Searching for Someone [Requesting Entrance]

[Kazu]

Oh fuck. He'd really done it now, hadn't he? Where the hell had that little kid gotten to? "Juzaburo! Kid, where are you!?" You walk ahead just a little bit, in an attempt to avoid having to answer tricky questions, and suddenly you lose someone who should have been more than capable to keeping up. This is why Ginjiro usually kept to himself. "Yeah, I know Riza, I'm searching as fast as I can. I can't find him by myself, you know? This place is freaking-" Ginjiro had been walking forward without looking too much, and almost walked off the side of a cliff face. Stunned and surprised, the young man quickly applied the necessary chakra through his feet in order to keep himself rooted in place. Taking a second to collect his thoughts, the young man allowed the last few words of his sentence to roll out of his mouth. "...it's freaking huge and dangerous..." Stressed out beyond belief, the young man sat himself down on the craggy ground a little bit away from the cliff edge. Oh man, this wasn't going to work. Ginjiro didn't know this place nearly well enough, and if he kept stumbling around like an idiot—like he'd just been doing—he was going to get himself killed. He needed some help here. But where the heck were all the people? A puzzled look crossed over his face, as he seemed to be looking at something. Squinting, Ginjiro moved his face a little closer to try and get a better look at something. "Riza...is that a giant statue over there?" Holy shit, was that the village? Those giant gates, surrounded on either side of them with a giant bronze statue of a warrior, were home to Iwagakure. Surely they knew these lands better than he did? Smiling, the young man began to get up on his feet and brush the dirt and dust off of his pants. "Riza, I think I have an idea..."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -​

It had taken the young man a while to reach these gates, but their powerful presence seemed to be worth the trouble. They truly were awe inspiring. As his tattered clothes, dirty from travelling and use, flapped in the wind, the fires that lit the area would catch a glimpse of metal where his right arm should have been. He had a mechanical limb, for sure. Holding up both hands to his face, the young man took in a quick gulp of fresh air before crying out at the top of his lungs. "HEY, IS ANYONE HERE?!" The young man waited for a few moments. He needed to give the people time to hear his call, and to answer back. Ginjiro knew how difficult guarding a village could be. After giving them several moments, the young man prepared his lungs to call again. "I NEED ASSISTANCE! A LITTLE BOY IS LOST!" That should get their attention. Ginjiro had no idea what these people were like, but he was pretty sure that they would at least have some form of empathy for a lost child. Ginjiro needed help, and these people were the help he needed. He waited, seeing if anyone from this village would answer his call.

 

[Kamaru]

Kamaru yawned, why was he doing this again? Ah yes, to fully understand the depth of all the jobs of the Main Branch he had to experience them all firsthand… that and the guy on shift for today had a wife in labor and no one was available. This was one of the reasons Kamaru didn’t have kids, no wife. It was a duty he never did in Leaf City but there was always a chance to learn in the world and so Kamaru drank in the experience as he sipped coffee… sometimes duties were boring. As he shuffled towards the gate’s to the sounds of someone yelling, Kamaru blinking at the sight trying to piece together the face… and how does one get lost at a gate, there was in and out.

”Sooo… You’re lost?” Kamaru asked as he got closer storing the empty coffee cup as he came up on the young man an odd look on his face, ”You look familiar…” he mused squinting slightly.

 

[Kazu]

It didn't take too long before someone was there to help him. The guy that had come to help looked rather bored, or perhaps exhausted, as he was sporting an empty coffee cup when he went to speak to the young man. Tossing the cup, the man seemed like a real joker—so funny, in fact, that Ginjiro forgot to laugh at how funny it was. Returning the comment with a rather blank stare, the travelling rogue rolled his eyes just a slight bit before commenting. "Very funny. No, it's not me—there's a kid named Juzaburo lost somewhere between here and Akazora Town. The two of us stopped to get some tea there on our way here, and we got separated on the road somewhere." Ginjiro didn't see any reason why he should lie to this man. He really did need to find the kid, and these guys were the only ones who would be able to properly help him. He didn't know the lands well enough to search for the kid effectively. Lying to these people certainly wasn't his goal, nor would it help him with his goal. "I've tried searching around for him already, but I don't know these lands well enough. The two of us aren't exactly from around here..." And here's where he'd have to start explaining his situation. It was going to be long winded, but it all had to be said. Ginjiro was hoping the man didn't find all of this too boring. Whatever. "You see, the two of us are from the ruined Leaf City. As such, I really just don't know these lands well enough to find him. I came here, hoping your people would be able to help us to find him..." It was all up to them, now. Ginjiro could merely wait to see what he'd do, and how they might react.

