[Kaguya Toru]

if i'm a danger to myself Just think what I could do to you Sourei Kobashi Ren

Toru had discarded everything and had instead asked for two sets of Konohagakure fashioned uniforms. They were built from scratch, utilizing local materials to get a good shade of dark green for the vests. He brought two of his swords, though not the one with a distinct Kaguya insignia on it that would be too telling. His mission preparations had been quite extensive, even getting two headbands done from the shop that made them in mass for all the shinobi of the village. A special order had been made to make two Konohagakure headbands. They were good replicas Toru was quite proud of it. But, it wouldn't matter if they were caught as not being Konohagakure, the important part was making sure that they were not seen as Kirigakure... This also meant that Toru would color his hair and draw a few marks on his features to change up his face.

Today's mission was with Kobashi, a man that he had heard a little bit about, but not enough. He was a higher-ranked shinobi in the village, and Toru knew little about him. The mission was meant to remedy that, furthermore, as all higher-ranked shinobi, he didn't fully trust them. All of them could potentially be planning something. To the young Mizukage, it was absolutely imperative nowadays to make sure everyone was on his side. That was beyond important.

They were to assassinate the family of the very man that he had protected recently with Kasumi...They were not to be caught under any circumstance, thus their significant outfit change. The brief had been sent to Kobashi as well so he knew what to expect.

Their journey to the islands was a decently long one, but they would disembark from the ship they had traveled on some ways away from land as to not be spotted. Their trek inland would begin and once they got just to the outskirts of the grand city where the noble family lived Toru would pause and look to Kobashi.

"Shall we wait till nightfall?" It seemed the best option unless they wanted to try and cause visual chaos as Konoha shinobi. Toru, though not incapable of taking charge preferred to ask the opinion of fellow shinobi on missions, on rare occasions if he went with a genin on a lower classed mission he would often make decisions if things went sour.

OWL

[Sourei Kobashi]

Kobashi certainly had not expected the new Mixukage to call upon him to personally assist in a mission. While it was not entirely outside the norm since he was a member of the War Council, it was outside Kobahi's personal norm. Ever since he had been granted the position by the previous Mizukage he had felt largely ignored by the village's administration.

In some way, he kind of wished he had continued to be ignored. It was not as if he was nervous of embarrassing himself or anything like that; more so it was his suspicion kicking into a higher gear with suddenly being approached like this. On one hand he understood that the Mizukage was fairly new to his position, so it made sense he may wish to take stock of those under him. On the other hand though there was always the nagging worry that the truth of his younger brother had gotten out.

There was nothing to do about it though, but keep his head down and follow orders to the best of his ability. This in turn lead his mind to the task at hand and it was not a pleasant one to say the least. While he had been part of missions like this in the past, it was a type that he never enjoyed completing apart from being able to put it behind him. They were to assassinate the rightful ruler of the Nari islands in order to hasten the succession of his wife to be.

It had brought a mild frown to Kobashi's usually emotionless face when he read the briefing, but while this in some way was very similar to the circumstances he had faced years beforehand fighting for the Daimyo; at the end of the day it was a different person. More importantly it was a person whom he had no relationship or duty towards. . . at least that is what Kobashi continued to tell himself.

The journey to the islands was a lengthy trip, with Kobashi sticking mostly to his cabin for the voyage as much as possible. This was in part to avoid pesky questions, but also to keep his face from being remembered by the crew. While he had done as instructed and dyed his hair a deep chestnut color, as well as affixed a simple cloth mask which covered his lower face, it was still best not to test the simple disguise more than necessary. The Mizukage had not used the time to speak with him much, so Kobashi figured that his superior had considered the same.

After landing at the docks and continuing their voyage on foot inland they walked in silence for a time, it only being broken as they neared the edge of the city where their target resided. The Mizukage's words finally broke the quiet and somewhat surprised Kobashi, although between his general stoicism and the mask hiding most of his face it was unlikely to be caught. He had not expected to be asked for his input, for many years his views had been dismissed by even those lower than him. To be asked his thoughts by a superior was something that had not really happened since he had fought for the Daimyo's forces.

