[closed] Soul of the Leaves

[TyDie]

It had been a long trek to get this far, but Sakaki had enjoyed every single moment of it. From the moment they left the gates of Suna, to their time spent hiking through the desert, to the moment she saw her first blade of grass that marked the crossover into Fire Country... The newly promoted Special Jounin's eyes had been willed with wonder, and many 'oohs' and 'ahhs' were expressed along the way. But none of these moments could come even close to the awe inspiring sight of Konoha's infamous 'forest of death''; the treeline could be seen from miles away, the sheer size of the enormous trees appearing more like mountains in the distance.

"My goodness Souta... It's incredible! Rika, how tall do you think they are? They're at least 100 meters tall, maybe more! Wow..." Her heart was filled with absolute joy, finally she was getting to indulge in her dreams and travel across the lands of their world. Everything in her life was finally starting to come together, and despite Shishire's machination and manipulations... she felt at peace here. Wandering the countryside with Souta and Rika, two great friends, on a cultural mission to visit Konoha and expose herself to their lands and customs. And this was just a test of the waters, if all went well here... perhaps she could visit other places too? Perhaps she could visit the entire world at some point!

It was a dream after all: why dream small?

They would stand outside the treeline of the forest of Konoha, as they had been instructed to do. "So what, we're just gonna wait here for a Konoha shinobi to come escort us? They know we're coming, right?"

[Kabu]

Of course being the bookworm she was, Rika had read and heard a great deal on Fire Country, though reading about it was absolutely nothing like seeing it firsthand, the girl herself just as much in awe as her young friend. "Well it is most definitely incredible...I'd even give them about 200 meters. I wonder if this is the work of Konoha's Senju clan or if maybe they just use some kind of magical fertilizer. I wonder if the Hokage would tell me how it works if I asked." Rika mused as she responded to Sakaki's amazement, her tone and general mannerisms unable to hide her own excitement at the sight of the absolutely marvelous forest off in the distance.

She cheerily skipped along as the trio made their way across the grasslands and on towards their final destination. "They should know we're coming. I just hope they don't keep us waiting long. I want to see Konoha now!" she exclaimed, eyes practically sparkling as she looked around at the gorgeous green countryside, marveling at just how different it was from their homeland, the grass and trees in particular. "If the countryside is this beautiful, I absolutely can't wait to see how much better the actual village is." she said, suddenly wishing that she had remembered to bring her sketchbook. Sure she normally only used it for her work but really, it was a shame to let this picturesque view just go un-drawn. Oh well, if this went well enough there would always be a next time and then she could fix that mistake.

But while she had forgotten her sketchbook she had however remembered to bring her puppets, the pair of them slung over her back, and it brought a sudden thought to mind, something she hadn't yet considered. "Hopefully they let me bring in my puppets and don't confiscate them or anything." she muttered to herself. She hadn't thought about it at the time but it was a very real worry...

Well, all she could really do was hope that they trusted her enough to be able to keep them.

[Willoria]

Souta walked along behind the two girls, a small smile on his face as he watched the two of them taking in the sights. It wasn't that he wasn't impressed by it, he simply found himself calmed as he kept an eye on both girls, still feeling a bit overwhelmed by finding out that one was his daughter. In that regard, the other might as well have been, the pair were best friends and nearly inseparable, as such he saw a lot of both of them now that Sakaki had moved in with him. He watched Rika a moment, smirking as it dawned on him what was going on. He took his pack off his back for a moment and removed something, replacing it over his back before moving up to give Rika a nudge and offering it to her. It was a spare sketchbook he'd brought with him. He'd brought it along just in case, assuming that Rika might fill hers while they were there, but as he watched her he started to realize she might've forgotten it entirely. As Sakaki asked her questions, he spoke up. "Yes, my understanding is that a member of the Hokage's family is going to meet us actually." he said, glancing about as he saw Rokuro and Kaede come down from some of the trees. They had kept their distance for some time, keeping up guard duties on Sakaki until they got close enough that they knew they'd have to quit hiding their presence. "Hoods down, no secrets." Souta told them, smirking as Rokuro made a face.

Rokuro pulled down his hood first but of course left his mask on for the time being. "I'm not entirely comfortable with this." he spoke, his voice as always sounding a little metallic due to his mask.

