Return to Office

[Trusted Grader]

7 years.

Amaya hadn't been in her office for 7 years, Ran had been running H.N.K to the ground basically during the years she had been gone and from the rumours it hadn't gone that well, of course he wouldn't say that to her face as his pride was too tangled up but from what she had gathered it was still running at least. A sigh escaped her breath, the morning dew helped spread the rocky scent that she had missed while being in the hospital yet Wana's fur scent was something she had rather forgotten how strong it was.

She chuckled as Wana laughed with her, it was almost as if the hyena knew what her old master was thinking, which was ironic seeing as Ran had been its caretaker for longer than Amaya at this point, which made her quite sad, seeing that half her lifespan had been spent with a young man who in the beginning cared little for her but now seemed almost inseparable.

"Hopefully you won't go an pass out again." Ran shook his head.

"I was in a coma, I didn't pass out." Amaya snarked.

"Pass out, coma, whateva ninja, don't go taking those long ass naps again." Ran chuckled as he watched his partner roll her eyes and turn corner as they had almost reached the office.

[Kaitos10]

Hiroko would be spending her day like normal though her daily routine was interrupted and she only got half way through the first thing in her routine which was training. When she was told to report to a certain office building. She didn’t have much luck whenever she visited those so she wasn’t that enthusiastic about heading there but she followed the order none the less.

As she got there Otsukoki had her practicing how to act properly under pressure, it was rather difficult for her to say the least. Especially since she folded pretty easily under public pressure, so on the way there her body language was pretty rigid. Eventually though she finally arrived at the office and saw a receptionist who told her where to go.

She soon headed to the room she was told to go to she saw two people arguing wondering what they were doing. So she just stood there waiting until they were finished. If they didn’t notice her once they were finished talking she would say “hello I was told to come here for some reason?” She would then wait to see if they noticed her now as well as find out why she was summoned up here.

[Trusted Grader]

Dealing with Ran was always frustrating, at least as she remembered it, before she had entered the coma he argued with her and now after he still did, which made her quite sad because she knew that if she hadn't passed out then she would have made sure that the annoying trait would've been dealt with a long time ago, nevertheless, he had at least done what he could with the little information he had to play with. He had hired a receptionist, which was a cutie, Of course. Amaya thought to herself, Ran seemed to take a liking to her but she didn't really seem that interested in him, rather she was focused on working.

"Now I see that you have been busy..." Amaya looked over at her dust filled desk, Ran's desk had been stationed right outside, it was equally as messy which begged the question, how often was he here? Had he just hired someone he liked and never stepped foot in the office or what?

"Ey bitch, I was in charge over a shitty organisation because of-" Ran continued to spat.

"-I almost died."

"Whatever I don't care, you still left me to deal with all of your bullshit."

"You know, you are the rudest-" Amaya stopped once she spotted a young one enter the office, she was rather confused as to what she was doing here but nevertheless her authoritarian persona took over. "Hey there, Is that so? Well... That's interesting, Welcome to H.N.K. Or rather... What's left of it." Amaya leered over at Ran.

"Ey I don't need this shit!" Ran growled and began to walk out of the office, he snapped his finger to make Wana follow, who was visibly confused as to who she would listen to, until she decided to stay with her original master, which got Amaya to grin, while Ran just rolled his eyes and cursed under his breath. He almost bumped into the child on his way out and slammed the door behind him.

"Don't mind him, he's just a cranky baby. How may I help you today young one." Amaya smiled as she pet her massive hyena. "Ugh, where are my manners, my name is Shoshiki, Amaya, what's yours?" She pushed her hand forward in order to greet the young one.

[Kaitos10]

Would just be listening in as they argued they clearly didn’t get along well. When they finally finished and she spoke she would notice they didn’t respond to what she previously said much meaning this person didn’t call her here? Either that or she wasn’t paying attention to her but hoped it wasn’t the later. She would then curtsy and reply “I’m enkouton Hiroko nice to meet you.” Once introductions were out of the way she would reply “I don’t really need anything, why do you need something?”

