Between constant meditation at night and training during the day Ki had been full of energy the past few days. But with nothing for the boy to do his energy levels had just been building to a point where it had begun to frustrate him. Ki knew however that soon he would be joining a team of shinobi and that together the four of them would embark on missions together. That was what Ki had to look forward to. Joining a squad would be the next step to following on his father's legacy and Ki had always wanted nothing more than to be like his father.

The next day

Ki hadn't really been expecting a messenger bird to arrive when it did with a letter for him. When it did show up however and Ki was told that he'd have to report to Lord Sasuke for a meeting Ki wasted no time in departing to the location he was instructed to head to. Afterall it gave the boy something to do outwith his usual routine. A routine that was beginning to bore the boy.

Mori arrived at the village quietly, answered whatever question that were needed to complete the mission and confirm the situation and happenstance. She went home to her adoptive parents, hugged them and went outside to let her tears fall as she posh her tools and sharpened her kunai.

She went to bed after a silent dinner, excusing herself early and went to bed.

The next day as she received the letter she nodded and went to go do what it said. She wasn't as excited as the first, and that made it a bit worse, but life went on.

Yurei woke at dawn, for some reason he was always the first to get up. Even Sora didn't want to move at all. But the wolf did, and she looked at him. He went about his morning routine. The wolf pup followed him, trained with him. While eating breakfast a messenger came by his house. Dropping off a summons. It was kind of surprising, but Yurei was happy one finally came. A summons like this most likely meant he was being placed on a team.

After he finished eating he changed, and sprinted off. Both him and Sora moved quickly along the rooftops. It took little to no time to reach the Lord's building. He slides to a stop just outside the building, cause well it would be bad entering from anywhere but the main entrance. he walked up to the desk. Then Yurei handed her the letter, and she directed him to take a seat, and wait.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:53, Tue 26 Feb 2019.

Getting back into town as a free man was a relief but it didn't wipe away the shame. Totoroki would never be the same after the last mission. He excused his one remaining Genin and then headed towards a quiet spot to cool his head. As a Jonin it was his duty to watch after their future… a duty that he was failing. He remained sat at the top of the highest tree he could find for over half a day before his senses caught up with him. This was no time for such Things. He needed to focus and remain on task.

He opened the dosiers of his two new Genin and gave it a quick read. Looking at them it would seem he was stuck with another unusual bunch. Their abilities did seem useful though he hoped that their personalities would match their more than excellent abilities. His face twisted as he thought hard… and then he heard a familiar high pitched caw.

He was on his feet as he removed the notice and released the messenger bird. A summons. That meant it was again time to get to work. But first a shower and a change of clothes would do him some good. And just like that the tree was now empty as the pair of birds flew back to their roosts.

Anis stretched with her arms over her head and fingers locked as she yawned and moved towards her bedroom window. She wasn't necessarily a fan of mornings and she hadn't even planned on being awake yet. Unfortunately that had been changed by a rather insistent bird that was still tapping away at her window. The only reason she hadn't tried to strangle the thing already was the small scroll she saw tied to its leg. With a sigh she finally opened the window and took the message before shooing the bird away.

She absentmindedly began chewing on her finger as she looked over the scroll. More often than not messages like this were summons for her parents or whatnot so, in her mind, she could be forgiven when her brain shut down for a moment after seeing her name on it. Anis quickly opened it and read that it was a summons from Lord Sasuke himself! Was she finally going to be assigned to a team?! There was no other reason she could think of for her to be summoned like this. She nearly let out of squeal of excitement before noticing the taste of blood in her mouth. A quick glance down informed her that she had unconsciously begun biting harder on her finger harder and harder as her excitement grew. Well, nothing she hadn't done before at least. A quick trip to the rest room to get through her morning routine and to bandage her finger and she was out the door and running towards the Lord's building.

Eventually the doors had opened to Lord Sasuke’s chambers, the creaking of the door slamming open might’ve spooked them. Lord Sasuke himself who was occompanied by a familiar woman (his long lost family member) were standing by the door, Akasumi further back into the room. ”Come,” he ordered them all in. He counted heads, ensuring every member of both squads were present and ready to hear their next assignment or maybe even scolding from their last missions.

He walks back into the room swiftly, his cape draped over him and standing behind his desk, awaiting for the squads to fulfill the empty and openness of his office. Akasumi remained close by; her presence was unknown however it was announced she and her husband were apart of this mysterious council so the others would be left in the dark as to what their next assignment could possibly be.

