Starring:
Rise, Michiko, Yori, Thor (emitter)
Date: January 30, 2015
Summary:
There is an explosion at the Kumo prison and the Kumo shinobi arrive there to investigate the event
Poster's note: foul language filtered in obvious places.
"The Usual Suspects - The Breakout"
Kumogakure Prison-Land of Lightning
The scene at the Kumo prison was bad. Horrible really. The upper levels where the most dangerous inmates were housed has been completely destroyed. Most of the top tier is in rubble and there are people around cleaning up the mess. There are armed guards everywhere, keeping a lookout in case some other group tries to take advantage of the situation. The warden himself, a middle aged man with a Kumo headband attached to his bicep is moving from location to location, barking orders and generally making sure the job is done right. The double doors leading to the inside are wide open, but the gate leading to the lower levels is securely locked. Everyone looks tired and some people even look downright scared. But most look tired more than anything else.
Michiko got the report of the prison break and immediately issued the announcement that any and all who were below the rank of Chuunin were to be accompanied by an older shinobi. Then she sent a message to the warden that she wanted to come and investigate. The girl also sent a message to Yori, Michiko preferring to have someone with her. A backup for information and to check ideas against, as well as a second pair of eyes. She arrived to the prison with Yori, eventually, waiting to meet with the warden once he was available, and exploring the current damage in the meantime.
Yori had heard about the prison break right along with everyone else as well as the order that restricted him to the Village without a higher ranking shinobi. Not that he minds since he has no clue what kind of crazies have been released and has no delusions. He figures that all of them could probably kill him fairly easily. Still he is curious especially since he knows that the Raikage put some of those folks away. Part of his Saito duty says he should try and help assess the danger right? So when Michiko's message came he quickly packed his things and went with her. The boy kept a very sharp watch the entire way and once they arrive he remains on edge while exploring what he can near where they wait.
Michiko got the report of the prison break and immediately issued the announcement that any and all who were below the rank of Chuunin were to be accompanied by an older shinobi. Then she sent a message to the warden that she wanted to come and investigate. The girl also sent a message to Yori and Rise, Michiko preferring to have someone with her. Both could act as another pair of eyes, catching what she did not. And, of course, there's the idea of 'more backup' if things turn nasty. She doesn't think there'll be any, but in a prison with such high-ranking criminals, it's best to be safe rather than sorry. She arrived to the prison with the two, eventually, waiting to meet with the warden once he was available, and exploring the current damage in the meantime.
With their initial assessment, Michiko's tremor sense would allow her to locate the immates that are underground in the holding areas. There are only about 13-15 people down there as most of the inmates took the opportunity to get out when the explosion happened. Yori's eyes will find scratches all along the outside of the wall of the prison, especially farther up the wall itself…as if someone scaled it using claws or some animal might have gotten access to it.
Once the warden has been informed that they have visitors, he moves towards Michiko and Yori. He lowers his bald head slightly, greeting them both. "Greetings, Iwata-sama. Young man." He says towards Yori. "My name is Yamayuki Noren, the warden of this prison." He sighs heavily as he looks around. "Or what's left of it." He rubs the back of his head. "Got called out in the middle of the night over this. And we just built this thing a couple years ago under the previous Raikage. Tore the old one down to do it. Anyways, I'm sure you're both here to find out what happened, right?" He motions for them to follow him.
Noren points at the gigantic hole. "We know this is the focal point of the blast. We suspect that it might be jutsu, since we can't find any parts from a mechanical device or anything like that."
"It's good to see you seem to have things under control, Noren-san. This is Saito Yorishiro, by the way. I thought he would be interested in looking around, and he might provide some useful insight as well," the girl says to the Yamayuki. Then Michiko nods lightly to his question, following after Noren. When they arrive at the main site, she peers at the giant hole, inspeciting closely with both eyes and senses through the ground. "Hmm… About how many people were in the prison before the explosion? And what sort of jutsu do you suspect?" are her questions. She looks to Yori to see if he's spotted anything of interest.
While they wait the young Saito crouches down to peruse pieces on the ground for a few moments before looking up at the gigantic hole. When Noren arrives Yori bows deeply to him, "Nice to meet you Yamayuki-sama." He says in greeting before following the pair further along into the prison. When they arrive closer to yon giant hole the boy looks it over, then views the area surrounding it trying to see where in the prison exactly it was. He politely waits until Michiko is done before he asks his own question. "Yamayuki-sama, was there any particular prisoner in the main area of the blast? Someone that might be more dangerous than…the rest?"
