Mission: Bay Side Siege Travel

[pandoru]

Though she had stepped outside the gates alone, the puppeteer knew she wouldn't be traveling as such. Perhaps it was her own fault for not giving the chuunin a specific time to meet her, but aside from her solitude, Pandoru had nothing to complain about. Though still timid about the travel, she rubbed her hands together. With how their village was viewed now... perhaps it would be wise for them to remove their headbands once they drew near. But that could wait, she supposed.

She pat the bag on her hip, trying to reassure herself that one way or another, she'd be alright. If her puppets didn't pull through, surely a well placed bomb would take out even the largest of opponents. "Just relax..." she murmured to herself. One day, she would break the habit of talking to herself. But today was not that day. Arms folded over her chest, and the kunoichi waited.

[Itaru]

Dashing through the rooftops would appear to be a simple blur. The Stone Shinobi traveled at intense speeds, his destination: The Village Gates. Here he would meet the young girl who he would be traveling to Fang with. He wasn't sure what exactly to expect, but he also didn't care enough to give it much though. The sun warmed his back as his sights caught the location of the Village Gates, and he lunged down from the rooftops and casually continued his walk towards the girl. The first thing he noticed was her brilliant red hair. She would be quite a bit shorter than Itaru, since he almost stood six feet tall.

He approached and finally revealed himself. A lean and muscular figure, Itaru stood just a few feet before Pandoru now, looking downward into her eyes. Her gaze seemed to devour him in that second, but he quickly shook himself free and adjusted the collar of his large cloak. Turning his back to her, he spoke not a word and looked around the area outside of Stone. Charcoal colored hair gently swayed over his silvery orbs and he looked back to Pandoru. A cock of his head, and he motioned for her to follow. He began walking towards their destination, though it would take some time before reaching.

[pandoru]

'Silent type.' She would admit that she didn't know much about Itaru aside from his name, but perhaps she could crack that hard, outer shell eventually. It wasn't as if her own walls couldn't use a bit of crumbling. The smallest of smiles would be given to the shinobi as their eyes met for those few seconds, though the other had quickly looked away. A motion of his head directed them, and Pandoru gave her own in reply; a nod, before following behind the chuunin. She had traveled in silence before, with Fina specifically, but that had been a comfortable silence. This one nearly bordered on uncomfortable. Perhaps it was because, as mentioned, she was rather unfamiliar with this character's personality. "Good to see your well," she spoke softly. And indeed, with the intruder that had gotten in, it was relieving to know that the other shinobi in her village were doing well.

If they kept a steady pace, it was possible to reach waterfall within a few hours. The trip through that country would be much shorter, and then they'd hit their destination; Fang. Hopefully they would arrive in time to be of assistance. Of course, that was why she'd picked today to travel. Being early was much better than being late. Fidgeting once more, the girl clasped her hands together. As a member of the senate, she had felt it was her responsibility to go on this mission to represent her people. It hadn't been required for Itaru to join her, merely a request. "Thank you," she said finally, allowing her hands to drop back to her sides, "for accompanying me."

[Itaru]

While they walked in a awkward silence, Itaru looked straight in front of him, leaving Pandoru a slight ways behind, but not too much; perhaps a bit more than a full meter separated them from one another. His pants swept across the grass, the ragged garments caressing the foundation with each step. The long grass brushed against his exposed toes through his sandals, but he paid it no attention and kept his mind set on the destination; as though Pandoru didn't even exist in his mind.

If one would travel into his thoughts, an unspeakable hatred would be revealed. Strangely, he never expressed this unknown despise he felt. As his aural picked up her thankful statement, he only nodded. "Mhmm," his vocals lightly vibrated, and that was the end of it. Pandoru was accurate when she understood him to be a silent type. Itaru too could feel the strange feeling in the air. They were accompanied by each other, but there was no vocals being exchanged back and forth.

