Finding metal for Medical Supplies

[Kanade]

Chiaki moved through Rock country without really any sense of direction or where she was going to end up. She might stumble upon Iwagakure by accident, but it was unlikely enough. Readjusting her headband in her bag once more, she shouldered it and looked around. She was sporting her shinto robes and carrying her pewter staff with 4 rings on it, walking along at a good pace, but not taxing.

"What am I going to get up to today-cha?" She asked the mountains to the right of her, looking to the steep down-slope to her left afterwards with a shudder. It would hurt to go tumbling down that, but luckily she was able to hug the right side of the road and had been passed by a couple of people already who were rather respectful, probably due to her shinto robes.

She had placed a blessing on a sick child, going to hospital, and didn't want to give away that she was a medical ninja but could tell that the child had food poisoning and would be fine without any interference from her. She wanted to keep as low a profile as possible.

What she was really looking for was either a master of metal-working jutsu, or a master craftsman to make her medical supplies.

Who might that be you ask?

She had no clue. Chiaki moved her hair back over her scar and kept moving along, her staff making a light 'tic-tic-tic' as she moved along the road which reverberated in the mountains around her. If she could learn the secrets of metal jutsu, perhaps she could make her own tools, but barring that, perhaps she could at least trade for medical grade steel, that is, steel that wouldn't rust in a patient, nor cause undue stress or strain on a person when implanted. If she got her way though, she would be taught how to extract metal from the earth, to make her own medical grade steel, so that her medical tools could help save people's lives without too much strain.

In order for that to happen though, she still had to figure out where the heck she was, and find a ninja of the village hidden in the rocks, which was rather like finding a needle hidden in a proverbial rock pile.

[Niro]

Tatsuo and Natsumi slowly trekked along one of the mountain paths winding through the mountains of Earth Country. There had been a rare illness in one of the mountain communities and they had sent their fastest scout to ask for aid from the village. Natsumi, being one to not only find an interest in rare illnesses but keen on helping people, was quick to jump on the task. Her and Tatsuo had packed quickly for the trip before following the scout back to the village.

Once there, she was quick to get to work. Tatsuo, meanwhile, was just there to serve as a layer of protection. He had been bored behind the desk and left a shadow clone to deal with any paperwork while he was away. The trip was long enough for him to recover his chakra but more boring than he had anticipated. Not even a single bandit tried to rob them along the way! During his time as a genin, he could always count on some idiot trying to do something. He had dozed off at one point on his feet while she was busy concocting some medication for the boy only to be stirred awake when she left the tent some time later.

Natsumi filled him in on the disease but anything medical went in one ear and right out the other concerning him. He knew some iijutsu and other medical techniques but she was the one who taught him and truly shined. He nodded and smiled as she went on and they left the small village. Now, he found himself on the way back. He heard the tinkling of the rings before he saw her but as the pair rounded one of the corners on the trail, Natsumi and another woman collided. The blonde stumbled backwards and Tatsuo held out an arm to catch her before looking to the other woman and checking on her.

"You okay, miss?"

[Kanade]

Chiaki wasn't paying attention, again. Really she had better keep better track of where she was going to begin with, especially in a foreign country. She ran headlong into a blonde woman and fell herself, clutching at her belongings, her staff ricocheting off of a rock and clattering away. It was rather comical to see, not to live through though. She sighed and crawled to grab her staff before righting herself, looking at the other woman who had apparently not been watching where she was going either, "Ah, yeah-cha. I am alright I just was wandering around the outskirts here trying to find someone to help me with plying my trade. I am a medical Kunoichi-cha." She dusted the seat of her robes off and then did the awkward head-jerky twisty movement trying to get a good look at her own rump, making sure that she wasn't going around with a dust-ridden behind.

"I am actually looking for either a crafter, or someone who knows the metal jutsu thingy so that I can have them help me make some medical supplies. I seem to be running into trouble with the medical supplies that I have rusting, falling apart, or even giving people secondary infections which turn rather nasty if left untreated." She got her bag off her shoulder, opened it and displayed her rather meticulous set of medical supplies. She had mentioned that she was a kunoichi, but she hoped that it would roll off the conversation as she explained each of the things that she was carrying, and why it was sub-par.

"Finding someone to make me the tools, or teaching me how to make the tools would be more than ideal, that way I don't have to make a trek back to-." Chiaki looked around and shrugged, scratching the side of her neck in trepedation, "Uh, wherever I am- to get supplies from them after I've stitched up more people." She shrugged and looked at the two travellers.