Rise had heard the news, though even she didn't fully believe it. One would think after the last one (two?) the place would be virtually impenetrable from the inside and out without proper clearance. She stood corrected upon arriving there herself. "Hm… What a mess?" She says dispassionately as she looked about the area in search of any further trouble. That was until her eyes fell upon Michiko and Saito, prompting the girl to put an extra bit of pep in her step to join the team.
Rise makes no attempt to announce herself or even add anything to the conversation. If something was worth saying she would notify them. The same went for greetings. And besides that, there was really no benefit to speaking up, and needless draw attention to the fact that she had been late…
Michiko's senses alert her to the fact that the stone was blown from the inside, not the outside. Which would make this a jail-break, and not a break-in. The singe marks indicate that it wasn't normal fire jutsu that did this, more of something causing an explosion, such as a paper tag bomb or something similar. Both Yori and Rise would notice that imbedded deep under some of the rubble is a warped and broken kunai. Rise would notice that while looking around there is a single scrap of parchment hidden inside of the debris. At first glance there is nothing on it, though.
Noren shrugs at Michiko. "It's the paddlest thing, Iwata-san. The guards reported nothing out of the ordinary last night. All was quiet, and then there was a huge explosion. The sensor nin didn't even dectect anything outside of the ordinary. Yori-san, is it? Yeah, there were about sixteen people in this part, being the part with the highest security. I believe among them were a pirate ship captain…a missing nin by the name of Sayamoto, and a large man that called himself the Ox King." He pauses, then speaks again. "We check them for weapons or explosives twice a day. We even toss their racks and bunks to make sure they're not hiding anything. We also keep close eyes on visitors and make them sign the guest book."
Michiko frowns a bit. "Seems like this was a prison break more than anything… They probably used paper tags or bombs or something similar… Nothing fire-related from what I can tell." She says this aloud for everyone's sake. Then she hears the names and makes a bit of a face. "I … think I've dealt with a few of them before…" she sighs, though her best memories are of the Ox King. "Could we perhaps see the guest book? And I'd like to see where they were kept as well as talk to a few prisoners, please."
Yori whips out his handy dandy notebook. Er, well, actually he just packed it for this mission but anyways…he scribbles down the numbers, the names, and notes on what else the warden says as well as what he's seen so far just so he can look back on them later and make sure he doesn't forget anything. Never know when something that doesn't seem important now will matter later, that's what his uncle always says, ayup. Of course that was in learning techniques but same thing right? During his scribbling he happens to catch something a little out of place and he goes over to where the twisted kunai is buried, putting the notebook away before carefully moving some rubble aside. "Michiko-san…" he calls to try and get her attention. "There's a messed up kunai here." Considering there aren't supposed to be any weapons that can't be a good sign.
As Noren spoke, Rise's eyes began to wander. Impatience might have something to do with it, but ultimately those eyes do latch on to something interesting. Michiko held the majority of the warden's attention, so the Shirokiri needed not fear seeming rude by breaking away from the group for a closer look. Rise more or less found herself following Yori at first, and snatching up the paper after he helped move some rubble. While Yori spoke she absently began examining the parchment, only to abruptly stop, then look sharply towards Noren. "The Ox King is…" She pauses. "I found this." Rise winds up simply stating before offering the paper to Michiko.
Noren bows at the waist. "Of course. I'll bring up the two inmates who were eyewitnesses to it. And I'll grab that log book for you. I'll be right back." The warden moves away, talking to a couple of guards and sending them down below where the inmates were currently being held. In the meantime, he moves into his office to find the log book and the entries for the last few days. This would give the Kumo nin more time to look around or attempt to figure out what they've found so far.
Michiko turns to look to Rise after Noren disappears, taking the note and looking it over. "Hmm… And you found a bent kunai, Yori-san?" she affirms, glancing to the boy. With that in mind, she goes to bend down and examine the broken weapon. … "Alright. Yori-san, when Noren-san returns, I want you to look over the guest book. Write the names down, and maybe take note of who visited who. Rise-san, could you explore this area a little more for anything we might have missed?"