"Of course not, you're too paranoid to get comfortable." Kaede replied, pulling her own hood back and pulling her mask down to show her entire face with a sigh, grinning over at the girls. "Personally I'm happy, its like vacation. I don't have to hide in the shadows all the time and might even get to enjoy myself."

"We still have duties, Kaede."

"Yeah, and he's daddy now." Kaede replied, jerking a thumb at Souta. "You really think he's letting her out of his sight? We're fine."

Souta merely shook his head as the pair continued their squabble and he turned his attention to the two girls. "Believe it or not, they're always like this." he told them both, Sakaki in particular. "How they ever hide in the shadows in beyond me."

[Izanagi]

Yozei had been briefed on the expected arrivals, five of them in total; the young Jinchurriki he had met a few months back, her friend and three handlers to keep an eye on her. It seemed a little excessive though apparently, they worked best as a squad and were her regular guardians, so he supposed it made sense, not that he had any say over such matters. Being thorough and prepared both from the standpoint of a leaf shinobi and his upbringing he had made sure to get their names and any details that were known about them. It would be enough to go on though he had been told that the man leading their team was a Bannin so that in itself set his mind at ease that they would arrive safely. Ensuring he arrived at the edge of the forest a little earlier than scheduled he would keep wary to the best of his abilities, though detection skills were not his specialty, rather he was more geared towards offensive techniques typically from a mid-long range.

Keeping to the trees he would be able to see for quite some distance and as they arrived, he would move in closer to their position before dropping down. As soon as he got close, he anticipated at least the guardian team would sense him by some means, hearing the rustling of leaves or the sound of his leaps off the thick branches before he dropped down about 10 meters in front of them. He wore dark brown pants, a deep red shirt and a brown hoodie, enough to offer some visual stealth if he wished it though he had unzipped the sweater casually upon first seeing them. Of course, his forehead protector was worn on his head against black fabric, contrasting against his medium-length auburn hair. At his left hip rested his legendary Katana, long revered by the inhabitants of Fire Country, though hailing from a nomadic tribe of warrior monks infamous for combating spirits. A few ornate markings against the deep red sheath set it about somewhat from most common blades.

Before he would approach them, the young man would give a shallow bow of greeting, maintaining perfect form with a straight back and hands on his thighs, from years of practice. It was something he typically had slipped out of the habit of though any kind of formal situation between foreigners and he found himself compelled to show respect in a more formal manner. Only after bowing would he make eye contact, looking at each of them. Two of the women he recognized, though the third caught his eye as well. He wasn’t sure if he would be up for dating again anytime soon, having only received a letter from Suzume a few days prior. His heart was still heavy though ultimately, he understood why she had distanced herself and called off their relationship. It still hurt but it was better to be told bluntly, even if it was through a letter. “Welcome to Fire Country, my name is Natsuki Yozei, a Chunin of Konoha. It is my pleasure to escort you to our village” he greeted before smiling warmly. Though they had surely entered Fire Country at least a day ago he still figured it was nice to give a proper greeting. It would be a several hours yet to make it through the large forest.

[TyDie]

Sakaki was admittedly a little bit shocked when Yozei dropped down from the treeline, a small squeak of fear erupting from her throat before she realized who it was and smiled with a bit of embarrassment. "Oh, Hi Yozei! It's been a while huh? Izanami, Sakaki, resident master Jinchuuriki at your service!" In contract to the young boy's formality, Sakaki was so relaxed and at peace that for a moment, she forgot she was supposed to be some kind of envoy. Her blackened eyes, with their contrasting bright blue irides, gazed happily at the red haired shinobi from Konoha. While he displayed his forehead protector against black cloth, she too wore hers, though it was tied around her neck as opposed to across her forehead. It too was a black clothed headband.

Do not grow too full of yourself child. Your rapid growth with my powers has been fascinating, but Shishire still holds many secrets. Your mind will never comprehend me entirely. Sakaki had been noticing over the past few months that Shishire's voice seemed to be getting weaker, quieter... as if his influence and power were waning, while Sakaki's waxed. She wasn't sure exactly what this meant as of yet, but at least it made tuning the beast out a little easier. "So, you're going to escort us through this giant forest huh? Is it true what they say? Is it really a hundred miles wide?" Her wonder was clearly displayed by her strange eyes, but she had to wonder as well... "You know, with such a large forest, I've no doubt that the forest floor rarely sees the sun. Yuumagure belief holds that such a place is rife with temptation and evil..."

