Northeastern Gate

One of the two side gates to the village, which looks just like the primary gate, but is only open in cases of emergency or when ordered by the Anbu or higher.

Akihiro arrived at the rarely ever used Northeastern Gate specifically at midnight. This gate was rarely ever used, and could only be opened with the permission of the ANBU Captain. This role had recently been filled by the Sparrow and so the young commander took the opportunity to launch a special black ops mission. Since the gate was rarely ever opened, there was barely any traffic in that area of the village and especially at night. Other than the night patrols and gate guards who knew better than to challenge Akihiro's authority, there was nobody else around.

Well, nobody except for his Mockingbird agents. After the recent incident in the Land of Grass, Akihiro learned from his mistake and altered the way Mockingbird was functioning in order to make it more loyal to the organization's original goal. He had also started a massive recruitment and training program which had led to the appearance many new faces in the organization. All of them were reunited here tonight.

In total, there was an army of 180 men in front of Akihiro, all organized into proper squads and all wearing the famous Mockingbird uniform and masks. Akihiro himself was wearing his special mask, armor and cloak which were essential parts of his equipment. All of these well equipped men would be the first wave of agents Akihiro launched into the world to do his bidding.

there was a full moon out but it was only shinning brightly above groups of massive clouds. This was the perfect night to release his birds. It was a rather quiet night save for a few animal sounds here and there. And the 180 men and women in front of him were so silent a blind person would never have noticed them. As such, Akihiro had no need to speak too loudly.

"You all know what your missions are. Respect your squad leaders, lay out the network and get everything prepared. I want daily reports." The 18 squad leaders responded with a solid "Aye!"

"16th squad is with me. Guards, open the gate." The heavy wooden doors opened. "Everyone, go."

And with that, everyone seemed to vanish. The gates closed behind them.

OOC Information:

Squad 1:
[Senju Forest-> Land of Fire] -> Land of Rain = 24hrs + 12 hours to settle in Land of Rain

Squad 2:
[Senju Forest->Land of Fire] -> Land of Grass -> Land of Earth = 24h+12h+24h

Squad 3:
[Senju Forest->Land of Fire] ->Land of Grass = 24h+12h

Squad 4:
[Senju Forest->Land of Fire] -> Land of Grass -> Land of Earth-> Land of Iron = 24h+12h+48h+12h

Squad 5:
[Senju Forest->Land of Fire] -> Land of Rivers-> Land of Wind = 24h+12h+24h

Squad 6:
[Senju Forest->Land of Fire] = 24 hrs

Squad 7:
[Senju Forest->Land of Fire] -> Land of Hot Springs = 24h+12h

Squad 8:
[Senju Forest->Land of Fire] -> Land of Grass -> Land of Earth-> Land of Snow = 24h+12h+48h+12h

Squad 9:
[Senju Forest->Land of Fire] -> Waters between Nagi Island and the main continent  = 36h

Squad 10:
[Senju Forest->Land of Fire] -> Land of Tea -> Land of the Sea = 24h+12h+12h

Squad 11:
[Senju Forest->Land of Fire] -> Land of Waves = 24h+12h

Squad 12:
[Senju Forest->Land of Fire] -> Land of Rivers = 24h+12h

Squad 13:
[Senju Forest->Land of Fire] -> Land of Waterfalls = 24h+12h

Squad 14:
[Senju Forest->Land of Fire] -> Land of Hot Springs-> Land of Frost = 24h+12h+12h

Squad 15:
[Senju Forest->Land of Fire] -> Land of the Moon = 24h+12h

Squad 16 and Akihiro:
[Senju Forest->Land of Fire] -> Land of Tea = 24h+12h

Squad 17:
[Senju Forest->Land of Fire] -> Land of Birds = 24h+12h

Squad 18:
[Senju Forest->Land of Fire] -> Land of Rice Fields = 24h+12h


[EXIT]

Neko-Sama had gotten her best scouts and with the targets picked out by Akihiro, dispatched them to their final goal.