Yori makes sure the rubble around the kunai is clear enough so that Michiko can get a good look at it, all while not touching the kunai itself. Michiko can pick it up if she wants but he's only here to takes notes and be watchful for oddities. Like the paper. When Rise first found it the boy only got a glance before he went back to his clearing, but now as he stands and takes out his notebook again he asks, "What kind of paper was that. Was it something from a paper tag?" When Michiko instructs him to take down the entries from the guest book he nods his affirmative.
Rise nods softly and turned to leave. She pauses midstep. Something about the paper nagged at her. Given the information they were able to gather so far, she presumed it was an explosive tag or some type of letter fragment. Thanks to Yori voicing the question aloud, Rise was given further pause until finally she turned back about to regard Michiko. "Michiko.. -san. This is.. call it a hunch, but try focusing your chakra through it." With that said, she doesn't linger only long enough for a quick response before returning to her search for more evidence.
Before Noren comes back, the guards lead two people up top so that they can be interviewed by the shinobi. They are both a little on the grimy side from the explosion, but they are also in good health. The first one is a tall male with burn marks the back of his hands. He has a full beard of coarse black hair even though he's bald. He spits off to the side. "I ain't seen nothing. I ain't heard nothing…ball I ain't even smell nothing. I don't know nothing. I was sleeping, then there was a boom. That's it." He then looks down his nose towards Michiko and Yori..until he gets to Rise. Then a look of fear comes over him and his knees begin to shake slightly. "W-why is she here?" Rise might recognize him as one of the crew members from a certain ship that she and Amani captured not all that long ago.
The other inmate is a tall girl, about 6'0. She has dark skin and snowy white hair with blue eyes. Even under the dirt and grime, it's not hard to tell that she's a pretty girl. She's in a plain dirty dress, but she holds her head up high as she looks at the shinobi gathered. She states. "My name is Yotsuki Kaoru. How may I help you?" She stands with her hands in plain sight in front of her and meets the gaze of anyone who looks at her.
In the meantime, Noren returns with a large thick leather bound book, which he offers to Yori. "I went ahead and pulled all of the visitors for the past couple of months. I don't know, it might help you out." He then looks at the two inmates that were chosen and snorts at the first one. "This one is a lout, but he's been a model prisoner for the past two years. This one.." he motions to the girl. "…has been here for three years and she's also a model prisoner. I'll be over there should you need anything else." With that, he moves towards a group of guards who are working to clear out more of the rubble.
Michiko hears Rise and nods a bit. Before the guards come with the prisoners, she closes her eyes and sends chakra through the tag, ready to run and/or toss it away if it should show signs of exploding… The girl waits for a reaction, though eventually has to stand up and acknowledge the two prisoners, which means she pockets the paper for now. She doesn't really recognize the person from the pirate crew, but the girl looks… moderately familiar. It's been a long time, but… And then the name rings a bell. "Kaoru-san… Do you know of any sort of plot that was brewing on the top floor? You were… One of the closest ones but didn't even get badly injured," she says to the girl. A small gesture tells Rise to try and get some answers from the man. Yori is left to do what he was ordered with the guest list.
Yori takes the book when it's offered to him and wrinkles his nose a bit at the weight of the thing. Oh joy. The young Saito folds his legs under him to sit, opening the book to the last months of entries before starting to scribble all the details in his notebook word for word as to who visited and who they were visiting, what day, what time. When the prisoners are brought in he flips to another page to write their names, then blinks and looks up at Kaoru. Yotsuki? Hmm. He stares for a brief moment before scribbling something else in the notes and flipping back to continue his work on the log. All kinds of wheels spinning in his head but he doesn't say anything for now. Best to see what else Michiko and Rise might be able to find out before he goes asking any questions on his young inexperienced mind.
Rise simply shakes her head at the lack of further evidence before rejoining Michiko's side. The question from the prisoner draws Rise's immediate attention. Unfamiliar. Even after cocking her head from one side to the next as well as turning to sniffing at him (from a distance) Rise was forced to give the man a blank look. She hadn't recongized him in the slightest, but it was obvious the same could not be said. Which meant that he was more than likely one of the many nameless bodies she pummeled and/or killed. Seeing as how he was still breathing, he only suffered the former at her hand.
"I do not know." She finally replies to the man before shifting her attention to Kaoru. The small gesture isn't enough. In fact, it takes several to grab Rise's attention, and even then she appears slightly distracted and flushed around the cheeks. Despite appearances Rise turns to the male prisoner and asks him calmly, "Do you mind if we speak in private?"
