Walking through the valley... [Req Entry]

[Keigo Oen]

Baba made his way up the mountain range, coincidentally finding a cottage that sold deep wool jackets and turtle necks for the cold weather. So spending a bit of the funds he had left, he'd try to look like he was blending in. Though who wouldnt be trying to say warm under such circumstances. Who cared in all honesty. Baba made his way, finding with a bit of help with locals. it wouldnt take long... but as he arrived to the Dragon Tooth Pass he would look around. Standing normal as he would... "Oi. Anyone here?", nodding he would look around... He wore his long brown wool coat with a black turtle neck within, brownish pants and thick boots. The rifle on his back could be seen, as well as the long bag.

"I come!..... IN PEACE!", he said holding his hands up in a defensive manner. His short hair waved in the wind... covered in bits of snow and looked on as it seemed to be having a bit of snow dropping from the sky now. It was light... fluffy, a beautiful scenery to behold honestly. However, this was not why he was here... He needed to get some power. And maybe lightning was the way to go? Who knew... but he could provide service. Maybe help out... in exchange of something else. Who knew in all honesty.

At any pace he would wait.... see who would greet him and while he waited he would internally get his story together.

[Topic Entered]

 

[Okada Kaji]

It was just your standard entry check.

The screech of a raptor with spread wings echoed through the cavern where that stranger hiked; it was a silver-feathered specimen flying high overhead. It was a Prototypical bird of prey on the hunt— one of several which gathered here like company on an otherwise lonely mountain exterior. It matched the color and beauty of the snowfall, blending with the sky until it found any field mice or a stray hare that wandered too far from their burrows.

This mountain was covered with tall boulders with long shadows, hiding the things which crept and watched, vigilant in their own domain. The essential overcast which inspired the village’s title painted the sky starch white… This stranger had to know why he was venturing here and was ever so careful as he made his way, as anyone who traversed the mountain was warned of how the Hidden Cloud was protected. So, just why had he come to this place? Outsiders were not entirely uncommon— after all, trade and diplomacy is the cornerstone of any thriving society; but wise and armed men knew the importance of displaying their identifiers such as village-marked hitai-ate (head protectors), of which this man showed none. Upon spotting him from afar with a standard spyglass, the watch prepared the stranger a standard welcoming party; two guards with worn flak jackets, whiskers on one’s chin, and a stocky frame on the other from head to toe. Their uniforms were standard; one held a clipboard and the other had a lance with the butt pressed onto the cobblestone road.

“Hail traveler” chimed the first guard with a grand, friendly tone, attempting to overlook the visitor’s awkward declaration of peace. He took a few paces forward with his clipboard front and center but didn’t get far until the second guard lifted her lance and hoisted it over her shoulders. Ready like Eddie— she was visibly the aggressive type and her words matched her sneer, “what business do ya’ have, then?” Nevermind who that stranger was, she wanted the goods up front.

All things considered, it was your standard I.D. check or should have been, but some of the guards seemed to long for the days where troublemakers came barking. As this transpired, there was someone high on the tower holding an inaudible conversation with another guard. An olive-skinned, raven-haired male was seen in the window of the gatehouse, chatting with a faceless shinobi. He looked out at the guards and stranger briefly but went back to his chat.

“Ok my friend, let’s see your passport please,” said the kinder of the two gatekeepers. He held out one hand with fingerless gloves and presented his handy-dandy clipboard with the other. Upon taking the said clipboard, Baba would see a form for Authorization for Entry which allowed him to put various bits of information on file— most importantly his identity and business in the village.

Kaji Okada has entered the thread.
Present your passport, please.
I apologize for no one tending to you sooner, Baba.

