Issei had already been in Iwagakure a number of weeks and he was growing homesick, which was a rather strange feeling for him. He was the type of person who was always travelling, a wanderer, a vagrant, but now he had this strange sense of patriotism and connection to Kirigakure no Sato, a feeling that he had never had before despite having grown up there. What had changed? Was he starting to value his homeland more having lost what had previously bound him to Iwagakure? Was it his age and how everything was changing around him as he grew older? Was it his renewed passion in being a shinobi? It was hard to tell, to say the least. Regardless, he was packed and ready to leave as soon as the sun rose, and he woke Isamu and told him to get ready, too. He had things to do back in the village, and he wanted to get on with them as soon as possible. Iwagakure, despite having done some good for himself and even for the village during his time there, was ultimately a vacation and he knew that he had to get back to working hard if he wanted to support himself financially and accomplish his long-term goals. That was a part of life, and a part of being responsible, and he knew that better than anyone.

The journey started slow; the scenery around them was different than it had been before, because naturally the season had progressed and winter was now near its end. The air wasn't cold and unforgiving anymore, but instead warm and full of sunshine behind scattered clouds. Issei never really had a preference between seasons, although he had to admit that he did like spring because everything was in bloom and life was more colorful. Perhaps it was a good sign, because with spring came change and he was starting to learn that most of the time, change was a positive thing whether or not it seemed like it on the exterior. The mountains and highlands of Iwagakure gave way to the large forests of Konohagakure and eventually the ocean on the other side, which signaled they had come into Mizu no Kuni, and the island that Kirigakure was on would be upon them soon enough. Issei's first order of business was to complete another mission so that he could apply for Chuunin rank, and his next order of business was to find his parents and dig deep into his ancestry to find the Kaguya. The sneaking suspicion that his parents had been lying to him and they weren't his real parents lingered in the back of his mind, but he didn't want to come to terms with it until it was confirmed or denied for certain.

Issei could admit that he enjoyed his little trip to Iwa, despite the bumps along the way. He'd made allies, whether he wanted to or not, and he had a renewed drive to work hard and become stronger. The bottle of alcohol that the Tsuchikage had given him to give to Ayakashi was still in his backpack, with the rest of his belongings, and he made a mental note to deliver that to her when he got to the administration building. The trek was coming to a close, and Issei hardly took notice of Isamu up until they arrived, but he knew well enough that Isamu, as a Jounin, could keep up with no issue. When they arrived, he thanked Isamu for his help halfheartedly and immediately made his way back to his apartment so that he could unpack and go to the administration building.

[ Travel Complete ]

A rude awakening at the crack of dawn. Isamu's eyes tore open and he looked Issei in the eyes, but he was too exhausted to really register what was happening. He kind of laid there for a while, blinking a lot, until he gathered himself and stood up. Issei was telling him to pack up, so he did. The urgency scared him at first but he soon realized that Issei was just itching to get back to Kirigakure as soon as possible. Why so suddenly, though? Isamu had no idea. But it didn't really matter, he had done the tasks he had needed to do while he was in Iwa and so he was ready to leave at any point, too. He just wished it wasn't so early, because he, like most other regularly functioning human beings, enjoyed sleeping a full night's sleep. Issei was as cold and detached as ever, that much hadn't changed during their weeks in the Land of Earth, but Isamu just learned to accept the fact that they were two very different people and it was nothing personal against him. Ultimately, he had done his job in escorting Issei there, and now it was time to finish the task and escort him back, so that's what he was going to do. By the time he was all ready and set to leave, Issei was already out of the door.

Isamu was far faster than Issei could have even managed to get, but he kept a slow pace so that he could follow behind Issei and make sure he was safe. It wasn't like anything was going to jump out and attack them though, neither Tsuchi no Kuni nor Hi no Kuni were dangerous places to be and missing nin were few and far between, these days. Isamu decided that his first task when he got back to Kirigakure was to go have a nice meal and then go shopping for new stuff for Kuremachisu. She fluttered along just near his shoulder, and she had been so patient and good while they were in Iwagakure that Isamu figured she deserved a nice gift or a treat or something. It wasn't hard pleasing a hummingbird, but Isamu had had her long enough to know exactly what she liked and what made her happy. A few times, Issei slowed down to change directions and Isamu was close enough to start a conversation, but he didn't even bother since Issei wasn't paying any attention and he wouldn't have cared, anyway. Such a weird, standoffish guy. I wonder how he ended up like that. Probably family issues growing up or something. He turned to face Kuremachisu, who was started to slow down from exhaustion. "Here, I'll put you in my pocket so you don't have to keep flying. We still have a little bit of a ways to go." He stopped in a tree to pick her up and place her in his breast pocket, snugly so that she wouldn't fall out, and then he buttoned it closed from the side so that her head popped out from the other side. From there, he continued keeping up with Issei and they made it back to the village just after dark. The mist in the air and the icy island weather let Isamu know that they'd made it home before any of the familiar buildings or the village gates did. They passed through the entrance unhindered after the guards checked them out and Issei disappeared along one of the side streets after saying goodbye. Isamu smiled back and watched him leave. "Heh, see you around..."

[ Travel Complete ]