The Maw (requesting entrance)

[Ko]

Autumn had come as quickly as summer left: about a few months give or take a couple of days. But the Nanjirou could definitely feel the effects of it turning to Autumn. He had been staying in Lightning Country for a number of years, working on controlling his sword via using the spiritual world to do it. This had opened up the opportunity to do many other things because of it.

Since his training was nearing completion, he figured that now was finally a good time to face his dislike of ninja villages(despite growing up in one) and finally get in touch with one of his oldest friends. Not that this was saying much since he hadn't had company other than spoopy ghosts for such a long time.

Sunuke managed to hire out a messenger pigeon to carry out the task he needed. Just a small letter to get over to the gates of Cloud village and back again so he didn't lose his rental pay. It would be a shame to lose the deposit on the bird.

It would eventually arrive a few hours later, carry a tiny letter on its foot. It somehow knew the address of the person it was meant to reach, and somehow through this lucky, deus ex machina style happenstance was able to land and peck at the door or one Yuii. The staff you could get these days is phenomenal!

The letter, small and made of papyrus, carried a few words for the Cloud kunoichi to hopefully recognise who was coming for a visit.

It read

Yuyu,

The dragon opens its maw tomorrow at noon.

S

Upon its delivery the pigeon would fly out of the village and away from the country, hopefully not to be eaten by birds of prey around the place. That deposit was expensive!

The climb to the gates had grown ever so steep as the steps became more like daggers in his feet. Each movement would make his weary legs even more tired, and he was surprised he hadn't collapsed from the journey yet. Something to be proud of?

Sunuke had been a day away when he sent his letter, but he had underestimated the length of the journey when he began. Only the fact that he couldn't rest was causing him to feel exhausted. He hadn't planned any stops or any places to rest along the way besides his final destination at the mouth of the dragon.

He kept climbing those steps, eager to end his long and boring journey. To make up for all the time spent walking he had decided to make up some stories to tell people about where he went.

"Maybe a story of how I bravely took out two assassins with nothing but a toothpick... Or maybe where I met a contract but they said that I was just way too powerful to wield them without destroying their species..." He kept thinking of ideas out loud as it made the journey slightly better.

Eventually he found himself encroaching on the perimeter of the village, guarded by the dragon's maw. This is where he said he'd meet her, around noon. Hopefully the bird got the message there... Hopefully it didn't get eaten by a larger bird... He needed that deposit back!

"Wonder where she is?" he asked himself as he stood waiting for the little kunoichi to show up. Maybe she was still as tiny as before, or maybe she was a giant. It had been quite some time mind you. But he made a promise to come see her, and he finally felt ready to make due on that promise.

He would wait around, pacing slightly as he began to feel nervous. Was he about to be ambushed? Was she coming? Had Leaf been informed of his location that they'd finally bring him to justice for running away from his family who had ostracised him?

Surely not.

Right?

 

[Kagetsu Yuii]

The aviary postal service in Lightning country truly was a marvel. Yuii had hardly been in her new apartment for a week, and yet the little feathered creature found her without strain. Luckily for it, she lived on the third floor, so it didn't have to navigate too close to the ground. Simply magical.

Yuii had been eating her breakfast when the unmistakable rat-tat-tat at the window drew her attention. With a mouth half full of toast and jam she rushed over to let the tiny post pidgeon in. She relieved it of it's message and as a kindness offered it the crust of her meal and a little cup of water to eat whil she unrolled the little letter.

"'S?', " she said aloud, wrinkling her nose, "They called me, Yu-yu?" There weren't many people in the world that called her that.

She let the bird back out and watched it soar off into the cloudy sky. A wonder that such a small bird could handle the difficult winds of Kumogakure. Still puzzled, she dropped onto the cushions surrounding her Kotatsu and leaned heavily on the flat table surface. After the decade of travel, Yuii had found herself with dozens of little pet names as she captured the hearts of those she looked after. Children, adults, old grannies; none had been exempt from her charm and all had been very creative with her short name.

"S, S ,s, ehssss, ssssss... Eh-suuuuuu. Suuuuuu... Suzune? Shiku? Suhi? Saki? Mmm.. Saki. Eh...suuuunn... oh! Oh!" Of course, that ridiculous pet-name had been given to her by Sunuke. The dark haired Nanjirou had lived, oh, somewhere between port cirrus and Kumogakure. They'd been alike in their ability to see the unpassed spirits and that delight had made her overlook putting him into her reports. She'd urged him to visit Kumogakure on a number of occasions, and now that she thought about it the message seemed like something she would instruct him to write.

