[Plotboard] Find the Caravan

[Willoria]

Tear down the Rafters Kazue wasn't sure what to expect as she made her way to the village exit, her eyes scanning either side of her as she went. Even in the village the woman rarely dropped her guard, she had seen too many done in by those they trusted or least suspected to really think the village walls made her some form of safe. Truth be told she was tempted to drop into her feline form once she got near her destination, it could be a chance to scope out whoever she was meeting before being forced to introduce herself. But she had been told a particular Karagata would be among the pair she was going on this mission with, and she did not want to risk insult to the very clan she had sworn herself to serve. Though truth be told she hoped it would be Riku. He was the only member of the Karagata she had spent a great deal of time around and the pair had learned to work together and almost seamlessly. They knew one another, their tactics, habits, movements... all the things that made them a great pair. Despite the fact that she would be meeting a Bannin for the first time, she wasn't all that excited about it. The man's reputation preceded him... but that was half the problem. His reputation wasn't just for his work as an assassin for the village.

She made it to the gate and found a bench to sit down on, leaning back as if getting comfortable even though her eyes constantly scanned the area. She adjusted her red scarf, pulling it up over her head as a hood before both hands went to rest behind her back, one of them gently resting against the hilt of her khyber knife. The feel of the hilt against her hand was a comfort and was the closest thing to 'feeling relaxed' she would get as she watched for her new companions.

[Trucro]

“Aaaaaaaghwwwwaahhhh.” Akiro stretched his arms out as he yawned. He opened his eyes, and looked around the room. His room was sizeable, compared to many of the others that his friends had purchased after becoming shinobi. That was the benefit of living in a compound owned by the Jouchaku Clan, and not some random apartment in a crappy side of the village. Despite being large, however, his room was quite messy; dirty clothes covered the ground, and several open scrolls remained on the sole desk across from his bed.

Akiro carefully emerged from his bed, scratching his leg as he did. He stumbled over to a cabinet and opening its wooden doors, revealed Akiro’s remaining clean clothes; a single pair of pants, a black T-shirt, and his coat. As he got dressed, he glanced out his window. He loved his room, as it pointed to the east, so every morning he could clearly see the rising sun. The sun seemed to be missing from his view this morning, though. It took Akiro a moment to realize; he had woken up late! He threw his clothes on as quickly as possible, stuffed food pellets into his pouch, and grabbed half a loaf of bread from the kitchen counter before rushing out the door. He grabbed his sword from just outside the entrance to the compound before running towards the village gates.

He arrived a bit flustered and out-of-breath. But he didn’t see anyone waiting at the gates. His instructions said that the team would be meeting there. He glanced up at the sun, thinking that perhaps he wasn’t as late as he thought. As he directed his sight back down, he noticed someone was sitting on a bench nearby. He couldn’t see her face, as she was wearing some sort of red hood that seemed detached from any coat. But she was in good shape; perhaps she was one of his team members. He paused for a moment, trying not to look like he was staring at the woman before deciding to ask. He slowly shuffled over to the girl.

“Hey, are you…” Akiro realized just then that he did not remember the name of his teammates. He was usually good at remembering things, but he must not have thought this particular fact was important. “…my teammate?” he covered for himself flawlessly. “My name’s Akiro Jouchaku, I’m supposed to meet my team here.”

[Flankingfox]

Right as the boy finished speaking, Shiv appeared almost instantly right beside the two. The garb he wore today was that of his one piece black jumpsuit! What a perfect choice for some light action outside the village. There was nothing better than feeling practically naked while among your peers, especially when one of them was quite the juicy individual pledged solemnly to serve house Karagata. Fascinating! People usually had to be forced to serve the house, but she willingly came to them without coerce or having been mentally tortured. Without wasting time Shiv generously glanced over her, from head to toe, within the safety of his helmet. Kazue's report wasn't far from the mark. She was quite the looker in real life as well. How could somebody so beautiful have such a tragic past? Enough thinking, it was time to introduce this idiot Jouchaku to the sharp end of his machete! Oh, never mind. That was for later when they found one of those Azamuku. Or maybe right now with that idiotic question in need of an answer of some sort. In an icy cold tone Shiv answered with a bitterness usually found in those too old for this line of work. "Good morning! Yes. This is your comrade... However, you did raise an excellent question! Have you even read the briefing for today? Everything you need to know has been outlined in there. So, you should already know who she is, and if you haven't read that at the very least, then what use are you to me?!"

Shiv then slithered gracefully and without the faintest of sound onto the bench. With one motion he stretched his arms upward to get a kink out from having to rush here from his office so hastily. Truth be told, he hadn't even read the briefing himself, but he had to at least look professional in the vicinity of those below him. Karagata, Midori, his personal assistant, had verbally blasted him about the details while he lethargically got ready after one long night of partying in the inner ring with the upper echelons of Kirigakure. Most of which was still a fuzzy looking blur. But, that didn't mean the activity wasn't the least bit fun! Well, that would sure explain why Midori had been so angry with the champion. What she didn't know couldn't harm her right?!

With a tone as smooth as the way he moved, Shiv put his arm down upon the bench and allowed a few fingers to gently graze Kazue. "Kazue, would you mind going over the details for this baka so we don't miss our transport... it would be quite annoying for you two if we had to traverse the entire way to the mainland by foot..."

The champion of the village worded what was said like a question, but it was more or less a command. The truth of the matter was this was a test for the two jounin. They were both potential recruits for the infamous hunter ninja unit, but first they needed to prove their worth in the eyes of the leader of that particular group. Thus far, Kazue had a distinct advantage that Akiro would never possess! Maybe that was a bit too biased, yet the champion couldn't help himself during times like this. All in all, the two better get to it. Water walking wasn't fun over miles of ocean...

Casually Shiv looked toward the docks. The once grand gate in the back of the group painted quite the delightful backdrop to start their day. Each time Shiv got to come through here meant he could partake in a bit of nostalgia to a time years ago when he was not but a young man like Akiro. Unfortunately it also meant going over a variety of memories best left in the past. Shiv sighed slightly and stood up, patiently awaiting their next move.

[Willoria]

Within the cloth that served as a hood, Kazue's pale blue eyes shifted to Akiro as he spoke to her and the woman looked him over head to toe as he spoke. She weighed his question, not yet having answered it as Shiv made his appearance. It wasn't hard for the woman to realize that the Karagata hadn't read the briefing either and was just covering that fact with his statements, she had already been warned by her former partner of some of Shiv's antics, including the fact that the man would probably try to get in her pants at some point.

