[Kaguya Kimihiro]

Kaguya Kimihiro

It was a poor Kiri shinobi who didn't have their sea legs, and Kimihiro was no exception to this. Most of his unmasked missions had required him to sail somewhere, dealing with pirates or bandits throughout Mizu no Kuni, so by now he was familiar enough with ocean travel for it to be routine. The ship he sailed on was almost an old friend at this point, the vessel one that he tried to work with whenever he could.




The Inaka Maru itself was, to him, a pretty vessel, its sleek lines and fast speed the sort of vessel that captured his attention. Though not a warship, it had all the beauty of a deadly weapon, and he might have found himself liking it far more if he actually were allowed to do some of the work in sailing it. Unfortunately none of the crew trusted his attention span, so he had to find other things to do.

Though the journey northwards had started off interesting he had soon become bored with the whole situation, and his boredom had led to him wandering all about the deck of the ship with little to no concern for the needs of the crew. He didn't even have the decency to keep it on the deck, casually wandering up the masts and poking his nose wherever he felt might be most interesting. Sometimes he'd practice his Taijutsu forms, keeping his body and mind occupied as they raced northwards. He couldn't train with his sword in such a confined space, at least not until night fell and most of the crew went below deck. 

Eventually though, their destination loomed in the distance, a tiny spit of land in the middle of the northern ocean, somewhere between Kaminari no Kuni and Yuki no Kuni, a few buildings and docks scattered across the surface. It was, unbeknownst to Kimihiro, the second time that his Kubikiribōchō had travelled to this island.



The Inaka Maru carried with it more supplies to continue building up the naval base here, hull filled with tightly packed storage scrolls containing everything from building materials to consumables. Kimihiro's initial role was one of guard duty, to protect the merchant vessel from any pirates that may have gotten bold enough to attack a ship flying Kirigakure's flag, but now that they reached the outpost he had a second, more important one.

Meet up with Yukigakure shinobi and remove the pirate presence from the area. With the outpost getting larger and more prosperous, they were now a risk that neither village were willing to take. Thus, one of the Seven Swordsmen was sent off to work with representatives from Yuki in clearing out the pirate stronghold once and for all. 

Stepping off the ship before it had even stopped moving, the small Kaguya began looking around curiously, wondering whether his counterpart.. or counterparts... were here yet. 

Word Count: 481
Tags: Nakajima Taro , hirata isao

[hirata isao]

It made sense that the two nations working together to build joint trade outposts throughout the seas were countries with no small shortage of shinobi tested by those waters. The Land of Snow, like its partner in crime, was an island nation to the far north. Any task that demanded its presence in another nation would require a shinobi to board a ship and ride the waves.

This particular route, heading south toward the Land of Lightning, was nostalgic to Isao. It was along the same general path, though at a different time of year, that he’d fled the mountainous nation to the south in favor of his current home. Though, he didn’t make a habit of this journey; most of his trips to the main continent were toward destinations further east: the lands of Earth, Iron and further south into the hearts of shinobi villages like Kusagakure and Amegakure.

Meanwhile, Mizu no Kuni was a land he almost never set foot in, save for his trip to the Chuunin Exams held there early in the year. So, for that reason, the opportunity to become more familiar with their ilk was a welcome one.

Their vessel had arrived earlier, a few rows down from the arriving Kirigakure ship, given their shorter journey. They also had the luxury of avoiding any shinobi conflict. After all, they only had seas to cross. The shinobi from the south had to hug the edge of both the Land of Whirlpools and the Land of Lightning on their way north; two nations who were historically in support of the Mist’s greatest enemy.

Isao stood on the shores, watching as the approaching Kiri ship dropped anchor and dock workers hurried to fasten the line to the island’s great wooden limbs that extended over the shallow shore to keep the caravel from drifting off. But before it had even come to a full stop, a figure lept from its side and onto the docks below.

Ah, that must be the shinobi. It was ever a marvel how easy they were to pick out of a crowd, despite the most fundamental of their job requirements being discretion. But, as entertaining as it was, it was also a topic Isao could hardly chide anyone on. After all, he stood out a good deal himself. It was also a welcome sight as well to see the young-looking shinobi equipped with a sword large enough to rival Isao’s own. Not many could wield blades like that to any meaningful effect, the last he’d seen do so being the Ame Lord.