 

[Keigo Oen]

Before they came... Baba would continue thinking about his story... would he tell the truth? Or would he lie in an effort to keep his communications up to date. He seemed to be standing there for a few minutes, not too long before two guards would finally show their faces. Great chakra emitted from them. Which one was the great amount coming from? He couldnt tell just yet. However, Baba wasnt dumb to the fray of this... Two on one, right now in the gate of a village that was not his own. He would not pick a fight... Not yet at least. "Oioi... This is quite the place you've got here..." Nodding again he would find himself listening to the one that had spoke out of turn. Of course... this was it and Baba stood there as he was asked, nodding again he would huff before pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I'm from a small Village just outside of Iwagakure. We dont have Passports or anything like that..My name is Toko of the Genbu Family. However, I do have a trade. I'm a gunsmith as well as a field Medic... I learned my trade from Shinobi that traveled through our farmlands..." nodding he would get a hint of chakra coming off in the distance rumbling about. There were alot of chakra in this village. Though he wouldnt step just yet... "You may check all of my things... The only thing I have is From Stone... I passed through there on my way here just looking to trade medical knowledge and collect some provisions..." nodding he would await their judgement, but he would look between the two wondering if hed have to kill one of them to get in... but he dismissed the thought. Not wanting to get himself into any trouble... yet.

 

[Okada Kaji]

And so the visitor followed the procedures requested from the guards and told a fitting tale of origin. It sufficed for the friendlier of the two guards, or at least he presented that illusion as he observed Baba with the clever eyes of a fox, and hymned as he tapped the unsigned clipboard against an open palm. Of course, the brawnier guard seemed skeptical and questioned why this Toko fellow would venture all the way from the Land of Earth to Kumogakure for anything, let alone things acquirable through the Hidden Stone. As with all things, there was a protocol to follow, so the brasher of the two guards kept quiet while the talker handled things. “Very well then, Mister Genbu; feel free to rest here for a moment while we process a passport request for you... though you should have some kind of border-crossing passports to provide if you’ve made it all the way here from Earth country.” The chattier guard then raised a hand towards an ear where a headset was hooked onto it. “No worries though, you’re certainly not the first visitor to come without a passport. This won’t take long at all, chappie.”

A transition suddenly chirped within the Watchtower as the guard dealing with Toko relayed the situation, stating “We have a passport request down here… says he’s from Earth Country.” The transmission then came to a whisper as he added, “looks like a Protocol Three, maybe even a Protocol Four.”
“Oh jeez, we got a Protocol Four down there,” said the guard seated at the desk in the tower. He then started punching buttons on a radio system much greater than the simple radios cared on ears. “Tower One paging M.B. Boss, Tower One paging M.B. Boss, we have a Protocol Four down at Dragontooth,” the gruff radioman said into a swivel-mounted microphone. There was an aggravated noise calling back into the radioman’s large headphones, loud enough that his company recognized it.

“What’s going on? 'What's a Protocol Four?” Kaji Okada was a bit out of place in the scenario and had come along to the watchtower to personally deliver some recent key updates to the gate’s bingo registry. He wasn’t so suspicious of the stranger down below, at least not until a mention of the Land of Earth and the M.B. Boss came into play.
“Oh, nothing much, Okada,” answered the desk jockey, who was now preoccupied with cleaning up his station since his supervisor’s supervisor’s supervisor was on her way to the gates. “I think the Sennin is on her way to the gates… I have your registry thing, Kaji, think you could carry on? I really gotta clean up in here.”

With news that Yuii Kagetsu was on her way to handle the Protocol Four, Kaji feigned disinterest and exited the messy watchtower. The little gate incident wasn’t his business as an ANBU, but he couldn’t help but take an interest once Yuii became involved. He stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets and began a slow stride down to the face of the Dragontooth Gates, stopping short of the incident at hand to get a closer look at the supposed stranger from the Land of Earth.

- Per village protocol for visiting shinobi requesting passports, Calling Main Branch Sennin, Yuii Kagetsu.

 

[Kagetsu Yuii]

It was a curious world.

Yuii endured what seemed like endless meetings, never-ending paperwork and training sessions with students she wouldn't trust to watch their own toes; but the moment she took a minute to eat a piece of cake her thrice damned headset would crackle to life. As luck would have it, she wasn't far off at least.

Which led to a very short wait for her appearance in the case of all involved in the "protocol 4" call out. Cake crumbed sleeves, blue hair askew as if she'd just awoken and dressed in three sizes too large cable knit sweater in lime green with leggings with embroidered stars that most eight-year-olds would envy; she looked nothing like the traditional expectation for the Main Branch Sennin. As Yuii made her way through the gates, Kaji's loitering form did not escape her. As in all instances, she was hyper-aware of his presence but was constricted by their current setting. "Vice Commander," she acknowledged him in passing to not appear rude.