Instead of answering either of them, the woman stood up straight and reached up a hand to pull the dark cloth from her head so that it simply draped around her shoulders and neck once more. If Shiv had been anyone else she may have had a smartass remark for him, or simply called out the fact that both of them were behaving as 'baka' if neither had read their brief. But he was Karagata, and she had sworn herself to the family. As such the woman didn't even sigh in resignation as she began to speak. "We are going after a Caravan, run by Azamuku Daichi, one of the three brothers we are to target." She glanced at Shiv briefly as she spoke, her eyes showing zero emotion just as her tone remained fairly even with only enough variance to keep from putting the pair to sleep with a monotone. "The Caravan runs on land. We will board a ship that will take us to the land they operate from, and begin our tracking there." she informed them as her eyes shifted to the gates that would lead to the docks.

"The Captain owes me a favor, so it won't cost us anything. Just follow me." she said, turning to look at Shiv long enough again to incline her head as a show of respect for the man, a respect for the family she served, that he might understand that what she said was obviously not a command to him, only her recommendation. Yet the woman turned and started walking towards the gate, a moment later her form suddenly vanished and a fluffy white cat was in her place, trotting along towards the docks.

The walk wouldn't take long, their target vessel was a merchant ship and only the third one down along the dock. As the Kazue feline trotted along the men stepped aside for her and the two shinobi following her. The captain himself saw her as she reached the steps up to the vessel and the cat sat down at the base of the steps and waited in silence, blue eyes staring the man down.

The captain stared back a moment before clearing his throat and grinning. "Ah my friend!" he called. "Please, come aboard, we're leaving any minute now!" he addressed her, as if a cat was an everyday passenger that should be greeted just as a human.

[Trucro]

Akiro furrowed his brow as he listened to Shiv’s reprimands. He had never met the man before, but he had heard a lot. He was supposedly a great warrior, but Akiro had figured he might be humble as well. Apparently not. He attacked Akiro verbally without mercy. Of course, Akiro did notice that Shiv had not called him by his name; it was likely the Kiri champion didn’t care enough to learn it. Akiro was a little hurt by the Bannin’s jabs, but more disappointed in Shiv’s personality. What a waste, he thought; such power, and so little substance. Akiro reminded himself to keep an open mind about the champion. After all, first impressions were so often wrong. Akiro would prove that proverb to Shiv himself.

He listened to the girl, whose name was Kazue, carefully; the whole of the mission sounded familiar. He was certain he had read the brief before, but it was pointless to try to regain favor with the group by vocalizing that. No, he needed to get off of his previous mistake, and let everyone else forget about it. He would just focus on the mission.

Akiro was more than a little surprised when the girl transformed into a small white cat, but he finally recognized who she must be. She was Kazue Aino; her sister, rumor had it, had left the village and become an enemy of Kirigakure. He wasn’t certain how the feud ended; perhaps he’d become comfortable enough to ask her at some point. But that wasn’t now, and Akiro didn’t feel much like talking at all.

He made his way onto the merchant’s vessel and found a good place to sit against the side. He removed his sword, carefully placing it beside him, before plopping down on the deck and leaning against the railing. As a child, Akiro suffered from severe sea sickness, but having to travel so often, he had gotten over it years ago. Now, the swaying back and forth of the ship was almost soothing.

As the ship left the port, Akiro looked back at the village. It wasn’t much to look at; the mist covered most of it. Still, through the haze, the shapes of the cliffs surrounding the village could be seen. He looked at the village and his thoughts turned to the same thing they always did when he saw the village from a distance. He wondered what life would be like if Nao was with him on the boat. She’d probably snicker at Shiv’s sharp words, and make Akiro not worry so much about the approval of the others. She’d make him relax; just thinking about her, she seemed to have that lingering effect.

Akiro sighed as the village slowly disappeared in the mist, and the boat cut through the silent waters of Water Country.

[Flankingfox]

Interesting...

Kazue had just displayed something that many of these fledgling Jounin lacked today; discipline. A reserved discipline at that which was far more desirable. An excellent trait for such a youthful yet classy vixen. There weren't many that would outright take such obnoxiousness without so much as a comment at least. Shouldn't be too surprising, as this young woman did come from a harsher background than most. The words that came out of her mouth were beautifully dismal in the best of ways, exactly what Shiv expected out of a weapon. If he hadn't been so perceptive he might have even believed her to be completely without emotion, but that was an impossibility.

When Kazue finished she looked Shiv's way and gestured out of respect. An innocent action, but it had an almost surreal effect on the man who was likely not thinking straight at the moment anyway. Not to let that get to his head at the moment, Shiv openly accepted the recommendation to follow suit. Allowing somebody else to take the reigns was refreshing. The freedom from making all the decisions also allowed him time to mentally prepare for the day. Blunt was the word to describe his mind right now. If anything serious was to actually happen he needed it to be ready. There was no better fix than a bottle of sake to get the mind clear of any distractions...

But! Before Shiv could even pull out the bottle, Kazue turned into a kitty. Sure there were the rumors of this peculiar ability, but to see it first hand was all the more dreamlike, especially coming from somebody that wasn't the former genma host; Katsu. Shiv had seen Katsu turn into a variety of different animals so this wasn't exactly new for the champion, yet it was oddly unique in the fact that the kitty was so cute. Down inside the cold husk Shiv called a body, there was still a heart. For once, that heart was not just pumping blood, but also feeling too. Shiv then thought about doing something out of character. Instead of doing what he had wanted, Shiv simply followed while sipping at his bottle of sake every so often.

Would it be awkward to lift her up and pet her under the chin?! Yeah, probably a bit too soon for something like that.

When they reached the transport Shiv almost scoffed outwardly. This was their transportation for the day? How on earth would they reach the mainland in time to actually accomplish their mission. There wasn't enough sake in this bottle to last the entirety of the ride. Pushing that dreadful thought aside he strolled aboard the ship, carefully scanning over everything to make sure things were in order. No doubt they were, yet the habit remained from the years working with his father in the slaving shipyards. Shiv stopped for a moment to glance at Akiro who was looking at the village quite intensely.

What was going through this boys head was a mystery, yet from Akiro's background he was probably dealing with the same shit Shiv was, just differently of course. Shiv having allowed his weakness to at one point fully consume him, it was surprising he even managed to function properly in day to day operations. Fortunately for him, the village was in need of the skills he had gathered over the years. So instead of openly acknowledging this issue, not that they were truly aware of the intensity, they simply swept it under the rug per say.

