Party City

Masuyo stood amidst the usual Hòu Zhuān Square after summoning her Genin to the market. The mail was short and sweet, requesting "urgent" attention. Masuyo even left immediately after sending the mail over to wait for them to arrive. Masuyo wore the standard gear most Shinobi in Iwagakure wear. Her footwear consisted of standard black sandals fitted for comfort and security. With the toes and heel left exposed they provided additional balance, while the rest of the foot up to the ankle was protected by the thick material of the sandal. The soles of the sandals are reinforced with hardened material to resist heavy impacts and wear. Fishnet tights draw from her feet all the way up the entire length of her legs designed to fit snugly and providing minimal warmth while still remaining breathable in hotter conditions. A pair of tight black shorts reach down nearly five inches above her knees. White bandage wrap is wrapped around her right thigh which has a navy blue holster strapped over. Around her waist she wears the basic utility belt which carries two green holsters on her right side along with a tool pouch around her back side and a canteen to the far left. She wears a red lapel on her left side extending down to her knee not interfering with her access to her tools.

A red top is worn with loose sleeves reaching down just a little past her elbows. This is reinforced with a brown leather flak jacket provided by Iwagakure's armory which serves as issued the issued armor. This is accompanied by an additional tool pouch which is wrapped around the abdomen facing the front instead of being on the rear. On both hands Masuyo wears a set of fingerless black gloves backed with small steel plates providing comfort and protection. Around her neck Masuyo wears her forehead protector as a collar. The black cloth is tied in a knot around the back side of her neck with the steel plate facing the front for identification. The steel plate has Iwagakure's emblem engraved on the front. Masuyo has straight black hair which extends down to her mid back. Two strands of hair drop down touching her chest which leads into her bangs which are cut shorter and swept to her right side. She stands at 5'9 weighing approximately 145 lbs. Her fair skin is complimented with her voluptuous form which is completed with a pair of hazel eyes.

The Jounin would wait, patiently, for her kiddos to arrive.

Ever since the canceled training for Taichi's squad, things have been on a downward spiral for Taichi, his motivation to improve himself had died off and most of his days have started to spend his time staying home, he hasn't lost enough motivation for himself to let go, but he's getting the feeling he'll get there sooner or later. His grandpa even started to get snarky with him but for being "lazy" and needing to do more work as a ninja, even though Taichi had spent every day of the week so far just to take off, he's been really enjoying it, just waking up in the morning and realize he has no responsibility for the day. That was shortly ruined when his grandpa went through the door earlier though, with a mail that he read, an urgent meeting called by his sensei. It didn't help that his grandpa knew because he read the note, and practically forced him to get up and start getting ready for the mission.

He did what his grandpa wanted, and started to get dressed. Taichi wears a red colored zippered coat that goes down to his upper legs, though this isn't seen very well inside the coat he wears a yellow shirt that matches his blonde hair in color, meanwhile his left arm is completely filled by a long-sleeved red but his right arm has white bandages that go from his elbow to his palm, he wears long red pants that go down to his lower leg, whatever skin is showing left at his legs is covered by fishnet leggings and his black sandals, he wears his forehead protector on his upper right arm, he then puts on his hip pouch and all his equipment together, since his sensei put "Urgent" in the message he had assumed it was a serious mission of sorts.

Taichi left the house being in full gear, heading over to the Hòu Zhuān Square without much trouble, being a rather calm atmosphere on the way until Taichi came across the market, being a bit more lively. He raised his hand to his forehead looking for any members of his squad, whenever it was Kameko from the details he heard of, Jinn or his sensei. It took him a bit but he finally managed to eye his sensei, quickly heading over to where she is, looking around as he made his way to her. "Hey Sensei... what's the urgency about? I was having a nice, laidback day and I wake up to that mail, this better be urgent as you say it is."

Kameko made her way through the village, headed towards the marketplace as had been commanded by her sensei. She didn't have any gear on her, but she did have the remainder of her ryo and a cousin of hers in tow to help her carry stuff for later. In her right hand was a bag that contained her best work of craftsmanship yet, an exemplary pair of arm guards with a little gift forged into the steel itself. Typically she'd be ecstatic about making something so good, but today was not a typical day. Her choice of attire was simple, comprised of a red skirt that ended a few inches above her knees with a pair of black tights on underneath so nobody could see anything they were supposed to. A white blouse with red lilies stitched into the fabric was her choice for a top, her moderate bust held to be a little flatter with a compression wrap underneath. The blonde hair she was complimented on was pulled into a simple ponytail on the back of her head with a few loose strands framing the sides of her face.