Squad 1: Rank A Scouts to Land of Rain (Amegakure): Half a Major. [Land of Fire > Land of Rain

24 Hrs.

Squad 2: Rank A Scouts (1) to Land of Waves: Half a Major. [Land of Fire > Land of Rain

24 Hrs.

Squad 3: Rank A Scouts (1) to Land of Hot Springs: Half a Major; Half a Minor (Tsukigakure? Whatever that Purple one is, but the unnamed land mass.): (southern tip) Unnamed Land Mass (Half a nothing); Land of Sound; Land of Hot Springs.

24 Hrs + 12 hrs: 36 Hrs.

Sachiko was way behind schedule, leaving for the Land of Tea. Akihiro had already left, and she knew she wasn't about to catch up with the lead he had, but she figured she would leave on her own. Better late than never after all. She had all of her gear on her, chief among them being the new gauntlets Akihiro had given her as a promotion gift. Sachiko was very proud of her new gauntlets, and any who found themselves on her bad side better fear her.

Signing herself out of the village on a mission, the Chuunin would begin jogging towards her destination, eager to begin this new mission.

[Senju Forest->Land of Fire] -> Land of Tea = 24h+12h

Omce again Akihiro found himself near the least used gates of Konohagakure no Sato. Not that it mattered much, he had no need to actually use the gates. But he'd rather no one saw him use the Flying Thunder God technique to leave the village. And that's exactly what happened.

[Exit-> Land of Waves time travel reduced to 0]

Akihiro was about to leave the village when he noticed a large shipment being carried in wagons out of the gates. Quietly, he followed the wagons. This probably had something to do with the invasion but Akihiro couldn't quite figure out what could be so important. Since he was leaving the village anyway, he decided to follow the wagons.

[Exit]

Ashitaka carried his completed departure form to the guard on duty at the gate, his mind and heart so burdened that he was oblivious to the dirty looks he was getting from everyone he passed. As the Hokage had avoided telling him outright, his forfeiture had severely impacted morale on the front lines which led to a spike in losses on their side. Word was spreading that they were losing the front lines entirely and it was easy to say that it was all his fault. Now, though, he had a bigger concern to deal with. There was a legitimate platoon at his back and he was on orders to seize control of the Land of Hotsprings. Rather than taking the shorter overland route, though, he'd been commanded to take them by boat. This made him nervous, since boats could be seen from a distance and they could be forced to fight over the waters of the ocean. But he wasn't about to question the Hokage's judgment on this matter out loud, and he doubted the regiment would be willing to listen anyway. In any case, he walked with them down to the docks and boarded the ship they'd be taking on the mission.

Full Name: Ashitaka Inuzuka Senju
Citizenship: Konoha/Land of Fire
Reason for Leaving/Entering: Mission
Expected Duration: Until completion.

[Senju Forest -> Land of Fire -> Kaizoku Sea -> Haran Bay - Hotsprings (Country) = 84 hours

Searching for Hot Springs village (projected time: 1 month after landing)
2 months baseline
-2 Weeks for B-Tier Intelligence
-2 Weeks for B-Tier Perception (Also meets B-rank Secrecy)

Projected DOA for Land of Hotsprings Shore: 12/29/20 8 am Guam
Projected DOL for Village of Hotsprings: 01/29/21 8 am Guam

Note: all crafting projects suspended during this time.

[Exit thread]

10 A rank npc would come carrying one iko Otsu through the north eastern gate in chains. Carrying her as fast as they could straight to the kumo gates with orders to drop her there and return immediately.

