Domino [Travel]

Age : 35 Posts : 1113

[Travelling to Tsuki no Kuni - Moon Country]

This would be the beginning of something extraordinary, or at least, so Uriko hoped. A domino effect, and it started now. She did not particulary like placing her faith in anyone but herself, yet she understood that it was necessary. If they were smart, her would-be allies ought to have the same perspective. Wrapping her cloak tight around her body, the kunoichi began by fastening it with just her right arm, but soon remembered that she had - temporarily - regained a right. After a fashion. She was not best pleased with the feel or functionality of it, but her disguise would not have worked had she remained with just one arm. The woman donned a wax-coated cloak this time, as the rain had only intensified since she'd left the cellar of earlier that night. It was nearing torrential standards now, but the resistant garb kept most of the water away. There was a considerable distance between Uriko and her destination - she hoped very much that the weather would not continue in this vein for the entirety of the journey. Especially once she reached the ocean. Turbulent seas were but difficult to navigate and highly dangerous. Few transports would take her in such conditions, and comandeering a vessel by herself was not an option. Banishing these worries for now, the kunoichi focused on simply reaching the shoreline for the time being.

From the Rice Field country, it was a day's travel to the southernmost parts of Konoha and then another day's sail to the Moon country, where Uriko was headed. The first of many contacts could be found here, according to her intel. Two nukenin to whom she would offer an allegiance. Such terms between criminals was not unheard of, yet each and every one was built on a fabric of lies. It was par for the course with such people, and every nukenin the woman recruited would understand that their mutual co-operation would rely on shared goals and individual gains. It was possible, for certain. Uriko only hoped that she could foster such good organization in those she recruited. For herself, the kunoichi had some idea of where she wanted to be, what she wanted to achieve. Whether her acquaintances had similar ideas of not remained to be seen but in her mind, a plan that rewarded each and every one of them was beginning to take shape. Given their wanted criminal status however, subtlty and tact would need to be employed in spades. Only one of the two targets on the small island offered an easy exchange - if whomever was fighting in the tournament needed persuasion, Uriko planned to offer a useful item or instruction. If that was rejected, she would take no offense. Easy come, easy go. The other she could not plan for, although the female nukenin expected that most of her contacts would be keen to ally with her if only for the long-term gains. She wouldn't beg for their allegiance, that was for certain.

The cover of a rain-soaked night was an ideal foil for any patrols out to apprehend criminal factions such as Uriko. Though she would never expect to be caught by such individuals, the woman wanted to avoid any entanglements where possible. They would only slow her down. Already into Konoha, she began to notice the increasing frequency of dwellings and settlements. Though none quite as large as the village of Otogakure from which she'd come, the kunoichi was deliberatly staying away from larger towns and the like. Particulary in the major nations, shinobi forces were more capable and could cause more trouble for a wandering nukenin. Dense forested areas sped by in a blur, their deep viridian foliage only registering in the woman's vision as a canvas of dark green. Thinning now, these wooded areas became copses, with fields and marshlands separating them. The ground grew softer and more damp, before... Ocean. Distant but unmistakable, Uriko stopped to stare into the horizon at the clearly tumultuous sea. Biting her lip, she hoped dearly that the weather improved in the next hour or so. The clouds looked promising. She didn't trust them.