Mission:

The village was different, it carried itself slightly different and the people seemed changed from what he remembered. Maybe it was he who had changed though? Seeing the world through different eyes than when he had left. The smiles carried and stubborn faces of others stuck out more prominently as he made his way through the village and followed through the small alleyways and streets that he had known. Not all of it had changed, there were some things that remained the same, the graffiti hidden in various places and the shop owners that carried out their various chores and businesses. A smile crossed his face as he pressed to the edge of the village and remained memorable of all of the different things that his village had offered him since he was a child.

Still, his smile faded away as he reached the edge and looked out to the wildlands outside. There was a calling to him in the back of his mind. He needed to repent for time lost to his nation and there was one person who would set him on that path. Perhaps it would be inappropriate to call him a friend but more of a mentor than anything. The quick flashback to their last encounter, Maigo pinned to the ground and cursing his existence. His teeth grit as he felt the anger boil up in his mind again, the pain and regret of loss ran rampant but he was mostly changed. He'd learned about failure and loss that day but more so since then, he'd learned to embrace loss as a shinobi. Far more painful deaths ran in his mind that were caused by his own hands and not his own failure.

It wasn't a sense of forgiveness that washed over the emotion that came to him. Regret, of course, stuck out prominently in his mind but a feeling of understanding dulled the vibrant colors of his emotion. Understanding that it was what needed to be done. The simple path, and the path of the shinobi to guarantee their existence and continued thriving while punishing those criminals. He was far from forgiving Sero for his actions but he understood more of what had taken place that day.

And now, he needed to find him. To announce his return to the village officially and start on a path of protecting the village and their people regardless of the cost. To seek justice for those too weak to seek it on their own.

Maigo's legs carried him out of the village and into the surrounding islands around him. Various mists twisted and turned the image of the landscape around him and the cool humidity carried him calmly as he descended further into the surrounding islands to probably the last place he would want to go to in this whole country. His grey cloak flapped in the wind as he pushed across a desecrated bridge with his zanbato strapped to his back and the rest of his gear carried in various pouches and holsters around his person. Armored out as he imagined many scenarios with Sero that he would need his weaponry outright.

Still, as he arrived on the island, he quickly found that he wasn't alone. Seeing a few others walking in a group ahead of him. Not the type that he would imagine coming to a place like this but seemingly... normal? Maigo would press himself near a dead tree and hide himself from view as he followed them on the path towards a meeting and gathering of others.

The crowd that formed seemed disparate from the location they were at and even more disparate from the normal person that would arrive on this island. Maigo would pause a distance away as the crowd whispered and muttered around itself while he took a position in a tree a few meters off, hiding near the trunk and waiting to see what would happen. A nervous pose and heartbeat would carry over him as he waited for whatever danger would have brought all these people and ninja around here.

Moments later would pass and the familiar face that haunted his recent memory appeared in the center of the crowd. Maigo's hand achingly and shakily reached towards one of the kunai holstered at his leg as he waited for something awful to happen but only words followed suit. A test of some kind? What sort of test could he have imagined up and what was the purpose of it? No, it was a need for those skills and not a test?

Still, as the archway went up and Sero entered in, Maigo watched hesitantly as others turned back and some others entered in. One at a time and in various groups, even one ninja who seemed rather normal but wearing a Konohagakure headband caught his attention. After a few more minutes passing Maigo decided to follow. A need for skilled fighters and to find Sero. It would be an excellent beginning step for reacquainting himself with his village.

Dropping down and passing the remnants of those who sat around or may have been hesitant to decide on whether they would go or not. It was a scary feeling to pass into the unknown but Maigo was past that, and with confidence he would step through the archway and pass into an even more dead and despaired forest with a singular path ahead of him. Mysteriously he arrived and there was nothing behind him to show that he had arrived in this place.

On the path ahead of him it was empty except for a singular person he had caught out of the crowd. A ninja who was a long ways from home and here to help out his village. Maigo would begin walking forward, hopefully to catch his attention and find out what was truly going on here.  


