Starring:
Iminari, Mogura
Date: November 17, 2012
Summary:
Mogura headed to Kumo with the hopes of aiding a family she agreed to help. While there, she met Iminari and together, they took off on the assumption that the waterfall networks around the Land of Lightning might hold the bandits Mogura was looking for. Their search turns out to be a rescue mission as a small group of children were being held hostage by a bandit with great skill. In all, the treasure they were looking for was found, but the greater treasure was being a ram in the bush to save lives.
"A Ram in the Bush"
Land of Lightning
The Land of Lightning was one of the more mild climates that Mogura has been to. It wasn't all misty, unless the clouds were counted that surrounded the village, and the weather was cool, albeit warm in some ways. It was nice. Rocky, but nice. Just like her time spent in the Land of Water, she dedicated her time to trying to find a map. What better way to do that than to arrive in the village and ask around?
Well, it wasn't all that easy. Besides, her motive for coming here was more than just a map. She was tasked with searching for an item that's been travelling around at a breakneck pace, according to villagers that were standing still, and bring it back to them. It's destination was Kumogakure for some odd reason. So, now she's in the village center hoping to find out more information.
Iminari was goofing off, as per usual. At least that's what it generally seemed like though she was reading books that were helpful in her ninja career she was generally just doing it for enjoyment. So no doubt she gets a few odd looks from some passing Chuunin when they see that once again, Iminari is sitting around… reading. The only actual movements coming from her would be to flip a page or push up her glasses, other than that she was impressively still on the public bench.
What an interesting individual…"Hi there!" Mogura chimed to Iminari. Despite looking like many of the citizens here in Kumo, she stood out with the colors she wore. Sitting down on the bench and making herself comfortable, she continued with, "So, you're reading a book, which must mean that you also read maps. That means that you also know where to get maps. Am I right or am I right?" She questioned her. "Don't tell me I'm not right. Just…let me down easily. I don't take those kinds of things well," she paused. "Nah, you can tell me the truth. I am completely composed." She nodded. "So, what's the answer, eh?"
As much as she is a bookworm, Iminari didn't really mind being interrupted at all. Her eyes shift to the new person greeting her, peeking over the rim of her glasses. "Oh, hello." Iminari blinks a few times, a bit thrown off by Mogura's appearance but, no comment is made at least, no negative ones. Smiling Iminari compliments her new benchmate. "I like your hair and hmm, while the method of deciding if I knew where to get maps is a bit odd."
Iminari shuts her book and pops open her satchel, placing the book inside as she continues on, "I actually happen to work in the library. We have maps you can borrow, which I'm sure should be enough. That or maybe, I can help you without spending a lot of time scanning over a map?" Iminari gets up on her feet. "Oh! Kyokusei Iminari, at your service by the way!"
Mogura grinned and it flashed more in her eyes considering her mouth was hidden. "Do you now? Why, thank you. I appreciate that compliment. Admittedly, you stood out to me from afar and now that I'm closer, I'd say you are quite the lady yourself." She cleared her throat, "But maps. Yes. I did use an unusual method, but the fact remains that you know where maps are. My method was rather simple, though. Since you were one of the few people who ever bothered with reading, I figured you might know a thing or two. You working at the library makes this all better. I'm not sure I can borrow a map, but I could probably stand to study one. I'd like to tread carefully as I don't think my foreign presence is keen with many people here," she stood up from the bench after finishing her statement.
"But help may work just as well. The last time I got help, it was miserable. I can only hope you know your way around the land you live, yeah? So, Kyokusei Iminari, I am Mogura," she bowed.
Giggling Iminari manages to squeeze out a, "Thanks." Iminari then pauses for a moment, thinking over what Mogura said. Very few people did read often around here and if it ever something, it was a reading a scroll to learn a technique. "Well! I guess that's right, I used to study maps when I was a kid to try and pick out new places to relax and read in but, just when you find something many others start popping up. So I started expanding and then eventually reading maps just became fun! But… at this point I learned to just be able to read among commotion." The two just happened to be standing outside the Administration Dome where the library was located in so she starts to lead.
"So, yes I know my way around here and I can also handle a map fairly well, Mogura." The name stressed to make sure she said it right, "I'd like to think. Though… I'm not much of a ninja, I think I need to adjust my priorities…" In they went and through the hallways byways, whicheverway, they went on through the library and they'd eventually settle on a nice location where maps were located.
"Any specific portion of the Land of Lightning or… did you just want to know your way around the Kumogakure?"
Mogura smiled. "Magic. That is just what happened right now. I made a guess and then poof! Information," though there was a little more to it than that, but it did feel magical. "I may have to engage in mappery…is that even a word? Well, it is today. So, I'll have to engage in it to learn a thing or two about the lay of the land. I've been trying to familiarize myself as I travel around. I'm familiar with major routes and some path deviations, but I'd like to know things better in order to improve myself. Makes sense, right?" She nodded. Right.
