Tasatsuke stood in wait by the front entrance of the Uchiha Manor that was until Aikiko emerged from the homestead. She was dressed in what was clearly mission gear and held an Iwagakure headband tight in her grasp before throwing it to him. She explained that the guards would recognize her as a Iwa shinobi but not him and that he should wear the headband in order to avoid suspicion. Tasatsuke looked down at the headband for a moment before he nodded his head in agreement.

Silently Tasatsuke strapped the foreign headband onto his forehead and tapped the metal protector once. While he was technically a Kumogakure shinobi, Tasatsuke never actually wore the headband from Kumo that was presented to him. The reason being that he never truly felt his loyalties lay with the country itself but moreso the Way of Jashin and the Raikage who had paved a way for Lord Jashin's divine providence.

After he had tied the headband in place and allowed his hands to fall back to his sides, Tasatsuke felt Aikiko's hand grasp his own. The young woman explained her plan to him and Tasatsuke felt his cheek grow flushed as blood filled them and caused him to blush from sheer embarrassment. However, before he could even utter a reply, Tasatsuke felt Aikiko's nails dig into his wrist before she tore off, dragging him behind her once more.

The pair entered some backend shop where Tasatsuke purchased a crimson robe with a white bordering and a pair of black gloves. They were simple, didn't restrict his movements, but unfortunately a tad too big for him. That being said, Tasatsuke knew he didn't have time to waste on being picky, they had to leave Iwagakure and return to Kumogakure. As such, Tasatuke allowed for Aikiko to pay for his new garments before they left the shop and headed towards the gate.

The pair of them would bypass the guards with little trouble and find themselves quickly leaving Stone territory. Tasatsuke sighed a breath of relief and scratched the back of the headband that had been given to him, it had grown tangled in his hair and itched incessantly.

"We have to make haste, they will notice you are missing eventually." Tasatsuke stated calmly to his newfound partner.

Tasatsuke followed his partner through the ever darkening streets of the township they were in. He had grown accustomed to her gait, the warm feeling of her hand within his own. For the briefest of moments, Tasatsuke wondered that sensation was that nagged in the back of his mind. Something that made him watch the wisps of Aikiko's grey hair as she guided him to their destination.

That was until a dull ache panged to life in the base of his skull, Tasatsuke winced in reply but didn't allow his pace to falter. Instead a small whimper, one that likely wouldn't be heard above the ruckus caused by the shops and stalls as they prepared to close for the evening, escaped his lips. The cruel words of the Jashin Priesthood echoed in his mind, it reminded him that those outside of the Way were simply pawns, tools to be used to advance the Will of Jashin; nothing more and nothing less.

With the headache fading as quickly as it was born, Tasatsuke found himself able to refocus on Aikiko's words. Her pace slowed as she explained to him her new plan, Tasatsuke shook his head one time furiously to the left in response to the final pulsing pang of agony as he attempted to listen. Finally, the headache faded from his mind and he gazed back at Aikiko with the viewpoint of a proper Jashinist, she was a tool, a beautiful yet expendable tool. Wordlessly, Tasatsuke agreed with her plan and he nodded his head once at her.

However, as the walked together hand in hand, Tasatsuke would be forced to speak once more. Aikiko asked about the landscape of Kaminari no Kuni, she wanted to know if it was different then that of Tsuchi no Kuni. In truth there were subtle differences, Kaminari no Kuni wasn't as monotone and did have more life and color in it's wilds but they were both landscapes dominated by massive mountains.

"Kaminari has rivers, forests, and lakes..." Tasatsuke replied. "...but it too is dominated by it's mountains." He continued. "So there are differences and similarities." He explained flatly.

As the pair came close to the gate, Aikiko would realize her hand was still gripping Tasatsuke's own and the woman would release it with the same expression Tasatsuke had taken when she first snatched it up. The young man wouldn't approach the gates with Aikiko, instead he would simply allow her to deal with the gate guards, lest they somehow sense something was off about him. After a brief and nerve-wrecking delay the two Genin guards allowed Aikiko and Tasatsuke to pass through and begin on their "mission".

