Starring:
Fudo, Rin, Yoichi, Hibiki, Soren
Date: July 21, 2013
Summary:
Soren, while overseeing some preparations, for the Kitsune temple restoration, has a couple friends from Konoha come visit him! OK, one friend, and a tag along. Unfortunately, the Kiri inquisition comes to check things out at the same time. Bad timing, huh?
Poster's note: foul language filtered in obvious places.
"No one expects the Kiri-Inquisition!"
The Ruined Kitsune Temple in the Land of Hot water
The day was beautifull today! Soren's just recently brought in a few more resources, and found a couple individuals who would be interested in restoring the temple aswell! A couple wealthy merchants, who apperciate the majesty of a temple such as this! So Soren's feeling good. Soren's feeling really good! And he's also expecting a bit of company today.
As the small camp of a few individuals, working towards building a decent sized structure infront of the temple for now. Something not only to house the workers while they restore the temple, but also the beginings of Soren's goal.
The midday sun was directly above, the heat warming the area to atleast acceptable levels, while work was done, and Soren watched over, waiting for his guests to arrive. He stood in the middle of the clearing, keeping his ears and his eyes opened, while letting his body relax, basking in the warmth of the sun overhead.
It had been a while since Rin had been out of Konoha, and it seemed like she had taken a great day to do so as well. It was not like she had ever needed a reason to wander around before, but Rin had decided to go view this project her friend Soren had been working on and see if she could maybe help out a bit. She had donned her favorite black dress, not necessarily the garb of a shinobi, and had set out, however, not without an escort that she had not necessarily anticipated having. In fact, she was not quite sure how they had met up, but apparently they were travelling in the same direction, or he was just another Konoha-nin sent to keep an eye on her. She shrugs to herself and trudes down the road, approaching the temple that Soren had been working to restore.
There was particular interest in the growing popularity of this project, and the fact that not only civilians but noteworthy shinobi were getting involved was enough to have Fudo sent along with them. He was actually under orders of the ANBU, which is why his reasons for being an escort was fuzzy at best, but it hadn't been questioned, and he'd certainly not bring it up. This was one of those rare occassions where being plain clothed was more benefitial to being in disguise.
As they would arrive, Fudo would take the time to take in the sight of the project, as well as identify the people there. Dossiers were useful in this regard, but observation was always a better tool. "Rin-san, I am going to look around the area for awhile, feel free to visit your friend while I do so. There is no reason for us to be attached at the hip." he would assure her.
This isn't exactly a type of job Yoichi likes to be sent on, but it is apparently a necessary one for one reason or another. The village management wants this place to be checked out and to be sure it's not some basecamp for enemy or criminal shinobi. Rather than his relaxed haori, the Swordsman is adorned in a jacket that the collar of extends all the way around and covers the lower half of his face, depending on the angle one is looking at him from. Still, he follows his general theme of wearing black, probably some kind of Koumorite tradition.
As is typical of him, Yoichi hasn't really spoken much this trip, unless Hibiki would ask or say something he'd be inclined to respond to. He's a man of few words, one who doesn't pretend to care to be social when all he really cares about is being a soldier. Still, he doesn't object to bringing a Genin in tow on this mission. After all, the village's youth have to be prepared for their future. Political as well as combat missions are all a part of that.
Not that Hibiki did talk during the pair's journey together. Silence often bears more weight than words; especially for those bound by duty. They were to investigate - in the bright, clean sky, by the warmth of that fragrant sun rolling kisses along the cover of the earth - the unchecked construction of a nearby reinforcement, where supplies - so it was seen - were being sent on a quite frequent basis.
The sun lights up the work in progress, and many of the others gathered nearby. Hibiki stops, staring at each. His arms lay slay against his sides, his coat covering his fingertips. His toes push into the tops of his sandals, squeezing the dust beneath. What exactly was happening here, with shinobi such as these?
<Soren is skipped this turn>
Rin folds her arms across her chest as she walks. Fudo was not bad, nor was he really a nuissance. She had not minded his company at all during their trip. "Alright, try not to break anything." She then lets him go off to do whatever it was he had been instructed to do, and pursues Soren, finding him rather swiftly, being that she could feel him out. "Soren!" She shouts as she walks towards him to get his attention. She even gives him a little wave.
«Myoo» Fudo says, "Hibiki and Yoichi, how far out are you both?"
RP: You are following someone or are being followed. You must 'desert' everyone before you can join combat.
Fudo smirked just a bit as Rin ran off to meet her friend. It was good to have such people, FUdo was starting to find out. He had hadvery few in his life, but he saw the value in them as he began to gain them. Still, he was here to do a job. His eyes would begin to glow red as he'd looking around casually, simply making sure everything was in order. The glow was dull, but other wise it seemed the sharingan was activated at its highest level as Fudo would be moving about the perimeter of the restoration site.
