Southern Gate

Masaru would let out a long breath as if he had been holding it since the moment he crossed into the land of Earth, which he had. It had been so long since he had returned to his Homeland, and would be the first time Amaya would see the birthplace of her father. Though now was not time for a tour, there would be enough time for that later. There was something very important Masaru needed to take care of.

{Enter Iwagakure}

Masaru would sigh as he reached the gate of the village, he knew it was unconventional for the Tsuchikage to leave the village like he is, but he also knew that this was something that needed to be done. There was a sickness within the land not just the village hidden in the Stone but all of the Land of Earth, and he would not be able to rid the land of this disease by sitting behind a desk inside an office. The village would be watched over by Hansuke and Amaya while he was gone, though he did not see himself being gone long it still made him feel a little better in his departure.

(Exit Village)

Masaru and Chen would arrive at the gates of Iwagakure shortly after dealing with the highwayman, construction around the village both inside and outside of the village could be seen from the moment they rounded the mountain. A feeling of dread would fill the man as they approached the gates, Masaru could see Hansuke standing alone at the gates. The old man was not supposed to allow Amaya out of his sight, and the fact that she was not with him was not something that Masaru felt good about. "Welcome back, Lord Tsuchikage." Hansuke said with a slight bow, "I see you have brought a guest." The man would add noticing Chen, Masaru would ignore the comment as his mind was on other things. "Hansuke, where is Amaya?" His tone was stern but calm, yet anyone that was perceptive could see something bothering the man. "She is in the office Sir, with the elite guard watching her I assure you." The old man replied knowing full well that why the man was so protective of the girl. "Our sensors picked up some movement a few kilometers away from the village, I was about to dispatch a team to..." The man would stop as Masaru raised his hand, "I will look into myself." Masaru stated before motioning Chen to come closer to them, "This is Chen, he will be staying in the village as my Personal Guest. See that he is set up in one of the penthouses and gets a good meal." Masaru would then turn to Chen, "Hansuke will give you the tour and get you settled, make yourself at home. I will come find you when I return and we can talk more." With that Masaru would move out to where the disturbance was detected, without ever entering through the gates he was off again.

{Exit to the Great Chang Mountains}

As Chen approached the formerly fallen city of Iwagakure he could see that the Tsuchikage was not lying about his intentions. There was construction everywhere. The village was teeming with builders, engineers, and crews fixing up what had been a dilapidated rump of a military base. Chen paid the construction workers no mind as he neared the gates. Instead, he focused on the man who greeted Masaru. Hansuke acknowledged his presence and the boy only replied with an icy stare. There was a mention of an "Amaya". The concern in Masaru's voice alerted Chen to the fact that this might be his beloved daughter.

Interesting...

The inter dimensional refugee would have stroked his bear if he had one. He settled for scratching the back of his neck. There was some nasty bit of business that required Masaru's attention and in that moment Chen could see what was about to happen. His fears were confirmed when Masaru introduced him to the old man. Chen glared at the elder maliciously but did not say a word. He stated that this "Hansuke" would give him a tour. Chen cut in before he left.

"Thanks but no thanks. Give me an address and I can find the place myself. I don't need his help."

It was extremely blunt and bordering on disrespectful. But it was a risk that the Rinnegan user was willing to take. He would not under any circumstances be left under Hansuke's care.

"If that won't work, I can go with you or I can leave this place forever."

[Interrupting Masaru's exit with words?]

Masaru would stare at the boy, there was something about the way the boy referred to Hansuke that made the man wonder what it was, but it was a discussion that would have to wait for now. Hansuke had a look on his face like he was about to speak up, more than likely to say something about telling the boy to just listen to the Tsuchikage's orders. Masaru saw the look in the old man's eye and would stop the man from speaking before he had the chance, the last thing Masaru wanted was for his former Sensei to run off his future pupil. "You heard him Hansuke, you are not needed here. Return to your post with Amaya, I will be there once I return." Hansuke would immediately bow and take his leave, Masaru had to admit that despite his age Hansuke was probably his most loyal subject. The man's unwavering devotion to Masaru was something the Tsuchikage respected, and while he would never take advantage of that devotion he knew he could ask the man to walk to hell's door and he would do it. Masaru would turn his attention back to Chen once Hansuke had departed, "You can help yourself to any of the penthouses, as they are all currently empty after I killed the drug lords or other criminals that had been living in them. I can't say they have all been clean though, but I already explained my rules. The Jade Dragon serves the best tea in the land and has some pastries and other food items, though the selection is limited. But there are plenty of other restaurants to choose from." Masaru would pull a coin that was larger than a ryo from his pocket, the coin was nothing more then a symbol created for him by his father long ago. Upon one side of the coin bore the symbol of the Tetsudashi clan, while the other side bore the symbol of the Tatsuda clan. Masaru would flip the coin at Chen, "give them this and tell them to put it on my bill. I should be back by dawn, I will be in the training grounds if you are interested."