As for his last comment, about how Ginjiro looked familiar, the young man became curious. How could he have seen him before? This was his first time to the Land of Stone. "Were you from Leaf? Maybe you've seen me there..." As they conversed, though, Ginjiro shifted his weight to the other foot. There was still the matter of why he was actually here. "There was actually one other thing, though..." This one was tough. He'd really actually came here just on a guess—an educated guess, though. He was hoping he hadn't wasted his time with this one, but he didn't really have many other options. He would just have to go for it. "I'm actually here looking for somebody. He used to be a resident of Leaf City, but I suspect he might have come here as a refugee? His name is Senju Kazuki. I was hoping you, or maybe someone in the village, might know him?" Ginjiro was hoping. He really needed to talk to that man, and he was hoping he could talk with him soon. This was a pretty serious matter for the young man.

 

[Kamaru]

”Well you can see my concern considering what I had to see…A young boy lost between here and Akazura Town is a lot of area to cover on your own for a search, unless he was on the road with you and just stopped for whatever reason.” Kamaru voiced aloud while he thought.

The thought of a slave trading operation came to mind, with an escapee being loose and about to tell someone. Regardless Kamaru figured having kids run around and getting lost wasn’t the best of things. He did seem generally concerned the boy named Juzaburo could be injured, maimed, or in a ditch somewhere dying. The name did sound familiar though. After he mentioned they were from Leaf he blinked a few times and nodded. As the mental wheels turned he got confirmation who the two boys were. One he had lost during the evacuation somehow, the other seemed to like to kick his shoes at Kazuki when he wasn’t using rather uncalled for low blows. It would explain why the boy didn’t recognize Kamaru since he had never seen his face before.

”I’ll see if I can locate this Senju Kazuki for you but as you say since he is a refugee from Leaf finding him might take a bit since he may not have a permanent residence yet. Anything in particular you’d like me to tell him you’re here to discuss with him?” Kamaru stated. Once he found out he’d flick on his headset to an open the channel and briefly talking into it.

[Reporting current situation and Calling Senju Kazuki via head set if he doesn’t answer using head set to state the situation and to get a runner to find him.]

”Also we can see about getting a search party together to assist you in finding the lost boy Juzaburo while we wait. General description and all that for people assisting will be beneficial if you have some time to tell me.” Kamaru explained digging out a small notepad and pen. ”I’m assuming you two didn’t cause or get into any trouble that might cause someone to want to capture or injure the boy? If so I think it’d be nice to know in advance for the people searching for him personally. I’m sorry I didn’t catch your name also.” Kamaru stated casually. For the most part he showed concern for the boys plight but in truth he was curious about things he couldn’t piece together from what was stated. In his aloof demeanor Kamaru started fishing to fill in the blanks.

 

[Kazu]

"That's exactly why I came here for help." Things were moving along at this point. Ginjiro had managed to get the questions rolling, and the wheels of action were being set into place. Things would start happening soon. As Ginjiro watched the man put the pieces of the puzzle together, Ginjiro figured that there was a good possibility he was from the ruined Leaf City. He didn't explicitly answer his question on that one, but the way he seemed to consider it was enough for the young man. He'd never seen this man before—at least he didn't think he had—so knowing for certain who this guy was wasn't within the Ayatsuri's abilities. What was more important to the young man, though, was that this gate guard seemed able to call for Kazuki, if not get someone else to contact him. Perhaps there was hope yet. It was certainly better than being told there was nobody like that here. When the man asked what kind of message should be sent to the person in question, though, Ginjiro had to stop to consider this for a moment. His business was a little private, so he didn't want to just tell anyone who asked what he was here for. Was there a way of letting Kazuki know what the subject matter was without being too revealing? The young man supposed he could give it a shot. "Hrm. Tell him that a member of the Old Clans is here to speak with him, and that he has a favor to ask." That should be enough, right? Kazuki and Ginjiro were both in the odd position of belonging to clans that had a great history with the Leaf City of old. The Senju and the Ayatsuri, along with the Hasegawa, were the three founding clans of the collapsed industrial giant. They were old clans, extending well beyond the scope of the city which they had helped to build. The two individuals carried legacies on their backs. In that regard, they were similar. Ginjiro was hoping that, by coming to Kazuki and asking for aid, he would be able to speak with him not as an individual seeking a favor from another individual, but as a clan member wishing for the help of another clan. There was something poetic about that, somehow...