[moving things along here]

After everyone filled the room, silently staring at the Uchiha family before them, Akasumi walked forward, hair tied up in a high pony tail and her arms crossed behind her back. ”As some of you know, I had resided in a secluded village not far from your peaceful village,” she started as she eye balled those that had been present there earlier within the week. ”However, due to my own personal matters, I was unable to protect the village I had established. Some way, some how, the guards that were hired to protect my family were simply not real,” she explained as she began pacing slowly, her eyes never leaving the group in front of her. She was rather intimidating, much like her cousin.

”It’s been determined that these guards are associated with and connected to the current war that is happening right now. They possessed the dark chakra we have been encountering,” she confirmed before coming to a stop. ”This means, they’ve breached our land. Some way, some how they managed to infiltrate Konoha’s borders and remained hidden for what seems like years. It’s only a matter of time before things come even closer to Konoha, the last standing great village,” she continued m before pulling out a map of the Land of Storms, formally known as the Land of Fire.

”The council has tasked you with a special mission. This mission will be dangerous as we do not know what you’ll be encountering or what you may discover,” she explained as she circled where her hidden village use to stand.

Sasuke eventually stepped in, cutting her off at this point. ”The council wants an investigation. I have ANBU on right border security; nobody leaves and nobody enters without my knowledge,” he explained, pointing out why this assignment wasn’t given to the best of ANBU. ”The two squads that stand before me: I have entrusted you with this assignment. You are to investigate the village that Akasumi established. Through the rubble and damage, find out how exactly they breached our land,” he stated before Akasumi stepped forward.

”I’ve assumed they’ve been around for a long time now which means they must have a hide out somewhere that kept their presence hidden from even the best of shinobi. Any documents, maps, scrolls, anything; retrieve and come back. You are to engage any enemies you come across without hesitation. We prefer them dead at this point. You are to search within my village and even around Konoha if possible,” she explained. ”Both squads will learn to work together. The two leaders will be the squad leaders: Akiyama and Shinkawa: do not disappoint us. The council expects results. Failure is not an option. Move quickly and leave as soon as possible,” she finished before handing two maps out to Akiyama and Shinkawa along with their squad rosters and bingo cards of each member.

Shinji made a head count while he the briefing was happening. He could both hear the news and be distracted from who was giving it. He hadn't seen these people before, definitely not been friends with or acquainted any of them.

But then, the scrolls were given to the squad leaders, and Shinji thought he had seen the other one. Maybe he had been in his village before? Or at least been in the crowd during one of his failures...

The distant memory refused to surface. But whatever it was, Shinji would hope that neither he, nor anyone else would remember the "Squandered Sato".
He kept to himself, kept his gaze away from everyone and awaited Akiyama to permit egress.

Mori surveyed the others as they walked in, along with those that came before her, sizing everyone up except Shinkawa-sensei, only giving him a passing glance. Her eyes stayed on Shimoto the most, eyes lingering longer on Sato, and Kyoko. She made no real effort to hide it, they were her allies now, and it shouldn't matter too much should it? It was another group to get used to, and hopefully to settle with. Though that was not needed, only preferred for her judgements rarely changed and Mori found they were rarely wrong.

Mori didn't look away from Akasumi, though even she can't say she didn't feel nervous this was something she learned to deal with.

Now there was another mission. One she felt confident about succeeding. With that final thought Mori grinned and went to follow Shinkawa-sensei to meet some new teammates.

Shinkawa listened intently, not wanting to miss a single detail. And his subtle scowl denoted this mission did not sit well with him at all. There were a lot of questions but most were too disrespectful or disruptive to bring up before the head of the KoKiWaMoSun. But there was a question he needed to ask before he went off on the mission. He looked at those around him... then he stepped forward.

"Excuse me sir, ma'am. Do you have a description or map of the village? It would assist us in finding where the village's records were kept." Totoroki's posture was forcibly formal. He looked down at the two Uchiha with a flat expression and his hands unnaturally glued to his sides as he spoke in a measured tone. "I am confident we can complete the mission regardless but a starting point would be help us speed up the timeframe.

She kept her posture as the Jonin leader stepped forward and asked a question that particularly would and could be answered within the other squad in the room. ”We decided to send two squads for this assignment because one of you have already been to my village,” she commented before eyeing Akiyama and his small crew. ”We chose them because they could be of assistance to your group in terms of being familiar with my village and the events that occurred there,” she added.

Tenshi looked at the Jonin "I have the area mapped in my head. I can show your team there as well. I also have our accommodations for sleeping already figured out." He bowed to Akasumi, showing her respect "If there is anything to find, we'll find it." He looks at Shinkawa and then back to Akasumi "Lady Akasumi, I would also like permission to investigate the surrounding areas as well. Also if I may ask a question or two about your village?"

