In Search of the Hidden Mist

"This is as far as we can take you."


The frigate was situated one hundred meters from shore with its anchor dropped. The captain stood on deck with Gin, both in conversation."Looks like I'll see to my mission, then. As you know, I will be attempting to discover the Hidden Mist Village. I don't know what awaits me in the Land of Water, but there's a good chance I may run into trouble on my way. There is not much telling us what the political layout currently is, what organizations exist, and all that jazz. I'm practically walking in blind here. I'm telling you this because in three months when you return to pick me up from this exact spot, if I'm not here by noon, I want you to return to Konoha and report news of my death.
Got it?"

"Yes, I understand. Good luck, and be safe."

"You know me better than I know myself." Descending from the frigate Gin landed on the ocean's surface, the soles of his sandals on the surface of water. Standing upright Gin ran towards the sandy shores. By the time he reached the beach front her turned her head, the anchor being reeled in and sails preparing for a voyage back to the Land of Fire. This left the Chuunin completely isolated in the Land of Water. There was no turning back at this point. The gentle sound of the waves was coupled by an eerie entrance of a misty jungle. Freaky stuff...I guess I can set up a low-profile AO and plan my next move from there. The Chuunin would cautiously enter the jungle keeping a sharp eye of detail. This would start the Chuunin's campaign of the Hidden Mist.

[Searching for Kirigakure no Sato - Day 1/65]

Days have passed. Gin successfully set up rather comfortable area of operations. During the initial week of set up he had relied on food pills for nourishment until he located a nearby school of mackerel just off the shore, as well as a few places to forage some citrus and shellfish. Food didn't matter much to him. It was enjoyable for the next couple days to have a hot meal and sugar after living on processed military pills for the first six days. Between building a shelter, rather supplies, and scouting he simple did not have a whole lot of time to find food sources. Knowing he had food pills served as a means to neglect that particular resource. He had to admit it was a bit of a challenge. He had to make sure not to get lost when searching for places to gather. On top of it, the environment was out of his class. A forest would serve as a non-issue for food. He at least had some general knowledge of what was considered good to eat. In the Land of Water the plants and even some fish were questionable. He had to rely on his preexisting knowledge which was decent, but more suited for his home land.

Upon discovery of familiar fish and fruits he was settled. Within the jungle nearly two kilometers off shore was a small, humble campsite. An open fire sat in the middle of a dirt clearing. During the day Gin would preserve the embers until night came. His shelter was not far. Because this was more or less a permanent settlement he dedicated him time to make it comfortable and lasting. Made of a mixture of clay and straw it was reinforced with sticks to make a rather secure hut. He even had time to produce clay tiles for the roof, which was backed with more straw. The "door" was less impressive. Gin was incapable of making anything more superior than stacked sticks fastened together with plant fibers and backed with straw. Still, it was rather secure where he wouldn't have to worry about stray critters, rodents, or snakes creeping in while he was asleep. Any type of professional shelter was highly desired by wild animal.

His hut was lightly furnished. His bedroll made up his sleeping area. Next to his bedroll was his bag, a sack which was previously used for his spare clothes now doubling as a fruit storage, and a small carved stump as a chair in the corner with a makeshift table from his leftover lumber. Candles were unavailable. With no success in catching wild game he had no option to make tallow. A small, short fence surrounded his camp made from sharpened sticks and whatever unpleasant deterrents he could find including thorns from vine bushes and spare insulation. It surrounded the base except for a small narrow opening just large enough for a human to shimmy through sideways. The tree branches surrounding his base was covered a mixture of beach sand and coconut oil. The mixture make traction difficult, so much so Gin had witnessed squirrels and even snakes tumble as they attempted to scale the surrounding trees. Spare supplies for building littered the campsite along with halved coconut shells to collect rainwater when possible to prevent having the need to boil.

It was late in the evening as the fire crackled, two fish on a wooden skewer just above the smokey flames. Gin resided in his hut sitting at his desk with a sheet of parchment spread across the table, charcoal in hand as he sketched today's findings. "I can't remember the last time I ever craved dining out. Guess I've been spoiling myself too long. Nonetheless..." Pulling a cigarette and igniting the end with a zippo lighter he took a drag while storing his lighter in his front pocket, exhaling the smoke through his nostrils. "I gotta at least make these last. I wonder how long it'll take me to bump into the Hidden Mist." Working on his parchment he continued to graph his current findings of the Land of Water. Even if he fails his mission, these papers would serve to be infinitely useful. He worked to double down his sketches. One for himself and one hidden beneath his bedroll. It was always useful to keep record. In the dire event she does die there would at least be some legacy of his work.

[Searching for Kirigakure no Sato - Day 10/65]

Roughly three weeks into his settlement and Gin had become accustomed to the Land of Water. Whatever caution he had has been washed down with a moderately comfortable life style as he worked to uncover one of the hidden villages. He has been lucky and unlucky so far to not run into any foreign Kirigakure Shinobi. Not having to deal with any potential troubles and being detained for skulking around their land was a plus, but there was a potential chance he could have an "escort" to their village to conduct business. So in the meantime he enjoyed himself by working solo. He was fairly familiar with a few dozen kilometers of land surrounding the area, even finding new places to forage for different foods making his stay more enjoyable.