Shaking himself out of his little daydream, the young man focused again on what this gate guard was saying. A description of the missing kid? "Of course. He's a little kid, about this high," Ginjiro motioned with his hands to demonstrate the height, "and he's got this spiky black hair. He answers to Juzaburo, and I'd last seen him with me a little bit off the trail from Akazora Town. Or was it more halfway in? Something like that. Anyways, he's not sporting much in the way of equipment, but he's been able to survive after the fall of Leaf City for a while, so imagine his survivalist skills are at least half-way decent. Other than that, his clothes should be a little worn out. They would consist of just a normal black shirt and some pants. That's all I can think of, honestly..." When the man asked if they'd done anything to piss anyone off, Ginjiro got a little bit of a chuckle out of it. "Nope. No trouble from us." As the man began to write everything down, he might be able to feel a presence near him. There was no one there, obviously, but still. It was probably weird, but there didn't seem to be a good explanation for it. Ginjiro didn't seem to notice anything, and merely continued on with what he was saying. As he did, his eyes seemed to dart down at the page here and there. "My name? Call me Ginjiro." There was nothing left. It was time to wait, and to see what panned out from all this. Ginjiro was hoping for a smooth operation, but he was always prepared for the worst. If Kazuki came right now, though, things could get hairy if he saw her...

 

[Senju Kazuki]

Kazuki was on his way to Stone's adult university when his headset began to work. Someone was calling. Well, he was knew to the Village, few, if any at all, knew his frequency. Thus it was easy to concluded that a former Leafie was calling him out. Sure, he had recognized that person's voice. It was his boss, the Main Branch Sennin of Tsuchigakure, Kamaru. Stopping on his track, the Overlord of the Senju calmly listened what the other guy was saying. People kept flocking around him. He was now a rock in the middle of a moving ocean, separating the waters. Poetic indeed. Apparently there was someone at the gates that was asking for the Executioner's presence. Not only asking for him, but he had something to ask of him. According to Kamaru, and believing he was quoting word for word, whoever that was belonged to the Old Clans and wanted to ask a favor. Ah, old clans. That was something that the White Wolf had not heard in a long time now. The Old founding Clans of Konohagakure. The mighty Senju, the crafty Ayatsuri and the holy Hasegawa. A trinity of worthy men and women and for long, leaders of the one of the oldest Hidden Villages of the World.

This was good news for the former Sennin. That could mean that not only the Senju had escaped extinction, but one of the other two clans also. Regardless of to which clan this person belong, their meeting was imperative. The Reaper would need all the help in retaking Leaf, having another Clan at his side was paramount. "Kazuki on route." he would simply state to his headset. The distance between his current position and the gates was not a minor thing. Traveling by foot was a feasible action, but it would take too much time for the Rider of Death's taste. Allowing his shadow to grow and overlap his body, Kazuki fused with the ambient shadows and traveled much faster than by foot. Minutes later he popped out from a shadow near the gates, but not near enough for anyone to spot him and how he had journeyed there. The rest of the distance could be trekked normally.

"Well, well. If it isn't the puppeteer and the puppet." the Silvery Haired Man declared announcing his arrival that way. Ginjiro would notice that the Overlord of the Senju clan was gazing Riza after he had stopped at Kamaru's side. His arms were crossed and his face showed little to no emotion. He exuded calmness. To the young puppeteer, the White Wolf would seem virtually identical as before, as if all the predicaments they had faced had little impact on him. In fact, if it was even possible, it would seem that his muscular body was hiding more power than before. And the nature of said power had grown darker, which in a sense it was completely true. The Reaper had acquire a host of powerful souls while tackling the Lieutenants of the Daimyo, which had the effect of increasing his power. And he had gained mastery over shadows which made his inner soul darker.