Many of the faith would avoid such a place, or at least walk though the place with a torch. Sakaki? She looked to Rika with a grin. "...Yer not scared are ya Rika?" The young jinchuuriki chuckled ominously before looking to her handlers, then to Souta, and back to Rika before finally ending on Yozei again. "Whenever you're ready sir!"

[Kabu]

"Oh Souta, you seem to have read my mind. Thank you so much!" Rika gleefully accepted the sketchbook that Souta had offered to her and immediately set to work sketching their current surroundings, even catching the surrounding farmlands as well as the various animals she caught coming out of the forest, and of course she even made sure to capture Sakaki in her own state of awe and wonder.

Lost as she was in her sketching, she was still paying attention to her surroundings and she most definitely heard the sound of Rokuro and Kaede coming out of hiding. "I'll say. I'm surprised they get any work done with how they bicker." Rika nonchalantly responded to Souta's remarks without looking up from her project, though she did let out a light giggle at the expense of the two handlers. She still didn't know either of them as well as she would really like to but she had gotten to know them more than well enough to feel comfortable with them around, Kaede moreso than Rokuro, but that was simply because the latter was just far too stuffy for her liking, though she didn't entirely dislike him.

She was just putting the finishing touches on her initial sketches when she heard footsteps coming from the direction of the forest, closing the book and clutching it close to her chest, looking over at Sakaki as she greeted the boy that exited with some degree of familiarity, head tilted as she pondered why that could possibly be, though her eyes soon lit up in realization. That was right! Some time ago there had been a group of visitors to Suna from Konoha and she had heard that Sakaki had spent a good deal of time with a pair of them.

"Hizashi Rika, Chuunin of Suna. It's good to meet you Yozei. Any friend of Sakaki's is a friend of mine." she returned the boy's greeting with one of her own, smiling all the while. There was really no need for formalities if he was a friend of Sakaki's, and really she wasn't at all good at formalities so such a thing more than suited her.

"Me, scared? No way! I'm too curious to be afraid." Rika responded to Sakaki's goading with a great deal of confidence and a hmph, sticking her nose up in the air for just a moment before giggling. Really though she could understand where Sakaki was coming from. She had no doubt in her mind that Yuumagure's most devout followers wouldn't dare set foot in such a place. "Honestly, I'm really excited to see the inside of the forest myself." she may have been fairly devout herself but she wouldn't dare let her faith get in the way of her curiosity, her eagerness to learn new things. It was part of who she was and she would be a fool to let faith of any kind change that.

And speaking of learning new things, with that she turned back to their current host, following up once Sakaki had addressed him.

"Yeah yeah! I wanna see Konoha already!" she practically chanted, grinning all the while. It was clear that she was honestly getting more and more excited by the moment, her levels of excitement only rising even faster now that they were about to begin being escorted through the final barrier that stood between them and the village. She just couldn't wait!

[Willoria]

Souta chuckled as he watched Rika excitedly get to work with the sketchbook he gave her, turning his attention to Yozei as the boy appeared. He snapped his fingers at Rokuro and Kaede to get their attention before turning back to the boy. "You're one of the Hokage's children aren't you?" Souta asked briefly, before motioning to each of his teammates in turn. "That's Kouseki Rokuro, and Naegi Kaede. Both are handlers and assigned to Sakaki there." he said, not bothering to introduce the two girls as they had already introduced themselves. "I'm Meiyo Souta, Sakaki's... father. And Suna Bannin." He had started to introduce himself as the leader of the handler team as he was accustomed to doing but it was as if in a split moment he remembered his new circumstances and instead spoke rather awkwardly.

He was still getting used to who he was now after all.

"Kaede is our medic and Rokuro... well he's an asshole so you'll probably spend have your time ignoring him." Souta noticed Rokuro level a glare at him out of the corner of his eye. Souta merely returned it with a brief jerking motion of his arm. When the other man went to open his mouth, Souta inevitably interrupted him. "Keep the squabbles between yourselves while we're here."

