Welcome to Gaia! ::

??????
Kirigakure | ??? | Jounin
??? ??? ???

Watching him slowly, the Kirigakure jounin hidden up in the trees of the mountain pass to Kirigakure studied the approaching man well. The pass to Kiri gates was not easy by any means, after all the entire village was literally surrounded by mountain ranges. It was a natural defense that has kept the village well hidden and safe from countless ambushes time and time again. So, it wasn't rare for the men and women of the gates to see people collapse before they even got close to the actual gate. In fact, they'd watched invading rogue shinobi get themselves lost among the trees and mist numerous times walking in circles, eliminating the need for genjutsu to be used as well as exhausting them well beyond the ability to battle. There were guards posted throughout the path in different areas, unseen and unheard. Kiri was a village seemingly of secrecy, and it was evident in the fact that unlike the other villages, their gate guards didn't stand in the open at the gate just begging to be ambushed. In their territory, they prompted the best opportunity for attack. And although there were things about Kirigakure's image their Mizukage sought to rid them of, the gates were one place things never changed. The old way was the best way; to intimidate outsiders from the beginning was a tactic they used constantly.

So, when the head gate guard for the day caught wind of an approaching man and later saw him collapse a few dozen yards from the "gate," or rather the point at which gate guards appeared to confront visitors, he held a passive palm up as if to tell the others who could see the order to 'halt'. They'd seen the trick before, a man who collapses at the gates who when closely inspected turns out to be a clone with an explosive tag attached. No, they waited instead. He watched the man's back heave up and down, monitoring his rate of breathing. For twenty minutes he watched, not allowing anyone to move in to inspect. However, over the course of time he began to notice the inevitable. His breathing became unstable, erratic at best. It slowed down a lot, proving this was a man who was actually slipping into unconsciousness. In the cold air of the night, the man exhaled from his nostrils, producing a thin visible trail of the action through the bandaging around his face.

Holding up his index and middle finger, he brought them down quickly pointing at the man, a military command to move-in closer to the target. In a heartbeat, the man was swarmed by the six-man cell that patrolled this last leg of the trek. Standing around him in a circle eight feet around him in case something were to occur, the head guard for the night walked forward. Kneeling down next to his body he turned the man over. Instantly, the silver necklace he wore bearing Kirigakure's insignia caught his eye. The pendants were hard to come by, usually given to heroes of war or members of prodigious clans. Whoever gave it to him definitely meant for him to get safe passage into the village. Checking the tattered gentleman's pulse to his own, he confirmed what he saw in the distance earlier. The jounin began to heft the man onto his shoulders after the squad all recognized what he wore. "Continue guard duty as usual and send an owl to find the Mizukage. Tell him a man wearing the pendant of Kirigakure is in stable condition at Kiri-Medical. He'll take it from there."

With a collective nod, the five men jumped back into the treeline out of sight as the jounin-in-command turned and headed up the hill towards Kiri. Looking towards the lit village in the large natural bowl it sat in from the top of the hill, he shook his head. "Well, this better be good."

EXIT TO KIRI COMMONS

show spoilerhide spoiler

iAkura-kun

[Chakra: ???]

Zdura
Rogue | Crystal | Jounin
Support { Sealing } Combo
~

"Mizukage-Sama." Zdura's muffled voice spoke as a section of the nearby wall stepped forward and bowed, before the color melted away to reveal Zdura's usual form. "I came as soon as I received your message, but the guards seemed uncomfortable with my extended presence. Admittedly being invisible probably didn't help, but, ah well." he shrugged, he surface of his mask shifting as his lips quirked. Considering the number of mask wearing ninja in this village, the average villager still seemed unsettled by his presence. Maybe it was just that he hadn't been there long, or simply that he had no shinobi identifier as yet. Ah well, this mission would hopefully allow him to prove himself to Luo and earn that marker.

~
[Chakra: 205]

... I seem to have hit a blank.

Zdura
Rogue | Crystal | Jounin
Support { Sealing } Combo
~

"To be fair," Zdura replied after Luo's initial question, "Once you've been invisible for long enough, they seem to forget about you. If they can see you, they're constantly worried you're going to do something." he shrugged. In answer to the actual question, he merely nodded. "I have everything I need." he spoke simply. Most would think that statement odd, for a man who was going on an extended long distance trip to another country with, by all appearances, nothing but the clothes on his back. But, as Luo well knew, he didn't need to carry pouches and bags to keep his things on him. It was an easy step then for most to assume he had all of his supplies stored away in seals, which was mostly true. The fact of the matter was he didn't need much of anything. What little he did need was stashed away in concealed seals on his clothing.

As Luo began to walk, Zdura once more found himself shrugging at the muttered mention of snow. "I lived on a mountain. We didn't get an incredible amount of snow, but plenty in the colder months to get well accustomed to it." "And I don't mind a bit." he immediately continued on with the previous actual question. "I find that conversations that start with that question often lead both parties to excellent new ideas. I'd shame myself and my profession if I turned it down." he smiled, visibly through the mask as he fell in step with Luo, keeping one step back and two to the side the entire way. Close enough for comfortable conversation, distant enough for peace of mind for all.

~
[Chakra: 205]