The Return from Silence [Req. Entry]

[Keiji]

There wasn't much need for packing. The most essentials was all he had with him. Food, a few pots and pans, sleeping gear, a couple of books and notes, and chakra paper, because you never know when you get a chance to test stranger's potential.
He huffed and puffed as he settled his backpack again, and then continuing on his trek towards his home from home. It had been several years since he had last come upon the great walls, had they changed maybe? Had the village itself changed much?
He couldn't help but ponder how big the village would have grown, both by size and populace density, a whole new generation, maybe even several must have walked through those gates after he had left with permission.
The letter that had come by courier was quite the surprise here he had thought his time at the village had gotten recorded in the books as a lost cause, he hadn't thought (but deep down hoped) that he'd ever return.
It was time for new beginnings, this time around he had a mission, a goal, a purpose that was above just killing and murdering whoever that was pointed at. He was going to TEACH, he was going to SENSEI the NEW GENERATION, and this idea burned within his soul and heart like a pure and brutal passion for learning, the thoughts alone made him eager and made him hasten his steps like he was listening upbeat tune in his ears as he walked further up the hidden passageway up between the clouds up in the mountain holding up the village.

He had plans for all kinds of things, many lectures and classes he had been working on whilst traveling on foot, he wasn't running like he usually would have since it was a moving trip and not a mission. His homebase was being moved to the older and far superior one. He could almost feel the hustling and bustling of the city within his heart as he thought of his past, the missions he and Akira had went on, the missions Akira had sent him on, and Tetsuo had returned beaten and blasted to a pulp. Usually always a successful mission, but hard they were, in his mind Akira always had an eye for missions that was right up there with ones skill level, he always knew exactly how he could push someone further than their limit, to up oneself to get better, stronger and smarter every time they left they returned from the chosen mission. And while Tetsuo was never an ANBU himself, you could easily say he was trained as one due to his relationship with Akira, the now Kage of the village. One might call it admiration, but Tetsuo liked to refer to it as pure respect for a strong leader. Not sensei, friend, ally and leader in most missions.

It wasn't long that his mind trailed off and his feet continued on in his brisk pace. His furry eyebrows perked and his eyes widened as he had reached a high point of the road and suddenly he had a vast overview of the great gates that separate the outside with the insides of the village itself. "Ah, HOME! he couldn't help but think, his body warmed up, and his energy felt completely renewed, it was finally time.. To greet his home again.

[Thread Entered]
[Waiting on Saito Akira to enter thread before approaching gate]

 

[Junan]

Perhaps it was fate, but Akira found himself following a figure whose movements he couldn't help but recognise. The invitation had been accepted then, a smile coming to Akira's face. Good, this would be a positive for the new generation, someone with more experience than most of the surviving active shinobi, and inactive shinobi agents in the village. A man Akira could trust to have on his shoulder, a bonus for Ayumu as the Main branch Sennin.

Akira wondered in that moment whether Ayumu and Tetsuo had met... and if they hadn't then an introduction would need to be made.

A little chakra, a quick few leaps and he had caught up with the other. His footsteps silent, but any as well trained as the man before him, no matter how rusty, would know someone was approaching. After all, Akira was not a small man.

It's a beautiful sight isn't it? He said looking at the gate before them as they approached, Akira a couple of feet behind the other.

The mountains behind the village and surrounding the path they walked. The hidden tower now behind them, an outpost to alert the village of incoming travellers, always manned and if you didn't know it was there... well... then you could be walking into a trap and not think you'd been seen.

Akira loved this village. It was his home, it was the home of those he loved, and if anyone messed with it he would lay waste to them. Very much an "over my dead body" situation.

Yet that was why he would use every resource he had available to him, every contact, every strength the village didn't know it had to help it, to help those within it.

I'm glad to see you return. He smiled, an arm outstretched for a warriors handshake.

 

[Keiji]

A war brother's Welcome

"Indeed it is, my friend" Tetsuo replied with a deep breath as he turned to face his old ally and superior
After holding the handshake firmly and looking Saito straight in the eyes with a smirk and an approving glance.
"It's good to be back" He said as he released the grip.

Tucking his backpack up on his back again he looked at the village and began taking steps further towards the gates he began conversing.
"Strange meeting you out here, I'd have thought you'd be busy at your desk writing important documents here and there seeing as you got back into the game, or were you just out for old time's sake?"
He thought to himself if he should share notes or thoughts on the first class he intends to put up for the students to join in on, but he held back, no reason to hear out the Kage for cooking tips after all.

The gates were closing on, and it wouldn't be long before someone would call them out and open up.

[Guards may approach at any time]

 

[Junan]

Akira puffed a silently laugh and nodded. That made up the majority of his life as a Raikage, but he was still required to get out and about from time to time.

This most recent one was to do with meeting the Shogun. He'd been called on for a meeting amongst the Daimyo, demands being made from various parties about receiving various things from the Shogun. The boy seemed to handle himself okay under the circumstances. Akira typically sat silently during those get togethers, he didn't enjoy them, people didn't speak to him either, or make demands of him. The closest anyone came to it would be to talk about a possible shinobi threat in their lands, demanding something be done about it, but those aimed again at the Shogun. It seemed that they might have been a little scared of the monster kage.