She took note of her name being stressed and gave Iminari a thumbs up to indicate she had it right. As they made their way into administration, she took a look around the place only to bring her attention back to her guide and ultimately the library. " So we're here~. Uhh…" She started and rubbed her neck. "Specific portion, not entirely. Well, actually I've heard word of the networks that are covered by waterfalls that dot the landscape. I may have to look into those. Might be somethin' to dig up out of there. Other than that…I'm on a mission of sorts, actually. I was tasked with finding an object that belonged to a family. Its course so far has been running around the lands until ending up in Kumogakure. I'm guessing it's a blackmarket type deal. It's some sort of decorative fan, the material of which has been laid over with gold. It's a thin layer, so it'd still be operational. The wood is engraved with pearl, I believe. Very nice."
Iminari would just smile politely through Mogura's oddities, nodding a few times. "Makes perfect sense!" She waits to find what Mogura is aiming for map wise and then, nods, "Okay well we did recently just have some explorer type person do just that. Made an updated version of the hidden waterfall systems." Man that Mogura was lucky, first person she picks knows about maps and she just happened to come after someone revised the map work.
Iminari claps her hands together and rubs them, "Okeeeeey." Her eyes scan the multiple maps and she pulls out one rolled up map, placing it on the table and unravelling it. A few things are grabbed as paper weights, a book, a pencil holder, and… you know, stuff! "Aaaand…" Iminari drifts off to the side, pulling out a large plastic sheet with markings all over it. "There we go." Placing one over the next, the initial map of the Land of Lightning turns into said map with the waterfall networks in place.
"I just dunno where to go from here." Iminari looks over it all, Mogura's got a large search ahead of her unless she had more clues on where to look than she let on.
"Magnificent! My glass is half full today, it seems," Mogura nodded as she stepped close to the table, relaxing her weight against its edges. The map is soon laid out and over it, a detail sheet. "So, this is the network…they're pretty big as I'd expect," she nods. "There could be more down there than I'd like to run into and something tells me fire isn't gonna cut it in that area. Hmmm… I'd need another kind of light source…" She folded her arms and observed the map more closely. From a small pouch, she whips out a notepad of sorts and begins to record what she sees on paper. Once she's finished drawing out the network, which took up a few sheets due to its size, she placed her brush back and notepad along with it. "I think this will do nicely, thank you." She nodded. "As for that fan I mentioned earlier, have you heard anything about it or other items that may help in leading in its direction?" She wondered.
"I'm hoping to get my hands on this fan before it turns up missing. It was stolen from a family back in the Land of Fire when some thieves came outta Fuuma and sold it."
Iminari nods in agreement to the size of the networks, "That seems like quite an adventure to just be stumbling around blindly. There's an item shop a few roads up from here, they might have something you can use for a light source, other than that…" Iminari gives a light shrug, though happy she could help at least this much. Now that it looked like Mogura was all set and done, Imi starts to put the mapwork away.
"Sadly, this is the first time I've ever heard of such a thing. I've been… too caught up reading and going to class, heh. Umm, actually I'm a bit interested in all of this now." Iminari looks a bit sheepish, "Reminds me of those tales Roshumaru Maru wrote. I always wanted to go on an adventure, that seemed to be one of the biggest perks of becoming a ninja. I could tag along, since you see I don't believe many people will be in those networks and…"
Iminari taps her ear, whatever that means. "I've just fully gained control of my sensing abilities. So I could probably help in finding him, if you're willing to hire me. Um…" Imi tilts her head, "You know! You don't even have to pay me or anything, this would just be fun enough." Then, large, hopeful eyes are placed upon Mogura… hopefully she's the type to be swayed by the puppy dog look.
Mogura rubbed her chin lightly. No information. She supposes that's normal enough. In cases where there is no information, she has to make some up of her own, she guesses. There's a possibility the fan she's seeking is in Kumogakure, but working under a ninja village has to have its drawbacks. Any suspicious activity that can be pointed out may not be in their best interest.
"Oy….well, I suppose…" Her voice trailed off as she nearly missed what Iminari was saying in all her thinking. When she looked toward her and the puppy dog look she had, she tilted her head and tried to piece what words she could remember into a workable structure. "…Oh! You want to come with, yeah? Well, we can go. I think you'll be a nice asset to have along. Finding that fan is important. Any missions I take up, I intend to complete. I have the network copied down, so we should be alright…map wise, that is. I've no clue what it looks like inside, but that's part of the fun."
The I suppose was good enough for Iminari, well that was until it was reconfirmed by Mogura. The kunoichi quickly nods a few times. "I could use some field training, get a feel for more than a few familiar chakra systems." She pats her satchel a few times, "Hmm, just about everything there." A few more feels around and she gives a satisfied nod, "I'll just have to pick up a few supplies which, shouldn't be a problem if you were planning on going to the item shop."
Iminari then looks over to Mogura, "Hey, I know this item is really important and all but, do you know who stole it?" Iminari reaches into the satchel and pulls out a notebook, a pen taken out of the spiral binding. "Just to know what we're up against, if anything dangerous. I should probably bring a few extra medical supplies though those are… costly."