As they approach the area, Yoichi's eyes would narrow as the presence of a few people would become detectable via chakra as well as the fact that he has hyper-sensitive hearing. "We're in luck. There are people here," he comments simply to Hibiki as he would shift their course in the direction of where he heard the gathered people from. As they approach, his voice would ring out, "Greetings. We are from Kirigakure. My name is Koumorite Yoichi." He would then gesture over to his traveling partner. "This is Hibiki." After a moment's pause, he says, "We are looking for a man named Soren."
The Genin blinks rapidly in the sunlight, which so warm and inviting becomes bothersome so directly. Hibiki follows as Yoichi leads, the boy silent the while. His coat flaps and warms in the swarming rays, leaving the beginnings of sweat dabbled here and there on his forehead and neck. He nods when his name is called, but is otherwise quiet, merely observing, his head casting round and round, from one to the next. Which to be Soren?
When Rin first yells, Soren seems snapped free of his trance. "AH! Rin!" he says, turning towards her, and smiling, waving with one hand while he starts off towards her. "It's good to see you again! I hope your journey wasn't too rough?" he asks, then turning towards Fudo. The boy looked familiar, but alas, Soren's horrid with names. Regardless, he offers the other young man a wave, before another voice calls out.
Soren raises a brow, turning around, glancing at the pair of Kirigakure Ninja. "Well, that would be me! A pleasure, Kuomorite yoichi-san. Hibiki-san." he says, bowing towards each in turn. "I was not expecting a visit from anyone from Kiri today. How can I help you?" he asks with a smile, looking between them, while also trying not to ignore Rin.
Rin is about to engage Soren in conversation when someone else hails him. She turns and notices the two newcomers. She narrows her eyes a bit. They appeared to be shinobi, and judging from the look of one of them, they were no slouches either. She remains quiet, unwilling to agitate anyone, and begins actively pulling all her chakra back from the area surrounding her to create a shell along her skin, just in case she might need it. Rin just smiles at their appearance and lets Soren go about his business.
Fudo however remained on the outskirts of the area, having spotted them both and simply tucking away and staying still after having seen them. He kept an eye on their chakra, to see if they activated any jutsu or attempted to truly locate him in any way and was prepared to attempt to remain undetected as he watched the goings on.
"Ah, so we are lucky enough to find you quickly," Yoichi says, seeming pleased by that fact, though he doesn't show any signs of smiling any time soon. "We've mainly come to check on things. We had heard that you were helping the restoration here, but one can never believe rumors fully until things have been checked out. After all, we'd hate to find out this place was actually an enemy or criminal compound that had a loyal friend of the Mist's name stamped all over it." That's about as nicely as one can say 'For your sake, you better not be turning on us'.
Hibiki coughs.
"Indeed. Hibiki wonders what-"
The boy flicks a sleeve of his coat towards the building.
"-that is."
The Genin takes a step closer, now standing next to Yoichi. Sun clatters down from the albino verdancy of clouds, tumbleweeds of the sky draped along seatbacks. Hibiki turns his head, and in that movement, his left shoulder stutters, pinching his neck as if a spasm, but oh- how quickly recovered, as if something not new.
Soren sighs. "Loyal, huh? Just so long as Kirigakure what I told them. Unfortunately there's not much to show at this point. Although, I would remind those here, there is one rule upon this land. No ill intent. No harm to be done. Rivalry is ok, sparring is even encouraged, but don't try to seriously harm each other. Otherwise I'll have to kick some python, and I -really- don't want to do that." he says, in an almost complaining tone, trying to be as honest as he can here.
"Anyways, over there is the initial resting quarters. It's where the restoration workers are going to be resting in between work periods, but it will also be the beginings of something else after the restoration is complete. The details are still fluid, so I havn't had a chance to discuss it with any of the kage really. Either way, other than that, I still need to get a few more specialists before I can start on the actual restoration. And unfortunately it's still very risky to step within the main temple, so I'd like to ask everyone to stay outside. We havn't disarmed any of the traps yet."
So, they were Kiri-nin. That could pose a problem. Rin checks over her shoulder to the general direction she figured Fudo may have gone in, which may or may not even be remotely close, and hopes that he stays hidden. He seemed a lot more obvious as a shinobi than she had. She then turns back to Soren. There were traps inside? That meant there was likely something worth keeping people away from. Maybe after the Kiri-nin departed she could talk to Soren about it. She was a bit of a treasure hunter, in a sense.
Fudo would note that the Kiri nin hadn't truly introduced themselves, especially the one in the lead. And beyond that, the one in the lead seemed to have certain expectations of Soren, as well as this restoration project and its legitimacy. So the question was… would it meet those standards or not, in the eyes of Kirigakure?
