[Ishikawa Ren]

     Might very well be my last mission before the exams, he thought. Ren was glad it was with Tsuri though, as he hadn't gotten nearly enough time to get to know his fellow Genin - further, the chance to travel out to the border was something he'd been anticipating ever since he became a Genin.

     Images of the desert stretching out to the horizon from a vantage point amid the peaks filled his mind, though he knew they probably would see no such thing. They were simply heading up into the mountains, near the border, not scaling any summits.

     Jansune Keep loomed ahead as they crested a dirt path cutting through the mountains. Ren looked over at his partner for the mission. "Ever come this far out, Tsuri?" he asked. "I've not." Of course, as Sanosuke's assistant it was only a matter of time until he'd been to the edges of the continent in all cardinal directions, which he looked forward to.

     The sky had been relatively calm until they'd approached the keep, but now - as they'd been warned - it seemed a truly massive storm was brewing. It'd make it harder to spot any potential intruders over the border, and harder to run away effectively, as their order detailed.

D-Rank Mission: Scout and Recon
Shodo Tsuri | 207 words

[1/10]

[Shodo Tsuri]

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It had been a while since Tsuri had been out on the field, the violent nature of her life blade, Hakugei, who hung freely on her neck, had been too much. It had gotten rather difficult to control his movements, and the polite old man seemed to have been swallowed by the beast as she had fed the blade blood. She was trying to get the sword to once more be the polite old man, and to that Tsuri thought it important to learn not to rely solely on the blade and instead work on her skills with the village tool she had been given just before her own exams - Machigai. The odd looking sickle-rod, and given another month and a half or so of work she had been sent on a new assignment.

Ishikawa Ren was a lot older then her or Cousin Sugita, but that didn't mean she was intimidated by him at all. No rather, it gave her the same feel as being around one of her older brothers, he had a warm and cautious feel to him and Tsuri was more then happy with the choice of partner. Smiling at the young man while her strangely colored eyes followed his motions, despite the smile travelling to her eyes they were almost predatory in the way they seemed to capture everything that he did.

Checking the two Umbrellas on her back first she would offer one to Ren as a potential cover from the rain at least while they encrouched the mountain, the rain starting slowly to drip to the ground, "Not this way no Ren-Rin. I've been to Yuki and Mizu, but not this direction, the closest was when I was travelling with my Ojiisan to the village to enter the academy from Kawa."

The girl would reply as she began to check all of her equipment again. She would likely need to use Machigai, and maybe even Hakugei if she could get him to promise to behave to scale in the storm here.

- ❤ -

[Ishikawa Ren]

     Ren took the umbrella with a light bow of his head and a smile. "Wow," he said. "Yuki? I couldn't even imagine that. Was it very cold?" he'd not even left his village for most of his life. He was still getting used to the sheer amount of rain and lakes in central Arashi no Kuni. These mountains were different too, but not too much so.

     The rain pattered off the top of the umbrella and Ren was surprised he actually had hold the thing down as the wind around them picked up. The place they needed to investigate wasn't too much further down the road, but honestly he didn't expect them to find much. Though, he wondered, a storm would be a good cover for an invasion.

     Yet everything he'd read and been told said that Amegakure had trounced Sunagakure the last time they had fought. And with a new Kazekage, a giant war probably wasn't the first thing they wanted to do. Though Ren had heard some unsavory rumors about that man.

     "I can't imagine we'll find much up here!" he said over the noise of the coming storm, having had to raise his voice. "Someone would have to be crazy to come out in this!"

Shodo Tsuri | 208 words

[3/10]

[Shodo Tsuri]

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Tsuri was not initially sure what to actually take on Ren from their conversation so far, but he was definitely curious if nothing else. A trait she appreciated, but she also had to worry about since curiosity was an easy way to disappear in Amegakure. She would nod though at his assessment of Yuki though, "Super cold, like absolutely frigid. I got to go ice fishing up there though so I think it was worth the chance to go when I did with Sugi-rin."