And Iminari didn't entirely enjoy scavanging for them herself since they came from all over the land!
"Field training. Yeah, I can see that. If I'm the one to do it, then this time I am at your service. I'm hoping it won't be too much. I'm not entirely sure of your level of skill, but we can work that out along the way," Mogura offered to Iminari. She'd begin to turn away and head out of the room they were situated in as she continued the conversation, "I'm missing more information than I'd like. I don't know who exactly stole it, but I know some goons were involved. If I had to take a chance at a guess, their interest eventually led them to someone or people who would pay some good money on the object." She sighed.
"Considering it's Fuuma, it might be more along the lines of hired hands. If the object is worth enough money, then it might even be a shinobi. I'd suggest getting some medical supplies. We might need 'em," she explained. "I have some money on me to help fund this trip. Since you're helping me, I should be providing any funds necessary for your aid."
"Hmm, troubling all the while exciting. Though, Fuuma you say? I've heard nothing but, terrible things from that place." Iminari pouts slightly, though Fuuma was a tough place their strength ninja wise was not something that was entirely boasted so they most likely didn't have much to spare for this job, they'd probably be pricey too. "Mmmm…yeeeeah." A bit of verbal thinking before shifting on her heels, "Alright. Noted medical supplies just in case and, oh. You'll help pay? Excellent!" Iminari, wonders if she should grab someone else… nah, they're probably busy doing important stuff. "To supplies!" Iminari calls out in her best "adventure voice".
PS: It wasn't a very good one.
"Information. I like that. You know things. It means I have to explain less about stuff that's common knowledge to me," she chuckled. "But it's only fair that I pay dues to you for your assistance. So yes, I'll help pay. Off to supplies we go!" Mogura's voice was more seasoned to adventuring, indicated by her call. She could admire the enthusiasm of Iminari which may make this mission easier to handle than she first thought.
And so they were at the item shop now, how exciting. The thing was, what was Iminari to get?! It was obvious Mogura wanted some source of light but Iminari needed a few random things, due to her lack of helpful ninja techniques! Iminari strolls about, climbing gear just might be handy, you never know what other crazy pathways may actually be in the pathways or… what they might accidentally cause to happen. A hat… that sort of looked like Joni Indi's from the Adventures of Joni Indi, obviously a requirement even though it didn't go with her clothes at all. She had money to spare, she could buy that one herself!
She could use an extra canteen. Iminari continues to move on through almost everything seemed useful but, she'd do her best to control herself. "Ah… I think that's about it for me. Did you find what you needed Mogura-san?"
Mogura decided to poke around the shop herself, taking after Iminari's lead. Some survival gear would work well in this environment. A lamp was first on her list and she'd definitely need one that could stand the trial of moisture in these caves. She'd go about first picking up a bag and proceed to stuff it full of things like climing gear, hooks, ropes, a small hammer (that also doubled as an axe), among other things. Once she thought she was all secure, she finally went to the counter and set her stuff down to be processed. "Yep…" She reached into a pouch and pulled out a small purse of which she proceeded to unfurl a nice size roll of ryo to pay for their stuff. "I did. I even got a lamp…two. You have everything you need?"
"I think so…" Iminari squints at her collection, "Not very often I go adventuring through waterfall caverns. Not… ever." Iminari's squint ends and shifts to a smile and a nod. "I suppose I'll just slip into the medical center real quick like and then we're on our way." Iminari turns and heads out. "Wish there was something we had easy access to to give a heads up to people, just order what we want on the spot so it would be sort of ready. Maybe something that could fit in your pocket, ran off chakra and sent out voice waves or something. Hmm that might be confusing to handle once a bunch of people get it. Probably tune those devices into some sort of specific chakra signal or something. Set your own to whatever signal you wanted to connect to…" She'd think more on this, confusing herself on the idea a few times. There had to be some way to work it out! "Oh." They were at the hospital doors, "I'll be riiiiight back." And so Iminari steps on in.
Mogura nodded and swung her back around to wear on her back. Once it was fitted properly, she'd pay off the amount due and head out soon after along with Iminari. She placed the ryo away and secured it so that it wouldn't be stolen. She knows it was a great deal of money and eyes were probably looking…perhaps that was a good thing.
She found herself thinking on Iminari's propsal of some sort of thing to use to place orders with that can go in the hand…she didn't know what that thing could be or how to imagine it, but she nodded along as if she understood what was being talked about. Maybe, just maybe she won't be questioned… Upon arrival at the hospital, she decided to stand outside and wait for her to gather whatever materials she needed from inside. Something about hospitals made her wary. She didn't like being inside them.
She'd stretch and loosen up her muscles while outside waiting for Iminari to come back. Once she did, she decided it was time the high tail it out of Kumogakure and to the waterfalls that dotted the mountain to find the closest entry. They had to be careful, of course. Footing here was few and far between. "I didn't mean to rush you. I just figure I don't have much time to lose if I am to discover the band of idiots that decided to steal that fan. This is a good place they picked and I imagine we may have more trouble from the landscape than the actual people themselves."
