To Catch A Thief! [Suna --> Iwa]

Age : 35 Posts : 1113

Quote :: Mission Title: The Great Train Robbery.
Mission Type: Generic,
Mission Location: The Snow Country,
Shinobi Requirement: Kumori Harinezumi & Kasumi Satake.
Mission Rank: A.
Mission Objective: Every 3 months an armed land train travels across Snow carrying within it tribute for Snow Lord from the outlying villages. It’s heavily armoured, guarded by Samurai and low rank Ninja and has numerous advanced weapons on it such as senbon machine guns and cannons. Even so rumours abound a group of rebel Jounin from Yukigakure are planning to hit it and you or your team have been hired to see it safely to the capital. Be warned these Nin are sporting Mk 2 Chakra Armour and have twice the normal chakra capacity.
Mission Time Limit: 2 weeks.
Min Post Count: Jounin +: 3 for solo missions, 2 per person for team missions.

Konoha had given up the ghost. The Land of Fire, once such a powerful nation, was now at the mercy of nature - and she was not a forgiving mistress. The overgrown debris of Konoha was indeed a sorry sight, but if anything, the capital of Konohagakure was in a worse condition. It had become a haven, a rallying point, for all of the most unpleasant people in the known lands. Criminals, lowlives and mercenaries now ran the town, although it could hardly be said to have any form of 'law'. Refugees too, had been known to seek shelter there; although this always came with a hefty price tag. Most other villages tried to avoid crossing the borders, either out of fear or simple disinterest. For many, Konoha was being left to rot while they looked away, ignoring the dying country. Any effort to recover the land and rebuild the nation would be too much to ask of one other country, and relations were not yet sufficiently easy for the remaining shinobi nations to co-operate on this matter. Besides, it would take a gargantuan effort and would leave the countries offering aid at risk themselves. No leader wanted that for his people.

Sighing at the state of the world, Kasumi Satake brusquely folded up the map and slipped it into one of her top pockets. Stood at large gates of Sungakure, the view from her position was quite unspectacular. Rolling, golden dunes and the occasional wisps of sand across their surfaces... it stretched out like this for miles. Beyond, where the kunoichi was heading, were the neighbouring countries - Bird, Rain & River - though she would only need to pass through one of them. It was an annoying realisation, that travelling through what was left of Konoha was il-advised. It would make their journey that little bit longer and more tiresome. Still, she reasoned, speaking silently to herself, at least I'll have good company this time. The kunoichi was not undertaking this task alone - another Jounin by the name of Kumori was her partner for the mission, and she his. It had been some time since Kasumi had worked with another Jounin-level shinobi, her work of late had been with less experienced charges. While she had enjoyed guiding the others, the woman couldn't deny that a change of pace would be refreshing. At that moment, the very same Jounin arrived on the scene, prompting Kasumi to stand up a little straighter and turn to face the newcomer.

For once, her expectations were matched - Kumori looked more or less how she had anticipated. The female Jounin already knew that he was younger than her, by some six years, but he was about as tall and looked a little older than his age. His hair caught Kasumi's eye first, as this was not something she'd entirely predicted. The two-tone red and black suited the man, oddly enough. Smiling in greeting, the kunoichi held out a hand to shake. "Kasumi Satake - and I'm hoping you're Kumori-kun, or this could be a little awkward!" She laughed. The two had been teamed up for this mission by the Kazekage, as they both lacked recent field experience. After introductions were complete, Kasumi quickly located and removed the map she had folded away mere minutes before. "I guess we should get moving then. I've been looking at possible routes on the map, and it shouldn't be troublesome. A little long-winded perhaps, since we're trying to avoid Konoha." She pursed her lips and shrugged with one shoulder, indicating her nonchalance toward the matter. "So I thought we might travel up to Bird Country, through to the Land of Earth and hop on a short ferry across to Snow Country." She explained, lightly tracing the route with her finger as she spoke. "We'd need to stick right to the border in the Earth nation though, I don't really trust what little intelligence we have on that country's situation. I'm almost certain there's a small port there still in operation, though. Anyway, we avoid Konoha this way, and don't have to pass into too many different countries. Whadd'ya reckon?" She finished, curious to see the young man's reaction to her suggestion.

