Seven Bells was beginning to take his toll on Kirigakure. His allies or lackeys or whatever he called them were wreaking havoc throughout the entire village, making people cower in fear at the mere mention their names. Io and Mizuru especially… though from what she had heard, he latter was already taken care of – and by someone she knew rather well, in fact. Now killing Io… that would deal a crippling blow to the team of criminals, leaving them without either of the leader’s two lieutenants. But no, it couldn’t be called a simple “team” anymore. In fact, that word had never really fit to describe the army that this Seven Bells character had created and led into Kirigakure. At least, that was what Gin had heard in the briefing, if it could even be called that. It had been a simple meeting with a member of the ANBU during the night. The masked figure had offered her a job, a mission to aid Kirigakure in its struggles. She was offered to choose a partner or let any willing person join her endeavor and she was all too happy to accept.

This… This was bound to be a challenging fight, something that could fill the void Gin carried with her for at least a few hours or eternally if it ended in her death. Whatever the outcome, she would accept it. She could only have herself to blame if she lost her life. She had made peace with herself a long time ago and had been ready for such a moment for years now. She only hoped that her chosen ally would have the same attitude towards this – ready, but not overconfident; cautious, but ready to risk it all at any time. She wondered as she ran atop the roofs of Kirigakure, jumping from one to the next with little care and much haste, hoping to be able to get this over with as soon as possible, before the tip she was given was no longer worth anything. They had a small window of opportunity to act and find Io isolated from the bulk of his army.

The former Kazekage knew where he was staying – a small pub with a good amount of privacy and well supplied in liquor. She threw the door open and looked around the room. Drunks and vagrants and whores riddled the place, laughing without a care in the world and enjoying what would happen later that same evening. Under any other circumstance, the young woman would have joined them in their drunken haze and joyful stupor so that she too could spend a night of happiness amidst the reign of chaos that slowly descended onto the village of her old friend. Ayakashi… Last she knew of the Mizukage, she was headed to confront Seven Bells himself in a one on one battle. She wondered how she was doing.

Truth be told, Gin would have never imagined that the Mizukage now lay dead. She would have thought that in a worst case scenario, she would have achieved a draw. So when she was to find out later on in the week that the Mizukage had perished… well, the shock would be difficult to cope with. The Mizukage had always been damn near invincible in her eyes, not to mention the only other person that knew who she really was besides…

“Sanosuke, open the goddam door already!” She yelled loudly as she knocked on the wooden thing, hoping to whatever entity ruled over the universe that he wasn’t getting laid with some poor civilian girl a few feet away from her. She would restrain from opening the door with one good kick just in case her thoughts were to become the truth. “We have a job to do – a very important one, mind you – so get your ass out here, grab whatever weapons you can and let’s go. We don’t have any time to waste,” her voice was stern and strict, almost as if ordering the younger man, which might as well have been the case. Once he opened the door, she would explain that Io was in the outskirts of the village and that they would have to head off immediately if they wanted a chance at killing the damned fucker once and for all. After that, she hoped they would set off to meet this man in battle within the dark forests that surrounded the village.

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Looking outwards in his apartment that was above the pub in Kirigakure. His apartment, that was above the Kirigakure pub, was close to the administration building of the Mizukage. In case he had to be deployed on a mission any messenger would have an easy time to track him down and deliver messages for the Kumogakure jounin. Sanosuke looked over at the window right next to him to find rays of sunlight shining gently into his eyes. The rays of light weren't strong enough to badly pierce his eyes in a blinding flash of pain, but it was enough to stir the man from his slumber into an equilibrium between being awake and being completely asleep. At the moment he was warm and enjoying the tranquility that existed in his apartment. Tiredly Sanosuke looked over to the body that was stirring next to him in his sleep. Long red hair cascaded down her naked back as she cuddled closer to Sanosuke's naked chest. They were both naked in Sanosuke's bed bundled close to each other; she had her head resting on Sanosuke's left bicep and her hair was tattered by the night of fun they had. Oh yeah, and just like that the question that he was going to ask came up again:

What was her name again?

That's when a loud banging could be heard from the wooden door of his apartment. The noise was loud enough to have the jounin snap himself out of his daze and fully in the conscious world. He was now completely awake and was currently trying to figure out who was knocking so loudly against his door. Knocking wasn't the right term to describe what this person was doing to his door; it was more like they were using the wooden door like a punching bag. Sanosuke was a pretty heavy sleeper so for him to be awakened by the striking of his door was a phenomena. Who the hell is knocking on my door? Sanosuke asked mentally to himself pissed at the person who was bothering his slumber. Somehow the woman that Sanosuke was sleeping with slightly stirred in her sleep and dug herself deeper into his side drying to hide herself from the warmth.