"Okay!" Imi comes out successful! Even scored some soldier pills, not the sort that makes you get all crazy strong. The low grade stuff that keeps you from at least not passing out from exhaustion. Then they were off, maybe not high tailing it out as fast as Mogura would like, due to Iminari's own person speed limits but they'd eventually make it. "Oh no, don't apologize. I wouldn't of really done much more with extra time other than procrastinate. Heh." She scopes out the location, trying to find good spots to move about and good locations if she needed to stop for any reason before actually moving on ahead.
"If they did not already have a clear path designed they probably disrupted any easily usuable paths themselves to make things more troublesome for whoever followed them. Shame, with all the advances in Ninjutsu just taking wing isn't something we've easily come across." Iminari smirks and steps back a bit, silently implying that Mogura goes first, with such a pleasant smile that said anything but 'If you get hurt I will know not to go that way!'.
That instincts for you, Iminari was completely unaware of how underhanded she was being at the moment.
Mogura might have to consider that 'taking wing' part seriously at some point, but that is a thought for another time. The waters of this waterfall weren't as strong as the ones that fell into the gorge that connected Kumogakure to the Land of Lightning, but it was powerful enough. The rocks around here are slippery and well weathered which meant they weren't prime for trying to walk on using tree walking. Unfortunately, it is a skill that does have its limits. "Hehe. Procrastination. I understand. I'm not exactly fond of being in this area, but you make a good point. All good paths are probably blocked or well hidden. This was the safest bet I could make. I can probably get a hook snagged in there since the inside of the cave appears to have a nice number of jagged rocks to cling to…" She remarked and looked back toward her and returning her smile with a thumbs up. Did she know it meant that her pain would be a safety cue to her? Probably not, but adventure!
So, she sidled along a small path of rocks that was dry and without wear, managing to get enough of a grip to walk herself across as if performing a balancing act against a wall. It was wide enough for her to make out some details, but not enough for her to see the fullness of the entrance. Once she did get close enough, she saw that there was a nice grouping of rocks that should be able to hold them both, so she reached into her bag slowly and carefully enough not to lose her balance and pulled out a grappling hook which she proceeded to cast inside the mouth and toward the rocks. Once it latched on, she gave it a few good, firm tugs to ensure it was good to go. "Alright! Now we're talkin'." With the rest of the rope she had left to spare, she cast some toward Iminari so she could grab on and sidle her way across and eventually inside the cave mouth.
Iminari would just watch, completely unaware of how intently she watched on, eyes wide as Mogura made her moves and her body had actually literally frozen in place. One hand awkwardly hanging in the air, in stasis between hanging at her side and scratching the tip of her nose until Mogura finally tossed the rope back. "Amazing!" She claps a few quick claps and takes hold of the rope, securing it and then beginning to move her way across, slowly but, surely. She was holding on for dear life, to the point that her hands were actually starting to hurt and even more so after… "Whoop!" Her foot slips and she tilts slightly, managing to pull herself back upright. Yes, it was a very good thing Mogura went first. Obviously terrified, a once again wide eyed Iminari cautiously continues on until inside the cave where she breathes a heavy sigh of relief.
Mogura made sure that she was still around for iminari's crossing as she imagined this adventuring thing wasn't exactly her forte, but that was fine with her. At least she could gain a bit of experience this way. "You alright? You look pretty pale," she cackled while collecting the grapple and placing it back in her bag. "Well, we're in the cave and I have the drawing. If I'm correct…" Her voice trailed off as she pulled out her notepad of which she drew the map earlier.
"We're actually…on the second level of these caves. Huh…" She looked at the mouth. Looks like it goes deeper." She placed the notepad away and carried on. "Oh, might want to watch your footing more in here, I think this place is—" before she could finish her sentence, she'd take a slip and find herself sliding down a path as her shout carried off into the darkness. For a few moments, all would appear to be lost before what appeared to be cries of enjoyment come ringing up to the cave mouth once more. "Follow me!!!" She called out above. She couldn't see, but the path seemed to be guiding her well enough. Only problem was…what's at the end of this slide?
"Eh? Really…" Iminari looks about, there was pure darkness ahead, "Hmm might need to take out the l- EEEE!" Iminari would flail at the air in front of her as Mogura just disappears. "Ah…" She froze completely this was not a situation she knew how to deal with did her adventure companion die minutes into their adventure?! Then Mogura calls out, once again another sigh of relief. Iminari could only assume Mogura knew that path was there as the excited cries come out. "Gotcha!" Her voice sounded eager but, first step forward she hesitates, feeling around with her foot.
Sliiiiide. Feel Feel Feel. Sliiiide. Feel feel. Sli- Edge ._.
