Starring:
Date: July 23, 2012
Summary:
After being asked (begged) for a treasure hunt, Itami decides to round up a small group consisting of Kazeodori and Asao to go on a trip. She doesn't know what they'll find, but she hoped it'd be enough to satisfy. After stumbling upon a place close to home, the group is now curious of what they'll discover inside. This just might turn into the most awesome treasure hunt.
"The Most Awesome Treasure Hunt"
Desert Cliffs - Land of Wind
A storm was brewin' which meant that things could get real ugly for the group that was going to go treasure hunting today. The sands were shifting and sometimes lifted into the air as sand whirls every now and again, but the brunt of the storm was far off. No need to worry, though. They'd be underground for it and may even be camping if it gets to be too late. Itami took all these things into consideration and decided to pack well for this trip. It wasn't far from Suna, but that didn't mean it couldn't be dangerous. All ready to go, she waited for Asao and Kazeodori to get ready. From there, they'd all walk out toward the cliffs.
The little Genin can't do anything to wipe the grin from his face. It's ear to ear, pushing his cheeks nearly into his eyes. His hands rustle and dig and rearrange the goods in his pack, but his smile stays unchecked. It seem a bit incongruous - the raging storm and the wide, wide smile - but it is not for the sand that Kazeodori smiles. It is because - perhaps due to his incessant pleading, or perhaps due to the new discovery of some possible ancient site, or perhaps due to the high winds licking away layers of sand - the troupe was going… treasure hunting! Like real explorers! With backpacks and shovels and picks and everything! Thus, the boy couldn't smiling, his teeth glowing and white, even as he finished up his preparations and gave Itami a nod. Asao was coming too, but… surely he'd forgiven Kazeodori for crushing his valuable clock-making instruments. Right? Surely.
Forgive Kazeodori? Maybe. More importantly, personal issues are not to be dealt with on offical missions. So, while there might be reprecussions for it at a later point, for now, it was left behind. Asao had his normal items, the backpack, full to compacity and a set of extra scrolls that were attached to his belt. He was rading a book as he walked up to Itami and Kaze, 'Repairing clockwork gears'. He would stop exactly 5 feet from them, the book snapped shut after he stopped to look up at them. "Watanabe-san. Sasoki-san. I have prepared. Shall we begin, so we can get done before the storm attacks?"
"Storm attacks. Classic…" Itami chuckled. To Asao, she nodded and the group would head off. From the village to the cliffs, the trip was fairly easy with the exception of some sand blowing every so often. The storm still needed some time before it'd reach the village and bring with it a huge cloud of sand. At this point, the sand was coming in spurts, but the rolling sand was coming closer the more they stood around outside. They were going to need to find someplace to take refuge.
"There's a gap not too far from here. We just need to get to it. This area will also be where we will start our hunt. There's an opening in these cliffs that may be hiding something. I don't know what it is yet as I only took the liberty to do a bit of investigating before I decided to make this place the target of our mission," she spoke with voice raised to beat the wind.
Pointing out their direction as well as giving a few more details, she'd gesture the group to go along and walk into the gap.
Without waiting for the others to follow, Kazeodori would be bounding through the wind and grit towards the gap. The rifles of sand shot through the sky would find no purchase upon then Genin's skin, his body well-covered by robes. He even had a mask and a pair of goggles in his backpack should such a need arise. It would seem the boy had learned quite a few lessons from chasing Krayt through a sandstorm. Hopefully, however, the trio would not be so exposed. Hardly any good treasure stories happen above ground. Except pirate treasure stories. But pirates are stupid.
Kazeodori would wait, in the entrance of the gap, and, as Itami arrived, would inquire (still with his smile strapped to his lips):
"What are we looking for?!"
His voice, upon encountering the air, would find itself much too solid and loud, and thus would bring, to Kazeodori's already-pinked cheeks, a blush, the massive smile shrinking itself away to the slighty upturned lips of embarrassment.
"Umm… sorry. What are we looking for."
Asao just shook his head as Kazeodori bound off ahead of them. Following behind, Asao ranged out as far as he could with his senses, especially that new one he's developing to focus on chakra. There was a ticking that surged from his pack as he did so, however he was otherwise silent as they went. Eventually, Itami would tell them where and what exactly they were seeking and he would go from there. Before then, he was silent as there was nothing really to say. Asao was definitely appreciative of getting out of the sand, however. Sand did not play well with clockwork at times.
The storm hits, but it passes over the gap, mostly just a wind tunnel effect going on, but the opening to a small cave in the cliff wall protects against the majority of the damage save for a bit of sand coming in here and there. One would think that this opening would have filled and been blocked off, but it appears that there's more to this area than what first meets the eye.