When the young ninja began scanning about, looking for his would be comrades, Isao did him the service of a wave. He lifted his arm in the air in wide arcs to catch his attention and, were he to get it, he’d nod and gesture for him to join Isao on solid ground.

482 words | Kaguya Kimihiro , Nakajima Taro

[Nakajima Taro]

Taro couldn't be happier to have been given this mission. He didn't quite frankly enjoy the sneaky or diplomatic scenes as much as the grittier frontline work. The red flame raising always showing true in his dedication to physical labor. As Taro would not speak up too much around Isao, but instead help him and their ships crew pack up and take off. There wasn't too much side work to be done, but the chuunin made sure he had a part in helping. Partially to deal with the lack of familiar faces.

He'd of shrugged off the loss of his normal comrades, it would help his name be known working with others. Always beneath those around him in rank, he could only hope they were trying to butter him up with extra experience. Slap a new title on him to expect greater feats at a similar check, but these missions were more than a check to him. They were a chance to test his mettle. Sadly the part of the trip in which they went to the fighting was nothing but a bore. Thankfully their partner from the mist would arrive not too long after they'd done so.

Everyone had some overly sized object with them, but for the two jounin they shared the fanfare of swords. Meanwhile Taro just had three massive scrolls on his back, as though he'd packed for ever situation imaginable. "Finally..." He'd mutter to himself, it was a thought he'd failed to keep to himself. Silence wasn't the Nakajima's strong suit after all, but he was trying his best to temper himself. Keep quite and try to play cool, he didn't wanna risk one of them ordering him to stand down. Not that he'd follow such a command, at least he didn't think he would. Perhaps he was truly as disciplined as one expected from a ranking shinobi. Though Chuunin was still low on the pedestal all things considered. Especially among jounin.

Words. -- TagsKaguya Kimihiro hirata isao Notes. Grinning with the intensity of a madman.

Template by Kuroya of THQ & GS.

[Kaguya Kimihiro]

Kaguya Kimihiro

Finding his contact... contacts rather... was not difficult it seemed, thankfully. The massive figure who had raised his arm the moment Kimihiro's eyes slid over him made it very clear to see. Turning back towards the ship as the crew started to properly dock, the Kaguya called out cheerily "thanks Captain-san~ I might need you again soon, but I'll make sure you have time to have a break first!" 

With that sorted, he practically skipped on over to the two taller Yuki shinobi, looking from one figure to the other as he tried to get a feel for them. Overall, initial impression said that neither of them would be the boring, stick-in-the-mud type of partners that wouldn't let him have any fun because it was 'serious' and he 'needed to stay focused on the mission'. They both seemed rather friendly too, though Kimihiro could tell that the shorter of the two had a grin that most people probably found unpleasant. It kinda reminded him of his favourite older brother's, so that was nice.

Coming to a stop in front of the duo, Kimihiro grinned pleasantly at both of them, looking from one to the other curiously, "konnichi-wa, I'm Kaguya Kimihiro, Tokubetsu Jounin of Kirigakure, pleased to meet you~" he said in a cheerful, lilting voice. Normally he wouldn't just give out his clan name and let people figure it out for themselves by the markings on his face, but these people weren't from Mizu no Kuni and he didn't want them freaking out when he started pulling bones out of his body. For some reason that tended to bother people.

"You two are the Yuki-nin I'm here to work with right? The crew told me this outpost has a small tavern somewhere, lets go find it and organise our plan of attack while my ship unloads~" In the past he might have just gone into such a mission without any thought, find pirate, kill pirate, have fun, but those missions had him as the only shinobi. He knew enough about working in teams that he didn't want to go out there without being sure they all knew the same things, and knowing what each of them could do.

"Ano sa, what was the brief that you received on this?" he asked, even as he turned to go find the tavern. It wouldn't be too hard to find on such a small island, if the other two were willing to indulge him, mostly empty for the moment with simple food and drink available should any wish to partake.