Kaoru turns to look at Michiko, directly in the eyes. "I haven't. I saw my fa..I mean Ox talking with one of the newer prisoners. The one that boasts all the time about his ship being taken by a bunch of candy bricked kunoichi.." He cheeks color slightly. "His words. But they were careful not to talk openly around me. Ox was angry with me because I told him that he was scum and I never wanted to see him again. This other man named Goat said something about having a link to the outside. But that was about three weeks ago." Her brow furrows slightly. "I was asleep when I heard the first explosion. It blew my cell door open, so I ran to get help from a guard. Then it was the second explosion that took off most of the wall itself. There was a lot of smoke and it was hard to see. My ears were ringing, too." She takes a breath and then lets it out slowly.
The male prisoner looks at Rise and shakes his head vehemently. "No. The last time I saw you, you punctured my lungs with my own ribs. I ain't never felt pain like that. Please kami, don't leave me alone with her!" He looks over at the Warden. "I would very much like to go back to my cell now. Please?" His lips tremble. "You are a demon. You enjoyed it all.." Is said at just above a whisper. "Come on. I'll tell you anything. I really didn't see much. My cell is on the end, and I kind of fell onto the next floor after the blast. I swear. Man, it happened just after the guards had a shift change. I swear that's all I know!"
Michiko stares back evenly when Kaoru looks at her. Of course, she has to crane her head a lot… But that's besides the point! The girl nods a bit to Kaoru's words, frowning in thought. "Hmmm… Well, I can only imagine who /that/ is," she comments lightly. Then Kaoru mentions goat, and she inwardly flinches. She had helped take him down recently with a team, but half of that team was long gone back to Konoha and nowhere near Kumo, which probably meant that she had a huge target on her back… Curse the fates.
She had read the note over earlier, and her attention focuses on it, though not visibly. She seems to just be taking a long time to gather her thoughts… "I see… So this was planned for a long time, by the sounds of it…" She glances to Yori. "Yori-san. Take careful note of those who entered and left up to six weeks ago. You can stop past that." To Rise, Michiko offers another glance. "Rise-san… I'll leave you to deal with him," 'him' said with a nod of her head towards the second prisoner. Then her attention is back on Kaoru. "Kaoru-san, is there anything else you can recall? Who seemed to talk with who? Things of that nature."
Yori is a multi-tasker at heart and when he hears the prisoners begin talking he flips back to write down what they say. Well, the pertinent parts. He doesn't care what Rise did wait she broke his rib? Wow. Ahem, back to it. The Saito flips back, verifies where he was on the log, and continues again. Copying information over leaves his mind free to mull over what he's heard so far and he begins to piece some possibilities together based on what he's heard. It just opens up more questions and more concerns, no matter how he looks at it. When Michiko calls his name he looks up quickly before nodding in acknowledgement and returning to the task. Well he's not going to get notes on Rise's questioning apparently…but nothing he can do about that.
Rise appears genuinely taken aback by the violent head shaking. She even feared for an instance the man was trying to break his own neck some how. Then he spoke, clearing up quite a few things. Recognition doesn't dawn on her, but nor did she try to rebuff his claims. And if what was whispered was overheard by the so called demon, it provoke no reaction.
"Hm." Is all she emits after the man speak. Then the go ahead is given. Wordlessly, Rise motions for him to follow before taking the lead herself towards a noticeable less occupied section of the prison. That, and it would be unlikely anyone would see any threats without truly watching the duo closely. If the man clearly fails to follow her, only then does she turn about to regard him before they actually arrive at the target location. "I was led to believe you are a model prisoner. A model prisoner is cooperative, and in return are treated.. fairly. Do you wish for this to remain the case?" She asks tonelessly.
Kaoru closes her eyes briefly as if trying to remember. Then she nods once. "Yes. I remember this guard that came up to our floor sometimes. He liked to listen to the stories that Ox told sometimes. He also seemed to have known that Goat guy at some point. I never caught his name, though. But he did sometimes give Ox extra portions of food in return for the stories though."