Itami sets her pack on the ground where she proceeds to rustle through it and pull out a lantern. Setting it on the soft sand nearby the opening she says, "You guys might want to pull out anything you have for light as well. I can see around here, but that doesn't mean much for the both of you…"
Once the area was lit, it appears that the discovery would be right in front of their faces. Preserved here was an entry way to a temple of sorts, or so it looked. To either side of the doorway were large carvings of what appeared to be men reading scrolls. What they were reading is unknown, but maybe there's more to find out as they go along. "…I didn't expect to see this here." She coughed. "Well, looks like we've found something big. Wonder what else might be in there?"
The monument, rising on either side of the doorway, depicts the tangible proof of man desiring, above himself, knowledge — a pursuit so highly thought of, so greatly wondered, that to carve its path from the face of stone was but a trifle: an entryway. Kazeodori stands still, the height his eyes to roam dragging his mouth open.
"Whoa…"
Sunagakure certainly has its own monuments, its own testaments to the greatness of the people of the desert, but to see them so hidden, so tucked away, as if meant for but the eyes of so few, so singular: such a rarity is not unappreciated in the Genin's mind. Mechanically, the boy flips his pack of his shoulders, searching through it while his eyes do similar work around the entrance of the temple. The youth pulls a small lantern from his own bag, lighting it with a match, and holding it above his face that the statues before him be better illuminated. Suddenly, like a forked stick of lightning, the Genin's face crumples, his eyes cock. He slowly turns to face Itami, his face a physical representation of a question mark.
"What do you mean, you can see?"
Apparently (though he certainly thinks so), Kazeodori doesn't know everything.
"Watanabe clan is known to have affiliations with reptiles. This includes, in part, an alteration of the eyes to allow a wider spectrum of light sensativity. As such, Watanabe-san has a greater capability of seeing here than we do." As Asao spoke, offering that friendly bit of information to Kaze, he was also charging some chakra. His pack would go empty as another Asao *POOF*ed beside him. The lantern given to the second Asao who would light it, a nod was given to his double and both of them looked to Kaze and Itami. "If this is an unusual scenario, then we should potentially treat it as a hostile situation and react as such, hai?" A small smile was given as he'd motion to the cave. "With that said, which one of us should go first?"
"What he said," Itami laughed. "But yes, I can see because I can take light into my eyes a bit more easily than others. I can also smell with my tongue," she paused. "Yeeeaah, so!" She turned about to look up at the two statues and then focused on the doorway. "Only way we're going to figure anything out is to go through that door. I can head in first just in case there are any traps. If anything out of the ordinary occurs, you guys stay close to the entrance until the storm has passed and then head back to Sunagakure. Is that understood? Good!"
Without much else to say, she proceeded forward. The area was dry and rocks hung from the spires hung from the ceiling as well as jutted out from the sandy floor. As one went toward the temple, the sand would give way to a solid stone walkway that matched the earth the cliffs were made out of. Closer attention of the statues would reveal they had a likeness of reptiles. On the scrolls? Nothing that could be seen from here. Simple carvings. Standing in the doorway, Itami held up her lantern to see inside the temple. So far there isn't much, so she opts to blow some fire instead. Reckless? Yes.
It lit up the area well enough and caught a torch that hung up on the wall as it lit up from contact, revealing another next to it. Looks like these torches were lit that way often, judging by the scorch marks on the wall. The room was large, though a few pieces were caved in. Specifically, a doorway to the right. The left looked was just waiting to be opened. "It's clear!" She called back. Now all she needs to do is get these torches lit.
Kazeodori watches - mouth agape - as (first) Itami's ability is explained, and (second) as the woman blows fire into the hallway, igniting a torch. The boy's face, if one were to dive inside, to swim through the his mind, minding the ripples of brain matter and the pulses of heat, would reveal a confusion of sorts. Enamored, he certainly is, of both Itami's fearlessness and her recklessness; repulsed, a bit, certainly, by the fact that the woman before him, the woman he most certainly declared such heartfelt intentions for, happens to be a giant reptile. The Genin shivers, out of sight of Itami, and with his free hand pushes Asao (or Asao's puppet) forward.
"You go first," says the boy, following behind once the Chunnin (or his puppet) motors itself forward.
A small nod is given, he'd start to raise a hand, but off she went. A soft sigh given, Asao would glance over at Kaze curiously, head tilting to the side as he studied the genin for a moment. A small nod given as Asao (puppet) walked in after Itami. Afterall, the puppet could take a few more hits than flesh and blood Asao. He had that chakra sense of his at full power, at least as much as he was trained to at the time. It was important to him to be useful. "Sasoki-san? Would it be possible for you to carry the fire on a gust of wind to light torches ahead and see how far along they go? I would like to take the rear, if you don't mind, just in case there are any potential issues from outside coming in at us." While the chakra strings were tied to Asao the puppet, that henge in place made it look as if they weren't attached and more importantly, allowed Asao and the puppet to act independantly. So it would only be Asao that would motion ahead, after the retreating form of Itami and the puppet.
