translations along those lines, something that undoubtedly had stayed within society as many feared the village across the sea. Kimiko was not one to judge by names and instead by people, and thus far she was quietly impressed with the white-haired female’s demeanour and sensible actions regarding this blockade. It was rather clear that the Kaguya didn’t particularly agree with the blockade, but was simply going by what she had been ordered to do. The fact that she too was keen on discussing this diplomatically instead of shedding blood spoke volumes too, and the Konoha Jounin was hopeful that this could be solved in a rational manner.

Kazuhiko chose his time to speak up about ‘the three of them’ taking this discussion somewhere more private, obviously referring to the two Jounin and Chuunin, the latter being himself. The ebony-haired female glanced out of the corner of her eyes at her friend with a quizzical look, wondering why on earth he was suggesting such a thing. They were of course here to call the shots, but demanding such things in such a manner could be catastrophic for their operation; especially since it was all going so smoothly and calmly at present. It would mean leaving Kiyomi out here alone with the two Kiri boys, and considering how frightened the girl was already, things could easily get nasty. Kimiko was relieved that the Kiri Jounin shared her opinion on this matter, and she wasn’t about to leave her own student behind on a potentially dangerous mission. ‘Ashikaga Kazuhiko, now is not the time to be admiring foreign beauties and wishing to be alone with her.’ She spoke to the dark-haired youth within the confines of her mind, using Kiyomi’s useful telepathic link between the three of them. She wasn’t blind and had noticed every now and then how the youth never glanced away from the exposed body of Tsurino, and that was all well and good, but this was a mission they were on. If this woman was anybody different, they would have probably been killed by now for their insolence and demanding nature when they didn’t hold the advantage. In rank, perhaps, as they had a Master Jounin and Chuunin to work in their favour, but this was not their ship, they were surrounded by foreign sailors, all of whom were loyal to Kirigakure, and they were in the middle of the water besides. Considering just how ‘loyal’ the Daimyo’s men were, they would probably raise anchor and high-tail it out of here the moment violence broke out, leaving them up shit creek without a paddle… if you’d pardon the French. ‘We have ventured on this mission as a team, and we will complete it as a team. Under different, safer circumstances, such a decision couldn’t be discounted so easily, but Kiyomi would be out-numbered two to one if things became nasty up here while we were below deck.’ She continued, but never let her attention shift from the Kaguya woman in front of her.

Tsurino stated that they could go below deck to a meeting hall that the ship sported, and they could speak there. She also made mention of her discomfort of leaving the two Kiri boys with the one Konoha girl, which made the ebony-haired woman nod in agreement. “Kiyomi is more than capable of playing nice, of course, but this is a matter that is a team effort.” She was careful with her choice of words, making sure to go ahead with what the popular consensus was; basically, what the Kiri Jounin was saying. The snowy-haired female spoke up once more, asking Kimiko to make the decision about what they should do in regard to discussing this matter further. What lightened the Konoha woman’s spirits was seeing the smile offered towards poor Kiyomi, and the statement of Tsurino not holding a brutal nature like others in her village.

“If it is acceptable to you, Tsurino-san, I would request that we all go below deck to discuss this matter further. I know that between all of us, we can reach a civilised decision that will accomplish both of our means for a peaceful exchange in regard to Yu no Kuni.” She stated, her voice strong yet holding a definite softness about it. She wasn’t demanding, but she was explaining her reason behind wishing to follow this course of action also. She was not un-nerved by one of the Kiri boys trying to scare or intimidate them, for she was more than used to such actions and it no longer bothered her whatsoever. She held a hand out to the white-haired Kaguya, a gesture for the other Jounin to lead the way.