[Izanagi]

Yozei's smile widened as Sakaki greeted him. She seemed just as friendly as before and he was glad to be able to return the favor as she had guided him through Suna when he visited for the first time. "Good to see you again Sakaki" he greeted, before dippung his head very slightly as Rika introduced herself. "Likewise" he said simply. He pondered for a moment the potential concerns of the darkness of the forest. They didn't seem to be overly concerned but still he felt he could help to alleviate some stress. "The forest is quite large, yes. Though there are sections of more normal sized trees, 50 meters or so as well as several clearings, lakes, rivers and mountain ranges." He explained, "Though you're right, the densest sections can get rather dark and especially disorienting at night. If you keep to the canopy though you can use the stars to guide you but generally it's not recommended to travel through these woods at night." He stated. He didn't want to unnerve them.

Already he was thinking of Katon jutsu he could utilize. He had a jutsu for a signal flare which was great for illuminating a stationary area but not intended for travel. "I specialize in Katon jutsu so I can l keep our way well lit" he assured, perhaps a handheld fireball would serve adequately but he felt they deserved better than that. He was certain that with a little trial and error he could perfect the perfect technique for the occassion. It was a jutsu he had seen his father use numourous times to entertain the twins out on camping trips. Truly a breathtaking technique.

He was lost in thought for a moment, working out the details of how to produce so many tiny yet controlled flames at once without them dispersing quickly. He had almost missed Souta's introductions. "Ah yes, I'm the 17th Hokage's eldest son. I have two sisters and a younger brother as well." He clarified. "Actually Kaede has met them. She was there briefly with us during Kiyori's inaugeration as Kazekage" he recalled fondly. It hadn't been that long ago after all and it was certainly quite the memorable occassion.

He didn't acknowledge the warning about Rokuro though he would keep it in mind. He was still trying to figure out the jutsu, his chakra now flaring as he habitually utilized Katon techniques without using handseals. It actually felt easier to him now thay he had gotten so used to it. "Shouldn't take me too long to work it out, want to make sure you're well accomodated after all" he explained with a confident smile. Perhaps he was showing off a little bit though he was eager for a reason to develop his skills further and learn new techniques. He had been slacking off in training for the last few week or so, feeling rather unmotivated and this was a good opportunity to shake off the rust a little.

Soon small flames would manifest around him, about a hundred, each no bigger than an inch in diameter, appearing similar to fireflies from a distance, the source of their inspiration. 'Alright, that's a good start. Maybe a few more...' he considered, though first he had to ensure they would all persist and be under his control, forming a half seal they would begin to swirl around him slowly before expanding outward. Satisfied he increased the number until they spread out loosely over a 20 meter diameter. "They might be a little warm to the touch and could set aflame particularly flamable materials but they should be relatively harmless" he assured, reaching out to touch one with the tip of his finger to test it. Sure enough it was hot enough that it would be uncomfortable and slightly painful to hold firmly but pleasant enough to touch lightly.

Smiling widely he found himself quite happy with the results. "It's one of my dad's techniques. The twins love it. Can focus them all together to form an explosion for combat purposes but it leaves a lot of room for utility as well" he stated. He was sure that Sakaki and Rika would love it though the others seemed less likely to react strongly. He supposed given that Sakaki was a Jinchurriki and daughter to a Bannin herself she was quite skilled and might even aim to emulate such a technique herself at some point. Yozei had learned she shared an affinity for Katon ninjutsu after all. Suddenly a thought came to him. She had mentioned her Chunin exam was only a few days away back when he had visited Suna roughly 6 months ago. "Oh, how'd your exam go by the way? I'm assuming you've been promoted if you've been allowed to come here" he wondered. It seemed like a fair assessment to make. He would gesture for the group to walk with him, letting them catch up and walking alongside them as the wisps of fire moved with the group, occassionally he would put extra focus into the flames, making them swirl and dance around in intricate patterns at varrying speeds, just something to help pass the time.

Yozei himself had actually been offered a promotion to Special Jounin recently after defeating a Jounin of Kumo in the tournement and even holding his own against the Kazekage, losing in a split decision with the points in his favor based mostly on his tactical ability and his ploy of forcing Kiyori to break rules in order to respond to his strategies. Though he had learned that of course she had been holding back considerably, showcasing much more of her talent in the final round against the Mizukage. Nonetheless it was something he took pride in. Ultimately however he had turned down the promotion, at least for now. He felt he simply didn't have the focus and the mission experience currently to do honor to the rank. Moreover he hadn't even been a Chunin for a year yet and didn't want people to think he was getting special treatment because he is the Hokages son.

