Mission:

The chuunin exams were upon Kumogakure, and with it the entrance gate had never been so crowded. A handful of Kumogakure's forces were walking near the gate to hold up the visitors, checking their papers and giving directions on how to proceed. The sky was clouded by dark grey clouds blocking most of the sun's rays, the soft rumbling of thunder seemingly not having decided yet if lightning and rain should break through to soak the moving masses or not. Lucky for Kumogakure's forces and the people, the day remained mostly dry for now, which was a good thing considering the pressure there was on the shinobi currently working at the gates.

Mizuki had been appointed as one of them for the shift at noon, and as such the kunoichi was preparing herself for duty once she woke. As was usually the case these days the house was empty when she rose out of bed, a serene quietude having settled down that was only interrupted by the occasional chirping of birds having nested in the jacaranda trees outside. After having opened her wardrobe, Mizuki had exchanged her purple sleeping dress for a black shirt and leggings that would hug her body neatly and serve as padding for her armour. Slipping into a sober dark blue vest and stylish skirt reaching her knees, she finished her attire with the traditional white flak jacket of her Village. She wrapped her headband around her head, tightening it well, and put her hair up with a couple of her senbon before tying her katana around her waist. Taking a last good look at herself in the large mirror that stood in the corner, she flashed a brief smile to her reflection and moved to the kitchen to grab some breakfast.

Since the day would be long, Mizuki wanted to make sure she had a good breafkast. A good bowl of oatmeal with fresh red fruits and a freshly pressed glass of orange juice ended up on her tray before she moved everything to the dining table where she took a seat. As she ate her breakfast, Mizuki went through the checklist of instructions that laid on the table, left behind by her father as a reminder of what her guard duty would entail. Papers, proper directions concerning the Chuunin Exams, wanted criminals... Her father had been thorough in the details, as usual. Once Mizuki was certain she'd remember it all, she enjoyed the remained of her breakfast in quietude, listening to the clear song of the birds outside. Then, when she finished it all, she left her home and moved towards the gate.

The flow of people was already considerable. A slow, but consistent stream of visitors and competitors walked through the gate, handling the basic formalities required for safe passage. Even if this was routine, the Chuunin Exams seemed to make people impatient enough to regularly complain about this 'sudden' necessity of checks, as if they had never been there in the first place. While that sort of impatience was understandable, it didn't help with keeping the pressure upon the shinobi away who already looked rather understaffed considering forces had been spread thin over various tasks and areas to ensure the safety of the eager visitors.

So as Mizuki arrived to take over, her colleague seemed to be more than happy to see her now that he could finally go on a noon break. With a short briefing of the situation and a reminder of her duties, he patted her on the shoulder and vanished from sight a few minutes later, leaving the kunoichi with the rest of the team to greet visitors and verify their paperwork and intentions. Mizuki stepped in, bringing along her usual diplomatic approach, but wondered mostly if there would be seeing anyone she had met in the other Villages.

---

646

The Chuunin Exams - something Kahou has been recently looking forward to without realizing that they will be held in the distant Land of Lightning, the key word being distant. She was excited at first when the escorting sensei had taken her and the rest of the genins from Kirigakure no Sato and have led them through the surroundings of the Hidden Mist Village. Kahou was still enthusiastic when they had to board a ship to travel across the sea for she had never been on one before. A whole new world was fanning out infront of the bookworm and for the first time in her life she had gone outside of the village... no, outside of the country! Adventureous books for a slave maid were magical... too magical. As the ship set sail, Kahou slowly began to realize that this trip was not going to be as exciting as the amazing stories described it to be.

Swoosh... swoosh, the water was hitting the boat as the sun was shining brightly above the sea. Kahou felt as if the time had stopped for a whole eternity and that the distant Land of Lightning was so far away, that she would most likely never live long enough to see it. The other genin were talking to each other, sharing the excitement and letting time fly by as they travelled with the exception of three individuals. The 30-year old genin who went by the name Nissan, the young numb boy known as Mura and the ever-suspicious and distrustful - Kahou. The old masculine guy tried to join the conversation a few times but the youngsters only felt uncomfortably by his pressence and smiled in reply, avoiding him to the best of their ability.