Iminari would not go down in such an expert fashion, actually falling forward into the cliff slide there be a bit of bumping around until she manages to fix unintentionally and thankfully on her backside. "Owowowowowowow." A few small cuts, probably some bruises but, something she could get over. On the verge of tears, she quickly shifts her personality from being babyish to being up on her feet. "Do not mind. I am fine, I can take care of the scrapes later." She smiles to move on ahead.
"So what'd you find…" This would be the first time Iminari actually opens her eyes.
Well, at the end of the slide was thankfully a large cavernous area with pools of water and the soft flush of water filtering through the area. So, they were safe! If there'd been a cliff, chances were highly likely that they wouldn't be coming out alive…unless she revealed who she actually was which would be highly problematic.
"Are you alright, by the way?" She wondered. "Any wounds we should be concerned about?" She questioned, but quickly earned a reply back when Iminari indicated she was fine. "Alrighty! Well…" She turned away and pulled her mask down to taste the air. It'd be pretty disturbing if she saw what would be a serpent's tongue popping out of her mouth, after all. Once that was done, she pulled the mask back up saying, "I've just got a good survey of this area. It's…filled with minerals. Naturally. This is natural water we're talkin' about, but there's more. People have been around here…"
"To think…" Iminari blinks a bit, this Mogura was so odd so aloof yet seemed to be set on what she was doing, she also already figured what they were dealing with this area without even moving a muscle. She probably knew this slide down was completely safe. Imi peers at her for a moment and shakes her head. "Wait people?" Imi was so caught up in Mogura's odd impressiveness, the scratch covered girl would show belated shock.
"Right!" Her hands come together in a seal and she takes in a deep breath. "Was it a long time ago?" She'd wait for a response before deciding how much effort to actually put into the increasing her sensory scan.
"That…I can't tell." She looked back toward Iminari. "I don't think I ever asked about your skill level. Just kinda assumed. What do you specialize in anyway?" She wondered. "If you can manage to do better than what I was able to gather, then be me guest!" She waved her hand around to the area. "If I had to wager a guess, it is…at least an…hour, maybe hour and a half."
"Oh!" Iminari notices this herself, she never really did explain what she could do or at least to what level. "Right, I am a C-rank sensor ninja. I have the ability to hear chakra. If that um, makes sense." Imi rubs the back of her neck, "Apparently I have some sort of mental disorder that allows me to do this, not some kekkei genkai. Mmm synesthesia?" She comments idly, "Apparently it's a one in a trillion shot to be a sensor and have synesthesia that directly interacts with it.. it doesn't make me any of a better sensor just makes things. New, I suppose." Iminari returns to focusing. "Though since I am only C-rank, my range is very low… it looks like I can't pick up on anything and ah, I'm no good at tracking so." She sort of fidgets feeling a bit useless at this point. "So no, guess you're leading still!"
"Oy! Perfect!" Mogura chimed. "Sensory. I like that. You can…hear chakra, though? That's…that's very unusual, but I like it! So, what does it sound like, eh?" She had absolutely no clue what synesthesia was, but she wasn't going to question it. Whatever it was, it made her the perfect choice for this mission, it appears. "That's…pretty rare odds, there. Must have some benefits, but eh, who am I to say?" She shrugged. "I'll tell ya what. You use your trackin' skills and build 'em up here so that they'll get a little stronger. You may not pick up much here, but as you progress, stuff might stand out to ya a bit more. How's that?" She wondered as she waded into the shallows to cross the pool to an entry way across from them.
The entryway should lead to something good. This part of the cave system, luckily, wasn't very grand, so it was filled with dead ends.
Imi smiles in return to Mogura's enthusiam, the stinging from the wounds starting to fade already. "Ah thank you. Uh, it doesn't really sound like much of anything. Just some sort of, scratchy noise. That gets louder the more chakra someone has." Iminari tilts her head. "Mmm, yeah I think that's the best way to describe it." She then shrugs to Mogura, "If there are benefits I haven't seen them yet or maybe I would've been worse off without this disorder! Maybe I'm just subpar and this is putting me on par with every other sensor." Iminari giggles and takes a step forward. "But you're right. I don't practice this enough."
Imi steps forward, forming a hand seal and focusing as they move on, making sure to not eat up too much chakra in case danger did come. "Um, Mogura-san. What is it that you do? Um, technique wise."
"Technique wise? I'm an earth digger. Earth is what I use. Picking up the earth, putting down the earth, digging, etc. That's my thing," Mogura offered as she continued to wade through the pool. "I dunno about how subpar you are, if that's the truth. Don't think it is. Just need a little trainin'. Does a ninja good." Once across the water and toward the entry way, the scent of the people in here was growing stronger. Means that they weren't much further now until they ran into the bandits.
Tracking their way through the tunnel, she'd look back every so often to see if Iminari was picking up on anything. She imagines she was if Mogura herself was able to sniff 'em out. "What do you hope to do someday? Are you lookin' to be a shinobi or somethin' else?"
ooc Oh, bah. I can add a little more to that.