[985 words]

It had been a while since the Hattori had been to Kirigakure no Sato. He had left all those months ago after his training with the Mizukage of the village. She had shown him so much about, not only Senjutsu in general, but himself as well. He had learned so much about the challenges he had to overcome as a person and as a ninja in order to get stronger, and he had learned that he had a long way to go if he was going to ever catch up with her, and he had discovered that there was a darkness within himself that he had never suspected before. It was a strange experience, and he remembered the day like it was yesterday. But even though it had only been a few months, the village seemed different to him. There was a buzz about the islands surrounding the village speaking about events that had transpired recently in the world. The activities of the higher ranking ninja in the village were on the lips of almost anyone he came by. It was exciting and interesting, and as he got closer and closer to the village proper, he realized that if he simply returned to Ayakashi having made almost no progress since their last meeting, it would be pathetic to say the least. He would be a failure to her, and how could he expect her to help him if he was just going to come crawling back to her without first showing that he had at least grown slightly. It was a foolish notion, and he found himself just outside of the village gates thinking what he should do.

As the mist swirled around him at his feet, Nayoko let out a long sigh and looked up at the large gates. He knew he should just turn around and leave, but at the same time he needed to get control over the beast that was conquering him every single night in his dreams. It was growing to be too much. The indecision was tearing at him for what seemed hours, though in reality he was probably only standing there for a minute or two. The pathetic display of uncertainty was interrupted by the sound of other shinobi leaving the village. Blinking and snapping himself out of the strange trance that he was in, Nayoko listened in on the hushed conversation that the pair of Kiri shinobi were having while they left the village. “So, it sounds like Sero has a big announcement or something happening on that island. Are you sure you want to go?” “I mean, why not? At the most, we gain favor with one of the Seven Legendary Swordsmen of the mist, and at the very least, we back off and go about our own business like it never happened.”

It was just the conversation that the jounin needed to hear. It was the perfect opportunity. If he could do something for such a high ranking ninja of the Village Hidden in the Mists, then perhaps it would be enough roof to the Mizukage that he had grown, but still needed her help to progress farther. It was a bit of a long shot, but in that moment, it seemed like the best option. And so the jounin turned around and began to follow the two shinobi, hoping that they would lead him to Sero and whatever mission he was planning for them. The journey did not take too long, but as the trees grew thicker and the humidity grew even cooler, Nayoko was reminded of the many times he had walked these islands in pursuit of smugglers that had once used these islands quite frequently. He remembered his first missions for Kiri as part of the Kiri-Konoha Ninja Exchange program, and how he had wandered onto one of these islands in search of his uncle. He had almost died that day. It was a painful memory, and the thought of how that had driven him to seek out the Mizukage was a train of thought that he decided to derail as quickly as possible. From physical pain into emotional pain; he was not sure which was worse, but he knew which one had lasted longer.

The journey did not take him too long, and as he arrived at his destination, he knew that he was about to be part of something big. The crowd that had gathered was waxing and waning in size, constantly undulating as a man, presumably Sero, appeared at the front of the crowd, announcing his intentions to those who had gathered. A village of some kind that needed assistance beyond a seal that he would place? It sounded surreal, almost like something from one of the many fantasy stories he loved to read. But sure enough, Nayoko watched as the man formed the seal and placed it, creating a doorway of sorts that people began to follow him through. For a brief moment, Nayoko hesitated and glanced around. Some people were leaving, but some looked like they were just slow like him. He caught the eye of one Kiri nin with long dark hair for a moment, and silently nodded to him as he started to step forward. Nayoko turned and did the same, approaching the portal before stepping through into the unknown.

He was surprised by the wooded area on the other side. The sound of the crowd behind him had disappeared into silence, and the portal that was once at his back was nowhere to be found, just as the man had said. Glancing about, Nayoko was able to take in his surroundings for a moment before noticing that same, long haired shinobi coming up from behind him. He was now in a strange land, as was thing young man hopefully, and so without hesitation he lifted a hand to wave to him, calling out as he did so. “Hey there,” he said, allowing a small smile to appear on his face. “I knew I was a long way form home already, but this is getting a little ridiculous.” He chuckled for a moment and then offered his hand to the man. “I’m Nayoko Nozara, jounin of Konohagakure no Sato. Are you headed to this village too?”

WC: 1048

The forest opened up around him in dark colors too similar to the ones he was used to on Sero's island. As he began stepping forward with his guard mentally up to the only visible person around the area, he was met with conversation as his eyes traced him and his actions carefully. He was right for sure, a ninja from Konoha who was a long way from home and at the same time, Maigo's guard would relax a bit. This stranger seemed a bit too genuine to be threatening but at the same time, that was the perfect deception about it?