1019/1000 Words

Jutsu TrainedShow

Katon • Seekers of Flame
B-Rank Ninjutsu
Prerequisite: 24 Ninjutsu, 30 Control
Ater channeling chakra Yozei will produce hundreds of small bright wisps. These wisps are spark-like spheres of fire that are only ½ an inch in diameter. This swarm of sorts can be controlled freely by maintaining a focus though they cannot travel more than 50 meters from the user at any given time. If the user performs any other jutsu the wisps will gather and hover around him until he regains control of them once more. The wisps are quite fast, moving at 28 Speed and are bright enough to illuminate dark areas. Moving as a whole entity or separately they are capable of spreading out and forming intricate patterns and maneuvers. They possess no direct strength and are only hot enough to cause 1st degree burns with sustained contact and ignite flamable materials. With a half hand seal however the entire swarm can be focused to explode with a culminating force of a B-ranked Explosion. If the explosion isn’t utilized these wisps can persist for up to 6 posts.

[TyDie]

Sakaki gave a grin at the young Konoha shinobi, who was actually older than her, and had more muscle than her, and gorgeous red hair, and a sweet smile and... and she was getting off track, suddenly realizing she probably looked like a fool. No doubt her comrades and possibly even Yozei would see that she appeared to be fawning over the chuunin from Konoha. She quickly snapped back to reality, shaking her head with embarrassment as she righted herself and gave a small bow. "Heh...It sounds like a, um... Beautiful journey then. We should get to it huh?"

She looked back to her comrades, Kaede and Rokuro being her official team and of course her father Souta, while her best friend Rika stood beside her. She poked Rika's side when she tried to act tough, a small prod to pole a hole in her posturing. "Hehehe, i'm only teasing anyway. A little darkness never hurt anyone right?" She was mostly making reference to the 'darkness' within her, Shishire's presence, but that same darkness could be attributed to Yozei as well... she had not forgotten what she witnessed in his soul that day. The mention of Katon caused her ears to perk up, a grin crossing her face as she watched Yozei try out a new jutsu from his father's arsenal.

The little flames were adorable, and their apparent power all the more impressive as Yozei explained the combat applications. "Mhmm, Katon is my primary affinity as well. I've come a very long way with it in fact, having perfected the art of the Fireball jutsu going all the way up to S rank power. I might have to steal this from you though Yozei... it's a fascinating technique. I'd try my hand at it now even, but uh..." She shot a glance back to Rokuro, Kaede and Souta with a small sigh. "I don't imagine they'd be happy if I tapped into Shishire's power right now. The power granted by accessing the genma is what lets me do those higher level techniques, without at least a little help I don't think I could even do what you just did."

It was clear at that point that Sakaki's power was largely attributed to Shishire's influence, as most if not all of her high end arsenal was reliant on being able to access the genma's various forms. She aimed to fix that now, as she had come an incredibly long way with Shishire's power since her sealing four years ago. It was time to learn to rely on herself... and her friends, of course. "I'll probably have to speak to Takeo first to make sure he's okay with me using Shishire's power... I fully intend on speaking to a few well known shinobi in Konoha, learning a few tricks from your people. After all, I'm a cultural envoy; I have to 'absorb the culture' right?" She grinned and winked at Yozei before looking to her friend Rika, a slight blush crossing her features. Yozei mentioned her exam 6 months ago, and she couldn't help but poke her fingers together with a mixture of pride and embarrassment... "Well I won and was promoted... But since then, I was promoted again. You're looking at a week old Suna Special Jounin Yozei."

She scratched her head, realizing that although she was younger than the boy in front of her, she actually outranked him. But then again, she had a spirit of pure evil residing within her that she had managed to coexist with; That tended to give one a leg up in advancement. "But that's all besides the point, come on! Tell your little flames to guide the way Yozei, let's get to Konoha!"

[Kabu]

While most would likely have felt some degree of disappointment or anger at being outranked by one younger than themselves, Rika was honestly proud of her young friend for reaching Special Jounin already and even honestly felt she wasn't too far behind herself, especially with the amount of work she had been putting in as of late, though she frankly still had no clue as to why her own workload had only been increasing while others seemed to be having it easy in comparison. And while she wouldn't dare complain it was frankly getting quite bothersome.