She looked on really confused and a little annoyed maybe she really wasn’t paying attention, though still to soon to assume worst case and wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt thinking maybe she just didn’t hear her because of her loud mouthed compatriot. Either way it was still pretty annoying, that said there was always the possibility something nefarious was going on that she didn’t realize but considering the person she was sent to meet was from the same clan as Heiya sensei she hoped at least if somethings nefarious was going on it she wasn’t involved in it.

“So can you use glass jutsu? Or have you not learned any yet?”

[Trusted Grader]

Amaya rubbed the back of her hair, she turned to Wana before she shrugged. She hadn't been the one to call her to the office seeing as she hadn't been here in years but nonetheless, she wasn't going to let this go to waste. "I mean, we could still use some help, would you be down to tag along on a patrol?" Amaya knew not of the changes that had happened since the last 7 years, if there were more delinquents to be found or if H.N.K was even needed anymore, either way, she was going to make sure that this office wasn't wasted.

"You are a peculiar one aren't you? Yes I can perform glass jutsu, in fact, I specialise in controlling glass to the point were I don't even use hand seals anymore." With that she began to dance in front of Hiroko. "Don't move, because I don't want to hurt you." She wasn't sure how strong the child was but she wasn't about to risk harming someone days after being released from the hospital.

Glass from her windows would shatter and repair, the shards would quickly swarm Amaya and form into what appeared to be a glass rose, one she gently grabbed then hand to Hikoro as a welcoming gift. "Is that a good enough demonstration? Now.. About that patrol." A grin grew on her face as she patted Wana.

---

metaShow

[Vitreokinesis]
A-rank Ninjutsu
Having achieved notable mastery over Garaton, the user is capable of shaping, directing, and manipulating existing bodies of the element without the need of hand seals or an existing technique. The range at which the user can manipulate the element is equal to the user's [Control x 2m]. While the user can freely manipulate this element, they cannot produce the element naturally.

[Kaitos10]

Hiroko would listen In surprised at her tone she would then ask “why are you phrasing it as a question? If you weren’t the one who asked the higher ups to have me come here then who did and why? As for patrol I guess I wouldn’t mind joining you on one.” She was starting to get really suspicious about this whole situation but leaving now could be playing right into there hands. Though when she heard what Amaya said she would stand still just in case watching as she danced causing the glass in the windows to be seemingly manipulated which definitely answered her questions.

Thought when Amaya gave her a glass rose it was certainly very pretty but she was confused so she said “its definitely a very nice gift and beautiful though i thought people only gave flowers as a sign of romantic interest? Why are you giving me this flower? “ the confusion was evident on her face as she held the rose carefully. “Though that’s definitely a very nice display of glass jutsu and I’m ready to go on patrol when ever you are? Do you want to lead the way?”

She would then wait for Amaya to respond as well as show her where they need to patrol.

[Valkier]

It'd been a hectic four days since Kotori had met Shoshiki Amaya in one of Iwagakure's hospitals, and the young genin had gained a lasting impression of the older woman—so much so that she cautiously accepted the offer to meet again, today, at what seemed to be a long-unused building. Then again, recalling the seven years for which the woman had been comatose, perhaps the location was nothing too surprising. And on the upside, being abandoned did at least mean that the blonde woman couldn't endanger anyone—anyone else, that is—by tossing handfuls of glass around. Probably.

Kotori arrived after only a couple of missed turns, and considered herself just fashionably late. She rapped on the main entrance to the building and was preparing an excuse when the heavy door burst open to reveal a young man wearing one hell of a scowl.
"Hey, I—" She began, but the man just gave her a look and then nodded his head back towards the building before leaving. She stared after him for a moment, now a little more concerned about what might be waiting within, before heading inside herself.

She found the receptionist next who sadly seemed just as uninterested in her as the first man, but did at least acknowledge her and point her to an office from which a few voices could already be heard. Kotori sidled up to the door and peeked her head in, then smiled and raised a hand to the two women already inside.

