Nagare began his trek at a fast pace, sprinting through the mountains and under the black clouds that shrouded Kaminari no Kuni. His pupils were probably very angry with him for leaving all of a sudden like that, but it was a mission that he needed to go on. Aside from that, he also had always wondered what Konoha was like, so going there now seemed like it would be a good experience. After he went to the Hi no Kuni, all that would be left on his "countries I haven't been to" list would be Kaze no Kuni and Tsuchi no Kuni. A well-rounded, experienced Sannin. But part of him knew that something could go wrong on this trip. It seemed that every time he got angry, he entered Hell Form and lost control to that beast that frequented his mind. It was only a drop of a hat, and that thing could devastate everything.

So, the Sannin promised himself not to let anything get to him this entire trip. Most of all, he would avoid using Hell Form even once during the time he was in Konohagakure. He had a mission to complete, and once that was done, he would return to Kumogakure, and do his best to be peaceful. He needed to focus on something else, so that he wouldn't obsess over what could happen the whole time. The mission itself was the first thing that came to mind. It was yet another A-Rank, the most frequent rank of mission he did, and it was to defeat some missing ninja that were terrorizing Konoha. He wondered why he always seemed to be tied to Missing Ninja...Gakuto had become one, he went and killed him. He'd gone on plenty of other missions like that, too, but this one was more important, because it strengthened the bond between Kumo and Konoha.

Nagare'd have a squad on it, of course, so he wouldn't have to work alone...if anything did go awry, he'd at least have back up. He was now stressing over the mission as well, so he just stopped for a moment, and focused on the trip. Yes, the trip. He was sprinting through grasslands now, signaling his proximity to the Village Hidden in the Leaves. With his speed at its peak since his promotion, this trip wasn't so long at all, and he was more than halfway to his destination. He preoccupied himself with the scenery, the large trees around him, the smell of flowers and the greenery, all things that were never really seen too often in Kumogakure. Kumogakure was a land he admired just as much as any other for its sheer beauty, the clouds that accompanied it, and the lightning that scattered across it, but Konoha held a similar beauty that was more peaceful, if anything.

Within ten or fifteen minutes, Nagare arrived at the gate, his footsteps crunching every leaf in his path. He was already here, but a bad feeling was building in his gut. The sound of a blast followed the feeling, and he turned to face the sound's origin. A large plume of black smoke appeared into view, from the southeast end of the village. People seemed to be running away from the direction with terrified glances...was he too late!? We're the missing ninja invading Konoha now!? No, he had to do something, he needed this mission to be a success. He sprinted toward the plume of smoke, ready to stop anything standing in his way. He wouldn't let Konoha be destroyed.

---

Travel from Kaminari no Kuni to Hi no Kuni
Word Count: 606/600