Sometimes business takes me outside. He said, very little information but enough. The other didn't need to know about Akira's dramas.

Have you organised with your family or anyone a place to stay upon your arrival? Akira asked. The gates were before them by this point, he hoped someone would open them quickly. Not to be away from Tetsuo, but so that he could get inside and check what had happened while he'd been away.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Ayumu spent a disproportionate amount of his time at his desk behind mounds of paperwork. That was why he treasured the little things that required him to be away from his office now and then. Occasionally, the Main Branch staff at the gates needed something from him. Now, one could argue that it didn't necessarily require Ayumu to go to the gates himself, but he wasn't going to acknowledge that argument. For that reason, he found himself at the gates, signing some papers when the Raikage himself and a new face arrived at the gates. Ayumu overheard some of the gate guards nearby mentioning the Raikage arriving at the gates with someone they didn't recognize. Curiosity peaked, Ayumu set down his paperwork and decided to investigate himself. "I've got this one," he commented to the guard who was about to approach the two. Walking over to the side of the gate he looked down to see Akira and Tetsuo talking to one another as they waited to be let in. Cocking an eyebrown, he planted a hand on the guard rail and vaulted himself over it dropping the several meters to the ground before the two shinobi. Of course, there were safer ways to reach the ground but what shinobi worth their salt would use a ladder? Standing up straight after his landing, Ayumu addressed his Raikage and Tetsuo.

"Welcome back, Saito-sama," Ayumu greeted, nodding at Akira before looking to Tetsuo. "And... I don't believe we've met. I'm Ayumu- Kogami Ayumu," Ayumu introduced himself to the unknown one. He hoped to have the identity of Saito's companion revealed but in truth, he would likely find out in a moment anyway through normal gate procedures. It just felt more polite to ask normally beforehand. He wondered if he was simply a Cloud shinobi that he had not met yet, or if he hailed from elsewhere. He certainly had the build for a shinobi, but then again that didn't mean anything certain. "May I see your passports?" he asked, waiting for them to be produced before extending his hand to collect them.

 

[Keiji]

"I think I should be alright, so far I got a lot saved up for staying at one of the inns in town, I've heard some good things on my road about this local one, 'The Dancing Wolf' I'll probably end up staying there until I can find my own place in town"
He coughed a little, "Besides, the only family I have left was back at the farm, and she slept in a couple of months back."

Right as they had approached the gates properly, a tall man dropped down with, looking like he had raided a hip clothing store and wore all of the stolen goods at once. He promptly welcomed back the Kage, and then introduced himself to Tetsuo, Tetsuo looked the man from bottom to top, analyzing his apparel and silently judging his personality. 'Ayumu, Kogami' he thought to himself, he remembered the name from his correspondence with Saito in the letters. He was supposedly the new Main Branch Sennin, and in a way his new superior, or at least the man he had to report to from this point onward. He noticed the sword lingering at his side like an age-old admiral ready for a ceremonial show, didn't seem like much to gaze at, but the most important features was his rugged hands, they were clearly ones that had seen action, and not much of the nice kind. The eyes of the man was keen, and he must have clearly noticed that he was staring, if at least for a second or two.

"Right, greetings Kogami, seems like we'll be working together, I'm the new teacher at the Academy, Saito might have mentioned me loosely, I'm Hayamachi, Hayamachi Tetsuo. I was an old Jounin many years back." He continued explaining as he pulled forth an old green pamphlet, resembling that of a passport from the side of his jacket's pocket. The dates on it was old, clearly out of service, and instead of an older photographic image as was the custom these days, it had a sketch of him by a now famed portrait artist from Kumogakure, it has his date of birth, height and all the other necessary information on a basic passport. "It needs renewal, naturally, been out of service for awhile." He scratched the back of his head.

As the passport was being evaluated he turned his head to Saito and asked "Say, has there been any new Ramen places opening since I was gone, Saito? I've been eager to get back into some proper restaurants, I miss the UMAMI Of the big cities!" after which a mighty grin appeared on his face as he was eagerly looking forward to chowing down on some food he didn't have to prepare himself, even though he'd like to think of himself as a connoisseur of the gastronomic arts.

 

[Junan]

Akira nodded in return to Ayumu, combined with a Always glad to be back. The man had effectively been running the village for the last couple of days in his absence, and yet he was here at the gates. Probably informed of Akira's approach with a stranger.

Pulling out his passport he handed it to the Sennin, the hidden glyphs, the secret lines, all the current safety points of the modern day passport able to be seen by one who knows what they're looking for.

He let Tetsuo introduce himself, as Ayumu had already begun the introductions.

I requested Tetsuo return to the village to join the teachers at the academy. He has a wealth of experience that they can learn from, I also thought that it might help take that bourdon somewhat off of your shoulders Ayumu. He hoped that he was being helpful. At worst he was bringing someone he trusted back into the village to help grow the youth of the village.