Like any leader with hundreds, if not thousands of people under her command, Yuii did not know these two particular guards. They knew her though and were quick to salute. She rose her eyebrow at the spear and clipboard, an interesting mix of weaponry. The good cop, bad cop situation was as cliche as the helpless heroine or the bumbling fool but she didn't question the dynamic outright. It was a good approach for the guards to take and a far step up from the man who had wet himself when faced with one of their own appearing from a snowstorm. Whatever made the frontline of security feel safe.

"Shoo, shoo. Go back to leaning on your spears or whatever you're paid to do. I've got this." she commanded with the light-hearted tone of a friend, collecting the good cop's board. They seemed unhappy with the idea of leaving her alone there, but respect and chain of command spurred them to listen.

The blue haired woman sighed and brought her eyes down to the paperwork. No greetings, no names exchanged, just began reading over with the kinder of the two guards had written- which was the word for word account of what the traveler had told them himself. As she picked over the text, she knawed at the pencil attached with increasing prejudice until it suddenly snapped. She spat the bit of food aside, then glanced through her lashes at 'Toko'.

He was a curious sort, but not entirely odd. Dressed for the weather, as one would hope of a Stone citizen used to colder climates, and armed to deal with the dangers of the road. Nothing exceptional, nothing alarming, but that didn't downgrade the situation.

"Right, have a seat," she said, as if they were in a plush office and not in the middle of a rocky clearing with the looming gate and the sheer mountain tops for shelter. It was damn cold for early fall, as it always was in mountains, but at least there wasn't snow. She didn't wait for him to comply, but folded her own legs beneath her and got comfortable. Another read over the clipboard and she was ready, "Why did you climb a mountain for supplies?"

 

[Keigo Oen]

This all seemed to be going quickly but Baba, or 'Toko' as he was now committing his energy to being, would simply stand there chuckling in his head. They were going through protocol... So it would not surprise him that this passerby would cause more annoyance than normal. Baba couldnt hide his chakra, but he didnt think that was the case... they werent claiming his chakra being out of whack with just a basic traveler, but they were questioning him about his story. Which was fine... This was a grand village. One of, if not the biggest village in the known world. Two new faces... both strong. Their chakra smelled delicious, but it was the strength of them next to one another... almost seemed like they made each other better. When the man (Kaji), turned up and called in the big guns Baba would look to Yuii as he would look to Yomi back in Leaf. She was the undisputed leader of the branch, hard-working and strong... And though Baba wasnt sure, he could see it in her tone as well as hear it in the way she walked. At the very least she was confident...

"I see. . . Well.", pausing to look around. It seemed all the Snow he'd thought was there was now gone. What kind of witchcraft?! "Well I'm a traveler. I came from Stone after leaving my village. No particular reason other than to trade my knowledge and maybe help around for a little food and provisions as I continue travelling. I'm really looking to settle down someday... but I simply wanted to venture the world... See what my parents could never show me on a simple farmland.", nodding as he spoke clearly. His years of study to the those medical texts would allow him to come up with theory. He also wrote thesis statements often, so coming up with things were a simple craft he was working on in his young age. He was not perfect as he was sure there would eventually be holes in his story. However, he would cross those roads as he came to them. Twas the way of the Missing Lands. "I know it may seem a bit... odd, to put it bluntly. However, I am no danger to anyone. I can defend myself... but I only do such things as I need to. You can place any number of seals or surveillance on me... I assure you, I mean no harm. Just a boy trying to figure this life out.", out of ever bit of lying... there needed to be a level of truth. He was, just a late teenager, nineteen but he looked about in his early twenties. Newly cut hair with a dark ring as it seems that the dye in his hair was running out, showing his blond roots from the black dye. Though, it was more of fashion than anything else.

OOC: Yuii got rid of the snow O_O!