Age : 32 Posts : 544

[Sorry for the delay. For some reason the topic stopped sending me emails so I didn't know it had been updated. :/ I'll try to check more often no on, but if Chris hadn't pm'd me I wouldn't have known it updated ;-; ]

At Kazuhiko's suggestion Kiyomi forgot her fear for a moment, and stole a quick glance at the chuunin as he stared at the Kaguya's pleasing form. The urge to kick him was almost overwhelming since he'd leave her outnumbered in what could turn hand to hand simply because he wanted alone time with Sensei and the Kaguya. That's what she gathered from Kimiko's admonition of the older chuunin's actions in their link. Then a feel of shame that thankfully didn't cause her pale cheeks to flush in embarrassment.

Now she looked weak in front of the enemy and was an even bigger target. Still, things hadn't gone south as she had expected them too yet. So perhaps everything would work out okay. Kazuhiko you can buy some flowers from my clan's shop later to impress the bone flinging lady, but please refrain from ditching me to try and pick up a woman who'd probably sooner kill you than kiss you. Her voice was calm and somewhat sarcastic in their minds, but there was enough bite to let him know she wasn't happy with him at the moment. Higher ranked or not, one simply didn't put a comrade at a disadvantage for a chance at flirtation.

Done with scolding him, her gaze went back to the trio. None really looked bloodthirsty and when Tsurino smiled promising that if their intentions were peaceful no fight would happen Kiyomi really believed her. From the tales she heard of the Kaguya clan she could have simply erupted into a giant bone explosion and sunk the ship by now. Kimiko's suggestion of playing nice made Kiyomi crack a small grin as well. "I prefer to play nice honestly." It was the first words she had spoken, but much to her relief the words came out strong an evenly without a stutter. Her nerves were beginning to calm down now that everyone seemed perfectly calm and ready to decide a peaceful solution.

Age : 28 Posts : 3145

The youth was rather disappointed that his request had been denied and, further, was disappointed to see the manner by which his request was twisted. He had thought his intention was clear - it was simply to allow the higher ranking shinobi to speak of diplomacy whilst their young teammates awaited outside, for their wiser and older counterparts to reach a decision, that really, the Genin should have no part in. Since Genin were the lowest on the chain of command, it wasn't exactly etiquette to involve them in decision making - especially important ones such as these, which could easily decide the future of the two villages, for better or for worse. As it happened, Konoha had two representatives that fit Kazuhiko's notion of what was appropriate, whereas Kiri only had one. There was no other... desire or agenda behind the suggestion. Frankly, the youth didn't care for what the two Mist youths had to say; it would be unfair to allow the Yamanaka girl to come along, hence why he had suggested she would stay. It wasn't likely anything would happen - why was everyone so concerned about her handling the other genin? Wasn't everyone after peace? If so, she didn't have to handle them... not like they were much of a threat either way.

The comments from his two teammates, were perhaps the most surprising of all the things that occurred in response to his action, because apparently, his suggestion had carried some lustful undertone that Kimiko picked up upon and the girl blindly followed. He was accused of staring, which had not been the case - this was merely the jealous imagination of the two girls at work. His gaze had been straight, yes, but out of politeness. It never strayed downwards, nor dawdled there; he was merely looking at 'the foreign beauty' because she was doing most of the speaking and, because at the moment, she posed the most threat and, with her personality as of yet unknown, was not only just a threat but a great and unquantifiable one at that. It was not only professional, but rational and safe to keep her under constant watch. Letting someone who carried the Kaguya name out of one's sight, was quite the death wish, that is if the rumours were too. Then again, even if they weren't, her Jounin rank made her watch-worthy.

"Do I notice a hint of jealousy in your thoughts, Kimiko-san?" the youth asked internally, his mind focused on the great task of making his thoughts carry the usual melody of his voice, with the added touch of playful snarkiness. Though he had no means to make sure this was the case, he carried on in this tone. "I'm merely stricken by her exoticism. Once it wears off, I can admire you once more" he remarked, letting this one sink in, fully aware of the younger girl listening, which made the situation more comical in his eyes. And of course, the presence of the Kirigakure shinobi meant that Kimiko couldn't retaliate in any other form than through this means of communication. It must have irked her.