Npc travel 10 A ranks escorting iko otsu to kumo and back
Konoha to kumo
Northwestern Fire Country -> Land of Hot Springs-> Land of Frost -> Southeastern Lightning Country (72 Hours)
Exit thread

Arriving at the gate before noon Tōri stretched his limbs trying to shoo away the pre-mission jitters. It had been a while since the jōnin had left the village on official business and he couldn’t help but feel a smidge of unease, eager though he may be. With the messenger hawks sent earlier this morning the receiving genin should be notified and given time to prepare for their afternoon departure. The three genin within the mission requirements would each receive a messenger bird at their respective homes with the following printed on a piece of parchment:

Mission Name: Summon Contract Acquisition
Mission Type: Asset acquirement
Mission Rank: B
Mission Goal: Minimum of one Konoha shinobi signing a contract with the Octopus Clan.
Description: Travel to Haran Bay in order to find the shinobi octopus clan located within the elusive Village Hidden in the Maelstrom. Gain their trust enough to make a contract with them.
Payment: 100,000 Ryō per participant
Requirements: Sera Subetemiru, Nao Hyūga, Natsuki Uchiha

Waiting for the three students to appear he would greet them upon arrival with a wave, though with what he had brought along with him for the journey their attention would likely be focused elsewhere. Next to Tōri sat a large saddled creature with a long neck and tail, the eel-hound resting his head on outstretched paws as he mimed his master’s stretches with one of his own before relaxing once more. An extra long saddle was wrapped around the docile beast with several stirrups and leather handles for more comfortable travel.

Laying beside one saddled-mount was another, this one a feathery griffon that groomed herself with little nips between feathers before the genin began to gather. The eel-hound would continue soaking up the rays of sun covering it as they approached, however, the griffon would perk her head up and give them each piercing stare before returning her attention to cleaning.

Waiting for all of them to gather he would address the group all together. “Meet Unagi and Katsu.” Motioning with his head from the eel-hound to the griffon he would then continue. “These two will be our rides on this expedition to the Land of Hotsprings where Haran Bay resides. Before I go over our party formation I’ll open the floor to any questions.”

Unagi:

Katsu:

Natsuki's stride slowed considerably as he approached the gate. The creatures that accompanied Tōri were... certainly something. As he closed the distance, the griffon's sudden stare started him into a quick backpedal as he let out an "Ah!" While she quickly resumed her grooming, Natsuki gave her a wild berth as he waved in kind to Tōri.

"I'm not sure if I have any questions," Natsuki said with a hint of embarrassment. He didn't at all know what to expect. "I'm just along for the ride."

Sera received the messenger hawk with the instructions to meet up for Tori’s mission and she got to work immediately. She grabbed her backpack of supplies for their multi-day excursion and said goodbye to her parents before heading towards the gates. It was a wonderful day outside and it gave Sera hope that the mission would be smooth sailing. She knew that there was potential for danger and death, but she also knew that she had been training for this very moment to avoid such casualties. As she arrived at the gates she gave the guards a wave and approached Tori and Natsuki, noticing the large beasts at her teacher’s side. She brightened up her facial expression and gave a half bow to the two creatures.

“It’s nice to meet you Unagi and Katsu. My name is Sera” she smiled to let them know she was friendly, but also maintained eye contact to let them know that she wasn’t afraid of them. As a hunter of animals, Sera knew that she wouldn’t be respected if they thought they were stronger than her. She would then turn to Tori and inquire about the mission. “How many days do we think it will take to get to our destination?”

Dressed in his black gi and boots, a black and blue pendant hanging around his neck. The hilt of his tanto visible over his right shoulder, with a thigh holster on his right leg full of Kunai and pouches on his hip full of other supplies that might be needed on the mission. Nao would arrive at the gates with his pure white dire wolf Amarok walking next to him, last to arrive, as seemed to be the habit for him lately. He really needed to work on his time management, improve it, so he wasn't running late all the time. Having spent so much time ensuring that he had everything ready to go, only to then be late.

"Apologies for being late," Nao would state with a bow to the three gathered waiting. Noticing the other two creatures that stood with Tōri as he introduced what he called their rides, Nao would gentle rub the underside of Amarok's neck. "If it is alright with you, Tōri-Sensei. I would like to ride on Amarok, he gets jealous if I show attention to others." Nao would answer, not really having any questions other than that.