[Topic Entered]
[Signature link leads to more info about Kazuki]

 

[Kazu]

Sitting and waiting, Ginjiro was wondering whether the Senju Overlord was actually in this village. It was more than possible that he wasn't even here, and he'd get a blank on his request to see him. Still, either way, he needed to be here. He had to check. As he watched what happened in front of him, he tried to think of a good way to communicate with her. He didn't want her around if, in fact, Kazuki showed up. The young man had a sneaking suspicion he was around this village, and if saw her here...the young man remembered what had happened the last time that man had seen her. It was for this very reason that, when he saw the man's pale face and brooding figure show up on the scene, that he mentally flinched out of the worst happening. He could even see her plainly! Riza, who was a Kami familiar of Ginjiro, was usually invisible to most everyone. Only a few people could see her: those who were gifted with the Kami Contract, and those who could see spirits, in general. Now, this gate guard was most definitely not one of these few individuals. But Kazuki? Kazuki was a slayer of souls. He could see her, plain as day. On top of that, he had a bit of a distrust for the spirits that roamed these lands in general. This is exactly why he didn't want Kazuki seeing Riza again. She'd been the presence standing next to Kamaru, looking over his shoulder trying to see the information he was writing down. She sometimes acted like Ginjiro's spy, because she could very rarely be detected. But in this situation? Looks like Ginjiro was going to be flying solo. "Riza, time for you to go." To the gate guard, this would make no sense. Maybe he thought Ginjiro was crazy, just like everyone else. It didn't bother him. The spirit's words, inaudible, as well, to those who couldn't see her, came though to Ginjiro and Kazuki loud and clear. Right. I'd like to say it's been a pleasure, Overlord-sama. But, well... Not giving him a chance to respond, she slipped out of this plane of existence, retreating into the Spirit Realm. He'd be unable to reach her there.

Turning his attention to Kazuki and the gate guard, Ginjiro assumed an air of composure once again. Addressing the gate guard first, the puppeteer assumed a tone of apology. "Sorry about that. Don't know what came over me." The puppeteer and the eater of souls both knew that was bullcrap. "I thank you very much for your help, gate guard-san." Turning to Kazuki, to address him personally, the young man spoke to him like a familiar, yet respected, friend. He didn't really like woking with him, but he needed his help. Until the man was his enemy, instead of an unliked ally, he would be quite happy to work with him. "Kazuki-sama, I was worried you didn't make it out of Leaf City alive. It seems my worries were groundless." Well then, now that Ginjiro was done jerking the guy off, he suppposed it was time that he got down to business. "I have come a very long ways to talk with you, Kazuki-sama. Perhaps there is a way that we may talk with a little more privacy?" It would be up to Kazuki to determine what would be the appropriate course of action. There was still the matter of finding the boy Juzaburo, but Ginjiro could only help so much. It would be better to simply leave the finding of the boy to the gate guards who knew this area well enough to find him. In the meantime, the young man might as well do what he came here to do.

[ooc]
Just so you guys know, the reason I'm trying to get someone to help find Juzaburo is because he's sort of inactive. Just really slow posts, honestly. I set things up this way so that, when he gets back, he can have faceless NPCs find him and bring him back to the village. Just a way for me to go ahead, and for him to catch up. Just wanted to make that clear.

 

[Kamaru]

Kamaru quietly listened. ”I’ll put out a notice if the boy shows up and send word out to see if anyone shows up missing from the wilds matching the description for this Juzaboru boy from Leaf.” Kamaru would offer looking to Kazuki a slight smirk on his face as Kamaru casually adjusted himself below the belt. Kazuki might pick up the boy in question was someone he knew or had meet before by the actions. ”Since Kazuki is still knew to the village he does not have the facilities he would probably like in this situation for operations maybe I can be of service and suggest a tea shop with a private room?” Kamaru suggested bowing slightly to Kazuki. ”If you’re vouching for this young man I don’t see any problems with entry since he will be your charge until he leaves, of course I’ll have to accompany the two of you within reason as a representative of Stone. Also if I can assist in any matters involving Leaf City let me know and I’ll see what I can facilitate. So do you vouch for him?” he added with a slight smile as he put away his pen and pad.