"On a more serious note, I wanted to isolate her, because if things went sour, eliminating the highest ranking shinobi would be our priority" he explained, his tone changing drastically to suit the more solemn and professional notes his internal vocal chords imitated. "If she falls, the blockade falls. If it meant that you would have to hold out against these two rascals for a few minutes, Yamanaka-san, I believe the risk you would be under doesn't outweigh the benefits of killing the leader of the blockade. Of course, we would be by your side before you knew anything had gone wrong" he assured her, making sure that he had made himself and his intentions clear. Of course the request was denied, so why did the youth bother to explain his idea? It was likely his desire to clean his image, the image that they had tarnished by toying with the notions that he was some sexually deprived youth. And surely, if he was, had he not been surrounded by sailors for the last four days?

Whilst the noble spoke on the inside, he reacted with a small grimace on the surface, nodding his head in agreement to the counter offer, his eyes looking to Kimiko for confirmation. He feared she would agree to take the woman's latter offer, namely, agree to speak to her alone. Whilst Kazuhiko had great faith in his friend's fighting skills, he feared her idealism would get in the way of what was beneficial to Konoha. Personally, he saw only one way out of this conflict; Kirigakure had almost no leverage on the main land, a notion that neither his side nor the other seemingly understood. Kazuhiko, however, being a businessman as much as he was a Shinobi, saw the situation as having only one real solution. There was no convincing reason as to why the Hot Springs Country would ever choose or stand by the Mist's side; the Mist offered so few advantages, whereas an alliance or clear siding with them would easily bankrupt the smaller nation, or else, invite war to their doorstep. Surely, the Kaguya woman knew that. Regardless of her leader's wishes, this was a closed case as far as the young brown-haired noble could see. He was just worried that if he wasn't allowed to speak, such an easy situation would easily and unnecessarily spiral out of control.

Age : 31 Posts : 157

Indeed Tsurino’s trips through Konoha was quite pleasant. The air was sweet and warm and the skies were ever clear and a vibrant shade of blue perfectly complimenting the lush greenery around them. It was nothing like the damp silent serenity she had in the land of water. Her home was as if the mist had stopped time itself, creating a stillness and silence the likes of which she had never seen in any other country. The thick evergreens grew to terrifying heights and the sky remained a constant steel grey. It was a place where Tsurino found peace. Tranquility as everything held its breath and watched the stillness.

”That is alright. I have never intended to be well known in my village or anyone else’s. Peace is an exotic commodity these days that many would not invest their time or effort to achieve. At our fundamental level we are both here to achieve peace for our village through the same means. I am sure if you were ever granted access to my home my name would become very notable to you.” She replied to the Konoha Jounin. To most it would almost sound as if she was boasting. But Tsurino was still consistently calm, as though it was almost a shame she was so well know within her village walls. That she did not care, it was means to an end and nothing more.
They were worlds seemingly switched, like the flipped sides of a coin. That was where they potentially stood now. Two different sides wishing to find peace when it seemed the world could have potentially done everything in their power to keep the Shinobi from meeting, from finding anything within themselves that wasn’t violence or trust.

The system was corrupted, and needed to change. If it should not change, Tsurino would change it by hand. She didn’t want to be a leader, or a martyr, of a villain. She just wanted to stop living in the world she was living in now. She wanted to stop living in the world she had been forced to live in her entire life.

She wanted it to be a life worth living, a life worth passing on.

”Not at all. I agree with your sentiment that this should be a group effort. Age is only a number, every voice must be heard when it is aimed towards peace. It is justified here that we do not want needless blood, we have no intention of starting a war.” Tsurino commented with a small nod.

”I agree. If you would like to follow me we can discuss matters further. “

Tsurino felt her body tighten once, but her body remained still as she let the Chakra flow over her body. From her veins to the tip of her head. Before she turned and walked away. There was no constriction over her body and she walked with her back to them, completely relaxed in a motion of grace across the rocking ship. Her eyes met with her two Shinobi. If this was going to be a dangerous situation she would have vouched for the two boys to remain outside. They had no idea how dangerous Tsurino could be in an enclosed space. But this was a ship, floating on water above the bay.