"Hey Aki, from that look on your face, you look like you can appreciate a stiff drink... Here take a swig of this piss..." Shiv barked in a somewhat more relaxed tone than before. He passed the drink to Akiro before leaning beside the boy and gazing at the village as well. Shiv utterly hated leaving the village. This was his home. The place that he felt most comfortable. Also, it was oddly great for his skin. Natural moisture allowed his skin to breath and not turn all orange, bronze, and burnt!

[Trucro]

Akiro turned towards Shiv, averting his gaze from the direction of the village. They were already too far away to see anything, so he was looking at much. He was surprised at the champion’s offer; up until this moment, Akiro’s presence seemed to annoy him. Whatever had happened either revealed Shiv’s true feelings, showing Akiro that Shiv was pretending to be irritated, or had caused a change of heart. Akiro didn’t know what was in the bottle, but there was no question it was some form of alcohol. Akiro gulped before reaching out his arm, motioning for Shiv to stop.

“No thanks,” he said, almost immediately wishing he hadn’t. He did want Shiv to like him, but not because he drank sake with him. “I never drink on a mission.” This was true, but it wasn’t backed up by any negative experiences. True, alcohol lowered reaction time, and reduced thinking clearly. This might make him sound like a prude, but he didn’t want to risk anything. Besides, if he drank on a boat, he had no doubt his childhood sea sickness would return, and that was not a pretty sight. “Thanks, though.”

Akiro turned back around to look at the village, but there was nothing left to look at. He spun back around, looking at the bow of their little merchant ship. The mist was so thick he couldn’t see a few feet beyond the end of the boat. The vessel cut through the mist like a knife through butter. The water was very calm, and it was relaxing. But Akiro reminded himself that it shouldn’t be. The calm before the storm shouldn’t be relaxing, it should be terrifying.

[Willoria]

OOC: Please don't skip me without talking to me first. Please keep with the post order.

For several moments Kazue sat near the feet of the two men, her white tail curled around her body and covering her front paws even as she sat up straight. As the ship moved and set to sail, the little cat hardly moved. She was clearly accustomed to the way this ship moved, and if the two men knew just how she paid for her passage they'd probably get a chuckle out of it. Kazue had a few quirks in this form, the most notorious of them being the simple fact that she behaved much like a cat. As she sat there a rat ran across the deck and disappeared through a door that led below deck. The cat's blue eyes went wide and stared after it a moment as Kazue tried to fight the urge, but it didn't last long. "Hold on." she said before suddenly turning and running down the stairs looking much like a white blur as she went.

By time she returned she saw Akiro turning down Shiv's offer for a drink, even as Kazue trotted over and looked between the two of them. She was honestly debating rubbing against one of them for pets, but also knew that might be a bit awkward. After a moment she moved over to Shiv's other side and leaped up on the side of the boat, only a moment later transforming back into herself. She was leaning against the wall of the ship now, arms crossed over her chest. "I swear this captain has the worst luck with rats..." she muttered, looking around the crew before looking over the side of the ship.

The boat was making its way around smaller islands and more towards the mainland as the woman sighed. "I don't actually know the name of the country we're landing in, though one of its neighbors is Tea Country. I understand that one is full of bandits, so we best keep our eyes open. Our targets aren't likely to be the only criminals." She looked at the two men beside her. "What are your strengths and weaknesses? We'll need to be able to play off one another well in this place." she asked of them, wondering what their answers would be. She could guess Shiv's by reputation, but she was the sort that she would rather hear what he had to say for himself, and how he said it. That was just as important as the information after all.

[Trucro]

Akiro was more than a little excited to spend some time out of Water Country. Sure, he loved Kirigakure, and was proud to be in his country. But he wanted to get more experience outside of the country. While he preferred the rain, he didn’t want to be drowned in it. Some new and unique scenery would be much appreciated. Of course, he also knew that his goal wasn’t to enjoy the new country.

“Well,” Akiro began, taking the lead. He was a little reluctant to release all of the information about his techniques, but he figured Kazue was right; it would be best for everyone on the team to know each other’s capabilities. “I am a Jouchaku, so I know the Clan’s secret jutsu; I have the bloodline trait, Yugeton. I’m also quite good at Genjutsu; I was considered one of the best at it among the Genin in my year. And then, there’s my sword,” Akiro continued as he grabbed us sword by the hilt, lifting it with one hand. “My jutsu is strongest at close to medium range, without going into more detail on each technique.”

Akiro spun around to look at Shiv again, but of course, was unable to get a proper read on him without seeing his real face. He stood, and took a step back so he could look at them both, still with his sword in his right hand. “Lord Karagata?” Akiro had heard things about the Kiri Champion’s abilities, but there were conflicting reports of his powers. Akiro was lucky enough to be able to hear it straight from his own mouth. He was secretly hoping for an in depth analysis of his moves, some information he could leverage against his friends.

[Flankingfox]

OOCShow

Uhm, well this is kind of awkward. lol. So you kind of did it again, but at least this time you skipped me instead of Katya! So technically it is a different concern because you didn't make the same mistake twice to the same person. However, you did repeat the same mistake because of your eagerness to post and have fun! Just be patient man. There is no need to rush things, also as a note, since I kind of had to put up an OOC. Anything you post can be interrupted by a fellow role player. So when you were looking at the village, that was the time Shiv came in. He wouldn't have come after as it was completely lost to view, XD. That just makes him look like an idiot. You'll get the hang of it eventually! I believe in you. Hopefully you don't mind a rushed post because of that slight, don't feel like posting a disjointed one.

Shiv noted the refusal of Akiro to take a 'single' drink of his offered sake. The refusal had the effect of Akiro coming off as quite rude and snobby to the champion. Usually when a superior offered you something, you didn't refuse out of respect for what that meant. Was one sip going to send him into a drunken rage or completely blunt him to the point of uselessness? Shiv assumed that wasn't the case, but maybe Akiro had recently recovered from a drinking problem or something. Not taking it too personally, Shiv just chopped the would be insult to, 'Whatever floats your boat'. Not that he said it outwardly, but he assumed the boy would get the message anyway through the sheer change in atmosphere. Barely anyone gave away something for free in Kirigakure. One had to literally carve out a piece of the pie or risk getting crushed by those that wanted it more. Shiv pulled the drink back disappointingly and placed it upon his utility belt. Had anybody even questioned the fact that Shiv had drunk so much of the bottle already with his helmet securely mounted upon his head? What was up with that?!

