The mission board was rather empty as of late. Since the war and everything had ended so long ago, Kirigakure was peaceful and everyone was happy. It was a good time for a village that had been through so many hardships. Simpler, lower ranked missions like gathering herbs or helping out Genin were what took up a majority of the available requests, and Isamu accepted this change of pace without hesitation. His white hair had grown long and he pulled it back into a messy ponytail, letting his bangs hang over his forehead in the front. He strapped on his Kirigakure flak jacket over his casual black clothing and put his headband around his head. His little hummingbird, Kuremachisu, hovered behind him as he accepted a recent request to escort a Genin to Iwagakure on personal business; it seemed like an unnecessary task, but protecting Genin was an important asset to the village, and even if the trip was for the Genin's personal matters, it would give Isamu a chance to do some more important work for Kirigakure while they were in Tsuchi no Kuni. The mission was approved and he was to report to the Genin's house immediately. They would leave that morning and arrive by night, if everything went according to plan.

Included with the mission details was a scroll full of information on the genin in question. "Momochi, Issei" was stamped at the top in bold black ink, and it went on to list various physical qualities, relationships to other villagers, and the man's history. Isamu didn't bother reading any of it, instead figuring he would be able to get any questions he had answered by the boy himself. He did ponder the last name; he'd heard of the Momochi clan in the past, and based on that, he knew them to be a supposedly fierce and vicious clan of ninja with intensely powerful chakra.

Just after sunrise, Isamu arrived at Issei's apartment in the near center of Kirigakure, and he gave the door a series of knocks before waiting patiently for an answer.

A knock on his door startled Issei awake at approximately 7 in the morning. He looked at his clock in disbelief and hesitated, unsure of what exactly was happening. He slumped out of bed, rubbing his sore eyes as he grabbed a shirt from his closet and draped it over his head. The living room seemed so much larger than usual as he stumbled through it half-awake, wondering who could have bothered swinging by when most of the village should've been asleep. Hell, Issei was a shinobi, sure, but even he didn't wake up so early if he didn't have to. He reached the front door and looked through the peephole; the boy standing there looked a lot like Issei did, actually. They both had long, white hair, although this boy's was much brighter; the boy's eyes were also white, which was strange. He looked younger, likely in his teenage years, but he wore a Kirigakure flak jacket in a navy blue color that suggested he was of a higher rank than Issei was. As expected, a Kirigakure hitai-ate was also tied around the boy's head, covered mostly by his hair but just slightly visible as a ray of sunlight reflected off of the metal frame. Issei took a deep breath to prepare himself for social interaction and then pulled the door open gently. "Hm?" was the only sound he could manage to make.

Much to Isamu's surprise, a grown man just a bit taller than he was opened the door with bags under his eyes and a visible look of disinterest. How old was this guy?! Isamu had only ever met Genin that were young; he thought that he was old when he was a genin at the age of 15! He supposed people could decide to become ninja at any point in their lives, but it was strange to him. Curious, he looked back down to the scroll with the information on Issei and looked under the section that read "Age:"...30!? 30 years old. He was a decade older than Isamu was and Isamu as multiple ranks higher! Isamu blinked a few times, skimming through the rest of the information quickly. "Member of the Momochi clan, but known to display use of the Kaguya clan's Shikotsumyaku. Expert in Taijutsu, capable of basic Ninjutsu as well as Water and Fire Release. Academy graduation age: 12. Current rank: Genin." This man had officially caught Isamu's full interest. Isamu shoved the scroll back into one of the pockets on his flak jacket.

"Hello! My name is Isamu Maeda. I'm a Jounin and medical ninja of Kirigakure. I'm here to escort you to Iwagakure no Sato." he stated in his most formal tone before offering a polite bow. When he looked back up and saw the door was still being held open, he accepted it as an invitation inside and walked in. Kuremachisu fluttered in after, following Isamu obediently and remaining silent aside from the beating of her wings. The apartment wasn't much, but it seemed cozy. There were stacks of books scattered around on tables and in bookshelves, with more than a few written by a mysterious author named "Ryūya". Isamu turned to face Issei again and smiled. "Do you need a moment to gather your things?"

Upon opening the door, the first thing that Issei noticed was the little bird flitting about nearby the boy's head. He wondered if it was a pet of sorts, or a summon. It seemed rather harmless and it wasn't talking, so the former was more likely, if anything. The boy looked surprised when the two made eye contact, and he immediately pulled out a scroll and started reading it rapidly. Issei brought a hand to his head and brushed his hair off to the side, uncomfortably waiting for this boy to explain why he was there. Finally, the boy spoke up, introducing himself as Isamu Maeda and claiming to be there to escort Issei to Iwagakure. It took a moment to register, but Issei remembered that he had sent a request to the Mizukage to travel to Iwagakure. What he hadn't expected was for someone to have to escort him there; even as a Genin, he was sure he was capable of protecting himself well enough. Nonetheless, the rules were the rules, and if he needed to be escorted in order to leave, he would have to deal with it. He left the door open and let Isamu and the bird inside before shutting it softly. "Do you need a moment to gather your things?" Isamu asked.

Issei, still groggy from his sleep being interrupted, forced a slight affirmative nod. He felt fairly uncomfortable having a stranger in his home and he wasn't very talkative anyway; he frowned consistently without even realizing it and his eyes glared at everything he turned his attention to. He made an effort to try not to be cold or hostile, though, but that wasn't saying much. "Yes. Let me grab a bag." he said as he went back into his room and grabbed a black backpack. He filled it with an assortment of clothes from his closet, his toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, hair products, snacks, and ninja tools before zipping it up. He put on a black bomber jacket to brace for the icy weather and hoisted the backpack over his shoulder on his way back into the living room. "Alright, I'm ready." he mumbled, going back to the door and opening it once more. He gestured for Isamu to exit first.