[Word Count = 704].
[Provisionally, travelling through Bird and to the northern port of Earth. The boat journey to Snow can be conducted here or in the Seas section.]

Age : 31 Posts : 208

Before making his way straight over to the gates, Shadow noticed that he had a little bit of free time in his hands and had a feeling that this mission wasn’t going to give him the relaxation and alone time he always seemed to crave for on a daily basis so here he was, leaning on a huge rock while he was sitting on the floor somewhere around the outer layers of the inner village, not too far from the village gates itself with a pocket sized book In his right hand titled “Psychology: Several different ways to work the mind”. Shadow was already reading somewhere passed the middle of the book despite just getting it the night before so he had a pretty good understanding of exactly what he was reading about, though he was mainly thinking about how the rest of his mission could possibly turn out, considering it wasn’t going to be his usual forte was operating alone with straight and certain efficiency, but rather as a wildcard of sorts because no matter how skilled either he or his partner is, anything could happen involving both or just one of them that would stop the production of the mission and put their lives at risk.

‘I guess teamwork is going to need to be top priority for once.’ With that thought in mind, Shadow closed the book in his hand and stood up from his position, about ready to get started on this mission and perform it with the maximum efficiency that he and the fellow Jounin by the name of Kasumi Satake could produce. Placing the book in the right side of his back pocket, Shadow tightened his gloves and loosened his long sleeves before heading over to the direction leading to the village gates of Sunagakure with his hand nonchalantly in his pockets.
Once he had arrived on the scene, he immediately noticed the kunoichi that he had guessed was Kasumi placing what seemed to be a map or something rather similar that she was putting away in her pocket As soon as he caught sight of her, he immediately started to analyze her to at least guess on what type of shinobi she was. Wearing those long fingerless gloves indicated that she was either a martial artist or a weapon specialist due to their purpose of handling weapons or punching without damaging her hands, her shin guard though pointed her more in the Taijutsu direction due to their own purpose being that of the same as her gloves normally would be martial arts wise except with kicks. Her lean physique was also pointing her that way as well. This was rather a rough draft guess though so Shadow could never be sure unless he actually saw her fight or train.

After those few seconds had passed, she had noticed him and started to gain a straighter posture than she had while she was placing her map away. It wasn’t long before Shadow was in communications distance with her and it was time for meet and greet. Kasumi was the first to say her greeting as she smiled and held her hand out for him to shake. Shadow simply grasped her hand and shook it, not really the one to get most jokes despite his older brother constantly making them so he still had on a completely straight face as he nodded his head in agreement as he calmly replied. “Most refer to me as ‘Shadow’ though.”

As Kasumi started to give her take on the best route to their destination, he noticed the mention of the famous Konoha village. He had heard that his mother’s native land was placed into ruins but never really knew what had caused it., though sometimes, strange visions of chaos around that part of the world would appear in his dreams, or rather nightmares, but that was another story for another time. Letting the memories pass through his eyes as quickly as they had come, Shadow listened to the rest of Kasumi’s suggestion, nodding lightly every few seconds or so. After she was finished, Kasumi asked Shadow of his opinion, which he responded to by nodding his head while looking straight through the village gates. “Appears to be the most favorable route. My eyes are fairly adequate so I should be able to survey our surroundings along the way while you point us into the right direction. Let’s get started.” Ready to get started, Shadow shifted his shoulders a bit as he started towards the gate, expecting Kasumi to be right next to, or ahead of him.

