Ukiyo sat on the branch of a worn-down tree, swinging her legs with a somewhat disappointed expression on her face. All around the tree were puddles of water, and in fact this water stretched out to cover most of the terrain. The terrain was muddy and the climate humid; clouds patrolled the sky lazily, letting sunlight through every so often. Ukiyo hadn't found what she had hoped to here, the trail of insects having washed out from the rain someways back. She was a little lost, in fact, having never been to Mizu no Kuni before. However her spirits were still far from sunken, as the environment here was scores more pleasant than Tsuchi no Kuni. Mizu no Kuni at least had a few trees, albeit somewhat depressing ones. And the humidy was pleasant to Ukiyo, much more so than the barren heat of the Stone. Ukiyo brushed her hand along the moist bark of the tree's trunk and sighed,

To think the trail would end in such a way. Bleh, oh well. At least it gave me plenty of time to check for more of those pesky Anbu. I can safely say now that I'm... pretty sure we don't have a tail. Pretty sure? Ukiyo dug her fingers into the soaked bark, feeling the grainy surface grind against them as she stuck her grip. We'll soon know for sure. We'll set up camp here, and should anyone show, then we'll have our answer. When do you plan on doing that? Mmm... Ukiyo looked around at her damp surroundings in the shade, Why not now? It's the middle of the afternoon. Don't you think anyone tracking you will think it's a bit odd? It's been well over a day of travel, I'm sure they wouldn't suspect much. Besides, they don't know how much stamina we have. For all they know, we ran out of energy miles ago. Ukiyo swung her legs up onto the branch she was sitting on and rested her back/head against the tree's trunk. She closed her eyes, but stayed wide awake. Not much of a camp now is it? I feel safest sleeping in trees. The Hokage has plenty of profiles on me; they should at least know that much. And with that, Ukiyo waited for someone to arrive; hoping they wouldn't, but ready for anything.

Gin Kuroka had always been a sort of social butterfly. She liked meeting new people, making meaningful connections and being surrounded by others in general. But sometimes… sometimes people became overwhelming, especially since she had fled Sunagakure. A sort of paranoia was always in the back of her mind. It made the young woman wonder whether or not someone recognized her and would oust her in front of the entire village or decide to black mail her for one purpose or the other. Usually, this hardly affected Gin beyond a healthy amount that made her set up necessary precautions just in case anything were to actually happen. But at other times, it could take over her. And thus, Gin found herself immersed in the woods that surrounded the Hidden Mist.

The air around her was cool and damp – nothing like what she was used to in the arid climate of the deserts in the Land of Wind. But it was sometimes a welcome change when compared to that searing heat of her old home. Not only that, but the cool weather also helped her keep a decent body temperature now, considering that her entire body was covered or wrapped in bandages with very few exceptions. Gin walked on the moist ground. She could tell that it had rained recently, maybe about a day or two before she had arrived at the village. But then again, the fog and mist surrounding the village were often also responsible for the generally wet surroundings of the swamp and woods. Not only that, but the weather was mostly always cloudy, making it hard for people with backgrounds like hers to tell when it would actually rain or not.

But Gin paid little attention to the weather. She didn’t mind getting soaked by the rain and could build herself a decent refuge if she had to. Slipping her hands in her pockets, the young woman sighed. She ran her prosthetic hand through her mostly covered hair – an old habit that she refrained from doing in public nowadays just in case anyone she knew associated her with it. If there was something that the former Kazekage had learned over the years was that one could never really be too careful. Even those you trusted the most could betray you without a second thought. The metal arm that replaced her real one was a testament to that.

Without realizing it, Gin had stopped underneath a tree. She admired her surroundings for a moment before noticing that someone’s legs were draping off of a higher up branch. Gin looked down once again, making nothing of the other woman’s presence. She had no reason to suspect of her, really, though the same would not be true of the green haired girl that hung above her. Gin rested against the tree for a moment, though this would likely be interrupted in the near future by the other girl who, unbeknownst to Gin, was riddled with paranoia.

