[LazyNeko]

Modding is so troublesome But I guess I’ll do it.

"You wanted to talk Aki-boy?” grumbled out an old farmer.

The brown haired man standing in front of him nodded, before getting out a large pouch and handing it to the older man. "Last job didn’t go well, so I think it’s time to go...and I want you to have this. It’s nowhere near enough to repay what you’ve done but I would still like you to have it.”

"Bah, you know you don’t have to give me money! I didn’t help ya out cause I expected some reward.” pausing the farm took the pouch and looked away. "Do you really have to leave Inoue?”

A somewhat strained chuckle escaped Akio. "I think, it’s better to Toshiro. As I said, mission went too visible last time and well, it could be nothing, but I’d rather not risk, not only their lives but yours as well. That’s why, it’s time for us move on.”

"Fine, but you better take care of em and keep em safe, Alright.”

"I’ll try Toshiro, I’ll try.”

---

A few days ago, Intelligence got a report on a Nuke-nin running missions in Arashi no Kuni. The Shinobi was recognized as one Inoue Akio, former Kusakagure Chuunin.

While the intelligence he could provided is minimal, his greater asset would discovering what method he had employed to cross the borders into Arashi no Kuni. Capture is recommended but the priority is not critical, so use of deadly force is allowed at the judgment of the shinobi assigned.

The current info known about Inoue Akio is that he specialized in ninjutsu and had a water element and good chakra control, from what was observed in previous chuunin exam. He is also a known sensor, so be aware he could be able to respond rapidly to a threat. His current whereabouts have put him near the borders of Arashis no Kuni.


Tanaki Village

Tanaki Village is a small farming village, not that far away from Miraki. While it doesn’t get that much traffic, it is still near enough big travel roads and an excellent place for a shinobi looking to lay low to hide away at, but still be close enough to get opportunities to get missions that haven’t gone through Amegakure yet.

Someone matching the description of Inoue Akio himself, has been spotted going in and out of Miraki and also through said village. It’s highly suspected that he might be hiding somewhere near the village or the village itself. Investigating either the village or it’s surroundings could lead to finding Akio.


Zosha Pass route

One of the big roads that civilians and merchants take in order to reach Zosha pass and go into River country. While it’s possible that Akio himself might be on said route, there also numerous other off beaten paths that civilians or the odd bandit take, that the shinobi could also have decided to tackle. Investigating either the main road or the surrounding ones is an option as well at finding Akio.

---

Shiba Yuudai

[Shiba Yuudai]

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Life is what you make it.

[break] WC 300 | TWC 300

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It was a rather gloomy day filled with heavy rainfall within Amegakure. Yuudai was making his listened checking it twice, as he was ensuring that he had everything he would need for his next mission. The orders for this mission came in from high up, as Yuudai was to track down a nukenin that was currently within the borders of the country. Yuudai had never been out on a mission of this caliber before and so he was doing everything he could right now to make sure he was prepared. As he would secure his three tool pouches around his waist he would say to himself *Ok time to move out.*
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He would quickly place his eyes upon the file for the mission that sat upon his dresser, opening it to view the contents once more. The information provided to him said that his target was a ninja from Kusagakure who went by the name Akio Inoue. Akio was stated to be a chuunin with water release, and was a known sensor type. Using this information Yuudai would begin to run the possibilities in his head. He was very nervous as he knew that this could go bad, but he tried his best to calm his nerves as he thought through all the possible battle plans he could enact.
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*Him being a suitor user places me at a disadvantage, however his elemental advantage can be cancelled if I just stay away from the use of my baton jutsu. Stealth against a sensor won’t be an option, so no need to even try. I will have to combat him with straight up taijutsu and just try to over power him…* Yuudai would think on more plans as he would walk out the door of his home and towards the village gates.

---

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[LazyNeko]

Modding is so troublesome But I guess I’ll do it.

A deep exhales escaped from Akio’s nose, as he watched the dark grey clouds that hovered above him. Kami, how he hated the rain. Even now, where most locals would say it had stopped, he could still feel the miniature drizzle that kept splashing against his face.

The opportunity had been too good to pass out on, when he had manged to sneak in, that and the people he had met in the village had been so welcoming as well. If only he hadn’t screwed up, they could have had a proper goodbye, before they left as planned and not in this rushed, half-cocked way.

