Arc 2: Mysteries of the Past

[One Mean Ghost]

The trip up had been rather uneventful. The only thing that broke the general monotony of travel was watching Ayumu duck behind random boulders to suck on his inhaler as if those gathered wouldn't notice... The cold really didn't bother him, and neither did the snow. Of course, that was probably due, in no small part, to him using his chakra like snowshoes to walk on top of the show instead of sinking into it. Of course, helping him stave off the chill in the air was his new attire. A pure white Kimono style of attire that was lined with fur for additional warmth. He was grateful for it, to say the least, even if his tolerance for cold was higher than most given his training in the Mizuchi family. It seemed, however, the same couldn't be said for Mochizuki...

To pass the time, he worked on a few techniques he had still in development. Although he had mastered water clones since their last big mission, he hadn't stopped there. He had several more techniques he was working on, just none were even remotely battle-ready yet... He stared at his palm, focusing his chakra through his hand and fingertips until it took on a 'shape'. Not that it really had a definitive shape, more like you could just see it, much like a ball of plasma. Like this, it couldn't do anything. He wanted to figure out how to use it, but every time he tried something beyond this step... It had explosively bad ramifications. He sighed, letting the chakra lose form and dissipate into nothing. Now wouldn't be a good time to try any more variations... 

The introductions were fairly straight forward when they arrived.  Even Seiji didn't seem to bugger it up too much. Although he said nothing, the threats the archaeologists mentioned needed to be taken into account. Even if it was nothing more than superstition or delirium, a smart shinobi would take the threat seriously until it was confirmed to be that. Just as that thought occurred, Ayumu spoke up, of course, taking it lightly...

"Until we know for certain, it's best to be prepared for the worst case scenario. As for any slacking... I still have my training regime in place, so I can assure you I haven't let anything slip." 

He didn't need to add that he had kicked his training into high gear since their last defeat, pushing himself somehow harder than before. When he had first arrived at the Mifune compound, several of Yuuki's family thought he was just showing off or something when he woke up before the sun to train. When the morning routine never changed, they came to accept that he just worked that hard. Either that or he was just crazy...

Of course, Ryu hadn't failed to notice Ayumu's 'compliment'. Rather than start a fight here, which would look terrible on them, he chose to keep his snide remark about Ayumu's sewing ability to himself and just take the Ayumu-compliment for what it was.

He turned his gaze to his Sensei. "Kazou-sensei, When we get moving towards the ruins, we should use some water clones to scout ahead, just in case." he murmured. Of course, normally Ago's bugs would make the best scouts possible, but in these frigid temperatures, they wouldn't last long, not without being on a warm body. Until they got somewhere warm, her bug-scouts were not an option they could use. 

After last time, he didn't want to take any chances...

 

[KageYuuki]

[SIZE= 26px]Yuuki Mifune[/SIZE]
​

The trip up to the mountain village hadn't been all that eventful, though Yuuki did learn a couple things. Firstly that it was considerably harder to breathe the higher up they got. Something that seemed to be giving Ayumu a difficult time. Yuuki had offered to lend a hand on a few occasions though was promptly (And a little harshly) refused. Kazou had mentioned it was because the air was thinner, there was less oxygen for them to take in. The Genin had to wonder if such a thing would have much of an effect on his fire style jutsu. The initial casting seemed fine, the flame being fueled more by chakra than the environment. Anything that was ignited didn't seem to burn too differently either though they were still a good ways from the summit.


Yuuki's second discovery? He hated the snow and cold. He wasn't able to bundle up too much considering he needed to be able to move freely should a battle arise. How the others were able to mostly shrug it off was beyond him.


Finally they reached the village, their clients were even there and waiting for them. And their leader seems easily sidetracked . . . great. The Genin listened to introductions, offering a low bow when Kazou had introduced him. Cloaked figures, just what they needed. Hopefully it was just the figment of someone's imagination or lost explorers or something. Though as they all learned during their last major missions there was no such thing as a 'simple' assignment.


Casting Ayumu a harsh look at his remark Yuuki chose to remain silent. No sense in starting an argument there, it would have reflected poorly on the team. Not to mention what Kazou or Tsubaki would do . . .


@One Mean Ghost@Ganryu@Hanarei

 

[Hanarei]

 
​

Alice looked towards Ayumu hearing him question about the 'cloaked figures'. "I'm doubtful anyone is truly there. There were no footprints of any sort our contact witnessed. Even with the snow drifting about so many approaching would of left some sign I'm certain. At most I could see a mirage of some nature fooling the man into seeing things that were not there. No one from the village had reports of any groups venturing up the mountain recently, never mind one of such a large size as the man had stated. We are trusting you all mostly to ensure our safety getting up the mountain and keep us intact when exploring the ruins. I had only asked for a single team but more teams was going to let us to explore more places at once and it was affordable so I thought 'why not, we can further spread out our search' and I was told you all were great at finding things! Just... well... just don't go breaking stuff and be careful with what you touch and all, got to preserve it all in order to ensure the integrity of our research venture is not accidentally polluted."


Her rambling had lasted a bit with Ayumu's question but she was quickly sparked up to speak even more hearing Mochi's excitement. It didn't even seem to faze her how many questions she was being asked all at once. "Yes! Well.. outside the climb having one, pretty much its all unexplored! Nothing being seen in over a thousand years! We get to go inside and really get a look at a wonder so few eyes likely witnessed back in the days the temple was used, never-mind us modern humans have!" A bright smile was on her lips before continueing to answer each individual answer as if going down some checklist.


"We haven't seen any part of it ourselves but we are more then eager to get a good look with only the outside of the temple being seen and not even the whole structure! Nothing cool outside... I don't know the whole wondrous temple we got to explore! Its all old and we don't have the slightest clue what is inside. It is like a mystery box and when we open the doors we will get to see what surprises await inside! The interior is likely a lot warmer then the outside lacking the wind blowing in although its likely there are portions where the walls might of crumbled to let in cold air and snow though over-all it should provide solid insulation... although expect to keep a jacket on at all times. Fluke would be another word for lucky, it is more so the act of stumbling onto something with no effort of your own applied. Our contact was a man named... oh what was his name... started with a T... Tobi? No no... thats the name of the dog I saw on my way here. Roko I think... I'm terrible at names... I kinda was overwhelmed by what was said more then anything. As far as I recall he was a climber who had sought to go up the slopes as some people do being so high up for the sake of the thrill, though he went off the beaten path and ended up coming upon the temple instead..." She spoke as it seemed as if no end was coming to her tirade seeming far to willing to answer all of Mochi's questions.