"I'm Chiaki, and you two are-cha?" She left out her last name, as it was a symbol of her village, and she knew better than to give out her last name outside of the country to 'just anyone'. She had been taught that, painfully, by Maido before she made this rather clandestine trip to- wherever she was currently.

"You two wouldn't happen to know anyone who might be able to help-cha?" She asked, extending her hand after re-adjusted her supplies, her pack, and herself after being jostled. It wasn't hard to do, given her frailty and lack of strength.

[Niro]

Based on her questions and how she spoke, this was the woman Maido had reported to Tatsuo through the channels she had laid down before going and blowing up part of Kumogakure if rumors were to be believed. When he had first heard the news through Kinomichi, after just being told the news of the Mizukage, he was ready to strangle the Bannin. It seemed no matter who Tatsuo got the man settled in with, the other person died. Maybe he could ship him into Konoha? Or Kumo? Do the hard work for him? The only thing that had saved Michi neck was the information following her death that she had anchored herself to a host and wasn't fully dead. Now the Fukusha was keeping an eye on the others within the organization as they were all people on Iwagakure's radar in some form or fashion. What better way to keep an eye on them than with the Tsuchikage's Spear? The woman in front of them was one of the very people in the organization and part of the reason Maido had done what she had did in Kumogakure.

"You must be Maido's friend then. Hm, not what I was expecting given her usual company of Kirigakure shinobi." Tatsuo replied once the young woman was done introducing herself. "I hear you're recently...untethered from your home. We'd be happy to welcome you to Iwagakure for the time being, Chiaki." He continued with a curt nod of his head. The blonde haired woman next to Tatsuo side eyed him for a moment for how easily he was willing to accept one of Maido's associates after the Witch had just blown up a different village. Whatever happened was on his head and she hoped he knew it.

"I can't exactly teach you Kouton jutsu right from the start but we'd be plenty willing to supply you with whatever you need to practice and, if you'll be accepting the invitation, a place to stay."

[Kanade]

Chiaki gulped and breathed in and out a couple of times to steady herself. She had been taught by Shinjiro not to beat around the bush, and certainly not to say, ‘cha’ at the end of her sentences. She had outgrown it, though it did crop up from time to time now and again when she was speaking still. She gave a wide grin, not quite reaching her eyes before speaking once more, “I am-was-” She corrected and pulled a loose strand of crimson behind her ear as the sadness showed on her face now, more plain than ever at the hurt and loss of Maido. “I was Maido’s apprentice until she-” She gulped and cleared her throat. Chiaki closed her eyes and nodded.

“It wasn’t what she was expecting either, truth be told when she took me as an apprentice. There were times that she and Shinjiro thought that they were going to break me.” She gave a smile that pretended to be strong behind the weak jaw that she had. “I am untethered to my home, and am looking for another one. I was-” She stopped and shook her head, “I was looking for a way to save someone that was beyond saving, and was unfortunate enough as to catch the Raikage’s ire, he does not forgive easily.”

She bowed her head and shoulders to the man and looked up, “I appreciate your offer, may I ask whom I am speaking with?” She gave a small smile. She hadn’t studied the bingo book, didn’t know Tatsuo by any sort of identifier, and he could be one of a thousand look-alikes as well. Perhaps he was some sort of Bannin of the village?

“Kouton was one of the reasons that I came here, but so was the smiths and smithing that is available here.” She nodded, “You’re quite informed. Maido must have told you much of what I wanted and needed before her-” She stopped again and waved it away, “I regret to inform you that you won’t be seeing her again. She, uh-”

What, did she sacrifice herself for Chiaki? Did she strike a deciding blow against the Raikage? Did she bring Chiaki to her senses about the regime of the land of lightning? Did she really know what she was doing or was it just an impulse? “She died at the hands of the Raikage. I appreciate any kindness that you can offer, shelter, food, knowledge, anything.” She meant it too. There weren’t enough people in the world that weren’t tete-a-tete. She tilted her head slightly at the blonde woman’s silence, and her seemingly judging stare, both between the man and herself. She pulled at her clothing, trying to make herself more presentable.

‘Chest out, chin up.’ She coached herself, waiting for the man to take in and respond to the news. She didn’t know how he would take it. Rather, she didn’t know whether it would be a mistake to tell him now.

[Niro]

Tatsuo waited patiently for the girl in front of him to finish. As she spoke, he looked her over. She was small, obviously not someone well versed in taijutsu or kenjutsu. Like other ninjutsu users, her frame was frail. They'd need to fatten her up, just a bit, and teach her how to defend herself if her ninjutsu wasn't enough. Definitely someone with potential who could be of use to the village.