{Continuing original Exit path}

Chen could feel Masaru's eyes on him. He returned the stare with the same icy coolness that he had demonstrated before. Not defiance nor submission. Completely neutrality. Hansuke was flustered by Chen's rejection but the boy didn't care. He want the old man showing him around. Masaru yielded to Chen's desires and dimissed Hansuke. Internally Chen was relieved. He didn't want to walk away from this opportunity but having Hansuke meddle in his affairs was a non-starter. He kept form though and acted as though it wasn't a big deal. He would be given a penthouse which was nice. The boy appreciated the finer things and life, the fact that the previous tenants had been murdered only made his occupancy all the more sweeter. He caught the coin tossed to him and nodded. Some good chow might also do wonders for his mood.

"Thank you. I will see you at the training grounds then."

The dutiful student then turned to walk away. He didn't need to wish the Tsuchikage luck on his mission. He was certain that it'd be a walk in the park for the dual clan leader.

Exit into Iwagakure

Masaru would return a few hours later, yet still before dawn. He would smile as he entered his city, returning early meant that he would be able to keep his word to Chen about being in the training grounds at dawn. Whether the boy came there to train or not did not matter to the man, all that he cared about was keeping his word.

(Enter - Iwagakure)

Mission Name: Toll of the Road
Mission Type: Combat
Mission Rank: B
Mission Goal: Eliminate the man charging people to travel to Iwa
Description: Reports of a man claiming to be an Iwagakure Shinobi has been forcing people to pay him to walk the roads to Iwa, find this man and see that this does not happen again whether by persuasion or force.
Payment: 25k Ryo
Requirements: C-Class

It was a Tuesday, the worst day of the week. Her weekend already ended and Monday was a blur. Tuesday was when the dread of a long workweek set in. As much as she dreaded being worked to the bone she needed to save up enough money to actually buy a house and move out of her shabby apartment. Having spent a good amount of her savings on gear she lost in her last mission she really needed to stop goofing around and get serious about her future. On both feet Maple wore a standard issue black pair of sandals. These were fitted to her feet comfortably while providing protection to the wearer. Covering both legs she wears a set of black fishnet leggings which extend up past her knees and into the matching pair of black shorts which are barely fingertip length. Around her waist she wears a utility belt which carries most of her gear, being two blue holsters on the right and a hip pouch around her back side filled with a variety of gear.

Maple wears a fishnet top which is covered by a common uniform shirt worn by many kunoichi: a red long sleeve shirt. With Maple's top the shirt is slightly baggy, the sleeves also being too long as they cover her hands from plain sight. A set of steel arm guards covered her back hands and forearms. In addition, a set of black iron kakute rings are worn on her left hand, one for her pinky finger, middle finger, and thumb. Over her red shirt Maple wears her standard issue Iwagakure flak jacket, being brown in color and fastened with a zipper running down the middle. This flak jacket comes with an additional pouch around her abdomen.

Being at the ripe age of eighteen, Maple captured her physical prime by being health conscious and physical active during her growing years. Standing 180cm (5'9) and weighing 62 kg (137 lbs) she is considered tall for a woman. Very voluptuous, she has fair skin free from any marks, scars, or bodily hair. Maple has a natural auburn hair color which cascades down her back stopping just above her lower back. Her head hair, like her body, shows an above average degree of attention as she often uses hair as well as skin product to keep her hair and skin up to great quality, primarily to increase her desirability, but also to compensate for missions where a bath cannot be had for days at a time. Her Iwagakure forehead protector is worn around her neck like a collar with the steel plated emblem facing front for identification.

