Even still, Nozomi's entire body was numb. It wasn't a particularly cold day or anything, but ever since she'd found out what had happened with the Kiri-Kumo conflict, she'd been numb. If she'd known from the start, she would have gone directly back to Kirigakure, but instead she'd wasted her time with the wrong person. All of her anger was currently directed towards one singular person, the one person who had perhaps wronged Nozomi the most, at least in her own eyes. Lady Ayakashi, the Mizukage herself. Having declared Kaekio a missing-nin and exiling her from their village despite having brought her in so kindly, and for what? Because she'd intercepted Sanosuke's blade? Revealed herself as Kaekio? That would have been a perfect moment to strike down Sanosuke, because his will had shattered then, from what she'd been told. Nobody had to know. But instead, now Kaekio had been made a mark of Kirigakure?

Her anger was directed back at her home. Her trust in the Mizukage had been shattered. Still, she was torn, because her duty as a Hunter-nin Captain was to Kirigakure. After all, it was her home. And she didn't hate the village as a whole. But she'd need to talk to the Mizukage for certain when she returned. Get her to change her mind about Kaekio. She wouldn't let anyone hunt her down, regardless of who they were. Perhaps Sero could help her out, so she'd talk to him first. She didn't want to cause any sort of issues, so his advice might be well received, and maybe he could help convince Ayakashi to remove the bounty on Kaekio, if she'd even followed through with it in the first place. Otherwise, she'd need to take down the Mizukage herself, a new Kage set in her sights for removal, and Sero would be a much needed ally. If he wouldn't help, he'd be an obstacle and she'd need to get him out of the way temporarily so she could continue with her plans. Kaekio would be safe, no matter the cost. She wasn't in any danger where she was now.

Arriving at the docks, Nozomi went to the ship master that was going to Kirigakure, and handed him a pile of Ryo without a word. The man nodded, he'd met her before, and knew what she wanted. The young Jounin was on her way home, for better or for worse. It was a few days wait before they departed, but none of it was all that eventful, she spent most of her time helping him load up his supplies for the trip, since he appeared to be rather short on staff. The quicker he was loaded up, the quicker they could be on their way. With her help, they left two days ahead of schedule, without worry for anyone missing for the voyage. The entire crew pretty much lived on the ship, and they weren't necessarily a transport, rather than a cargo ship. Nozomi had used this before to get to and from Kumo, buying her own passage through without being a registered traveller, so as not to be easily tracked.

After a lengthy travel, the ship finally moored up on some docks in a mid sized village near the outskirts of Kirigakure's mainlands. Nozomi took off towards the village at a speed greater than she usually did. She needed to stop by and see a certain team mate of hers, and she needed to see him as quickly as possible. She was tired of waiting as long as she had. Besides, she kind of missed Sero, and wanted to see him anyhow.

WC: 606

Travel Complete : [600/600]
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