He was calm and collected his sapphire eyes glowing softly. This is something that happened naturally. He would look at Lord Sasuke as well. Then back to Akasumi waiting for her permission to ask his questions. Tenshi knew it was wise to always show respect to her, Akasumi was not the sort of person you wanted to be disrespectful to.

Yurei walked in and listened. The atmosphere was tense. All he could do was look around and listen. His gaze watched the jonin that would be their leader. Even the wolf pup was absolutely quiet. Sora sat at Yurei's side not making a sound. He looked at the teen speak, who was the leader of the other team. He made a lot of sense, Yurei thought to himself. As did the reason they were being sent.

Yurel wondered how one mapped a place in their mind. then it dawned on him that Tenshi must be a sensory type. This looked like it was going to be interesting and fun regardless. However facing the enemy in his mind sounded dangerous but also fun. A new hunt also sounded fun. So overall he was excited to go on his first mission.

Nakano just kept quiet, in her experience, their new overlords didn't like it when they opened their mouths and that suited her demeanor just fine. If she was more careless and outspoken, she would had loved to point out that if there was somebody who knew for sure where such documents could be, it was Akasumi before them. All her squad knew as far as she was aware, was where her residence was. Hopefully with their increased numbers, they would be able to overcome that oversight and not have the blame dumped on them, as per usual. If nothing else, she had gotten well used to the very tangible tension that could be breathed in these briefings.

During the meeting Anis did her very best to simply stand at attention and not say something that would get her in trouble while she listened to the instructions for their mission. This translated to her looking stiff as a board with an occasional shudder as she mentally stomped down on any impulse she had to act out or speak up. She did look over the two squad leaders that had stepped forward to speak to Lady Akasumi. With there only being two squads assigned to this mission that meant that she was going to be assigned to one of them. Unfortunately she would have to speak up to ask where she was being assigned and she did NOT trust herself to not call one of them Lord or Lady Red-Eyes. She would just have to hope that the topic would be covered as the meeting continued or she would have to track one of the squad leaders down afterwards. Neither seemed very familiar to her but she would probably ask the younger one. The older Jonin seemed to be upset about something at the moment and her personality would probably just make it worse.

"Understood." Totoroki looked to the younger squad leader and nodded. He was ready to leave but he remained to hear the Chunin's questions. He was seemingly the least informed so it only made sense to hear all the information he could.

Akasumi remained quiet as the others seemed to suck the information into their heads. The mission wasn’t necessarily hard however with the breach of the land, it was uncertain whether any of those guards were coming back or if they were actually gone to begin with. It was unsettling to know her village had been discovered and torn apart after all she worked for. It literally angered her. As such, she felt her hands ball up on her side as she thought about it further. The only reason she didn’t handle this matter on her own was because the Lord of the Land didn’t give her permission to. Lord Sasuke had been afraid that his cousin would turn against them and she’d be a real threat just like her offspring.

She cleared her throat as her anger subsided. ”You are free to search the areas around. I didn’t have any establishment outside the walls of my village but if there is something out there or the possibility of something, it won’t hurt,” she replied with, giving her permission for further investigation for her assignment. Then the young Chunin pushed further with another question. He had always been a curious one; a shinobi who wanted more information before ever starting. He was an observant one and Akasumi assumed he’d make a greater shinobi one day in the future. ”What do you wish to know specifically?” she answered with her own question.

Tenshi nods and looks at Akasumi "Are there any underground storage areas or secret passages within the village? Does the water come in from an underground river, or cave system? Knowing this will help cutdown on time spent in certain areas." They were simple questions really, ones that would decrease or increase the amount of time needed to search the area thoroughly. There are some that can even bypass his sensory skills. So he knew they would have to search everywhere physically. Looking at the others assembled in the room. Tenshi noted a few well known clans, and then some that he didn't recognize.

Tenshi steps back and waits to see if the answers he was seeking were going to be revealed. Akasumi seemed to be more than a capable leader. He was curious to where she will guide things to. The Jonin seemed to be normal. Nothing outstanding about him. Tenshi knew it would be a good idea to talk to him later about things, after they started the journey to the village.

His questions were simple and her answers would be just as simple. ”The only underground area I had was a bunker for my family and the villagers for catastrophic events. The last time it was used was during the Fourth Shinobi World War; it was a protocol for safety that kept us hidden during everyone’s time of need,” she explained. She went on to explain the hidden bunker was no secret within the village and that the only people who had access was her and her husband, the Daimyo of their village, which help prevented unwanted visitors and villagers snooping around. ”It was no secret but it was hardly use as anything importance. I kept my affairs and personal matters away from he village so any information you do gather would be a surprise,” she explained.