“Sanosuke, open the goddam door already!” a voice yelled that Sanosuke knew very well from his days of traveling. The voice was coming from behind his wooden door and was a booming sound that no doubt resonated throughout the entire apartment building and the pub itself. Damn that woman was loud, Gin Kuroka former kage of the village hidden in the sands. It was just like her to act with the tact of a five year old. The sound of Gin screaming out was apparently loud enough to awaken the woman that was sleeping right next to him. She jumped in a frieght and clung to Sanosuke's side. “We have a job to do – a very important one, mind you – so get your ass out here, grab whatever weapons you can and let’s go. We don’t have any time to waste,” The red head next to him looked at Sanosuke freightened and embarassed. She understood that he had a job to do and right now she was getting in the way. Sanosuke saw the woman getting dressed rather quickly, slipping her panties on first and finally without knowing put on one of Sanosuke's shirts on. Slipping into her shinobi leggings, the red headed woman got her forehead protector, shinobi vest and her other shinobi attire in a bundle that was in her arms. She zipped across the room to give Sanosuke one last deep kiss "Call me when you get back." she whispered before walking over to the door of his apartment and letting herself out. Unfortunate for the woman, she had the difficult and awkward task of walking by the intimidating woman that was waiting outside the door for him.

From the woman's shinobi attire, Sanosuke was able to remember the woman's name. Uzumaki Riza. They had a fun time the night before and led to it extending the entire time. Navi was outside looking at the moon while Sanosuke and Riza had their fun; she came back in when they were both asleep. No doubt that Sanosuke would hear about her bitching as soon as this mission was dealt with. Letting out a sigh, Sanosuke got himself dressed rather quickly and got his gear ready. Tying his own headband on his right bicep. Finally he slipped his sword on his back and tightened up his gauntlets. Sanosuke made sure that he was finished getting dressed quickly to not piss of Gin more. When he was finished, Sanosuke let out a yawn as he and Navi got out the door to look at the disguised woman that Sanosuke knew very well.

"Well Good Morning to you too you old hag. anosuke grunted at Gin in sarcasm. "All right I'll bite what kind of job do we got?" The fact that she was so impatient about getting him outside must mean it was a rather big job on their plate. But the question was what was it...
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Gin was impatient. Her heart was beating quickly in her chest, almost as if it were about to burst out and start tap dancing across the floor of the entire pub, down to the bar and order itself a drink before leaping back into the former Kazekage's body. On the off chance that such a thing did happen, at least The woman would have alcohol pumping through her system, which would be a nice way of getting herself to calm down. The reason for her nervousness was simple and easy to understand. Killing Io, getting close to him and ending his life once and for all, brought The Hidden Mist one step closer to victory over Seven Bells and his army. It would be a crippling blow, there was no doubt about it.

The Second Gin had decided to get involved in the entire ordeal that was The Hidden Mist's most recent outside invasion, she promised herself that her intervention would count, that she would release all of her power into every strike, into every movement and into every breath she drew. The enemy would die and she would make sure of it herself. It was the least she could do for Ayakashi while she was off fighting the leader of the invasion, Seven Bells himself. Gin had always admired the current Mizukage. To the former Kazekage, she was a ruthless warrior, an immovable rock with an insurmountable amount of strength and willpower that encouraged even the weakest of people to reach their goals and become strong, become better, become true shinobi and citizens of the Village Hidden in the Mist. In Gin's mind, Ayakashi could never die. So when she were to receive the news that the blue haired devil she had been friends with for years was dead... Well, all hell would reign loose if she could have her way.

But in the meantime, Gin's mind had been all but consumed with the thrill and excitement of finally getting involved in battle. Now if Sanosuke would hurry the hell up and drag his god damned ass out of that crappy room - Aaand just like that, the door creaked open. Gin's tense shoulders visibly relaxed for a very brief moment, expecting the Hidden Cloud shinobi to finally exit into the hall and follow her. But alas, she was met with a woman of bright red hair. Ah. An Uzumaki. Now Gin wondered if she had suddenly come across the wrong room. But no... That couldn't be, her memory was near flawless! It had evolved that way after scanning so many damned files and mission reports that came across her desk while she was still Kazekage - especially considering the fact that she would then gather the day's paperwork and set it on fire atop her office building and sing campfire songs with Chie and Reiko every week or so. But if she were actually wrong... Well, In that case, she had no time to apologize. And she had to face the fact that she was getting old... Well, old in shinobi years. She was barely in her late twenties. Maybe it was the fact that she already had four kids that made her feel so old.