 
​

"Eh-hem." The assistant Shin muttered attempting to end what seemed like an endless tirade before it might spiral out of control. "Anyways, as mentioned by some of your young gentleman it wouldn't hurt to be cautious. As unlikely as it is it is always important to practice caution when approaching any unknown situation. Just expect the dangers to be related far more to the ancient architecture then any outside threat. If you are all ready let us all make our way up... right Dr. Mirus?" He spoke out as a way to keep his senior in line. He didn't mean disrespect with it, as much as her rambling could go he had a great sense of respect for her. He had attempted to become her assistant on purpose after all... even if he didn't fully come to realize how overbearing she could be.


"Right! Let's get climbing!" She spoke with a bright smile, lifting up the hood of the cloak to help cover herself, tugging up with a few of the others a piece of cloth designed to cover their mouth and nose from the cold.






The group's climb started off relatively simple at first. Stakes were marked every so many spaces away, left behind from the original climber. Acting as beacons the tops had a red reflective light meant to be easier to spot from some distance. While not a perfect tool for navigation given the distance they needed to be placed apart, they served as a good guide given clear enough weather to give some sort of trial to follow. It would help to at least guide them in the direction to travel at least to get close to the temple. The group of scholars all seemed to do a remarkable well time of moving through the snow, the frigid air quickly freezing any part of skin that might be exposed to the air. 'Fortunately' the day itself was on the warmer side... although it wasn't likely any of the travelers were thinking anything of the sort. The snow would occasionally whip around, picked up by the air light a light dusting from time to time. The ground itself they traveled on was decently sloped.


Nearly an hour into their journey the group finally reached their first obstiacle. The eased slope had suddenly turned to become much sharper, turning into an almost completely verticle trail up. The beacon however rested on the right side from where they approached, a somewhat small ledge existing acting as an almost flat path forward just wide enough to walk across with a few dips  in the roughly 30 foot span to get to the other side.


"Alright! This should just take a little bit of climbing to reach the path though we might be able to make it up to it without needing to use equipment! We should all hook up to make sure no one goes falling. Not sure how wide it is, although I know it should be wide enough with our equipment to walk through it. The rock face does hover over the path though there is likely going to be some snow patches at spots so be careful to not to slip and fall." She spoke up to the group looking back her voice partially muffled by the cloth over her mouth as she tried shouting a bit louder to make up for it along with whistling noise of the air blowing past them.


@Ganryu  @KageYuuki @Red @AnnoDomini @Orikanyo @Kinzu Hekmatyar @One Mean Ghost

 

[Ganryu]

Ayumu Susumu
​

Ayumu's smirk only seemed to grow to Ryu's comments.


"Yes, training.... regime."


His voice was dripped in sarcasm, but he decided against further poking fun of Ryu in favor of actually doing their mission. It was a hard decision, Ayumu had to admit. He'd seen Ryu around town, quite alot actually, always working on some small little project or other. Yuuki he'd seen far less frequently, probably training or the like. Any fun he might have decided to have at his teammates expense was ruined by another comment that seemed rather curious by the researcher.

There were no footprints of any sort our contact witnessed. [...] At most I could see a mirage of some nature fooling the man into seeing things that were not there.

Ayumu's amused eyes turned to his teammates, as he eyed both of them as if to ask: "Thinking the same thing?" Despite that, Ayumu's smugness never seemed to change or to be taken aback. Infact, the closest thing to breaking it was the innate chatterings of the two talkative 'friends'. Rolling his eyes, he continued on, keeping his thoughts to himself as he moved. His smugness didn't disappear, but he did seem to become lost in thought for the next hour. It only seemed to grow colder, even becoming a bit too much for him, despite his experience. 


The travel was a bit annoying in some places, especially in deeper snow. Thankfully they had regular civilians with them Ayumu could walk with and 'guard'/take the path of least snow.


Ayumu's eyebrows raised at the ledge they were about to cross.


"Who did you say found this?"


Before his question could even be answered, he shook his head and continued.


"Dr. Mirus, before we cross, you did mention mirages and lack of footsteps, some odd machinations of some people exposed to the elements, I suppose. There's always another train of thought though."


Without explaining it, Ayumu's hands were already together, under the oversleeves forming handsigns. To Dr. Mirus only, a sound of ripping fabric would be heard, followed by sheets of fabric rising from the ground, swirling around her, and coming at her. Before they could touch, they seemed to suddenly just vanish, like a mirage.


"By the way, Yuuki, if you would, do you think crossing that without footsteps would be possible? I mean, I'm sure you've put lot of work into your ninja training. Eitherway, I'll go ahead I suppose in just one or two tics."


Again, before explaining himself in the least, or waiting for anyone else, Ayumu grabbed two knives, and began tying them to his shoes, before attempting to cross. His offhand was ready for any random punches to the head.

 

[D3lmoniko]

[SIZE= 26px]Akihiro Tsubasha[/SIZE]


Aki sighed as he saw the ravine. He crouched at the edge, slowly breathing in. Standing up, he began to unbutton his jacket. "...My father taught me something about climbing ravines..." As he spoke, he began to tie a rope around his waist, and over his left shoulder. On the other end he tied a kunai, making sure it was sharp. "... We could try and keep in groups by doing this. The one in the front will lead while the others follow suit. We can use kunais to make anchor points for the others... Once we advance a few meters, we should put anchor a new kunai, in case we fall..."


Aki's voice stopped, and crouched down, picking Karuy up. The racoon sat on his shoulders, as a furry collar. He looked at the others, the cold air and wind not bothering him in the slightest. "...So, do you think it's a good idea?..." He was referring to everybody, as his eyes went to look at everybody, even at Ayumu who already seemed to be ready to move.


Jin Kusarigama


Jin stood near her team mates. Her puppet kept her in an embrace, seemingly keeping her warm. She took special care to outfit her with warm clothing materials. She was wearing a rather light pink jacket, keeping the fur from her hood as a place from where to breath warm air. Looking at the two boys throwing away ideas, she couldn't help but smile a little.