 

[Okada Kaji]

Kaji was a bit surprised at just how quickly Yuii arrived given how busy or preoccupied she always seemed to be. Her mild, sweet scent was just short of intoxicating as she passed him by in a steady stride. The simple greeting she gave him— an acknowledgment that locked away the adoration they shared for another time and place, like a coffer buried for safe keeping. “Ola, Lady Kagetsu” Kaji answered at a personal volume, dipping into is first-language as he greeted her. “Don’t hurt em', Blue,” he jested, all the meanwhile ogling as Yuii went to trade places with the guards. Both the clipboard carrier and the spear wielder headed through the gates like athletes to the benches, leaving their superior’s superior’s superior to handle the matter.

“Good job out there, guys” Kaji reassured the duo. The narrow-eyed chap grinned awkwardly as he passed, but the tougher one spat on the ground between them and gave Kaji a stern, side-eyed glance. The reaction didn’t come as much of a surprise to Kaji— shinobi with a nationalistic zeal was a commonality wherever he journeyed; if he wasn’t scrutinized just for being a known immigrant, it was for gaining some level of success, as if he were meant to stay low and silent as a foreigner. So Kaji let the guards go, and took a renewed interest in the business Yuii was attending to with the visitor on the road.

Since leaving his homeland a few years ago, Kaji rarely encountered other natives from the Land of Earth. Of course, there was Sara, but as a child, she was still impressionable and bore the Will of Fire more than anything. Kaji was intrigued to meet someone supposedly from the Midlands, and with Yuii currently speaking with him as well, Kaji couldn’t help but gravitate towards the chat. Despite a casual stride and leather riding boots mashing against the cobblestone, Kaji drifted from around Yuii and appeared on her left in silence, perceptively assessing Toko. Kaji Okada was a lean figure, standing almost a head over the Blue Lady; he was nearly copper toned, and donned in an earthy leather pilot’s jacket, padded with sleek studded armor. A finely crafted blade with an eye-catching emerald embedded in its pommel was sheathed and resting against his hip, attached to dusty midnight blue slacks by a black belt harness.

Kaji’s twin olive orbs were scanning the stranger, most-notably his strange choice of weaponry. Firearms weren’t unheard of in the Land of Earth; it was an industrious society with more advanced weaponry the closer you lived to Maruishi— but it was unlike their shinobi to use such loud and clumsy weapons rather than finely crafted and enchanted archer’s weapons. “I don’t mean to intrude, but I couldn't help but say hello once I heard we had a visitor from the Land of Earth,” Kaji said; as he spoke his accent was especially articulated. “You’ll have to tell me all about your travels once this passport matter is cleared up. What district are you from, son? We should have some kind of census on file to identify you with— relations with Stone have been pretty good since the Alliances were formed; that goes for both Earth and Fire. ‘Call it an era of prosperity.” He curved a grin with a preference for the right cheek as he mentioned the alliance and spoke like it was a mark of accomplishment. He glanced between Toko and Yuii, hiding his suspicion behind a veil, though Yuii knew Kaji well enough that she might sense what he was about. Confirming the existence of Toko Genbu would be as simple as flipping through a record book or two, though something inferred that they’d never go that far today.

wc646mft

 

[Kagetsu Yuii]

Yuii quickly jotted down her own question and the youth's response in verbatim with the half pencil. She studied the page, then the man, then back to the page again as her mouth twisted with thought. Nothing of her demeanor betrayed her thoughts on his statements, though it was obvious she was judging each word to its fullest. "Hmmmm" she hummed, lifted her thumb up like an artist trying to measure perspective then lowered it again once content, "Alright then."

The next part was outside her expertise, but as chance had it the very best man ask had been on hand. Just as she came to the conclusion to call for his involvement, Kaji stepped up to join their little meeting on the mountain. Yuii startled, then half grinned at her Anbu counterpart at the discovery he had not been content to watch from afar.

"Intuitive as always, Vice Commander. I was just about to call you over." With a sniff and a flick of her thumb against her nose, Yuii re-read the text again and quickly added Kaji's greeting. Citrus tickled at her nose, of which Yuii breathed deep, easing whatever nerves the current exchange might have disrupted. Otherwise, she paid the raven-haired Anbu no more or less attention than the entrance seeker before them but was mildly pleased he had lingered behind. She wasn't so prideful to think of his protectiveness as anything more than an expression of love.