Trained eyes instinctively followed the kitty before it poofed back into the form of a woman. Kazue appeared again and that was the catalyst that switched Shiv's mind back to the gutter. Those same unscrupulous eyes now traced over Kazue's figure before Shiv returned to his senses and acknowledged her for who she was rather than just how she looked. In an almost mocking tone he asked, "How about you pussy cat, would you like a sip of my sake? Or are you a light weight like Aklina over here?" While Shiv spoke he tapped Akiro on the shoulder as a friendly yet insulting gesture. I guess Shiv was going to show his disappointment outwardly after all. At least it was jokingly, instead of outright rude. Without waiting for a response Shiv threw the bottle toward the vixen so that she may partake in the developing camaraderie between the group.

As they continued, Kazue asked a questionable question about their strengths and weaknesses. Shiv already knew the worth of these two. Their files had been placed on his desk a few nights ago. He always made sure to gauge the relative usefulness of those he was working with before a mission, even if he didn't exactly take much interest in what the objective was. Was this like an ice breaker kind of thing? If so, then that was alright, but if it hadn't been then that could also be taken as an insult. Who just outright asked a question like that? Wasn't she raised in the same Kirigakure as him? Keeping that information privy allowed you to remain relatively competitive towards those looking to use and then crush you. Shiv would at least attempt to humor the girl out of the same goal to foster a sort of camaraderie.

Listening with feigned interest, Shiv internally laughed at what Akiro had just said. Did he actually refer to his time as a Genin as if that actually meant something while standing beside a fully fledged Bannin. Surely he could chop up the earlier slight as being nervous, but this comment was genuine. Shiv could tell by the minuscule body language that this wasn't some sort of joke to keep the mood enjoyable. What a poor kid Shiv thought as he thought about what to share with these people. In that cold tone he was known for he answered calmly, "Strength; killing those deemed acceptable to kill in the blink of an eye. Weakness; death... and maybe... sharp stabby things? Joking aside, I'm actually not a great hunter, which is surprising considering my position, but when I do have a target in my sights I can usually destroy them with my vastly superior speed and precision. How about you pussy cat?"

[Willoria]

OOC: Fox that was me, i told him to post so we could get back to the post order.

[Flankingfox]

OOC: lol, my bad!

[Willoria]

OOC: No worries! Shit happens, as you know.

Kazue was silent, listening as the Jouchaku explained his abilities and she simply nodded in response. Most of them were as expected, though listening meant she didn't hear Shiv's offer at first and could be thought to ignore him. But as Shiv explained his "strengths and weaknesses" she gave him a level look that might have suggested she really wanted to say something... but didn't. "Thank you." she said instead as she took the offered sake and downed a gulp without flinching. If the sake burned it's way to her core, she didn't show a single indication, either she was no stranger to drinking or the feeling simply didn't bother her.

She looked at the two as they awaited her response to the same and she momentarily wondered how much to say. Clearly Shiv hadn't actually told them anything and as much as she wanted to point it out, she couldn't. He was Karagata, yet again a family she had sworn to and pointing out his lack of information could be seen as rude. So instead she made a mental note to be ready for just about anything.

"Some Mist, some Suiton, some Fuuton, some Yoshin." she answered simply, listing down her own jutsu that she had familiarity with. It certainly wasn't much but would give them an indication of what they were working with at least. "You've seen my greatest strength already. Cats are rarely suspect anywhere, and fit into quite small spaces. My strength is getting in and out without setting off a single alarm. Who would suspect the cute, fluffy, kitty after all?"

It was the most she'd said at once yet, but it was all she needed to say. She turned her eyes as the vessel continued moving through the mist and her glanced towards the captain as he walked past. "Not much longer." he informed her, as if knowing exactly what she wanted.

[Trucro]

The conversation certainly had given Akiro enough information to judge his team, although he didn’t get the golden information he could barter with his friends. Instead, he got insight into Shiv’s character. Akiro wasn’t very fond of people touching him, and Shiv’s hand on his shoulder had been more of a jab that a friendly gesture; he understood this. He also saw Shiv give his condescending answer to the group, and he wasn’t certain if the weaknesses the Champion shared were real or not. Akiro was not liking Shiv’s team dynamic at all; he was abrasive, condescending and didn’t take anything seriously. Akiro wondered whether the warrior was as strong as the stories portrayed him. If Shiv was half as strong as he thought he was, he would have to be extremely skilled.

Kazue he liked much more. She was quiet, like Akiro himself, and she seemed to take at least this mission seriously. Her powers were real and quantifiable, and he could tell in the way she walked that she could back up her claims. More importantly, it was becoming increasingly clear that she would be the one to hold the team together, if it really came down to it. It seemed like the champion liked her, at least, he did more than he liked Akiro. When they began to encounter serious enemies, it might be up to her to make sure the group functioned. Of course, there was a chance that they didn’t find anything on this trip. They could return empty handed. Then all that would have been gained from this was that he met the champion of the village.

He heard the captain give walk over to Kazue and give her his estimate before nodding, and turning away from the group. He decided look around the ship for potential dangers. They shouldn’t be seen in the mist, and no one should be looking for them anyway. Nonetheless, Akiro had no doubt that Shiv had some powerful enemies, and it was better just to be sure. He figured that Shiv probably had the mission under control, but he had come across as a bit arrogant, and that could leave them open.

He walked to the far side of the boat and looked out into the mist. He couldn’t see anything, but he remained away from the team for another few moments. He was in no hurry to jump back into conversation with them, and they probably weren’t looking to speak more with him anyhow.

[Flankingfox]

Shiv looked at Kazue with admiration. He was filled with pride for that minuscule moment, she knew how to take a load and swallow it whole without so much as flinching. That was all he could ever ask out of the woman. A woman that could take sake like that was a keeper! Obviously there was no need to comment on such. Kazue was about to tell them her response. Shiv wondered how she would answer her own question. He knew of her abilities already, so that information wasn't too important, but what he truly wanted was how she answered as it gave information of her character.

What was said was precise, controlled, and disciplined. Just what the champion had expected out of woman. In response he had to ask about that peculiar ability of hers. The ability just begged for an explanation. Or at least something to put his mind at rest for the moment. Surely it was useful for infiltration that much was obvious, but there had to be more to the story. Why exactly did she pick that out of the vast arsenal ninjutsu allowed one. Time to ask!