Shinobi sandals clacked along the paved road with every step, her eyes watching every movement of her feet. She was downcast today, and for good reason. The last few weeks, her clan had been going through an inner turmoil that everybody had managed to keep a secret. Her father had had an attempt made on his life via poisoning, likely by somebody within the clan judging by the quality of the chemical. The best medications available to them had been barely enough to keep him alive, and though the poison has worked its way out of his system he was still on the verge of death. She had been running the clan de facto as the heiress since that horrible night, all but disappearing from the village. The only reason she was here now was to keep up the minimum while the clan figured out who did what to her father. Her overall appearance was one of a disheveled orphan who recently bathed but hadn't stopped being sad coupled with a general exhaustion. a crippling combination.

The entire journey there was slow, and neither Amandi said anything along the way. Soon they got to the place she was supposed to be meeting Masuyo at, and Kameko finally spotted her with those bright blue eyes dulled by grief after getting to within twenty meters of her sensei. Kameko pulled her sack of ryo off her belt and handed it to her cousin. He already knew what to buy with it and headed off to go do what his likely soon to be clan leader wanted him to do. Kameko approached her sensei, noting the other guy who was there with them. Kameko stopped in front of Masuyo and bowed respectfully at a forty-five degree angle for a second. "Sensei," she greeted simply, tiredness marking her next few words, "I brought you a gift." Kameko returned to an upright position and held out the bag for Masuyo. When she took it to look inside, the young Amandi heiress would glance over to the guy next to her with a forced but gentle smile and bowed her head in acknowledgement of his presence. She would wait to let Masuyo formally introduce them. That, and she was feeling a little lazy on that particular day.

Inside she would find one set of steel arm guards of a grade above anything that could be found in the village funded shops around the village. The steel had a pattern woven into the fabric of the metal itself in the form of hexagons with one centimeter long sides. It looked like a honeycomb, one of the best ways to ensure uniform strength in nature. Should Masuyo question the pattern, Kameko would let a small smile form at her lips before explaining. "I gave it an enchantment I like to call 'Knuckle Breaker'. Whenever something hits those arm guards hard enough, the enchantment will increase its tensile strength and overall durability to something far beyond what normal steel is capable of. Instantly." After that, Kameko would await instruction while her cousin went to fetch stuff.





Special Note: The number of uses for the enchantment on those arm guards is doubled via one of Kameko's Unique Abilities for a maximum of 30.

Taichi was the first to announce his presence with the typical sluggish attitude she had not properly conditioned out of him. She paid little attention to his aggression, as their meeting was of upmost importance. There was no room for petty squabbles. "You'll see." Masuyo replied in an unusual manner. Typically she preferred to maintain a jovial atmosphere around her students. It was to make them feel at ease and comfortable around her rather than a short, abusive boss. However, her face showed no expression. On top of that she did not even acknowledge Taichi when he introduced himself. She kept her eyes on the horizon of heads to catch Kameko, who would arrive shortly after. She would show a lot more zeal than her colleague. The girl was respectful, greeting Masuyo with a bow and even announced a gift. Masuyo was taken back by this sudden turn of events. Her last encounter showed her that Kameko was just as sour as Taichi. But then again, she did catch her at a rather unfortunate time. "Oh my. A gift for me?"

Masuyo would take the bag from Kameko's hands, a sudden quenching warmth soothing her body. Thoughtful... She reached inside the bag to retrieve what was inside. I can't remember the last time someone brought me a gift. Of course, being raised with caring parents, she would receive gifts on her birthday. Although those gifts were "expected" it had been years since someone outside her immediate family cared enough to gift her something. With blushed cheeks she retrieved something hard and metal. Her knowledge in war and tools immediately allowed her to identify the piece of equipment. "Wow, arm guards?!" In many cases she was a fanatic about weaponry and armor. She enjoyed history just as much. Masuyo did not hesitate to try them on right away.

They fit snug, which was ideal for that type of equipment. They protected from the elbow down to the back of her hand, with a flexible soft spot between her forearm and hand to allow movement. Masuyo lifted her head towards Kameko as she spoke about the specifications of it. To her surprise she did not even know they were enchanted. She was surprised how much effort Kameko put into the gift. It was hand forged and enchanted. Her gift was thoughtful-- much more than a rose and a box of chocolates could ever achieve in a woman. Masuyo forced to hide her bubbly nature, receding her smile and allowing her blush to settle. There was business at hand, and she had to try and remain as professional as she could.

"Thank you very much, Kameko. However, we have some serious business to go over regarding...our future." She darted her eyes back and forth between Taichi and Kameko, acknowledging them both. "I'm not going to waste time kicking around the bush. This is classified information, so you need to remain confidential about what I'm going to tell you. I am unsure how current y'all are with the recent plague that has been affecting thousands across the continent. But as it stands, the Tsuchikage has been struck ill with this illness. As it stands there is no cure and he is most certain to die. This is why I'm going to suggest we make a break for the village."