He, like 'Toko,' seemed disinterested in joining her on the ground too, but she didn't particularly care either way. "I suppose you've answered my next question." She quipped after Kaji's greeting. She flipped the paper on her board with a definitive snap then looked between younger and older man for the answer to her next question. "Is it common for Earth to let their peoples out without the proper documentation? I suppose a message to your homeland would be enough to verify everything but who wants to spend a week on the mountainside, neh?"

With a cold that cut like knives, the wind picked up and lashed them with a vicious gust. In the weather was the threat of snow like the one the author had so carelessly destroyed previously through a careless mistake. Yuii did not want to spend much longer out there, despite what her comfortable position. "Port Cirrus is lightning countries' largest city, dwarfing the capitol; Raiden's Eye. Both are worthy places for exploration and are filled with all manner of earthly pleasures that no doubt would satisfy the curiosity of a farm boy. Circus' of human and animal alike, every manner of food brought from across the globe, gambling, fighting rings; whatever your vice. Our country has technological wonders outside the realm of your young imagination and charms that can only be discovered by extensive travel through its vast landscape. If you are after work of a legal nature, as one with chakra skill- as those of your land all have, you would be paid well for easy services. If you can form water for crops, or burn fields clear you could live like a king in any small village- skills I'm sure a farm boy like you know the worth of." She tapped her pencil against her clipboard as she spoke with increasing speed then stopped and glanced at Kaji before continuing her first assessment, "Kumogakure is a village of shinobi, and while it holds all the comforts and charms of a larger city it is also our not a place for tourism. We are wary of outsiders without the proper documentation to vouch for the character of those who wish entrance as leniency has caused deep wounds in our past. I need more than a basic tale of wanderlust and the implication that you have something to give us in information for your entry. In short, convince me. I am the gatekeeper to Kumoagkure and the very highest authority you will be allowed to speak to. Otherwise, at this current time, the only way I can allow you in is as a detainee until we can verify your identity."

The ball was in 'Toko's' court.

 

[Keigo Oen]

These people didnt listen... As he would find himself thinking about it... They seemed to be on the incline of disproving him before believing him. Such was the way of a broken people, had something happened to this nation for them to not trust the words of a simple man. He was sure there were people around at all angles watching his every move. Sure, he was no ANBU... He didnt have the skills of one. He learned a few things from simply watching them though, he knew they were always inquisitive... but these people infront of him were not listening to what he'd said moments ago, "Ma'am... No disrespect, but I dont know what else to call you, anyways... Miss, I said before that I'm from a village and farmlands outside of Iwagakure... I loaded up on supplies there before I left and came here, I dont have any identification and I doubt they would even know who I was because I've never registered to them for anything.", pausing for a moment he would sigh.

"Look, I know there is a way of the land... and if my being here has caused any red flags to go up... I'll move on. I dont mean any trouble. I just wanted to see if I could get a map, some supplies, a few nights of rest... Maybe even help out a bit and trade my skills for simple hospitality.", shaking his head, this wasnt going to happen. Not here. He refused to force himself on them, not yet, he didnt know what will he had... Trying to start over in a new place... instead of being used as a science experiment in Konoha. However, if the world didnt want him... He would figure out how to forget he was ever in this world. Such was the life of an immortal. Born into poverty... disease... only to be used as a project for Science and Doctors. The algorithm with Baba was complex... but there was nothing in him that wanted to go back home. However, if he was made to go back... he would definitely change the game.

"All I have is some medical supplies, My rifle. A pistol. Both of which I made. My Surgical Claws. Alittle bit of food... but I dont have any identification. Hell I know people who dont have it... not everyone is blessed to be born into a shinobi village or have connections to one. I was not born with that. I am Toko Genbu. I have a friend in Stone... You can trace my walk and you will find what I have said is the truth... but all a man... or rather... a boy trying to become a man, all he has is his word. Which is all I have to offer as identification.", quite the actor... but how much longer could he keep this up... it was stressful. However, he had a bit more in him... though he knew by now Konoha Guards would be after him. He left Akumi in Iwagakure. She was safe there... she knew how to get around. And the letter he left for her in Arcadia would help her to finding him. So with that he would look at the woman then back to the man before sighing again, awaiting their judgement.