"Listen well, Chiaki. I am the Tsuchikage of Iwagakure no Sato. Fortunately for you, Hayate the Lightning Emperor has no power in these lands. I've been informed and briefed on what had happened in Kumogakure and subsequent events. Kintsugi is more closely aligned with Iwagakure than what is publicly, or privately, known. I'll send word to Shinjiro that you're safe in Iwagakure and he can come visit or collect you at any time. For now, you can relax. You're with friends." Tatsuo went on, bringing his closed left fist to his chest with a thud as he spoke.

"As I mentioned, I can't quite just give you access to one of our village secrets right off the bat. Once the paperwork is done and some trust is built, however, we'd be happy for you to learn how to use it." Tatsuo continued before the blonde woman to his side cut him off with a clearing of her throat and a look that most men would shrivel at.

"The council is going to be pissed about you welcoming a Kumogakure missing ninja into the village." She lectured him, her left hand falling to her hip while her right hands fingers drummed against her thigh.

"They can fight me 'bout it." Tatsuo replied, shooting a wild grin her way. "Now, dear wife, please take us home."

Natsumi shook her head and the look on her face softened into a barely there smile before she began to channel chakra and a Space-Time portal swirled into existence behind the two of them linked to his office in the Jousai Headquarters.

"Are you coming or not?" Tatsuo asked Chiaki as Natsumi stepped through first and he offered his fellow redhead a gloved hand.

[Kanade]

Chiaki, as he was looking her up and down felt rather small compared to the man that called himself the Tsuchikage. Of all of the people to stumble on in this land she had to land in the lap of the Tsuchikage. She had been told by Maido that they were… friends? Acquaintances? She couldn’t remember currently, only that she had been on very close terms with the man called Tatsuo.

“I hadn’t heard that it was aligned with anyone actually much,” Chiaki responded as soon as she was told, “I was only aware that Maido had a connection with you and a hunch that if I came here I could find the necessary tools to keep myself, and the ones I care for safe.”

She breathed a sigh of relief as she was told that Shinjiro would be told that she was safe and added, “Do you mind giving him the message to tell Kirari and my pupil as well?” She blushed a little, having to bow her head multiple times in the asking.

She realized she was with friends, but to have someone as great as the Tsuchikage speak to her like this, she felt rather out of place. When she had left the Raikage had called her a child, had said that she didn’t understand how the world worked, had told her that she wasn’t going to make it past Chuunin. She had made a mistake, he said, in having Maido teach her.

Tatsuo waited patiently for the girl in front of him to finish. As she spoke, he looked her over. She was small, obviously not someone well versed in taijutsu or kenjutsu. Like other ninjutsu users, her frame was frail. They'd need to fatten her up, just a bit, and teach her how to defend herself if her ninjutsu wasn't enough. Definitely someone with potential who could be of use to the village.

She nodded as he mentioned the secrets. She was actually more of an open book than any of the other shinobi and she didn’t know why they kept their secrets so close to the chest. This wasn’t her concern, however, and she continued to listen. Paperwork, trust, yes, the whole thing would need to happen before she was trusted. This was to be expected.

The blonde actually seemed like she knew more about what the elders and the council would want. Chiaki was surprised that it was his wife, and understood now why he was so cool around her.

Chiaki channeled a bit of chakra and dropped a stone, an anchor back to where she had started and nodded to him, “I am coming!” she reached out and took the gloved hand and stepped through the portal. She grinned, ear to ear, and looked around, “I enjoy the architecture, how old is it?” She looked from wife, to husband, back to wife, and wondered who she should be talking to, the head of the household or the head of the village.

[Niro]

Tatsuo wasn't blind to the channeled chakra nor did he really care about what she had done. He had seen Natsumi do it dozens if not hundreds of times; create an anchor to escape to just in case. Good, the girl wasn't too naïve and trusting. It'd serve her well going forward in this world of theirs. As they went through the portal, Tatsuo could feel the chakra pulling at his being and within a moment they were within his office at Headquarters.

The large bay window overlooking the village gave quite the spectacular view. Buildings rose up into the sky and even higher than them were the Fangs of the Minabe no Kabe arched over the village. People looked like ants as they moved about below the castle entombed in the side of the mountain range going to and fro. Tatsuo pondered the question for a moment before answering.