"That is a dirty tactic indeed, but I love the ingenuity of it. I have to ask though. What made you want to kill people in that way? Take me for example, I love to slice and dice with my machete while adding in some razzle dazzel elemental power every so often, which honestly reminds me of the act of cooking... but then why don't I enjoy doing that..." Shiv asked overly eager but rapidly shifted to a more confused tone as he came to the sudden realization that the way he fights is almost identical to cooking. The thought made him question if he could use his vastly superior skills to be a top chef in Kirigakure. That was quite the believable possibility, but did he really have what it took to do something like that, especially with so much competition around the village?

Using precision and expertise Shiv could serve the rare delicacy 'puffer fish'! There were few places that actually served it in the village. He could take over the market and become the hottest thing since the reassurance of SSM which sparked a wave of genin all vying to become the best swordsman in the village. A watered down dream in Shiv's opinion, but what did he know. He was just a weapon to the village. It wasn't his responsibility to tell those kids anything different. As long as they became useful he could care less.

In the process of opening this restaurant, Shiv could literally make a fortune and maybe, if he was lucky, open up a chain of Karagata inspired restaurants around Water Country! With his mind on this realistic venture he seemed to doze out of reality for the moment. Those old gears were at work trying to come up with just how he would get something like that off the ground! Surely somebody of his reputation could pull it off quite easily, but was it a good investment of time? That was the real question on his mind now as he gazed blankly into space.

[Willoria]

Kazue did not actually answer Shiv's question, choosing instead to simply shrug in response. Honestly she hadn't given too much thought to it, at the time it had seemed efficient and had so far served her well. In many ways she had come to enjoy the feline form more and more, loving her own quirks that came with it, such as the fun of chasing mice or rats through a ship's hold. She had noticed the man's confusion as it came to life towards the end of his statements but she didn't appear to notice. She had walked to the edge of the ship and stared out through the mist as if she could see their destination at all. But her mind worked over things, she had heard through rumor of what might have been Shiv's true weakness. Women. She did not choose to speak of it aloud if only to keep from sounding disrespectful to the bannin, but she did account for it in her mind. She knew she'd have to keep an eye on the man, especially if they encountered females. She hoped such a thing would lead to her finding out the rumor false, but one never knew. The rumor had been of one woman, perhaps his weakness only applied to her or those who looked like her. Regardless, Kazue knew she'd have to keep an eye on the man.

The younger one she was unsure of still. Akiro had spoken of his jutsu but in truth had said nothing of his real weaknesses so she was unsure just what she'd have to cover. If she had to guess from what he said, he might have been weak at long range, and a weakness for his partners if he used genjutsu without alloting for their presence. Just more information she made note of in her mind and would have to bear in mind through their journey.

"Kaz!"

Kazue didn't turn at the sound, she knew the call and what it meant. "Shiv-san, Akiro-san, we go." She called coldly as her hands moved to seals before she grabbed the edge of the boat and threw herself over with one hand. The seals were for the basic ninjutsu for water walking, and a moment later Kazue was running through the mist on the surface of the water, towards the land they would begin their search on. If she reached the shore first, she would crouch and wait for the other two to catch up.

[Trucro]

Akiro was enjoying the downtime he was spending looking out over the water. It was all so calm, and besides that the mist gave him a feeling of safety; it was familiar, and humid. He remembered the mistiest days in Kirigakure as days where it was even difficult to see your hand in front of you. Today was nowhere near that bad, but the lingering water vapor was still calming.

“Hmm?” Akiro said as he turned to look at Kazue. Her sudden call had woken him from his daze, and he spun around quickly to see what was happening. He watched Kazue take a few steps into the water before moving himself. He went through the few hand seals for the technique before jumping onto the water himself. Almost gliding across the top, he followed Kazue as closely as he could, splashing very little water in wasted effort.

The shore wasn’t very far away, and Akiro wasn’t sure exactly why Kazue had wanted to run across the water rather than dock; he guessed that docking with the ship would require some sort of record, while this way the group could easily enter the country undetected. As he took his last few steps on the shore, he wondered what this country with no name would be like. He hadn’t done much traveling outside of Water Country, so this would be an interesting trip for him.

[Flankingfox]

Well that wasn't much of an answer. At least she could have kept the conversation going out of common decency. Didn't matter much either way, Shiv wouldn't allow something like that to blunt his resolve. Focusing again, his mind drifted randomly in regard to this curious new dream he might someday enact. During this time, he sat motionlessly on the floor of the deck like some commoner. There was no need for comfort. Shiv made himself at home almost anywhere. That was his military training at work. Why couldn't this man be so humble within the vicinity of the village?

Reputation, expectations, and other duties really had the knack of making what would have been a humble man; cruel, crude, and arrogant beyond that of the norm. Pressure of being what those in the village wanted one to be was quite heavy indeed, eventually if these two were lucky enough they would feel that same pull. However, when that day came, hopefully they were more prepared for that weight than Shiv had been. There was a time when he hadn't wanted this. There was a time when he was simply a weapon to be used and discarded by the village. Unfortunately, that was a long time ago now.

Having been lost in thought over the potential menu of a Karagata themed restaurant, Shiv seemingly snapped back into reality at the sound of his name being called. Instinctively his body moved with the swiftness of a predator on the hunt. It took only a moment to catch up to his two comrades. All of them were traversing over the water without as much as a sound. They would reach the shore in just another moment, but what waited for them? This was the first mission in awhile that Shiv wouldn't be in charge. Kazue was to be their 'assassination squad' leader for the entirety of this mission. Her performance would ultimately be judged in regard to her acceptance in the hunting regiment.

[Willoria]

Kazue sat crouched in some bushes as she waited for the other two to arrive beside her, only speaking once they were close. "Landing would have made it obvious we were arriving, this way they can't possibly know we are here or where we are." she explained in answer the unasked question she was certain was on both their minds, whether either one of them chose to admit it or not. She looked between the pair a moment and sighed. "Out here my disguise is useless for the moment so I won't change just yet... but we need to track them. There's a caravan scheduled to come through a road up ahead in about an hour, we get in position and once it passes we follow. At that point I'll transform and jump onto one of the wagons, they'll think I'm just a pet, are you two okay with just following the caravan at a distance until it's attacked?" she asked, again speaking more than she'd expected to during this mission.