Gin was consistent with his record keeping, having created two copies of his cartography and even wise enough to keep his spare copy buried underneath his bedroll in the soil. His work was peaceful and enlightening as he explored the land and recorded his findings in illustrations and text. It was difficult sometimes to navigate through the mist and jungle at once, though his travels has allowed him to become more familiar to this issue.

[Searching for Kirigakure no Sato - Day 24/65]

Gin's been going through the same stuff since he has been. It has felt like he has explored the entire continent by now, but it seems there will always be more land in the horizon. After making a stable encampment he would sometimes think about missing his camp grounds once discovering Kirigakure's location. But with the same mindset he missed his home and civilization at most. Fortunately for him, those will all come with time.

[Searching for Kirigakure no Sato - Day 47/65]

egg w/green zigzags in gin

After two months of living in his current environment Gin had become familiar with the land, more so than most of its natives. Spending his day traversing the mud and marking the land on parchment allowed him to finally locate the giant that was Kirigakure. The military stronghold for the Land of Water. Gin was unsure if he was spotted by any scouts. Odds are, he was. It would be almost impossible to avoid them. And truth be told, Gin did little to cover his tracks. He did not want to appear as a stealth unit. He was a diplomat on his mission, one that would welcome help (although never successfully attracted it.) "Well that's it, then." He said, standing on a cliff's end overlooking the village hidden in the mist. "This place surely lived up to its name. Trying to find this village is like searching in the dark. With the mist as thick as it is you have no lead to go off of. I think I'm done playing scout. I need to get these details back to Konoha and get ready for this diplomacy gig."

Gin hiked back to his campsite, gathering his supplies and everything he needed to make his way back to Konoha. His ship should be there on the coast in the same location he was dropped from. Being back in the clear, sunny atmosphere of the Land of Fire and being back in society was something he greatly looked forward to. He wanted to be in his best condition before trying to start any deals. This meant a new load out in gear.

[Searching for Kirigakure no Sato - Day 65/65]

[Exit --> Konohagakure]

"What do you think, Sato?" Sato stood from his squatting position in the middle of what appeared to be a temporary camp. It was close to the village, and had been an accidental discovery on their part as the three of them were returning to the village. Each was armed with a bow, well suited to their usual long range tactics.

"I'm not sure, but I'm willing to bet whoever this is will come back. We'll wait here until they return." Without another word, the three shinobi would back off enough so that whoever the camp belonged to would not be able to directly see them. They had their sensory abilities active the entire time, ready to approach once the owner got within range. An hour passed before he returned, and as he began to pack up his camp the three Counter-Espionage shinobi would descend upon him. Soundlessly they approached, a testament to their skill as shinobi, surrounding the man before the leader, Sato, would speak up. Each shinobi had an arrow drawn and aimed at the man, their aim being exceptionally good at this range.

"Whoever you are, state your business immediately." The words were spoken with a neutral tone, not indicating outright hostility but not being particularly friendly either. All three were prepared to respond to any potential hostility on the part of this unknown man with lethal force, should he dare to try and fight his way out.




Counter-Espionage interrupting your exit, A rank squad of NPC

Gin would arrive back to his encampment. The first thing he would notice would be the campground being disturbed. Making his way into the short fence he noticed the increased amount of top soil disturbance mixed in with beach sand, most likely triggered from his booby trap. He examined this on one knee appraising the ground's detail, stroking his fingertips along the dirt and feeling for the sand. Rubbing it between his fingertips he felt the presence of oil. Certainly, he had visitor. And they would make themselves clear as the Chuunin lifting his head to the greeting of three men, arrows drawn at full mast. Gin would stand upright with their presence, body showing no signs of hostility. One of them, presumable the captain, would speak out.

Gin was sharp enough to recognize their appearance, which led for a small fit of hysterical laughter on his end. He gently covered his mouth as he chuckled heartily to himself. "Do you all make it a habit to hold up alien visitors after they have found your village? By God, I would have been a lot more thankful if you all have shown up, I don't know, a month or so ago?" He said this out of humor and not spite, his tone and body language greatly purveying a comical mood. However, as fast as he acted upon their statement, his face relaxed to a half-lidded expression resuming to the calm and collected individual he truly was. "If you must know, I have two goals here. The first one was to locate the Village Hidden in the Mist. My second goal is to speak with a representative of the village. I am acting as an Ambassador of Konohagakure. If you are willing to allow me to retrieve the documents for said mission, I can show you the seal of approval from Konoha's administration."

Gin had remembered to bring a copy of the mission details for exactly this type of situation. It would come in handy to try and convince a scouting party of his true intentions. "Oh, and me? I am Gin Akiyama. I am a Chuunin from Konoha, if you haven't figured that out by now." He said this, arm at his sides, waiting for any response from the Shinobi. He had to be ready to spring into combat at any moment if a hint of hostility was shown while remaining aware of his surroundings. There were three Shinobi before him, and potentially more. Although it was unlikely he could never be too cautious. At least not when having three bows, drawn and aimed at his body.