"Noon?" she said aloud, tossing the message down and jumping to her feet again. She had the morning to prepare then, but she found herself dancing in one place with excitement, her mind jumbled. "Oh, uh, uhh clothes! I need clothes! A-and, oh no my class- I need to send them a message a- Oh no pay for the day. Ahh Sunuke why didn't you give me more notice!" she cried, rushing about her little apartment trying to gather her equipment. Why wasn't she better organized!?

---

Yuii sat, trembling with trepidation, on the lofty gates. She kept her blue eyes narrowed against the harrowing wind, her gaze caught on the landscape. there were only so many places one could climb safely to arrive in Kumogakure. She did not envy anyone the steep climb to her high-set village; she herself had dreaded it at each six month turn around for her travels.

Had Yuii warned him of the climb? Probably not.

The gates were their usual snailed paced lines of in and out-goers. There was rarely a runner these days, with barely a halcyon memory better than the peace Kumogakure currently achieved. The village was not without its strife, but nothing spectacularily dramatic had happened in awhile. This was a very good time for Sunuke to have decided to visit. Her elder friend would likely pass into Kumogakure with ease.

That was a troubling thought though. If Yuii could get Sunuke in what stopped the worst of the world from getting in? Those stairs?

Noon came, the shift change told her so, and Yuii squirmed under the weight of her excitement. Any minute now! Any minute!

There!

Sunuke's familiar white jacket fluttered into view just as her stomach fluttered with joy. He had made it!

The Jounin slipped from her perch and signalled to the gate guards that she would be right back. She was not an unfamiliar face after years of coming and going, and the newly exchanged guard signalled back an okay. With a burst of chakra she sped forward like a firework.

"Sunuke!" She cried joyfully, barreling into the tall, dark haired man with the full force of her weight, " You made it You made it!"


[Entered]

 

[Ko]

It didn't take long for him to reach the gates of the village to soon be rushed at. He figured that Clouds security was tight but for Yuii to have seen him so quickly before he saw her was a strength of the village ahead of him.

He smiled as she charged at himC before realising she wasn't going to stop. She became a cannonball and barrelled into him, knocking him off his feet and onto the floor with her. His reactions only allowed for one thing and it was on catching the little lightning bolt who had come at quite a bit of a shock.

"Oof!" He let out as he hit the floor with her, sliding backwards on the ground a little bit. "You're getting too strong for this little game, Yuii!" He couldn't help but let out a laugh and ruffle her hair about as he looked to her.

"Didn't I say I would come visit you? I figured that now was as good as any time to come see the Legendary village that sat on the clouds. Though I didn't expect such a huge wall around the village." He looked away in thought, putting a finger to his face as he thought out loud. "Seeing as ninja can use chakra to climb anything it just seems a little pointless to have a wall..."

He tried getting up, picking up his little Yuii off from him so they could stand up together. His eyes would suddenly widen as he looked her over.

"Yuii!" He remarked loudly, before beaming a huge grin. "Did you get taller?! You're probably a giant amongst the dwarves here now!" It had been a while but probably not that long enough for an actual change in Yuii's height yet at the same time he was still surprised that maybe someday (if genetics would allow it) she'd be taller than him.

"You must be getting pretty strong now from all that travelling you've done."

 

[Kagetsu Yuii]

Yuii laughed, pulled Sunuke into a tight hug then gave his hair a rustle. The Kunoichi had always enjoyed testing Sunuke's strength, though the drop from the gates had likely overdone it. Spurred by their child-ish nature and comfortable after years of sporadic training together, it was easy to get a bit carried away. She likened their old 'game' to the romping of puppies. He was probably right that they were getting a bit old for it, but Yuii didn't really feel old.

"You did bu-" Dare she say she hadn't expected the flaky man to actually make the journey? Yuii had mourned her friendships as she had mourned her freedom when she had ended her lengthy mission. Sunuke had been on the short list of people she would miss with every bit of her heart and soul but could not expect to see again soon. The Kunoichi would not have blamed him for avoiding the Shinobi village either. She had never asked him for the details that led the Nanjirou to reside in a small town of Lightning Country, but he seemed distrustful of Shinobi villages and their residents. Their chanced friendship was strong, but doubt and fear often ran deeper, she knew that all too well.