Word Count: 427
Tags: Nakajima Taro , hirata isao
Mission Post: 4/20

[hirata isao]

Isao closed his eyes with a warm smile at the Mist shinobi’s introduction. He was excitable, though not nearly as excited as the Yuki nin that had accompanied Isao here. Why did he always feel like the old man on these missions? Beyond his weathered appearance, it was clear he was in fact a few years older than these two. Hopefully he didn’t stick out too much.

With a reserved politeness, Isao nodded, stepping forward to keep pace with the retreating Kaguya. At least he seemed sensible.

The trio made their way to one of the first large buildings inland, a small tavern that hosted a rather modest selection of both services and guests, though it would serve. "It’s more of a follow-up if I’m to understand. Some pirates have set up inland, we’re just here to resolve that conflict.” He didn’t feel the need for secrecy; Yuki and Kiri were close allies and they’d need to communicate freely if they planned to get out of here in one piece.

As they entered the tavern, the interior starkly contrasted its shabby outside. Salt water in the air had probably already done the freshly built structure’s exterior a disservice because inside it was neat, warm and smelled of sawdust. It was cozy and reminded Isao of his place back in Yukigakure, something that only made it grow warmer for him, despite the traditional associations with the land of Snow.

He gestured toward the nearest table; they were all available. The only other parties present were the bartender and a couple of workers that he was tending to. Isao himself didn’t need to eat, nor was he thirsty, so he didn’t bother heading in that direction but wouldn’t bemoan either of his companions for doing so before they got into the planning phase.

--- words | Kaguya Kimihiro , Nakajima Taro

[Nakajima Taro]

The chain of command sort of left the charge in Isao's hands. However the man was doing quite the good job taking talk to me's place, it was as if nothing had changed at all. "Yeah." Taro would echo the inaudible nod of his team leader, before quickly and not to commandingly add. "Nakajima Taro, chuunin of Yukigakure." He didn't know if the other knew anything of his clan, he didn't really know the clans of Yukigakure perfectly either. He'd like act unsurprised upon any revealed bones, but he'd be able to turn himself into nothing but fluttering flames. A flurry of bright destruction.

There was zero intention of warning with his greeting. Taro shared the pride and enthusiasm of this stranger from afar, he could tell they were likely cut of the same ilk. Especially as the special jounin had suggested the group go to the local tavern. The chuunin's greeting was merely to get his name out there, as well as to show respect to the higher ranked allied shinobi. He'd some sense of how to treat foreign allies in a formal diplomatic manner. Certainly wasn't his interest, so he'd used his team leads silence to not be too outspoken. Avoid stepping on any toes if this Kirigakure shinobi was hiding their true nature.

All this mission amounted to for the chuunin was an opportunity to kick ass and possibly get a little recognition among those outside his clan. Upon entering the tavern, it'd be somewhat clear who'd be truly crafting the plan. It wasn't the chuunin in the group, so as the jounin sat to talk, at least he assumed would do so. He'd go over to the tavern to bartender order a drink and place an order for food to be brought over. If they were gonna be fighting and prior to it they had time, then Taro was going to fill his belly. They were all about to exert a good bit of energy after all. Perhaps he intended to 'burn' more than the others, but they could surely craft a truly brilliant plot in a meals time. No more, no less.

Words. -- TagsKaguya Kimihiro hirata isao Notes. Grinning with the intensity of a madman.

Template by Kuroya of THQ & GS.

[Kaguya Kimihiro]

Kaguya Kimihiro

Ordering a large mug of... something, he wasn't sure, it seemed Yuki-made and honestly why would he come all this way to drink something he could have had back in Mizu no Kuni, Kimihiro found himself sitting across from the big guy who hadn't said his name, so was currently labelled 'Sword Bro' in the Kaguya's mind while the Chuunin, Taro-san, went off to get his own food and drink, and seemed unconcerned with any planning. For a moment the white haired Kiri-nin stared wistfully at the bar remembering when he didn't need to worry about things like strategy and cooperation. Still, that's what promotion got you.

Legs kicking idly due to the chair's height, the Swordsman pulled out a small scroll from his coat and lay it out over the table, careful not to spill the oddly warming drink on it as he spun it around for Sword Bro to look at.

"So I was given this map, I kinda drew on it, but it's the island the pirates are s'posed to be based off," he explained, pausing to allow the man to take in the relatively simplistic piece of cartography.