It was eight in the morning and Maple was already making her way to the front gates. Although they had no time limit to complete this mission, it was fairly urgent as there was an active threat preying on travelers. Whether they were cunning highwaymen or an insurgent trying to cause political discourse by posing as an Iwagakure ninja, they would meet their fate sooner than later. Maple had already eaten breakfast but couldn't help herself in buying some snacks to eat now as well as some more on the road. This wouldn't be a problem if Maple hadn't already packed her backpack with provisions, flatware, pots, pans, and other what most people would call "survival gear." Maple's front pockets were stuffed with packaged foods, and seeing as she was wearing short shorts, they were hardly considered pockets as is forcing the product to mostly bulge out. More food was stashed in her flak jacket tool pouch, but ultimately the rest went in her backpack. What Maple was currently working on at the moment was a small tray of twelve takoyaki complete with all the fixings.

A pair of lacquered chopsticks were held in her hands (a set she always kept on her) as she pecked each takoyaki ball one by one, stuffing her mouth with the fried goodness while occasionally packing her mouth with sticks of red pickled ginger. In addition to the snacks she had in her pockets she had several pairs of paper-wrapped disposable chopsticks provided by the numerous food vendors she visited during her spree, something she also liked to collect during her outings. All in all Maple looks more ready for a festival than a mission. The only thing she was missing was a refreshing lager to wash everything down. The kunoichi eventually found herself at the front gates of Iwagakure sparing blankly into the untamed wilderness which was only a few steps away from civilization. Maple spared aimlessly into the horizon feeling the warm sun beat again her body as she switched into autopilot mode, consuming mindlessly and enjoying the sunrise.

Returning from a completed mission was always a thrilling experience even for Akeno. Not only did she get the experience of dragging a giant into the fiery depths of the world, but she also gets paid too! Getting paid meant that Akeno could invest more into her bar, and that payment turned into profit as she continued to invent new cocktails, food, and drinks. All for her lovely customers and secretly herself to enjoy so long as they could afford it.

The thoughts swirled in her mind as Akeno happily approached the Iwagakure gates. This time Akeno is not going to bust down the gates as her dark locks lightly bounce with each step she makes. Her forehead protector with Iwagakure’s symbol present on her forehead as she wore a flak jacket belonging to the Iwagakure as well. Underneath the jacket is a long sleeved black shirt, and wrapped around her waist is a red silk sash with a flame-like gold at the bottom. Where the symbol of a phoenix rising up from the fire could be seen for all to see. Her black leggings were fitted to her slender form as she wore a pair of brown sandals. Other than the flak jacket, there wasn’t a single piece of armor or weapons on her person.

Slung over her back was a backpack that contained the basic necessities for a short trip. Not that Akeno planned on staying out late, but when it came to hunting a giant patience was a virtue as some would say. In the end, the job was done and it was just so early in the morning. Too early to really get a drink, but that was alright with her. Afterall she planned on doing a bit of shopping with the money Akeno just earned from the giant being slain. However much to Akeno’s surprise when she catches a wondrous sight of another seasoned kunoichi. The mentioned kunoichi was currently snacking on some takoyaki, but from a glance Akeno got the feeling that she was prepared for a road trip. The thought brought a smile of pearly white teeth as the Volcanic Phoenix approached Maple.

”So who’s the lucky guy to warrant a dazzling woman to venture out?” Akeno inquired as she added a bit of a flattering in the mix. Granted she didn’t entirely swing that way, but Akeno could make it an exception. Otherwise she inquired who the target was that Maple was assigned to meet.

Tuesday morning, the sun already on it's way into the sky and well past the point where it would have caused a cascade of colours within the heavens. Cloud cover was sparse, but there, and the sky itself was a bright blue. It promised to be quite a lovely day actually and Morithar was quite content to be spending some of it on doing a mission. Frankly, he needed funds fairly badly. Especially since he intended to start practicing with creating weaponry soon. That would require funds to do as well as equipment and time. It all started with the money though, it always seemed to start with the money. Morithar was dressed in his usual attire, black shinobi pants with black boots. A white cloak with black trim and silver studs covered his upper torso and went down to his knees. It hid a black shinobi shirt underneath and his chin length white hair was kept out of his face. His bright blue eyes took in his surroundings as he moved and analyzed everything they saw. He had broad shoulders and stood at 6'2, giving him a strong and sturdy build although in reality he wasn't overly strong compared to other shinobi. No, his most powerful tool was his mind, and he worked to use it with a startling degree of precision.