But here he was! The Cloud Jounin should have given her friend and their relationship more credit. He'd even climbed the frightful mountain to be here, before her, making fun of her village before he'd even seen it.

"Sit's on the clouds," she corrected, wrinkling her nose in mock anger, "Kumogakure sits on the Clouds! It's delicate, and light and beautiful! I bet you'd never seen anything so amazing in your life! And the wall is older than old is old! It's meant to keep all the riff-raff out so if you're not careful I'll let them make you sleep out here tonight!" Sure, once you got into the village it was like any other; subject to crime and filth, but the first glimpses were amazing. If ever a skyline could inspire one to loyalty and love Cloud was it.

She helped to haul them both to their feet. She thought by his reaction that she had grown two heads, but no, it was just Sunuke being his usual self. His fixation on her height when she'd hardly grown an inch since their first meeting eight years prior was puzzling.

"For the last time! Kumogakure is on a mountain but that doesn't make us dwarves!" she stomped one foot childishly, falling back on old habits, " And I'm stronger than you'll ever be!" she retorted, jabbing at the missing-nin's arm playfully. "Look at you, Susu, huffing and puffing like you need to sit on a cloud too! I'm a Jounin you know, that's the top of the top! Best of the best! I could beat you up and down that path a dozen times! Don't tempt me, you'll be humiliated! Smashed! Your good name will be mud!" She made a lunge to her her arm around his neck to pull him into a headlock.

"Be good or I'll roll you down that mountain."

 

[Ko]

Yuii seemed to be playfully mad at Sunuke’s constant childlike questions and thoughts he had during his so far short, but somehow the most enjoyable fleeting moments he ehad experienced in years. For some reason all the fears and doubt began to fade into the mountainous abyss below them. For once in a long time he began to feel safe.

”It must be a pretty light village to sit on the clouds,” he muttered, looking away in embarrassment to the thought of getting it wrong. ”S-surely it’s just wrong since it sits on a mountain…”

He smiled at her attempts to big herself up and prove that she’s stronger than him. He never tried to dispute this because he preferred to not try and fight anyone about anything. However that didn’t mean he didn’t know how to fight. He just let his sword do the work and he would support it.

He watched her grab his head, bringing the missing-nin into a headlock, and teasingly threatening him with rolling him back down where he once came. He would keep wriggling around as somehow he was bested by the little one who was still a young traveller the first time they had met. She had grown up so much since then.

”A-a-ah, Yuii!” he let out a shocked sound. ”It took me so long to climb up here! You don’t need a giant wall when you have the face of a mountain to stop people bothering to get here.” He tried to pull himself out of the headlock, struggling to find a way out of the Jounin’s grasp. Maybe he was able to, or maybe he would just give up before moving onto the next thought.

”So a Jounin now, huh?” he asked, looking up in thought as to remember what Jounin actually did again. ”So… does…does that mean you have a team now?” His eyes lit up at the thought of Yuii commanding a team of young ninja, or even an army of ninja to do her every bidding.

”I bet your team is super cool and does the coolest jobs out there. Ninjas do jobs right? I-I forget, really.” It had been a long time since he had gone on one really. As an Anbu it was more protecting the important targets and taking down dangerous people. ”I bet you do super cool poses too! To intimidate the bad guys.” This was becoming more like a superhero movie in his mind. They pretty much DID use super powers, after all.

”Maybe we could see them at some point. I’m sure most of these people in the village have never stepped foot outside and saw the villages below the village that is a cloud.” Seems he still can’t get the name right…

MFT-462 words

 

[Kagetsu Yuii]

With a giggle she let him go, and started to lead them back up towards the gates proper. The wall loomed over them, a giant shield against the outside world. The dark stone was imposing, even in the bright light and sunshine of the clear day.

"Something like that," she answered cheerfully,allowing Sunuke to run with his imagination. The truth was less amazing, but equally good for Yuii. She'd been picked up as an Academy Teacher for the time being and spent most of her time prepping the little trainees for their futures as Shinobi. She liked it well enough though the Jounin wondered sometimes if the other teachers were much harsher than her. Her time in the Academy had been brief and without dire incidents. Certainly there had been danger enough but nothing a med-nin hadn't been able to fix. There had been a few to drop out.

"It isn't like that, we haven't been very isolated for a half century now. People come and go all the time as long as they follow the right procedures." And the real money was on the missions around the country, not the little E-rank clean up schemes. Shinobi on high ranking missions shouldn't be known at all though, so perhaps it did seem like the Ninja of Kumogakure stayed well confined in their high home. She wisely left that part out. The gates were not a place or time for a heartfelt talk about the mission placement and frequency of Kumogakure no Sato. That would get both of them in trouble.

Instead of taking him through where the merchants, civilians and other travellers lined up to wait, she led him to the smaller route her fellow shinobi used. This had always been her route in and out, and she knew at least half the guards after all her time travelling. Yuii's gift for chat usually meant being memorable and her own memory for people was quite excellent.

She was perturbed to find that a shift change had happened in her wait though. The new guard wasn't the friendly woman that she had warned of her friend's arrival but he didn't seem surprised to see her. Likely there had been some communication.

Yuii made a grab for Sunuke's hand and pulled him close to her side. This was the part that would make her village wary friend most uncomfortable and she had hoped to save him some grief by having a friendly third party. No such luck.

"Alright there, Kagetsu-san?" the guard asked, scratching at his blonde mop, He knew her name, at least. She would thank Kari later for doing that at least.

"Yuii," she corrected absently, giving Sunuke's hand a squeeze, "This is the one I was expecting. Did Kari tell you?" She squared her shoulders, unusually uncomfortable herself. She just didn't want Sunuke to be scared off, or worse, flagged as a threat.

"Right, right. Port Cirrus District? Passport?"

"Kami no Rai. He's flagged as C-class refugee civillian; Tanaka, Sunuke. He wont have one." He might, but she guessed it was outdated and not from Lightning Country. Better to have none then a foreign one right now.

The gate guard whistled under his breath, impressed and annoyed, as he leafed through the large book. One of Yuii's many jobs had been contributing to that tomb; an updated list of every known person within lightning country including risk level. Yuii had been under the obligation to mark Sunuke as something with his apparent skills, but she'd kept him set low enough that Kumogakure would put him on a low priority list to investigate. He kept up with her well so he deserved higher but Sunuke was such a peaceful person that she hadn't wanted to set him at any risk at all.

The page fell open for Sunuke's little village and she paled a little to see his name in red text amongst the black. C-class indeed, but someone had added notes that were not her own. Perhaps it was a very good thing that Sunuke had come to find her now.

The blue haired woman stood very still while the guard deliberated, afraid even a wrong breath might sway the decision. "I'll be taking him to see Kogami-sama," she added quickly, giving away not a sign of her frayed nerves, "within the day. He's been notified." The last was a lie, but she would apologise to Ayumu later. She did want to take her friend to meet the Sennin, but first she needed to be certain he would be safe. She had been burned once before by the leadership of Kumogakure and she would not sacrifice another loved one to the same mistake. She'd learned for some duty came above all else, and following the codex of Kumogakure could be more important to them than seeing the worth and value of individuals.

The gate guard scowled but seemed placated by the Sennin's name. "His sword will need bindings, he's not to draw it inside the village. Also, I want a note from Kogami-sama in the next twenty-four okaying this or I'll be alerting the ANBU. It'll be on your head then, Kagetsu-san. Sign these, and we need the usual fingerprints." </COLOR><i></i>

<COLOR color="#8080BF">"Thank-you. I'll be certain he sends that along." If Ayumu said no, she would have Sunuke out before that time was up. She wouldn't fail another friend. If only he had given her more notice; Yuii could have tried to get him a proper pass into the village instead of potentially angering the Main Branch Sennin.

"Sorry Sunuke," Yuii muttered, turning to her friend with the ties, "I know it's a bit much just to visit me, but you don't have a passport. It's all a safety measure. They're pretty tight after a few incidences." Like poor Hayata, Shin. She just hoped his sword wouldn't mind. The ties were more of a deterrent than an actual stop, but breaking them would alert ANBU.

