It had only just past midday and yet Uriko felt nothing of the sun's warmth. Instead, she was treated to the cold and damp mist as it settled on her pale skin. Winter was barely behind them and it wasn't until the summer months that Kaminari no Kuni would experience a more pleasant climate. Still, the kunoichi had hoped for something a little less miserable. She began to wonder if some other power was warding her away from oceanic travel. Not once had a vessel born her across water without incident; from travel sickness to freak storms, they had been nothing if not eventful. Just then, a brief gust of wind whistled across the deck, sending a sharp chill through the woman's body. Drawing her cloak ever closer, Uriko leaned against the railings and peered out into the hazy fog. Squinting slightly, she thought she saw distant buildings. Watching closely, she was proved correct as the very end of the wooden jetty loomed on the horizon. The relieved expression soon darkened and the female nukenin's brow furrowed as she noticed a distinct lack of noise. It was barely one o'clock on a non-working day. So where was everyone?

The fishing boat rocked slightly as crewmen strode about readying the little vessel for mooring. Amidst the action, Uriko padded silently over to the captain, stood motionless at the prow. "It's quiet." The kunoichi murmured as she sidled up beside the man. A lengthy pause ensued, before the captain took a long breath. Eventually, he spoke. "Aye. What did you expect? There's a war on." He replied, gruffly. Of course. The woman tutted at her own stupidity. She'd already been warned that this would happen. "So, the rumours are true." She muttered. The captain seemed a little surprised at her words. "News travels fast to the mainland, eh?" He asked, casting a curious eye over the woman. "Yes." Uriko intoned, matter-of-factly. The captain might have pursued this a little further had the boat not shuddered as it made contact with the jetty. Distracted, he wandered off to aid the crew. The kunoichi waited a moment, making sure that each and every sailor was busy was a task of their own. Once she was satisfied, the woman formed a simple seal with her hand, bringing her index and third finger to rest on her neck. Almost instantly, three dark lines appeared and the flesh parted as if a small incisions had been made. Without a word, Uriko swung herself over the railing, lowering her body soundlessly into the water.

Despite the fact that it was unusually quiet in the port town, the female nukenin was not comfortable travelling through any built up areas in Kaminari no Kuni until properly disguised. Besides, with a means of breathing underwater, she could slip right into the heart of the country by following the inlet to the main river. The gills on her neck flapped gently as they drew in oxygen from the water and fed it into her lungs. It was such a strange sensation but one that offered a great deal of comfort. Having never been particularly fond of water (in no small part, Uriko believed, due to her abysmal seafaring history), the ability to breathe as normal without having to surface was most welcome. The kunoichi felt the currents change around her, the temperature of the water rising slightly and her environment becoming a little clearer. Fish peered out from behind plantlife, instantly retreating when they felt the woman approach. There was nothing larger than catfish now that the ocean was some distance behind, but the ecosystem was captivating nonetheless. A few years back, Uriko had been entertaining the idea that cells from certain organisms could help her regenerate her lost limb. Starfish had been one of the few creatures she'd experimented on, finding very little success. In fact, so disatrous were the results that the female nukenin had been forced to take drastic action when spiny growths and gelatinous tissue had begun to grow across her shoulder stump.

Fewer and fewer shadows passed across the kunoichi as she swam, signalling her entry into less well populated lands. Drawing slowly to a halt, Uriko's foread, brow and eyes broke the water's surface and glanced around. Sure enough, the docks and surrounding village were far enough away that the mist had completely obscured them from view. Unfortunately for the insurgent nukenin, this also meant she could see very little of her current whereabouts. Kaminari no Kuni was, unsurprisingly, a rather foreign country to her. Even as a child, she had only ever visited once and once her criminality had been established, she had not dared return. Naturally, Uriko had surveyed a map before embarking on her journey and she knew that it would eventually fork, with one route going toward the hot springs and geysers. The other, however, came to a halt about six miles before the Hidden Cloud village. But this knowledge was little good when she couldn't identify any immediate location markers. It was entirely possible that the woman would take an earlier fork, slipping mistakenly into a tributary and wasting considerable time and effort. Wrinkling her nose in frustration and uncertainty, the woman decided that for now, all she could do was carry on. The top of her head disappeared beneath the translucent, green-blue surface as she continued pushing onwards. Surely the mist would clear up soon? Uriko fervently wished that it would.