Tetsuo then asked about the new ramen places, if there were any, and there had been a few old ones close down and new ones open up over the years. Recalling how that seemed to be where they always had met in the past before and after missions he began to wonder if that hadn't been coincidence.

You'll be happy to know that there are a number of new ramen shops. A few opening up very recently that have received some decent reviews. Cloud central has turned into quite a bustling area of late.

It was interesting the effect of the gate closure and reopening. When closed a number of businesses had closed with it, some surviving longer than others, but in the end the lack of new custom and the difficulty to get hands on the limited supplies had meant only the locations run by the more powerful of the village survived. It had been a year, nearly two since he had reopened them, and the growth had been substantial.

Merchants viewed Cloud as a place to gain a foothold, and so prices had dropped as they had fought for dominance in the market. This in itself had harmed some of the clans who dealt with sales to the village as well, reducing their profit margins substantially. However the villagers had prospered with prices plummeting. It wouldn't be long before things equalled out again, but for the time being things were going well, and the poor were feeling less poor than they had been.

It would be Akira's job to find a way to try and lift that community up so that when the pendulum starting to swing back they wouldn't have as many problems as they would if it did now.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Ayumu nodded as Tetsuo introduced himself, making it clearer who he was. It also now made sense why he was with Saito. From the sounds of it, they may have served in the past together. Ayumu took the man's passport as well as Saito's as Saito confirmed what Tetsuo had said. Apparently he had gone so far as to request that Tesuo return. If that was the case, it seemed like he must have had a lot of faith that Tetsuo would be a good asset. Ayumu laughed at the comment about the burden. "Well, that's always welcome. Glad to have you then, Hayamachi," Ayumu said with a smile before taking to inspecting the passports. Saito's was naturally up to date and of the latest issue, being the Raikage and having only left recently. It was a quick glance that told Ayumu it was genuine, although he had no reason to suspect an impostor. Tetsuo's was more interesting. It had been some time since Ayumu had seen one like this. He looked it over and checked it for authenticity nonetheless. The fact that the Raikage was vouching for him made it somewhat of a moot point, though.

"I recommend Ichiran Ramen, personally. How many times have I had it delivered to my office now I wonder...? I'm sure I know all of their delivery runners. At any rate, here are your passports back. As you say Hayamachi, you'll probably want to get a new one of these before you think about heading out again," Ayumu said, ending with a chuckle as he handed back the passports to their respective owners. He made a signal to those manning the gates that the two were cleared for entrance. "Welcome back to both of you. The Academy will benefit from this addition. Good to meet you Hayamachi- see you around," Ayumu said, gesturing for the two to enter when they were ready. Ayumu himself was ready to head back to the tower now.

[Entrance Granted - Topic Left Unless Stopped]

 

[Keiji]

"Ichiran Ramen you say?" He paused thinking for a bit.. "Is that by any chance run by an elder couple with a young daughter? Or, well she might be young woman at this point."
He pondered it to himself or a second, after which he promptly would interject before an answer came "Wait, I'll figure it out myself, it's time I get to walk the streets again and work out just how much things have changed, perhaps she took over?" The last he turned his head to question the wind as well as himself. He seemed to recall an elderly couple that had a really great Ramen shop, which him and Saito used to go to, was that it's name? He thought to himself, the daughter they had was a feisty one, a born fighter, so presumably the parents had dropped out and she would have led on the family tradition, he licked his lips in anticipation of eating some nostalgic ramen dishes.

Wiping his face with his sleeve he quickly grabbed his passport back as Ayumu held it out for him, "Thanks man"
"We'll talk later, I'm sure. I have to prepare my first class, already got most of the curriculum sorted on the road. I hope the students are ready for a real challenge! Hahaha!" He laughed out loud as he walked through the recently opened gates, and when inside he stood still for a second holding his sides as he let the evil mastermind laugh end it's course, then taking a swift turn to the right and began walking down an alleyway.
"I'll talk to you later Akira-san! I have to check out the old neighborhood before anything! See you around!" He shouted as he waved to his old friend.
He made his way through the narrow streets right up against the wall, walking further down, then taking a few swift turns and continuing down the streets of Kumo.
Frankly, he was looking around the parts of town he used to traverse daily as his first stop to figure out if there were any vacancies among the apartment rentals, he believed first off nostalgia was the best first approach before getting to anywhere else. But alas, after looking around for over an hour it was unsuccessful, he might be lucky the next day. But at that point, his stomach was growling too much, and then made his way further deeper, towards the more bustling streets to find somewhere to eat.

[Village Entered]
[Thread exited]

 

[Junan]

Akira nodded his thanks to Ayumu as he allowed them entry. He'd hoped that it'd be easy enough to get the other in even with his out of date passport. The suggestion of the particular ramen location seemed to spark a memory in Tetsuo, and his description raised a memory in Akira. Though he couldn't be sure if it were the same place or not.

Still the rather lively Tetsuo headed off and said his farewell, Ayumu going back to his duties, Akira would do the same.

See you both later. He said as he wandered in his own direction.

There were things he needed sorted out.

[topic left]