A figure adorned in blue clothing and an abundance of bandages made her way towards the tree that Ukiyo had taken to. It seemed almost every inch of her was concealed by this cloth, the only exception being the person's eyes and portions of her hair. Ukiyo noticed her presence immediately, being somewhat difficult to miss as the figure stepped through puddles with a chakra level rivaling her own. The sun had hidden once again behind a cloud, shading the entire area for the time being. The darkness that fell upon the two sent an ominous shiver down Ukiyo's spine, or was it the cold? The mist that had surrounded her was rather chilling, though the sun was keeping Ukiyo relatively warm up until now. Her heart sunk into her stomach as Ukiyo assessed her surroundings: a shady afternoon, chilling mist as far as the eye could barely see, an country thoroughly unknown to her, and now a shinobi with immense strength casually walking towards her. Some trees ranging in height from 20 meters to 40 were the only things to bring her comfort as Ukiyo held her breath.

We have company. As if I haven't noticed. Well you seem to be taking it rather well; you haven't moved an inch. Why are you letting her get so close? She's not wearing an Anbu uniform, for one. She is concealing her identity though; perhaps she just chooses to not wear the uniform? Unlikely, but possible. Ukiyo continued waiting. She wasn't sure how to handle the situation. If this was another Anbu agent, she had to act quickly. After all, the only reason she survived last time was because she was able to keep the two Anbu away from her. Letting one in this close could surely kill her if she wasn't careful. On the other hand, Ukiyo didn't wish to attack a ninja of this power without needing to. As the seconds dragged on, however, she could feel the tension rising within her. Ukiyo didn't like putting herself in such a risky situation, let alone sit idle within one without the slightest clue of what might happen. Every instinct she's ever acquired was screaming at her; she was easy prey, a sitting duck just waiting to be pounced on. The roots intermingled with her hair began to wriggle about, sensing her tension and naturally beginning to draw in nutrients from the moist air. Ukiyo ground her teeth, trying to fight her instincts,

An attack is foolish. I can't let my paranoia lead me to do anything unnecessarily risky... You consider survival unnecessary? If they aren't Anbu, if I attack another shinobi that is merely minding their own business, then I'll be the one threatening my own survival. You laid this trap to draw out anyone who may be following you still. Here, in the middle of nowhere. A shinobi of awesome power happens to show up right when you do so, and you consider this to be coincidence? Well... it isn't too unlikely. Think of all the times you've told yourself that in the past. Has it ever turned out to not be the case, and threaten your survival as a result? Well yeah but that's not- This isn't a case where you may be bitten, Ukiyo, or stung, or have your tree infested with termites. This shinobi may very well have the intent to kill you. Being wrong here isn't an option. No, I suppose it isn't. Ukiyo sighed silently as her hands came together in front of her to form three hand signs: hare, monkey, palms. Ukiyo then called out to the shinobi below, in an attempt to ease the tension and squelch suspicions pf hostility by presenting herself.

Oiii! Her voice was cheerful and welcoming, a façade she was accustom to using after years in Konoha. Ukiyo then hopped off the branch and turned around mid-air, landing promptly in front of the person below her in a crouch. After standing up, she gave an eager smile, displaying her teeth just before speaking,

My name is Ukiyo, and you are? She would extend her right hand outward in a casual gesture to shake, while watching her target for any sign of their intent. She didn't know this woman, so she could very well be deceiving her. Ukiyo would have to figure out whether she was or not before this woman could detect her own deception. However, deception was Ukiyo's strong suit; she had the appearance of a frail young girl after all. Ukiyo complimented this by suppressing her chakra as much as possible, though would have to keep it somewhat ready in-case of an attack. She wasn't sure who this person before her was, but Ukiyo wasn't ready to take any chances. If they were Anbu, and currently she had to assume they were, things could very well turn ugly in a moment's notice.

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WC: 1204, Bullet Seed and Five Point Prong trained

Chakra: 325/350: