[Kojima Daisuke]

IF YOU ALWAYS WORRY ABOUT CRUSHING ANTS BENEATH YOUR FEET

Daisuke had been in Konoha for nearly three days now, and he was taking rather fondly to the place. More so its people than the village itself. Konohagakure was always listed in his mind as something of an overly-promoted place. Where the perhaps viewed themselves in such a way where they stood above those around them with a self inflated idea of who and what they really were. But, the longer he stayed here and interacted with those who lived in the village, he began to understand that was very much not the case.

Daisuke had made friends here, ones he would not soon forget, to be certain. At least Shigure gave him a few bruises to keep him in his mind for the few days to come. He had also met the snake sages apprentice, Yakitsukeru, and while her first impression may not have been the greatest, it was still time very well spent in his eyes.

The biggest reason he came to Konohagakure, though, was to meet with the snake sage themselves. It was a bit of a trial and error process, most people seeming not to know much about their whereabouts. Even Yaki didn’t have a full understanding of where the illusive Mitsuda was more often than not. But, that did not deter him fully from trying to meet with the man. While Dn’yokuna might not have fully endorsed the idea of Kaede sending Daisuke to meet with another sage, it was still the main point as to why he traveled to Konohagakure in the first place, and the young sage would not return until he was able to do so.

"Well Kota,” Daisuke started, making his way back to the gates of the village in search for the village sage. "I guess we’re gonna find out more clearly why they call it the forest of death.”

The large wolf beside Daisuke would simply nod, giving a small hum to acknowledge him.

Nearly an hour would go by as the two trudged through the wilderness, heading to the east where they were told they might find Mitsuda. In the forest, however, it was hard to tell exactly if they were still headed in the right direction. It all looked the same to him. If it weren’t for Kota’s heightened sense of direction, Daisuke could easily see how someone might get lost in a place like this.

"Smell anything yet?”

"Nothing new that would lead to a trail. This place is full of strange scents. It’s hard to pinpoint what exactly it is I’m supposed to find.”

"Well keep it up. I’m sure you’ll catch an idea if you can find anything close to Yaki.”

^{THEN YOU'LL NEVER BE ABLE TO WALK}

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^{Kekkan Mitsuda}

Temp By: A

[Kekkan Mitsuda]

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[attr="class","mitsuda"]Whispers in his ear had made Mitsuda very much aware of Daisuke’s search. The Sage had friends all around the village, slithering around and sneaking their ears and eyes to the man’s service whether those around him knew it. While it was mostly used to keep crime at bay, only relevant information typically made its way back to the Red Sage.

Mitsuda sat on the cool stone of a make-shift chair in his hut. The woods were quiet and held a level of ominous peace, something that if Daisuke and his mutt friends were trained well enough in, they could sense eyes all around them as they watched their every move. The woods were alive, circling the Kumo Chuunin and his small summon.

A small black snake approached its master, slithering upward and disappearing into his cloak, merging with Mitsuda where it shared its findings. There was a dog in the forest. Daisuke would be arriving soon. A sigh would escape Mistuda. He lifted himself slowly from his chair. He wasn’t looking forward to visitors today. Though, when was he ever.

He chose his hut out in the woods to keep away from prying eyes and to distance himself from the village that was so profoundly tangled into his existence. It seemed that many sought him as of late. Between the Hyuuga brat, Yaki, and now this outsider, Mitsuda was quite the popular man.

"Persistent mutt,” Mitsuda muttered under his breath. He left his hut, heading out into the woods. The snake had relayed a very general location of the Kumo sage apprentice. The Sage knew the woods like the back of his hand, if not better, and was able to locate the young man with ease.

He would approach face-forward, meeting the Chuunin’s gaze if he were to look up. With no doubt, the small dog beside him would have noticed well before he approached, however, if they held up to their name.

Mitsuda knew very little about the wolf Sage. It seemed outlandish, though the tales came from all angles, so it was hard to dismiss. If he was truly a Sage, then Mitsuda would find himself intrigued. To let his apprentice roam around into his den…well the balls on this one showed promise.

The stories of the Red Sage reached far, though one could not say whether or not their reached true all the way to the Land of Clouds. Like a game of whispers, how skewed was it over time? Mitsuda had enemies and allies across the world, though Kumo was admittedly not an area he had touched with his presence often, and not in many lifetimes. For all he knew, he was long forgotten save for a few curious oddities such as Daisuke himself.

With eyes having met, Mitsuda approached, his arms tucked away needly in the long sleeves of his robes. His one earring dangled, and his eyes were lowered lazily as he assessed the bright-haired man before him.

"I am a hard man to find for a reason. Who sends you, and for what?” Mitsuda spoke. As crude as his personality typically was, he knew he was expected to show hospitality towards shinobi of other nations. He kept his skepticism in check, for now.

Kojima Daisuke