Down the way, there were some bandits situated in the area. Unable to start a fire in here, they were cold and didn't have much to cover themselves except their average garments. It's been rough with them stuck in these quarters without any way to support themselves. Sure, there were rations, but they didn't do much to keep the body warm. They were rather weak and probably wouldn't hold up for very long.
"Paah." ._. Iminari's head tilts to the side, she had this impressive image of Mogura in her head though how she explains her 'profession' it all came off a little lame. Noticing her terrible reaction she quickly covers up with, "This water really feels weird." She comments her ninja shoes squealching a bit with each step. "Mmm, thank you for that." She comments, on the whole needing training.
"I just hoped to be a librarian, that's all I really wanted but… I was sent to the Academy at the higher up's request last year. So I suppose that is what I intend to do. Continue to be a ninja and hopefully be a great one. So I don't disappoint…" She drifts off from her story as she begins to hear a faint buzz outside of Mogura's. She goes silent and points ahead and then goes into a bit of a sneaking stance.
"Something's up ahead." She whispers she then gestures for Moguru to follow along as they creep up on the bandits.
"Welcome!" Mogura offered with a lazy salute of her hand. "So, you got that kind of treatment, eh? Got sent away at the command of the uppity peoples and became a ninja to serve the village. I can imagine how that must feel, but worry not! There's always somethin' good to find in these situations. You stick to what you know how to do best. Do what ya love and apply it to your shinobi abilities. That way, you'll do more than avoid disappointment, you'll excel," she offered as words of encouragement.
While she couldn't hear the buzzing, she could smell the guys and with Iminari pointing ahead to indicate how close they were, she nodded and continued talking. "Sensors are always great companions to have for missions. You won't believe how many nuts around these lands just shoot out chakra like beacons," she cackled. "Just shootin' jutsu everywhere, whoosh and pow! Flingin' 'em all over the place and choppin' off arms in the process. In /spars/ haha!" She found that terribly amusing. "Yep. It gets better. You'd be able to tell where they all are miles away. Set up a counter-strike and put 'em down in one fell swoop. Just brilliant." When they come upon the bandits, they had already heard Mogura and her talking so they knew someone was coming. They'd prepared themselves to fight, but with how cold they were, it'd be difficult.
Judging by the way they looked, they were… "Kids?" She inquired. Before long, one of them ran up with the intent of stabbing with a kunai. There were three in total, one already charging and the other two staying back as if to try and figure out what they wanted to do. Around them were the items that were stolen. It appears they were tasked to watch over them, but why would they be left to guard these precious items? Doesn't seem right…
"Ahah, maybe. Although yes… I have been applying my natural knowledge and hobbies to the ninja world. Apparently a lot of useless information I had stowed away has some sort of purpose now." Though hunting time came soon after, Mogura's crazy excitement about wild spars going a bit ignored simply because Iminari was a bit bothered by how excited Mogura did actually become, just smile politely making gestures for Mogura to stop talking but, never actually gathering up the ability to say anything about it. This led to Iminari being a bit worried when they got closer and then…
In unison with Mogura she questions, "Kids?" Imi pauses and doesn't do anything about the approaching kid, just slightly preparing herself to get out of the way. "Hey hold on! We're not here to hurt you or anything we're just looking for-" Her eyes dart over to the stolen items. There's no way.
Could Mogura really had have this much difficulty catching up to a bunch of hungry looking kids? "Wait!" She calls out, hoping the boy would stop.
The kid doesn't stop and when he runs up to the duo, he starts to swing wildly at the both of them with the intent to harm. Before long, the other two join in, with mixed expressions of fear and determination upon their faces. "Talking isn't going to—" She grunts as she receives a cut by the wild swing, unable to dodge effectively enough as the boy continued. "Work!"
Two more, another boy and one girl tried their best to assault the shinobi as best as they could, despite their condition. It was either them or the kids. Someone had to get out of here alive. The girl appeared to show some proficiency in water jutsu, perhaps a benefit as this place was filled with moisture, and began to create whips of water to try and snap at and or trip up the two adventurers to keep them down and hope they could be killed.
"If you don't calm down…" Iminari stops as Mogura gets a cut, Iminari herself backing away a bit as she had nothing in her mind to bring herself to attack kids. "Mogura-san please just -oop." Today was just, not the day for Iminari to finish sentences as she trips over a protruding bit of rock while backing up, falling hard only to get smacked across the face by a whip, knocking her glasses off of her face.
"Stop!" She yells out bringing her hands together and causing a gust of wind to kick up and knock the kids back a bit. Though this was generally a defensive jutsu it wouldn't do much. Another gust of wind kicks up aroudn the kunai wielding boy, whipping the kunai wielding hand around a bit to disarm him.
"There's no point in this. I am a kunoichi of Kumogakure, if need be you can be easily taken down. Keeping this up will just get you hurt." Says the girl on the ground who is now also missing her glasses but she looked very confident despite her position.