"Hey, Hiroko-senpai! Amaya-san," she stepped inside, quite surprised but happy to see her fellow jinchuuriki also present. That was probably a good sign. "So what's going on? And which one of you scared off that guy outside?" she shot a quick glance at Hiroko and winked.

[hobnob]

From one mission and onto the next. That has recently been Kurais status quo. With barely any rest between missions, he was ploughing through them and keeping the missions masters busy with trying to get more taskings. The young Fukusha enjoyed missions no matter how easy they were - sitting around with having nothing to do was just not his thing. And now he was off on another one, this time headed to a place called H.N.K, or rather its main offices. There was very little information provided on what the actual task was, the youth knew only of who he needed to speak to, a name and a photo was provided.

A memory for faces and names was something every ninja needed, and Kurais was spot on. He only required a glance to remember the name and face of the individual he had to speak to. He was now nearing the offices where he was suppose to meet 'Ran'. To his surprise, as he was only a few meters away he watched a girls close to his age go for the door which he was heading for. It looked bizarre, but she never really managed to get the door as it suddenly burst open and the man Kurai was after stormed out of. It was obviously not a fun day at the office, and Kurai hoped he would not have to go in there.

A gentle sigh escaped his lips as the dark haired boy ran up to the man called 'Ran'. This was not going to be a pleasant conversation, but it was something he had to do, otherwise it would get back to Kurais superiors and he would be in all sorts of trouble. That was not something he wanted on his report, so he took a deep breath, grit his teeth, and spoke to this angry young man; 'Hey, Mr Ran? I'm here for the tasking. What is it you want me to do?'

[Trusted Grader]

Ran said bye to the receptionist and burst out the door, he spotted a white haired girl with the same type of hair as Amaya and scoffed, he nodded towards for her to enter the building before he rushed past her, gritting his teeth the man did his best not to lash out, but such was the situation now that Amaya was back, he hated how she would always tell him what to do as if she was better than him. Right when he was about to curse, he felt the presence of someone smaller than him, "Eh... Shit, fuck, I forgot, I had called in for two Genin to assist me on a patrol... That's who the kid was... shit... Ehm... Bah, whatever, come with me. We are going on a patrol to find this man."

Ran showed the kid the photo, he quickly realised that he had not asked what the kids name was as he was afraid of confusing the two of them. "What's your name kid? And how old are you?" Ran scratched the back of his head as he continued down the road, hoping that he would keep up with Ran. "Oh and also, don't call me Mr. Ran, that's just fucking weird, you either call me Ran or at least Sensei or somewhat, I don't fucking know..." He shrugged as he crudely answered, he had turned around and walked backwards as he rolled his eyes before focusing on the patrol.

---

Amaya was a bit overwhelmed with Hiroko's questions as there seemed to be some sort of miscommunication, Amaya hadn't called anyone else her save for Kotori but she seemed to be busy today or something, but still, having worked with children before she knew that it was best to be patient and let them ask the questions they needed answer to because otherwise they'd probably spend the rest of the day building up answers in their own heads or barrage her with endless questions. A chuckle escaped her breath as she scratched the back of her head, she wondered who had called Hiroko to the office before she snapped her finger as she realised that it had to be Ran.

"Red roses are a sign of love, black for mourning and white during weddings, a glass rose is for nice students who ask for a display of power. Fitting no?" She tried to calm the young child's wandering mind, fortunately she had agreed to go on a patrol with her and almost like clockwork, Kotori entered the building, she was satisfied to see her again as she was afraid that she might have chosen to go her separate ways. A smile grew on her face, she was pleasantly surprised that they seemed to know each other, which would make this patrol easier, as they didn't need to introduce one another.

"Ehm, well, Ran was mad that I didn't like the state he had left the office, but he is usually like this, that kid has a hot temperature, you'll get used to it." Amaya wasn't sure it was fair to say that as she hadn't been around him for that long before her comatose but still, he almost seemed the same. "Fancy following us on a patrol?" She leaned back and grabbed a dossier from her desk and flipped it open and began to read what it said out loud.