Nails digging into his palms, Akio could only bite the inner side of his cheeks, as memories of that fuck up of a mission swirled inside his head. His spiral was broken though, when he felt a warm touch on his hand and as slender fingers intertwined with his own in an attempt to make them stop digging into his palm.

"We are ready.”

Turning his eyes, they met the wide, yet so deeply kind, green eyes of Asami. Something in him unclenched and Akio covered with his free hand, their joined ones.

Smiling at her, Akio spoke. "Good. I’ll carry you all to the spot. The old man should have left the horse and the disguises there. After that, we’ll use our cover and cross though, like all civilians do.”

Asami nodded a long, though she did throw in. "Like all of us do, you mean.”

"Like us, yes.” Akio chuckled back.

A smile of her own graced Asami’s face, before her expression shifted a bit, as a hand went to her stomach. "Traveling like that, wouldn’t be a problem right? The speed wouldn’t be too much, yes?”

Akio blinked. Sometimes he forgot how differently the two of them had grown up.

Still he responded. "It’ll be alright. I’ll keep you steady and even then there are no risks. Should have seen the things my mother did before my sister came.”

Raeasured, Asami nodded but not before quickly embracing him for a moment. The two soaked in the moment before having to move along. Once he was sure things were secure and his passengers were glued onto him with a bit of chakra control, Akio took off towards the spot in the forest where their disguise were waiting for them.

---

Shiba Yuudai

[Shiba Yuudai]

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Life is what you make it.

[break] WC 231 | TWC 531

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After exiting the village Yuudai would look up at the gloomy sky for a moment, watching as the rain drizzled down. He would let out a sigh before double checking himself once more to make sure he had what he had needed. He would begin to think about what route he should take next to find this nukenin. *I could go to the village where the reports came from… but I don’t think he would stick around in one place for long.*
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Yuudai knew not exactly what he should do but what he did know is that he had to move if he wanted any chance of finding the man at all. He would begin to push forward heading towards the village that sent the reports. As he made his way he would have a sudden thought to himself *Maybe instead of checking the village first I check the roads. If he is staying at a village close to the border, he must have an escape plan using the nearby roads.*
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Yuudai now had a solid strategy continuing towards the village, but his objective now was to search the nearby roads. As he got close he would see the small village and the main road leading to it known as Zosha Pass. Yuudai would then make his way along the pass hoping he would find something or someone of interest soon.

---

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[LazyNeko]

Modding is so troublesome But I guess I’ll do it.

"You alright?” asked Akio, as he kept watch on the road, eyes subtly flickering between sides.

His wife let out a hum. "We are fine Akio. Also you were right, she barely even stirred from you carrying us.”

Akio’s own response was a nod, though he did release a small breath he was holding and redoubled his vigilance.

Before he could get caught up in his task though, Asami quickly whispered. "You should move your head more if you are gonna be a lookout. You are being too subtle and not looking up enough.”

A wry grin crossed Akio’s face, while he muttered a quick "Got It.”. He did adjust his act, but just to be on the safe side, he also decided to make sure that they were truly not being followed by Shinobi.

Not even stopping or showing signs of it, Akio just subtly stepped with a bit more force on the ground. What followed was a pulse that expended his senses and gave him a clear picture of the chakra signatures were around him, confirming he was in the clear for now. Satisfied he tugged on the horse’s reins and continued towards their destination.

---

The Road leading to Zosha Pass at this time of day wasn’t that busy but still had plenty of civilians and merchants makings their way alongside it. Of note was probably the family of three making their way down towards Zosha Pass, with the man walking alongside a horse and his wife and kid on it.

A bit further down the road was a semi inn of sorts, that served as a resting spot travelers could stop and rest at, even cook food if needed. Four horses were tied to a post near said inn and the laughter of children could be heard. It seemed maybe one or two families were currently occupying the inn.

After the inn, the road would continue as normal, though if one was to take time and look, they’d be able to spot that one of the walking paths that veered off to the side and away from the main road, seemed suspiciously well traveled. So well trodden that you could see the marks left by horses passing through it, even if it was a walking path.

---

Shiba Yuudai

[Shiba Yuudai]

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Life is what you make it.