With no explanation, she slowly went next to Ayumu, puttin a warm hand on his shoulder. "Racoon boy might be on to something there. So, why don't we listen, and wait for the others to see what plan we're gonna follow?" She let out a small smile, looking at Ayumu, then turned to the others, awaiting the others response.


@Ganryu@Red@KageYuuki@Hanarei@Kinzu Hekmatyar@One Mean Ghost@Orikanyo

 

[Hanarei]

 
​

The woman looked on a bit curious hearing the one Genin speak up not seeming to give her a chance to even answer. "It was a guide... um Yes... it was more so a tangent I guess... I would make assumptions based on..." She spoke trying to fumble through her words as if on catch up duty when suddenly curtains raised up in front of her. The scholar looked rather confused, blinking her eyes and rubbing them. It wasn't hard to see for those who were aware of Genjutsu that she had been placed under one. Her hands reached out to grab the fabric seeming to not be able to touch it.


"Ooo! Its such a prety fabric! They would like nice in my place! Why can't I grab it?" She spoke with almost childlike wonder grabbing at them as the other researches looked on puzzled. "Um... Dr Mirus... are you okay?" Shin asked as the woman had a bright gleeful smile not seeming aware she was in an illusion... or at the very least enjoying it far more then she should. She wasn't all the familiar with Ninjutsu at all, with Genjutsu not even being an ability she witnessed. The few other cloaked scholars took turns looking back and forth not seeming to know what to say at that point. 


The other woman from the group stepped forward, her only sign that she was likely female coming primarily from her voice, well covered by the material from the frigid voice. She seemed to be of a more fitting of the 'scholar' type speaking in a serious tone, not hard to tell she was likely around the same of their head researcher. "Is she alright? She seems to be in some sort of delusional state."


Alice stopped blinking a bit confused seeming perplexed by what happened. She scratched her head looking a bit puzzled. "Oh... um... that was strange..." She spoke looking about confused giving up on her attempt to grab the fabric. She looked on glancing over at the Shinobi, vaguely looking at Ayumu before staring upon the Jonin. "So... how were you all seeing us cross then? We aren't really able to cross without walking through it... if that was what you were saying... sorry I was distracted by something weird."


@Ganryu  @KageYuuki @Red @AnnoDomini @Orikanyo @Kinzu Hekmatyar @One Mean Ghost

 

[KageYuuki]

[SIZE= 26px]Tsubaki Mifune[/SIZE]
​

[SIZE= 26px]Yuuki Mifune[/SIZE]
​

The first part of their mountain trek had, for the most part, been rather simple. Tsubaki's students had been handling the cold rather well, Yuuki seemed to disappear further into his coat. What a first real introduction to cold weather . . . hopefully they'll all be able to handle the rest of the mission alright. The temperatures were bound to drop more the further up they climbed. Not ideal conditions for someone whose bound summon was snakes, or for those who used small beetles for scouting and combat.


Stopping at the ledge it seemed the group had reached their first actual obstacle: the narrow path wasn't too bad in and of itself, the fact it forced you to bend at an angle while walking would pose to be an issue though. "Not a poor idea, Akihiro," Tsubaki commented. "The three of you can help set anchor points for the researchers." Like Kazou, Tsubaki had made it a point to hammer the basics into her students control being the most important of these. Though what would you expect from the host of an actual demon?


"Ryu and I can too," Yuuki added, hands tucked in the sleeves of his coat in search of warmth. Before he could continue, Ayumu spoke up. Golden eyes narrowed at his teammate, did he seriously just go and cast a jutsu on their client? Though before he commented, recognition dawned on the Genin, understanding the point the white haired peacock wanted to make. Not that he completely agreed with the method used.


Tsubaki glanced at Kazou, was this a common thing with Ayumu? Brushing off the question for now, she turned back to the researchers. "What Doctor Mirus just experienced is something known as genjutsu; a kind of illusion some shinobi are capable of creating. She isn't harmed, the illusion seemed fairly tame and was dispelled before it could truly take hold." Her eyes narrowed slightly, "But just because this one was rather benign, I wouldn't brush off all genjutsu as such. A master of the art can incapacitate and entire village with a single illusion." Something she had witnessed in person.


The Jounin folded her arms, blocking out a gust of bitter wind. "Regardless, he has a point you can't ignore: whenever shinobi are involved things are never as they appear." Though the chances of it being shinobi were slim, it was never a possibility that could be ignored. Genjutsu may have been an explanation, but regular clones wouldn't have left footprints either. This mission could easily become more of a hassle than just protecting a group of overzealous researchers.


@Ganryu@Hanarei@Orikanyo@One Mean Ghost@AnnoDomini

 

[One Mean Ghost]

Ryunosuke
​

At this point, there was nothing stupid Ayumu could do that would surprise him anymore. It wasn't even worth backhanding him for it at this point, given Ayumu clearly needed what precious few braincells he had left. It would be better just to address the current situation of getting the researchers across. He held up his hands, making a handsign.

"Water Clone Jutsu"

From the snow rose up several clones of the young shinobi. "Keeping anchor points is a good idea. Even still, I favor the idea of being excessively cautious. I can walk along the walls just fine, so one of my clones will go with each researcher to serve as a fail safe. That way if anything goes wrong there's a plan B." He explained calmly as each of his clones partnered up with one of the researchers. Given he was used to scaling walls with quite a bit of excessive weight for his construction work, handling the extra weight of a researcher would be nothing. "As for crossing order... I think Kazou sensei and Tsubaki n.. sensei should cross first and last." He added, almost calling Tsubaki 'nee-san' by accident. He glanced to the two Jonin to see if they approved of his idea. It made sense. Such a narrow crossing would be a particularly terrible spot to get caught off guard. Putting their resident Jonin at the front and back protected them from attacks in either direction, and spreading the genin amongst the researchers offered them protection in case they needed to scramble. 