Maigo's eyes quickly rolled over him and began to take in his surroundings more diligently. The forest had trees and brush that were dark, much darker and rotted out than standard wood and because of it, the meek light that shone through the branches and to the forest floor gave a concerning purple hue to the area. Sound burst quietly and ominously throughout the forest as he pieced everything together in strings, animals that cried out and rummaged in their various songs and calls gave a backdrop that sounded less like the calming sounds of nature and closer to the incoming hallows of death. That wasn't it though, the sky seemed fairly normal with clouds strewn across it and a quickly descending sun along with it. Like whatever tainted this area had been kept contained to within the forest.

The path they stood on led in one direction really with no signage or indication which way of the path was the right way but remembering back to Sero's words, they only needed to follow it and follow quickly before nightfall had reached them. By his immediate estimation they had another two hours or so before nightfall would completely encompass them.

As Maigo's attention would roll back towards the stranger, he would realize that he had hesitated to respond to the question before him.

"I am." Maigo would offer simply in return while focusing to make eye contact. "Though, I really have no idea what's going on here. Just that we don't have long to make it to the village before nightfall hits us..." his eyes would push towards the setting sun to draw the Konoha ninja's attention to it. If he were anywhere near as skilled as Maigo, it would be a deduction he could easily make on his own too.

But still, there was another problem Maigo looked to solve as he looked around the forest. He had no idea where the village was but he judged his surroundings and used his survival skills as he could. The trees branches and roots all led and grew forwards in front of them. The grass was taller in patches directly in front of them as well. This meant a source of water? However sparse it was to have once fed these dead and decaying plants. To follow that source of water would be civilization itself.

That was his best bet then, as if the portal had sent them in and set them in the right direction. To the best of his own knowledge at least. Maigo wondered if he should try to accompany this other ninja with him towards the village. Having a bit of company wouldn't hurt? And another person who could at least throw a kunai would help in case whatever creatures that went bump in the daytime, as Sero put it, decided to do a lot more.

Unless the Konoha ninja spoke up first, Maigo would make an offer to him. "If you're heading there and don't mind company then we're probably better off in a group. Until I can get a hold of Sero and find out what's happening here... he would trail off and let his attention rest on the stranger from there.


[653 words, 1683 words total]

Despite his greeting, the Kiri ninja did not seem to pay him any mind for a moment. The stranger’s eyes drifted from Nayoko to the surrounding forest around them that stood dark and ominous. The words that Sero had said had not gone unheard by the Hattori, and as his gaze moved to follow that of the shinobi before him, Nayoko could not help but notice just how different this forest seemed form the one they had just come from. The bark on all of the trees were dark to the point where Nayoko had a hard time seeing where the bark ended and where the rotting pieces of some of the trees began. In fact, it was not just the vegetation all around the pair of shinobi that was dark. The entire area seemed like it was blanketed in an aura of gloom and decay. The forest was quiet, though not silent, and the odd sound of a bird cawing in the dimly lit wood was actually more disturbing that a perfect silence would have been. What made the gloom so odd was that Nayoko could still look up and see the sky above them. They were not covered to the point where the sun was blocked by the tree canopy, but even so the darkness seemed to permeate their entire surroundings.

Nayoko’s thoughts on the forest were interrupted by an answer to a question he had almost forgotten that he had asked. Though the ninja from Kirigakure no Sato did not give his name, he at least confirmed that he was also trying to find the village that Sero had mentioned. As his gaze turned toward the setting sun, the young Hattori found himself looking in that direction and nodding slowly at the comments that the yet to be introduced shinobi had made. “I agree,” Nayoko said calmly. “I’d say we only have a couple of hours, and judging by how dark it is around here already.” The only probably that Nayoko had with the current plan is that no matter how committed they were to finding this village, it would be no use if they started by walking in the wrong direction. There seemed to be a semblance path that wound its way through the forest ahead, but there was no guarantee that it would reach their destination. It could very easily be a path that animals had created form travelling in that direction repeatedly. That, on top of the fact that neither one of the pair knew where in the world they truly were meant that direction was going to be an issue.

But regardless, they had to make a decision, and as the stranger spoke up again asking if Nayoko minded having company, he responded with a smile. “Of course I don’t mind. We both need to get there, and if this place is as dangerous as Sero mentioned then someone else that is trained to fight will be an asset that I’ll be happy to have along. Plus, it’s just nice to have someone to talk to.” Turning toward the path path-like parting in the grass that appeared to be flourishing far better than the trees around it, Nayoko began to walk forward, turning to make sure that the stranger could walk in step with him. The ground did seem slightly damp as they pushed on, hopefully meaning that there was some sort of body of water near by. The village that they sought would need something like that close in order to survive, so the further they walked the more confident that the young Hattori grew. It would not be much walking before Nayoko turned toward his new companion and decided that proper introduction were required if they were going to be walking together. “So, are you a higher ranking ninja from Kiri? I didn’t catch your name and though I spent some time in the Village, I don’t actually recognize you. I spent most of my time with chuunin and Special Jounin, which makes me think you’re either a genin, which I find unlikely, or a jounin much like myself…” He would let the shinobi answer before speaking again, pushing forward through the darkwood forest.