Water, would always be something she was always wary of. Water was a cold and merciless as it was life giving.

Pausing at the hallway she opened the door and nodded to her Team mates, beckoning for them to go in front of her. She would be their shield, should the Konoha Shinobi decide to attack while her back was turned. They would have no idea how quickly it was that they would fail. And trigger complete destruction. Tsurino did not lie when she said that Kirigakure would not be the ones to start the first blow should a blow be thrown. But it she would certainly be the last finishing power. She did not move until they walked down the steps in front of her. The room was always known to the children as well when they first arrived at the blockade. ”There is too much violence in this world. Kirigakure is often a target for the cold and the cruel, most of which is true. The blood mist is a heavy burden we must bear every day. And blood stains do not wash away so easily.” Tsurino spoke as she walked down the narrow staircase into the bowels of the ship.

Walking down the narrow hallway she stepped into the spacious room. There was a single table in the center a few spare chairs littered around on wooden floors. Walking up she turned and leaned against the table, facing the entrance.

”Now then. Where shall we begin.”

Jutsu Used:

[[OOC: Also. Skype tell me it is Wildfires Birthday today (Or Yesterday..whatever) Happy birthday!]]

Age : 28 Posts : 50

While he didn't agree with the idea, Zhan quitely complied. As he turned away, Zhan kept his gaze fixed on the three Konoha shinobi until his neck refused to bend any further. Tearing his eyes away, he began to trust his keen sense of smell to determine where his potential enemies were. Of all the types of fear, this was the worst. Terror is a fear of the uncertain. The human mind doesn't know whether the situation is safe or not. Will this end with the Konoha squad simply walking away? Or will he have to fight? The uncertainty is amongst the strongest kinds of fear a human can experience. Normally, it wouldn't have bothered Zhan this much. He was always confident in his ability to overpower his opponents or at least escape. However, here he was responsible for a mission so, escape was not much of an option and, once again, his own squad was outranked by the opposing one.
Hiding his concerns, Zhan waited to say anything until he was just slipping inside the ship, in front of his captain. On his way to the door, Zhan thought furiously, struggling to find a way to convey his concerns in as few words as possible so as to not be heard by their, “guests.” Finally, in the few seconds were he was unlikely to be heard, Zhan whispered into his microphone, “They just changed the battlefield. Could be a trap.” Zhan knew that the likelihood of this move inside being a strategic one was slim but, he couldn't forget the possibility of it being more than simple courtesy. Especially since the Konoha shinobi already tried something underhanded with the flag. Excuses or not, it still warranted some mistrust.
Never breaking his stride, Zhan carried on into the ship, lowering his spear a bit for fear of hitting it against door frames and the ceiling. He took a seat at the far end of the room, so as to watch the other file in, and assumed a more relaxed pose. Now his best hopes of self defense would be to react swiftly (do to the lack of wide open space like there was above deck) so, he thought it better to relax his muscles rather than have them tensed. He let his spear rest against his right shoulder and he lay his wrist upon it so that his hand could hang down freely. Finally, Zhan let out a deep sigh as he readied himself for the debate that would ensue. More terror. More uncertainty. No wonder why so many wars break out: nobody wants to deal with all this. It's much easier to just fight it out instead.

Age : 28 Posts : 3640

The ebony-haired Jounin did not appreciate Kazuhiko’s joking at a serious matter, as when he asked her if he heard a sense of jealousy in her tone. She remained silent, both outwardly and inwardly, as she regained her almost surgical composure. It seemed that Tsurino’s exotic charms were what had the Konoha Chuunin so infatuated, and his comment about how after that fascination wore off he could admire Kimiko once more did not score any points with his superior. Usually, she was such an open book that every feeling, every emotion and every action she wished to portray was done, without questions asked or regrets later. As such, she found it very irritable to say the least that she wasn’t allowed to kick her ‘dearest friend’ for those snarky comments. Instead, she stood completely calm, cool and collected, the same slight smile gracing her lips as a polite diplomatic measure. “I’m going to forget that you said any of that.” She thought in return, her mind’s voice just as irritated as she actually felt at present.