[break] WC 413 | TWC 944

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Steadily making his way down the road Yuudai would pass a few people, some were merchants while some were mere civilians. The Takeda clan member would look everyone he crossed paths with up and down, trying to make sure they were not the person he was hunting. As he walked he would think about how he was hunting this rogue shinobi, making him likening it to his time as a kid hunting with Yuusuke.
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*A hunter must be wise, tactical, and vigilant. If not they shall become the hunted.* he thought to himself. The phrase was something Yuusuke had said on one of their few hunting trips. As he got further down the road he would see a man walking in the opposite direction towards him. Yuudai would watch the man thinking he must be walking towards the inn that he had just passed. Stopping the man with a simple hand gesture before saying "Pardon me dude but would you happen to have seen this dude in the photo?”
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Yuudai would then pull out the photo of the nukenin that was given to him with the report, before showing it to the man on the road. The man would look at the picture and say "Nope sorry sir can’t say that I have.” The man would then begin to walk, leaving Yuudai with a face of disappointment. He would only get a few steps in before he would stop dead in his tracks and turn back to look at Yuudai. "Well actually I can’t say for sure if it was him or not but I saw some people down the road a bit. I saw a few walkers, a few people on horses. That’s the best I got for you, good luck on your travels.”
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Yuudai would smile before saying "Awesome! Thanks dude I really appreciate that.” Before he would place the photo back in his pockets running dow the road towards the direction the man came from. As he got down the road he saw no people, but he saw a small side path. This side path was well traveled but Yuudai could not see many people taking it, as lords only know what dangers were down said path. *Only a ninja would take a path like this, a civilian would have to be bold or stupid to try it on their own. I might as well…* he thought to himself as he would begin to walk down the mysterious side route.

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[LazyNeko]

Modding is so troublesome But I guess I’ll do it.

Asami stroked the hair of little Hikari, calming the fussing one year old, while her eyes darted between the tree canopies. She was worried, she had been back then as well when they had escaped, yet she couldn’t show it or Akio would spiral in self-blame even more.

She loved that stupid stupid man, but he always took everything on his shoulders and as a personal failing. Her heart fluttered when he turned, as if he had heard her thoughts turning towards him, and shooting her an encouraging grin.

Only for his face to suddenly stiffen and the smile to become a little wooden. Something in her shriveled, as she watched the mask come into place and she knew that her other-half was no longer Akio at the moment but Chuunin Inoue, that she had first met.

"Keep going forward and don’t stop. I’ll catch up in a bit.” Akio quickly said, before suddenly disappearing from view.

Asami by now knew that he was already moving towards what he perceived as a threat, so she followed his advice and just urged the horse on. Despite how well trodden the path was, she still didn’t make the horse go into full gallop, as she didn’t want to risk injuring itself, considering the roots that sometimes intersected the dirt.

It had been maybe ten minutes, when her Akio finally returned. One moment there was nothing and in the next he was on the side of the road, only a couple of feet away. She lessened her grip on the reigns and made the horse slow into a stop.

When they were finally next to Akio, she could see that while he wasn’t winded, there was obvious frustration on his face. That wasn’t the only thing though.

Gesturing to her own face, Asami whispered. "Akio, there is a bit of….”

She saw a bit more of Akio, rather then the shinobi, rear it’s head as he wiped blood from his cheek. She knew how he got after a mission, when...when he had taken lives. She was about to sooth him and maybe distract him a bit from his thoughts spiraling.

Only it was not meant to be, because she could practically see the jolt that traveled through his spine.

His face twisted as he spat out a single word. "Shinobi.”

In a whirlwind of motion, Asami found herself and their daughter off of the horse and in the arms of Akio, as he talked. "I’ll be carrying you for the rest of the trip, anything else is too risky.”

---

If continued down the forest path, everything would look normal enough, though with a spattering of fresh hoof tracks. Or it would be so, until what was around the middle point of the path. The first sign of something strange would be the moisture of the air changing, making it feel warm and misty like one was in a hot-spring. The next sign would be the poignant smell of blood carrying in the wind.

While the underbrush hid them somewhat, the corpses strewn around the grass a bit to the side of the road would still be visible when one passed. A quick glance would allow to tell that they were killed quickly, if brutally.

Investigating the corpses could offer clue to how and potentially who had dispatched them, that and check exactly how fresh the kills were.

That or considering how fresh the hoof marks left in the ground were, keep following them and maybe catch up to whoever was traveling down the road, depending on the pace that was set.

---

Shiba Yuudai