Not even Itaru could find this very appealing, but with some focus he was able to block his mind out from the thought of it. His mind traveled elsewhere, a video being played within his head. He imagined how the mission would turn out, hopefully they would return to Stone without any troubles, but Itaru had to be ready for anything unexpected that could advance toward their way. Although Itaru's mind was blank, his hearing senses were kept alert in case they were to be ambushed by another Shinobi in the area.

After all, things were a bit strange around Stone recently. That female intruder that attempted to assassinate the boy called Takeo was one thing. Itaru couldn't help but wonder how Takeo was doing now. For all he knew, Takeo could have been dead. At least Itaru could say he tried to save his fellow Stone ninja. On Itaru's body, no headband could be detected. It was actually hidden away under his garments, constricting his right upper arm, but it often slid down toward his elbow.

Over his right shoulder, Itaru took a glance at Pandoru. She was quite the attractive girl, probably just slightly younger than Itaru was. He wondered how she would handle the pheromones that were unique to Itaru's bloodline. He wasn't even sure if she would react to them at all for that matter. In other situations, he noticed all girls reacted in a strange or awkward way. It tended to make him a bit uncomfortable, but by now he almost entirely forgot about the affects it could have on a female.

A part of him wished to speak out, but the overly quiet personality dominated over this possible decision. He wasn't like the silence anymore than she was, but he could deal with it. Leaves rubbing against one another from the treetops seemed to put Itaru in a more comfortable state of mind. He wouldn't appear to be the type, but he loved traveling, as he enjoyed the view of nature and creatures that inhabited it.

( In case you need it: )

Tamaranai Pheromone
Rank: None Range: 30 ft. (Personal)
Skill: Unsure
Effect: (In description)
Special: None
Drawback: Is always active
Description: Those of the Tenjigoku no Metsuki blood have never had any trouble finding a mate of the opposite sex, however no one knows the exact reason why they are so irresistible, many believe it to be their looks, charm, or some other such nonsense. In truth, the Tenjigoku no Metsuki have a special gland inside their body that secretes a chemical into the air at all times, filling the area within a thirty foot radius with an invisible pheromone. The male pheromone attracts women of course, while the female pheromone attracts men, however the pheromone that a male secretes and a female secretes cancel each other out, thus they are immune to the effects of a Tenjigoku no Metsuki of the opposite sex at all times. This also works on those already effected by the pheromone, thus those effected by the pheromone of the opposite sex can be returned to normal by the pheromone of a Tenjigoku no Metsuki of the same sex, creating a type of counter balance. Homosexuals, male or female, suffer the same effects as heterosexuals. Also, whenever anyone leaves the radius of effect, they become instantly better.

[pandoru]

She blinked, giving a small hum as her hands slipped behind her neck. Well, the small response was, at least, enough evidence to show that the chuunin wasn't a mute. It caused a small chuckle to come from the kunoichi, and she shook her head softly, allowing her hands to go back to the task she had originally set for them. Her fingers toyed with the fabric about her neck, and soon, the knot holding the hitai-ate in place loosened. Slipping it from her body completely, she stuffed the item into the pouch at her hip, adding something else to the bag with two puppet-containing scrolls. If they were going to pass through another shinobi country, it would be best to hide where they were from. She certainly didn't want their country to develop another enemy.

Cyan optics shifted to glance up at the sky. Time was quickly ticking away judging by the sun placement, but it had been time well spent. Letting her eyes wander, the scenery had already started to change. Much more green, probably due to the vast amount of water in the area. At least, she assumed that to be the case. Why call a country 'waterfall' if it had so little of the vital substance? Pushing the thoughts out of her mind, she allowed her eyes to settled once again on the shinobi in front of her. Something about the boy was... oddly drawing. It felt almost unnatural, and she couldn't quite place her finger on it. Physical attraction was almost a foreign concept to the redhead, thus, everything had to be run through her mind eighty-seven times before she could draw any kind of conclusion. Such a thing didn't happen this time though, and a bit of pink stained her cheeks. Perhaps she was over-thinking something that shouldn't have been thought of at all.