"Nightfall would be best if we are wishing to keep this as quiet as possible, although staying out of the city gives us less capability to study it and plan our way in and out. We could let ourselves be seen in a few shops in the city, just so there is an account of Konohagakure shinobi in the area for whoever investigates to pick up on later. Although, if the target's guards were to hear such rumor they may tighten security."

It was not a definitive statement, which his superior may have wished for. It was however a fairly straight forward assessment of their options with the merits and demerits laid out for both. His voice was calm, but kept soft so as not to carry beyond them. While he spoke his face did not turn to the Mizukage and instead continued to scan the outskirts of the city, an attempt to keep his wits about them.

Made by Riley at THQ!

[Kaguya Toru]

if i'm a danger to myself Just think what I could do to you Sourei Kobashi Ren

Toru would listen and then look towards the city, it wasn't particularly large. Not larger than Kirigakure that was certain, it was more fashioned like a 'forbidden city' where there was more focus on the life of nobility than the life of the peasants and commonfolk moving about their daily lives. That was not to say there were not merchants here though, as was obvious by the sound that the town was giving off. There was a bustling to it and shouting. A natural and normal movement that was indicative of a lively place. All the more for the taking one day.

He would dip his head in a nod.

"It is not a bad idea to make our presence known as Konoha shinobi," He commented, acknowledging the other's thoughts on the topic. Though it was also possible that the security would be tightened, there might be a chance that it would not be as what business would a Konoha shinobi have trying to kill anyone. Perhaps they were here to visit, on an innocent holiday. All of these things were options.

"I have an idea of the layout, I have been here before for the wedding of the Lady." So there was already some basis of knowledge on where everyone would be and how to appropriately infiltrate. Though it also was then even more imperative that he hides his face. It was a good thing he had brought a face mask, not his own from his days in the Oinin Butai. But rather a random one that looked more like something a Konoha shinobi would wear, fashioned after one of the more common animals in Hi no Kuni - foxes.

The teen would scratch at the back of his head and then with a deep inhale he would lower his head, his eyes closed with a sigh.

"Let's do that. We are visiting shinobi, make our presence known. Even if they tighten security, I have an idea of everything so we can retreat in the night and map out a plan." It would be safe for them to separate in Toru's opinion, and make the job quicker. One of them could take the current leader, the other the younger siblings of the current heir. And once they disappeared dawn there would be no option left but to put the heir into power and thus put the islands in good graces with Mizu no Kuni. Ripe for annexation.

The missions seem to be getting more and more complicated, politically.

To be expected with my station I suppose... Perhaps I can question him on the way back.

Him?

Kobashi-san.

Oh. Question about?

Just... A few things in his files.

OWL

[Sourei Kobashi]

Listening patiently as the Mizukage acknowledged Kobashi's point and finally decided to go the course of making themselves know, he eventually gave a nod as the decision was reached. Before they resumed walking, Kobashi took a moment to stretch from side to side, using the movement partially to check that his tools were in the position they needed to be while aslo just trying to adjust the Konoha styled flak jacket he wore. While he would never voice such an opinion, he could not help expect think about how much more restrictive they were to his movement compared to the Waruichi silk armor he generally wore.

About to take a step, Kobashi hesitated for a moment; after a few heartbeats he finally turned to his young superior and spoke. As before his voice was calm and kept quiet so as not to carry, but already it was clear he was also making an effort to deepen the voice slightly compared to his typical tone.

"You may also wish to act a bit more unrestrained. Respectfully, you are quite young and I imagine the citizens will find it odd if you carry yourself with too much maturity. Especially if we are here visiting. It is up to you however."

As soon as the words left his mouth Kobashi began to take his steps forward and closer to the town. His arms were crossed behind his head and his strides were lazy and meandering from side to side a little; appearing the epitome of an apathetic individual tired from their travels.

On the inside though Kobashi's attention remained focused to a fine edge, with his eyes routinely scanning the area around them while his ears strained to hear anything to indicated danger or of general interest. While he did not enjoy the nature of the mission, he had no plans on being the one who hampered the task at hand.

Made by Riley at THQ!