After all, since the last fiasco, Ryu had made it a point to try and always stay 10 steps ahead of any possible attack. Ironically, being partnered with Ayumu had helped him with that, given Ayumu's tendency to fly off the handle at the drop of a hat. Frankly, if he was someone that wanted to do away with these researchers, attacking in such a precarious position would be the best option. He didn't voice it out loud, but that was precisely why he wanted to use his water clones. If the researchers were all fixed to the anchors, they'd be sitting ducks. His water clones were just as much personal bodyguards as they were escorts. As for Genin distribution... He and Yuuki should be towards the front or back, Ayumu would be best towards the middle, given his genjutsu specialization and his general frailty in close quarters. As for Akihiro and Jin... He knew little of their combat abilities, so perhaps putting them more towards the middle would be a solid option. Ago would be best there too, given the cold climate made her bugs far less viable. As for Mochi... whatever position put her in the best place to cause the least damage to their own fighters was the best option... Of course, he had already said enough, so he would leave any talks of Genin distribution to the Jonin.

 

[Ganryu]

Mochizuki Tonbo
​

[SIZE= 12px]"The Mad Fairy"[/SIZE]
​

Mochizuki seemed the most disappeared into her coat. She didn't know how everyone else looked so warm! Her back especially felt like it was frigid. Despite being quiet for a few moments, or at he least loudly shivering without words, Mochizuki stayed fairly close to Alice. She'd decided she like the woman, someone after her own heart. And what amazed Mochizuki more was even similiar as they were, Alice seemed pretty respected by the other researchers. Yep, she was awesome, no doubt about that. Mochizuki decided she'd be her personal body guard. Besides, Seji hadn't said anything about her staying so close. Granted Seji hadn't said much of anything, not even a .... she wasn't sure what to call his weird word thingies.


She then took note as Alice seemed to hallucinated. Mochizuki hadn't a clue what was happening, but she crouched with her bowgun anyways. Was Alice alright? Thankfully, it ended pretty quickly, and Yuuki's sister started explaining.


"Wait, we can do that? Cool! Hey Seji, can you do that?"


It was obvious who hadn't taken notes in the academy. Granted, in fairness, she couldn't understand Seji's lessons half the time anyways. 


Jin and Aki both seemed to have an idea of how to cross, and Yuuki's sister gave directions for how to do that. Mochizuki wanted to help, but it seemed like all the roles had been taken, so she slid back to her default role as Alice's bodyguard. It seemed like she wasn't too helpful doing that.


Thinking for a moment, maybe it was good idea to scan around? Mochizuki activated a handsign, and her pupils narrowed as she looked down the narrow path.path, trying to scout out any rough looking ledges, crumbly looking rocks, or any other dangers on the path. Mochizuki could climb, that was at least her pride.


"Watch your step 15.3 meters out, that rock looks like it could fall.... and 26.5.... and 30.1. The rest of the rocks look pretty good. I gots it, I'll mark them."


3 darts flew out marking the places with ledges that were less stable, and to be careful around.


"So.... anything else?"


Her eyes widened again, slower than they had narrowed.

 

[Orikanyo]

Kazou yamamoto.
​

 
​

 
​

"Hmm.... a pickle... but one that is easily solved." his words resounded in the air for but a moment before he reached his his back pack. When did he get a backpack? Well he brought it with him! You never know when extra equipment, especially on a mountain pass with a good group of people who will no doubt have something bad happen to them. Murphy's law. From his bag he, after moving around some extra food he brought and medical supplies, he plucked out a scroll, laying it upon the ground and activated it, upon the scroll appeared a rather gratuitous amount of rope. His plan was simple and easy enough to follow, he only had to make certain they all stayed tied.... 


First he wrapped the coil of rope around his waist and then around his body to make a form of harness and then turned to the archeologists. 


"Everyone, while our students are capable of walking on these surfaces, vertical or horizontal, it is best we make certain none of us will be lost in a fall, slide or simply get lost in a sudden snow storm. How to go about this is simple and used in various mountain climbing teams, tying everyone to myself will ensure we will not lose anybody in an unexpected fall. If everyone could come to me one at a time we can ensure the knot is tied and we shall get across safely. Any chance we take is enough to be alarmed. And being safe, is far better then being at the bottom of this cliff. Now then, whom is first?" he asked the research team and motioned them up. 


he was strong enough to hold them all to the wall if needed, they were, in the end, researchers.. Not exactly gigantic mountains of people. A safety rope, a string of fates intertwined....


No need to get poetic you're tying yourself with a damned rope. 


You can get some poetry done when you get some rest.

Ago Aburame
​

 
​

Having largely been quiet, the fact she hasn't said much of anything since they started their climb abit ago is a tad bit strange, like having a long last source of white noise being turned off. One might be wondering why she is so quiet? Well all one does need to do is look back and see her. 


Having reached her final stage of preparation, she has zipped her coat, over coat, and 3 other layers of clothing up, she was a blundering mass of clothing that could only be recognized as Ago from her sunglasses that peeked out over a scarf that is covering her mouth, with the tails tucked into her coats as well. "Mrrrph Muffle!" the abominable snow Ago announced to the others, her form that of a strange arctic expeditioning mummy. "Mfff mff mrffle!" her voice muffled beyond recognition, was it truly Ago? or perhaps it was a doppelganger? She has never mentioned anything about the cold before to the others, but when thinking about it it seems natural that she is rather affected by it. 


Not only because of her insects.


But because she was but a tiny thing!


This little thing needed to grow more if she was to withstand the cold harsh winter! 


She was lucky she got some good gloves that she could use jutsu in or she'd be REALLY stuck! 


Reminded of her mother back home before she left. "Don't worry sweetie, in time you won't need those things anymore!" she remembered her mother's words like they were yesterday... well.. like a short few days really. but why would she not need to worry about the cold anymore...? 


...


She WAS destined for GREATNESS wasn't she? 


Soon!


Soon!


She shall defeat Mochi! how dare that girl be all cute and spunky! Soon you wont be able to flaunt your superiority anymore you flighty doofus!! 


And JIN! Jin you too shall bow before Ago's superiority! 


THEY ALL SHALL BOW BEFORE HER!!!


ALL SHALL SEE HER GLORIOUS FORM!


She... she only needs to find a nice corner and create he cocoon.. After binge eatting alot of leaves...


....


So this is what happens if she can't talk...

 

[Hanarei]

 
​

Alice looked on scratching her head. "Oh... I see..." She spoke laughing lightly as a way of playing it off. One of the male researches couldn't help but sigh at her reaction. The researches watched as the clones appeared, looking on a little bit surprised by it. They were quick to get lined up following along with Kazou's plan. They lined up with Alice taking charge. It wasn't hard to tell the frigid cold was getting to a few members of the team though they all seemed generally resolved in completing the task they were set out to accomplish.  They each worked to get themselves tied checking with him to make sure they were secure.