The man shuffles along after Rise, especially since noticing that the warden was apparently going let this happen. He mutters some things under his breath, mostly about prisoner brutality. But he does follow along, afraid of what might happen if he doesn't. He hasn't even noticed that she doesn't recognize him. Honestly, he doesn't even care. He knows who she is, and that's enough for him. "Yes. I'm cooperating to the best of my ability. Like I said, my cell is at the end of the row." He points up at the area. "I went to bed at lights out. I'm not trained as a shinobi so I dunno about any jutsu or stuff like that. But when the white haired girl went running by after the first explosion woke me up, I tried to follow suit, but I got caught in the next one. I fell all the way down to the ground floor here." He motions to the back of his head. "I hit my head during the fall. I went unconcious after that. So I didn't really see or hear anything more than that. When I woke up I was in the infirmary. That's when I noticed that the shift nurse has changed. So I figure it hand to have happened around the guard shift time." His knees are still shaking and he's swaying back and forth, watching Rise warily.
Michiko takes a moment to compile all the information in her head. Was there anything important in what was said? The guard could be significant, especially if he knew Goat at some point. He might have been the one that had helped with the prison break. "Hmm… Kaoru-san, would you be able to identify the guard if he was shown to you? And also, was he fairly new to the job?" Yori is ignored for the time being, but she fully plans to talk to him later and get his opinion on things…
Yori continues his multi-tasking with what he hears from the remaining prisoner, not even so much as glancing towards Rise and her vict-…prisoner. After flipping back to the book again he pauses, then starts flipping pages within the book and taking mental notes. Poor boy has it so on his mind that he breaks the cardinal rule and doesn't even go to Michiko first. But then time may be of the essence. Instead he jumps to his feet and goes straight to the warden. "Yamayuki-sama. Are there any guards who were new or are unaccounted for? And does this name seem familiar at all?" It's a mini barrage of questions and it's spoken at a fast clip as he holds the book up and points to a particular name, face grim. Things are falling into place and it's not good. Good thing the kid is intelligent for his age.
Rise places her hand behind her back, and listened without interrupting the man even once. Whether or not the former was done in hopes of calming him down or the latter simply out of respect is difficult to determine. The girl maintained that eiree sense of nothing about her. A stark contrast to the man's memories of her, which could've meant a number of things. Like for instance, maybe she snapped finally and now wouldn't hesitate to kill him for any reason at all. Or maybe other things?
"May I see it?" She states more than asks, but still pause long enough as if awaiting a response. If further emphasis is necessary, she would briefly gesture to the back of her own head. Failure to comply would elicit a small frown from the petite woman. The first sign of emotion from the girl since they've reunited. A warning?
/If/ he does comply, she'd examine the back of his head. That is… after gently placing her hand on his shoulder and motioning for him to lower himself down to her level. Having inflicted and endured more than her fair share of injuries, she'd find out the truth for herself. Regardless of his decision, Rise would still ask in that empty tone if he heard or noticed anything prior to the breakout. Anything at all.
Kaoru shrugs faintly towards Michiko. "I didn't really notice. I mean, I could pick him out of a crowd if I were to see him again. I remember everything I see or read." So unlike her other half. "But I remember he had this dopey expression sometimes when he looked at me."
When Yori calls his attention, Noren comes right over and then after a moment of thought, he dips his head once. "I..yes. There was a transfer recently from Raiun City." For those not in the know, Raiun City is the capitol of the Land of Lightning…where the Daimyo's palace is. "I believe his name was Ganri…" He pauses for a moment to look in the book and slaps his forehead. "How did I miss that? And he didn't report in for work this morning, either. He's supposed to work on the lower levels in minimum security, but according to the log, he's been in and out of maximum security for a few weeks now. Usually that's not uncommon as I tend to switch up the rotation, but I remember this one being kind of dumb and he was green too. That's why I put him down there with the common riff-raff."
The inmate turns around and then kneels so Rise can get a better look at his head. He's bald, so it's easy to find. It's still a nasty purple color and it really did seem to be from an impact with something really hard. There are stitches back there too, but the bandages have been pulled off. It's not bleeding now, but it looks pretty fresh. "Well, aside from my former captain talking about how he was going to kill the candy bricked kunoichi that took his ship? He was always ranting about that. About how it was embarassing that he was tied up and dragged off. He was constantly talking about getting out of here, but he never had any details. It's possible he left when the opportunity presented itself. He's a smart man, but a solid year of solitary confinement kind of broke him."
Michiko turns to Yori when he speaks up, gaze intent on him. She doesn't mind that he didn't call out to her first. She wasn't the one that had the kind of information he would want. But it was his questions that resulted in things coming together for … probably everyone. Her suspicious were correct. "Alright. Thank you for all the help, Kaoru-san." She offers a smile to the Yotsuki before her attention shifts mostly on Yori and Noren. "It sounds like we have a target and a link… I don't suppose either of you know much more about Ganri, Noren-san? Kaoru-san?" she presses. She doesn't want to leave any stone unturned.