 

[Okada Kaji]

All of the back and forth was enough to dull the sharpest blade, like a long battle wearing away at him. Seconds turned into minutes and those minutes rolled on. Kaji was thoroughly reminded that the hidden cloud’s idea of gate security was much more complex— all of this talk when identification could have been a simpler solution. There were passports but those could be forged. The hidden cloud had additional means for identifying their own shinobi, as did The Stone and Leaf for their own, and Kaji knew them, but to have none of these things meant taking the stranger by his word. Yuii was trying to rationalize with the visitor, or maybe let him down gently with the same diplomatic skill she used to lead her underlings. Kaji knew full well how convincing she could be, or even controlling— the hidden cloud was not a charity and she wouldn’t just let the visitor have his entry without an agreement.

Kaji felt like there was a band of fog separating him from those two, but he focused intently on their every word. He’d then pick the stranger’s words apart, breaking his silence to assertively ask “if you need a map, how did you find this place?” Kaji drifted forwards a step, refusing to have his line of questioning ignored like before. “You’ve traveled thousands of miles on instinct alone, and reached a protected enclave with Hidden in its name… That’s no small feat.” In his first journey to the hidden cloud, his party guarding the Hokage still managed to get lost despite having a map and experienced skill on the road. This lad claimed to be unaffiliated with any village— just what kind of training did he have, and what did he hope to gain in the cloud? “It’s time for you to start telling us the truth or the most hospitality you’ll get is a one-way trip by train to Port Cirrus— and that is the generous option. Who are you really, Toko Genbu?”

 

[Kagetsu Yuii]

Yuii's eyebrows climbed until they disappear into the soft waves of her blue hair. They said everything before the word but was bullshit, and Yuii was inclined to agree at that moment. And yet, she sat and listened as 'Toko' tried to pick up the crumbling pieces of his case for entrance. Unfortunately, he fell back to his first statements, lending nothing new for Yuii to use to decide his fate. The reiteration was getting as old as asking the same question over and over again without getting a clear answer. Maybe if it had been a warm summer day and she had more than a few hard candies in her pocket Yuii would have been content to watch him flounder, but damn her feet were getting cold.

Kaji, it seemed, felt a similar dissonance with the situation and the words being spoken. Toko being at the gates was like struggling to the top of a mighty oak and finding a newborn puppy at the top. He shouldn't have been there because literally, anywhere else was more logical to be. The only explanation was that he wasn't what he appeared to be because the alternative was too far-fetched.

Kaji probably could have been more tactful though.

With a frustrated sigh, Yuii pulled a sheet of paper from the clipboard, balled it up and threw it at Kaji's head. Then, for good measure, she did the same to Toko. "Bzzzzt. So dramatic," she droned, picking herself up from the ground, "I'm afraid that isn't enough for a pass, Pinocchio. On the bright side, you've earned yourself entry into fair Kumogakure. Unfooooooortunately, our first stop is going to have to be a holding cell while we contact Stone for verification or who you are. I'm horribly sorry if that dampens your travel plans, but you're dodging our questions worse than academy students dodge spider attacks and we have to be sure. It's too damn cold to play 'could you repeat the question' right now. On the bright side, if I'm wrong in holding you, we'll set you up with a pass to stay and all the supplies you can carry- so if you're telling the truth you have nothing to lose right?"

Right?

She turned and gave Kaji an expectant gesture to call in his Anbu if he thought the precaution was necessary.

 

[Keigo Oen]

It wasnt uncommon to believe this was going to be the day that Baba would hve to defend himself for the first time since leaving the village of Konoha... and with a loud sigh as Kaji was speaking he would know with the chakra coming and emitting from both of them, he would have a hard time with any of this. Could he prevent himself from beind knocked unconscious? Maybe. Clenching his fist Baba would find that he would have been more confident in himself... if AKumi was here. Oh how he missed here in this moment. She would have the right words to say. She would know how to go about this... this was just showing how much Baba needed to learn about the world. How much he needed to learn about himself. Did he just prey on the weak? The beings that were easy kills? Stealing their hearts from their chests, but did it allow him to grow? Did he learn anything from it? It was sad that in his life... that he'd only learned so much from these two in this lie... than he did with his own parents that sold him to scientists to figure out why he was the way he was? They were the ones that made him the monster that he had become...