[Kaguya Toru]

if i'm a danger to myself Just think what I could do to you Sourei Kobashi Ren

The note that Kobashi gave was a fair and good one, though Toru had to admit that it was very difficult for him to act totally unrestrained in every manner. Perhaps a few things here or there... Though he looked back on what he knew of Konohagakure shinobi, they were not like him. They had lived a much cozier life on average with their village not struggling at the hands of wealthy idiots who had made it their playground for bloodshed. Different...

As they started to walk forward, Toru would roll his shoulders around a little bit to relax his posture. If he slouched a bit, it would be a little more believable that he was a young man as opposed to an old man in a young man's body - as some had labeled him in the past - and a roll of the neck would loosen him up ever so slightly in physical features.

Kobashi took on a very lazy demeanor, Toru, on the other hand, would attempt to act a little more hyper. He had learned how to act in the Oinin Butai though that was perhaps his least favorite thing to this day. He would as they entered town jump in front of Kobashi and walk backward and talk with a little more pep.

"I heard they have the *best* milk bread here. We'll definitely have to try it, Tadashi-san!"

Right, that was probably about how Konoha shinobi generally acted. All peppy and full of life, even though Toru was far from the 'peppiest' it certainly was a marked difference from before.

OWL

[Sourei Kobashi]

Looking back towards the Mizukage when he spoke his fake line about milk bread, Kobashi used that moment to size the younger man up. He had definitely changed his demeanor, enough so as to be away from his usual self. Mentally Kobashi could almost feel himself nodding in approval, but in reality Kobashi's body was rolling its eyes and putting on an exasperated face.

"We come all this way and the first thing you talk about is milk bread? We definitely need to get you some more experience with the finer things in life. Just leave it to your senpai, I'll find us some fun around here, maybe if you're lucky a little companionship too."

Kobashi emphasized the words by outlining a hourglass like figure with his hands and shooting a wry smile towards the younger man. Admittedly on the inside Kobashi was mentally mimicking the earlier eye roll at himself. This was about as far away from the real him, as if he was an entirely different person.

Returning his arms to rest behind his head with their fingers laced, Kobashi considered the best approach going forward. If Toru had a good idea of the layout then they did not have to focus on that as much. The priority was making sure they were seen in places that would easily be heard of later, but hopefully not heard of so soon as to increase the security.

The best idea Kobashi could arrive at was to make themselves seen at a less than busy bar. The regulars there would definitely take note of unusual customers, but would be unlikely to leave their night of drinking to report it to any officials. Unless anything else were to happen, Kobashi would continue walking towards the town with the intention of finding such a place where Toru and himself could be seen until it was time to get the infiltration underway.

Made by Riley at THQ!

[Ren]

The city was busy in the days following the wedding, the previous presence of visitors helped the commerce, and the overall mood of the locals. As the two shinobi walked through the streets, casually holding a conversation and posing as members of the Hidden Leaf, they could notice that although there was plenty of law enforcement officers walking around the street, they were not in a state of much alert. If anything, they seemed relaxed, a bit distracted even. Some of them would give them a longer gaze, but that was probably only due to the fact that they were shinobi, but once they caught wind of their conversation, they would just gaze away and continue their rounds.

The talk about companionship, however, didn't go unnoticed and as they made their way through the streets, an older male approached them. He had a large smile contrasting with the sly look on his narrow eyes. "Sorry to barge in, but I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. And if it's companionship you are looking for, my establishment is what you are looking for, gentlemen. Hihihihi... We have the best girls in the island, and I can even get them to fetch the milk bread your young friend was talking about." he had a tone of a pimp, but then again the man was making very little effort to hide that.

Kaguya Toru Sourei Kobashi

[Kaguya Toru]

if i'm a danger to myself Just think what I could do to you Ren Sourei Kobashi

Toru's features almost contorted, at least they contorted enough to appear convincing towards Kobashi who suggested companionship. That was not something Toru was particularly interested in, and it seemed neither was the persona that he had taken upon his shoulders to play. Unfortunately, it seemed that their conversation had attracted the attention of a man who looked about as trustworthy as he was throwable - which wasn't very throwable at all, at least by normal people standards. Toru could probably throw him if he really wanted. He would glance between Kobashi and the man who had offered them, women.

