Just Visiting!

[Morishige]

An old man and his wife approached the gates with a cheery look on their face, accompanied by what appeared to be their grandchild. She was sitting on the back of the cart, swinging he legs beneath her as they finally stopped and waited for one of the gate guards to approach them.​

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Shuusei Touma (iNPC)
ANBU Captain​

Touma was standing in one of the tall perches used by the gate guards to keep an eye out for approaching threats or visitors. He leaned against the railing while holding a pair of binoculars up to his eyes, or rather the eye holes of his mask, to look into the distance and keep watch. In doing so, he was quick to spot a small group of travelers approaching. An old man and woman were coming with a child sitting on a cart. Touma dropped the binoculars from his eyes and watched as the trio approached slowly but surely until they stopped in front of the gates to await a guard. Setting the binoculars aside, Touma swung his legs over the rail and dropped to the ground outside of the gates to speak to the visitors.

"Greetings. Passports, please," Touma said, waiting for the couple to produce documentation- if they had it. They didn't appear to be shinobi so it was likely they didn't. If they had been to the gates before, a masked man was nothing out of the ordinary to see. Otherwise, a tall man in a mask might be slightly intimidating. It wasn't on purpose, though, it was simply a requirement of the profession. Now that ANBU had taken a more active role in gate duty, there would be a lot more masks meeting visitors to Kumogakure. At least he sounded friendly enough.

OoC: Skype me when you post in here in case I forget.

 

[Morishige]

The old people bowed several times and bade the fellow hello, producing three very official looking passports from a place known as Tengoku no Tobira. "Hello hello! Thank you for helping us! Perhaps you could help us with something else? We used to live in the village until we moved south, but we've come to pay our respects to the Raikage. Would you happen to know where his tomb is?" they asked with a remorseful tone in their voice.

Meanwhile, the child on the back whose passport was handed to the man, was admiring the area around her. It had been a long time since she had been home. Especially after he had took the life of her parents. ​

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Shuusei Touma (iNPC)
ANBU Captain​

Touma breathed a silent sigh of relief as passport were produced by the elderly. It was always much easier to process visitors when they had proper documentation. Taking the three passports he started to open the first when a question was posed to him. Touma paused and looked up to respond, not wanting to be distracted while checking the information. "I would. I can direct you to the memorial when we're finished here," Touma said before glancing down and opening up the first of the passports to take a look. "Just to verify, what are your names, and what brings you to Kumogakure?" Touma asked as he began scanning the first of the passports. It seemed they were from a place called Tengoku no Tobira. Touma had been guarding the gates of the village for a long time, but this was the first he had heard of such a place. It was a peculiar name, and he was certain he would remember if he had.

"Tengoku no Tobira- where is that? I've not heard of it before. Is it a small village?" Touma asked inquisitively. He glanced down once more to look at the passports, deftly opening two of them in one hand and the last in his other hand so he could verify the names and pictures matched.

 

[Morishige]

The pair of elderly people bowed in respect and agreement to the nice man's suggestion. He then asked of their names and for official verification asked of there specific purpose.

"Nakayama Tomiji."

"Nakayama Miki."

"And we are here to pay respects to the late Raikage Hayata Shin. Oh yes," they paused. Turning, the women motioned for Hana to join them. She obliged with a disgruntled sigh.

"This is Hana, our granddaughter. She doesn't talk much... but she's just going through a phase." concluded the women with a cheeky smile, speaking in a hushed secret tone so Hana wouldn't hear.

Soon after the guard inquired about Tengoku to which the old man took an eager opportunity to speak about his new home. "Oh it's that new city up on that floating island in the sky! Saw an advertisement for it a few months ago and Miki and I decided it would be quite the place to settle down for retirement. Best choice we ever made."

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Shuusei Touma (iNPC)
ANBU Captain​

Touma nodded as the pair stated their names and their reason for visiting. He glanced at the girl who had been silent the whole time and the woman beckoned her over to her great displeasure. She introduced the young girl who, as the woman mentioned, didn't say much. Touma glanced between the pictures in each of the passports and their respective subjects and then verified the names matched. He then began the work of quickly going over the passports and verifying that they appeared genuine to the best of his ability. As far as he could tell, nothing was out of the ordinary or raised suspicion. The only thing that stuck out was the city they claimed they were from. Given that they seemed enthusiastic to talk about their home, it didn't hurt to ask a few more questions.