After Isamu asked if he needed time to pack, Issei disappeared into a nearby room and remained in there for a short while. Isamu took this time to look through some of the books in the man's collection. There was plenty of historical texts on the history of shinobi and Kirigakure. In fact, the only fiction works were those by that same author, Ryūya. He set a book back down in the position it had been in as Issei returned with a jacket and a backpack. "Alright, I'm ready." Isamu nodded and the two left the building, on their way toward the village gates. Isamu had already planned out a route based on what seemed best on the map, but in all honesty, he had never been to Iwagakure no Sato before and he didn't know what to expect once they made it into Tsuchi no Kuni. The two sprinted together at a decent pace, but Isamu had to slow down so that Issei could keep up. It was obvious that Issei wasn't very sociable, and even after he seemed less tired, he still refrained from talking at all, instead focusing entirely on moving forward. Despite this, Isamu still made an effort. "So, why are you going to Iwagakure no Sato, anyhow? Do you know someone there?" He asked this question with genuine curiosity, and did his best to sound warm and kind.

Even going at his fastest, Issei could barely keep up with Isamu, and he realized why there was such a stark difference between their ranks. He remained silent as he usually did while the two traveled together, crossing the bridge and moving towards the border of Mizu no Kuni. Isamu seemed to have a route in mind that he was guiding Issei along, but Issei had a better one that he took every time he went to Iwa or came back from there. He didn't even need a map; he had the area memorized, for the most part. Just before he was about to direct Isamu's path, Isamu spoke up and asked what his reason for going to Iwa was. Caught off-guard by the question, he paused for a moment before answering. "I have a few close friends out there that I'm planning on seeing. I also really enjoy travelling, so this is a good opportunity." As he explained, Issei remembered Haruyo and wondered how she was doing. He had not seen her since their divorce, as he had left Iwagakure for good shortly afterward. The thought of her brought his spirits down and he looked down at his feet while he ran.

As the two came upon a large tree, Issei struggled to get in front of Isamu before gesturing so that they both halted to a stop. He cleared his throat before he spoke as to avoid any evidence of his sadness after thinking of his ex-wife. "We need to turn here. The path you were going to go on takes much longer because it avoids Hi no Kuni altogether and takes us through multiple smaller villages. If we go into Hi no Kuni and remain close to the border, it will take us directly to Tsuchi no Kuni and eventually Iwagakure itself." And with that, Issei took the lead and resumed running, without taking time to wait for Isamu. He wasn't worried; Isamu was faster anyway, so he would catch up in time.

The reason for his trip to Iwa, Issei explained, was to see some close friends, and also because he enjoyed travelling. Isamu should've figured it was something simple like that, and he smiled in response. "Oh, wonderful. I've actually never been to Iwa so if you like going there then it must be nice." Once again, Issei brushed off Isamu's attempts at idle conversation and so they continued running in silence for a while. Suddenly, Issei intercepted Isamu and told him that they should take a different route through Hi no Kuni. Isamu didn't really know the difference anyway, but he trusted Issei's opinion. His job was only to protect Issei on the way, so it wasn't like they had to take the path he'd chosen on the map earlier. They changed to a direction more towards the east and continued on their way. The landscape around them changed with every passing kilometer, from damp and wet like it had been in Kiri to pure green forestland and a sunset over Hi no Kuni and finally, by the time they crossed the Tsuchi no Kuni border, a mountainous region full of cliffs, boulders, and dirt. It seemed rather lackluster, but Isamu didn't complain.

They arrived at Iwagakure no Sato late that night. It was fairly dark and all the stars could be seen clearly in the sky. Further in, the lights and people of the village moved about. Isamu smiled as they stopped in front of the village gate. "Alright, I'm gonna go get some food because I'm starving...if I was smart, I would have brought snacks for the trip, but I didn't and now I'm paying the consequences. Here," he pulled a sum of ryo from his pocket and handed it to Issei. "You can go ahead and use that to get a room at the nearest inn, it's not a lot of money but it should be enough. Book for as many nights as you think we'll be staying."

And with that, Isamu ran off into the village to find something to eat, his stomach beckoning him onward.

[ Travel Complete, Exit Thread ]

Issei paid close attention to the environment around them as they traveled, probably more inclined to analyze threats and ensure their safety than Isamu was, even. It was just how he was; a cautious person, through and through, and sometimes too much so. Nothing dangerous ever came up, though, so he supposed he didn't need Isamu at all. He looked back at the boy every so often, who had slowed significantly since they had begun their journey. It became obvious to him that Isamu hadn't eaten since they left; Issei was always a step ahead, and had been eating snacks from his backpack throughout the trip. He almost felt bad for Isamu but he didn't offer him anything because they would be back at the village in due time anyhow and he didn't have much left to give. All that remained was a few roasted pumpkin seeds and a portion of an plum.

The village was the same as Issei had left it, although notably more crowded for such a late hour. They arrived and Isamu immediately handed Issei money. "You can go ahead and use that to get a room at the nearest inn, it's not a lot of money but it should be enough. Book for as many nights as you think we'll be staying." Issei nodded but didn't say anything or offer Isamu a proper goodbye. He was still very uncomfortable with the boy, but Isamu didn't seem bothered by it much. Isamu headed off into the village, and Issei followed suit before going onto a different path toward the western border. There was a nice inn over there that he'd stayed at many times before, and he figured he would get a room there for the duration of his trip. He was excited to see his friends the next day, but for now, he would get a chance to go back to sleep after waking up so early and spending the whole day on foot.

[ Travel Complete, Exit Thread ]

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