Kumogakure Gates

Mission:

Like many Shinobi she wears the common black sandals which secure her feet and ankles. Iro wears a pair of loose fitting black pants which extend shortly above her ankles, which she has wrapped in a set of white bandage wrap. Her pants are paired with a black sleeveless, backless top with a white undershirt in the same design. Her utility belt was worn around her waist which held a first aid on the back side next to her hip pouch and a single holster on her right. A single, tan obi is worn around her waist. Black leather arm guards covered both arms from the back of the hand up to the elbows. Slapped over her body was a dark gray flak jacket with three scroll holsters, the basic secondary flak jacket provided by Kumogakure. A leather baldric is worn across her body where she carries a quarter staff made entirely of oak.

Around her forehead Iro sports her forehead protector. In a black cloth she has the forehead protector's steel plate facing the front with Sunagakure's emblem engraved on the plate. Iro has long, plum hair which is fastened in a long ponytail using a tan hair tie. She keeps the rest of her hair parted in the front with two long bangs reaching down to her chin. Iro herself stands 5'8 and weighs approximately 135 lbs. With deep tan skin she bares golden amber eyes. Iro has an impressive athletic figure including a toned abdomen with muscle work shown around her body.

Today she was stationed as gate sentry, a common job suited for Chuunin as Jounin were too valuable to post, and Genin too naive and infirm. She had enough experience in the force to understand protocol and always worked to improve herself. She was evidently stronger than she was over the past two years yet still had a lot to improve. Though, for now, she would keep on her routine and get better gradually as the years went on.

Iro was back on her shift, the evening setting in as she organized some papers left on the desk since her lunch. As she worked by herself her partner in the booth was on looking, primarily doing the main job as gate sentry. As she organized the papers across the desk she was met with the papers of Shino and Akari, two Kumogakure Genin with an outgoing status. Their mission was to escort a trade caravan to the border of the Land of Lightning. Unfortunately, after gazing at the details of the mission long enough, they have been gone for well over two days with no return status. "This isn't good...I should notify Lady Nariko." Exiting the village gates as a Genin was generally forbidden unless they had a good reason. The mission they left with was one of the exceptions, however, the southern border of the Land of Lightning would only take six to eight hours at most at a casual pace. Being gone for two days gave the impression something bad happened to them.

Holding the Shadow Clone seal she created a replica of herself before sending it off to relay the information to Nariko at once. As her Shadow Clan ran the errand, Iro continued with her usual business at the gates knowing the task will be handled accordingly.

[Exit Shadow Clone -> Raikage Office Building]

[OOC: Interrupting Khai's exit]

Iro waited at the gates continuing to do her job a bit nervous of the whereabouts of Shino and Akari. She knew well it was a dangerous world and practically anything bad could happen. From bandits to enemy Shinobi, or even falling from a height too high. Alas, the clone she sent earlier was dispersed and she was given reassuring news. Shimiko and a scouting party will be sent in aid of the Genin. She was a bit relieved, but that did not entirely ease the burden. For now she could relax a bit knowing they will be sending Kumogakure's best.

In the same time she got the news from her clone the presence of an approaching Shinobi caught the attention of the sentries from above, which made his presence clear. Iro peaked her head outside the check-in window to see what she could assume was Lei. He was a Tokubetsu Jounin of Kumogakure, a powerful Shinobi in his own right. However, despite his rank, he forgot to follow gate protocol. Any rank above Genin had full rights to leave or enter the village walls. However it was essential to let the check-in window know of your whereabouts. In any case a Shinobi winds up ambushed it would give a decent lead in where to start searching. Also, in emergency circumstances, it will be easier to track one down.

Exiting the booth Iro trotted out into the center of the dirt path right where Lei was traveling. Iro would put both hands in front of her with palms facing forwards. "Slow down, Lei! Just wait a second!" Her first goal was to get him to stop. Of course if he continued his course of action he would inevitably run into her hands and most likely wind up flat on his back depending on the velocity he was traveling.

It appeared Iro's method worked. Part of her expected the boy to crashed into her head on for some reason. After he stopped Iro's posture change as she stood upright with her hands on her hips. Her posture was standoffish, yet she spoke with the concern of a mother as her face displayed a worrisome expression. "Where have you been? I was worried for a bit when I saw your status as 'out' and no destination or time of return." Iro sighed, her shoulders dropping as she relaxed. It felt a bit weird to lecture a Jounin about village protocol as not only a Chuunin, but a refugee from Sunagakure. Things oddly felt out of place, but regardless, the rules were the rules. "Never mind that. Just remember: when leaving the village it is required you give your name, reason for leaving, destination, and expected return time. You are a Jounin, and I understand you have free will to come and go as you please. But it's helpful to let us know where you are in case we ever need to find you for emergencies, or in the rare circumstance where you find yourself in trouble. We will at least have a starting point to investigate."