"...Hm, I received and renovated the castle upon promotion to Bannin and creation of the organization four years ago or so. Before that? It had been left unattended for quite some time. I couldn't tell you how old this place truly was as Iwagakure is the oldest of the villages."

They were interrupted by a seal of Natsumi's going off with a crackle and glow of chakra.

"Ma'am, you're required at the hospital. We've had some squads come back from the Catacombs worse for wear." The voice projected by the seal relayed and with a tsk Natsumi disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Ah, excuse her. She's not just my handler but the chief surgeon at our main hospital." Tatsuo explained as he lead them out of his office and down the hall of the multistory castle where a spiral staircase heading to the base level met them. "Let's head to the actual Administrator Building for the village as we can begin the process there along with getting you set with a place to stay."

The exit of the castle from the base of the stairs was a short walk and once more they were out in elements. A light snow fall had begun while they were instead and Tatsuo led the way down the path and into the busy streets below where people mosied about on their day-to-day dealings. From where the Castle had been, the Building wasn't too far but just enough for them to pass through an open market or two where Chiaki would be able to sample just how life in the village actually was versus the depiction of it by those who feared them.

[Kanade]

Chiaki, pocketing the anchor and looking around was amazed by the spaciousness of the architecture. She was so far above the ground and the people outside that it seemed like Kumogakure and everywhere that she had grown up was just some boy playing at being emperor when here was a solid castle of old. The mountains of Kumogakure were higher, that was true, and more jagged, but these made up for it in bulk and size. She listened to his answer and nodded, it felt like history was pressing in on her from every side. Kumogakure felt new, and this felt poised and old. Like the difference between new money and old money.

“A link Fuuinjutsu?” She tilted her head as Natsumi warped out, marvelling at the speaker-phone feature, and nodded as she did excuse Natsumi.

“I was a head doctor for a while at Kumogakure no Sato general hospital.” She chewed on her bottom lip, “Now I just have the Personal Space hospital.” She shrugged, and walked down the hall to the spiral staircase in tow after the Tsuchikage.

“Are all visitors registered here or just those above a certain rank?” Chiaki asked, absentmindedly as she ran a hand over the walls and smiled at the architecture.

The light snowfall didn’t bother Chiaki as she made a scant hand sign and pressed it to her own temple, turning off the cold-receptors on her silicone e-body. She looked up, the gray sky with the brown mountains and the castle felt very gothic to her and she grinned up at the openness of it all. Kumogakure, while it was her home, felt very cloistered and she marveled at the spaciousness of the village.

Chiaki walked through the open markets with an expression of curiosity and wonder. There were shops in Kumogakure but there weren’t this many people, or this many wares to sample. She was always one that loved to shop, so something this tempting was almost too hard to pass up. Chiaki felt herself drawn to one of the shops with an alexandrite necklace on display before she had to almost physically slap herself back to her senses and followed Tatsuo.

“I feel like I have a million questions, not the least of which is why you are the one escorting me through the village when a Chuunin could have done it as well.” She picked up a steaming hot-cake and gave a few ryo to the seller, placing it in her mouth and munching happily on it.

“I feel very honored, and rather overestimated.” She mused, looking between the people and grinning while chewing like a secondary school girl walking through a shopping mall.

[Niro]

Tatsuo didn't say anything about Chiaki also having quite the medical expertise but did file it away. Just in case. It never hurt to have another medical shinobi on hand, especially in today's age. Fights were still going on and lands were still be conquered. There would always be a need for another medic.

"We'll be looking to establish you as some form of citizen and grant you immunity from the Lightning Empire in the event they do find out you're here. The more integrated you appear, the harder it'll be for anyone to agree to give you up, if it came to it. Basically, the less fighting I have to do with the Council, the better."

The people they passed by were friendly to the pair, especially to Tatsuo. It was almost hard at times for them to continue as a small crowd began to trail behind them. The work he had done over his career as a shinobi was something near everybody in the village had benefitted from and his ascension to the position of Kage had only elevated him even further in the eyes of the general populace. Even the Rock Daimyo was overtly fond of him, a person who was usually quite stuck up and haughty. Finally they were able to reach the Administration Building where Tatsuo held open the door for Chiaki to enter.

"Well, for one, Natsumi is a Sensor and noticed your huge chakra reserves the moment you came into her range. Nowhere near the average level of Kumogakures reported C-rank fugitive. Second, you escaped Kumogakure after drawing the Emperor's ire. Not many can claim to do that. If anything, I feel you're underestimating yourself." Tatsuo explained as they came upon a receptionists desk where multiple workers were filing, filling out forms, writing up forms, sending forms out, receiving forms, etc. The dark haired man they stopped in front of stopped what he was doing and bowed his head as he noticed the Kage.