"Tell me more about this floating island city.... how did an island come to be floating?" Touma asked skeptically, "Who runs this city?" Although he couldn't find anything in their passport that raised any red flags, the prospect of a floating city sounded like a lie if he had ever heard one. After all, islands didn't just float. Even shinobi couldn't fly, so how could an entire island do so? Any rational man would question the validity of such a claim.

 

[Morishige]

The couple looked to each other with vague confusion on their faces. It was a tough question that they really didn't have an answer for. "Not sure what to tell ya sir. We don't know much more than you about how it actually stays up there." the man said, pointing up towards the sky. "Alls I know, is that it's some machine that keeps us up there. Oh, and the guilds run it! The city has no ruler, not like the Raikage at least. Look! There is one of the ads over on the bulletin over there. That should answer some questions." said the man, indicating a notice on the board nearby.

Spoiler

Are you looking for a change? Have you been wishing for a reset button in your life? Things just not going your way and you want to start over?

Look no further my friend! There is an opportunity for you outside of this dull village just waiting to be seized.

I'm here to tell you of a prospect that is unlike anything else in our world...</B><B>

Tengoku no Tobira

What is Tengoku no Tobira? Your new home! We are a growing society of unique individuals who all came to the city for our one reason or another. Now we are one big happy family, and we'd like for you to join us. We are thriving in the crisp cool air high up in the Kaminari Troposphere, and we have more room to grow and expand! It would be our sincerest pleasure to invite all who are looking for a new future to come visit us in the southern province of Kaminari no Kuni.​

[col3]

Land! Acres upon acres, kilometers upon kilometers! Land is in abundance in the countryside surrounding Tengoku no Tobira, and across Kami no Yama itself. It's cheap, plentiful, and fertile; ready for hardworking farmers and ranchers to turn into a juicy profit should they wish to use it that way. Ranchers and Farmers are given a large discount on large land purchases, making it easier for them to move right in without incurring large debts. But fear not citizen! You have just as much right as any other to own land. If you have the money, purchase as much as you want! A new home is just a hop, skip, and a jump away. We have foremen ready for you if you aren't familiar with the complicated work of building your own home.​

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Security! Given our geographical location, we provide the most privacy and security anyone could hope for. We encourage refugees and fugitives seeking asylum to come and join us as well. As a model for the future of humans on this earth, we forgive all past sins and deeds and protect our citizens from the grip of their feudal lords. If you are fed up with the way you are being treated as a citizen, then there is no better place to make a life for yourself. We owe no loyalty to some Shogun hundreds of miles away. Tengoku is for the people, by the people. We promise to be a place where you can get a fresh start, and you will have what we promise. Our private security forces will ensure that you remain safe.​

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Innovation! Tengoku no Tobira is a place where science and progress is encouraged and revered. Laws in the city are very lenient when it comes to research and testing of hypothesis. Where the governments of the feudal lords might stifle the growth of the human mind to keep you ignorant and dumb, the Science Guild fights for you! They are innovators such as yourself, and they push to keep laws from restricting the advancement of technology and the scientific discipline. Medical improvements, new machinery, and communication advances are all examples of projects being explored at this very moment! Humanity won't remain in the feudal ages forever, and the scientists of Tengoku no Tobira will usher in a new era.​

[/col3]

Who run's the city without a Lord?

Tengoku is run by the people, for the people. The city is run by guilds and the laws that the guilds set forth. Each Guild has a leader, and all the leaders come together to form the Committee. The Committee dictates the laws and regulations of Tengoku, and then the Titan corporations private military enforces those laws impartially. It is a very fluid system where individuals aren't meant to hold power for very long. It's intended to make it so every citizen has the opportunity to be able to take part and have an influence. Joining a guild is as simple as signing up, and there is no limit to how many guilds one can be apart of.

Won't the lack of government intervention promote unfair markets?