He moved up to the gates, his blue eyes falling on two forms. Both had extremely appealing figures, but that wasn't exactly special in the shinobi world when one had to be in great shape to survive. Still both women were quite lovely to look at. One was auburn haired, with a red long sleeved shirt with sleeves long enough to cover her hands, a fishnet top, steel armguards that covered the back of her hands and forearms, and over it all she wore a standard Iwagakure flak jacket. He couldn't see her front from his angle, or her hands. The other woman however was a different story. As she was approaching the gates and as she did Morithar was able to get a good look at her.

She was about 5'10, with long, raven black hair and eyes of molten gold. Her porcelain skin was set off by the sable shade of her hair and her high cheekbones and slender frame gave her a more aristocratic look. She was moving toward the gates and had turned toward the other woman who appeared to be eating. Morithar heard the woman's words, but wouldn't interject, he wasn't a gentleman, but though would be quite rude. As such he would wait, just a few meters away now for the auburn haired woman to respond before drawing attention to himself and giving a small bow of greeting. Hand on heart, blue eyes meeting each set of the one's before him politely as he spoke. "Morithar Alaris, at your service. Might I ask the man of two such striking women?" He would ask, a small smile on his features. He voice and tone were calm and polite, with an undertone of curiosity. A single white eyebrow would raise at his question, the only single physical sign of his curiosity.

Amidst her snacking spree she began to notice a newcomer approaching her location from the village directly. It was a woman she had never met before, though that doesn't say much about the woman's status. Maple was more or less a working stiff in terms of her job as a ninja. In short, it was just a job. One she certainly put effort in since failure or mistakes were rarely acceptable and unforgiveable. The ninja work was hard, but when the threat of death is removed it's fairly risk-free and pays quite well. Fortunately her natural durability played a role in keeping her job otherwise she'd find herself working like a civilian. Having spent six years trying to practice and learn Medical Ninjutsu she trashed that goal and settled with a steady nine-to-five where she could eventually buy a place of her own.

Compromises had to be made in the ninja world sometimes. Maple was no exception. Despite Akeno's renown she younger Jounin had no hope in recognizing her. There was a brief moment of silence following Akeno's introduction as Maple stuffed the rest of the Takoyaki in her mouth and quickly worked to break them down before clearing her mouth so she could speak. "Oh hey. I'm guessing you're my teammate then? I'm Anzu Kaneko, but you can call me Maple." By the way Maple worded her introduction it suggested she preferred the nickname over her real name. Reaching down to her front pocket she retrieved one of the Yakitori skewers she skillfully set so the meat doesn't touch her clothing.

Shifting her eyes over to the third person completing their triangle she couldn't help but give a quick, instinctive scan of his build. He wasn't particularly built, but he was a joining implying his skillset being more brain than brawn. Maple had partial judgement when analyzing people but it was a nosy, judgmental habit she couldn't quite shake. The other woman was without a doubt a long range fighter. Her slender frame and comfortable clothing suggested she didn't get hit often. Maple herself was probably the most armed out of the three making her role obvious.

"Wowee, three Jounin? That's a bit overkill for some highway men. But I guess Iwagakure has the personnel to spare." The thought of prosperity was soothing to her knowing that her home was prosperous enough where a surplus of elite ninja could be sent on a mission to tackle the threat with the least effort, highest success possible. Surely the Daimyo wouldn't cut the village funding at this point, and that meant job security. "Plus there's probably some information gathering we'll have to do along the way. Before we start heading out, how should we determine squad leader? Should we do 'rock, paper, scissors'?" Maple suggested in all seriousness. She'd raise her skewer up to her mouth and clear it in a few well-placed bites, setting the cleared bamboo skewer in the trash bin next to her.

Truthfully Akeno didn't know that she was being dragged along in this expedition, but how could she say no? It wasn't everyday that she gets to work with not just one, but two other Jounin. So Akeno maintained her smile that showed her pearl white teeth as Maple introduced herself. The gentleman who only spoke after they had exchanged a couple of sentences with each other was perhaps a bit too formal towards their respective Jounin. Both were impressive Jounin in their own right, and frankly she pities whoever invoked their wrath to begin with.