She'd wait for answers before nodding to them both and turning to lead the way. The road was a distance inland but it wouldn't take long to get to it and once there Kazue would start checking the area. "Check and make sure the raiders aren't here as well." she recommended to the other two before continuing her check. Only when she was certain they were alone, she'd take up position in a tree and watch the road, her body language reminiscent of a cat on the hunt despite the fact that she hadn't changed yet even as her light eyes remained fixed on the road.

'I have to prove myself to the Karagata... I'm not just different than my family tree, I am far better than they ever could have been.... I will prove that...' she thought to herself.

[Trucro]

Akiro entered the bushes quickly, following Kazue, who seemed to be in charge. Even as she spoke, she radiated leadership; as Akiro had predicted, she was the best person to keep the group functioning. While his push to be the best always made him want to lead, he knew when he wasn’t in the best position to do so. Besides, Kazue had the most information on the mission anyway. He put a reminder in the back of his mind for the next mission: “Memorize the briefing!”

He listened carefully to Kazue’s instructions before nodding in agreement. He said nothing to her, assuming that she was only looking for an affirmative or negative response. Her plan was sound; she would be on the inside of the caravan, with him and Shiv following on the outside. It would allow for the team to have a quick response should one be needed on the ground, while also allowing the other team members avoid falling into any traps.

As they began walking inland, Akiro spoke up. “I’ll take the trees.” As he said this, he pushed off the ground, throwing himself into the air and onto a thick branch of a nearby tree. From this position, he’d be able to remain with the group and get a better view of the area. It would be more difficult for the enemy to ambush them now. Of course, this was a relatively routine precaution, and he didn’t expect much praise for it. It may not even have been necessary, as he was certain Shiv had some sort of ability that allowed him to know when enemies were coming. Shiv was still just a human, Akiro reminded himself. He figured that people tend to assume bannin are always in control of the situation, even if they’re not. He didn’t want to fall into the same trap.

[Flankingfox]

Shiv arrived beside Kazue before she started to lecture their other comrade as to why they had landed in that particular fashion. At least that is how Shiv took it since there was no need to educate him in the art of infiltration, but maybe the situation called for teaching this boy. Shiv didn't dwell on those thoughts for long as Kazue started talking again; this time in regard to how they would approach the situation. The rationale behind what was said was solid, thus there was no need to refuse the inclination put forward by the woman. After she had spoken the boy spoke up instantly, leaving Shiv with the ground portion to watch. Hopefully, Akiro was competent enough to take the duty he had volunteered for seriously, as the person above was responsible for overseeing the majority of what was going down. If something went wrong it was his responsibility to make a call. Then again, would it even come to that? Kazue seemed to have this mission pretty organized thus far. Shiv pushed that thought away and spoke in his usual cold tone, "Understood..."

Once that was said, Shiv started moving toward where he was designated to be. Obviously, he kept his eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary. He didn't really think there would be anything here, especially since they randomly dropped onto the island. It would be quite the coincidence if they landed exactly where anything noteworthy was. However, there was always that small chance there was somebody stationed here. Now all they needed to do was kill the hour and some till the action started back up again. Shiv lifted the bottle back up to his mouth and quietly took a swig while walking through the wooded area.

[Willoria]

As they ran along they'd find no traps, giving Kazue time to run all the information she had memorized through her head once more. They were starting here because the caravan operation was the easiest to find, and in turn this was supposed to be the easiest operation. Kazue's mind was already going over the plan. They's find a caravan, and stay with it, until it was attacked. From there they would either follow the raiders or take one captive and interrogate him for the position.

Which way they went really depended on the opportunity they were given.

Once at the road, Kazue kept an eye on the path, waiting in silence for an approaching caravan. She knew they one they needed, it was supposed to be carrying some valuable cargo for Kiri, including slaves. It was the perfect thing to attack, slave traders didn't like admitting when they lost stock as it made them look inefficient and weak. After all, of all traders, they were the most brutal with the harshest of reputations.

Kazue changed into her feline form and chose to sit on the side of the road where she could see better. Anyone nearby would just think she was a stray, especially since it didn't take long for her white fur to become covered in dust when she suddenly dropped in it and rolled around in it a bit. As she stood she stretched and shook off the dirt, glancing up and around as if looking for a bird though she was really checking for the other man's position. She could see where she knew Shiv was from where she sat, though she couldn't see the man himself.

This was the part she hated most. Waiting.

[Trucro]

The trip to the road was mundane; more so than Akiro had expected. While there was no logical reason to predict some sort of immediate action, for whatever reason, he had. Perhaps it was traveling with Shiv, or it could have been Kazue’s particularly sneaky demeanor. Whatever the reason, he felt the situation had promised action that didn’t come through. He jumped from branch to branch, looking particularly carefully, as things seemed to be too quiet. He kept an eye on his partners on the ground, as well as checking for traps along the brush and in the trees. He would never find any.

As they reached the road, Akiro paused on a particularly thick tree branch. He remained on his feet, but hunched over to decrease the amount of him that was visible. The leaves covered him pretty well, but still provided a decent view of the road. He watched carefully as Kazue stepped out into the clearing as a cat, and rolled around in the filth on the ground. He still had not gotten accustomed to Kazue’s transformation; her ability really was uncanny. Even someone like Shiv had to admire it.

Standing on the branch, he looked down the path. He didn’t see anything, so he looked the other way down the path. For one of the few expeditions he had made outside of Water Country, this place didn’t seem all that exciting. It was just forest and dirt road; they had both those things in Kirigakure, not to mention the rest of Water Country. Nevertheless, he hid his discontent, not making a sound. His mind had begun to drift towards thoughts to what the villages in this country were like, but he snapped himself back to the present almost immediately. He wouldn’t drop his guard, and continued to monitor the surrounding area, not just on the path, but in the forest as well.

[Flankingfox]

Exactly as was expected. There was nothing here except the growth of nature. Shiv continued his unhurried pace through the bush. The area wasn't all that interesting resembling that of the things found in his own country. If there had been anything noteworthy it had long passed into obscurity. Even the land itself was rather dull in comparison to their homeland. However, that was most likely bias more than anything. This country surely had some notable sights hidden deeper within. If anything the group would be able to 'discover' more at a later time as they moved more inward once the caravan arrived. At least that is what Shiv hoped to do. From time to time on missions like this, he took the time to appreciate the smaller more repressed aspects of the land itself. With the goal simply being to gain a broad understanding of each foreign country. The bottle Shiv had been carrying this whole time was slowly becoming empty. That wasn't a good sign at all...