Stepping to the side she would give Lei a bow giving him access back into the village without her standing in the way. "Anyways, that's all I wanted to tell you. Welcome back home, Lei." With Lei back she was a bit relieved, yet there was still the unmarked disappearance of three more Shinobi. Shinoskay and Akari were order to have a search party by Nariko directly. Natsuru also left, giving most of her information, yet was vague on her destination or time of leave. It was a lesser problem than Lei and the other two have run into, but that was the main reason why she was stationed here. Iro had more experience than a lot of the new Chuunin, being Chuunin for roughly eight years now. She knew what to ask and had a fair amount of common sense under her belt. Once Lei left to enter the village Iro would return back to the check-in back where she would resume her usual duties.

As the Chuunin finished scolding the Jouning, Shinoskay would now be descending to the gates on his bee puppet. He would have less mental ability at this time as he focused on coordinating the puppet through the turbulences of 3.5 miles altitude, This combined with that he just spent a little over 24 hours flying, he was in a dazed state.

In the likely occurrence that he is questioned, he would quickly move to check on Akari and that her things were still all secured in the giant bee's abdomen, after all the turbulence and poor maneuverability they had for about 24 hours, making sure to be careful as he retrieve her from everything so that he would not injur her against any of the segments or any such. Still directing his puppet using his puppet threads, he would make sure its segmentation's closed back up to reseal it before then directing it to carry Akari to Either Iro or Yun, Naturally he would be asked what happened and he would explain that they had escorted the caravan and then she fainted. If neither took Akari, then he would ask them which way to the medical station, as getting Akari set up, checked, and cared for was obviously a priority in this situation. If either was willing to then Shinoskay would request that they get, or he be permitted to go to, his cousin... Morikawa Mikiri... who was a Ijutsu expert and could likely care for Akari best.

~exit into kumo~
ooc
Suppressed/chakra thread suppressed
Chakra threads 1

It was not often one would see objects in the air. At most there could be Shinobi traveling among the rooftops, as they were very much the "Shinobi's Highway" to travel around town without worrying about weaving through crowds of people. Of course this was something vastly different than what she, or most people were used to. Iro, along with the heads of a couple bystanders turned to witness a splotch in the open sky grow as it descended from the sky with a controlled pace. Iro did not choose to enter in the check-in box again, but instead witness the phenomenon happen. Eventually the object would make itself apparent. There was a boy riding what would appear to be a mechanical bee or wasp, and upon closer inspection the presence of chakra strings were used to keep it functional. A compartment of the puppet would open revealing a small girl who was balled up just small enough to fit in. The man would have, from what Iro could observe, a challenging time rustling the female's body out of the compartment.

Iro quickly noticed the girl was motionless and unresponsive to his grabbing. It was something that would naturally alarm anybody: a stranger offering what would appear as a corpse without saying a word. Iro reached to the bo staff stored across her back with a single hand, yet not drawing it to prevent coming off as aggressive. "Whoa, hold up! Who are you and what is this? Who is this?" She said almost compulsively being hit with so many questions at once. It seemed the day was going to be one of those days, so she tried her best to mentally prepare herself for what over weird shenanigans that may happen for the rest of her station at the village gates. I think I prefer working in finances than this gig...

Shimiko arrived at the gates with a squad of scouts ready to find the missing genin. The two could have run off together to get married or they could just be playing hooky from their responsibilities. On the more sinister side, they could be using this mission as an excuse to go rogue or perhaps they had been attacked by a group of enemy shinobi. Whatever the case, Shimiko would find them and get answers as to why they had taken so long. The girl arrived at the gates wearing her signature ANBU mask along with standard issue ANBU uniform. A Kevlar vest-type armour paired with gauntlets clung to her tight figure. She wore black loose fitting ANBU pants and ninja scandals with two Sai strapped to each side of her hips. As the kunoichi strode forward she was backed by a squad of scouts all decked out in their gear and ready to go. The Chinoike had arrived just in time to see Shinoskay land from his mechanical bee and drag an unconscious young woman to the gates. He started explaining what had happened and she noticed a few choice things about what he had said. She paused as she also saw the Inazuma known as Léï Zhènyün. The same medic that had assisted Ryuko with healing Natsuru and several other members of the famed Valley squad. She trusted his instincts and did not interfere as the medical specialist escorted Akari from the gates and to the hospital. In keeping with ANBU tradition she remained silent until there was a direct and immediate need to speak. Akari wasn't dear to her as she hadn't known the girl long enough. Nevertheless there was something about her that made her believe that the Oni would have made a great Jashinist. There was a charm to her but also an undeniable potential for cruelty and violence. The exact sort of person the Church needed at a time when it was poised to grow exponentially for the first time in eons. It hurt to see her in such a sorry state and for some irrational reason Shimiko felt responsible.