Masuyo quickly scanned the surrounding area to ensure nobody else was tuning in on their conversation. She made it an effort to maintain a hushed tone so that only her team could ear what she has been saying. "With the Tsuchikage being out of commission there are dozens of people willing to replace him. Iwagakure will soon grow very unstable and potentially suffer a civil war. There are no "sides" to choose from. It'll be a variety of different support groups fighting for their own candidates. On top of that, it will leave Iwagakure open for capture to the neighboring powers. Regardless, we have no role in this. This is why we're going to find refuge in Konoha. It's our closest neighboring nation that has stability. We will make for Konoha at two in the morning. I can create a tunnel beneath the gates. Security has grown lax since the Tsuchikage has been out. The watch have been doing whatever they please.
It will be easy for us to move out."

"You can bring your immediate family as well as any friends,
cousins, or anyone you trust to tag along, but bring no more than ten if it can be helped. We can't draw any attention if it's necessary. So I want you all to utilize this time to spread the news and grab whatever supplies you need.
You have fifteen hours to get everything together. We will meet at the far north end of the market where the wall is. Does anybody have any questions?"

A single, pink egg with blue zigzags appears in Masuyo's possession.

A single, blue egg with pink stripes appears in Kameko's possession.

A single, green egg with red stripes appears in Taichi's possession.

Taichi was shocked to hear what Masuyo had said, she made perfect sense but it didn't just sit right with him to dump Iwagakure like that. He was worried about family but that worry had been slightly reassured by Masuyo's words that they can bring along any family they wish, with no more then ten. The only person Taichi really cared about is his grandpa, if his mother or father would hear about it he was sure they'd just leak the information out and make it harder for everyone. He kept running the scenario in his head, he really wanted to stay in Iwagakure and hope that everything stays the way it is, but if the Tsuchikage is really ill and a struggle of power will happen in the village, nobody would want to be on the receiving end for that.

Taichi's obnoxious attitude had suddenly shifted to a serious one, deciding that Masuyo is right and he'd take the time needed to pack everything up and go, and hopefully convince his grandpa to come along. "If you excuse me, nice to meet you Kameko." he said, instantly starting to rush back to his house through the market. He would've liked to know a bit more about Kameko, but if he really had fifteen hours then it would need to wait for another time. 

He rushed to get home as fast as he could, not even saying anything to his grandpa when he rushed by him and went into his room, sitting on his bed and still heavily thinking about what Masuyo said, despite the decision he came across. The doubts were obviously there and it's like he's looking for any excuse to just stay in Iwagakure and hope everything stays the way it is, but he's at least grown up enough to know that's just naive thinking. He didn't waste any time, he started bringing out clothes, possessions, anything with any remote value to Taichi, he brought out and started to pack into his backpack, with some items also going into another bag that he can carry with one arm, should he need the extra packing space.

He had everything he needed, it took him a few hours to still go over everything that Masuyo said, along with the menial task of just shoving items into his bags but he eventually got everything packed up and ready to go, he still had a few more hours to kill and decided to spend that time to convince his grandpa. He went to the next room and sat down next to his grandpa, using similar words that Masuyo used to explain what he's doing, and it turned out that his grandpa had planned to leave the village as well, hoping to grab Taichi along, he hinted that the Kotoshura clan were already planning to capitalize on the illness of the Tsuchikage to consolidate power in the village and he wanted no part of it.

He spent quite a bit packing up what possessions he needed, but didn't take as long compared to Taichi, when they were ready both family members grabbed their bags and just simply left the house, Taichi turned back to the house a few times as they walked away but his grandpa just kept his focused on leaving, to worry about it later. Both of them eventually reached upon the far end North of the market, they arrived hours earlier then expected but Taichi's grandpa took the time to reassure Taichi about the decision to leave, that it's the best choice.

"Well then...if that's it, I will meet you two where I said." Masuyo trusted her Genin and actually cared about their well-being despite their short encounters. She cared enough to lead an escort party with their families and close ones to safety. With word on their departure, Masuyo would do what she told the others. She would spend the evening gathering her supply and telling her immediate family the news. She knew it was for the best, but couldn't help but feel a sense of guilt to what they were doing. However, her actions were all based off good intentions. And she hide behind that to deflect all reasoning.

[Exit]

"I won't be coming with you, Masuyo sensei, though we can meet up in Konohagakure later on," Kameko said after listening to Masuyo's reason for wanting them to meet her there. "I ordered my clan to start preparing to leave a couple days ago. They tried to kill my father, so I made the choice to leave. You can sneak out while we're leaving and drawing all the attention." Kameko looked her sensei in the eye for the following words. "And I will not leave in any other way that is not with my kin." Kameko would then turn to the guy, Taichi, and bowed. "Good to meet you too. See you soon," she said before turning and heading to find her cousin. He should have bought what she needed by now.



[exit]


Bought 35 lbs of Chakra Draining Metal for 52,500 ryo.