"Shinbijiumu, Iji, 20 years old, they claim he is some sort of crime boss who runs some sort of criminal network. He doesn't seem to be... You know what, he should be pretty easy to find, we just got to find someone who works for him and try to catch them in the act. Should be pretty easy." Amaya chuckled and scratched the back of her head, she made it sound easier that it would be, though she had no doubt that they would be able to get through this mission if they kept their heads cool.

---

Dossier of IjiShow

Shinbijiumu, Iji
Shin

Gender: Male
Age: 20
Appearance: 190 cm tall and weighs 95kg

[Kaitos10]

As she listened in to the jounin, who would be with them, for this mission explain what the purpose of the different roses were. Hiroko would hear about the glass rose but that’s the only question that would get answered. Then her friend Kotori would appear here and she would get more curious and suspicious then she heard Amaya San explain why the man left.

Hiroko was questioning wether to ask Kotori about wether they were asked to come here under suspicious circumstances or by Amaya. But soon Amaya started debriefing them about this criminal organization. So Hiroko carefully listened in and when Amaya San was done she would ask “do you know how strong the boss and underlings are?” If the underlings were strong enough then Hiroko wouldn’t be ok much help most likely.

Plus why would they be asked to come on a missed that was way over there heads? It was a tricky situation, considering this was all taking place inside Iwagakure it was unlikely anyone would try anything that said she still had a uneasy feeling about this whole situation. It made her worry that someone may be plotting something behind her back. For now she would just wait to see how the situation unfolded.

[Valkier]

"Straight to it, huh. Good, sure, let's go get 'im." Kotori threw a confident fist in the air—mostly for Hiroko's sake, since she seemed as concerned as always—and grinned. "You just leave him to us, right Hiroko?" She tried to sound reassuring, even though she did have a few misgivings. Whoever their target was, though, he'd have a tough time escaping Amaya's techniques if she was half as strong as she seemed. Hiroko might be even more capable still, what with her... talents. Kotori figured that if everything went south, she'd just stick with her friend and they'd both be able to get away.

"So.. What sorta crime is this guy up to?" She walked further into the room and craned her neck around Amaya's side to stare at the dossier herself, examining the picture of the green-haired man. Such distinctive hair should make the guy easy to spot, although her eyes focused more on the headband prominently displaying the symbol of Iwagakure.

"Oh, he's a ninja. That's..." She hesitated, stopping herself from announcing the new worry. It did make sense, being that they were in a ninja village, but it certainly upped the danger level of the task. She shot a look at Amaya, watching her carefully for a moment and trying to discern if the woman was testing them or hiding anything. An unsettling feeling, of concern and protectiveness, welled up from deep within her chest. What sort of crimes would a qualified ninja be doing that would warrant him being hunted down? And would they—would she—be up to the task?

She stepped away to stand beside Hiroko, uncertain, but also unwilling to leave her friend so long as she was still here. But Hiroko had been here first, and did seem invested, so perhaps it'd be alright after all. They could do this!

[hobnob]

At the age of eleven, a child finds almost everything funny. Kurai was struggling to hold back his laughter at the man who was obviously furious about the situation. They black haired youth acknowledged what the man requested of him, from now of he would simply call the man Sensei just like he requested. 'Apologies Sensei. My name is Kurai, Fukusha Kurai. I am eleven years old. But despite my young age, I am a skilled shinobi.' It was all true, some was definitely up for debate, not something they would engage in in this situation, at least the eleven year old did not think so. It was now time to study the dossier of the man name Iji. Definitely the most interesting of characters he has ever met. Green hair, tall, and a shinobi who was up to no good. A tasking which seemed very mundane has already done a one-eighty degree turn and was proving itself to be rather interesting.