[Entry Granted]
[Topic Left once both parties move out/will be accompanying them as well]

 

[Senju Kazuki]

Apparently Ginjiro and Riza still remembered their first and last encounter with Kazuki. A meeting where the Silvery Haired Man threatened to banish the Kami if he ever saw her again. Fortunately they were no longer in Leaf and the Overlord could not care less if the spirit was still here and if it represented any kind of threat to Tsuchigakure. This was a temporary home. While he would protect it from ordinary threats, the supernatural ones were none of his business unless he decided so. His days of demon extermination were far away now, nowadays he was all about enslaving them. "Until we meet again Ancient One." the Reaper muttered as she left. The Kami race was ancient compared to mankind. Every single kami in existence was much older than any human could possibly be, even if said Kami was considered young to his race, thus ancient one was a good name for Riza.

A tiny grin reached the White Wolf's face upon hearing Ginjiro's half cooked excuse. He had nothing to fear, Kamaru had seen worse and would, probably, pay no attention to it. In fact, the Sennin had seen the dead much closer than most, since he started partnering with Kazuki. He was true that the dead followed the Overlord because he willed it. "Your worries were not needed Ayatsuri Ginjiro. The world would have kept spinning with my death and my clan would have survived with the help of some precious allies." the Reaper calmly noted as he moved his head towards Kamaru. If rhey were all alive, it was all thanks to that guy at his side. Without him and his invaluable help, the Senju would be extinct and with them, one of Old Clans of Konohagakure would leave the world a little more poor. "Oh you did? Interesting. We fled the City with great risk with you on my shoulder. I left you with Kamaru and you show up. Interesting I say again. You will have to forgive me if I want to know what happened in between, because frankly, I am quite curious about it." The Silvery Haired Man allowed his words to linger in the air a little bit more before continuing. "However, this is not the place for having such conversation like you said. And Kamaru has a good point. I do not have the necessary premises to hold such a meeting right now. We accept your offer Sennin. Lead the way since you this village better than I. And yes, I vouch for him. If he causes trouble, I will break him." the White Wolf declared, gazing Ginjiro with intention at the last part.

"But I know we won't have any problems." he added seconds later.

[Topic Left unless stopped]

 

[Kazu]

It would seem that things would go favorably after all. The former Leaf Sennin seemed to be at ease, for whatever reason. Maybe this was his real self, and Ginjiro had just caught him on a bad day before? Who knew. What the young man did know was that he had business to attend to with this man. As the two of them came to their conclusions as to what should be done, Ginjiro nodded in silent agreement. He just wanted to take in everything that they were saying at this point, and it would have been pointless to interrupt them anyways. When the Senju Overlord, however, noted that his concern was unneeded, it did illicit a small smirk from the renegade puppeteer. Of course he needn't be concerned. He was just being polite. Perhaps this wasn't the kind of man who appreciated formalities? "Very well." Furthermore, Kazuki seemed to express some interest in the events that had unfolded since last they met. In particular, he seemed curious as to how the young man had survived all this time. It certainly had been a while since the fall of Leaf City, hadn't it? Chuckling a little more, the young man decided to answer with a little playfulness on his part. It's what he was known for, after alll. "Kazuki-sama, did you not think I could survive this long on my own? I must not be selling myself enough..." It was mentioned, though, that the Senju Overlord seemed to have had an ally to assist him. With a not so subtle jerk of the head, Ginjiro learned that these two men already knew each other. Apparently quite well. Was he not an ordinary gate guard? Interesting. As the man spoke, suggesting that they all retire to a tea house, the Ayatsuri puppeteer could not help but agree. That sounded like as good of an idea as any, and his face would clearly sow it. "Kamaru, was it? I, also, agree. I shall follow your lead." As for Kazuki? Well, it seemed he still held all of his hostility and sharpness as before. Cringing a little internallly, the young man gave the two a smile as he reponded to Kazuki's threats. "I wouldn't even dream of it." It was sincere, honest! As the young man followed the two into their village, he couldn't help but wonder what the hell he'd gotten himself into...

[ooc]
Topic Left with Kamaru and Kazuki. Following Kamaru into the next thread.
Village Entered.