"I can use Katon as well, though I don't have nearly as much practice in it as either of you. I've mostly been practicing with my clan's Kaenton affinity and my puppetry. Though I have begun to take an interest in other arts as of late. But it's a secret until I'm fully confident in showing them off." she piped up in response to Yozei and Sakaki's conversation. She of course hadn't missed the way Sakaki had been fawning over the boy but she kept silent on the matter, simply humming cheerily as she skipped along, following behind their escort. There would be plenty of time to tease her about it later when they were all settled in after all.

"Let's hurry hurry! I've heard a lot about Konoha but I imagine the real thing is much different from what any book or secondhand source can tell me. and I just can't wait to see it all for myself."

[Willoria]

Souta had to resist an audible groan as he noticed the way his daughter was acting around Yozei. 'I have a kid... and of course I don't get her until she starts liking boys... why did this revelation have to happen now? When she's at the worst part about growing up?' he thought to himself, glancing between Yozei, Rika, and Sakaki briefly. "Agreed, let's get to the village. I'm curious to see how the food differs really." he remarked, trying not to sound too gruff.

Though in spite of his attempts he heard a snort from behind him and turned to see Kaede looking at him, eyes sparkling mischievously.

Souta turned and tried to ignore her, giving Sakaki a significant look as she mentioned Shishire's power. "Definitely, no need to step on toes out here with that, honestly I'm still shocked Akihito agreed to loosen the reins enough for this." he remarked, glancing at Kaede and Rokuro briefly before turning his eyes back to her. "Well... as much as the old codger knows how to."

In a shocking moment, this time it was Rokuro who snorted in laughter before he managed to stifle himself.

"I haven't heard you laugh in years."

"Don't get used to it, geezer."

Kaede swiftly slapped Rokuro upside the back of the head, earning a glare from the man, though his eyes sparkled oddly for a moment. It was almost as if he was beginning to have some semblance of fun.

[Izanagi]

Yozei didn’t think too much on the way Sakaki was looking at him. It was quite common for him to receive such gazes from girls, so much so that he had come to think of it as normal. To him she simply seemed friendly and eager to get to Konoha. The same as Rika, though each of the young women were attractive in their own way the young man found himself most curious about Kaede who seemed rather quiet and perhaps had some kind of history with the stern looking man with the mask. He wondered what kind of skills the man utilized, a taijutsu user most likely though something in his gut told him that there was more to him than that, he was a guardian to a Jinchuuriki after all.

The young noble smirked and caught her glance when Sakaki alluded to darkness within. Though when she spoke of her Katon proficiency his eyes widened in amazement, ‘S-rank katon already?’ he thought as a feeling of self-doubt began to sink in. He quickly quelled this sensation however, forcing himself to stay positive and use it as motivation instead. He prided himself greatly in his proficiency over Katon and he hoped to develop that further to utilize Sankaton and Ash style, mastering the offensive ninjutsu styles that Konoha was famous for. He believed he had the potential to become the most skilled user of all three styles that Konoha had ever seen. And yet he couldn’t even claim dominion over Katon, surpassed by someone younger than him who’s main focus was on a completely separate branch of techniques. The teenager’s mood deemed to dampen a little, forcing himself to smile though his eyes seemed to lose a little of their liveliness, “Yeah, sure!” he permitted as Sakaki spoke of wishing to replicate the technique he had only just learned.

He looked over to Sakaki on his left side now as moved between her and Rika while leading them through the forest at a walking pace. “Definitely best to wait until you’re within the village. We have many patrols and chakra sensing methods throughout these forests, any unexpected and unrecognized surge of chakra could spur a hostile reaction” he warned. Low-level techniques would likely be fine but something like the activation of a Genma’s chakra would certainly activate the defences of the forest. Her words about needing to access the Genma’s powers to surpass his skills in Katon reassured him somewhat though still he felt inadequate. So often he easily overshadowed those around him, often called a prodigy in chakra manipulation and Katon ninjutsu especially with promising signs in his development of Sankaton as well. And yet every now and then he was reminded that he was not alone in possessing these talents. Other natural prodigies existed, and should he falter and become distracted from his training he could still be easily outdone. If he were to earn his nobility, to prove he was more than the Hokage’s son he would need to work harder, unrelenting. He couldn’t let himself be consumed by love and sorrow of that loss. Suzume had decided to put her ambitions before the two of them, now it was his turn to do the same.

