In Pursuit of Knowledge [Requesting Entrance]

[Kazu]

The young man was now warm. He'd spent some time in that bar, and the Firewater flowing through him helped tremendously in warming him up. It did sting quite a bit going back outside, but the young man would deal with it. "Gotta buy some warmer clothes when I get into town..." This was seriously ridiculous, as the young man must have looked so out of place with his short and thin clothing. He was completely unsuited to this weather. Well, the sooner he got into the village the sooner he'd get to purchase some warmer clothes. Approaching the gates, which were rather close to the bar he'd been in, the young man sought out someone who had the authority to process his entry. The young man held an old passport, which stated that his name was Ayatsuri Ginjiro. It also stated that he held the position of a Genin of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, and that he'd been on a number of missions—they were all high ranked ones, though. Of course, though, the information on this passport was wildly out of date. First of all, the photo was at least three years old. Time and rough living conditions had aged the young man tremendously. His features were far more rugged, and he was now far taller than what his passport said. To boot, the young man had acquired a prosthetic metal arm since this passport was issued, so it failed to mention anything of the sort. Not to mention that since this passport was issued by Leaf City, the government had collapsed and all of the shinobi were either executed or had fled the city. That place no longer welcomed shinobi, and so those who had once been loyal to it found themselves in the awkward position of having no where to call home. Many had found themselves new homes in neighboring shinobi lands, aiding to the military might of their newly adopted homes. However, there were some—like Ginjiro—who did not join another military force. Ginjiro was, technically, a Mercenary. He was homeless, and now wandered around from land to land. This might not be a good thing in helping the young man to gain entrance to this village.

Presenting himself to the gates, the young man spoke out to hopefully attract the attention of someone. "Hello, I wish to be granted access to your village! If someone could let me in, I'd be very grateful—I'm freezing my butt off out here!" It seemed that the young man would have to wait until someone graced him with their presence. He did need to get on these people's good sides, though, as he did need to still get information from this place. Before that, though, he would need to be let into the village. Getting in peacefully was his first priority right now.

[ooc]
Edited to fix a typo.

 

[Shinrya Kitsune]

Biru and Tedo sauntered out of the guard tower at hearing a voice from outside. ”Salutations esteemed visitor.” Biru said and nodded ”I’m Biru, this is my most bodacious colleague Tedo, and we’ll be checking your passport today.” he finished before Tedo noticed the passport in Ginjiro’s hand. He took the item gently out of Ginjiro’s clutch and opened it up. ”Konoha, huh? This is the first time my eyes have gazed upon an inhabitant of that formerly resplendent location. My greetings to you.” he said before comparing the info in the passport with what he could see in front of him.

”You’re taller than the passport indicates.” he stated, his tone becoming a bit more matter-of-factly ”And there’s no mention of that most outstanding metallic arm either. Bogus.” he added before Biru broke in ”It is most heinous but we have to call one of the most non-egregious bosspeople.” he said before continuing ”It will be up to their most unrivalled judgment to decide if you are to be let into our most non-non-stellar city.”

Surely that entire meeting between the two nutty gate guards and Ginjiro would’ve seemed like absolute madness, but the other gate guards had gotten used to it and at Biru’s sign they sent out a message to the Sennin of the main branch, as well as the ANBU branch, leaving the medical Sennin alone due to him probably being overworked already.

[Summoning either Hikari, or Ayumu]

 

[Kazu]