Monotony had sunk in and the port town now seemed like a distant memory. Gone was the thrill of evading capture, of escaping the boat completely unseen. It had been replaced with sediment, pondweed and the occasional water snail. In the time that had passed since - Uriko counted one hundred and eighteen minutes - the brackish water had all but disappeared. The salt she had once felt clinging to her eyes and lips had been washed off by a purer, clearer liquid. As the gentle light from above cast dappled patterns around the kunoichi, she felt a calming relief wash over her. The dense mists that had obscured her sight and threatened her mission had finally lifted. They had persisted much further inland than the woman had expected and only now could she at last check her bearings.

Uriko slowed her pace until she came to a standstill. Crouching to stay hidden, she was struck by how shallow the water was and that it had taken her so long to realise. It did not make her life any easier. Gliding over to the river's edge, five slender fingers gripped the loamy bank. Ever so cautiously, the woman allowed her legs to straighten. Only the sound of stray droplets falling from her sodden features broke the silence. As she rose, she allowed the Eijutsu that had formed gills on her neck to cease and just like that, the slits sealed up. The kunoichi squinted as her eyes came into contact with sunlight for the first time in hours. She stopped moving immediately, not wanting to risk revealing herself any further. Her vision quickly returned, bringing with it the sight of a great mountain range and the expanse of grassland leading up to it. The woman quickly turned her head, casting her gaze all around and checking for potential dangers. She soon breathed a sigh of relief - there were none.

The nearest thing to civilization was what appeared to be a collection of rustic houses at the foot of the mountains. It was less comfortable life. "Good." Uriko muttered. She was indeed sympathetic to such individuals, having despised the cities, the inhabitants and their beaurocracies for as long as she could remember. Besides, less comfortable didn't mean less worthwhile. The female nukenin glanced down at the crystalline water around her. Cupping her hand, she drew a little to her lips and swallowed. It was untarnished and safe to drink. Uriko paused for a moment. Her gaze drifted back to the settlement, before scanning her surroundings - more carefully this time. She could see no well or pump, which meant the townsfolk would have to come... "Here." The kunoichi exhaled, a devious glint in her eye.

The wait wasn't nearly as long as it could have been. Uriko had not expected someone to come for fresh water until nearer dinner time. A distant lamplight had been the first sign, one which the female nukenin had watched intently. After a good thirty seconds, she made a rough estimation of where the villager was headed and made a beeline for the same destination. She remained in the river, but kept one ear out of the water, listening carefully for the sound of footfall. Sure enough, a good five minutes later, she began to hear grass crumpling under the weight of a shoe. The noise came from further back and after affording herself a surreptitious glance over the bank, Uriko noticed that she'd overshot her ideal location by some twenty metres. After a moment of careful consideration, the kunoichi stayed completely still, waiting.

It wasn't until her target lowered a large, wooden bucket that she hauled herself from the river and onto the grass. The noisy sloshing of liquid had obscured any suspicious sounds from the villager's ears. Treading with utmost care, Uriko closed that gap between the two. Her target was a woman, modestly dressed and with hair tied back. She looked much like one might expect countryfolk to look - dressed for manual work but with carefree airs the city life could not provide. The female nukenin's progress was steady and it only aided her cause that the woman needed to fill two buckets before her task was complete. Five metres. She flicked a strand of hair from her face, turning her gaze ever so slightly in her would-be assailant's direction. Uriko froze. It was still light.

Though only in her peripheral vision, the villager had caught a glimpse of the kunoichi. Her brain had clearly wrestled with the idea that such a character was present, as it took a few seconds for the realization to sink in. Her eyes grew wide as she turned nervously to face her fear. In a flash, Uriko closed the gap and her wrist flitted across the woman's exposed throat. Her mouth had opened to scream a warning, but all she could manage was a subdued gurgle. Thick, red liquid flowed down her collarbone, staining her blouse. The muted sounds of her death were followed by a slight thump as her body collapsed amongst the long reeds of grass. Wasting no time, Uriko hurried to the woman's side and flicked her wrist. A concealed blade shot out, a thin line of blood still clinging to its edge. Pressing it at a very slight angle against the woman's face, the kunoichi began to slice under her skin. It was an unpleasant task, though Uriko showed no signs of distaste. She simply removed a patch from the woman's left cheek then moved over to the right, before extracting a strip from the forehead. Finally, she took her blade to the corpse's chest and legs, cutting a deeper wound this time and removing small chunks of flesh.