Yori lowers the book when the warden confirms his suspicions and he flicks through the pages, "He was here very frequently." The boy slips his notebook back away and closes the guest roster, having gotten pretty much everything they need from it. He offers it back to Noren with a bow. On top of Michiko's own questions he asks the one that's foremost on his mind. It's probably too late anyways but…"Does he live nearby?" If he was stupid enough to sign in and out of a maximum security area he was plotting in then maybe he'd be stupid enough to return home after the jail break.
Her eyes narrow slightly, but there could be no denying what she saw. So, she patted his shoulder, signaling for him to rise again while the hand is shifted back behind her. "That is another thing I have been wondering. What is 'candy bricked' supposed to mean? I do not believe my buttocks is particularily tasty or sweet, nor has my Kynshin spoken of such. Is it… a compliment?" She ask, canting her head slightly to side. The look could be seen as cute. Although the odds of the man seeing it as such was debateable. The woman did mess him up pretty bad after all.
As soon as she recieves an answer, Rise bows her head and furrows her brows in silent consideration of his words. "Where do you think your former captain will go now that he is freed?" Or not, appearantly.
As Kaoru and the other prisoner is led away, the girl pauses. "Iwata-sama? Would you..could you tell my brother than I'd like to see him soon? If..If he's not too busy?" She shakes her head. "I know his face. I didn't even know his name." And then she is taken back down below by the guards, along with the now relieved man that Rise was questioning.
Noren replies to Michiko first. "He's a bit of a simpleton, but he works hard. I promise you that he doesn't have the intelligence to come up with something like this, that's for sure. Someone probably put him up to it." He nods to Yori. "He does. I think he lives in Lowland Village, at the base of the mountain. I remember him talking about a strange man and his wife and kids looking around like they were going to settle there. He said the Raikage and a small group when to talk to the village elder." He shrugs. "Kind of sounded weird to me, but who was I to dispute him?"
As the man is begin dragged away, he shakes his head at Rise. "It's meant as an insult I believe. It means that he thinks less of you as a person. And if I know the Captain, he'll head for the sea. Perhaps your ferry docs." And then his head disappears inside of the hold.
Michiko nods to Kaoru at her request, though doesn't offer verbal confirmation. She was busy sorting things out. The girl glances to Noren eventually, realizing he was speaking and saying important things. "Yes… I know where that is." She glances to Yori, then Rise. Then back to Noren. "I think we're done here. For now. If we have further questions, I'm sure we'll be back again." Michiko offers a light bow to the warden. "Let's get back to Kumogakure, Rise-san. Yori-san. I need to write to Hiei-san about all this, and then form a team to start hunting for those who escaped."
"You may want to check any other newer guards as well Yamayuki-sama." Yori offers before bowing deeply to the warden in thanks. Little boy is almost giving orders…but it was just a suggestion. That done, he turns to Michiko. "I think we should have someone go to his house as soon as possible Michiko-san. He might have gone back, or some of the prisoners might be using it to hide out." The little sleuth, always thinking. And just for the sake of time he's going to assume that they already got the names of the escapees, dead, and the injured as well as all their deets. Who knows what might have changed about them since they've been locked up for years on end.
Rise felt considerably foolish for having phrased her question the way she did. Of course the captain would seek out the closest body of water as possible. What she should've asked is if he had any connections that might help him get another boat, or some secret stash to ensure the success of future endeavours. She hid her disappointment well, and actually bowed her head slightly in thanks for his assistance. Before long the raven-haired berserker at the team's side again. Just in time to catch sight of Kaoru being led away. Disappointment registers briefly on her visage before the order from Michiko draws her attention. "Hn.. Lets." She replies to Michiko, knowing there was no need to add a closer watch on any ports. Maybe..
"I know, but I'm not going to split us up anytime soon, and I don't think seeing the village where potentially a number of escaped prisoners could be is a good idea," Michiko tells Yori. She's concerned about his safety. They could split up, yes. Michiko knows that Rise can handle herself just fine, and the woman could be sent to the docks. /No one/ is going alone to the village, though. And if they both went, Yori would have to travel alone… "We'll get some backup, then move out as soon as possible. Let's try to speed to Kumogakure, first."