The Karisuma sat on a barrel near the parapet and propped her head up with both hands, staring in the distance. "Was this a mistake?" she thought to herself.


Eventually they did reach Kumo's shores but travelling did not end there as they needed to travel to the Hidden Village almost perfectly positioned in the center of the land. For better or for worse they had some food organized by the Mizukage's office but although nutritious - it was tasteless, but it still was better than nothing. Excitement was almost gone, despite being so close to the biggest event in Kahou's life. It was drained by the long travel and by the disappointing landscape they had reached. Rocks? Seriously... Kahou was longing for something green, full of life but of course she would be sent to the most desolate of places. This being after Kiri of course.

"We are almost there!" the escorting sensei notified the genins. His words a prophecy, just a few seconds later the astonishing view of the Kumogakure no Sato had been revealed to the future examinees. Kahou instantly stopped in place, her eyes growing wide and her heart beating faster and faster. She no longer felt banished from her homeland and smelled a notion of adventure adrift in the air. A faint smile appeared on her face before she heard the sensei urging her to keep up.


The gates of the city were full and the noise of human mob was outrageous. The blonde Karisuma had never experienced such a thing in her life. So many people, most of them trying to out-yell the others, some complaining and amidst this chaos - her, the most anti-social person of them all. Except for Mura, but he was another case.

"Stay close or you will not be allowed entrance." the escort underlined.

As the lines were slowly passing through the entrance checkpoint, their intentions and identities verified by the Kumo's best, Kahou was wondering what trials were expecting her behind that door.

---

WC: 640

I hope I am not ruining your plans. :D

Zetsume had no intentions of attending as a spectator to the Chuunin Exams, however, this time was different. Seeing as it was being held in his village, he would have to put in his work along side his comrades. In all honesty, he was not ready for the social interactions. One thing he valued was his distance away from others and now he was forced into a spot in which he must be social. The sun had not even risen when Repede woke Zetsume up. Unlike his owner, Repede was excited to meet new people. Zetsume could swear that the dog almost died of excitement when he heard the exams were being held in Kumogakure. The dog in excitement for what was to come, woke Zetsume up early so they could get a head start on the day. Lazily, he got out and prepared for the day. After a hearty breakfast of pancakes, sausages, bacon, and eggs; Zetsume took care of basic hygienic duties and started to dress himself. Wearing slightly loose black pants, with a white T shirt, and a black jacket over him, he had all he would need. Zetsume only needed to bring Repede with him to be effective against decent adversaries because his bow was always on him. The distance between his house on the outskirts and the village is decently far. The sun would be rising in the distance by the time he showed up. It was a dark cool morning, making the walk at least enjoyable. In the distance, he could see a wagon carrying things with some people on top and others walking around it. Zetsume would have minded his own business, but Repede of course had to go see them. Since Zetsume was not in an aggressive stance, the dog took it as them being not a threat. Seeing as some were children, Zetsume had no need to take them as a threat. Then again, he has shot children down for bearing arms against him. Zetsume picked up his pace to keep up with his dog just incase. Giving a shout and a wave, Zetsume and Repede greeted the travelers. The first to speak to him was the driver of the wagon, who halted it upon their approach. An older man with a long white beard that nearly reached his belly button was driving the wagon. The others that were walking around the wagon moved in closer to it in slight fear. Zetsume flashed a fake smile and spoke to them, "Hey, are you here for the Chuunin exams?"

The elderly man replied promptly, "Yes, we indeed are. Are you a shinobi from there?" Zetsume nodded while Repede sat near him waiting for the ok to try and get as much attention as he could out of them. His tail was furiously wagging as he sat there seeming impatient for such discussions. The older man knocked on the side of the wagon twice, and then once more. From inside, two men got out from the back. It appeared to be his grandsons. The older man spoke again towards his family, "See, I told you all that they would have Chuunin out here to help escort people to the village."