In seconds, the heartless medic had utterly disfigured the woman's visage. Unfazed, she simply laid the samples and out on her victim's chest as she reached for a scroll at her waist. Once she had the parchment unfurled, Uriko formed a quick seal and pressed her fingers to a particular symbol. A tiny plume of smoke emerged, revealing a little glass jar, filled with a near-colourless liquid. Two of the segments of skin were placed inside, along with the chunks of tissue, before the strange item was returned to its scroll. Working at quite a pace, Uriko moved on to her next task instantly. She pressed the remaining piece of skin against her own cheek, holding it gently until the drying blood kept it tentatively in place. Another set of seals followed; a more complex arrangement than the last. Uriko's expression changed and it looked as though she was wincing. In fact, her own skin was reacting to that of the recently deceased woman, stretching and molding until the kunoichi's features were no longer her own.

It had been a pretty face, one much kinder and gentler than Uriko's own. With the most integral part of her disguise complete, the female nukenin set about stripping her victim of clothing. While the off-white blouse was no good since it had been stained crimson, the bodice and skirt were unblemished and looked like they might fit. Changing clothes was no simple affair. Uriko had to remove her own overcoat, seal it away in a scroll, undress the corpse, tie each string on the bodice and pull the skirt up over her zubon leggings - all of this with just one hand. While she felt ridiculous, the kunoichi thanked her good fortune that the villager had been a little larger than she was and her clothes allowed for the female nukenin to keep most of her own on underneath. Most importantly, Uriko's item pouches, weapons and scrolls. If she intended to go through with such a dangerous operation, these were things she would surely need.

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OOC: Ace, I've looked at the geography of Lightning Country and Uriko will have to pass the mountains before she can get into the village outskirts. If you like, use a post to start your journey but I wouldn't include anything about encountering Uriko until she's actually there. Oh, and remember - Genin aren't allowed outside of the village walls without IC permission. I'll leave that to you.

Rumour had it that Uriko Nagase was hard to kill. In fact, those who knew of anything beyond hearsay would dismiss this as a gross understatement. But a fact that so few would ever recognize - her stomach was as hardened and unfeeling as her scarred flesh. Where others might baulk at certain deeds, the female nukenin simply did what was necessary. It had served her well in the past and today, had done so again. Already some distance away and steadily bobbing downstream was what remained of her victim. The mutilated corpse might well be discovered, but Uriko had ensured identification would be impossible. With medical precision, the kunoichi had altered the face and torso of the deceased villager, changing her visage into that of someone she'd met years before. It was a useful skill, known more commonly by a rather sinister title: the Dead Soul technique.

By now, there were a handful of lantern-bearing figures scouring the plains in the fading daylight. Well over an hour had passed since the woman had gone to collect water and it wasn't as though there was much else to do in these parts. Little did the townsfolk realize that a few minutes earlier, a female bearing remarkable resemblance to her had slipped right past them. Padding quietly alongside the river, Uriko followed it to the foot of the mountain range. Long, dew-laden grass gave way to rocky outcrops. Moss covered those closest to the water and the kunoichi had to slow her pace to avoid slipping. It wasn't long before she was using her hand to steady herself as she began the long climb, bracing herself against the more sturdy rocks. It was at times like this that the woman bitterly missed her left arm.

Earlier on, Uriko had been sorely tempted to return to the settlement in the guise of the missing villager. She wondered whether she could convince the townsfolk of her identity, spend the evening with them before leaving in the night. This was not for some morbid thrill, but for a sound reason. The first was that the kunoichi could buy herself a little more time. If the disappearance was reported, Uriko would have to prepare to be accosted and asked why she had left the village. Of course, she would immediately take measures to enhance her disguise but it did not guarantee safety. By staying in the town however, she'd have run the risk of being discovered. In the end, the woman had decided against it. Mind you, I'd have liked to see it... She thought quietly to herself. Pride comes before a fall! A faint, sing-song voice giggled in her ear. The female nukenin bit her lip until she drew blood. The pain seemed to banish the voice and she breathed a sigh of relief.

Clambering from one rock to the next soon became a near vertical climb. It was a slow, grueling journey and though Uriko could see the top, perspective was a tricky thing. She slumped against a cold, stone surface. Up here, the mist had returned and it left the kunoichi's skin feeling unpleasantly clammy. Wiping the moisture from her features with an equally damp hand, a sudden thought struck her. She had someone else's face. The female nukenin couldn't quite decide whether to be angry with herself or grateful for the realization. There was no need for her to sneak into the kumogakure outskirts when a perfectly serviceable path could take her there far more quickly. Invigorated, Uriko hurried across the jagged surface and towards the smooth, welcoming walkway. Lowering herself down over the last rock, she dropped some six feet and landed with a muted 'crunch'. Gravel now supported her as she walked on and the kunoichi couldn't help but smile at the thought of her crushing stone underfoot when not two minutes ago it had been giving her quite a challenge.