Seji looked to Mochi as she asked him about his own skills giving a thumbs up. "Of course. No'in your teach can't handle." He spoke with a wide grin. He could do some Genjutsu after all... even if it was perhaps his worst field when it came to the ninja arts. He looked up to Kazou giving a thumbs up to him as well. "I gotcha' back bro. I'll keep the down low, to keep the up high not down low."  He spoke out in response, seeming to fumble with any cool rythem to his words. He tended to have a little issue keeping it up around Kazou outside short quips. He wasn't any idiot when it came to Kazou... knowing how much he 'loved' how he talked like that. He walked forward electing to not get tied to a rope as of yet. He walked along the wall, keeping a firm grip on his feet roughly 10 feet below. He stood with his hands in  his pockets looking up. If someone were to slip, he was there to provide a bit extra support if needed, although he was certain Kazou would be able to handle it on his own. 










The group spent a brief period going across. Fortunately with the help of the Shinobi all of the researchers made it safely across, with a few nerve racking moments between. It was hard to not be a little nervous when your body was tilted a bit due to having to fit towards the cliff edge. Their slow pace and tethering together at the very least aided in keeping anything bad from happening. As their journey continued, the snow began to pick up. What had been sunny weather minutes ago turned cloudy as what was a light snowfall fell upon them. Unfortunately, even a light snowfall made it that much more difficult to see as the wind whipped around blowing it all over the place as they walked. Their feet left imprints in the ground, the snow easily a foot deep as they trudged along at a bit slower pace having to deal with the weather. The oxygen up that high was less thick making breathing a bit more difficult then it was below. 


Nearly an hour of wandering through the snow, a distinct lack of markers could be seen. Alice shivered a bit as she pulled down her mask to speak. "Is it covered maybe? We might be near here." She spoke out, shivering as she quickly pulled up the mask to cover her face. The snow drifted across the ground as the slope continued up a bit higher. Where they stood was very close to the top of some of the higher peeks, a large drop existing between the slopes far to steep to climb up. The wind began to whip even harder nearly blowing some of the researchers around. 


Up beyond the latest hump, a steep slope could be seen. A careful look below appeared to be some sort of unnatural stone... perhaps a column peeking out build up just into the mountain should anyone go forward and look closely enough.

@Ganryu  @KageYuuki @Red @AnnoDomini @Orikanyo @Kinzu Hekmatyar @One Mean Ghost

 

[Kinzu Hekmatyar]

                                                                                                                                                                   Kiso


Kiso moved along with the group ,though she chose to keep her trap close as she followed after them. This whole trip was just another mission she just hopes to clear without issue,as she figures if she could just be a fly on the wall she could do so. Their unit was interesting she would say in the least hopefully they weren't too green to help ,though she didn't really understand what was going. She was just hoping to get to the nitty-gritty and start fighting . Shuffling through the snow she brought up the rear of the group her winter gear was pretty simplistic ,as it was her standrd fleece,a white wool cap leggings and a variant of winter boots. As they would cross the gap she huffed a bit glancing downward at this column now this really could be two things, A . Trap, B. Ambush ,or nothing none the less she would bite going over to it. She wanted to get a closer look . 

 

[Ganryu]

Mochizuki && Akihiro
​

Mochizuki continued to shiver as she walked a little behind the rest of the group, falling behind Alice. It was way too cold. Looking up from her little bundle of custom coats and rags, suddenly her eyes lit up. There was something odd sticking out of the side of the mission. With a shaking handsign, she zoomed in on it.


"Hey, that's a winterbloom! Ayame's always out of those. I bet I can gets it."


She looked at the side of the mountain. The path to it was treacherous, but it did drop ahead of the group, if she did it quickly, she could plop down infront of them and take the lead. Without saying a word to anyone she started jumping from rock to rock. If she was in warm Kemuri, this would be easy. She didn't have tree climbing jutsu, but she generally didn't need it. She liked to think of it as cheating anyways. What fun was climbing without a little adrenaline?


Aki's eyes shifted at Mochi, who was now jumping like a rabbit. He stopped in his tracks, looking at her, crossing his arms to his chest. 'This won't go well, I'm sure of it.' With a sigh, he went near the ravine, trying to form a plan in case Mochi fails her atempt.


Mochizuki continued her rapid ascent up the side of the rocks, giggling to herself. Ayame was going to be so happy when she brought a plant of this size back to her. the rocks weren't too far apart, and she was sure she'd get there without anything even exciting occuring. However, Mochizuki hadn't really been in cold, and two things escaped her notice. Her shaking body wasn't jumping as far as it normally would, and ice didn't tend to be easy to land on. The 2nd got her first as she landed on a rock, sliding a bit.... and a bit more.


"Nononono!"


She gasped as she slid to the edge, and had a view of a very long drop infront of her.


A whoosh could be heard as a figure snatches Mochi out of the air, and lands on the ground, sliding a little. "...You know, you should be carefull..." Aki was holding her in his arms, smiling a little. He let out a sigh, looking at the flower she wanted to reach. "...Can you stay here for a couple of minutes, please?..." He still kept his smirk, looking at the tree, his hands now slowly letting go of her jacket.


Mochizuki's blinked, still breathing hard. She generally didn't get scared, especially of heights, but that had about done it.


Nodding her head, she couldn't help but agree.


"S-sure.  Th-thanks. Dangit, wanted to grab that plant, Ayame needs those. Wonder what I slipped on?"


He looked at the plant, nodding slowly. "...Just stay calm..." Aki rose up, tying the rope around his waist, then around his left arm, jumping on the first rock, instantly crouching. With his hands, he slowly tapped the wall, then stuck a kunai in it. He tied one end of the rope on its end, pulling a little to see if it's well placed.


Jumping on the next rock, he looked at his feet. "...Two... Only a few left..." Aki spoke to himself, trying to remember where Mochi slipped. A few jumps forward, and he saw his footprints on the wall. When he grabbed Mochi, he had used the mountain wall as a spring-board to land on the ground below.


On this rock, he had placed another anchor, sighing a little. At the next jump, he slipped as well, but, thanks to the anchor, he would not face the same fate. Stopping just on the edge, he managed to climb far enough to jump, and, with the help of another kunai, secure his foothing on the last rock.