It didn't take long for his presence to be known. Two shinobi, who called themselves Tedo and Biru, had appeared to process the young man's passport. The first thing that Ginjiro noticed about the duo was their funny way of talking. It was rather unique, and he couldn't say that he'd heard anyone else speaking like that before. It was rather resplendent, to say the least. As they went over his information, they did pick up on the many problems that Ginjiro knew he would hit. His age, his height, his physical features, and of course the fact that his village in question no longer existed as a shinobi village. What a pickle. "Yes, you're right. A lot of this information is a tad outdated. However, I assure you, there's good reason for it." Ginjiro was being calm and collected, and not more like his usual jovial self. If he wanted to gain admission, he'd have to be very well behaved. It sounded like his outdated passport might cause problems, so he'd have to do his best at explaining the situation and his reason for being here. He was at their mercy now. "You've surely heard of the civil unrest that has plagued Leaf City, yes? The events were quite a while ago, and I'd have thought the tales of what transpired would have reached even this far. I'm a shinobi from Leaf City, but they've since cut off ties with the shinobi world. We Konoha shinobi no longer belong to any village, even though we'd like to." Ginjiro had to be innocent. He was, after all. However, anyone who has reason to believe otherwise would not give him the benefit of the doubt. He would be cast as a deserter, and as a nuisance. He couldn't allow that to happen. "My passport is old because it was issued before the collapse of the government. Since then, I've obviously grown and life has it's way of taking and giving." He was referring, of course, to his metallic arm. "I don't mind answering any questions you may have, nor do I mind telling my story to your—how did you say it? Non-egregious bosspeople?" Ginjiro would have to be patient with these two. They seemed like nice people. They also seemed like they knew what they were doing. At least they weren't burnouts, or something. Ginjiro was fully prepared to do whatever it took for the people of this village to allow him entry. He would stand out here all night, if he had to.

[ooc]
Just thought I should get a post like this in before either Hikari or Ayumu show up.

 

[Yukari]

Hikari heard the call and paused, "Tanaka Hikari here. I am sending my Veteran Sennin, Nara Ryuujin. Please treat him with the utmost respect and treat his word as my own on the subject." She said before hanging up and calling the Nara.

"Ryuujin san. I have a job for you. In my stead, please go to the gates and respond to the request for a Sennin. I have the utmost confidence in your abilities. Please remember to take new gate policy into account when dealing with the situation. Thank you." Hikari paused a moment then said, "If you need backup feel free to request." She then hung up and continued what she was doing.

[Topic entered and left. Ryuujin has all the authority of a Sennin. I am sending him in my stead. Please treat him as you would treat me.]

 

[Matsuno Hama]

Cha-tck. Cha-tck. Cha-tck. Cha-tck.

The steady, rhythmic staccato beat of the hard-leather soles of his wing-tip shoes were heard before he was seen. The Veteran Sennin had his left hand in a pocket of his charcoal colored, three piece suit's coatpocket. His other hand held up as he idly rolled a small pocket watch, lacking the connecting chain, between the knuckles of his fingers. The fedora he wore was of a matching color and design of his suit, with the pink band matching the color of his shirt beneath. Beneath the rim of said fedora, the colorful, swirling glow of his starburst eyes were visible amidst the shadows covering his face, one eye partly obscured by his bangs where they fell beneath the hat.

Preceding him, however, alongside the sound of his arrival, was a change in the air. As if the very flavor of the atmosphere shifted, suddenly becoming.. wrong. A distinctly unidentifiable offness often felt via the tickling of hairs raising along the back of a persons neck, or a sudden twist in the stomach as if it were gripped by a cold, oily hand. All the while, running alongside that unnatural presence was one of a soothing, almost sickly sweet flavor. A pleasant warmth against the skin, for some, and a sudden dominating calm effecting others. But, for each, however they felt it, there was always the two sides of the coin running counter to the other, confusing signals running rampant throughout the senses.

Then, he arrived.

Close enough to the two to be heard, a slight half-grin touched his features revealing the feralish teeth beneath, and he returned the pocket watch back to where it belonged before pushing up with his now-free index finger the rim of his hat, brushing away the bangs to look from one, to the next, to the other. This close, most would feel the full, unmitigated effects of the aura he exuded, though the strength of that aura still did vary among his peers, mostly based on their strength in comparison to his.

He would never admit it, but there were some who were unaffected.

"What seems to be the issue?" He asked, his gaze lingering on Ginjiro for just a moment before he looked to the two Gate Guardians, addressing them with a tone in and of itself formal, with the underlying unspoken threat of the fact that he really did not want this to be a waste of time.