What could Shiv do to pass this apparent block of time? Before things started to get slightly too lethargic. Shiv eyed Kazue as she transformed into a cat and started to roll around in the dirt. Once in the dirt, the cat got rather filthy quickly. Better to look like a lost cat than that of completely out of place, but an oddity none the less if those in the caravan were even a bit competent. To find a 'white' cat out here on the fringe would be strange indeed. Hopefully, they would take the bait and the group could continue with their objective. Maybe that was just his pessimism talking. Better to keep a clear, optimistic mind. Shiv sat down next to a tree which had a decent vantage of the road and the like. If anything happened this was a relatively able location to react from. Looking up, Shiv immediately located their other companion by sheer estimation.

Certainly, Akiro was in the top of that nearby tree doing whatever the kid deemed important. Honestly, though, Akiro was most likely just doing exactly what Shiv had been doing... watching the kitty getting dirty. No matter how weird that sounded you had to give the woman credit for developing the ability. Shiv's mind moved toward his own ability. The tubule system was far from being perfect. However, it did do extremely well at getting the job done. Instantly they began to charge with fuuton chakra. Might as well have something prepared for a rapid response instead of winging it which had become the norm lately since there were few things capable of giving him a hard time.

Jutsu UsedShow

[Lock and Load: Wind Blast]
B-Ranked Storage & Force Fuuinjutsu
Prerequisite: [Fuuton Affinity], [Storage & Force Fuuinjutsu], Implanted Chakra Tubules
Shiv starts by charging the force fuuinjutsu engraved upon his tubules, once complete he stores the built up fuuton energy within the tubule system for later use. The limitation to this tubule system is that he may only have one stored technique at a time, rendering his tubules useless while the technique is stored. The energy stored from this technique can be fired forward from the outputs through use of a simple kai. Once released with kai the stored energy fires forward, with a strength of 20, conically for 20 meters, at a speed of 20, before dissipating. The energy has the elemental passive to cut.

[Willoria]

For several moments she simply sat there, tail flicking back and forth. As much as she wished this was the end of the waiting, this really wasn't. They were waiting for the caravan to get there, which the other two would follow and she would board, and then they would be waiting for it to get attacked. If their information was right at least the last part wouldn't take long. But regardless, it was twice waiting, her least favorite thing to do.

The Kazue-Cat seemed to sigh before standing up and stretching a moment, tail flicking over her head before she trotted a few steps ahead and sat down again. She could see a plum of dust rising and that was good news. They had sat over an hour waiting for that good news, but here it was. The caravan.

It passed her, six carts in total, all with people in them. A couple of children saw the cat and waved at it, calling to her and trying to get their parents to see it. But the adults ignored it, intent on their destination. As the last cart passed however, Kazue leaped into the back of it and sat down on what seemed to be a large bale of hay, watching the dirt road disappear behind them. She was sure Shiv and Akiro would be following, and she hoped they remembered that when the bandits attacked, they weren't to attack the bandits yet. They needed the bandits camp, which required allowing them to take this caravan and following them back to it.

Suddenly Kazue was realizing that might actually be the hardest part of this entire thing... letting something that bad happen.

[Trucro]

Akiro sighed in relief as he saw the carriage making their way towards the group. They had been waiting for what felt like hours, but was probably shorter. While Akiro seemed like he was a patient guy, that was just a front he put up. Inside, he was impatient as a child, or at least, he thought of himself that way. His legs were sore from the kneeling position he kept himself in on the tree branch, but he wanted to remain ready for just this moment. He began limbering his legs in preparation for finally moving.

He watched carefully as his teammate, now a dirty, grey-looking cat, made her way onto the last carriage of the caravan. They had someone on the inside now, as odd as it sounded talking about a cat. Nonetheless, it would have the same effect. Of course, he wasn’t certain exactly what information Kazue thought she was get by being in the caravan instead of watching from the outside; they were supposed to wait and watch for a group of bandits to attack it. She could actually be in danger just by virtue of being closer to the action. Not to mention she wouldn’t be able to use her jutsu without losing her cover.

Akiro snapped back to the present as he realized the caravan was moving further and further away. He carefully stood up on the branch before pushing off, landing quietly on another branch in the direction of the caravan. He did so again and again maintaining a distance from the caravan of about 15 meters. He couldn’t see Shiv, but he assumed that the assassin was doing the same thing, just maybe a bit quieter and… better.

[Flankingfox]

A single eye opened as the sound of the caravan reached Shiv's ears. Shiv looked around as if to get a renewed grip on his surroundings. The entirety of the time they were waiting he had decided to doze off. Honestly, that little cat nap was refreshing putting him in a much better frame of mind from when he started the mission. Standing up, Shiv gazed upon the caravan for anything noteworthy. Well, it was time now to earn his keep, but from what was understood, the group wouldn't take an active role just yet, instead waiting for these 'people' to be eliminated out of sheer disregard for their worth in comparison to information on an objective. For many a method as 'cold' as this would be deemed quite tenuous. However, for this group of ninja the task wouldn't be too far from their supposed comfort zone. When it came down to it, if they weren't here these people might have surely died in any case. No need to interfere with the natural workings of things unless required to in the name of Kirigakure.

Shiv followed the caravan now from his vantage on the ground. The man would also take the extra time to watch for Kazue, for she was the one in the hot seat at the moment. If needed he would swoop in and 'save' her, but that was only if things went entirely south without notice. Shiv doubted he would be needed in that regard, for Kazue was quite skilled in infiltration. This wasn't her first rodeo in terms of being this close to death. How would these bandits attack?

[Willoria]

Kazue did her best to settle in comfortably on her bale of hay, but she had this nagging feeling almost the entire time she was laying there, as if she hadn't thought something through. It would be a couple of hours before she realized what. She could see movement out of the corner of her eyes, and keeping to true feline form she picked her head up and looked around. If they saw her as a real cat they would be suspicious if she didn't pick up on the enemy's movement, after all, animals were considered far more perceptive than humans. She even dropped down from her bale of hay to the platform of the cart as she walked around it to stare off the back, and a moment later an explosion rocked her, throwing the feline into the road.

Somehow managing to keep her feline form, Kazue stood and shook off, racing off into the bushes where she finally released it and returned to her normal form. "Well that was dumb of me." she muttered as she stood behind a tree, risking a glance around it to see what was happening. The bandits had attacked from the opposite side of the road she was on now and had apparently blown the first and last wagons in the caravan to keep anyone from running away. She could see them running among them, stealing things and killing the people that were in the caravan. It took everything in her not to act, but their job wasn't to save these people today, it was to follow their killers.