The Ashikaga male went on to explain himself, even though his plot had been foiled immediately after it being voiced. He seemed so dead-set on this ending in violence that he was willing to place Kiyomi in harms way just so they could attack the Kaguya Jounin in the comforts of the woman’s own ship. It was made clear that Tsurino did not agree with what she was doing for her village, and she harboured a hatred for her village’s Daimyo. If manoeuvred correctly, this could work out in the Konoha nin’s favour. They could strike a deal that the blockade would be lifted due to the fact that Yu no Kuni would otherwise starve from the inside out with little to no fish to catch anymore. Kirigakure and Konohagakure could have ‘fought’ and eventually agreed on the blockade’s lift, due to ‘not having any other choice’. With the Hidden Leaf coming to the rescue, the otherwise neutral Yu no Kuni may be swayed into siding with the Fire Country, under secret terms of course. And that would be that. Violence may well be required to complete this mission, but it was not yet necessary, and probably wouldn’t be whatsoever. Therefore, there was no need to plan for a possible attack if it would never be used. “If all goes to plan, we won’t need to fight anyone. The Kiri Nin, at least the Jounin, know what they’re doing is pointless; a drain on their resources and a needless military action. All we have to do is convince them that they hold no power here so far from home, which is rather obvious, and we can reach a conclusion in that manner. We don’t have to spill blood, cut guts and whatever else ‘might’ be deemed necessary by your good self, Kazuhiko.” She spoke internally, feeling tempted to raise an eyebrow while she did so. Luckily, she restrained that urge.

It seemed that Tsurino had quite the powerbase back at Kiri, but not out in the mainland which was why Kimiko had never heard of the white-haired woman before. It only solidified the fact of who held the power here, as the Katsumi was well-known through many countries on the mainland, and Konoha was only a stone’s throw away if things got nasty. She nodded to show that she had listened to what the Kiri Jounin had said, but there was nothing more to really say on the matter. Perhaps the fact that the other woman enjoyed her visit to Konoha by the sounds of things could sway her opinion in calling off this blockade to avoid a war as well. Things were looking up.

That was when Tsurino stated that they should go below deck and she would lead them all somewhere they could discuss the matter in a peaceful, diplomatic way. They all traipsed down below into the ship on a narrow staircase, with Kimiko falling into line behind the Kaguya in order to act as the first line of defence should things become nasty. The white-haired woman stated that the Bloody Mist was something that Kiri Nin had to face, and it was not a nice thing to endure and be associated with. With a nod, the ebony-haired Master Jounin continued to follow the potential threats further down. “Indeed, blood stains do not wash away easily, which is why this solution would be much better made as a peaceful one.” She agreed, swiftly glancing back over her shoulder at the two accompanying her on this mission. In all honesty, she could have done this whole thing by herself, as she was capable of completing S-Ranks alone now thanks to her prestigious rank. That aside, she wished to protect her comrades to the last if things went nasty, but she felt confident that they would not. Tsurino wasn’t the type to betray her word, and if the Kiri boys tried anything, they would be on the wrong end of Kimiko’s deadly jutsu. They entered a spacious room, strangely so for a ship, but a welcome sight nevertheless. A few chairs littered the space alongside a large table. Their host, the Kaguya, turned and looked at the Konoha Nin as they entered, asking where they should begin proceedings.