Tsuri's response didn't really contain a lot of detail, but she had a reminiscent smile that said plenty and her eyes which were simply full of a pleasant warmth despite their predatory look over all. As they got closer and the rain turned from a sprinkle to a drizzle Tsuri made sure her jacket was closed up for the forseeable rain, a lack of body heat wasn't conducive here at all.

At his next comment though Tsuri had to disagree, "This is perfect fishing weather actually. I'd be out in this at home and in the village too if I could, the fish surface during the rain and it makes them easier to catch. I think the fish like the vibrations from the rain or something to that effect, but personally I just see it as the best time for a haul. Besides that... wouldn't the fact that no one should be out here in the rain be the exact reason for people to be out here now?"

Tsuri would ask the last question out loud, but it was hard to tell if it was a question or a statement.

- ❤ -

[Ishikawa Ren]

     Ren smiled at her brief description of Yuki. Not much to work with, but it set his imagination wondering. He'd never seen them, but had heard tell of glaciers and the like. Best he could picture it as was a massive cliff painted white.

     "Really?" he said, looking down to make sure he wasn't going to slip on the now-wet dirt path that was becoming muddy. He'd fished plenty, but it'd been lakes and rivers out east, beneath the canopy of the forest. He wasn't sure he'd ever fished when it was raining anyway, as he took that as the best time to head home and sit in front of the fire.

     "Maybe you could take me out for some rain fishing, then? Sometime." he said, before moving onto the matter of the mission as he peered out from the umbrella, through small mountain passes to the west. "I guess that makes sense. I just don't think it's very likely."

     They came to stand on a little makeshift bridge, just covering a small dip, but further down the dip became a ravine, with a set of stairs carved out one side. Ren looked around, saw that they were - as far as he recalled from studying books - not all that far from one of the battle sites of the war, over to the east.

     There were some caves around as well, especially down in the ravine, but with the rain and the umbrella, it was hard to make anything out. For a moment, he thought he saw movement, but it was nothing. Ren turned to continue down the path.

Shodo Tsuri | 268 words

[5/10]

[Shodo Tsuri]

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Tsuri was, if it didn't make it clear, not a descriptions person that was for sure. She was better at showing and doing then describing. The verbal capacity wasn't there even though she was a proven socialite in her own right. Having met with all the current academy students and many of the genin in the village over her stint in the village. Her mission companion suggesting that the two go and fish in the rain sometime later seemed to immediately brighten her expression to a point the girl could have been shimmering in the rain itself, "Yeah! Maybe I can get us permission to go back to my Otousan's fishery back in Kawa no Kuni on a quick fishing trip! The boat fishing is awesome there, but otherwise we maybe can catch a good river fishing trip before we go back to Ame? Im not sure how you feel about doing that sorta thing on missions I'm not usually a big fa-"

Tsuri had started to rant rather readily as she was given an open invitation to converse on the topic that she loved most before she saw motion out in the distance of the storm. Reaching out a hand to Ren and pulling him close to the nearby rock face of the cliffs Tsuri would raise a finger to her lips for a second, even though it seemed more for herself then it was for Ren. Staring out like a hawk looking for prey into the slowly building wrath of the clouds.

"Two individuals, doesn't look like Ame shinobi or civilians here based on their clothing. Heading closer this way, we need to get out of sight right?" Tsuri would state as she looked up to one of the caves in the upper face of the rock. They had a minute or two before they were fully visible to their approaching two by Tsuri's judgement, which was enough to hide or run at the least. The call was Ren's to make though.

- ❤ -

[Ishikawa Ren]

     Kawa no Kuni? he thought with a smile. He'd gladly accept the opportunity to see another nation. He just hoped Sanosuke would be able to spare him for however long they might be gone for.

     He was stopped in his tracks, and thoughts, by Tsuri's hand as he was pulled back to the cliffside. A what? almost escaped his lips, but he managed to stifle it as he quietly closed the umbrella. "Two?" What is anyone doing out here? "Not civilians?" he whispered with a tsk.