As she neared the peak, Uriko's amber eyes began to glow in the warmth of the setting sun and an astonishing vista opened up before her. Clouds settled in around the tall, round buildings of the great village. These were dotted in and around a collection of huge, pointed stones. Some buildings seemed to hold these within their walls, while others simply dwarfed the human efforts of construction. A string of glinting lights sparkled in the distance, behind the city but not completely obscured. Even here, the kunoichi recognized the far-off sound of water and realised that these illuminations were reflections and the noise came from Kaminari no Kuni's waterfall. Her gaze drifted and Uriko saw the midriff of the famed volcano. It was enormous, and cast a daunting presence of the lands. Uriko felt a slight pang of sadness, that she would never be allowed to truly enjoy a location for any real length of time. Staying in one place for too long presented a great danger to a wanted criminal. It was a pity, she concluded, but not one worth dying for.

The final stretch of the woman's arduous journey was mercifully brief. Despite the fact that the pathway had been carved out of the mountain for human convenience, it was still relatively steep and during the descent, Uriko had been forced to practically jog the entire way. She spotted the river emerging from a dark crack in the rock face, gurgling happily as it flowed towards the city. Leaving the ever-widening path, the kunoichi once again made a beeline for the water's edge. Despite her new face and clothes, she did not want to risk the most open route into Kumogakure. It would be difficult indeed if someone recognized the person she was imitating. Instead, Uriko reasoned that the river had to flow into the city so for now, she would follow it instead of the main drag. Of course, she was not entirely alone on this route. One or two passers-by smiled at the woman, who attempted to offer one in return. It did not come naturally to the stern-faced nukenin.

A good ten minutes passed before Uriko's next interruption. The village walls were now in sight, and all seemed to be going smoothly. That is, until the dog. It was a large, black breed with remarkably pure white features. As soon as it had noticed the kunoichi, it bounded over and began yapping at her feet. The woman couldn't quite tell if it was being aggressive. She eventually surmised that the dog didn't know either. It seemed young in character but it's senses were sharp enough to note that something was not right with the newcomer. Eager to be rid of the mutt, Uriko crouched down and plucked a stone from the river bed. With a grunt, she hurled the little rock across the other side of the flowing water and watched with a satisfied expression as the noisy creature leapt in after it. The mist that had enveloped her earlier in the day and again in the mountains was lighter here, but she still lost sight of the dog within moments. It was rather fast and powerful, not to mention energetic, so the kunoichi decided to quicken her pace and leave it well behind her.

In her haste, the female nukenin almost missed a promising opportunity. She turned to hurry down the bank and was brought to a halt when she heard a rustling behind her. Spinning around, she saw a long figure sprawled out beneath the branches of a willow tree. His youthful features painted him as a youngster, though he was physically quite mature for what Uriko assumed was his age. Regardless, he seemed oblivious to the woman's presence and she was almost about to leave when an idea began to form in her mind. An adult would be difficult, but a boy... could be coerced. She mused, her thoughts running as fast as they could. The kunoichi had always known that her time in Kumo would be limited. With no allies and only a temporary disguise, she had a week at best. But with an accomplice, I could do so much more! The woman thought, reasoning that if she failed to acquire the boy, she could always kill him instead. With that, her mind was made up. It was no longer about whether she would try, but how she would go about it.

Uriko was no stranger to spinning lies and playing on the emotions of others. She gave a quick glance toward her left-hand side, making certain that her folds of her shawl covered the scarred area where her arm used to be. Satisfied that it did, she launched into a greeting. "Young man - sir?" She ventured, lightening the tone of her voice and trying to sound cheerful. Leaning over his lain-out form, she tapped him gently on the shoulder. The boy was roused by this, though Uriko wasn't sure whether he had been asleep or simply resting. Capitalizing on his confusion, she continued her spiel. "Was that your dog I just met? He's quite energetic!" She laughed, straightening up so that the boy could get to his feet. "Only, I'm afraid he went bounding off into the mist - on the other side of the river, too." Now that he was standing before her, the boy actually had a height advantage of almost half a foot and was an athletic specimen. He had pale skin, white hair and striking, crimson-red eyes. "Thought you ought to know." Uriko finished, grinning from behind false lips.

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OOC: Two things, Ace. First (as I haven't made it all that clear in the posts), Uriko is wearing a dark brown, long skirt (ankle length), with a grey-black bodice, white undershirt and green shawl. The latter two cover her obvious lack of an arm at a glance, though I'm sure that will be revealed before too long. The second, is that I've started a new topic in the Outer Village Borders as a continuation of this and we can begin for realsies there.