The Katsumi walked to a crop of three chairs, carefully arranging them on one end of the table for her, Kazuhiko and Kiyomi to sit in. After doing so, she returned her gaze to rest on the white-haired woman, smiling an amiable smile. “A good place to start is at the beginning, no?” Light-hearted words aside, she cleared her throat and stood behind the chair she had chosen for herself, in the middle of the two who had accompanied her on this mission. She would wait for the Kiri Nin to sit before she did, as a safety precaution and no more. “We seem to be in quite the predicament, following orders that have been given by the, dare I say it, wrong people in power. Daimyo’s wishes are not those of our Kage, it is true. They only wish for more land to call their own. Our Daimyo gave us a foreign ship with sailors who don’t listen to our commands, and orders that he felt would fit best, which were ultimately awful.” She paused, realising that she could be walking on dangerous ground if she wasn’t careful and didn’t say her words with a diplomatic flair. “Before long, Yu no Kuni will have no fish to catch and they will starve within their own country. This blockade has taught them a lesson, I’m sure, but is it really necessary for it to continue for so long that it ruins an already unstable country?” She waved a hand at Tsurino, obviously searching for a response to what she had said thus far.

Age : 32 Posts : 544

Kimiko's mood had taken a turn down a darker path thanks to the lecherous Chuunin. It was now hard to decide who she was more afraid of. The Kaguya whose thoughts she couldn't hear or Kimiko's who she was dreading to enter her head at any moment to tear into the young chuunin. Perhaps if a fight didn't break out she could take some pills from someone on the ship to knock herself out so she'd be able to relax.

The debate was about to begin, but Kiyomi didn't wish to speak. Not directly anyways. She was new to politics on a nation wide scale and she didn't want to embarrass them nor possibly start a brawl in such cramped confines. "...So uhh may I speak through you sensei? I don't want to show my lack of skills to the enemy and we can discuss things faster this way and keep them on their toes. Another added benefit to the jutsu. They could perhaps outmaneuver them since the three mines were joined as one. They needn't have to make mistakes to be corrected verbally by the other one.

Forgive my ignorance, but national politics is a subject that eludes my grasp. So Kiri claims the rights to some waters and says the hot springs village is stealing from them hence the blockade. I personally think it makes them look weak for doing this to a nation with no real military. It's like a school bully picking on the blind kid, I mean who really does that? However, they probably won't budge on the blockade unless they gain something from it. Right now their wasting resources by blockading this area, but couldn't they simply ask for a small tax to fish in their so called waters and gain some profit from it? Perhaps they charge per fishing ship or the size of the ships haul. It's something I'd do if someone wanted to fish on my property.

Many big landowners did it once hunting season came about so why not Kiri? It seemed logical to get money rather than spend it on this silly blockade.

Age : 28 Posts : 3145

OOC: Apologies for the speech. (Or two)

Although the situation had not gone as planned, Kazuhiko followed his sempai and the Mist Shinobi quietly, keeping up the pretense that the walking stick was a necessary accessory. He had hoped that the voices of the Genin would not be heard - this was not a matter to be settled by children - yet here they were, entering a spacious wooden office to discuss politics and the potential fate of the world, with a bunch of kids. It made him wonder... did this meeting matter at all, or did Kimiko and Tsurino seriously place so much faith and trust in their students; were their opinions so highly valued? This was ridiculous, and the youth couldn't discern which village had acted more poorly thus far.

In time everyone was seated, though for a moment, at first, Tsurino had lingered, her body leaning against the table as if she was uncertain whether to sit behind it alike planned or else, break their agreement and do something unexpected. However she was dull. They sat as promised, three voices against three, two adult minds versus one. The young Yamanaka had voiced her concern internally - her fear of failure - and yet the raven-haired boy didn't respond, instead preoccupied with his own worries and thoughts. His mind sorted through all of his verbal options, nitpicking what was right and wrong - what fit and what would alienate or else sway the situation. He was conflicted between what he knew to be disagreeable and desirable; what he wanted personally, what his village wanted and what his family wanted. He was conflicted because Kimiko did not prepare him for this - even though she had this wonderful link with him, they had not spoken - not about this: the most important issue of the present. Kazuhiko did not know what her agenda was. He only knew his own.