"Of course they attacked the first and last.... dumb Kazue, lucky you got thrown clear you dumb bitch." she muttered, berating herself for what could have been a very costly move. If she had dropped her transformation then their entire mission would have been done.

[Trucro]

Mako saw the sudden burst of the explosion that toppled over the last cart when he was in midair between two branches. Landing softly on the closer branch, Mako paid close attention to what happened next. From his position, he could see all the way to the front of the caravan; the leading carriage had also stopped. No doubt this was done in an attempt to prevent those in the caravan from escaping. Oddly enough, the attackers seemed to only come from one side, rather than forming a pincer-like movement from both sides. Perhaps they weren’t confident enough in their numbers or coordination, or perhaps they hadn’t thought it through so extensively.

Regardless, the peaceful journey of the caravan had devolved into a mess of fiery chaos. The criminals were forcefully pulling goods from their caught and slaughtering anyone who happened to be in their way. The travelers and traders screamed for help as they tried to discern the best escape route. The horses, undoubtedly spooked by the blasts and screams, were making quite a bit of noise on their own, adding to the commotion. It quickly became clear that the caravan did not have the capability to mount any sort of significant resistance as the criminals continued their rampage.

The ferocity of the attack made Mako a bit nervous, and he unconsciously had placed his hand on his sword. Returning to his senses, he released his weapon and turned away. As interesting as the attack on the caravan was, he had to remain calm and scan the woods for other potential enemies. If they were caught, the whole mission could be blown, and then he and the others would have let all these people die for nothing.

[Flankingfox]

OOC: Sorry manager was on vacation so I was the big cheese for a bit...

An explosion? Whoa, these bandits were quite bloodthirsty and or ruthless to be wasting relatively expensive resources like those on a mere group of travelling merchants. Could that mean that they had an ounce of knowledge as to what might be going down? Nah, there wasn't even the slightest chance this pile of filth knew what they had coming. However, the lot of them could just be dumb, thus they probably wouldn't even register their own deaths anyway. These people being dumb was always a possibility that couldn't be crossed out, especially when dealing with people outside of Kirigakure. So these bandits had finally arrived. That was great news for the lethargic champion who had almost fallen asleep standing up!

Shiv glanced toward where their implanted kitty had been in this whole scheme. Interestingly enough the woman had been caught off guard. That was really something considering her previous demeanour of absolute control on the present situation. An oddity really, but something to ponder about later for the plan was now in motion. The group was to follow and gain information on their primary objective. With a yawn, he proceeded to wait for further instruction and or the moment to follow. No doubt the bandits would finish pillaging soon enough for the group to proceed with the intended plan.

[Willoria]

Kazue remained where she was, watching the caravan with interest but from behind the trunk of a tree so as to keep from being seen. It had taken several moments for her to calm herself down enough to really watch the situation unfold. Still it wasn't easy to just watch it happen. Merchants often brought their families with them and this had been no exception, women and children were killed just as the men were though a handful were taken to sell as slaves later.

But soon the men were disappearing into the treeline and Kazue realized she could hear horses. As the attackers took off, so did Kazue. She bolted after them, taking into the trees to keep up and out of their field of vision as she began to follow them. She hoped the other two were doing the same.

[Trucro]

Akiro breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the massacre was dying down. He had controlled himself sufficiently, something that should have been less difficult than it had been for the Kirigakure Jounin. The remaining site was awful; wagons had been flipped over and splintered, bodies lie dispersed throughout, and blood seemed to drip from every box and barrel. It looked as though some of the women and children had attempted to flee into the woods, to no avail. Their bodies lie just feet from the site of the attack, mangled and ravaged. A select few seemed to survive, and these poor merchants, most of them still covered in blood, had been lined up by the criminals, to be taken as slaves. The few enslaved ranged widely in age from children to full grown adults. Of course, there wasn’t a single grey-haired one; they wouldn’t have been able to keep up, and they couldn’t be sold for as much anyhow. The attackers seemed to suddenly decide to move out, and they headed away, leaving the bloody caravan in their wake.

Akiro turned back to look at Kazue, who had already taken off in pursuit of the bandits. Akiro followed suit, moving from branch to branch as quietly as he could. As he did, he began to feel a bit weird. He knew he probably should have been feeling contempt for the criminals who murdered and enslaved the group of innocents. But for some reason, he didn’t feel much at all for them. He had known what was going to happen, and the bandits didn’t act out of character in his mind; they acted as expected, and he wasn’t surprised at the brutality. This realization didn’t feel good, but at least he was remaining calm. After all, being phased by this sort of scene was probably worse than being comfortable with it.

[Flankingfox]

From the look of things, the fiasco was already over. Fortunately for the group that meant moving onto something a bit more tangible to their primary objective of tracking down the target. Having around stood like an idiot for awhile meant Shiv was a bit tired of dealing with the internal workings of his own mind. When somebody as narcissistic as Shiv is left to wonder things start to get pretty ugly quickly. What had the man pondered during that bout of time? Maybe the womanly shape of their unofficially declared leader Kazue?! That was quite a possibility. Shiv glanced over the field of carnage one last time for anything of note. Nothing caught his eye, this was just another bloody incident that would vanish to time. Looking around Shiv did note the previously named comrade hidden behind a tree trunk. The look on her face was ravishing and oddly alluring at the same time. Different words for the same thing some may say. Time to act or at the very least say something again to pause the wretched internal mechanizations that had been left working too long. In what could only be described as blinding, Shiv darted upward into the treeline, appearing right beside but in the back of Kazue. In a hushed tone, the champion sarcastically asked, "So that could have gone a bit better, eh? No matter at least your pretty little face is intact!"

The whole time, Shiv hadn't even cared to check if their other comrade had been following or if he had been alright after the explosion. Generally, it was considered polite to care about those you're working with, but that wasn't set in stone. In Kirigakure people tended to be a bit more hardened and the like. Subconsciously Shiv probably expected the boy to keep up and or be competent enough to keep with what was happening. So technically that meant, Shiv did care, he just had higher standards of what was expected out of a Kirigakure ninja. Shiv glanced downward toward those they were following, from the looks of it these men were quite armed to the teeth. Not that it mattered much to the group of ninja, but to ordinary people this was overkill. What was their aim aside from raiding? That question was left unanswered as Shiv's attention was caught now by Kazue's backside. Whatever perceptive intent he had just gone went the gutter.