The disowned prince of Fire Country turned his head to look at Rika now as she spoke of her own abilities, “Kaenton? What’s that?” he wondered, his cerulean blue eyes brightening as he looked at her, “Puppetry seems interesting, have never seen such a style before” he commented, certainly he would want to see more of what the girl could do once they got back to Konoha. She seemed quite the talented and interesting individual and gorgeous too. He looked back to Sakaki with a genuine smile as she spoke of absorbing cultures, “My thoughts exactly! Diplomacy is in my blood. We can help share our cultures together, I’m sure there’s a lot we can learn” he stated optimistically, smiling widely. Only upon seeing her blush did he realize that maybe she liked him as potentially more than friends. While he certainly wasn’t ready for another relationship anytime soon, he wasn’t opposed to some light flirting and friendliness. Perhaps that would help him move on, especially with someone that could motivate him to keep up with his training.

When he asked about her exam, he hadn’t expected that she would have been promoted twice since they last met. She didn’t look any older than 14 at the most and now she outranked him. Interestingly this didn’t deflate his mood as much as her skills with Katon had. Simply he rubbed the back of his head and groaned, “I guess I should accept that promotion after all” he considered. He smirked as the two young women eagerly encouraged him to get them to Konoha faster. Evidently the casual walking pace wasn’t good enough. “Alright! Let’s get moving then, see if you can keep up” he teased, ruffling both of their heads playfully before running off at a steady 14 Speed. He wasn’t the most physically inclined though he had done considerable training with Zakuro before the Star Country tournament. His physique was coming along quite nicely, and he actually had quite a bit of toning and definition now and felt comfortable with his able to maneuver around swiftly. The flames would tighten up around him in an about 5-meter diameter, likely loosing surrounding the girls too if they could keep up.

[TyDie]

The shock in Yozei's face as she mentioned her abilities in Katon brought a little pride to Sakaki's heart... though deep down, she felt it was only partly her that should be proud. After all like she said, without Shishire's power, she could never have attained such heights so early. Shihihihi... And don't forget it, child. I made you what you are... By this point, she was a professional at hiding Shishire's voice in her mind that she showed no outward ticks or quirks, though that didn't make it any less of a nuisance to her. Either way, she moved on from that thought instead to what both Souta and Yozei had to say about her using Shishire's power out here... That was a kind of scary realization.

"Oh... Yeah. That wouldn't be good. I'll wait until I speak things over with someone in Konoha before I start tapping into Shishire's power." She blushed a little and twisted her face ever so slightly, a bit concerned for her visit to Konoha now. What if they said she couldn't use Shishire's power at all? What if something... happened? The fear and anxiety was starting to build, but before she could voice any kind of concerns it seemed Yozei was quick to leave now. Good, the sooner she got to Konoha, maybe she could put those fears at ease with a quick talk to someone in charge.

The boy took off with impressive speed it seemed, though Sakaki had no trouble keeping up once she got a chance to build up some momentum. The light of his flames lit the way as they moved through the dark canopy of the forest, though she turned her gaze back every now and then to make sure Rika and her handlers were all in tow. No doubt Souta could blaze a trail past all of them if he wished, this was likely a walking pace to the man's immense physical fortitude. "You never answered my question yknow... How big is this forest Yozei? And more importantly, at this pace, how long do you think it'll take to get there?" Of course she was eager to get to Konoha, and she wanted to know just how long it would take. But at the same time, the more they ran, the more she found her eyes wandering along the forest.

As they made they way deeper through the forest, eventually Sakaki's eyes fell on a break of sunlight in the forest ahead of them. It wasn't too far off the track Yozei was running, and admittedly her curiosity got the better of her "Yozei, that way! I wanna see what's over there!" Sakaki wouldn't wait for the boy to pay her comments heed, taking off on a slight left to what revealed itself to be a small clearing in the forest. Beneath this clearing was a pristine lake, about 80 meters in diameter, with beautiful trees rising all around it. The sun beamed down through the opening and refracted brilliantly off of the calm waters. A few flowers along the edge of the lake were in full bloom, though Sakaki couldn't name them herself. And on the other side of the lake, Sakaki's eyes lit up with delight as she saw a family of deer drinking from the lake.

"Wow, deer! I've never seen one before, they're so cute! Rika, do ya see?"

