AiaFL ;; Iwagakure no Sato ;; Wan

[KANE]

Arrival in a Foreign Land

---

---

Time of Day: 3:30pm
Date: 22nd September
Location: Gates of Iwagakure

---

"Darui!" Ei said, dropping an open-palmed hand upon the top of his desk as he stood up, as he often did when making a rather prominent declaration that would be put into effect immediately. "As we discussed recently, the Jounin Exchange Program will be put into effect relatively soon. I want you..." he pointed at Darui, his teeth gleaming in the unwavering cross between a grin and a frown that suggested nobody make any sort of argument if they value their dignity or, in a more exaggerated sense, their life. "...to lead the other Jounin to Iwagakure in this exchange!" Lead the other Jounin to Iwagakure? They were Jounin, didnt they know where Iwagakure was by now? Surely they'd been on enough missions to know by now, right?

At Darui's silence, Ei let out a laugh before letting expression from before return to his face. "What are you standing around for? You should be packing! I expect nothing but the best reports when you get back in a month!" Darui's eyes widened and he felt his jaw slack rather uncharacteristically before he stepped forward, rubbing his hand through his hair as he stumbled for his words for a moment before speaking. "B..boss...!" he exclaimed, more confused than shocked with this sudden order. "You want me to spend a month in Iwagakure with five other Jounin? How could I do that...? I'm one of your bodyguards, my duty is here...right?"

He couldnt understand Raikage-sama's sudden impulse to send him, of all Jounin, to Iwagakure. The past months had been rough. Darui had been just about worn ragged from the extra missions and duties he had been appointed to rather than simply attending council and village meetings, and running necessary errands for Ei.

"Darui..."

Ei's voice broke Darui from his thoughts and the Jounin suddenly found himself in the imposing shadow of the Raikage before he felt a pair of hands clap down on his shoulders. "I'm sending you because you are one of my bodyguards. They need a veteran Jounin with them in case something catastrophic happens. It has been arranged, though, five Jounin and one of the Tsuchikage's guards will come to Kumogakure. Everything is fair. With your presence in Iwagakure, they'll know that the Raikage's Right Arm can reach far, and soon know precisely what it's Jounin are doing." He gave Darui close to a smile before letting the expression from earlier return, along with a faux-insulted tone.

"Besides, you don't think the Raikage is completely defenseless, do you? Or is it that you doubt Shi's ability to keep up in your absence, hm?" Darui gave a startled frown before scratching the back of his head prior to dropping his arm to his side. With a bow, he spoke. "No, I am sorry if I gave that impression, Raikage-sama..." the smile that had come across his face in response to Ei's tone. "I will be sure to represent Kumogakure in my time there, and I will be sure to send you periodic updates, as well as a summary once I return. You will not be disappointed."

---

Darui sighed quietly as he reflected upon the events from almost one week ago. Since then, he had led the troop of five Kumogakure Jounin through Yugakure, Hyougakure, the disbanded Otogakure, barren lands, Takigakure, and the vast earthen lands of Tsuchi no Kuni. The men and woman with him were growing weary from the traveling, although it was nothing he should be concerned about. They moved from sunhigh each morning to sunset each night to increase the speed at which they traveled. Practically five straight days of travelling could do that to even the most fit shinobi.

Ever since the Takigakure escort had let them go at the Tsuchi border, they had been on their own, with few words exchanged between their group as they made their way further and further into the heart of the country. They were getting close to the village now, Darui could see the tip of the Tsuchikage's building over the top of a hill they had to climb up. "We're almost there..." Darui said, glancing back at the Jounin. "Probably no more than five kilometers. Let's pick up the pace."

Without waiting for a response, he focused chakra into the soles of his feet and took off at a quick run. He knew the others were capable of keeping up with him, and it would be in their best interests to do so. This would be an incredibly dull journey if they couldnt keep up, not to mention how much our progress and pace would be slowed... Stifling a yawn he pressed forward towards the village wall, running over his own person checklist in his head.

I hope Iwagakure is in better shape from the attack that took place when I was here last... Darui thought. The two he'd met here last time - Chidare Wan and Ishida Seiji...would he see them again? Quite possibly. If Wan was still a Genin, there was a possibility that he would interact with him, seeing as he would essentially be playing a role of Iwagakure Jounin, just as the actual Iwa Jounin would be acting as Kumogakure Jounin, primarily to aid in the education of 'rarer' chakra natures to younger shinobi of the village. Since departure, Darui understood better why he had been selected for this, as well as the reasons Ei-sama had mentioned. He possessed the chakra natures of Suiton and Raiton - considerably rare in Iwagakure.