 

[Shinrya Kitsune]

”Greetings most esteemed boss-person.” Biru said, taking the word before Tedo said something stupid, as he normally would.
”This non-egregious gentleman here wishes to enter the village, however his passport is from the most non-bodacious Konoha, and as such is entirely non-excellent, and invalid.” he continued and had Tedo hand the passport to Ryuujin so he could look it over, and render his verdict on the whole situation, because frankly, neither Biru nor Tedo had the slightest clue about how to handle this exactly.
”So we did our most non-heinous duty and sent word to the most excellent Sennin, as instructed in the manual, and here we are.” he finished.
”If we aren’t needed, we’ll head back to the most tranquil guard tower.” Tedo then decided, with the result of Biru sending him a look that just screamed “Shut up Tedo.” ”Just remember, be excellent to each other. And party on dudes.” Tedo continued, with Biru ending up facepalming and saying ”Shut up Tedo.”

 

[Kazu]

A new arrival had appeared. Ginjiro had heard the two gate guards saying that they had needed to call in a superior officer, but the young man was a tad surprised at how fast the man arrived. It had almost been instantaneous. Were they having a lock down or something? As the new guy approached, Ginjiro could feel a powerfully dark aura around him. Well, actually, dark wasn't quite accurate. It was more like it felt oppressive. Ginjiro, being protected by the blessings of the Kami spirits, was able to avoid the majority of the force of this man's aura. If he paid attention, he might even feel Ginjiro's resistance to his powerful aura. Turning his attention away from such mental mind games, the young man listened as these two gate guards handed his passport over to the 'bossperson', as they called him. They explained the situation, and from there they seemed to want nothing more to do with this. One of them seemed like the brains of the operation, and the other seemed like a bit of a burnout. Exactly as Ginjiro feared. Whatever, this new person was in charge—Ginjiro could start to deal with this guy instead. "What they say is true, my information is a tad out of date. I can't really be blamed for it, though—my village was destroyed. Surely you've heard of the events?"

As the young man spoke, a realization came over him. As he looked into the Sennin's eyes, the Ayatsuri could tell that this man didn't want to wait around. He didn't care. He wanted to know why Ginjiro was here. It seemed, if he was to have any sort of chance at making it in, he would have to be perfectly honest with this man. Gathering himself, the young man would begin. "Look, the reason I came here was because I'd heard that Kumogakure was a beacon of knowledge. I'd heard they weren't afraid to share knowledge with people, even when others were afraid to do so. A man, who was a Human Puppet, did this to me." Ginjiro motioned to his metallic right arm to emphasize his words a bit more. "I need to know more about this forbidden jutsu, so that I can kill him and get my revenge. This is very important to me." Looking this leader straight in the eyes, Ginjiro tried to convey just how desperate for this information he was. He needed it. He would stop at nothing to get the information he sought. He was prepared to do anything. "I need the help of your village. I need your information. Please, allow me entrance into your village. I only wish to speak to a doctor who would know of this knowledge." What would they do? "What can I do to convince you to let me in?"

 

[Matsuno Hama]

That gaze narrowed slightly as he listened to the two before him, and it was with just the tiniest twitch of an eyelid that he made his decision. The muscles of his jaw tensed a moment as if he was clenching his teeth together, half smirk gone. The aura, as if in reaction to his only slightly subtle shift in mood, seemed to become colder, less focused on toying with the senses and more a representation of his mindset. Unless of course, it was a symbol of his mindset before, in which case..

Oh, nevermind.

"You hold this kid up. You call on a Sennin. You waste my time. Over an outdated passport?" The steady, annoyed rising of his tone accompanied another small, barely noticeable twitch at the corner of his glowing eyes, which seemed to swirl a tad bit more intensely. "An outdated passport from a village that might as well be destroyed, in its current relevance to the rest of the world?" He drew a slow, steady breath accompanied by the nasal sound of mucus being accumulated before spitting to the right, as if to release some... impurity from his mouth before speaking again. This time, however, the steady rise was gone. His voice, cold and flat, utterly emotionless as he spoke, sounded calm. Almost too calm, as if he'd taken an unnatural bridle to the seething annoyance that had built moments before.

"You two have lost the privilege provided by this village to have the honor of caring for the safety of our gates. If you don't have the common sense to handle a matter like this with your own judgement, and further feel the need to jump up the chain of command to the near-highest level of authority just so they can tell you what you should already know, then you are a danger to these gates, rather than an asset." Again, an intake of breath, and out with the spite. "You're lucky I'm not knocking you back down to the academy for something this wasteful. Get out of here."

Taking his hand from his pocket, he cracked his knuckles and closed his eyes for a moment, before returning his gaze to Ginjiro.

