Eureka! [Entering Country]

[Seijin]

When panhandlers finally found gold in the coveted hills of the West, such was the word that could only be described as a desperately impoverished man finding a small nugget that would change his entire family's fortunes. While neither of the two were impoverished, there was a desperate need on the elders part to get back to the East Coast. Somewhat deep in conversation, Umashi relaxed his guard even more so as they drew closer to the last known whereabouts of Maru. "It's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere." Momentarily stopping to once again dump out the sand in his shoes he shook his head and sighed. "I'd be much more comfortable on a boat in the middle of the ocean but I digress." Mostly out in the wilderness, Umashi felt comfortable to continue on a lively but cautious discussion about the brass tacks of what they were here to do. "I don't know about you but I've never actually attempted to de-tail a kitsune of any kind, much less a jinchuriki. Here I am supposedly in retirement from being a whole Hokage and yet I'm punching a clock for a teenage Uchiha in Kumogakure. Good grief!"

Slapping his forehead, he shook his head in an overly exaggerated feigned disbelief. As they continued to near civilization, he once again went back over the plan for escape. "We took the land route to get here but on the way back, we're taking a boat. Either we go north due for the Earth Country or we grab a ship here and book it around the Tea Country bend. I can't imagine that Sunagakure will want us ruffling the feathers of those within their political sphere of influence so I'd expect a hot and heavy exit." It seemed simple enough a plan and Umashi assumed that Ziren knew how to board a ship in an inconspicuous manner. When at last they started to see others on the footpath to their destination and the saltiness in the air could no longer be ignored, Umashi gave one final instruction to Ziren before they crossed the point of no return. "And if something happens to me, you complete the mission. Don't be a hero and trust that I'll be doing the same. Get the tails and get the heck out of here. If I believed in luck I'd swear that this country was cursed ground for me. I don't want to be here an second longer than I have to be. Got it?"

OOC: Country entered w/ Ziren .

 

[Chigokai Yuna]

From the grassy and luscious lands of Leaf, to the mountain areas of Cloud. From that one time Ziren was in Moon to the other few times he was in Tea. From the frozen wastelands of Water, now to the sandy dunes of Sand. To say the least, Ziren has been around a few places.

And that's when Umashi started to talk, at first it was to complain about the sand, but then he talked about the actual mission. A Kitsune that was also a Jinchuriki? It was quite the opposite of one of their last interactions together with a Kitsune, where him and Umashi fought a guy named maru for harassing a little girl kitsune when he was pulling her ears.

And then he talked about taking orders from a teenage Uchiha? That bit of information was surprising to say the least. He explained the plan of getting out. Seems like they aren't here to make friends, the only thing they are here for is the mission. In and out.

Everything seems to be in order when Umashi brought up one last bit of information. He was speaking as if anticipating him getting captured or killed... Ziren gritted his teeth underneath his mask. He was a man that followed his heart rather than his mind, something that people admired and hated at the same time. It's one of his biggest flaws. Part of him wants to say to hell with the mission and do the opposite of what Umashi asked him to do to make sure the man gets out too. But he knows that's a battle he can't win. And if he thinks Umashi as still a man that cares for others, that man wouldn't want Ziren to die without completing the mission.

The Chigokai let out a sigh and nodded. He listened for blood flows around to make sure that they were in the clear before saying, "I think it's time you tell me what's going on. I want to know who this threat is. What they did, what they look like, psyche eval if you know it. Anything that will help me understand what kind of person we are dealing with."

The usual crack the occasional joke Ziren was gone. He was on a mission that he knew nothing about and blindly followed because it was a threat to the Village. The part of him that still thinks like an ANBU is now present. Even if Umashi were to give vague words, Ziren would be able to pick up what's going on, but up until now, he didn't even know a single thing of what was going on and that was actually pissing him off. He hid his emotions in his mask, his voice not even sounding strained of anger as he spoke.

(ooc: country entered)

 

[Seijin]

Ziren wasn't exactly wrong. The better question was if Umashi could afford to spend the time catching him all the way up on the details. Waiting to venture any further closer to civilization, Umashi took a deep breath and sighed before speaking. "Remember that time in the Tea Country when a certain prankster named Maru went around being a real creep and the Hokage at the time had to jump in and clean up the mess?" Tapping on the side of his temple he shrugged. "To make a long story, short, Maru . . . yes, that same Maru . . . repeatedly refuses to learn a lesson and this time he up and nearly put the Kumogakurian ANBU Sennin six feet under so, me and you, two people who have a rather extension history with said Maru are being tasked with de-tailing him which if I may add is actually quite a bit more difficult then actually killing him outright and not bothering to keep any remains."

Keeping the conversation rolling, Umashi both did and didn't admit to who he actually was. "Me personally, I put the family back into witness protection. Maru is mucking things up for all of us wishing to just live a peaceful life. In my book, that's reason enough for cutting off a few appendages after all the chances that he's gotten. They could have asked for his head on a platter but they didn't." Feeling that things were explained enough, Umashi started to walk on but not without addressing one final issue. "So again, if things go south, if the Sunagakurian folk swarm the place, get out. I wear a mask for a reason, because I don't need an international incident on my hands. I'd expect you'd feel the same so I can't emphasize it enough, we get the tails, or tail even, and we get the heck out of here. We aren't in Kumo anymore."


OOC: TLUS
OOC#2: Topic of reference https://ninpocho.com/threads/tea-for-two-closed.57511/

 

[Chigokai Yuna]

Ziren's eyes narrowed at the name Maru. The hell? That guy is still alive? most of his encounters with Maru were bad, except for that one time that he seemed to have lost his memory and was calling himself, "princess of Heart". Ziren would let Umashi continue on speaking until he was done. Nearly killing the ANBU Sennin, and from the sound of it, the guy had multiple second chances thrown his way. But it seemed that he never learned from them. There was a time when they were both younger that Ziren empathizes with Maru. Being the only Chigokai in Leaf, reading about the horrible things in history books that described them. Ziren felt alone, and much like him, Maru at the time was something demonic, alone. But the difference between them was Ziren felt as if Maru was just pushing people away as for Ziren himself grew up with people caring for him and vice versa. He wondered if Maru would be down this road if he would have let someone help him.

Part of the Chigokai wants to save Maru, but knows that is now impossible. Him almost killing a Sennin along with whatever may happen in Suna is sure to be something that will cause chaos. Then there was something Ziren felt. Anticipation, and not the good kind. The kind of waiting for the enemy to strike months on end. His thoughts flashbacked to his time in Leaf during the War with Frost, to the time he fought his parents killer in Water, to waking up from a coma years later thinking everything is out to get him. All of his senses are on high alert, though underneath his mask, his face is calm. It took years of dealing with the kind of stuff Ziren had to deal with to hide the fact that he is running head first into danger of the highest level again.

Ziren wanted a peaceful world. But there was one thing he learned. It's that nothing is free, even peace. People behind the scenes doing questionable acts to keep the peace. He knows that Maru has what's coming for him. But at what cost? The Chigokai sighed and shook his head before following Umashi.

(Topic left)
(MFT)
(WC:373)