A small snicker could be heard from Repede. Zetsume wanted to correct them, but he indeed bore nothing on him that indicated he was a Jounin or even a Hitai-ate. Those things to him just made him a target. This often brought scrutiny and others have questioned Zetsume's loyalty, but he has proven time and time again that those things are just materialistic and do not truly represent ones intentions. One of the men that got out of the wagon spoke a little aggressively towards Zetsume, "Yea, well I do not see one of those fancy head bands, he probably is lying and waiting for his moment to strike. I bet he is just waiting for his moment to strike, Grandpa, we must keep moving. The village is not far off."

Zetsume was highly annoyed by this point, but kept his calm for most the part. He stopped with the friendly front and spoke in a calm tone trying to not put more venom in his words than what they already had, "I suppose it is just my word you will have to trust, but believe me, if I wanted you all to die, it would have happened long ago. Now come on, time is wasting. I will even lead the way. I will only do this on one condition, you let me see what you're hauling. As you can assume, it is our duty to ensure the safety of everyone in Kumogakure. Please take this as a demand, not a request." Zetsume tried to smile again but came up empty. The one who spoke to Zetsume cowered a little at his words because he somehow knew it were true. The old man nodded and motioned for Zetsume to check the wagon. After a thourough search, he found they only took clothes, food, and some necessities. No weapons were found. When Zetsume finished, he walked in front of the wagon, keeping his promise earlier to prove he meant no harm. He turned around once to say that Repede might try to beg for attention, however, it was too late. The dog had already found it's way riding inside the wagon being loved on. Zetsume smiled a little but felt that, that need for attention will get him hurt.

When the village gate was within sight, Zetsume pointed to it and they were on their way after he gave them a note of approval signed in his usually sloppy signature ZZ. Undoubtedly, they would be allowed entrance. Zetsume made up a lie and said he was going back to help more people just to get away from them. Before he could take one step, he just saw Repede dart off in the direction of Kumogakure. This behavior was unusual, but Zetsume followed ready for anything. The dog was running towards the large gates, something in the village caught his attention. Quickly, Zetsume saw what caught the pups nose, Mizuki. Zetsume laughed a little on the inside as he saw her standing there doing gate duty. Something Zetsume always abstained against due to his fighting style. Zetsume slowed his run down to a walk and let Repede be the first to greet Mizuki before he would walk up saying hello with a wave. None of the other Kumogakure shinobi attempted to stop him as he approached the gate passing through most of the lines. Some people complained under their breath, but stopped when they realized he must be of some higher rank. Most of his comrades gave him wayward stares, but kept to their duties.

WC:1134

(The more the merrier right?)

As if noon break was supposed to be a signal for the masses, the crowd really doubled in size by the time the sun was at its zenith. Luckily, most visitors held nothing special, being allowed entry rather quickly after a quick check of their papers, but once there had been a real ruckus with a merchant who was found smuggling black explosive powder despite trading in vegetables, requiring the necessity to evacuate a rather large area. Fortunately, nothing horrible had happened as the man seemed genuine on the fact he simply had forgotten his papers stating the powder was meant to be part of some fireworks. Another time, the gate forces were forced to intervene when they spotted a man ready to blow himself up in the middle of the bottleneck. Paralysing jutsu had dealt with the first threat, and the explosive tags had been stripped swiftly. The man was eventually apprehended and carried away, leaving Mizuki to wonder what dark fate awaited the man. The crowd left her little time to think about this, as another group already approached.

Briefly bowing in front of them to greet them, Mizuki requested their papers and was promptly given them as the man felt the need to remind his group, "Stay close or you will not be allowed entrance.". Mizuki eyed the group for a brief moment, remarking the Kirigakure headbands some of them wore visibly before she checked their papers one by one. Nothing seemed unusual.

"Do the people behind you aim to join the Chuunin Exams?"

As she waited for his reply, a familiar face showed up. A familiar dog no less, running up to her and circled around her like a mad dog, barking with all the joy in the world. Mizuki hushed the dog to quiet down a little considering the crowd that surrounded them, upon which he sat down and barked once more.

"What's this? A dog infiltrating Kumogakure?"

As if in shock, the dog barked defiantly.

"Where are your papers, Repede? You know I can't just let any dog walk in today."