Except for Seiji... The young Jounin possessed both of those natures as well, and Wan possessed Raiton. No telling what the second nature he would come to acquire would be.

Who knows... Darui thought. This month may not be as dull as I feared it would be...

Stopping at the wall around the village, he turned to the Jounin following him, who caught up one-by-one within ten seconds. "Alright...here we are." Darui said rather monotonously. "Remember - we're representing ourselves, Raikage-sama, and even further, Kumogakure. Don't make a fool out of yourself and bring shame to anything I just mentioned, or else we'll probably have a nice conversation...and then you'll probably get another one with Raikage-sama." Darui held the serious expression for a few moments longer as it sank into those following him before lightening a little. "But, dont be so concerned about doing everything right that you're tense as a board....that makes people suspicious. Passports out."

Turning and reaching into his hip pouch, he pulled out his passport, walking up to the Chuunin and Jounin manning the check-in station. With a glance at his dress and passport, they nodded and gestured to him to wait a few feet off. Walking forward, Darui returned the passport to his hip pouch before shoving both of his hands rather ungracefully in his pockets.

Now, just to wait. No telling where the afternoon and evening would lead.

[KANE]

Wan was on his way to the Iwagakure gates as he thought about the interesting task assigned to him. In his mind it was 'fun' in the sarcastic sense, but also a little intimidating. He was, in essence, the 'honor guard' for whomever was arriving. Wan wondered what had landed him this responsibility. To his knowledge he hadn't done anything noteworthy in his life, yet the Tsuchikage had sent him a scroll with the parameters of his duty.

He remembered a couple of weeks in the past when, after a night of self reflection, meditation, and training he pulled a stunt that, to his knowledge, was rarely performed by genin. He applied for single-man missions without informing his sensei. The forms required had no place for her to sign, so it wasn't like he cheated the system. Most people who signed up for such duties were chunin or jonin though since genin were more or less 'geared' towards working as a team. Unfortunately, Wan knew that he wasn't 'geared' that way.

Maybe the request raised eyebrows and they were testing him...or maybe they were making him a babysitter to try and dissuade him from the 'less glamorous' missions of a solo career. Ah well...I know my own strengths and weaknesses. he thought, and teamwork was one of the latter.

His 'mission parameters'- the term he chose to call them in his mind- were actually rather simple. It was more of a task than a mission, but he wouldn't complain. Step one, go to the gates. Step two, greet the guests. Step three, give them a tour through the village before finally, step four, bring them to the Tsuchikage. The temptation to tell short old man to make sure he didn't throw his back out before he brought his guests by was great, but Wan managed to keep his mouth shut.

It was always odd to be spoken to by the great man. He was shorter than Wan was, yet wielded the power to protect or destroy almost anything he wished. Wan had only ever been in his presence four times; the first as part of the group of academy students as he gave a little speech, the second time when he was officially assigned to Team Akane, the third when he was recovering from his burns- though he had been so doped up at the time that he hardly remembered it- and then just the other day when he was told about his mission.

Wan blinked as he arrived at the gates. He had to admit a bit of fondness for the 'autopilot' a person can get into when they're walking a familiar route. No need to pay attention; all muscle memory leading him where he needed to go. Throw in a dash of natural and ninja-honed reflexes and you can avoid the certain disasters that may befall someone who isn't paying attention to what they're doing while walking around on the high cliffs and near the deep caverns of Iwagakure.

The doors opened and the guards from the outside escourted the arrivals in. Wan recognized the dark skin of the Kumogakure natives and felt a bit of excitement. Perhaps one of them is a sword master he thought as he approached them, If they stick around for a while, perhaps I could get- he stopped thinking as a vaguely familiar face appeared.

The man was rather famous, and definitely not one to be trifled with. He had inherited a powerful secret lightning technique that had given him his nickname and he also supposedly had access to a plethora of powers from a bloodline unique to Kumogakure. What excited Wan most was that he recognized the man since he had come to Iwagakure before, though back then it was far less jovial experience.