Shimiko kept her face still even though the ANBU mask completely hid her expression. She turned to Iro and only said: "Let the Raikage know they've returned. I'm going to investigate what happened.". It was clear that by investigate Shimiko truly aimed to interrogate. There was no telling what was at play here and it was a matter of state security to gather information and take appropriate precautions. Shimiko dismissed the scouts and sent them back to their posts. There was no use for them anymore as the genin had arrived although not entirely safe and sound. She followed the group to the hospital albeit at a respectable distance.

[Exit]

Shinoskay more or less ignored her questioning, which managed to get under the girl's skin. Lei was less interested in what she was doing and more focused on getting the unconscious female to the nearest medical center. Yet, out of nowhere did the contingent of ANBU arrive, the leader of the group obviously being Shimiko. They mobilized quickly which was a bit to her surprise. Nonetheless, everything was practically back to normal. Iro assume Natsuru was fine seeing the positive turnout so far. After all, she was one of the more prominent Jounin in the village. If she couldn't hold her own she had powerful connections. She was given the task of letting Nariko know that Shinoskay and Akari have arrived, as the investigation was left to Shimiko. Iro nodded letting the gates clear up. The first thing Iro was going to do is fix the check-in log, putting Shinoskay, Lei, and Akari's status as "in" while adding other additional details. Next, she would begin drafting a letter on a piece of parchment using an ink pen. It would simply state her credentials and the status of the missing Shinobi returning to the village, as well as the incident at the gates and Shimiko and the ANBU status. The letter would see itself in Nariko's drop box if she was absent by the time she could send a messenger out. Regardless, she was guaranteed to receive the news today, if not, by tomorrow morning. Iro would resume her post at the check-in box keeping an eye out for arrivals.

The mood was chilly and low for the young alien. Finding where he belonged in a world that did not come from was always a journey. He thought his family had found its way, but they were fools. Drawn here in the pursuit of happiness. Such a thing was impossible for their family.

He'd have to make his own path away from them. Their influence on him would be no more. Maybe he'd be able to make a name for himself as a respectable shinobi in time. Perhaps. Fully dressed for his journey with all his items. With a heavy mind he made his to the city gates. At the top of the morning.  He passed by the gates and made his way out.

[Exit-Secret]
Use D rank speed

Upon stepping out of the gates he was stopped by none other than the cloud boy. For whatever reason he was up and early today. Asking all types of questions Seid did not have the time to answer. Nor would it work in his favor to as well. "

"I was going out. I'm sick of being cooped up in here. But I guess that's too continue now." Seid answered with a crossed expression.

"I hope to just be where I'm welcomed. Now will you let me go or will you come. Destination is we'll get there when we get there. I cannot dangle here." Seid answered. The boy was barring his path which made Seid stuck.

Of course they would do this. He expected as much but it still weighed down heavily on his concious. The idea that he would be forced to stay here would drive him insane eventually.

Mission:

“And why exactly do you feel you aren’t welcome here?” asked a feminine voice as Ryuko made her appeared casually strolling her way thought the gates and approaching the duo.  She had just arrived for a guard duty shift in time to catch the last snippit of their conversation and come over to investigate what was going on.

After a recent string of people leaving without permission they had decided to up security at the gates for now which meant a rotation of Jounin instead of the usual Chunnin that where left in charge just to make absolutely sure nobody would slip past that wasn’t supposed to.

Lei was supposed to be one of those Jounin as well and well she usually should have left it to him to handle this except he had just pulled that same stunt himself going outside the village without filing any of the proper paperwork first. Given how naive he was in general he might just be tempted to let Seid go Scot free.  Needless to say he had some work to do before she was confident enough that he would make the right call

“Tis seems to me as if you are geared up for more then just an evening stroll.  Surely you must have the proper documentation on you after taking such care to be prepared for your journey. But of course you must have forgot that at home” said Ryuko her voice thick with sarcasm as she got to that last bit.  As one of the Raikage’s attendants she knew darn well he had no such paperwork.

Letting out a long sigh she shock her head sadly. “Did it not occur to you to at least TRY asking Nariko for permission first if you wanted to leave so badly?  Our Raikage is not an unreasonable woman.  I’m absolutely sure she would have at least been willing to at least consider the request.   How could you be so stupid as to try and sneak off instead?  Do you want to be labeled a missing ninja that badly?” she chastised him

Seid appeared nonplussed by a newcomers demeanor. Not only cloud boy but another had shown. She immediately went on a tirade as it seemed it was her job to do. Despite her insulting him, he ignored it.

There was someone finally talking to him besides cloud boy. He did not know who she was, but he assumed she was a higher up official. The way she mentioned the Raikage without honorifics.