Another bark of defiance, and the dog lowered his torso in anticipation of any action that would be taken against his figure.

"You asked for it. Come here, I'm sure you're hiding something in that fur."

So the kunoichi briefly kneeled, rubbing the dog affectionately as she 'searched' for his papers, making sure she patted his head and rubbed his ears with all the care in the world knowing well the dog would completely comply with such a thorough search. Not much later, another familiar face appeared. The owner of the dog, Zetsume Zix, waving a casual hello in her direction. She rose back to her feet, bowing before Zetsume.

"Sensei. It's been a while.", she greeted him, as formal as ever. "I hope you hold the papers for this little bandit of a dog?"
"That's right! He is a bandit alright.", some older man chimed in, his expression a mixture of fury and fear. "Can you believe such a man would make himself out to be a member of your Village?"

Mizuki briefly looked back at Zetsume, wondering what this was all about, but knowing her sensei's usual rather harsh approaches, she could already imagine him having said something that went just 'slightly' over the top.

"I'm fairly certain Zix-san didn't mean it as harsh as it came over. He is a jounin of our forces, but today's tension must simply have put him on edge. Please accept my apologies upon his behalf.", Mizuki explained, leaving behind her intentions to actually say her sensei was 'on edge more than usual'.

Whether the man accepted the apology or was shocked by the fact that Zetsume was, indeed, a member of the Kumogakure forces was quite hard to read from his expression, but he decided to return from where he came, stumbling through the crowd to return to his wagon that was currently locked tight in the slowly moving crowd.

---

677
Total: 1323

OOC: The more the merrier, indeed :3

"Do the people behind you aim to join the Chuunin Exams?"

"Yes, everyone included, even this one" he patted Nissan who did not look like a genin. After all he was about 30 years old, masculine bearded man. "I was informed that someone will show us in to the rooms. I suppose that would not be you, would it?" he asked the guard on duty as he saw her attention turn towards another intruder - a dog.

Kahou, along everyone else eyed it down, wondering why would it be of such interest to the guards but it all became clear when the owner of the dog strolled into the conversation with a casual greeting. She was curiously watching and was secretly envious of the guard. "Sensei... some of us do not have the privilege to have a sensei of their own..." she thought to herself her faint smile, brought up by the dog's "intrusion" completely faded. She slowly returned to her usual self, alone in the crowded noisy streets.

"Do you think it is a battle pet?" one of the Kiri genin said to the others in a not-so-quietly manner. Despite the commotion his words could be heard even by a genin, what's left for a sensei-level shinobi.
"Yea, right" another boy laughed. He was sure that this caressing dog had no dark side to it and most of the genins instantly agreed with him in mocking laugh.

Kahou stared them down but soon lost interest in her fellow-citizens as she was still curiosly scanning the newcomer. His clothes were all covered in dog hair, so he must have been keeping the dog around almost all the time. On top of that he was a sensei meaning he was of rank and his responsibilities were probably never ending. At least the Mizukage always looked like she had more on her plate than she could handle and she was the only high-rank military the Karisuma knew.

Most girls will probably initiate a conversation and try to pet the lovely dog but Kahou would rather stay in the shadows, although with a beauty like hers it was tremendously hard to do so. Even though she tried to not pay attention she felt every single man who passed by, staring at her for at least a couple of seconds with a dozen even turning backwards just to catch another glimpse. Even her fellow-genins were not too shy about it. She remembered her mission with the older guy Nissan and it gave her the creeps...

"I just want to get to the trials..." she thought to herself, waiting rather patiently.

---

WC: 443
TWC: 1083

Sorry for being so slow, did not have the mood to play these last few days.