"Hey Darui!" he said, waving at the blonde Kumogakure jonin. He looked at the other serious faced shinobi with Darui and greeted them all. "Hello to everyone, actually. I'm Chidare Wan and I'm gonna give you all a quick tour of Iwagakure unless pressing matters arise and you all are needed elsewhere."

He gave them all a once-over and noted that they seemed a little travel worn. "And if no one has any objections, we can start the tour at a restaurant so you can all eat some good food. There's a great place, not far from here, called Kodori's. Best chicken pasta in the world." There was an ominous clucking sound that made Wan flinch slightly and glance over his shoulder. A chicken was walking across the road and Wan thought it had just given him the stink eye, but decided he was imagining things.

[KANE]

Darui’s black eyes stayed focused on the five other Jounin that had stepped through the gates of Iwagakure no Sato behind him. They each had to go through the same process he did of being accepted into the village to stay for however long. The solidly-built Jounin sighed a little and made fists in his pocket before releasing them, trying to relax a bit after their quick sprint to the gates from where they had been. Glancing at the – what he assumed were Chuunin – standing by the actual gates to enter the village, Darui couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like living in the rocky area for the next month. Hopefully it wasn’t all too dissimilar from Kumogakure – surrounded by clouds and mountains. Although he expected at least some mountains at least around the village, Darui wasn’t so sure about the clouds.

I guess each day could risk being dull… he thought. He would miss the beautiful mornings in Kumogakure for this next month. There was just something about the sight of the sun reflecting off the clouds that made days all the more brilliant. Darui found that even if he’d not exactly had the best day the night before, waking up and seeing the sunlight bounce off the clouds and mountains could instantly relax him…possibly anyone. Maybe that’s just me… Darui thought, a slight smirk crossing his face in amusement before it vanished and he re-directed his attention on the Chuunin speaking to them as a group, detailing what their first day would include…basically just finding out where they were going to be living for the time and seeing the Tsuchikage to discuss village-to-village matters, and the whole Jounin Exchange Program itself. The gates opened and they would be on their way as soon as their Genin escort showed them in.

Simple enough.

That’s not too bad…though there will probably be more along the way that hasn’t been mentioned…and more that’s completely unplanned, I’d be willing to bet… Darui thought, thinking ahead with various scenarios of how the day could run. Shigure used to tell him that he spent too much time thinking about what could happen if something wasn’t actually happening. It was just the way he was, and he found that he’d always been like that.

”Hey Darui!” The vaguely familiar voice rang in Darui’s ears, causing him to pick his head up in surprise when it registered. Turning on his heel to face the interior of the village, now visible to his eyes because of the open gates, Darui saw the familiar, bandaged face of a person he’d not seen in months…not since he was last in Iwa. Chidare Wan. Was he to be their escort?

"Hello to everyone, actually. I'm Chidare Wan and I'm gonna give you all a quick tour of Iwagakure unless pressing matters arise and you all are needed elsewhere."

Darui sensed slight nervousness among the other Jounin of his village, more because of the appearance of the younger shinobi than the mission’s point itself, and what it entailed. Giving Wan a small smile, Darui spoke. ”Hey Wan…long time no see. How’ve ya been?” Glancing at his fellow Jounin, Darui murmured. ”The Genin’s alright, I’ve met him once before.” At his words, the Jounin seemed to relax a bit and look at Wan more attentively.

Taking his hands out of his pockets and crossing his arms, Darui looked at Wan. In its own right, Wan giving them a tour of the village was almost like a mission for the younger shinobi himself.

[KANE]

With no complaints to getting food being sounded, Wan started to lead the group away from the entrance and too his home village. He heard what Darui said about him being 'alright' which boosted his self esteem somewhat, but the unsettling extra attention that the group of jonin gave to him made him feel a tad nervous. And a tad ridiculous; a genin leading a troop of jonin around.

"I've been doing well" Wan answered, having held back just a bit so that he was walking almost next to Darui but staying at the head of the overall group so they could still effectively follow him. "Seiji-sensei has been training me on how to control the water element. Remember him? He's the jonin here who has Raiton and Suiton techniques like you."

The first chasm they came to had one bridge on it. This was one of the 'inner' lines of defense for the village; control the bridges and you can control the flow of people trying to enter or escape since the chasms were too wide to be leaped across.