With a groan, he pulled himelf up, and looked at the flower. He slowly knelt, gently picking the flower up. He rucked it saftely in his jacket, then went to the edge, looking down. With a sigh, he closed his eyes, and, jumping down, he used the anchor points and the rope to swing his way down, the kunais ripping out of the wall due to the force. 


He landed on his feet, running, but loosing his foothold and slidding all the way to Mochi, his eyes still closed. He oppened them, and smiling, pulled out the flower. "...Is this what you wanted?..."


Mochizuki excitedly took it.


"Yep! This is the stuff Ayame uses to make my super secret salve!"


Mochizuki clamped her hands over her mouth. She then dropped then unhappy.


"Dangit... wanted to surprise everyone with it. Got some real good healing salve that speeds up healin'. Haven't told anyone, but I'm training to be a medic nin too. Yuuki probably knows, but he's too quiet, so I'm probably fine with that. And now you know. You gotta keep it secret, 'kay? 'specially from my teammates, and Seji."


She looked at the plant again admiring it, before gently putting it in her bag. She then  burst forward and wrapped her arms around Aki.


"Thanks a bunch!"


Aki let out a small chuckle. "...Your secret's safe with m-" He was surprised by the hug, as he blushed and his eyes widdened. "...N-No problem... I-I had to keep up my training after all..." He rubbed his cheeks, groaning. "...I think some of the snow froze my cheeks... They feel like they're burning..." He still smiled. Aki was happy to see Mochi happy, and that he got to do a good deed.


"...Think we should join the others now?..."

 

[KageYuuki]

[SIZE= 26px]Yuuki Mifune[/SIZE]
​

Yep, definitely getting colder as they continued to climb. Or maybe there was just less blocking the wind? Regardless, it seemed the markers were becoming more and more difficult to spot, seemingly buried beneath the snow. Both Yuuki and Tsubaki's keen eyes had been invaluable in helping to navigate through the blowing snow. After awhile though it seemed there just weren't any more markers to be found.


"This is a pretty open valley we're in," the Genin mused, looking around. Noticing the others were a little preoccupied (Seriously where did Aki and Mochizuki disappear to??) he turned to his teammates instead. "We should be able to split up and check out this area for the temple. Got any extra flash bombs, Ayumu?" The plan was simple: split up and scan the area, if you found anything that stood out, use the flash bomb for a kind of signal flare. Fire Style techniques worked too, but out of the three he was the only one capable.


Despite some minor grumblings from Ayumu, the trio split up and started their hunt. The sooner they found this place the sooner they could get out of the wind and thaw out. Assuming the place wasn't buried of course.


. . . .


Gods it better not be buried.


It had been several minutes after they split up that Yuuki caught sight of something that didn't belong. Moving closer, he could see the decorations lining the unusual stone. He may have had no idea what it was but the researchers likely would. Throwing the device in the air, he turned his gaze away as a bright flash lit up the sky.

 

[Hanarei]

As the Flash bomb lit up and Yuuki's eyes turned away, the snow quickly flared up melting away some of the snow. A large doorway was left exposed closed tightly shut. More of the long collum was exposed exposing some art. The elaborate sketching appeared to depict something, the rough figure of some sort of animal vaguely visible as the  color had long since faded out making it hard to tell what it was outside being some four legged creature adorned in some ritualistic looking clothing. The doors themselves were bare... whatever work done upon them (if any) long since vanished from existence. 


Seji walked up not long after raising his thumb up in the air as Alice was not far behind him. "Rad work Yuuks." He spoke with a grin on his face. Alice moved ahead pushing past Seji as it left the Chuunin a bit dazzled looking about brushing himself off. The woman's eyes lit up tracing her fingers along the column looking at what was exposed, snow still covering the bottom portion of it with some snow left over the door. 

 
​

"Incredible! This looks like...! Ah! Its incredible! Amazing! Awesome!" She spoke as it wasn't hard to see she was shivering needing to get some warmth though her own excitement took over. Seji let out a light sigh before calling out attempting to get everyone to gather around having found what they assumed had to be the temple... granted even if it wasn't that burried under the snow the researchers were likely going to want to see it anyways.






As everyone finally grouped up the only thing left to do was open the doors. the snow since cleared away. Seji stepped forward, stretching out attempting his best to look as 'cool' as he could. He got up to the door pushing on it. The door itself remained shut as he pushed hard on it. He tried again pushing hard attempting to do so while trying to hide away his struggle as the door barely seemed to not even budge. He stopped letting out a light sigh. Come on my buds... lil help for y'er ol sej?  Heh... I was enjoying you making an ass out of yourself, fine. A red aura formed around Seji's arms. Seji pushed again this time the door sliding out as he pushed it open. The cold air swept itself inside blowing some snow as if seeking to enter into the place as it was nearly pitch black inside, the chamber itself from what the eyes could tell lacking much light seemed quite large and open. Seji relaxed back as the red aura dissipated from him.


Alice butted ahead excitedly walking forward, a few of the other researchers taking a few steps towards going inside themselves. While the darkness hid much of its features, many collumns filled along each side with the main area more wide open. Spots for torches rested along the walls all not lit up seeming to of long since burnt out hundreds of years ago. On the far side an opening rested leading further in, two smaller doors resting on each side one having fallen off its hinges as the other was left sealed tight. 


@Ganryu  @KageYuuki @Red @AnnoDomini @Orikanyo @Kinzu Hekmatyar @One Mean Ghost

 

[Ganryu]

Mochizuki && Akihiro
End of the Mountain Adventure
​

Mochizuki scratched her head as she found herself atop part of the mountain with Aki.


"Uh... I thinks it's that way? I dunno, haven't seen any markers or nuttin' for a while." 


Mochizuki was starting to shiver more and more as she walked. It was definitely getting colder, and her clothes definitely weren't good enough. Mochizuki couldn't figure it out, the only person dressed warmer than her was Ago.... lucky girl...  Aki was definitely cold, but he wasn't freezing like her. Her front was fine, but her back felt like it had a sheet of rock across it. She furrowed her eyebrow, thinking(and freezing). She was getting tired, really bad sign from Ayame's books. Then a thought hit her. Wait a second.... No one else brought wings!