Age : 35 Posts : 1113

They say first impressions tell you more about a person in mere seconds than you will learn about them in any other brief exchange. Frustratingly for Kasumi, it seemed as if Kumori was keeping his cards somewhat close to his chest. His expression calm but motionless, she could only assume he was fully focused on the mission. Which was, of course, a positive observation. Except that the woman knew she'd need to break through this business-like exterior to form a rapport with the young Jounin. And according to her new companion, he was most accustomed to being called 'Shadow'. His image and quiet manner confirmed that this was not a misplaced nickname, either. "Shadow it is then." Kasumi smiled in response, before her partner shared his thoughts on her travel plan. "Appears to be the most favorable route. My eyes are fairly adequate so I should be able to survey our surroundings along the way while you point us into the right direction." He affirmed, happy to go along with the route the kunoichi had described. "Let’s get started." He added, shuffling his shoulders a little and stepping out and into the golden vista ahead of them. Pleased to be on the move, Kasumi quickly caught up with Kumori and set her pace to match his. It was a lengthy journey the two were undertaking, so there was no reason for overexertion so soon in the mission. Keeping an eye on their bearings, the kunoichi kept the pair on the more or less direct route across the Wind country and into Bird territory.

Rolling dunes, baking heat and occasional dust storms were what these empty lands were known for. Sunagakure no Sato - now a faded speck in the distance behind them - had been constructed as close to the more lush areas. Lush, in this case, referring to one of the few water sources to be found in this dry nation. Not that other settlements did not exist, they were simply few and far between, scattered and separated. In fact... Kasumi took a quick scan of the map, running her finger lightly across the path she'd drafted up for her and Kumori to take. They didn't pass through any settlements of any kind. This was a small concern, because at the rate the pair were drinking from their flasks, they would run out of water before they reached the border to Earth country. Furthermore... Kasumi frowned to herself. Those lands unnerved her. She knew few had survived the destruction the land of Earth had experienced, and a water source might be difficult to find there too. She turned to Kumori and opened her mouth to speak, but was silenced when she saw something in the distance. The young man caught her gaze and gestured that he'd already seen it - a nomadic settlement. "We need more water, Shadow-san." She shrugged, well aware that venturing into the unknown could well have negative consequences. Water was a necessity however, so Kasumi adjusted her direction and headed over to the collection of canvas tents. It was much closer than she had anticipated, the heat hazes presumably having blurred the not-so-distant settlement. The transaction was mercifully short, the nomads having very little to say to the two Jounin, but content enough to do business. Parting with a little more money than she usually would for such things (reasoning that nomads would have fewer opportunites to spend), Kasumi thanked the woman who'd sold her two flask refills and about-faced, checking her map again to get her and Kumori back on track.

Having put the nomadic settlement behind them, Kasumi decided it was time she learned more about her partner. The journey was not going to pass all that quickly; she knew the pair would need to know each other better to work together; and frankly, she quite enjoyed a good conversation. "Hey Shadow-san, I'm feeling curious. Fancy telling me a little about yourself?" She asked jovially. Before the male Jounin had a chance to reply however, a thought struck the kunoichi. Come on Kas, pay attention. How could you forget? She silently reprimanded herself. One of the few routines she had on missions, provided she was working with new partners, was to check for Kekkei Genkai. "Scratch that. Do you have a bloodline ability, Shadow? It's kinda important." She hastily added. The woman hadn't yet retracted the range of her Idaten, and would need to if Shadow did have such an ability.

[Word Count = 749].

Age : 31 Posts : 208

For a majority of their journey, Shadow still kept that calm demeanor, walking in a non-affected manner with the very same emotionless face that he had on once they had begun the mission all the while keeping his left hand within his pocket and his right hand left hanging outside of his other pocket, despite the extreme conditions they were embarking in while they walked the deserts of the Wind Country. Bit, even though he could usually stand even the worst conditions along with the fact that he seemed nonchalant about the matter, Shadow had to admit that this heat was particularly overwhelming. It was actually getting to the point to where Shadow would soon start to sweat intensely, which was not going to do any favors for his clothes or for his hair anytime soon so the duo may need to find a place with shade that they could relax in and let their bodies revert back to normal in, at most, a couple hours or so before they weaken themselves too much.