     "Yeah - let's hide, loop back around to the garrison and let them know." Ren looked around, shielding his eyes from the rain as he looked up at the cave overhead that was out of reach. They could take the long way around, scrambling over the steep cliffside, but he had a faster plan.

     As quietly as he could, he formed a few handseals and a flat wall of earth slowly and silently rose up out of the earth. "Up here," he hissed between parted lips, kneeling in front of the wall with hands cupped so Tsuri could get a boost up on top of the wall, and from there grab the lip of the cave and hoist herself up.

     Ren would either follow and let the wall crumble to a pile of dirt, or if there was not enough time, liquefy it and disappear into the earth and hold his breath.

Shodo Tsuri | 237 words

7/10

[Shodo Tsuri]

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Tsuri had to admit that Ren definitely reacted fast to the situation at hand, a wonderful point in the boy's favor with Tsuri given his already incredibly cordial attitude with everyone to her knowledge. He had been assigned to her team during her leave of absense in the village to recollect herself and her blade's attitude at least a little. The train opening having been a disaster of control over her blade in her own opinion, so this was a good chance to try herself in the field for the first time in a long while.

Taking the lift, Tsuri would lift herself easily as a mental voice like the deep gravel of an ancient man rumbled to life within her brain, "My lady, lower me to our companion."

An odd sentiment that caught her off guard more then anything, but her body reacted to Hakugei's statement without heitation. Ripping him from the lanyard on her next and casting him down for Ren with incredibly speed. The hook's inner blade easily denoted as blunting out to an incredible degree as Tsuri motioned for him to take hold so she could pull him up. If all went well they would be up and out of view for the rest of the potential time that they would be stuck in this position. They had such a small window, but Tsuri was sure this would work. Hakugei had not spoken so assuringly in... a very long time.

- ❤ -

[Ishikawa Ren]

     Ren watched in curiosity as the sharp blade of the hook morphed into smooth, round metal. He grabbed it and found himself raised up, quickly and with surprising ease. Kneeling down next to Tsuri, he stilled his breathing and pressed himself up against the rock wall.

     It seemed Tsuri had better sight, or attentiveness, than he - but now he knew where they were, Ren squinted his eyes and made out two individuals clad in what could only be considered 'bandit attire.' The duo quickly scrambled up their path and made it onto the one Ren and Tsuri had been on only moments before.

     Silent as he could, Ren watched them pass underneath before he shot a glance towards Tsuri. Her 'weapon' was something immensely interesting to Ren, but like many things, he assumed it was a clan technique - something he'd never be able to do. Still, there was plenty for him to learn - more than anyone could in one lifetime.

     When they'd passed, he whispered to her. "Let's loop back to the guard station, let them know - that's what the mission called for." While he didn't doubt the two of them could take two simple bandits, perhaps they wanted to know where these men came from in the first place - a task better suited a tracker, or sensor.

Shodo Tsuri | 218 words

9/10

[Shodo Tsuri]

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The glance didn't go unnoticed, but it certainly wasn't easy to really tell what she was being stared at for. Tsuri's own interpretation was curiosity, but the body language could just as easily read three other things and she wasn't a psychic. Listening from her flattened position on the ground she waited breathlessly for their quarry to pass. They had been told not to get caught out here, and it would seem that neither of the two were sensor shinobi given their proximity and lack of announcement for the two.

"Sounds good, but Ren-Rin did you get any good identifiers for them? I could see them moving and their clothes, but their faces were pretty hard to tell before we hid," Tsuri would say as she began to slink up to standing, performing a handseal as she would disappear into a shimmer within the rain storm that was now brewing. Using Hiding in Rain to slip from her position back down below. The two had a bit of a trek left in their journey back and she would continue the entire time to hound the young man about details.

Not just on the mission though, Tsuri also asked Ren about a plethora of plans to go fishing. Arashi was an amazing fishing ground, but she stood firm that Kawa was better still. Even if she hadn't been home fully in six years. She still remembered the fish practically leaping into the net.

- ❤ -