Other things, yes. A topic change in her mental conversation sounded like a great idea. But... what? She scratched at her head, messing the scarlet tresses just slightly as she shut her eyes. Perhaps... nothing would be the best topic, and she should focus on keeping her senses sharp. They had, after all, entered another shinobi country.

{Moving to Waterfall :3}

[Itaru]

As they lacked in verbal conversation for basically their entire travel, Itaru figured it would be wise to keep it that way now that they had entered the Waterfall Country. They were wide-open for an assault now, but Itaru would express his loyalty to the Stone ninja that joined him on this mission by protecting her if he needed to. He knew Pandoru to be one of the three Iwa Senates, but it was his nature to act as a guardian to girls he found as beautiful as Pandoru.

He was mostly drawn into her eyes. The almost aqua look to them made Itaru wish he knew Pandoru better. She would be one of the few to get more than five words out of him. The sad thing was that she didn't even have to try prying it out of him...

In just a gentle voice, but not exactly a whisper, Itaru finally spoke, severing the silence as he did so. "Pandoru..." his commence of vocals would be used to get her attention. He knew her by name, since he was informed of who he would carry this mission out with, but never actually met the young woman. His tone was deep, simultaneously quiet. "Please, if you don't mind, tell me some about yourself."

While he spoke to her, he kept his eyes directed in front of him. As it would seem, 'normal' people would actually make eye-contact with the person they were speaking to. Itaru however did not fall into that category. He would not exactly know how to describe even himself. Only the slightest movement of Itaru's right shoulder would be indicated. In secret, his hand was placed on the handle of his kusari-gama that was hidden under his cloak.

There was something about being in this country that put Itaru on edge, but he would remain calm. The chain that connected to the handle of his bladed weapon pressed lightly against his pants, creating a distinct 'clinkling' noise. With every step, it made this vibration, but it had been the entire travel so it wouldn't appear strange to Pandoru, unless of course she somehow noticed Itaru's fingers that now wrapped around the handle.Patiently, he waited for her response, if any were to come that is.

[pandoru]

Having become tense from the silence, the girl's muscles finally relaxed once the other's voice decided to break it. Relieving, it was, and the girl let out a breath, giving a small smile even if the shinobi wasn't looking at her to see it. Out of concern for her own safety, a single kunai would be drawn from the pouch at her thigh. A simple weapon indeed, but enough to offer a swift attack should she need to. She slipped her finger through the loop in the handle, letting her digit twirl the item rather haphazardly. "About myself...?" The aquamarine hues shifted again, keeping her eyes on the scenery should anything suspicious arise. Perhaps she'd keep the details of her actual combat abilities to herself, for even though she couldn't see any enemies, that didn't mean there weren't any around to hear what was to be said. Paranoia perhaps, but she would continue to refer to it as 'caution.'

"I'm... an artist." She said simply, allowing yet another small smile to grace her features. "Clay working specifically..." They were subtle hints of her bloodline, made apparent by the additional mouth placed in her right palm. If he caught on, points for him. If not, well... she was sure he'd end up seeing the more destructive properties of her art at some point. Even if they did give her a headache. "It... makes you a bit more aware of your surroundings, when you spend countless hours trying to remake the pictures you see in your head..." She felt a bit silly talking of such things, but at the same time, it was jus nice to be talking.

Turning her head, she placed her eyes back on the taller boy. Rather, his back, since he still wasn't facing her. "... what about yourself? If... you don't mind me asking of course..."

[Itaru]

Eyes altering from left to right, as though he predicted somebody to appear. So far, there was seemingly nothing to fear, and while they continued walking, Itaru finally heard her gentle voice from behind. She spoke about clay, and with that one understanding, he could know her better. So she was of the Sankuchi Bloodlimit he thought to himself, still alert as can be. There would be no attacks that would catch him off guard, surely.

As her question about Itaru himself escaped her mouth, he looked to the corners of his eyes and turned is head. With this action, he was just barely able to steal another glance at her. As hard as he tried, he couldn't rid himself of this feeling he had toward her. It wasn't like others he knew. Perhaps it was merely her lean figure, red hair, and her eyes. After a while, his head turned back so it faced forward once again.