Or the monster that he thought he was...

"Fine...", holding up his hands he would announce, "Right... Some of the things I've told you has not been the truth..", Why did he say it? Because it wasnt a position that he needed to go back any further... he couldnt back track over this, "I cannot give you my real name but I will submit myself to the holding cell... That way I can at least be safe while I tell you the truth..", nodding he would lay down his rifle and bag. Opening his Coat and showing Silver Kunai and Short Wakazashis, as he would also lay it with his things. "You can pat me down... but all I have are Flasks for Water in my belt.", sighing a bit more he would look back to the open air. This was... leaving one prison for another prison.

His life... was a prison. Though, as he would await his judgement... He thought... 'Monsters deserve to be locked up... right?'

[Submitting to Kaji and Yuii to go to a holding Cell]

 

[Okada Kaji]

And so, the cloud shinobi warily extended an opportunity to Baba that he couldn’t refuse, at least not without seeming more suspicious than he was already. It was a deal that outsiders were rarely offered; it was an opportunity to explain himself without the pressure and short tempers of the frigid gate exteriors. From here Baba would either find a last chance to clarify his intentions and be welcomed to the Cloud as a visitor, or be uncovered for the rogue he really was and face due process. What lay ahead was certainly a mystery, but for Toko Genbu to come along meant he was willing to put some kind of trust in the words of Yuii Kagetsu. Giving the leadership of Cloud a mile meant receiving an inch in return, but that inch came with a cot to lay one’s head within the protection of fortified city walls. Besides, there weren’t any warm meals to be offered on the road, just encounters with highwaymen hoping for easy gold, monsters hoping for easy meals, and con artists hoping to take an unlucky traveler for more than their worth. So what if entering the cloud meant staying in a holding cell?

Kaji was surprised none the lesser, in fact, he was certain from the rogue’s beguiled expression that Toko Genbu was going to lash out with one of his tools and attempt to flee the moment his journey to the mountain scrutinized. But attacking when cornered was a strategy best left to wild beasts— Baba earned a bit of respect when he chose the path of civility.

“I foresaw this going much differently” Kaji admitted just a bit brazenly, revealing his previous intuition as he continued scanning their visitor. “You must be in a very good mood to be feeling so generous, Lady Kagetsu.” Despite saying that with a charming tone directed at his paramour, Kaji’s attention remained set on their company— it was only by the authority of Yuii that Baba had this chance, and only by Kaji’s trust and loyalty in her that he did not speak out against the decision. Though, with just a twist of his own fate, Kaji could have seen himself wandering to Kumogakure in a similar fashion, just a few years prior. He wondered what he would have done in Toko Genbu’s position; if it were Yuii who met him then, would he have fumbled through the encounter and succumb to irrational emotions the way he did when she and the Raikage met his party for the Kage Summit? Would it have lead to the same scenario they knew now, with their lives intertwining? The deep thought left Kaji quiet for a few long beats, and he made himself look occupied by revealing a gray logbook worn by time and adventure. He began writing a note of the encounter with a ballpoint pen and stepped back to do so.

Just a short moment later, presumably as the trio began drifting into the mouth of Dragontooth Pass, Kaji would regain his full focus and make an informative claim; “Nothing personal kid, but per protocol, we’ll be confiscating your equipment while you are detained, and fitting you for a temporary wardrobe. All things considered, equipment usually comes back in better condition or at least sanitized after inspection, so if you are cleared you’ll get your stuff back working good as new.” He then continued the march, resuming business as usual. Rather than calling in mempo to escort Yuii and the rogue, Kaji saw fit to see them off to the holding cells himself.

- Escorting Baba Gagoze (as Toko Genbu) to Holding Cells with Yuii Kagetsu.
- Topic left unless stopped.