The exchange between Repede and Mizuki was comical, for Repede would definitely rather be in the custody of Mizuki than Zetsume. Indubitably, the dog would leave with her without little fight if he allowed it. Mizuki greeted Zetsume while minorly ignoring her duties to show Repede affection. She greeted Zetsume as he waslked up, but the pleasant exchange between his dog and student was interrupted. Zetsume did not even have to turn his attention to the crowd to recognize that voice. Zetsume sighed a little when Mizuki defended him, for he did not care what others think. If it were up to him, all would have a proper escort before hand. Luckily for them the chuunin exams were happening, he should have shot a warning shot anyways. Then again, he has been trying to be more accepting and kind to others. If they held any weaponry when he searched the wagon with Repede or attempted any shifty movement, he would have shot them down and not even been questioned twice about the incident. Considering the mass amounts of people, it was just a matter of time before one means to cause harm on a group. Zetsume resisted the urge to throw a Genjutsu at him when he insulted Repede. Shortly after Mizuki corrected and apologized for Zetsume the man continued on his way.

Zetsume scratched he head before raking his hair back with his hand, moving it out of his face before speaking, "You do not need to speak in my defense, however, that is the better diplomatic solution considering the situation. Repede I see has found his friend doing a job that is quite tedious. You would not have seen me doing such a mundane job, but hey someone has to do it right?" He gave a genuine smile that slightly squinted his eyes with a slight laugh because he had duties to do as well that looked like he was neglecting. They wanted him posted on the wall just incase a situation should arise, but Zetsume abstains from being a target in the open. Amongst the crowds of people he could merely play wolf in sheeps clothing. From down here he could also get a better look at others and their actions. Zetsume had no intentions of speaking long for work must be done. He spoke shortly after his laugh while looking around, "I suppose I should act like I am doing work. Repede, you are free to stay with Mizuki and keep her safe. Make it back before dinner otherwise I will eat your steak. As for you Mizuki, please try to keep yourselves safe. I am off, take care. " Zetsume stuffed his hands in his jacket pocket and walked away. Repede sat next to Mizuki and wagged his tail rather fast due to being happy.

The dog got up from sitting and growled a little with his from half of his body down as if he were to attack when he mentioned eating his steak. Repede never could speak despite understanding complex sentences. Though it seemed to appeal to his personality because it forced him to express his feelings through actions and not words. Zetsume blended into the crowd, moving through it while subtly analyzing if they are threats. Should he find one, he would not hestitate to shoot.

WC:553
Total:1687

(Sorry for the late reply)

"Yes, everyone included, even this one. I was informed that someone will show us in to the rooms. I suppose that would not be you, would it?"

Dropping the attention on Repede, Mizuki rose again as the man replied and asked her a question about a guide. Unfortunately for them, she was not that guide. She was a shinobi on guard duty, being requested to provide the entrances for the chuunin exams, but not the steward that would help them out further.

"I'm sorry, that isn't me. I can give you direction as to where you need to be - it's really not that hard - but there should be stewards over there that will provide you further guidance.", Mizuki replied. "In any case, your papers check out and the genin have been registered."

Kiri-nin, huh? It had not been that long ago that Lin had told her about the tedious peace between the two village, yet after her appointment there had been pretty few, if any, real skirmishes between the two Villages. And now, Kiri-nin were here to join in the Chuunin Exams. Funny how things could change so fast.

"You'll find the main entrance when you follow the main road here, up to the crossroads with the lightning decorated paper lamps. There, go to the right and you'll spot it easily on your right side. I wish you all the best of luck during the exams.", she finished with a brief bow towards them.

Finishing the check-up of the Kiri-nin papers, Zetsume spoke up about her defending his honour and how she didn't really have to do so while it was better to take on a diplomatic approach. It was a bit of an odd explanation, but she smiled nonetheless as she felt his praise. Yes, the diplomatic approach was probably what she preferred most of all in any situation, even if most considered it a sign of weakness and took that as a ticket to try forcing their way passed her, but in this case the reason was mostly her family's odd sense of duty. He was her superior, and as such it was her duty and honour to step in first before he had to lower himself to protect his own prestige. It was a very similar approach as to how a vassal would step in to protect his emperor.

"I consider it a fitting job for myself at my current rank, but I admit I'd prefer to tackle more intriguing duties to preserve Kumogakure were I a jounin. I wished I could experience your duties first hand, even though those would be far above my reach just yet."