"So you're talented in the art of clay molding." As it would seem, Itaru was keeping the conversation off himself. This was true for the most part, as he didn't care to explain who he was exactly. Besides... He hardly knew how to answer that truthfully. They were almost out of the Waterfall Country now. Their conversation seemed to pass the time, although they didn't exchange words all that much.

"I'm..." he paused, struggling to find something to add to his words. There was a silence, and Itaru searched his mind. "I'm just a Iwa Shinobi." He finally concluded his words with something so obvious. That was to be expected... Itaru would make himself appear to be a complete moron with these vocals, but he couldn't have cared any less. "By estimate, how much longer until we reach Fang?" He asked Pandoru to once again keep the silence away from overcoming the two Stone ninja.

[pandoru]

She chuckled a bit, lifting her free hand in an attempt to choke back the laughter that threatened to escape. An interesting choice of words, she supposed, but if he wanted to keep the details of his life private, he had the right. Instead, she would simply play off of the words he had given her in his previous statement. "Yes... though I still have a lot to learn." A soft expression was given as he glanced at her. A good sign, in her opinion. Perhaps it meant that he was finally warming up to her. Certainly, it would make cooperating with one another that much easier, should they need to in combat or any other situation.

Distance was questioned, and honestly she found it a bit hard to answer. The farthest out of Earth Country she had traveled was to Grass, and that was also just on the border. Not to mention, it was quite a small country. Of course, Waterfall wasn't much larger, which could mean the distance to travel across either was roughly the same... she hummed. "Three or so more hours, perhaps..." She blinked suddenly, and idea crossing through the mind of the fair kunoichi. Though Pandoru wasn't really one for mischief, being wise beyond her years, the youth of the girl would occasionally make its appearance in actions.

"But we can get their faster if we run!" It took only a fraction of a second for the puppeteer to brush passed the other, using the natural speed that all shinobi seemed to have. Of course, there were no tricks being used. The male could easily catch up if he put any amount of effort into it.

{Moving again ^.^}

[Itaru]

For their entire travel, Itaru thought of Pandoru as a quiet person, much like himself. To him, it seemed she wasn't so shy any longer. He could tell by her soft laugh, which only made him smile inside. As she zoomed passed him, he continued his steady pace, watching her nearly disappear within the distance. This girl was more energentic than what Itaru took her for... He could only like her even more because of this.

His walk turned into a jog, the jog into a run, and his run into the impressive sprint common of all Shinobi. He was catching up to her quickly until reaching her side. To her right, he kept his run at the same speed as her, finally crossing the border into Fang at long last. Were they to sleep here until the mission? He didn't care to ask at the moment, and his orbs set upon Pandoru, though his head did not move.

Fang was where they would fulfill the mission, and slowly Itaru slowed down his pace until he paused entirely. If Pandoru wished to stay close to Itaru and not lose sight of one another, she would be wise to do the same. "Pandoru," Itaru called out to the Iwa ninja. This would surely get her to stop in her tracks, if she hadn't yet. "I believe we should set up camp until the mission." He informed her, and waited for her response.

[pandoru]

Not long after the other shinobi's pace slowed, Pandoru's did as well. She came to a complete stop, ending up a few meters away from Itaru. Turning on her heels, the kunoichi walked back towards him. Camp certainly was an idea that sounded appealing. They would need to rest after that trip, not to mention have something to eat. She nodded, tucking the kunai back into her weapons pouch once more. They were in the clear for now, so she could allow herself to relax.

A soft sigh escaped her, the girl looking up at the sky once more. Judging by sun placement, there were only a few hours of daylight left. The time they made had been awesome; she'd be sure to brag to Yunskei or Takeo later about it. For now though, she would settle on forming a fire. It would only be that much more difficult to do such when the sun was down.