 

[Kagetsu Yuii]

It was settled then. Yuii clapped her hands and roll jumped to her feet. She wobbled slightly, imbalanced by nothing, and chuckled sheepishly. "Thank-you for your cooperation. I really wasn't looking forward to the alternative options." A relieved, simple smile spread across her face; not at all the expression of a hardened leader. Other options could have meant bloodshed, and she was not at all the type of bloodthirsty shinobi type to desire that. There were always better options, always. She took a second to pick up the wads of paper throw at each man then started back towards the village without a word as she expected the pair to follow along.

The Main Branch Sennin's lips quirked up at Kaji's comment on things going better. She supposed it could have, but events at the gates rarely went wrong for her. It was afterwards that situations devolved- but she could only hope this time the foreigner she let in did not go insane, cause trouble or get her into trouble. "That's the difference between you and I Vice Commander. You of the Anbu must be paranoid and careful of threats to Kumogakure, and I of Main Branch am given the freedom to take more diplomatic courses of action." It wasn't a job she liked either way, but being able to bestow a little kindness on people was something Yuii took full advantage of. Someone needed to see the perspective of the missing and lost, even the misunderstood as Toko seemed to be. She, with her missing-nin she called a brother and lover from a far-off land could be that person. "Besides, I like foreigners, and this one didn't exactly try to sneak in. Call it a bias.

"When this matter is cleared, Toko of Earth country, I'll be sure to find you a proper guide for the village. It is a large place, quite vertically built and easy to get lost in. Until then, is there a cake you prefer? I'm hungry, and we may as well eat while we talk. Maybe something hearty too, since you had to climb all the way up here." Yuii offered as they picked up the path and through the gates. "I can't imagine the usual fish and rice ever fill a person's belly right, and you're more of a... well-guarded guest for now.


[Sorry for taking so long. I'll get the next thread up asap]

 

[Keigo Oen]

'In the eyes of judgement... I submit to you... Goddess...​

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It was settled and now he would nod to Kaji first as he mentioned taking his belongings. He wouldnt need them where he was going... Monsters were weapons in their own right. Baba would feel the air rush around him for a moment, looking up to the sky once more. 'Goddess... Guide me, I cant keep living like this...' shaking his head internally. This was not the life at the very least his mother had wanted for him. She didnt want him to walk the earth fighting for position, scraping for food... fighting for nonsense. Was this the trend he would set himself up for? Or was it that he was a reckless teenager who was given a power that he could never in respects begin to control. It all seemed overwhelming for the late teen. He'd just got finished fighting someone at the bottom of this peak. Almost allowing the monstrosity of his mental get the better of him. "Take my things... I have poisons and such on the Kunai in there so be careful its quite volatile. I made it myself...", sighing a bit he would turn to the sapphire haired woman. She seemed to be a bit nicer, and maybe a bit less stern than the man standing before him.

"Cake...?", tilting his head for a moment... the only cake he'd ever had in his life was a Peanut Butter cake his mother made when he was quite young. So thats what he would go with, "...Hm, Peanut Butter?", thinking for a moment he'd let his dark eyes fall to the ground, alittle embarrassed about the whole of the ordeal. There was a large part of his life that was taken from him... before the war that tore Konohagakure apart by those samurai... things seemed to be going well but the scientist were trying to figure the anatomy of the boy.... why was his disease so strongly protecting him... why was it allowing his mutation to consume him. It took months to get his body to allow him to ingest nourishment... and doctors would work endlessly to figure things out before he would starve... Those were the first days Baba remembered... The pain of pushing through the bones to just get his body to take it in instead of rejecting it and apparently attempting to kill the boy. His own body rejected him in the early days... always being sickly... but now, he could control it. He could feel it,
but because of his treadlike insides he could not be overtaken by the mutation, and made it work with him instead of against him.

"Well Guarded huh? Thats... fine... but your hospitality is something I do not deserve...", nodding he would set out to allow his things to be taken emptying out the thick coat of its contents ballistics and weaponry micro-chakra bombs, paper bombs... he was prepared to fight if he had to... but why didnt he? WHy did he give all this up when at the very least he could have left? Who knew... Maybe this would be explained on the next episode of... Ninpocho...Balll.. You get the picture..

[Topic Left w/ Kaji &Yuii]