Perhaps the kids didn't expect a retaliation of that level. It appears that one of them knows how to use jutsu and that meant their chances were less likely of killing them. They stood down and instead began to embrace the fact that they just might die. There was a ray of hope, despite the threat they received. If they were like the guy that brought them here to suffer, then they'd have already finished the job by now.
The leader of the attack opened his mouth, at first only stuttering and various sounds leaving his lips before he said, "W-we don't wanna die," he offered. "We're just scared and cold… We don't wanna be here, but we were brought here…" He replied while the girl continued from where he left off, "We tried to steal something thinking we might be able to use it to buy something, but…we got caught and the guy punished us by bringing us here. We don't know how long we've been here, but we just want to go home…" She began to sniffle.
Mogura shook her head gently at the situation. She then focused on Iminari just to check and see if she was alright. She looked to be aside from her glasses being cast off her face. She went to retrieve them and hand them back to her before speaking. "We can help you. Just don't attack us again." They didn't need to worry about that because the next attack would come from neither group, but instead a mercenary of sorts who dropped down from the darkness and stabbed the lead attacker in the shoulder as he dropped down on him. "Couldn't be trusted to hold your filthy tongue." The boy was okay, but his wound was deep. The individual looked ragged, wearing an odd cloak that was stained with blood, both old and fresh, more so around the sleeves. From within the sleeves protruded two blades with jagged edges. Looks like he was ready to take out some lives, but his intentions were not against the women who found him, but against the children who he tortured.
His next attack was aimed at the young girl whose eyes widened in fear as she froze in place. He forced a powerful thrust her way.
"It's okay." Iminari fires off a large smile, "I understand, we're not mad at you at all." Well maybe Mogura was after getting cut but, they don't need to know that. She accepts the glasses with a slight bow of thanks. She adjusts them and puts them on, squinting through the bit of dust and water on them now. It was enough of a distraction, her sensing abilities not focused enough at the moment to pick up on what happened next until it was too late.
Reaching her hand out she yells, "Look out!" Pretty much after the fact of the boy getting stabbed in the shoulder. "How could he…" Imi stared on, wide eyed she knew the ninja world was cruel but cruel on one another against good and evil fighters. This would be her first experience with general cruelty against someone helpless. "You." Iminari moves towards the girl a quick few handseals, "Lightning Release - Crackle Step!" Ah yes, she definitely read too many books, calling out her technique like that. c.c
Though she manages to unload a few bright balls of lightning in front of the bandit, probably also disorienting the girl but, it's better than her getting stabbed as Iminari manages to push her out of the way, getting cut across her back instead as she doesn't manage to completely get both of them out of the way in time.
The mercenary is disoriented enough for his attack to be ineffective and what was possibly going to be the death of the girl ended up being a wound on Iminari's back. He was a bit frustrated by what she did. "Fast on your feet, but I'll just stab through the both of you!" Mogura cut to action then and made a few handseals before stomping the ground and sending up a stump of stone to jut out and strike him in the chest and away from the girl and Iminari. "I think you forgot about me…" It appears he didn't as the one on the ground soon disappeared. A clone. When he reappeared, he was targeting the second boy of the group, but she was ready to take him out. With some quick action, she closed the distance with body flicker and delivered a crushing palm strike to the swordsman to knock him down. She'd follow it up with the same technique she used earlier with the intention of breaking his back, but he'd roll out of the way before she could finish and jump into the air.
He'd be up there for sometime, waiting for the proper chance to strike. In the meantime, Mogura went to check on the young boy. "Are you alright Iminari? I think your medical supplies might come in handy at this time."
"Nnngh." The merc may of found that easier to cut through than most ninja, Iminari was still rather delicate. Thankfully Mogura stepped in because, that was pretty much the extent of Imi's helpfulness. Here she was thinking bandits were going to be a simple task for her to complete. "I am… sorry Mogura, eheh." She comments as the man disappears up above, it seemed he was more than a common bandit. "Mmm yes I'm fine. He's definitely what I'm worried about." She comments about the boy with the deep stab wound as she lets go of the girl, apparently no longer needed for a shield. "Stay close so we can protect you if he comes back." Imi opens up the satchel and pulls out a medical kit. "This is a special herb mixture infused with a bit of chakra. I'm not sure how they do it but, a bit of this is equivalent to a D-rank healing technique."
She'd hand the kit to the girl to hold while Iminari goes to work. "This may hurt a bit, no one likes a wound being touched but, this fights off infection and gets it to heal up a bit while we wait to see a real medic." She seems to know what she's doing with these basic medical supplies, soon after starting to wrap up the wound to protect it from anything else getting in. "Try not to move that area, hmm?" A glance is given to the stolen good and then back to Mogura.
"So, what do we do about that bandit. I don't think he's just going to let us walk out with his stuff.. er everyone elses stuff."