[Kabu]

Taking advantage of the very short moments before they took off into the forest depths, Rika gave Sakaki a brief hug in her own attempt to assuage the girl's fears and worries, by this point having learned full well how to read what she was thinking. "Don't worry, Souta is here... Rokuro and Kaede are here, and I'm here as well. Nothing's going to go wrong, I promise." she whispered to the girl, very briefly stroking her hair as her mom often did for her during those rare occasions when she herself was worried or upset. She kept it up for just a moment before letting go, sensing that they were about to start heading off into the depths of the forest.

They traveled for some time, Rika having spotted the break of sunlight just as Sakaki did and to her pleasant surprise her young friend being more than willing to check it out, Rika herself making sure to follow very closely behind, having to cover her mouth to muffle the delighted squeal that she let out at the sight that awaited her. A clearing with a pristine lake in the center, flowers growing along the edge and a family of deer drinking from it.

"I sure do see, and it's very lovely indeed... I've never seen anything quite this beautiful in my life thus far and I have got to capture it. Rika whispered in response to Sakaki, a delighted smile on her face as she got her sketchbook out and got to work, falling into a contemplative silence as she did. This was something she would never get to see back home and she loved every bit of it. Some part of her had admittedly been afraid that their trek towards Konoha would be boring now that they had reached the final stretch but it seemed like plenty of excitement still awaited them.

[Izanagi]

Yozei noted the brief worry Sakaki seemed to have about how her powers would be recieved during her stay in Konoha. Rika seemed to handle it well though, reasuring her friend. He was sure there wouldn't be any issues, she would be under close supervision from her own guardians and even Yozei was well equipped for combating spirits and supressing the powers of Jinchuuriki. At most he or someone of similar skills from Konoha would tag along occassionally though it seemed incredibly unlikely that his father would ban the use of Shishires power unless an incident were to occur first.

As they progressed through the forest at a running pace the teenager looked over each shoulder, impressed that both women were able to keep up. This was good, at this pace it wouldn't take long at all to get to Konoha, assuming they could keep it up. The other three he had no concerns about, each of them seemed to be able to move much faster and for a longer duration than any of them if they so desired. Sakaki asked about the forest again and Yozei considered what to tell her. "These massive trees surround Konoha in about a 75-100 km radius though it does vary with some the mountains, rivers and lakes even a few large clearings and farm houses here and there on the east side. There are two major villages on the outskirts of these forests, one close by here on the South end and another to the North East. These villages are where all our trade goes through. Of course there are also many other, more ordinary sized forests all throughout the country." He explained. Fire country itself was nearly 1000km in diameter after all, the group of Suna shinobi would have already passed through many smaller forests, farmlands and settlements and their way north. He considered further how long it would take to get to Konoha. "At this pace, about 2 hours, maybe 2 and a half at most" he assessed.

After running for about half an hour, Sakaki would suddenly spotted an opening to the left, drawn by the bright beams of sun shining through the trees no doubt. Yozei rolled his eyes at how easily she got distracted, "And here I thought you were in a hurry to get to the village" he teased, smirking slightly. No matter, it would be good to fill up their water anyway and have a quick breather. It was considerably cooler within the forest though with their running he had warmed up and began to sweat lightly, washing his face and hair and maybe enjoying some of the direct warmth of the sun would be quite nice.

The young shinobi spotted the group of deer quickly; a doe and her two fawns that still had their white spots. Though he wasn't much of a hunter himself he had often gone camping and accompanied his father and grandfather on the occasional hunting trip. His grandfather Isamu was an exceptional bow hunter, specializing in hunting and tracking in his days as a Jounin and still retaining much of his skill. Likewise Takeo was well known for his stealth and superb senses, alas however Yozei had yet to pick up on any such skills though he had absorbed some knowledge and basic observations from the two men.

He didn't think much of the deer at first, simply moving slowly as he went about filling his water bottle and washing his face. At this distance as long as they kept their movements minimal and their voices soft the deer likely wouldn't be spooked. Seeing such animals was almost a daily occurance for him, even within the walls of Konoha the many small forests and fields were frequented by various animals and of course there was the large deer sanctuary within the Nara clans personal forest. "Oh yeah. Whitetail deer, a mom and her two fawns. Their tails look black on the top when they're down but if they are among a herd and they sense danger they raise their tails and show off the white underside as a signal to alert the others" he commented casually. It was information he had been told many times though he supposed that if they had never even seen deer before then such things might interest them.