Amarok:

As the team fully assembled Tōri would nod in response to Nao’s question before answering Sera and divulging the rest of the trip's details.

“It should take just thirty-six hours to reach Haran Bay. We’ll camp overnight in the Land of Hotsprings before heading in the next day. As for lodging, we'll be sleeping in a mokuton house I'll be creating for us each night. Feel free to let me know when we’re setting up for the evening any specifications you might want in your room. As for our squad formation I want Sera up in the sky with Katsu, Natsuki with me on Unagi and Nao beside us on Amarok.”

He was neither cold for any lack of questions nor particularly warm, the man was eager more than anything to be on the move.

“Let us be off.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OOC: Attempted exit

Travel from: Konoha

Travel to: Haran Bay (Edge of Land of Hotsprings)

Travel Time: 4 hours (half major nation (24 hour) + full minor nation traversal (12 hours) + Traveling on Pets with A-Rank Speed through two countries)

Natsuki gave a warm smile to Sera, and a polite nod to Nao, as they approached. He didn't know the Hyuuga boy that well beyond what he witnessed in the meeting of the genin. He had hopes that his budding friendship with Innocence wouldn't prove to be a distraction for his relationship with Nao.

What mattered more was how quickly they'd be off. He didn't know what going on a mission outside of the village entailed, so he only really brought what he would to a day of training in the facilities. The clothes on his back and the sword at his side were all he had, but the others seemed so much more prepared...

All the same, and as instructed, he would be the only one accompanying Tōri on the eel thing, Unagi. He would wait to observe just how in the hell his sensei did it first before climbing up too. "Here we go," he whispered to himself, unsure of just what was about to happen.


[OOC: Going where Tōri is going.]

Nao showed up with his own beautiful steed which Sera also greeted politely. "Good to see you Nao!" Sera would smile at the silver haired boy. She would turn to Tori and listen as he explained the plans for the traveling. Sera nodded in understanding and would approach the flying pet carefully. With a bright smile she would reach out and then board the giant bird-like creature once it allowed her. The gang was all here and it was time to start her biggest mission yet! Sera was excited and she couldn't help but let it show on her face. The group would take off and she gripped Katsu tightly. She was comfortable with flying now, but it was a bit different when it was something else in control and not her. It wasn't actually a problem since she could catch herself if she fell, but it was probably good to not let her guard down. Katsu would fly after Tori and company and Sera was along for the ride!

[Exit thread following Tori]

"It's good to see you too, Sera." Nao replied with a small smile. Listening as Tōri explained their travel arrangements, Nao nodded before climbing onto Amarok's back and petting the side of his neck. He didn't know what to expect on this journey but he would do his best to help with scouting for possible danger by activating his Byakugan as he moved to follow Tōri and the others.

Exit Thread following Tōri

Arriving at the gate Tōri waited to meet with the large group he was to lead to the exams, messenger hawks having left that morning to all their homes directing them to this gate. There would be too many to all take mounts, though it certainly wasn’t impossible if many more of the genin had pets such as Nao did. He readied his pets at the stable just nearby the gates in case they would be able to speed up the process, but he didn’t expect any miracles. There only needed to be three extra mounts for the group with the three his own pets could host and Nao's own pet.

Glad to have experience with just under half the group, Tōri hoped they wouldn’t be as troublesome as Airi made some of them sound. In a set of traveling robes and a loose haori he donned his new sandals and was excited to get on the road and get things moving.

It seemed like only yesterday that Natsuki had met up with Nao, Sera, and Tori- and who could forget Unagi and Katsu. This was it, though, and he was sweating profusely beneath his orange haori from the moment he left his apartment. Fucking hell... Why didn't I just tell Airi I didn't want to do it... He was so afraid to be the only genin to opt out that he simply came along for the ride. Even now, on autopilot as he made his way towards the gate, Natsuki tried to will himself anywhere else. But he could not.

"Hey Tori Sensei," the boy would sound as he approached the gate, the first to arrive. On him would be two swords, one that the Senju would not have seen before and one that looked immaculate compared to his original. "This is it, huh?"