The eleven year old had so many questions about the man, due to his Senseis behaviour he was not sure whether enquiring about him was a wise thing to do. Instead he would allow a little time to pass, a little time to get away from the previous situation so that his head could clear. At times like these was immensely glad to be a part of the Fukusha clan. They taught their members many things other than just martial arts. And that was exactly why it was the greatest clan in the shinobi world, and why he was going to make sure the clan was proud of him as much as he was of the clan.

With a swift movement of his hand, the dossier ended up in his rear pouch along with some of his ninja supplies. With not knowing what the man was capable of, Kurai would rely on his Sensei to dictate their movements, and for now, he would simply concentrate on keeping up.

[Trusted Grader]

"11!? Oh fuck me... Just follow my lead and we should be fine" Ran sighed, not at the idea that they were going to take down Iji but the fact that he never check the ninjas age before he called for back up, he should've requested someone older as now he was certain that he would have to baby sit the kid, or at least that was what was running in his mind. Ran knew that if Kurai was injured or died then he would be blamed for endangering a child, even though he was but one when he started down his criminal path.

Which he now realised was pretty ironic, Had it not been for Amaya then I'm sure I'd have a fucking criminal empire like Iji... Shit... Maybe I shouldn't have joined up with her... Ran rubbed his chin, he shook his head and let that thought go into the ether. The passive aggressive ninja turned to face Kurai and gave him a thumbs up, before realising that he had forgotten to brief him. "So, do you have any special abilities you can use, that way we can counter this dude without any trouble? OR... Are you just... Useless?" It should be noted that Ran was a very crude young man, but the issue was that he couldn't careless. "Iji has the ability to sense people from a far, which is why it's always hard to pin him down, that and he is able to use chakra, which unfortunately I can't... "

---

Amaya peered from the dossier and up to the two ninjas standing in front of her then continued. "Iji is a Special Jounin who specialises in chakra sensory... That could explain why he has been able to avoid being capture for so long... His goons on the other hand seem to be nothing more than a handful of street fighters, I'd wager from Genin rank to Chuunin as I don't think he'd run around with people stronger than him..." Amaya scratched the back of her head before she continued to read the dossier.

"It says that whenever they get to the criminal spots they find markings of Fuuton jutsu and... Chalk.... Shit... Okay.... Ehm... That's interesting." Amaya sighed but her worried face quickly turned back to a smile as she knew that she had to keep a strong appearance in order for her comrades to stay confident. "I think we should be able to handle this with ease, as long as you guys don't do anything too reckless." Amaya raised a thumb. "Wana here will make sure you are protected from anyone trying anything too crazy." Amaya tilted her head towards the massive hyena who laughed at being mentioned, she wanted to lick Amaya but once their eyes locked the hyena seemed to back down, it seems that they still needed some time to regrow their relationship.

"Now, you asked what type of crime the organisation has committed? Well, illegal gambling rings, prostitution, kidnapping children to be sold as slaves and extortion... Possibly murders we haven't connected to them as of yet." She wasn't the type to shy information away from her comrades but maybe she should've considering that she wasn't really close to any of them as of yet. Though she was still confident that they would be able to handle this situation, she just wished that Ran didn't leave because he would've provided a good back up.

[Kaitos10]

Hiroko would be listening in on all the instructions as well as everything Amaya said it was pretty interesting as well as informative. According to it most of the grunts were as strong as your average genin with some as strong as the average chunin. Which meant that Hiroko actually had a chance of winning against them. If the information was true and could be trusted that is.


She figured it was unlikely a iwa jounin from a prestigious clan would betray them. But that said it wasn’t impossible, plus it was already unlikely that a criminal syndicate survived this long inside Iwagakure itself. Unless if the one who is supposed to be hunting them is giving them hints.

She would just have to be careful and watch out for Kotori just in case. Regardless of if they were with a jounin they she should act like she isn’t there for her own safety that way if she conviently mysteriously disappears they hopefully won’t be in much trouble. But she really hopes she is wrong and is worrying for nothing.