"The milk bread I'll take," The young man responded folding his arms across his chest. "But you keep that other stuff to yourself unless gross old Tadashi here wants some of what you have to offer." Toru was finding that he was having to channel some of his past self, the one that had a burning hatred for wealthier individuals from wealthier clans. The snide remarks were coming naturally, but playfully enough that he doubted any real hatred would be able to seep through.

Naturally, Toru was uncertain if that sort of thing was even legal in the city, and it might have been best to keep out of the way... Or maybe it would be worth hearing a few conversations around. Though, they were mostly here to wait it until the night and make their presence very much known.

OWL

[Sourei Kobashi]

Kobashi felt the sudden urge to place his palm against his forehead the moment he heard the older male who had approached them begin to speak. He had hoped to just play up being here for recreational purposes, but it seemed the city provided for many desires.


"'ppreciate the offer, but the hunt is half the fun. Tell ya what though, I fail to find one on my own I'll keep your establishment in mind. Hopefully they'll be a match for the ladies of the leaf."


Kobashi could almost feel his soul dry heaving as the words escaped his mouth, but it hopefully would provide a non-suspicious escape from having to patron such a vile place while also serving to plant a memorable seed in the man's mind so as to remember the two Konoha shinobi before him. Ignoring the shuddering he felt internally, Kobashi gave a slight click and wink from one seemingly shady individual to the most definitely shady pimp trying to tempt him before proceeding forward.


"And who the hell are you calling old kid?!"


Kobashi's words came out in a surprised and mildly irritated tone, trying to play as if he had only just realized when his younger compatriot had said in response to the flesh peddler's sales pitch. The exclaiming remark punctuated by Kobashi's right hand attempting to clamp down on Toru's head so as to ruffle the younger man's hair a bit. Naturally though, Kobashi kept it restrained enough so as to not shift the fox mask any.

Made by Riley at THQ!

[Ren]

The man pouted when the duo refused his invitation to indulge in the pleasures of the flesh, which quickly changed into a grimace when the younger of the two said he would still take the milk bread, something he only mentioned to entice them further down the path of using the services he provided. The man waved his hand, dismissing the duo as he turned around and started walking away.

"You leaf folks are no fun. Always so righteous... Waste of my damn time!" he mumbled as he disappeared in an alley nearby. Some people were noticing the duo, and their eyes lingered on their fox mask and the symbol of their village, but still not nearly enough to be able to say they were noticed all around the city as Leaf Shinobi. The area they were in was close to the red light district, which was to their right, and further ahead was the market district, with many different stores. To the right, there was a network of alleys that seemed to be a bit more shady, if they had to guess, that was the place where they would most likely find a black market of sorts.

Which way would they go now?

[Kaguya Toru]

if i'm a danger to myself Just think what I could do to you Ren Sourei Kobashi

Toru let out a disappointed huff when the man dismissed them without even sharing some milk bread. Frankly, Toru didn't really care for sweets that much, he seemed to lack the sweet tooth that many children had. But, in this case, he was going to have to act like he really was going to be upset about it. So a huff and a whine as the man called them Konoha individuals boring and righteous. That's about right, at least.

"Let's go to the market, hm? Might find the milk bread there." Toru would motion in that direction where there was a bustling and obvious market area. Plenty of vendors there most likely, and if he was going to keep to the character he would definitely need to find at least some of that bread and of course drag 'Tadashi' along for the ride.

He would move past the shady brothel man and towards the street hoping that Kobashi would follow along. They would definitely figure out their situation as they went on, for now, they were just supposed to make their presence known and that was all that was necessary. He let out a soft sigh and continued on. So far so good...

OWL

[Sourei Kobashi]

Kobashi moved forward with the Mizukage towards the market district, resuming his lazy looking stance with hands laced behind his head so that his arms remained held in place by their own weight and steps that showed little sense of urgency.


"Yeah yeah, I heard you the first time. We'll find your damn milk bread."


The words were accompanied with an exasperated eye roll and ended with a defeated sigh. In reality though Kobashi was more than happy to get a move on from their previous location. Even pretending to be half interested in the shady individual's business had made him half feel he was betraying the memory of Sukiko to some extent.