WC:713+1048=1761/2000

Maigo smirked as he agreed that having someone to talk to would be nice. With the final agreement to join along and an understanding that they needed to step quickly, Maigo would move forwards along to his left side to walk alongside him. As they continued on their path and began their journey through the forest, the Konoha ninja spoke up to cover some of the particulars about themselves. Only fair play really, as getting to know the other would offer some semblance of trust and break a bit of the silence between them.

As he finished though, Maigo made a note that his perception was good but Maigo only smirked again with a small chuckle as he would quickly retort, "Unlikely, huh?" his gaze would shift towards the Konoha ninja as he held his smile for a moment before breaking away.

"I didn't think it was that obvious... I suppose I'm still considered a jounin in Kirigakure though, I just returned home after a long journey in Kumogakure. Makes sense you haven't seen me, and even then, I'm not exactly some super famous ninja or something. As for the name, it's Maigo..." he would finish off with a nod towards the Konoha ninja.

"What about yourself? You'd have to be a bit more than a genin yourself to notice that I'm not a genin either..." Maigo would smirk again and leave the floor open for him to respond.

Maigo's eyes would calmly trace the area and make marks and mental notes of their surroundings and the movements that would flicker about them. Usually no more than bugs or a small animal at random times in passing stayed near the road but every now and then, the sounds and rumbling that ended in growls, howls, or other horrid noises would ring through the brush. Still, their journey would carry on for a little while longer through the sparse and dark forest. Their footsteps would carry them for quite a while, keeping their pace up if need be, they would end up descending upon a village that looked like the broken remains of Kirigakure no Sato. Maigo's eyes would widen and begin to scan the village out, trying to make sense of what he was actually looking at.  


[386 words, 2069 words total]
[Mission Complete]
[Exit Thread]

When the Kiri shinobi’s face shifted from indifference to the slight smirk, Nayoko felt a little but of relief wash over him. He was not a fan of people that were so apathetic that they did not show any emotion, so to see that his new companion could at least smile was a boon in and of itself. As he waited for the other young man to answer his question, Nayoko continued to look forward for any signs of the village they were supposedly looking for. The sight of birds rushing past him though the woods or the sound of the odd small rodent scrambling under the brush at their feet caught his attention more than once, but not to the point where he was concerned at all. His biggest worry was that they were walking in the wrong direction, but as they pushed onward down the path his worries melted away at the signs of life he began to pick up on. There were footprints appearing here and there around the path, and that meant that there were hunting parties of some kind coming through this way on a regular basis. On top of that, there were probably other shinobi around since Nayoko and his partner were not the only two that passed through the portal.

Maigo’s reply made sense, considering that he had not ever seen the man before. If he has been in a country that Nayoko had never even set foot in then why in the world would he have met him before. The only thing that confused the young Hattori was the question about his rank. Nayoko had introduced himself as a jounin of Konoha, and the fact that Maigo had not noticed that worried him a little bit. Were all Kiri jounin that dismissive of information? It did not make sense to him, so he chose to chalk it up to the new surroundings. He had been pretty focused before so maybe he misheard him. “Yes I’m a jounin too,” he said with a smile. “Though fairly newly promoted myself. Even so, it seems like we’ve formed a very safe team very quickly.” He let out a short chuckle as the trees seemed to the part and the ruins of a village came into view. Well, Nayoko thought they were ruins at first.

In reality it was a village surrounded by ruins. It looked like a broken down version of Kiri itself, and the sight of it caused Maigo to pause and scan it for danger presumably. Nayoko did the same, wary of anything that might jump out at them and make their lived more difficult in the moment. The need to watch passed quickly though, as Nayoko was unable to identify any threats and only saw other shinobi from Kirigakure no Sato walking around, helping out some of the villagers. With a shrug, Nayoko turned to his new acquaintance. “Well, I guess we found the village. Let’s get down there…”

[Exit Thread]
WC:502+1761=2263
Mission Complete!