Tatsuo requested a specific set of forms from the man who scurried off to a filing cabinet and came back with them with haste. The Tsuchikage dug around in his coat pocket for a moment before retrieving a stamp, his exclusive mark of office, and marking the papers with them before handing them off to Chiaki.

"Those are some expedited immigration and housing forms. Once you fill out and submit those, we can get you a more stable residence here in the village. For now, there's plenty of open bunks in the Jousai headquarters to pick from." He put the stamp away back in his duster before once again beginning to move, this time towards the exit of the building. Once more the brisk mountain air would greet them as they left the building and he began the trek back towards the Castle. "We can also get you permissions to work at the hospital once those go through as well if you'd like."

[Kanade]

She nodded along with thim for the formal immunity from the lightning empire especially if they wanted to extradite her. She wasn’t a fan of extradition to somewhere that would most likely lock her up and use her as an immortal chakra-battery for all time. She shuddered to think about that, visibly.

“I would like it if you didn’t have to fight with the council at all, especially on my behalf.” She curtseyed to him a bit, “But all the same I thank you for going to bat for me on this. I was wondering if there were any missions that you think I would be suited for, or anything else that I can do to aid the village. Helping people is what we Kyoukan are all about, and I am no stranger to it.”

She noticed their tail getting longer by the minute of the people of Iwagakure. It couldn’t be her so she ruled that it must be Tatsuo’s appearance within their ranks that warranted this kind of attention. She hadn’t met with the raikage except for twice, once for food and once for a training lesson that turned into a sparring lesson. The rest of the time it was just the handing down of missions and such that was the day in and day out of the life of a shinobi.

She looked up at the administration building, looming overhead like some sort of cloud on the horizon. It would bring rain, she thought, it would bring water to the new life that she was starting here. Nodding to herself she was sure that this was it.

“I-” She responded and then nodded, “I am very bad about covering up my chakra reserves, and perhaps should be more diligent about it when I am roaming the countryside but I don’t mind being spotted usually, as I am non-combative by nature and by tutelage.” One of her butterflies alighted on her staff and she nuzzled it while she listened to her other accolades, “You summed it up quite succinctly.” She nodded, “I did have help with leaving as you probably well know?” She raised an eyebrow to see if he did indeed know about the flight from Kumogakure, literally.

She walked up with the Kage and as he requested papers, she noted the man that did as he was told with expedition and accuracy, a boon to have someone so well-organized in this position and a contrast to the old book keeper in Kumogakure that she had to deal with when she was there.

Chiaki collected the papers proffered to her, housing arrangements, immigration documents, license to work for the kage- she flipped through them all nodding as he was listing them off. “I ah, do you mind telling my where the Jousai Headquarters is? It is quite literally my first time inside the city. Oh, and do you mind if I drop another anchor here, so that I don’t have to find my way back should I have any questions about the paperwork?” She asked both Tatsuo and the man behind the desk.

“I would love to work in the hospital if given the chance.” She had to say, not feigning nor needing to feign the excitement that she had with curing people, diagnosing, and helping people with their ailments, “If you’d let me that is. I know that the people there are vulnerable, but I feel quite capable of getting everyone there that is a patient of mine back on their feet.” She did, as well, since she had learned of the reversal of time so that she could even keep death at bay for a little bit longer should she make the wrong diagnosis, which happened only once in ten thousand patients. She had a very good record.

“I would give you my resume, er, but it’s kinda with the rest of my papers in Kumogakure no Sato.” She stated as she signed the last paper, able to talk and read through documents at the same time which had been learned in the hospital setting before.

[Niro]

"The Jousai headquarters is the very castle we stepped out of earlier." Tatsuo pointed across the village and at the castle carved into the mountain valley. "You already know where it is, should be easy enough to get back to. Just don't get too sidetracked by the markets."

"We can figure out the minute details about getting you authorized with the hospital later but for now I'm sure Natsumi can talk with whoever needs to be talked to about getting you some sort of position. It's never a bad idea to have another medic on staff. I, however, have a meeting with someone from the Daimyo's court within the hour and must take my leave. Feel free to bug any of the aides back in this administration building for help but it'll be goodbye for now.

Welcome to Iwagakure." Tatsuo called out before he tapped the toe of his boot to the ground and jumped upwards into the air. He then kicked again, this time against nothing, before rocketing through the air towards the Tsuchikage Tower even deeper within the village.