Mogura felt terrible about the outcome of this mission. She walked right in on it, with a Kumo shinobi, no less. Not that it was a bad thing, but there might be questions about how she was hurt and why it just so happened to be around her. Aside from that, things were made three times as hard with children around. One wounded and two others walking targets. "I'm the one that should be apologizing. I allowed by guard to be let down and we suffered for it. That won't happen for much longer…" She spoke with some bitterness in her tone.
While Iminari handled the kids, Mogura took it upon herself to defend the group. Good fortune shines on them, as the attacker turns fairly predictable. Attack the medic. Never fails. "Didn't think I'd have to use this so soon…" She muttered to herself as she withdrew the item wrapped up on her back. It was a sword, distinct in shape as it had the appearance of a tuning fork. Its edges were extremely sharp, though, made sharper by the fact the blade could operate with sound.
As he dropped down, she rushed forward and blockd with her blade, pushing chakra into it so that the blade vibrated as she did so. Once his blades met hers, the vibrations ran through his body and shook him to his core. "About the bandit…" She remarked. "I think we'll be able to cover it now."
Iminari does not really accept the apology, not out of spite she felt like it wasn't Mogura's fault that Imi was such a sloppy ninja! Though she does nod when Mogura states it wont happen anymore. It would be at this point that young boy who wasn't injured or holding something came up and dug out a chunk of the healing balm to Iminari's dismay… this was the expensive stuff. ._.
He then smears it onto Imi's back, causing her to cringe but she keeps a good look on, pretending to be okay for the sake of keeping the kids calm. "Th-thank you…. sooo much…" The words said through gritted teeth, just until her senses pick up on an approach and seriousness kicks in, Imi ready to protect the kids and she was sure Mogura was going to do everything in her power to protect everyone too. Except… she pulls out a really long tuning fork. This woman. ._.;;;
Imi did not account for the sharpness of it, she was too caught up with the fact that it was a giant tuning fork until the clash occurs and the bandit just seems to. Stop? She has an idea as to what happened but, wasn't aware vibrations could be that deadly. "You never cease to amaze Mogura-chan!" Imi looks proud of her companion as it seems like things were taken care of.
"Now kids can you help us bring these things out and back, then we'll get you back to your villages and parents, I'm sure they miss you. Hmm?" Right after those words left her mouth she thought of the possibility of no parents, from their story before she freezes eyeing how the kids react to this.
"I like to keep the surprises comin'! I suppose I have more to explain after this, but for now, I like your idea! Get the items and the kids out of here, got it." She decided that she was going to disarm the guy by making the sword vibrate enough to the point that it cut through his own. With all their usage and lack of repair, the blade was able to slice right through his and send the edges falling to the ground.
The swordsman would then fall to the ground, unaware of what just happened, but now he was vulnerable. He cursed to himself aloud. Meanwhile, the kids would nod and try to gather up what they could of the items around here. It wasn't much since it was just one guy taking all these things, so they stuffed their arms as full as they could and tried to get out of here. "We haven't seen them since we were taken away," the second boy piped up as he moved along. "We all want to see our parents when we get home," the girl of the trio smiled, finding it safe to do so now that it looked like they'd finally be free.
The bandit didn't agree with this happy ending, so he revealed that he had some explosive tags on him all of which he'd lit. He intended to bring this place down around their heads. "Who keeps that many?!" Mogura didn't even bother to figure it out. They needed to get away before he exploded and this corridor collapsed. "Everyone move out!" The kids hustled in their steps, ignoring the pain of the cold and wounds sustained to get away from the potential blast radius.
Iminari gives a heavy sigh of relief as they do mentio nparents. "Okay all the more reason to hurry up, and get out of here so you get to see them again!" Which puts a little pep in their step as is though when explosive tags come into play it leaves Imi to toss out the question, "What is wrong with you?!" Who does that, honestly? Of course, with a guy strapped with explosives and about to go boom, she doesn't expect him to answer her question or Mogura's so no need to sit back and wait for a list of people who would do that.
"Running time!" She exclaims with one finger pointed into the air as she starts to sprint out of the area. "If you have any surprises that stops explosions, feel free to put that out now. I won't be disappointed when you run out of surprise. Honest!"
Mogura smirked. Guess more surprises wouldn't hurt up to this point, but then again, they might hurt her in the future. She decides to take a chance and says, "I have one more surprise up my sleeve," she remarks as she performs some handseals and inhales deeply. Pulling her mask down, she turns around and proceeds to blow out such a great amount of air that the blast was sure to return back to its source. There was no real way for them to escape it all that quickly, so she had to keep it at bay.
The wind attack itself maintained enough force to tear up some pieces of the corridor and, along with the blast, cause the dead end to cave and keep the it contained. The corridor would still be shaken up and continue to fall, but the group was able to escape. It came at the cost of some bruises, nicks and cuts from falling debris, but ultimately, they'd all be okay. With the grapple still in her bag, Mogura took it out and hooked it in place at the entrance to escape the cavern and head back to Kumo.
She isn't sure if the fan she was looking for was among the treasures, but she'd just have to find out later. The wellbeing of everyone else was more important at this time.