That said, Zetsume decided that perhaps he too should act as if he worked, leaving the dog in her custody. She flashed a smile at the dog, who had already positioned himself at her side like a dutiful guardian. Mizuki knew better though, as she followed the dog's attention to the plenty of people in the distance pointing at him as they talked about him. So far for his eternal love and loyalty. Men...

"I will, sensei. Good luck on your endeavours."

That reminded her she actually wanted to pick up a few kyujutsu techniques now that she had improved upon her basic skills with the bow. Unfortunately, now was not the time or place to do so, but she'd hopefully find him back soon enough when she'd bring back Repede, and finding an opportunity to ask him about it.

---

OOC: That's okay, it happens.

596
Total: 1919

Kahou traced the dog person's movement as he entered the dense crowd. She noticed the colar hanging on his neck - looked like an animal's head as a sword hilt or maybe some type of cross? It did not look like a familiar symbol - something that could be found in the Kirigakure's library. Curiousity embraced her as the outside world was slowly fading away.


The blonde was reevaluating the situation in her mind when she felt a rathe strong tap on her back, accompanied by a boorish comment - something in the line of "come on, babe". After coughing from the surprise "hit" she took, Kahou turned and kicked Nissan in his kneecap and angrily turned towards her sensei and started walking with a frustrated and aggresive posture. The masculine 30-year old genin jumped a few times in place holding his knee and loudly ouching and repeating the question "Nandee?" (Why?). Not wanting to be left behind he jumped a few times forward while still in pain but soon limped along.

With a polite node pointed at the guard who was on duty - by the looks of it a swordsWOman of rank chuunin, everyone entered the cit, following her instructions. There were plenty of other shinobi and even civilians who were showing the direction and slowly guide the newcomers to their respective locations. The not-so-tall and made out of rock buildings the examinees and their guides werе accomodated were designed to have as many rooms with nothing more than the base necessities. Of course, they had invested a little more into comfortable beds, because the examinees were expected to be in top shape for their trials in order to preserve the competitive element to the Exam itself. After all, no city wanted to be denounced for favouring its shinobi, especially when the idea of this gathering was to improve relations between the great nations.

For her pleasant surprise, all the examinees had their own personal room with just a single bed, a chair, something that resembled a desk and a window. Kahou was even luckier, as her name suggested by birth, and she had a view to the main street - something a lot of people would describe as having a TV. She could watch the lives and stories of others the same way she read about them - from afar in the comfort of her own bed. Now more than ever she needed to feel surrounded by people, even with ones she never met and will never get to know, and to stay occupied.

The exams were scheduled to start from the next day and for today there were welcoming ceremonies and other - more political activities that were supposed to encourage peace keeping, co-operation, etc. Maybe today would be a good day for her to walk around the city and explore its beauty. Hopefully she would be able to sneak out without any of her acquaintances to notice so she could keep the adventure to herself... especially if she could avoid Nissan - him most of all.


Meanwhile in the dense crowd that was awaiting passage into the Hidden Village In The Lightning, Zix noticed a short bald man that was constantly looking around nerviously. In a sense, he did not stand out of the crowd unless you are looking for troublemakers and you happen to see his rather odd behavior. As Zix was closing in, he noticed the kanji that was all over his inner shirt under the vest. There was something wrong with this man and the question was... what?

---

WC: 609
TWC: 1732

[Exit]

Reaction: D1-D3 850/1732
Speed: D1->D3 850/882

32 words discarded.

With her sensei out of view, and the Kiri-nin moving about to face the genin trials, Mizuki was left on her own to fulfil her duty in the never-ending crowd of tourists and competitors alike. Glancing at the horizon, beyond the moving crowd, she sighed. It would prove to be a long day. At least she had her sensei's pet by her side now. Repede, though never ceasing his quest for attention, was always welcome company to have.

---

81
Total: 2000

OOC: Considering Zix's irl situation, I'm exiting the thread before him.
[EXIT]

+1 EP for 2k wc
+1 EP for meeting a non-Kumo PC shinobi (Kahou Karisuma) as Kumo-nin
+1 EP as mission reward

Using 750 wc for the D rank mission.
Remaining: 1250 wc for later use