Nao would arrive at the gates on the back of Amarok, the white dire wolf plodding up with a look of excitement at another trip. Nao would have all the same gear that he had the last time he had traveled with Tōri, without getting off of Amarok he would look to see that for the first time he wasn't the last to arrive an that they would be waiting for others to join them before they made the journey to the exams. "Tōri-Sensei, Natsuki." Nao would greet the pair of them with a small head nod and a smile, "I hope you won't be offended when I beat you Natsuki, but I aim to win the exams." Nao added. The was no aggression in his voice, just a simple statement made almost playfully among a comrade.

The chuunin exams were finally here and a pep in Sera's step pushed her forward until she arrived at the konohagakure gates. Her friends and colleagues were gathered and seemed about to leave for their destination. She would wave and run over to the group with a bright smile on her face. "Hey guys! It's finally here huh? I'm excited to see what everyone can do. I feel like everyone must have some sort of trump card or something right?" Sera eyed each of them and watched to see if anyone visually reacted to that. She had trained and spent time with most of the other genin, but never really fought or went on missions with half of them. It would be exciting to see them all in action. "Well, let's go get'em and prove ourselves to the world!" Sera would pump her fist in cheer and then begin to leave for the exams.

[Exit to chuunin exams!]

Kaori walked up, using Chakra Suppression to keep her chakra signature hidden for the time being. She had her hands in her pockets and was whistling a monotonous tone. She wasn't that good at whistling, so it kept being almost the exact same note each time.

She eyed up Tori and then turned her attention to Hibiki. Tori hadn't bothered to reach out to her at least in preparation for the exams. Probably like any other Konoha-nin, he cared more about the people who were born in his village than some outsiders from Iwa.

That was all well and good to her. Heading over to Hibiki and Natsuki, Kaori nodded her head at the two of them in greetings. Looking over to Sera, Kaori smirked. "It's a Chuunin exams, all we gotta do is prove to be Chuunin in capability. While I might not win, I'm sure I can prove that much, especially since Natsuki gave me a neat trick to use." she said, shrugging. Anyone who didn't have a trump card was stupid. This was a Chuunin Exam. What's stupid is putting everything on display for anyone to learn all your secrets, or announcing that you definitely have tricks up your sleeve.

-
Chakra Suppression

Two of the genin he hadn't met yet arrived, it seemed the other's had missed the messenger hawk or the typically timely birds had been delayed. Regardless he wanted to head out and make sure all arriving got there on time, greeting Hibiki before heading out with those that were there.

"Likewise, Hibiki. I'm excited to see all of your progress in the coming trials." Looking across all of the gathered genin he would then signal for them to follow him to make it in time for the opening ceremonies. Thankfully transportation to the event itself wasn't the tricky part, it was keeping all these teenagers in line once things got started.

~~~~

OOC: Traveling to O'uzu Island

Innocence swaggered up to the Konoha Gates as the last one to arrive among all the other Leaf Ninja. She wore her typical outfit along with all the other gear she had prepped for the Exams including a gorgeous Cosmic Katana which was strapped to her back. The other genin were clearly excited, but after the things she had little use for excitement. Usually she'd have some kind of quippy remark to throw in their overeager faces but today she merely sulked in the corner only offering a sneer or dirty look at any of the other genin who might dare glance her way. The only one of them that might be spared a look of venom was Natsuki who instead would just get an annoyed shake of the head indicating that she was not in the mood. The budding surgeon would have dark bags underneath her eyes which were fixed mostly towards the ground. She ground her shoe into the dirt and patiently waited for the group to head out. When it was time to go, the brooding Uchiha followed the group to the awaiting docks.

[Exit]

Nakaba, astride his pangostoat rode off to the island in whuch the exams would be held. He’d travel along chasing down the others on the back of sweet limon.

[I got too excited and cheated. Sorry friends, I’ll do my best to make sure it doesn’t happen again.]