So she would then ask “so does that mean going on patrol is just a cover for looking for them? And what is the route we will be patrolling?”

[Valkier]

Despite asking questions of her own, once Kotori was inside the office she was quickly distracted by the magnificent beast sitting at Amaya's side. She'd never heard of a tame hyena before. As the Shoshiki rambled on about sensory and fuuton, Kotori gave the hyena a little wave and edged closer. So long as the animal didn't growl at her or show any other sort of warning, she'd approach and crouch down in front of her.

"Well hello," she'd mutter quietly, keeping her voice low so as to not interrupt Amaya, "who are you? Aren't you just beautiful!" If the animal let her, she'd reach out and rub its head and grin widely. But she was still half listening, and when the subject of Iji's crimes was covered, she let her hand drop and stood back up to face the other two women.

"He sounds like a real piece of work, don't he? I say we go now and get him 'fore he gets away again. Hm?" She tried to sound confident, but the list of charges did worry her. What was she getting pulled into here? Amaya would have a lot to answer for if this job ended badly...

[hobnob]

The eleven year old could not help but chuckle after hearing Rans reaction to him being eleven. His right hand moved in a saluting motion to his forehead as an acknowledgement and agreement of what the man said. Then Kurai was called useless, and he was not sure how he should respond. He waited for a moment processing it, and when Ran had mentioned that he himself cannot use chakra the youth let out another chuckle. 'Well... I don't think I'm completely useless... I can use chakra, and have some cool jutsu I'll show off if the need arises.' That should have covered it, and he hoped that it sent a clear message that he did not like to be called useless, even if he was eleven.

Hearing a breakdown of Ijis abilities was handy as he knew a thing or two from his clan about sensory ninja. They could be a troublesome lot if fighting against them, but they are priceless if fighting alongside them. Any visual barriers are not really a thing anymore. It was a very handy skill, one Kurai wanted to pick up at some stage of his life. It would make situations such as these so much easier to deal with. With a flick of a few hand seals, Kurai would be able to tell where this person was, it annoyed it as he could not do it, he shook his head. He realised that thinking about skills he did not have would only aggravate him and so he decided to concentrate on the task at hand - keeping up with Ran. His name made sense now. He was fast, its almost like he had ran from the moment he born to the present moment. Fast, very fast indeed.

[Trusted Grader]

Ran rubbed his chin, he was impressed that he was able to utilise chakra, especially he himself struggled to mould and control it, it was always on his to do list but he newer got around to it, especially after he had to take control of the organisation. His "brother" Iji on the other hand was almost an the scale of god tier, he had always excelled in the art of chakra, he was almost if not better at it than Amaya, which to him was interesting, seeing as he was forced to follow her when in fact if not for her then Ran would've taken out Iji's empire a long time ago and controlled his own.

"Alright kid, just don't get killed... " What was that supposed to mean? Ran chuckled as he was clearly messing with Kurai, but he didn't let him know as of yet.

It was all weird to be honest, this magic control and how the world worked, Ran just liked to stab his enemies and get rid of them before they had the chance to even try to cast a jutsu, but that was just him. This mission was going to be special to him because he knew that he couldn't just stab his own brother, he would have to find a way to knock him out, maybe knock some sense into him and then... Rob him, that was his true goal, because there was no way he would let all of Iji's ill gotten gains go to waste, but that part he kept to himself, that part was his real mission, because he frankly couldn't careless about his criminal activities, hell, who's to say that Ran wasn't still a criminal? He wasn't but he at least saw himself as one, or pretended so that people left him alone.

---

Wana watched Kotori make her way towards her, she peered over at Amaya who seemed to smile at the idea, giving her the go ahead to lick Kotori's hand, the massive hyena seemed to smile at the idea of being petted, it let out a whoop that stopped Amaya on her track before she continued with her speech. The giant hyena rounded Kotori and pressed her massive body against hers as if it almost shielded her from nature, sharing her warmth as it bonded with the young child, it could be that their hair was similar or that she reminded her of a younger Amaya, either way it made her master glad that she wasn't afraid of her pet.