Where were they by the way? Couldn't be that far. Her question was answered by a bright flash in the distance.


"Hey, h-hey! There they a-are! L-let's go!"


She stumbled a bit forward, realizing the cold was still there.


"H-hey, A-aki. Could ya do me a solid? I-I'm really cold. C-could ya help. Th-think it's my wings? Would ya cut t'em for me?"


Mochizuki tried spreading her wings to make it easier, they didn't move. Mochizuki aggrivatedly vibrated them, the sound of crunching ice sounding, before she tried again, spreading them behind.


Aki's eyes widdened at the request. He gulped, looking at the young girl. "...What? Why? I mean... It's like cutting an arm, right?..." Aki saw Mochi shivering. "...Isn't there another way? I-I mean, I can't..." The boy couldn't even bring himself to finish the sentance. His hands were crossed at his chest, as he drew close to her.


"W-what? Don't yours grow back?"


Mochi then looked horrified.


"I-Is that why no one elssse has wings?"


It was a decision that Aki could not make easily. He took his scarf from his neck, giving it to her. "...Bite on that if it hurts..." His hand, although shaking, grabbed one of his kunai. With a gulp, he grasped one of her wings, and slowly put the cold kunai against the wings. "...A-Are you sure you want this?... I c-can stop it now..."


"Eh, b-beats hippothumia. A-and don't wanna worry people or ask for help. W-we're their guards. I already dun goofed one mission. 'sides, they grow back. also, 'sides, we gots to hurry, I wanna be Alice's bodyguard."


Mochizuki grabbed the scarf, not looking too worried. Yeah, the wings ripping off stung really, really badly, but wasn't the first. Mochizuki remembered when she first learned to climb, and fell off, hurt then too. She kinda smiled remembering running into to her Dad, worrying if they'd grow back.


"Thanks, A-aki!"


Aki nodded, blinking a couple of times before starting to cut them. He entered an almost trance-like state, staring blankly as he cut the wings. His mind was rather focused on other things, like where Karuy went, or what his sister and mother were doing. He even recited scrolls he had read. When it was done, Aki blinked again a couple of times, cleaning the kunai in the snow.


Mochizuki teared at it, but clenched her teeth, and made it out fine. After all her falls off building, wasn't even in the top ten, and she could be warmer now. Infact, she already felt much warmer. 'sides, if there was a flashbomb, they probably already found it. Inside had to be warmer, laws of thermody...something.


"A'ight, there we go, let's go-go-go-GO! I-I can't let Alice down! She's our client, gots to make them h-happy!"


Mochizuki started off dashing towards the temple, before making a 180, giving another surprise hug, and then dashed off towards the site of the flash bomb, sprinting up behind the genin group, and then through the genin group.


"H-hiya Seji."


Mochizuki stopped as she saw her teammates, and 'tagged' both Kiso and Jin in the back.


"L-let's go-go-go-GO! Gots to show Alice we're good body guards!"


She sprinted off to behind Alice, falling to one knee and panting.


"It's warm! Finallys! Hiyas Alice, h-here to protects ya."


Catching her breath, she turned to her Kiso, and 'quietly' whispered.


"Psssts, a-are ya still mad at me, Friend KisoI swear I ain't gunna mess up this mission like the last one, Friend Kiso. I've been doing some super special secret training, other than Seji. Also, have ya heard from Nobu lately, Friend Kiso?"


Aki put his kunai in his back pocket, walking towards the others, still having a slight 1000-yards stare. He was amazed at the lengths she would go to protect a client. That made him smile... along with the surprise hug. He went near the others of squad, a little blood still on his kunai and on his jacket, as he crossed his hands to his chest. "...Has anyone seen Karuy?..."


@Kinzu Hekmatyar @AnnoDomini @Hanarei


-------------------------------------------

Ayumu Susumu
​

Kemuri's Peacock
​

Ayumu was really starting to get bothered by the cold. His body was fine, but his breathing was getting exasperated. His march was much less elegant and more normal than he'd like. He hoped they'd get there soon, his stamina couldn't take cold. Of course, it didn't deter his comments in the least as Yuuki asked for a flash bomb.


"Not prepared are we?"


His face didn't look like it had a right to be smug, but this was Ayumu. He handed one out to both Yuuki, and Ryu (with an even more smug look), before wandering off to help find the temple in the snow. He cursed with Yuuki finding it before him. Of course he would, Yuuki had a dojutsu. Some magic he was born with. At least it wasn't Ryu, Ayumu knew Yuuki worked hard, his was respectable. Ayumu sighed to himself, making sure he was alone.


Entering the temp was much easier on his lungs, Ayumu's color returning to him.

Turning towards Shin, Ayumu pointed towards the two doors.


"I know we are primarily protection, but would you perhaps like assistance in opening that sealed door? I'm sure someone here could make it through easily enough. What are your orders for your hired shinobi?"


He then turned to Sensei.


"And if he doesn't have any request, do you have any orders, sensei? A 'battleplan' if you would?"

 

[Orikanyo]

Kazou
​

 
​

 
​

 
​

"Our plan is simple but we must attend to it accordingly lest something slip through our guard." he began once his student spoke up about a plan. "We must constantly maintain a perimeter around our clients, checking the area for traps, intruders or hazards, keep your eyes peeled and ready to spot whatever lays around the area. Remember to report back in 20 minute intervals to your respective jonin, if you do not, a search will be called and you will be punished should your reason not be acceptable." he made a stern nod before regarding the group.


"there is no time to sight see, while these are ancient ruins, they are also incredably dangerous. We must secure this place as much as we can, it is our duty." he walked towards the doorway and walked through. He was the master of this type fo scenario... as such he himself shall have to do quite abit of footwork.  Which he shall, he has to make up for what reputation was lost... His eyes keened and gazed into the darkness. "In, hurry. Before we lose what chances we get." and with that, kazou disappeared. 


Likely searching every nook and cranny for a possible trap of hazard. 

Ago
​

[Quick update of what shes doing]
​

Waddling her way inside, the small woman struggles to climb the last snow bank, only managing to flop over and slowly slide face first past the doorway...


Classy. 

 

[One Mean Ghost]

Ryu just let the smug look on Ayumu's face slide for now... 