As if she was thinking similar thoughts, Kasumi would soon declare that the Jounin team would require a refill of water. As she said this, Shadow decided to quickly shake the bottle that was in his right hand to feel that it was indeed on the brink of emptiness without him even realizing it before that moment; his mind must have been so set on finding someplace to rest for a bit that he had forgotten exactly just how many sips he had took out of his bottle. Shadow turned his head to look at her then traced her line of sight towards what appeared to be a group of portable tents, a nomadic settlement of sorts that would more than likely prove to be fulfilling in their quest for quench.

Though Shadow was usually a bit more cautious about those he meets, he as well as Kasumi knew that they were going to need a refill of water if they were going to hope to survive the rest of this journey so he wasn’t too hesitant to head over there once she set course for that direction. Thankfully, the settlement wasn’t too far away so they would be able to get their refills quickly and head back on their way in no time. Much to Shadow’s comfort zone, the exchange was indeed short and sweet, not to mention cheap, so they really would be finished in no time.

Once that was all said and done, Shadow and Kasumi would set out to their destination once again in generally the same pace. Feeling the hints of thirst still overtaking him a bit, Shadow soon opened his flask and gulp down a little before Kasumi asked him to potentially engage in personal storytelling, which was certainly not one of his strong suits so this Shadow to suddenly stop drinking as a few of those visions from earlier would sneak into his eyesight for a split second. Thankfully though, Kasumi would retract her question as she thought to ask him a new, slightly less awkward question that Shadow was at least more or less willing to give a vague explanation on, though it still brought on the question on why she would need that type of information unless she was already trying to set up a battle strategy. Taking another quick sip of his water before closing the flask, Shadow took a second before answer and question at once in a under extensive manner. “Yes, I have a Doujutsu bloodline, why do you ask?”

Age : 35 Posts : 1113

Kasumi's Idaten had been both a help and a hindrance in her career as a shinobi thus far. The Kazekage had always found it difficult to place her when she first established her innate 'gift'. Having no control over the range of her bloodline-negating ability, few teams wanted to work with her. As she grew in skill, knowledge and understanding of her craft and her own unique power, Kasumi began to develop skills that controlled the otherwise untamable Idaten. It had made life as a Genin somewhat difficult for the young girl, although she herself took very little notice. Kasumi had always been fairly aloof, so such things were just obstacles to her, things that sooner or later she would overcome. These days of course, the woman understood how valuable an ability such as hers was to Sunagakure and to those she wanted to protect. Not to say that 'glitches' didn't occur, but Kasumi didn't need her trademark to be useful - she was a capable shinobi in her own right.

After her quietly-spoken companion had revealed he did indeed hold a bloodline ability, Kasumi faltered in her stride for a moment but continued on regardless. She had at first thought it best to immediately remove the interference of her own ability with Kumori's. But no sooner had she thought that than the woman had realised it would perhaps be best explained first, and a practical demonstration would be easy enough to carry out while the pair were moving. "See for yourself Shadow-san. Try activating your Doujutsu." She replied, smiling so as not to worry him. It wasn't merely a practical explanation of the Idaten however, but a way of finding out more of Kumori's bloodline ability. He would activate it presently, and Kasumi might learn something of this Doujutsu. Her curiousity had been piqued when her partner had clearly been reluctant to elaborate on what it might be, simply stating he did indeed have such an ability and then returning a question to her. Besides, the impression the kunoichi got was that Kumori wasn't the talkative type. Pity. She silently quipped to herself.

As Kasumi awaited a response from Kumori, she noticed a thinning of the dusty, golden horizon. Right on cue it seemed, the pair were passing into Bird country and would soon be in Earth. From there, they could travel much faster without the hindering heat and breeze, reaching their ferry in no time. The female Jounin felt a little twinge of excitement - it had been some time since she'd embarked on a mission and was looking forward to getting stuck in. No doubt her partner was too, even if he wasn't going to show it.

[Word Count = 450].
[OOC: Sorry it's a little shorter, have been under the weather and not feeling up to much this weekend. My own fault though. Razz

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