"This is the commercial district" Wan said over his shoulder as they crossed the bridge. He meant the area of large buildings ahead of them that they would be crossing into momentarily. "Lots of businesses here and all of the best places to eat. While y'all are here this is where you'll find any fun souvenirs and trinkets to take home. This is also where most everyone from other villages come for trading, so you can meet a good variety of people. Probably plenty of other people form your own village stopping by every few days. How long are you guys staying here anyway?" he asked.

Cutting through the district Wan pointed out certain shops and stores of interest. One massive, wide avenue filled with people he introduced to them as "Market Street. Its the absolute best place to get anything you'll need in terms of shinobi gear, apparel and supplies. There's also tons of pawn shops along the street so if you pick up things while you're out and about you can sell them for some quick ryo, or you can find some rather odd things there for pretty good prices."

A few blocks past market street Wan and the jonin who followed him arrived at Kodori's. The amazing eating establishment was, as usual, open for business and had plenty of seats available. Not like that one odd day when there had been an extra large crowd and a half hour wait, Wan was able to take Darui and the other Kumogakure jonin right inside.

The waiter who came to greet them looked a bit alarmed at seeing six jonin from a foreign village enter, but he recognized Wan and Wan naturally vouched for them, telling the man that these jonin would be in Iwagakure for a while and to expect to see them about. Wan didn't give any details since it wasn't his right to do so, and the waiter didn't ask since he knew what was what living in a shinobi village. They were led to a table with eight seats since seven seats was a rather unusual number for a table. The extra chair would just be there, no need to be used.

The menu's were passed around and Wan took a minute to tell everyone about the dishes he personally thought were the best and which ones to avoid. There were only two dishes on that list, and they were there only because he hated broccoli, which were the main focus of the meal. After the orders were placed he gave everyone a quick summary of what they'd be seeing while they waited for their food, mentioning the residential district, the training fissure, arena, healing baths, hospital, academy and messenger bird tower.

"And lastly we'll all get to the administrative tower where you'll meet the Tsuchikage who, by chance, is actually paying for lunch right now." that part actually wasn't necessarily true, but Wan figured that if he gave the old man or one of his underlings the bill they'd reimburse him the expense.

[KANE]

Darui couldn’t help but smile a little at the almost…reverse the situation was showing. Wan was a Genin of Iwagakure – probably one of the older ones at that, leading six Jounin around. Not counting the fact that they were from Kumogakure and would naturally be under near-constant observation, a Genin of all ranks to lead Jounin around was a laughable circumstance in just about any village. Not the down-casting sort of laughable, either, but more of the sort that was laughable simply because it was unexpected. Normally, one would expect a Jounin – especially a group of them – from a foreign village to be led around by someone of equal rank, not someone who (from a simply offensive and treasonous standpoint) could be easily taken out.

As they started moving forward at Wan’s movement, Darui noticed a slightly more relaxed air settle over the other Jounin from his village. Perhaps it was just something to do with the mentality that they were no longer traveling, and they had at last arrived at the place that would serve as their home for the next month if everything went well. That much was good. Personally, Darui felt as though he had been fairly relaxed since leading the other Jounin that morning. He knew that deep down he was actually excited for this, despite his seeming aversion to getting sent on this month-long mission.

I may as well make the best of my time here..

His short line of thought was interrupted by Wan’s response to his previous question.

I’ve been doing well. Seiji-sensei has been training me on how to control the water element. Remember him? He’s the jounin here who has Raiton and Suiton techniques like you.”

Darui made no response initially, only nodding and letting a small smile stay put on his dark lips. He would engage in more in-depth conversation over their upcoming meal. For now, he would pay attention to where they were and more prominent landmarks. He felt obligated to learn where absolutely everything was in the village within the first week. What sort of shinobi could he say he was if he wasn’t able to find his way around a village, even if it wasn’t his own?

As they passed through the commercial district after coming off a bridge over a tiny chasm, Darui made a note to inspect this district when he next got the chance. That was something Raikage-sama would be interested in, and Darui figured he could probably write about it for Ei to read in his first letter…one of many, undoubtedly, that would keep Raikage posted even prior to the briefing he had awaiting his return. He silently followed Wan, keeping his hands rooted in his pockets as he looked around at everything indicated by the younger shinobi. It was becoming more obvious that the Jounin with him were loosening up, due to the chatter that was starting to erupt among them, letting some of their thoughts and reactions of the village flow form their mouths. Luckily for Darui they kept their manners about them – as expected – and even let their slightly less ‘job-oriented’ side take control.