The darkness of the temple hides many things and it looks like this temple has a lot to offer. While the group familiarizes themselves with this place, another presence, certainly familiar to this area, is wandering around and watching them very closely. Sitting on a ledge, the person sits and waits until the right moment to attack. With a sidle, he aims himself directly for Asao…the puppet.
Jumping from the perch, the attacker assaults the puppet with a broadsword in hand intending to threaten it, unaware that what's being attacked is a mechanism. With his foot on the neck of the puppet, he held his sword to it and then focused on the others while he went about spitting flames to light the rest of the torches. He knew where they were having spent so much time around here, it seems. With the place well lit. "D-don't move!" The person shouted, indicating he was male…not as if his body didn't give him away. "What are you guys doing here?" His face was covered except for his mouth since he'd just recently used fire to light the place up.
Itami had just begun to open the door to the next room when the guy showed up. Guess there's nothing new under the sun. Itami thought she'd found this place, but it looks like she was beat to it. "You guys are on my property!" He continued and his voice cracked. Guess he was a young one.
As startling as the occupation of an eery, forgotten, dark, spooky temple in the sand is, it is certainly nowhere as startling as the sudden appearance of a sword-wielding, fire-breathing cave man. Kazeodori stands stark still - surprised enough to be silent - whilst the stranger savages Asao's puppet and lights the torches on the wall. The increased glow of visibility lends itself to the Genin, allowing him to take in the cracked-voice man. He is clothed, and he speaks well enough, and doesn't seem too filthy. Kazeodori stares, his startle lost, his intrigue piqued, and his head cocks to the side as he awaits the stammers of the other. It would seem that Kazeodori is learning the weight of manners, for he says nothing, waiting - it would appear - for those older than himself to speak.
Asao kept himself hidden behind Kaze as the man went after the puppet. Frowning, he'd watch patiently, waiting passively as the man lit up the area. Once he did, and would claim it was his property, 'Asao' started clicking. That tick tock of clockwork gears was loud within the relative silence of the area. Limbs, both legs and arms would move more akin to snakes then actual limbs as they extended, going to wrap up about the man sitting on top of the body of Tokkan while those puppet blades would snick out, the hands stopping right by the attacker's neck to threaten there, even as that lightning chakra electrified those plates along Tokkan, enough of a voltage to try and subdue the attacker without killing him as of yet. The puppeteer stayed silent still, instead searching for any other potential attackers within the shadows.
"Your property?" Itami inquired to him. Not like he'd be able to hear it as he's being wrapped up by the limbs of something that is not human. He begins to panic and drops his blade in the process. "What is this thing?!" That was his last question as blades rose to his neck and he endured some shock across his body. He wasn't down for the count yet, but that was enough to let him know he didn't want to attack.
Itami would approach and wave her hand to have the attack stop. No need for him to void his bowels or anything for lack of control. "You will reveal who you are after you are released you will also cooperate with us. If you do not, you may not be shown mercy a second time." Once released, the first thing he'd think about is the scent of his singed flesh which smelled surprisingly good. Secondly, he'd take note of group saying, "I'm Hirokichi…" He paused, "And this place is still mine. I'm getting the treasure inside. I found this place first!" He fell backward and hit the ground, placing a hand to his head. That shock did more to his system than he thought.
"Inside here is rumored to be something lost to my clan and I aim to get it."
Kazeodori's eyebrows whip up his forehead at the mention of this treasure. And yet he still stays quiet. It would seem - since from the beginning of the mission - that the boy has been much less talkative than he normally is. Surely, something is happening. Is this puberty? Maturity? A bad batch of rice cakes? No one can be terribly sure of what's keeping the Genin so bound in quiet.
That said, there is much talking that is done by those without tongues, and such exclamations are clearly evident on Kazeodori's face. His eyebrows, raised to his hair, are matched by only his smile, which presses his cheeks crinkling into his eyes. Barely the mention of something treasured, something rare and unique, has the youth worked into joy. Perhaps, then, his silence comes not from emotional growth — but, instead, from the desire to not screw up the chance to uncover some rare piece of ancestry, some history long forgotten. If the feud between the factions of his clan has taught the boy anything, it's that history holds power over the men who know it.
At Itami's motion, Tokkan would slowly start to unwind from around the man, those limbs moving in that clockwork fashion as the blades would snick away. Once the man stumbled off, 'Asao' would get to his feet. As Tokkan got to it's feet, Asao stepped out from behind Kazeodori, the henge fading from the puppet while the ticking continued. Asao focused on the man, studying him intently for a long moment before a small nod was given. "I believe he is of the same clan as you." Looking to Itami, a small nod was given as he returned back to looking around at their surroundings.