Amaya nodded at both of the students as she figured it was time to get a move on, she knew that standing here and answering Hiroko's endless questions would only lead to stagnation, it was better to show her what she meant, but first things first. "Yes, patrol as in we check around and see if we can find anything suspicious that could lead us to Iji..." With that she snapped her fingers and Wana stood at attention, they would walk out of her office and greet the assistant goodbye before stepping out.

There was no time for questions now, that would come later, it was time for some action and the promise of a better future for Iwagakure, and soon they would deliver it, hopefully they would do it in one piece. For Amaya couldn't afford to get two jinchuurikis injured or worse killed, though worst of all was that she had no clue that they were, all she knew was that they were some peculiar children, ones that she had promised to make sure to be safe.

[Kaitos10]

Hiroko would watch as her fellow jinchuriki would cuddle with the pet hyena she wondered if that was part of the act too if there was one? For now she proceeded like nothing was wrong since she didn’t want to falsely accuse anyone. Especially a person ranked higher then her, so she just waited until the question was answered. Afterwards she heard their boss declare they were leaving to head out. So she would nod in acknowledgment and follow them.

When they reached the receptionist she would wave casually and say “thanks for the help” before heading out the door. She would then follow Amaya San on the patrol looking out for anything suspicious. She was still worried about a potential betrayal or ambush but without more information and proof she couldn’t do anything about that. So for now she would continue to act as if nothing was wrong. She was pretty nervous about something going wrong on the mission. But she managed to remain calm for the most part.

She just hoped she was worrying for nothing and that there would be no need to worry about any traps or getting in over there heads and could easily complete the mission.

[Valkier]

Kotori let out a somewhat childish giggle as the hyena seemed to take a liking to her, and she returned the affection in kind by giving the beast a good scratch behind the ears. Eventually, though, the others agreed that it was time to depart, so with a last pat on to Wana's flank, Kotori turned and followed Amaya and Hiroko out of the room. She hung back a few steps herself to walk beside Hiroko herself, allowing Amaya to lead their group whichever way they needed to go.

A small voice, muffled within the depths of her mind, made Kotori tense up for a moment as she walked beside Hiroko. Nolosha was trying to tell her something... or make her feel something.. but what? She took a deep breath, and for the first time in days tried to focus on the sensation. Tried to leave herself open to it instead of immediately blocking it out as she usually did. Her every instinct was to do so now, to protect herself, but she resisted. And slowly, gradually, the feeling grew. It coalesced as... not concern, not quite, but something similar to it. Sympathy? No, empathy, and directed towards the girl beside her.

It was clear at a glance. The stiffness of Hiroko's steps, the hard set of her jaw; she was nervous, and Kotori's heart went out to her senpai. For all her mastery over the genma, the older girl could use a little more courage. Kotori put a reassuring hand on her friends arm and gave her a winning smile as they walked, hoping to boost her spirits a little. This might be fun! Sure, Amaya might accidentally eviscerate them, but what's life without a little danger? She almost believed the lie herself.

[hobnob]

'Understood...' The youth said in response. He was not sure what that conversation was. Not being killed was only partially in his hands. If the opponent was too strong, there was only so much Kurai could do. But it would be everything. Once the battle commenced, the all-powerful eleven year old would give everything he had to defeating the enemy. His very last beath would be given towards defeating Iwagakures enemy. He resolve was confirmed, and he dashed through Iwagakure with a brand new look in his eyes. The look of confidence and determination. The determination to put an end to this rascal, and the confidence in his skills to deliver on what he was determined to do. All his training, all the effort and resilience he put into everything that he did, it all boiled down to this one point. 'I'm ready to die, I will fight to the death.' Kurai thought as he dashed behind Ran. This mission was the first important thing he had done since becoming a shinobi. And even so, he was ready to lay down his life for the village, for his clan.

A true hero, but at the end of the day, he was only eleven, soon he would realise what life was really like.