He heard the two jounin towards the back murmuring about possibly buying some souvenirs that Wan suggested. Darui kept a mental breadcrumb trail of notes as the tour of the main living area within the village continued, all the way until their current destination – a restaurant apparently by the name of Kodori’s. Kodori’s, huh? Darui couldn’t help but wonder how it compared to Hibachi’s back in Kumogakure. Judging by the set-up inside, it was at least physically similar.

The alarm on the face of the waiter that greeted them was to be expected, as well as the odd looks being cast to their table from around the restaurant. Darui glanced to the side, out from under the lock of white-blond hair that fell in front of his eye to look back at other villagers. After a few minutes, they seemed to relax and adjust to the sight of foreign shinobi and go about their business…for the most part. A handful of them kept glancing back.

It will take some time… Darui figured, as he looked over the menu, mirroring his companions. Glancing up at Wan as he spoke, the dark-skinned Jounin nodded slightly. The fellow jounin nodded as well, and murmured their hushed thanks, clearly a bit flustered by the generous gesture of the Tsuchikage.

”Well…” Darui said, keeping his eyes locked on the menu. ”That’s rather kind of the Tsuchikage, and I’ll have to thank him on behalf of all of us…” He raised his eyes and glanced at the other Jounin, who got his silent message.

After a few minutes, the group was beginning to look up from the menu, having decided upon what they were going to eat. ”And to answer your question from earlier, I do remember Seiji…” a small smile tugged at Darui’s lips as he recalled how fascinated the Iwagakure Jounin had been with the Black Lightning, although he failed to replicate it – unbeknownst to him at first. ”How is he doing? More importantly, though, how is your training going?”

It was a polite question for a Jounin to ask of a younger shinobi, right?

[KANE]

After a short while a waiter came to the table and brought everyone their requested drinks before taking their food orders. Wan got the spicy chicken with a side of macaroni. It wasn't his 'usual' but that was because he enjoyed switching things up when it wasn't an inconvenience. And since this bill would be- most likely- picked up by the village, Wan wasn't worried about wasting his money on a meal he won't like, and he knew he'd like this meal so it was a safe new course to try.

After Darui said he would be sure to thank the Tsuchikage for the gesture Wan commented ]b\"It is our honor as a village to welcome our friends and allies."

[/b] It was perhaps the most formal thing he would say that day. After taking a few sips of his drink- he had to rearrange his facial bandages so that his mouth was available- he tried to get to know all of the Kumogakure Jonin, trying to at least learn their names.

After a few rounds of "Whats my name" Wan heard Darui ask about Seiji. His response was positive; Seiji was doing great, he got his own Genin team now and Wan had been joining the team as a de facto member on a couple of missions. He also told Darui how Seiji was taking time to train Wan in how to control and utilize the suiton elemental chakra affinity. So far he could only make a pillar of water rise about a foot off of a water surface, but he was progressing.

"When I'm not training with Seiji or my team," he went on, "I'm teaching swordsmanship to myself. I've been looking around for a swordsman to help me, but Iwagakure doesn't have a whole bunch of them." He glanced just past Darui's shoulder before adding "I can't help but notice that you usually have a sword strapped to your back. Would you be able to give me some pointers?"

A minute later the food arrived. Half a dozen plates were being carried by their waiter with the rest being brought out in a followup trip. Wan looked at his chicken and then the macaroni, then decided to mix them together. The result was a culinary masterpiece that Wan decided to catalog in the back of his head.[/blockquote][/quote]

[KANE]

The waiter returned to take their orders, and Darui gestured for everybody to go before himself. When his turn came he had finally decided – his reason for delaying previously was that he had been unable to choose which dish he wanted – and ordered a kare pan, some curry within deep fried battered bread. He hadn’t had any sort of spicy food for a long while, so he was looking forward to having some.

”It is our honor as a village to welcome our friends and allies.”


Glancing to his left in surprise, Darui said nothing as his Jounin companions nodded and murmured in agreement to Wan’s formal statement.

Friends and allies, huh? Tsuchikage must be making some sort of attempt to seem more friendly… he thought.