"Looks like they got themselves two main locations, and a really nice sheltered bay... it'd have been kinda perfect for a trading hub but it's like, way off course for the whole thing. I figured we have a couple choices, we could go in the front door, start at the port and work our way up, block their ship in the bay. We could also do the opposite and try and catch them out at sea, stoppin them from getting in to their port. Ooooor, we could drop off on the northern beach and head inland along the river, smack their main base before they know we're coming," he suggested, brows a little furrowed as he tried to recall any other ideas he might have had on the trip up here, "what do you think?"

Pulling at the thread embedded in his lip, he glanced from Sword Bro to Taro-san who was happily ignoring any strategic planning, before adding, "I didn't get any info on numbers or anything though, not sure if you did?"

At that, he leaned back in his chair to give the bigger man a chance to speak, drinking heavily from his mug as he continued to glance over at the Chuunin, wondering just why he seemed disinclined to be part of the conversation. Was he shy? He didn't look shy... maybe he just got bored with strategy, Kimihiro could empathise. He'd gotten better at it in recent months, but he did miss the days of simply being pointed in the right direction and told what to do.

Life was somewhat easier that way.

"Oh, I guess we should probably exchange specialties too..."

Word Count: 468
Tags: Nakajima Taro , hirata isao
Mission Post: 7/20

[hirata isao]

Isao kept an eye on his fellow Yuki nin as he made his way to the bar, making sure to survey not just his immediate surroundings but those of the entire group as its territory expanded. Both of his squadmates were capable enough shinobi if rank alone was any determining factor but the man had at least some responsibility over the younger Snow ninja. And, perhaps to some degree, his tenure as a squad leader had turned him into something of a mother hen.

He sat down at the table, a bit uneasy but maintaining a calm exterior. When the map was offered he took full charge of it, reorienting it to align with his gaze and sliding it to his side of the table. In truth, he hadn’t been given much intel either. Though it seemed that was often the case in these watch-duty style missions.

When the Mist nin inquired, Isao gave an unhelpful negative in response. "Most of my information is coming from previous trips out here- not by me,” he immediately corrected, "but debriefs from other missions in this area.”

His squadmate spoke on some hypothetical plans and Isao chewed them like leather in his mind, not fond of any off the tin. For a moment he just studied the map wordlessly, his brow a pinched mirror of the Kaguya’s. "I wonder if… they might have bolstered their Naval defenses from last time.” He mused. "If it wouldn’t be an opportune time to cut off the head.” He clarified his suggestion by running a calloused index along the main trail, to the heart of the island, and tapping the stronghold.

And, even if his idle theory proved false and they hadn’t split up their manning to better control vulnerable seaborne assets, these were still just pirates. And Isao, despite his occupation, had never been a fan of the long drawn-out nature of subtlety when a single blade stroke could solve their problems just as easily.

As for the topic of specialty, Isao maintained no great subtlety in that field either. He smiled and gestured to the sword at his back with his thumb. "This is my specialty.” Both literally; the sword, and figuratively; warfare. "Other than that I have passing skills in ninjutsu and I’m a good field tactician. Yourself?” He asked almost jokingly, expecting a similar answer given the man's chosen gear.

200+ words | Kaguya Kimihiro , Nakajima Taro

[Nakajima Taro]

Taro though not really interested in the planning portion, he would know the importance of situational awareness. A good look at the map couldn't hurt, he'd more or less analyze it to hold the image. Surely they'd be able to use it again later, but it seemed like it might be totally unnecessary. A few plans would be suggested by the Kirigakure shinobi, it seemed they didn't send some slacker to their aid. All in all this mission would be easy enough. In his mind and many of his past missions, he'd feel the river route would be the no brainer.

Instead to his shock and amazement Isao would suggest they just go head first in, straight through the port all the way up to the stronghold. "Woah, that's the type of reckless plan I like to hear. We'll be able to dock our boat and not worry about scratching it's hull." He'd try to recover the irrational first sentence with some semblance of reason to go with this bold option. Chain of command meant they should go with it anyways right? A grin barred on Taro's face, his eyes wide open with a certain sense of thrill.