The noble listened to his superior quietly, though a slight smile began to pierce through the emotionless facade. He found what she said amusing: it showed. Kazuhiko couldn't help this feeling - he fought back, of course, not laughing as he perhaps originally imagined himself doing - instead blocking these thoughts out until a mere smile remained. He couldn't wait to intervene.

"If I may, Kaguya-san, I would like to point out that my sempai is being rather shrewd" he began, picking his words with a delicious pretense of carefulness. "You see, and this is why I had asked for a more private meeting, the truth of the matter is that your village nor your country can gain anything out of this situation" he explained, before he added, ominously perhaps, "However ours can." It seemed like he had decided to play Devil's Advocate, though why, it was rather unclear. Whatever his mind dictated, he didn't share it with his allies. Perhaps they would trust him and let him go on, and if they didn't, well his voice was rather compelling and pleasant to listen to. Plus it would be tactless and potentially destructive, to stop him now.

"This is simply a business matter." he stated, smiling, his golden eyes glowing with a warm, calm fire. "The Hot Springs Country relies heavily on tourism as its only source of income - the Fire Country provides the vast majority of those tourists. The Hot Springs Country doesn't produce anything - the Fire Country is its major and perhaps only trading partner. The Hot Springs Country, currently, has no fish to distribute among its hungry citizens - the Fire Country has vast fields of grain, barley and oat, all waiting to be turned into bread or to be fed to countless herds of animals. The Hot Springs Country has no military - the Fire Country is at its doorstep, ready to move in troops at a moment's notice... and this is where you come in, a country so far away it would take weeks for your ships to reach the shores." he spoke, like a teacher or lecturer, summarizing points that had been previously well known but perhaps not recorded in a concise format. "Now if you take away food from a country, it goes to its nearest, most friendliest neighbour, does it not? If you threaten its only source of income - tourism, for why would anyone want to visit a country which may be facing a military invasion - what does the poor country do? Surely it turns to its most strongest, most friendliest neighbour. A neighbour that will ensure the Hot Springs will not go bankrupt; will not starve; will not be invaded. This isn't a matter of what you can gain. It's a matter of us trying to act as if we care about your little blockade, only to have a great excuse as to why Fire Country Troops will soon be 'protecting' every little city, port and village... and why the people will rejoice" he explained, his voice so rich with wisdom (or so he believed)that he was surprised with himself and surprised that he had not been silenced.

"So... To put matters simply. By continuning your blockade, you're encouraging our nation's expansion - an expansion that will be heralded as a righteous and heroic act: the Fire Country protecting its weaker neighbour from starvation, a financial crisis and a hostile invasion. If you stop the blockade, you will gain nothing on the surface, however you will have ensured that our dear Daiymo doesn't almost double the lands he owns. Why do you think he sent us under a Kirigakure flag?" the youth asked, the question echoing ominously; it lingered at the periphery of mystery, though he dispelled such quickly. "It wasn't that he wanted to follow protocol, merely that the sight of another Mist Ship would hasten the thoughts in the minds of the Hot Springs officials. I wouldn't be surprised if they were planning out a treaty to propose to my country at this very moment, frightened by the prospect that your blockade had gained in strength" he finished, looking ever so slightly triumphant.

"I apologise if I spoke too much" he added tactfully, looking genuinely apologetic, though was such truly possible? Had he done it? Was it over?

Age : 31 Posts : 157

((OOC: I apologize for the rushed job. I will not have internet for the next two days and needed to push this out.))

As everyone poured steadily into the room and took their places she felt the plates within her skin to retreat. Moving from the table she sat down between her two Genin. The Konoha Shinobi taking their places on the other side so the two different villages faced each other. Sweeping Ivory hair from her face she looked over to Zhan who seemed to be the most agitated out of her children. What he had said was foolish, and tactless. This change of scenery was as much Tsurino’s choice as it was Kimiko’s. This was by no means a trap. Moving to an enclosed space between two Jounin who have only expressed manners of peace would prove destructive and deadly to their team mates and potentially to themselves.