He began to reply to both, "Not at all uh...ma'am. I'm still here so no harm no foul. I'll remember to ask lord raikage next time. My apologies."

Crossing her arms Ryuko nodded emphatically as she listened to Seid’s apology which seemed a bit half-hearted to her but would have to do for now. He was young and had acted a bit rashly but it wasn’t really an offence worth throwing him in jail over, at least not when it was his first time commit it anyway.

“Good you better be sorry. Tis a waste of manpower to have to go chasing after someone simply because they felt like going out without telling us where they where going and when they might be coming back. Unless tis an emergency their is no good excuse for skipping the formalities. We have such protocals in place for good reason. How do you think we’d feel if you got into trouble and we where unable to respond in time because we had no idea where to start looking for you?” she asked him sternly. “Never forget that as a citizen of this land that your life is one of our nations greatest treasures.” she added trying to show him how truly concerned she was for him.

She shot Yun a look as she spoke letting him know that those words where equally for him as well. The reason she was worried about them was because she cared. Uncrossing her arms she held her hand out towards Seid offering it for him to shake.

“Let’s start over. I’m Ryuko of the Thundercats.” she said giving a much more casual title then normal since this wasn’t a formal setting. “As a Jounin how can I help you…” she said fishing for a name. It wasn’t like she knew ever gennin in the village like the back of her hand after all.

His plan on even getting near the gates to illicit some type of response from the higher ups was partially successful even though he got an earful. However they weren't mean, albeit absent for most of the time as he had never seen this Jounin before and he had been here for some years. She expressed what seemed to be an honest response on the state of things. Even saying that his life mattered, which he began to believe. The Jounin even said to start over, introducing herself as Ryuko of the Thundercats. Thundercats? Another group in Kumo it must be. Also a first of hearing about them as well.

"Well, pleased to meet you Ryuko-sensei. I am Seid Otsusuki. To a Jounin I only wish to go on a mission from time to time. I have been stuck in the village and would like to venture out. Or training for the upcoming exams. I am without a sensei but a few lessons couldn't hurt." Which was absolutely true. He had tackled a mission with Cloud Boy, where they took on some bandits. His first C rank mission as well. Now he needed more missions under his belt or training, so that he can fight in the Chuunin exams.

If Seid hadn’t seen her around in the last couple of years it was probably either because she hadn’t quite become a Jounin yet at that point or because she’d been busy with other things.   Out of all the ninja in the village she had to be among one of the busiest between the various duties she attended to.

She was one of Nariko’s attendants, a priestess at the local church as well as a doctor.  On top of that she also ran her own armor shop in addition regular training and missions.  The idea of running a full team of gennin on top of that seemed utterly ludicrous, but then again she had been looking for an apprentice to pass her skills on to.   If something happened to her in the line of duty she didn’t want the special secret techniques she had developed to go with her. Techniques she hadn’t shared with anyone so far, even Nariko.

So Otsusuki was his last name then. Where had she heard that one before? Well She was sure that it’d come to her eventually.  So he was looking for a teacher then, that made sense considering their weren’t enough to go around.  What few Jounin they did have where all stretched thin just like her.  Yun was doing his best to fill that gap, seemingly making it his life’s mission to flit about between the various academy graduates and take them out on missions but it was hard for him to give any one individual his undivided attention for long.

She couldn’t blame Seid for going a little stir crazy. The only type of missions gennin where typically allowed to take on by themselves where so banal she herself had never bothered with any of them.  Things like painting fences and pulling weeds where mere busywork far beneath the likes of someone like her.

“What are you on about Lei-kun? My code name is Black panther for Hakkin’s sake.” she said feeling exasperated.  Seid she could forgive for not having heard of her team but Yun was a Jounin and should have know at least that much about her considering they where far from strangers.    She still remembered the time shortly after they had first met when she had found he was older then her despite looking much younger.  How exasperated she had been that he had outranked her at the time despite the fact the only thing he had over her was raw speed.  

“Anyhow.” she said clearing her throat. “You need someone to train you and take you on missions in order to get ready for the exams so I’ll do it.” She said volunteer her services. “Seid you’ll be the first member of my squad.  We don’t have much time to prepare so I hope you’re ready to work yourself hard.  What do you say we head on over to the training fields? I need to see what you can do first before I can take you outside after all.” she suggested.

Cloud boy was honest though Seid had trouble understanding him. He figured the mind of Jounin took different approaches in understanding. He offered his help when necessary as he had before.

Ryuko also interjected her thoughts as well. Saying he was the first member her squad. Elated at the thought of a manned squad was to good to pass. She wanted him to follow her to the training fields to test his mettle first. To see how he would fair in a mission.

"I am honored by your appointment. And lead the way sensei. I am eager to learn." He answered the Jounin. He would accept her offer and head towards the training grounds.