The former Kazekage shook her head, showing the thought to the back of her mind as she noticed the shirt Sanosuke had worn the other day on the Uzumaki woman. Ah. So this was a recent conquest. Well, it was no secret that the younger man had become a hero in the past few days, going on missions like a madman - was it because of some quest for glory or the title of Raikage? - and defeating the villains and enemies of the Hidden Mist Village like it was his own home. And that recent encounter with that Mizuru woman was the current bit of news that everyone was latched on to. And with every person that spread the story, on more detail was added. Gossip would always be gossip, Gin sighed.

The Uzumaki woman - or rather girl, she was seventeen years old tops - eyed her nervously with a bright blush on her cheeks that matched the color of her hair. Her green eyes met that of the older woman briefly before she looked down to the ground, as if the invisible spec of dirt on her right shoe had become incredibly interesting. Gin smirked under the bandages that hid her face. In a hurry or not, the chance to make her feel awkward and uncomfortable was too much to pass up.

Gin extended her hand and gently touched the woman's chin so that she could lift her gaze. Both were looking each other in the eye now. Their faces were only inches apart. The Uzumaki girl was obviously surprised. Her eyes widened, her body tensed as Gin pressed her body against that of the other woman. "If you ever want to have some real fun, call me instead," Gin whispered in her ear before giving her a kiss on the cheek, followed by a wink. The woman scurried off, her blush darkening madly and her expression contorted in a way Gin found quite adorable. As if on cue, Sanosuke exited the the room. The former Kazekage ogled the red headed girl as she went off down the stairs and out of the pub.

Gin let out a loud cackle. "Sanosuke-teme, you came out too late to see the look on her face!" As her laughter died down, the older woman heard her friend questioning her, asking what, exactly, the mission was about. And as her laughter dissipated, so did her suddenly cheerful mood. She turned to the hall, prying the window open as Sanosuke spoke behind her. "Who are you calling an old hag? I'm not even fucking thirty," she mumbled, reminded of the thoughts she had had before. Maybe she was getting old after all.

Gin exited through the window and motioned for Sanosuke to follow, silently saying that she would explain on the way. It was still a few hours before dawn. By Gin's calculations, they had about half an hour to find the criminal known as Io before they lost his trail altogether. Then again... Then again there was always the possibility that they were being set up for an ambush. In that case, they had to be ready for anything. The rooftops of Kirigakure were damp, signaling that it had rained a few hours ago. Then again, that was hardly a rarity for a place located in the Water Country. The swamp where Io would be located was fairly nearby, so Gin would start explaining after a minute, provided that Sanosuke was within hearing range.

"I got a tip from one of my contacts. I sent out a request to find any information possible on Io about a day ago. And before you ask, the source is reliable," at this point, the young woman was already nearing the border that divided the village between the civilized area and the surrounding swamp. Ruined buildings paved their way. "He said the medic would be out on patrol tonight, most likely on his own and separated from the bulk of the army. He'll be north of the swamp in about twenty minutes. Our time is limited and our window of opportunity is barely even there. Not only that, but we have to take into account the possibility that this information was purposefully leaked, meaning we'd be facing an ambush. The plan is simple: we intercept the bastard and rip him limb from limb, got it?" She explained. Presumably, they were near the indicated site. Now all they had to do was wither sit and wait for Io or for the ambush, whichever came first. All that Gin knew was that this was bound to be a very interesting and twisted game of cat and mouse where only one side would come out alive. And of course, the former Kazekage had no plans of dying that night.

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Sanosuke was puzzled at first with what Gin had first told him the second he came out of the room. So that must mean that Riza had a rough time getting by Gin the second she got out. In away Sanosuke felt bad for the young Uzumaki girl, she was after all just a regular kunoichi. Being in the presence of an intimidating woman like Gin would be rough for anyone, male or female. If she found of Gin’s identity, then Riza would most likely have fainted at the very instant of knowing Gin’s true identity in disbelief at who was right before her eyes. But his puzzlement was revived with laughter as Gin threw a fit at Sanosuke’s comment. Normally when he wanted to get under the former kage’s skin, Sanosuke would make a remark about her age. Even though she was only about 5 years older than himself, Sanosuke still find it hilarious that such a strong shinobi could lose the temper so easily. There were times where Gin’s temper surpassed that of a certain blue ball of light that was above his right shoulder floating at his side. His laughter was all that he used to reply to Gin’s rhetorical question. She must have realized that he wasn’t going to say anything else so that she would finally explain to him what the mission they were going on was about. Escaping through a window that was down the hall of the apartment straight to their immediate right, Gin took to the outside world of Kiri so she can get moving. With a small indication of her body, Sanosuke saw that Gin was signaling for him to follow. He did as the elder shinobi signaled for him to do with Navi following his lead closely behind him; so the two took off to where Gin was leading him to.