Although Darui didn’t know much about the younger shinobi, he had a feeling the young boy generally wasn’t that formal, but for the sake of the Kumo Jounin that had arrived for the exchange program, he made an exception. The Genin waited until he had learned the names of the other Jounin before turning to Darui to answer his question. Admittedly the answer surprised Darui slightly. A de facto member of the team, huh? Darui supposed it wasn’t a complete impossibly, although it still registered in his mind as “uncommon”.

Despite the somewhat strange circumstances of Wan’s training, Darui was glad to hear that at least he was being trained…and further in the use of Suiton. Darui had found out when he was a Genin that the use of elemental natures was absolutely vital when it came to trumping an enemy in one way, shape, or form. Based on the description of his progress, Darui determined that Wan was progressing at an even, steady rate that covered any errors when they were presented, and not before or afterwards.

Something else, however, caught Darui’s attention.

”When I’m not training with Seiji or my team, I’m teaching swordsmanship to myself. I’ve been looking around for a swordsman to help me, but Iwagakure doesn’t have a whole bunch of them.” He saw the young shinobi look to the cleaver blade strapped and covered safely across his back. ”I can’t help but noice that you usually have a sword strapped to your back. Would you be able to give me some pointers?”

Darui chuckled, glancing over at the other Jounin, pleased to see that they were growing accustomed to the foreign atmosphere. Looking back at Wan once the food arrived, he surreptitiously studied the younger Genin as he ate. Biting into his kare pan, he chewed some as he thought about Wan’s request. It would be easy enough, yeah. That was basically what they were there for, right? Aside from other political things, at least.

Leaning back slightly after he sat the kare pan down, Darui glanced over at the younger Genin. ”Sure, I can teach you at least basic stuff you need to know…” he said with a small smile. ”Although my style was more adapted for a cleaver blade like mine, the root of the forms is usable for just about any blade. Too bad the person that taught me couldn’t come along…she would have been better to teach you.”

And scarier… Darui added silently to himself.

[KANE]

Wan was excited when Darui said he would teach him. Even the basics would be good for Wan since all he knew so far was self taught based on common sense and observation and instruction from scrolls. Wan wanted to become a really good swordsman and he'd need to train under much better swordsman than himself. A jonin of Darui's caliber would be just what the doctor ordered.

After a while everyone's food was finished. During the dinner there was ample conversation, some people who recognized Wan stopped by on their way into or out of Kodori's to see what he was up to with all of these Jonin. Wan explained as best he could and introduced the group of Kumogakure Jonin to whomever had stopped by, and vice versa. When the plates were taken Wan took the check and paid for the meal out of pocket then replaced the money with the receipt.

Outside, Wan said "Alright everyone, lets continue the tour." From the Market District where they had finished their meal, Wan led them to the Kousaijouri no Teikoku- the Imperial Arena of Competition- and told them a bit about its history and the events that take place there. From there they went to the Healing Baths which Wan encouraged them all to enjoy while they were in Iwagakure.

The Hospital was the next stop on the tour, being not far from the Healing Baths for obvious reasons. Depending on what the Kumogakure Jonin would be doing while in Iwagakure, it would be a good idea for them to be familiar with the hospital. Just past the hospital was the Residential Area where Wan pointed out his own house and invited them all to stop in if they have any questions or want a hot meal. His mom was a fine cook.

Crossing yet another bridge- the Jonin should have all realized that the village was divided by deep chasms and each area was accessible only via bridge walking- Wan showed the Jonin the Iwagakure Shinobi Academy but didn't spend much time there. Instead, he took them to the Messenger Bird Tower, the quickest way to send and receive messages outside of Iwagakure. He figured that the Jonin would want to know where this place was so that they could communicate with their home.

The last point in the tour was the Training Fissure where Wan told them they could practice their jutsus and other skills here without worrying about frightening anybody. "People destroy this area all the time" Wan said, "So a few more broken boulders won't alarm anyone."

After the Training Fissure, it was off to the Administrative Tower. "And here we are" he said as they entered. He went up to the front desk where a kunoichi was expecting the jonin to show up. "What took you so long?" she asked Wan.

"We stopped for lunch" Wan said, fishing into his pocket, "Here's the receipt." The receptionist took it and looked at it. Looking to the Kumogakure shinobi, she said "If you will all follow me, I'll take you to the Tsuchikage." She stood up to take them to the stairs in the side of the room.

---

---

End