As soon as they were alone Tsurino would need to have a talk with him. Currently within the hull of their vessel in a spacious but small room actually, if it would come to that would be beneficial to them. They are Shinobi who specialize in water, like it or not Tsurino was skilled in dealing with the ocean. Any Jutsu here could potentially rupture the hull and they would sink putting everyone in a potentially lethal situation.

The Kaguya turned back to the Shinobi and nodded to Kimiko as she spoke. ”Orders are orders. I am loyal to my village, I am loyal to my Mizukage without fail.” she spoke calmly. ”However, military action such as this comes from the same minds as your rulers. Expansion, and mistrust. This situation would be handled with more tact if this action was ordered by my Mizukage.” She replied calmly as she leaned forward, threading her fingers together. As the situation settled softly into a diplomatic discussion rather than the tense concern for battle.

But Kimiko made a good point, one of food and fear. As she opened her mouth to speak the Jounin was interrupted by the boy with the honey colored eyes and the false disability. She closed her mouth and listened. This was a discussion for all subjects to be included. His voice should be heard as anyone else had the right to be heard. Whether or not what he said was valid or even intelligent was up to him.

What he said held the proper grounds, while some was invalid she nodded, her face becoming truly unreadable as she listened intently. He was passionate about what he said, warm with such an extensive knowledge at his age he must had been raised within wealthy sects of the village. At his age Tsurino knew little about the imports and exports of Kirigakure. Well the legal trading anyway. He offered her valid points, and only did she speak when he had finished. It was only polite to allow him to speak.
”You do not need to apologize. You offered very valid points, I believe we can come to a compromise between the villages. However there are a few things I would like to express. You should know that before this day the Yu No Kuni has been trading extensively with the water country for fish and trade. We are as you know the bulk of imports and exports. Though this village is small it has been trading with us for fish and other foods and wares for many years.” She untangled her fingers and placed her hands down upon the table.

”Yu No Kuni is known for its hot springs yes. But it’s tourism would fall if it had to sustain its trade through smaller lesser fishing villages. If they chose to shift their alliance to rest within the fire country I can say without a doubt that the pride of my Daimyo will cause most shipments and trade with the small country would cease all together. Yes they would be allowed to fish in open neutral waters but the village would have to rely on only their own ships for fish. “ She shook her head.

”The country has been restrictive from you as well as us. This village has taken great leaps in order to make sure it is not affiliated with either of our nations and today it is being forced to choose. We harbor no bitter feelings whether the village should chose to ally itself with you or with us. All that we require is a choice to be made. Our military is more than capable of responding to a distress call within a day or two. Do not believe we are slow because there is water separating us. Though you are connected by land, we are connected by sea, and equipped with the fastest fleet our world has seen.” She spoke calmly, softly. She was not completely disagreeing with him. Indeed he made fine points, and at this point it was a good foundation that they could build from. A compromise to be taken from each.

” In the matter of your flag. I fact, tactically your ship now has out flag removed and yours raised. I believe your Daimyo to be a fool, and the country would see that by such a foolhardy mistake.” she raised a hand though, looking to Kimiko. ”That was meant with no offense. To speak frankly I believe there have been mistakes on both sides which lead to this situation. It is why I believe a compromise can be made between our two villages. As I said before, the choice primarily resides with Yu No Kuni Where they will place their alliance. All we can do at this point is offer them the pro’s to allying themselves with us and let them choose. They have kept their neutrality like a child refuses to grow up so they would not be forced to take responsibility.” She sighed and looked to them.

” It is not what would benefit them. It is what they would like to maintain. Either way their village would gain the protective military power of a larger nation. Though they have the safety of your land to fall back upon, they would be losing a great deal of our trade. It seems a compromise should be struck to the better choice of the villages so as it is beneficial no matter whom they chose.”