Together Sanosuke, Gin and Navi ran through Kiri and left the village. From there they traveled towards the outskirts themselves of Mizu no Kuni. The climate themselves were slowly changing the farther and farther they deviated from the village hidden in the mist. Water slushed from the bottom of Sanosuke’s boots as he realized that they were getting closer to territory that was most likely getting closer to Mizu no Kuni’s marshlands. The muddy terrain was evidence of that as they were now jumping from tree to tree as Sanosuke and Navi followed Gin’s lead. It was after all her mission that she was on, Sanosuke was simply helping her with the mission of killing Io. The mission would be a big one that one couldn’t normally do single handedly. Gin was strong, there was no doubt about that. But against Io there would no guaranteed that the former Kazekage would be able to escape from a fight like that with her life. Fortunate for Gin that even she saw this and seek out Sanosuke for assistance in this mission. He may be a jounin, but he was also a master sennin of the wasp style of senjutsu. That would be something that separated him from the other shinobi that were jounin like him. His power would be what shifted the fight in Gin’s favor. 2 on 1 would be enough to take down the Seven Bells general. Now a days, Gin was more of a drunk wanderer who spent most of her days in the bar. One wouldn’t believe that she was once the leader of a shinobi village, and such had the wisdom of one. She could see that she would need Sanosuke’s help in killing Io.

As Sanosuke ran, he noticed that the terrain was making it harder for Sanosuke to run without any difficulty. Each time he rose his feet from the muddy water, Sanosuke realized that they were now in the swamps of Mizu no Kuni’s outskirts. It was then that Sanosuke really wished that he had the ability to fly in the air like his partner Navi as she was floating close to him as he ran. Pushing himself a bit more, Sanosuke made sure that he was keeping up with Gin so that he ran side by side to the woman while they traveled; instead of running right behind her to follow her lead. They had been running for about half an hour until Gin finally decided they traveled enough. Gin began to explain how she got a tip from an info broker that she knew. "He said the medic would be out on patrol tonight, most likely on his own and separated from the bulk of the army. He'll be north of the swamp in about twenty minutes. Our time is limited and our window of opportunity is barely even there. Not only that, but we have to take into account the possibility that this information was purposefully leaked, meaning we'd be facing an ambush. The plan is simple: we intercept the bastard and rip him limb from limb, got it?" Gin explained to Sanosuke with her ambition being shown without any restriction at all. Besides drinking and the type of women that they both had in common, Sanosuke and Gin also had the same growing ambition of power. Her ambition just made his grow even more. It made Sanosuke smirk as he began cracking his knuckles from his gauntlets.

”Now that’s a plan that I can sink my teeth into Gin-teme.” Sanosuke smirked as he caught his fist in his other hand. Snapping his neck, the jounin was getting himself ready for combat. ”If he’s coming this way, then we’ll just wait for him to come by here. If you’re info is correct, then he should be coming through here any minute now. You stay here on one side, I’ll be on the other side of the swamp directly in front of you to stay hidden for the right moment.” With that Sanosuke took the time to run off so that he was on the other side of the swamp. Staying hidden within the bushes, Sanosuke was about 10 meters across from Gin. Assuming that they both were hidden, Io would come by this area in the open pathway of the swamp with his small group. From their Sanosuke and Gin would launch an ambush on both sides of the swamp. There would be no way for him to react to not one, but two high leveled shinobi on both sides. There was also word from headquarters that they deploy archers to lay down fire upon Io’s group of shinobi at some point. If the archer’s ambush did succeed, then the main ambush that Sanosuke and Gin were apart of would run more smoothly with less resistance than they would have fight without the archer’s ambush. Now they would just wait for the man to appear. Clapping his hands together, Sanosuke’s dual swords appeared from being held in his gauntlets in a small showmanship of lightning popping between his fingers. When the lightning died, Sanosuke held his blades in his hands and just waited. The lightning that came from his swords being summoned shouldn’t have been loud enough nor cause too much of an obvious sight for anyone besides Gin to see it.

Now all they would have to do is just wait for the Seven Bells general to come his way and then the games would commence…
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