The free market thrives! With guilds keeping watch over the business and sectors under their umbrella, monopolies and corruption are non-existant. Tongoku no Tobira is the perfect city if you are looking to start a new business or venture. New citizens arrive everyday with money to spend and invest! Low barriers to entry paired with a growing market and economy make it the ideal setup for future riches.

This sounds too good to be true, where can I get proof this isn't propaganda?

Just come to the southern province of Lightning Country and see for yourself! The ride up to the city is fairly cheap. All people are welcome to come visit! We are sure after spending a few days with us you'll be convinced moving in is the right decision.​

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Shuusei Touma (iNPC)
ANBU Captain​

It came as no shock to Touma that the elderly couple weren't aware of the specifics of how the supposed floating island came into existence. They did, however, reveal that it was apparently through machinery and not through Ninjutsu, at least to their knowledge. The city also was not ruled by a single leader but by guilds, which was interesting. The elder man pointed Touma in the direction of an ad on the nearby bulletin board. The board rarely caught Touma's attention as the majority of the ads were for restaurants for visitors to visit in the city and occasionally secret miracle cures or male enhancment pills purportedly concocted by the Medical Sennin. Nothing had drawn Touma's attention to the poster inconspicuously placed on the board until now. Walking over to it, Touma pulled the poster down and began scanning it, taking in the information. The advert began by calling Kumogakure a dull village and entreating people to leave it and come to Tengoku no Tobira. It was a new 'society' that was on a floating island, as the couple had claimed.

The society welcomed fugitives and refugees alike to join them, regardless of their former crimes, and be protected from the laws of the government that they supposedly held no allegiance to. The entire thing read like propaganda against the Shogun and the government as well as Kumogakure. Reading further, Touma spotted a familiar company name- Titan. That alone was worth all of the suspicion the rest of the advert garnered. The Sennin needed to hear about this if he wasn't already aware. Finishing reading, Touma rolled up the poster and walked back to the couple who remained waiting with their granddaughter. From appearances they did not seem suspicious. Though Touma couldn't be sure, he didn't have much reason to turn them away. The passports were very questionable in their validity given that they were issued by a group of guilds that didn't recognize the Shogun's authority, but foreign nations weren't bound to allegiance with the Shogun either. He couldn't be entirely incautious, however.

"I'm going to permit you to enter," Touma informed them while signaling for the guards to allow the group through the gates. "Come," he instructed them, leading them through the gates to the interior of the village. He paused and held up his hand for them to stop once they were inside. "Wait here for a moment," he said, walking over to a nearby ANBU and pulling him aside out of earshot of the visitors. "See these people to Hayata Shin's monument. Once they've arrived, I want you to make it appear that you've left them to their own devices... but follow them. Keep an eye on them until I or the Sennin say otherwise," Touma said before turning back to the couple and the girl and approaching them once more with the ANBU at his side. "This man is going to help you get to the monument. Enjoy your stay," he said to the man and woman. He gave them a nod of his head and then walked away, this time returning to the top of the gate.

Reaching up to the switch of the mic clipped to his collar, he cut it on and tuned it to a frequency that would reach the ANBU Sennin's office. "This is Kira. I need an audience with the ANBU Sennin as soon as possible," he spoke over the airways before turning his mic back off. As he awaited a response, he looked down at the rolled up poster he still held. Was this place a threat to the government? To Kumogakure? It wasn't his place to decide, but it seemed worth investigating to him. He needed at least to let the Sennin know and make his own decision.

[Topic Left - Entrance Granted]
[OoC: Requesting a topic with you as the Sennin, when you've got a slot available! I'll leave it up to you what becomes of the ANBU's attempt to follow the group seeing as the branch is under your control too.]

 

[Morishige]

The couple bowed to the Anbu with smiles, the old lady swatting Hana's head so she would bow as well. "Thank you very much sir." The man said as they were lead inside. They didn't seem effected at all by him stepping off to speak with the other guard. However, Hana kept a weary eye on him. She had only ever been through the gates once, but she didn't remember this part of it.

But in the end, they would get their request granted and be taken on their way to visit the memorial. The question is, just what would the ANBU tailing them discover? If anything at all. Again, they thanked Touma before following the man assigned to them.