The question of their abilities would be brought up. Of course the special jounin had something simple and sweet lined up. This man was the embodiment of cool to Taro in that moment, but it made him want to stand out now all the more. "My specialty is close quarters combat, catching things on fire and unique ability to avoid death." He'd finish his statement with his fangs still gleaming, a sense of pride in himself and his quickly improved self explanation. It seemed prevalent to his clans secrecy he not really explain the last or second ability. They'd quickly learn first hand his capabilities.

It'd be a foreign power to some, but there was a good chance Taro wasn't Isao's first Nakajima. Possibly through enough observation and background knowledge of the water embodiment clan, even this Kaguya might be able to make sense of their power. Especially with this ballsy charge through the front gate battle approach. It'd be nice to not have to travel slowly and crawl through snow, rocks and ice. Torch lit paths, possible fish oil and just an abundance of could be burnable material. Everything about the straight forward method worked for this devil, it just likely meant the opposing forces would be more prepared and possibly organized. What're a bunch of pirates to a squad of elite ninja?

Words. -- TagsKaguya Kimihiro hirata isao Notes. Grinning with the intensity of a madman.

Template by Kuroya of THQ & GS.

[Kaguya Kimihiro]

Kaguya Kimihiro

Listening to the two Yuki for a moment, Kimihiro couldn't help the grin that began to curl at his lips. He'd done his best to be all proper shinobi-like, just like Toru-kun would have wanted, and he'd used his experiences as a Hunter-nin to plot out the proper sort of stealth approach in case that was preferred, but it seems that such thoughts were not needed because his team for this mission were much more inclined to being straight forward.

A tactical swordsman with some ninjutsu capabilitiy, a hard to kill pyromaniac that liked to get up close and personal, and himself... well, that sounded like a pretty good wrecking ball squad in his mind, which just caused his grin to widen. "I'm a Kaguya, I hit hard, I hit fast, and I have this big sword~" he declared, "I'm a stealth expert and an adept of the hidden mist jutsu, though those probably won't be as useful if we're going the 'kick in the door' route." 

He hadn't been sure of what to expect from these two, but perhaps this mission would be more fun than he had thought it would be. "So we go into the bay, block their ship if it's there, trash the port and then run at the stronghold, ne?" he clarified, one pale finger tracing the path he figured they would take with such an act, "the report we got in Kiri said some of these pirates have shinobi skills, but I don't think they're gonna be too much trouble for us... probably," he shrugged as he finished up his drink and got to his feet with a hop and a stretch.

"So, shall we head out? I'm sure the cargo has been dealt with by now"

Word Count: 293
Tags: Nakajima Taro , hirata isao
Mission Post: 10/20

[hirata isao]

There was a mutual excitement brewing between the three mission participants. Each one of them was supremely capable in offense and would be an unstoppable wrecking ball of destruction once they got moving. Isao nodded at the pair, eager to see them get to action.

He'd nod in approval as the other two clarified the group's plan and suggested for the hunt to begin. But, while doing so, he took the opportunity to observe and size up his companions.

He was only somewhat familiar with the two clans, Nakajima and Kaguya, mostly from notoriety regarding the abilities. But he had no in depth understanding of either one. In essence, he knew that the Nakajima possessed a mastery over fire unlike much anyone else. Their destructive potential was nigh unmatched. As for the Kaguya, the man's intel was even more limited. From what displays he'd experienced first and second hand, they had some odd body manipulation ability that also had some offensive potential.

He pondered the boringness of his own identity, at least from the perspective of these prodigies. "My name's Hirata. Hirata, Isao. Just in case it wasn't in the briefing." He nodded to the Kiri nin. Taro would know the man's name, but, if not, this served a secondary introduction. "So you aren't calling me something unrecognizable once things start." Some no-name, likely clanless, swordsman; he stood out more than usual.

But start they should. The man rose, sliding the map back to the center of the table and adjusting the sword on his back to sit more comfortable in his upright position. He'd linger by the table until the other two were ready to go, and for the food to have arrived. He requested a to-go container and helped box it up before handing it to Taro. They'd be tasty trail rations.

And with that, they would head off.

[Isao's intent is to make for the camp with the group, so y'all can feel free to progress the journey in your posts.]

200+ words | Kaguya Kimihiro , Nakajima Taro