Yoichi's stone gaze seems unfazed by anything Soren says, not even the least bit friendly. "I have no interest in being a rival or sparring anyone here. Those who are not my brothers in arms have no reason for them to know my abilities until we are on the battlefield one day as allies or enemies." With that, he'd look at the pointed out grounds and then at the temple itself, eyes narrowing a bit as he studies it. "It is advisable that any Kage will be suspicious of a neutral area, as it is quite easy for such a place to become overrun with criminal activity like Fuuma Alley. If that is not your plan, I suggest you keep your guard up."
Hibiki is no judge for the character of the renovations or the circumstance surrounding the building, save for the girl looking over her shoulder into the distance; Hibiki too looks past her edge.
"Who are you looking for?" he asks, firmly. But with a jostle, the boy is leapt to Soren, gangly and awkward like, as if unsure of how to operate his own body, and now staring at the main building beyond.
"Hibiki wonders why it has traps? Yes, yes."
A vein throbs in his neck.
Soren sighs. "I understand the fact. But as you should very well know, telling Kirigakure about this place was a -curtosy-. Not an invitation for expectations. I told Yuge I would do nothing to Kirigakure's detriment. I meant that. But that does not mean that I am at his beck and call, and I certainly will not be involved in the mist's wars either. When you need my aid, and I can be of asistance, I will lend it. But that can also be said of anyone." he says with a shrug, his tone still completely friendly, but also stern.
"Certainly an odd little one, huh? It had 3 kitsune scrolls at it's deepest depths. 2 of those scrolls are in the possession of Kirigakure's Kitsune summoners. Fuuta, and Sakuryu. The third is in my posession, as the third Kitsune summoner." he says, looking between the two.
"Now if either of you have any problems with anything I have said, I would be glad to go back, and speak with Yuge-san, but until such point… I'm hungry. Anyone else want to get a bite to eat?" he asks with a raised brow, looking between the three people out in the clearing. He knew fudo was about, but the fact that even rin was looking for him… he's probably just being cautious.
Rin waves down Soren's offer for food and shakes her head. However, the kid was very… strange. And the other one was raising a bit of tension in the group, she could feel that. "I was looking for my companion, of course. A lady like me does not wander the world all alone. It would be… quite dangerous." She raises a finger to her chin and taps it. "I really have no idea where he has gotten to. Oh well." She turns back to the others after taking another look. It appeared that Fudo was hidden well enough that she didnt need to worry about him.
Things seemed to be going in a non violent direction so far, but Fudo would wait to be certain. Based o nwhat he could over hear, he did have a plan for things in either case. I was just now time to see how Kirigakure took to Soren's stance.
"That was simply a fair warning to you, not a statement of implication of expectation," Yoichi says as he returns his eyes to Soren. "Rumors are rumors. Some are true. Some are not. Orders are orders as well. We had to confirm before reporting. That is all. We will move around the around to look around as we were instructed, and then we will be on our way. If you don't like our orders, I suggest you convene an audience with a party that cares." That said, he would turn to begin walking past the group.
Hibiki would chuckle, and take a deep breath, and spit it out, and follow beyond as Yoichi charges forward, beyond those gathered. The vein in the youth's neck has stopped throbbing, and his movements seem controlled, more secure in the execution of their natural action. Once far enough away from the gathered lot, Hibiki leans close to Yoichi, and asks as casually as he can:
"What are we looking for exactly?"
Soren glanced at the two of them. "Understandable. But I gotta let people know what my stance is, and make sure I'm not getting steamrolled to boot. Like I said, if you enter the temple, expect traps. Otherwise, I suppose you have the run of the place." he says, turning back towards rin for a moment, before turning back towards Yoichi. "If… there's anything missing, or if anything happens after your visit, I will be paying Yuge a visit. Just letting you know." he says, moving back over towards Rin. "So then! How are you rin-chan?" he asks with a big smile, taking a few steps towards her with a smile. He didn't neccesarily trust these guys, but h trusted Yuge, and in this case, that counts enough for him.
Rin watches as the others go in silence, then turns back to Soren. "Well, I am quite well, really. Who are those two?" She inquires, peering past him to observe them make their way towards/into the temple proper. "They seem pretty intense."
And now Fudo had to decide. To attempt to fool them in to thinking he was a civilian, which if caught would raise suspicions to a high level, but if not would avoid any chance of conflict. Or to arrive honestly under the terms in which Soren spoke, which will likely still raise suspicion, but hopefully not high enough for things to get out of control. After all, expecting that they had no assistance in this area was somewhat foolish. To be honest, the stabilization of this region wasn't even Fudo's concern, so the latter seemed the best option in the end. Thus, he would step from behind the trees he was tucked away in to and begin to approach the restoration site calmly.
"Anything suspicious. If it's as clean as he says, we just go home and report it then let the Mizukage decide from there," Yoichi replies simply to Hibiki. "We'll probably end up being sent back later once restoration has actually gotten further along. Coming this early with so few people here is a bit pointless." With that, he'd continue on his trek further along around the site, planning to disappear from the sight of Soren and the others.