Tasatsuke felt a sudden tailwind pick up and push him forward as he stepped from the gates and onto the path home. It was as if Jashin himself were pushing his young disciple back to where he belonged. A small comforted smile appeared on Tasatsuke's lips as he allowed the small gale to press him onward.

"Praise be to him, praise be to Lord Jashin." He thought to himself as they journeyed towards Kaminari no Kuni, back to the Raikage.

Tasatsuke felt Aikiko's hand grasp his own again as the tailwind pushed them onward. His face turned brilliant red once more as embarrassment flushed through his body once more. That being said, Tasatsuke understood and attempted to maintain the illusion they had created. Which was a couple who were also being dispatched on some foreign mission at the same time.

As the pair walked down the dusty road, Tasatsuke was caught off guard once more by Aikiko's gratefulness. While he didn't know much about his traveling partner, he had figured she wasn't one to express gratitude like that. This caused Tasatsuke to tilt his head slightly in bewilderment before he gave her a nod. "You are welcome."

It was after her reply that Aikiko quickly withdrew her hand from Tasatsuke's and drew up the hood of her jacket. Tasatsuke smirked internally at this action, it made her embarrassment even more painfully clear. However after a few moments, Aikiko dropped the hood back and was back to her steely expression. This impressed Tasatsuke, she was able to mask her emotions extremely well even if the occasional slip up came through.

It was less then a second after she drew her hood down that Aikiko's new stream of questions spilled forth. Tasatsuke arched an eyebrow at his companion as she asked her set of questions. He took a moment to process all that she had asked him before he finally gave his reply.

"If I make a promise to someone, I keep it." Tasatsuke stated, his voice almost sounded insulted by that question. "The structure is liberating." Tasatsuke replied. "It gives you clear perimeters while on missions and makes the objectives far more easy to accomplish." He continued. "As for the pressure of my responsibility to the village?" He asked rhetorically. "It does not exist. I am not loyal to Kumogakure, I am loyal to the Raikage and the Raikage alone." He stated. "As all Kumogakure Shinobi are." He continued. "Hastur's word and will are law, we serve to accomplish them both." Tasatsuke explained further. "But you are right, that knowledge does make accomplishing whatever orders I am given far easier to accomplish."

While Tasatsuke was able to answer most of Aikiko's questions rather easily, it was her final one that was more difficult. Tasatsuke couldn't really answer it because he never knew his true home nor did he feel loyalty towards the village of Kumogakure. These aspects that affected Aikiko's life and upbringing were foreign concepts to him.

"I-I-I'm not sure." He replied truthfully.

While something within him pushed Tasatsuke to share his past with Aikiko but he refrained. At the mere thought of opening up to her Tasatsuke was reminded of his headache and the words of the Jashin priesthood. As such, he maintained his walls and spoke nothing of his own history out of fear of the pain it would cause.

Over the next several weeks Tasatsuke and Aikiko traveled to the other side of the shinobi world. While Aikiko shared many things about herself, Tasatsuke however maintained his stoic silence on his past but did express interest in what Aikiko told him. Mentally the young man wondered where the tracker shinobi from Iwagakure were or if they had even become aware of Aikiko's treachery yet. Despite his internally distress, Tasatsuke and Aikiko encountered slim to no road blocks or hostilities during their journies. Additionally, while Tasatsuke attempted to keep Aikiko at a distance internally by the time the pair had arrived at Kumogakure, his head panged. Aikiko had truly become a friend to the young boy and for some reason his head was punishing him for it.

Regardless, upon their arrival to Kumogakure Tasatsuke showed Aikiko to the room she would be staying in until a proper home could be assigned to her. After this, he left his new comrade to return to the Way of Jashin temple in order to rest and prepare his report to Lord Hastur. It had been quite the interesting journey and Tasatsuke had potentially procured quite the asset for his father, an Uchiha of his very own.