As they continued towards the market Kobashi would keep his eyes constantly checking the rooftops and alleyways they passed, but admittedly a part of him kept feeling the desire to take a look at Toru. While he doubted any such glance would reveal the young Mizukage's thoughts, Kobashi's curiosity as to what had made him choose him for this mission still lingered in his mind.

Hopefully their being noticed around the town would go without any major incident and he could lose himself in the work of the actual infiltration. He did not look forward to the faces of the secondary targets as their life was stolen from them, but it at least was something he could read and understand unlike the young boy who stood at his side.

Made by Riley at THQ!

[Ren]

The two disguised shinobi decided to head towards the market, and considering the fact that it was still business hours, the place was booming with activity. Other than the many stores in the area, there were many street vendors with their stands, offering their products to the potential clients passing by. Those products varied from fishes, takoyaki and other treats, and even milk bread, to more local island craft, like coral necklaces and such, all very typical of their island culture and trades.

If they were keeping their ears open to what the locals might be saying, other than the normal merchant talk, they would e able to hear some comments directed at them. They were not particularly loud, and more so whispers, and discrete comments.

"Shinobis here?"

"I wonder what those headgear folks are up to this time..."

"What's that symbol?"

"Which village are they from? I think Mist is the closest, but that outfit is different..."

"Should we prepare for trouble?"

"Ninjas?! That's bad news..."

"So cool! I want to be a shinobi one day"

[Kaguya Toru]

if i'm a danger to myself Just think what I could do to you Sourei Kobashi Ren

Toru did not have exceedingly good hearing. Smell, sure. Hearing? Well, it was about par for the course for someone of his training. He needed to know how to capture these sorts of details, but not necessarily was he extremely above average for an ex-oinin butai jounin in this regard. Still, he managed to catch some of the moments. He would act natural, though, occasionally commenting to his companion as they walked along. Until he found the milk bread, then his attention diverted directly to it.

"Here it is." He stated, it was in a slightly more excited tone, but not with an extreme shout.

"I should buy a lot, that way I can bring some back to Konoha to share." He had no idea who he would be sharing it all with, milk bread was not exactly super uncommon in most places but supposedly the island had some kind of delicacy in it or so he had heard, and so he would play on that for sure.

"Hey, do you have any extra money, Tadashi-san?" He called out to Kobashi, hoping that the other would play along. They were around a few people here. He wanted to make sure to plant not only the name, of his companion but also of Konoha into the situation with all the merchants and such listening in as the young man pondered the delicious milk bread.

OWL

[Sourei Kobashi]

Kobashi continued to move forwards, feigning disinterest in what the civilians around them were saying. In reality he kept his ear on it and was satisfied that their attempt to spread rumor of Konoha shinobi being in the area was going so well. Granted, he was still a bit concerned on how this might all affect the security of the Daimyo's palace; he believed it worth the risk however.

Shifting his attention was Toru's excited declaration that they had found the milk bread which had been built up so much. The younger man spoke of how they should get enough to share with the people back in Konoha. Kobashi or rather, Tadashi gave a lazy nod toward the sentiment, at least until his young companion asked if he had any money.


"Eh?! Why the hell do you need my money? We just got paid not that long ago Asahi! You really need to get better with your money kid, I swear it feels like you're trying to pay for another face to be carved in the mountain yourself. I lend you money, but you gotta pay me back as soon as we get paid."


It was an understandable enough reaction, cemented home reference to Konoha as well as planted the subtle idea that they might be here on a job. While it could easily have meant whenever they do their next job, after they completed the assassinations then maybe some people would look back and wonder if Tadashi had meant after they got paid for what they were doing there and then.

To continue playing along with the whole charade, Kobashi removed a few small mixture of coinage. It came from no particular place, instead being a mixture of coins minted in the Land of Fire, Land of Tea and some of the local currency. Taking out enough to buy a fairly large amount Kobashi tossed it onto the bread maker's counter with little in the way of care.


"Get the kid what he wants."


He turned away from the vendor after saying his piece and giving payment, turning his attention to the crowd around him. He feigned a mild annoyance, the previous care free attitude now corrupted a bit with a furrowed brow and tightened eyes.

Made by Riley at THQ!