"Akeno Tatsuda, a pleasure to officially be your acquaintances. It is a bit uncommon for three Jounin to venture out together for sure, but I like to think of this as a get-to-know each other better while on the job." In other words, Akeno doesn't think there is an inkling chance of failure with their combined forces. Of course, Akeno rules out the 1% as the unknown factor since anything can happen at any time. Not that she expects something out of the ordinary to occur, but Akeno doesn't rule it out entirely either.

"That being said, shall we start heading that way?" She gestured towards the gate as an indication they should go ahead and start heading out.

The white haired man would listen as the Jounin who was eating introduced herself as 'Anzu Kaneko' but that they could call her 'Maple'. An odd nickname to be sure but it didn't matter to Morithar in the slightest. After all it was what she wanted to be called in the end. Either way the day would go on. Morithar would listen as Maple commented on their being three Jounin on the mission and how it was overkill for the mission. Akeno chimed in as well there, commenting on how it could become a simple 'get-to-know each other on the job' type of thing. He would nod his head at their observations before commenting himself. "I agree, three Jounin is indeed overkill for this. It's possible there's more to this than we or the village knows. So let's keep our eyes open. I have no preference for who leads. All three of us have the rank to lead such a mission and I trust we're all capable of doing so." He would say before nodding his head toward Maple. "You were here before either of us. Do you want to lead?" He would ask, his head tilted to one side slightly as he looked to her.

He would work to take in any body language she might give off at the question. It might do to give him an idea of any insecurities she might have despite her rank. For that matter it might give him an insight into her character all on it's own. His arms would be folded at the small of his back, himself the picture of a polite individual simply making conversation. Beneath the white coat he wore one would see a multitude of black stitches along his body. All of them neat and orderly of course, he despised untidiness. Flat against his back, underneath the coat would be four masks, each one looking like a different animal and each one black in colour. He took a deep breath as he adjusted how his coat settled upon him, ensuring that it didn't pull too tightly over those masks and risk the coat tearing across one or more of them. He didn't want them to be known about yet.

Having the option to lead wasn't what she was expecting in the slightest. She was at least average in strategy, her brain power not really improving since her years as a Genin. There were three of them there, and one was bound to be smarter than her. At least she hoped. A squad of meager Jounin could be a disaster. Maple relied on her natural durability to get the job done above all else. But she was still fairly confident in her ability to lead. Although she lacks processing power, per se, she had enough experience on the field. And better yet, she could 'think' like most of the population. While someone with high intellect may often times over analyze a situation, inadvertently overestimating their opponent, Maple could think at the level of some thugs chasing their next meal. It would be a piece of cake.

And speaking of cake, reaching into her front pocket she retrieved a small mooncake she grabbed from one of the stalls on her way there. It would be a good finisher for her breakfast before they started heading out. Raising the treat to her mouth she chomped down on it following a nod of confirmation with what Morithar said. A few brief chews she'd swallow and begin her analysis. "Hmmmmmmm. Well, whatever the case may be, our first objective is to track these loonies down. The mission report states the man is disguising himself as an Iwagakure ninja, and is charging people to take the highway to Iwagakure. We can expect this person to be moderately skilled as he managed to grab an Iwagakure uniform and play a convincing role. Not to mention there was no mention of force used on any of the travelers, so this isn't your ordinary highwayman. They likely only target people they know have money, like traveling merchants. Now, because we're dealing with a skilled adversary-" Taking a brief pause she bit into her cake once more and spoke between chews.

"We need to get the drop on him. If three ninja from Iwagakure are patrolling the roads he will likely spot us from afar and stay out of sight. I'll say we cut through the wilderness until we intersect with the main pass through the Great Chang Mountains. From there we will set up camp and rest until early in the morning. At dawn we will prepare our disguise: Akeno and I will be two harmless, wealthy traveling maidens with Morithar transformed as something expensive. We will look like an easy target with a lot of money. Something that will make this guy want to take us for suckers. It's at that point we will spring him." Shoving the last half of her cake in her mouth she broke it down before finishing off her breakfast. Clasping her hands together gingerly she bounced her eyes back and forth between Akeno and Morithar. "So what do you think?" Maple said with a wide, teeth-blaring grin, proud of the plan she put together. And in record time, at that.