If he let her, she's make quick work of knotting them on then sign her end of the papers and gesture for him to do the same. "You just roll your fingers in the ink, then on the paper. Like finger-painting? Then I can show you Kumogakure. Really, it is the best." She she couldn't wait to get him to the safety of her little apartment where she could be certain they weren't overheard. There were so many things she wanted to say and explain that had to wait for privacy.

 

[Ko]

Sunuke seemed a little intrigued on what kind of team she fielded. In all honesty he wasn’t too sure of how strong Kumogakure actually was, besides the fact they were seen as a major shinobi village. The information he had collected and knew wasn’t enough to really piece together a strong narrative on Kumogakure. But maybe once he was inside he would be able to learn more about the country and the village. He just had to get in first.

He followed her through the paths towards the gates of the village, but she seemed surprised at the guards that were stationed there. He felt Yuii grab and hold onto his hand, causing him to jump slightly in the shock. It felt cold and yet soothing to touch. Definitely not a person who used weapons to fight. They were more diddy… maybe she used ninjutsu? Or something else…

The guard and her would talk through the procedure, as his childlike wonder that were his eyes would dart back and forth between them as if he wasn’t really here. They didn’t seem to really recognise he was here. However Yuii seemed to know everything about him, and in the time that she was informed he was coming she had made plans and recorded his information down so that they didn’t have any troubles. Had he known that it would have really been this much hassle than he just broke through the gates and entered without alerting the guards.

It seemed they were to alert someone in the village. Someone of high importance apparently due to the guard’s reaction to the suggestion. He wasn’t entirely sure if this is what every procedure was like. Maybe it would have been easier to have been a merchant or just a regular traveller. Good thing they didn’t check his bag or inside his robe for the potential of seeing his old headband would have been greater.

”Oh this thing?” he looked down at the sword below him at the mention of it. ”No problem at all. It’s just a ceremonial piece anyways. I haven’t even touched the hilt of it!” That part was true. He wasn’t allowed to actually touch the weapon because of the connection between it, the spirit, and heaven were all in line. Breaking that connection would ruin the spirits connection to heaven. It would also curse Sunuke with a permanent stain on his spirit.

Fingerprints didn’t really concern him. Like he said before: He didn’t touch his sword. Even if he did something bad they wouldn’t find anything to incriminate him since he didn’t actually do any of the fighting himself.

”I-it’s fine! I would suspect from the great village of the clouds would need all sorts of security from the big bad world out there. But it’s a civlian’s duty to uphold the law!” He gave a grin and cheesy thumbs up before leaning forward and dipping it in the finger print paint along with the rest of his digits.

The spirits didn’t like the bindings. The knots weren’t something that should be attached to the weapons but Sunuke would just have to ignore it for now, even if he could feel the spirits pulling at his cheeks for such insolence.

”Well then if everything is in order, lead the way, ii-chan!’ He would wait for her to show him out of this place and into the village where there was more to do and explore. He was excited and yet very nervous at the same time. But he trusted Yuii with everything he had, and he was more curious on what the village was like.

He would follow her to wherever they were going, wondering what was in store for the two of them.

MFT:625 words

Topic Left with Yu-chan

 

[Kagetsu Yuii]

Yuii tried and failed to keep a straight face as the sword's spirits let their ire be known on Sunuke's face. She ducked her head to hide her amusement from the surly guard, certain that any explanation she could give now would not garner them favour. "Sorry," she repeated, her apology meant for both. She could only wonder how long Sunuke would endure the angry dead.

Unable to calm her nerves, Yuii hovered a bit as Sunuke followed her instructions. She knew as well as anyone how useless the finger prints could be. A pair of gloves was all anyone needed to circumvent that, but it gave the illusion of control which was pretty important when any one shinobi in the village could cause chaos.

"There, done. We're good? Thank-you." The guard stared back at her blankly and Yuii took that as a yes. She couldn't imagine what else they might need. "You'll hear from Ay- Kogami-sama by tomorrow. Shinobi's honor- mine anyways!" She laughed nervously and hooked arms with Sunuke, not at all keen to get her hands covered in the black ink on his fingers.

"Come on," she urged, tugging him along through the gates and towards the village, "I'll show you where I live. It's near the Torre Celeste. It, is, amazing. The tower, not my apartment, though my apartment is pretty neat too. I just moved in a little while ago."

[Topic left - Sunuke Let in]