Thankfully, this land wasn't like Tsuchi. Tree's were pleantiful, so wood wasn't nearly as hard to gather. A sufficient amount of material was quickly gathered, then set in a nice little pile. Lacking Katon jutsu, the Sankuchi came up with a more creative way to start the flame- the same method she used when traveling with Naegi. A small wad of clay was taken out, then pressed into the mouth of her palm, only long enough to infuse it with a miniscule amount of chakura. No specific shape was formed, as all that this thing needed to do was pop. Slipping the clay between the wood, the kunoichi took a few steps back before slapping her hands together.

"Katsu!"

An extremely weak bomb, the 'explosion' itself was about as loud as a branch snapping, creating only a few embers and smoke. However, that was all she needed, as the small flames were enough to get the fire going.

[Itaru]

Itaru's eyes watch Pandoru carefully as she prepared a fire. Her Bloodline was interesting to say the least, she would be the first of her particular Bloodline that Itaru had ever met in his days. As the flames crackled and snapped at the atmosphere, Itaru situated himself onto the lush grass before the orange and red fire. The warmth it let off, the light it provided, Itaru found this very clever of Pandoru to create.

Then an irritation struck him towards his left shoulder. An irritation he knew well. It wasn't worth informing Pandoru of; it was something he learned to accept. Though Pandoru wouldn't be able to see it, a bandage covered a location near Itaru's collar bone. This hid away a morbid infection, of which was beyond medical NinJutsu, unfortunately. Though currently not curable, treatment wasn't entirely out of the question either.

Itaru's hand lightly pressed against the area, blood and puss seeping through the medical tape as he did so. Into the fire, his eyes stared without anything more to say to Pandoru. Not at the moment anyway. Their mission would begin tomorrow, and they would need to rest for it. Itaru removed his pouch from his backside and placed it on the ground. His spine straightened out when he laid flat on the grass, laying his head upon the pouch.

Now his sights were focused on the sky above. Soon, the stars would begin to appear and provide little light. If there wasn't a blazing fire to support more light around the area, he would have put his own Bloodlimit to use, and give himself the ability to see clearly through the darkness of the night tide that approached. That wouldn't be necessary, and Itaru folded his arms above his head. "I wish you luck on the mission tomorrow, Pandoru."

Within the night, he would suffer from insomnia for reasons he couldn't understand. Eventually, he would drift into a slumber where unseen illusions held him within a whole different world from what he knew to be reality. Any sort of noise loud enough for his ears to pick up within the distance would instantly be reacted to. Itaru commonly didn't need very much sleep to function, and he was easy to wake up, and could wake fully within moments.

[Will be continued tomorrow..]

[pandoru]

Ningyoumawashi no jutsu (Puppet Operator Technique)
Rank: D
Skill: Ninjutsu
Effect: This technique allows the puppeteer to use chakra strings to move objects such as rocks, and other inanimate objects. Can be quite useful for triggering traps and switches without getting caught
Special: Surge of chakra through chakra strings
Drawback: Strings can be seen by people with the ability to see chakra. If object is too heavy, strings may snap.
Description: The puppeteer activates their chakra strings and aim them at the object they want to move. The chakra strings then stick to the object, allowing the puppeteer to pull on them, making the object move. The heavier the object, the more chakra is used through chakra strings.
Limit: Must be a puppeteer. Can only move objects as far as the puppeteer is able to control their puppet (Puppet Technique)

{0/10}

A seat had been taken by the flames, the kunoichi being quite pleased with the heat they provided. Itaru’s voice reached her, and the girl’s head turned, nodding softly before giving an equally soft smile. “You as well… goodnight.” And those would be the puppeteer’s final words for the night, allowing her eyes to settle once more upon the flickering light. Sleep would not come easily for her, of that she was sure. Far too many thoughts plagued the mind of the young Sankuchi; what had happened, what was to happen, what was happening in that moment… She could only hope her companion would rest easier than she herself would. Of course… if insomnia were going to plague Pandoru, she may as well practice her skills a bit. As she often told herself daily, there was much she still needed to learn.