"Alright, kid. Sorry about those two.. uhh..." He raised a hand, and waved it in the general.. well, existence of the two nin. "Here's the deal. I'm going to let you in, but you're my responsibility, and under my authority. If at any point I ask or tell you to get out, you get out. Where you go, I follow. Where I go, you follow. Where you need to go, I lead. If at any time I decide to pass you on to someone else who may or may not have actually served you better, we'll say our goodbyes and move on. Sound good?"

 

[Morishige]

Voided.

 

[Enatsu]

Coming back from the Primordial Realm, in and out of Olympus, and let's not forget his customized Bolter Armada he was what one would say different. His hair had been turned black and the markings that had been crawling up to his face, had seemed as though they were completely uninterested in his chakra now. Considering the past events there were things he had to do now. For one there was recruitment, Yuuto would have to start weeding out those unloyal to the idea of Kumogakure. He'd have to find those willing to fight for a more independent country, among other things.

Some of the people on the list regarded, Two Anbu in particular that he had met by chance. One of which being someone he's worked along side a few times. There was the fact of the Spymaster who had to attempt to sway to his side. Potentially her lover and escort as well. Let's not forget his soon to be adopted son, Yukimura who had been somewhat displaced as of late. There were many building blocks to constructing a full blown revolution especially one of this magnitude.

Since he had already been around the Anbu stomping grounds, and found no sight of his two candidates he'd have to settle for something else. The Gates would give him a chance to spot out one of three things at all times. One he could keep an eye on who was coming here and who was not. Two he could scout out potential and disgruntled guards to further his cause. Third , there was always a bit of trouble to found at the Gates. Interestingly enough he had always found his way into it. This particular moment a special one.

Donning in his Anbu Mask and syncing up with Novak Yuu, used the "Shadow Garb" Jutsu to veil himself in darkness. It would seem that jutsu that didn't require direction such as attacks or binds could still be casted without stress on his chakra system, well without "much". Considering he was at the top of the gates alone, he was sure no one saw him, and after that technique they likely wouldn't be able to see him at all. He'd meekly sink back into the shadows, and traverse down to the group who seemed to be surrounding a traveler. "Two is company, three is a crowd. What does four mean?" Not wanting to add a 5th potential body to the situation he opted to stay hidden in the shadows. His cloak would hold up well enough to prevent himself from being seen. However the closer he got to them the more he began to feel a chill down his spine. It was like this whenever Ryuuhin came around, and yet it was familiar in some senses.

He heard on the man Ryuujin's words. He was allowing this one with the metal arm to enter. He was going to keep him under strict watch but considering the developments in Kumogakure. He would watch and wait for more information before forming a greater opinion. preemptively intervening wouldn't accomplish much. At the very least he could get more information on the traveler before leaving. The Gate records needed to be kept up to date if he was to take them over.

[Trying to be hidden. Feel free to note my presence if you feel the need. If not carry on]
[Also Shadow Garb is inherently "Evil" so feel free to play off that]

 

[Kazu]

What the heck? The aura this guy exhumed, it was getting much darker and colder. Ginjiro could feel it pressing down on him, threatening to overwhelm and destroy him. The protection of his Kami Contract was waning a little, and the Ayatsuri had to actually focus on it to increase the strength. Gritting his teeth, Ginjiro was straining a little to keep this aura at bay. What the heck was this guy? He was really chewing those two out, though. Ginjiro almost felt sorry for the two of them, to be honest. They were just trying to do their jobs. However, it was not his place to say such things in a foreign land. Especially considering how incredibly volatile this situation was. Ginjiro couldn't afford to blow it by speaking out of line right now—he needed the guy to approve. And so, the Ayatsuri would simply stand there and wait. Wait until he turned to Ginjiro, and spoke the kinds of words that Ginjiro was grateful to hear. It wasn't exactly free reign access, but he was still getting in. Ginjiro counted that one as a win. Keeping his voice level, Ginjiro would respond to the man's offer politely and without hesitation. "That is fine with me. I have nothing to hide, so a pair of watchful eyes won't be an issue." With that in mind, Ginjiro took this as his cue to step forward towards the man in the suit. The only direction the two could possible go from here was inside the village, correct? If so, then that's the direction the young man would be headed into. "I've been told that the man I need to speak to his the Raikage. If possible, I would greatly appreciate an audience with him. If he is not available, then perhaps someone could speak on his behalf?" He would leave the guidance and the setting up of things to the man in the suit. He was running the show here, and Ginjiro wasn't about to take that role away from him. He was perfectly fine having this man lead the two of them.