She thought it over and it was highly impossible that anyone would’ve kept anything down there but with the way things were turning out, it would be no surprise that the dark guards had been within there all along right under their nose. She couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty as her coming and going effected her village in more ways than she believed. Had she kept in place and just settled down and retired her shinobi ways, her village would’ve likely been hidden still and none of these events would’ve occurred.

”We gathered water from the nearby lake, just like Konoha did. It was too much of a risk at the time to establish any permanent solutions to bring water in and out of the village quickly,” she commented. She had wished her village had been more modern however staying out of sight and not standing out is what lead to their secrecy for all these years.

Meanwhile, Lord Sasuke eventually took his place at his desk, silently observing the group before him. He had no comments nor any opinions on this matter. He essentially only created the assignment for everyone’s benefit but the other minor details were all his cousin. He still had much to learn from her and it was amusing to say the least. Having another Uchiha around would greatly increase their war efforts but he feared with her dominant nature, Lord Sasuke would ensure he wouldn’t be overthrown in his own village for the title of Omo.

Tenshi nods "Thank you Lady Akasumi, the information will be useful.." He bows and looks back at the rest of the ninja assembled. The bunker would be pointed out as the first to inspect once they got there. Of course they would likely be divided to cover more ground. He was also unsure about this dark chakra. He hated the way the whispers sounded from it. There was so much information about it that he lacked. Part of him wondered if the chakra could turn people into their allies. If all the guards had been vetted like Akasumi said previously. Than it made him wonder.

He would step back and wait to either be dismissed or if any other issues were brought up.

As Tenshi finished, Totoroki glanced at the Chunin's out of the corner of his eye and let the smallest grin flash across his lips before returning to his forcibly serious demeanor. "Yes. Thanks for your time Ma'am. If you have no objections we'll be heading out now." Totoroki waited, turned and walked out of the door to the office, holding it open for a moment so that the two teams could follow after him.

As soon as he got out of earshot, the jonin let out a long sigh. His forced stiffness disappeared and he looked more comfortable in his own skin. Then he turned back to everyone walking behind him as they neared the exit, "I assume you're all geared up and ready to move out so we'll be heading out after a quick chance to introduce the new faces to the squads."

He looked over to his fellow squad leader, "Unless there is something important you feel we need to do before scrambling." Totoroki's face was focused and on task as the daylight splashed across his face in the wake of his exit.

Following Shinkawa, assuming they are released to go about their mission. He looks at Anis "So you must be the third Genin of our squad?"

Tenshi looked at his team "They seemed prepared, as it was stated in the letter all of us received. So we can leave whenever your team is ready. Its a day and a half away. I am stocked up on everything we might need. As far as rations, and extra ninja gear. I'll show you what I mean just before we leave. Other than that, once you are ready.." He glances at his team "We are ready."

So he looks back at Shinkawa "Any questions you have for me before we leave?"
This message was last edited by the player at 04:43, Sat 23 Mar 2019.

Anis quickly followed the two squad leaders out the of the room and gave a sigh of relief once away from the office. Just as she was starting to let her body relax from the tensions she heard Tenshi speaking to her. "Oh! Am I? Sorry, I wasn't told anything about it ahead of time. My name is Shimoto Anis, buuut you can just call me Anis! This will be my first time assigned to an actual team so I hope we can all get along."

As Tenshi talked about preparations for the mission Anis brought a finger up to her mouth and began chewing on it as she thought about the gear she actually had with her. "Equipment wise I should be fine with what I have other than rations. The message I got only mentioned needing to see Lord Red Eyes as soon as possible, so I didn't bring much of any thing food wise. If you have that handled I am ready to leave whenever you are!"
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 16:57, Sat 30 Mar 2019.

Move along to Chapter 6.

Totoroki gave a sidelong look, "I believe you never know if you're actually prepped until you've had the mission briefing. But you got a point. If we're all ready then I guess there's no time to delay," He turned to the Genin before him, "Ok, You heard the man. That means Mori, Yurei and Ki… You're with me. For the new guys, welcome to Roko."

"Now that the pleasantries are done and if no one else has anything to say, Tenshi, lead the way. Any questions I have can be answered on site." Totoroki remained on task but one couldn't help notice the small smirk at Anis' pinpoint description of the new Kage.

[To Chapter 6]
This message was last edited by the player at 21:25, Sat 23 Mar 2019.