Though there were no ’specifics’ to the areas she wished to practice, she knew that the time she spent with her puppets in itself was not enough to perfect the skills. Especially when certain skills didn’t involve the crafted weapons themselves. Something like the chakura threads she molded… whether attached to a puppet or not, she was sure the tendrils could prove useful for something. Perhaps… they could be used in the manipulation of other objects. Her head turned once more, giving Itaru another quick glance. He was so still… the girl was unsure if he was even asleep or not. It could have been that he was suffering the same sleep-hindering condition as herself. Well… sleep would come in its own time.

For now, other things held importance. A single hand shifted, moving down to remove a kunai from the pouch on her thigh. Starting small, she learned, was the best way to go about things. Especially when that ‘thing’ required the precise chakura control that puppetry did. Setting the weapon a decent ways away on the grass, her other hand was lifted to about eye level, spreading the digits as she focused on the kunai a few feet away. The flow of chakura was quick but accurate, gathering with a pleasant tingling sensation at the fingertips before shooting outward. Invisible to the untrained eye, the chakura threads were nearly indestructible. With that detail in mind, they could certainly prove useful for knocking around objects that were a bit more on the… non-puppet side.

The threads would stick to the cool metal with no problems whatsoever. Now, would she be able to move it? The slightest twitch of the girls fingers was the only action that needed to be executed, as instantly the kunai shifted, drawn a bit closer to the kunoichi as the tendrils tugged on its surface. Her head tilted to the side, as if curious to the reasoning behind the skill. Perhaps not why the technique had worked, but why it had worked so easily. Aquamarine optics shut momentarily as she reminded herself, this was only the beginning. Bigger objects would be needed if she wanted to progress. A quick flick of the wrist, and the weapon was pulled up, caught neatly in the Iwa-nin’s grip before she placed it back in it’s pouch.

She stifled a chuckle, idly wondering is Itaru was watching, confused as to why she was hunched over near the fire. Ah, it didn’t matter much. Instead, the redhead shifted her vision, settling on a few rocks not far off. Being heavier, this would more effectively test the limits of her abilities. Again, chakura flowed through her veins, settling in each digit before shooting off towards its target. They stuck firmly, and after flexing her digits a few times, it was time to test. Her fingers moved, pulling the threads in just the right way to bring the stones closer to her. Though the strings felt tense, she assumed it was because of the weight attached to them. A slight scratching along the grass was the noise she picked up; that of shifting rock. Smiling, she would be content to call this her ‘stopping point.’ The threads were quickly disconnected, dissipating into nothingness as the girl leaned back, laying across the grass and shutting her eyes. Sleep would soon come, now that had allowed her mind to wander…

Chirping birds and blinding sun caused the girl to awaken early the next morning, giving a soft groan as she rubbed her eyes. She sat herself up, trying to tidy up the sleep-messed tresses with her fingers. A brush certainly would have been more effective, but this would work for now. As she got to her feet, the puppeteer glanced around, blinking slowly to take in details she may have missed last night. Though really… there was no time to be wasting. Her things were gathered, and she brought herself over to the sleeping form of her acquaintance. Kneeling, she placed a hand lightly on his shoulder, hoping that she didn’t startle him. If she was lucky, her footsteps alone would be the thing to wake him. “Itaru… we need to go.” Though before such, there was a final thing she needed to do…

Smoke was still rising from the fire, put out during the night she was sure. Yet, the tiniest of embers still burned. Her hand lifted once more, surging chakura through her fingers and out to stick to one of the many rocks surrounding the ash pile. A simple motion caused it to roll forward, snuffing out the sparks that so desired to burn once more. She couldn’t have a forest fire start, now could she?

She began walking, patting her hip pouch once to hear the metallic clank inside, informing her that her headband was still safely within. Hands folded behind her head, her pace was slow, making it extremely easy for the other to catch up with her. The only way she'd slip from his view would be if he sat there and literally did nothing.

{Exiting. Continued here .-.}

[fina]

+1000000000000000000

...

Learned!