Speaking of watchful eyes, as Ginjiro moved to enter the village, a sight caught his eye in the corner of his vision. He couldn't see anybody, but this feeling was familiar. Ginjiro had seen this jutsu before, used by his sensei—it was a Shadow Ninjutsu of the highest caliber. Aside from that, the holder of the Kami Contract could sense the jutsu's evil nature. He was sure the user of the jutsu could feel Ginjiro's holy nature, too. How interesting. The Ayatsuri had to hand it to this village, they really knew how to make a traveler feel welcomed. Since he couldn't quite pinpoint the hidden man exactly, he gave a smile and a lazy salute in the general direction of where he'd seen the movement. No doubt, the man would know that Ginjiro knew he was there. Turning back to the suited man, Ginjiro would chuckle as he spoke. "Is security always this tight, or did I just happen to catch you all at the wrong time?" He didn't mean anything by it, and hopefully his tone conveyed that. Either way, the Ayatsuri's goal was, at this point, an audience with the Raikage. He'd gotten lucky so far, perhaps he'd get lucky again?

[ooc]
Village Entered with Ryuujin? Let me know if that's not the case just yet.

 

[Matsuno Hama]

A presence arrived, from within the village, and apparently saw fit to stay hidden and monitor the situation. Coming to that conclusion, he didn't bother to pinpoint where exactly that figure was past that realization. That would take effort, and as long as his own personal space, a sphere of awareness he actually paid attention to, was breached.. well. He wasn't going to think twice about the arrival. His attention was on Ginjiro's words, and he gave a slight nod.

"I can get you an audience with either the Raikage, or barring that, someone in position to possibly know of what you're talking about. I warn you, however, that with recent activities involving some mercenaries, and idiotic situations, he may be on edge meeting yet another of the unaffiliated. If you want to stay on the positive side of things, I suggest trying to impress him." Pausing a moment, he withdrew the pockte watch from the pocket he had placed it in and began to roll it once again between the knuckles of his fingers. "You've seen how I handle incompetence," This part issued in a slightly quieter tone, just barely akin to the one he used with the two gate guardians, "Do me a favor and don't make me regret this decision." He sniffed, then turned to guide the boy into the village, only to pause once more at his last comment.

"Well, you know," He began, and raised his voice just enough that the person lingering in secret would know the words were meant for the both of them, a fact which would most likely be obvious to Ginjiro as well regarding the fact that they held no heat, "they could just be curious as to how I handle things. However, that's a curiosity better answered in a face to face conversation." He resumed his walk, regardless of what the two gate guardians might do or say, and he'd already said what he felt regarding whoever the shadowing presence was.

[Leaving topic, guiding Ginjiro]

 

[Enatsu]

It would seem that both people tried to be smart asses on their way out the visitor more so. It was usually a push for power or to show off your skill when you did things like that. Yuuto himself used to be a victim of such unnecessary shows of power but it wouldn't phase him. It was more entertaining than anything. He wondered in actual combat would it be that easy for them? Likely not, while he may have slightly diminished the tactics of a veteran stalker were still quite real. Especially considering the fact that the "salute" was still of by a few meters.

"Collection of data incomplete. I'll have to follow them and keep tabs on the visitor. He's seeking something but what I'm not entirely sure. I suppose through careful analysis I'll find out. It's going to be a long day." He'd command the floating conduits to ease themselves back into his holster. It would seem that he had to make it to tail them heading wherever they went. There would be no room to worry about cloaking himself over and over again, so he'd drop the shadow jutsu and begin to head out.

The tower wasn't too far from here and if he was careful he'd make it in shortly after they did. It would be a good time if Shin answered this visitor with confusion or honesty. He was more so curious to see if the "Veteran" Sennin would be subjected to a scolding, for breaking the upcoming Gate Lock. Either way it would be an interesting meeting.

[Topic Left]