Once they were inside, Ryu paused to remove his jacket, a small cloud of steam erupting from his body as he stood wearing his shinobi vest. Even in the frigid air, steam still continued to steadily rise off of him as he stowed away the jacket and pulled on his normal top. "Jacket keeps off the wind better, but I would prefer it didn't restrict my movement so much.." Ryu murmured. He didn't like for anything to impede his natural ability to move, and the thicker jacket, by no fault of its construction, impeded it just enough for him to notice. Even now, steam continued to rise off Ryu's body as he moved forward to inspect the doors.

A frown painted his features as he examined the two. "Kazou-sensei, Tsubaki-sensei, I don't think it's safe to assume we're the only ones that are here." He kept his voice low as he returned. "There's no critical structural damage that took the door over there off its hinges. If I had to guess, someone or something either broke in.... or something broke out" He mused glancing back at the doors. "Given the rumors already surrounding this place, I don't like the smell of this. We should watch our backs at all times, in case whatever broke down the door decides to come back" Ryu advised, though odds are the jonin were already aware of it. 

Of course, that left a bit of a conundrum. Should the investigate the damaged door first, and potentially run into whatever traps prevented the previous invaders from checking the second path, or should they try the second path, and potentially let something out that wasn't meant to be let out... 

While he let the Jonin and the researchers contemplate the decision, he returned to the doors, careful to watch for any traps that may have been set. After spending so much time dealing with Ago's traps, he had developed a rather keen eye for spotting the little buggers...

Now he examined the doors closer, looking for any sort of inscription or clue as to what was meant to be behind each of the doors, even as one hand rested on his water supply in case he needed to fight at a moment's notice. 

 

[Hanarei]

Seji grinned at Mochi raising a thumb up towards the girl having done his word with a wide grin on his face. He didn't take long to undo anything 'cool' he might do at all before getting back to his normal self. 

 
​

 
​

"Alright alright alright!" Alice spoke with her excited tone unable to hide how thrilled she was. It seemed as if the place itself was in rather excellent condition. Given the markings and the like she already saw it looked as if it was quite old... or at the very least was inhabited by people who had a direct link to the 'old world' as it was called. It made some sense as a possibility after all. Even if it turned out not to be as old as they hoped, it still could give them valuable information... though she was far more hopeful it might be a part of the 'old world'.


She stepped forward giving a brief look around, just enough light seeming to seep through somehow inside despite lacking much lighting. "Three ways... well... only thing to do is split up into teams! I'll take up one team. Dr. Sedo and Dr. Coluber will head out together. That leaves Dr. Lumen and Dr. Tueor as a pairing! We can each get through the doors and split up that way. I call dibs on the middle one!" She spoke lifting her hand up with almost child like glee before lowering her head scratching the back of her head. "I mean... it would be my preference. I'm not quite certain of the layout so we might end up looping back into one another, although my assumption is they should lead to generally different areas of this temple".


Alice towards towards the Jonin, in particular focusing upon Kazou who seemed to take the general lead from what she had seen. Shin had taken the moment to let a sigh as Alice wasn't facing him in response to her over excitement to the whole situation. It wasn't hard to tell Alice was a handful to be working under. The others all seemed to show a similiar sort of sentament although far less drastic then Shin. "Alright then... so... what is your gameplan? We could probably go off with our studies on our own if you prefer. I'm not really quite sure how you all do your work. " She spoke awaiting to hear what they might do given what her own plan was.


@Ganryu  @KageYuuki @Red @AnnoDomini @Orikanyo @Kinzu Hekmatyar @One Mean Ghost

 

[Ganryu]

Mochizuki Tonbo
​

At the mention of groups and pairing off, Alice would find Mochizuki near glued to her arm. Mochizuki had sworn earlier she'd be her bodyguard, she was going to follow through with it. Alice was weird, just like Mochi, but everyone else seemed to respect her. Mochizuki wanted to learn her ways! What made her so well respected, even if she did weird out the other guys, like the Shin guy.


"Dibs on Alice! I mean.... It'd be my preference if I can take Alice.


'sides, if she's by her self, she'll need the most help, and I gots lots of things to help someone in my lil' toolkit. More than most other Genin even! Cause Imma a support. That, and Imma used to things going wrong too."


Mochizuki stroked her scar on her neck, like it was a mission souvenir. She didn't feel shame in that, she'd hurt herself lots of times. She did guiltily glance at Kiso's fingernails though. That part she did feel bad about. She hoped Kiso could forgive her eventually. Kiso was her friend, she was just mad at her for a bit.... right? Mochizuki turned to everyone around her as she headed towards the middle door.


"Hey, Friend Kiso, ya following, right? How'd your break go? Kinda sad about Nobu quitting and all, but at least we're still on a team."


On the word 'team', Mochizuki also motioned at Jin briskly with her hand to come as well.


"Come ons, ya're on the team too! You and ya Mom! By the way, did'cha hear about mine and Friend Kiso's last mission? Have you had any missions yet? I wonder why we have so many people here on a mission. It's weird."


Thinking about it, Mochizuki turned to Alice, it was weird.


"Hey, Alice, what's so special about this temple? I mean, seems like a lot of work to call in 3 teams of ninjas rather than just one. It's gotta be super dangerous, or super important, right? Is it full of treasure? Or maybe its gots a lost civilization? Or... or... Hmm."


Mochizuki tried being a bit restrained with her question. She wanted to be a bit more professional. And she didn't want to scare off Alice, she didn't know her secret yet! How did she do friends?


@Kinzu Hekmatyar @AnnoDomini @Hanarei

 

[KageYuuki]

[SIZE= 26px]Tsubaki Mifune[/SIZE]
​

[SIZE= 26px]Yuuki Mifune[/SIZE]
​

Tsubaki nodded at the signal flare, leading her team towards the door to the temple. The markings were unusual to say the least. Some kind of animal? If it was it certainly wasn't anything natural. A daemon...?


'I wouldn't rule out the possibility,' Akira murmured, 'Though the chances seem rather low at the moment.'


Yuuki blinked. He couldn't help but stare as Seji forced the doors open, the tainted chakra enveloping the Chuunin's arms raising more questions than he cared to deal with. Seji's . . . a Jinchuuriki...? It seemed like a rather frightening thought, why would Seji of all people be one? Or was it because he was one that he was so . . . out there? Yuuki shook his head and brushed the thought aside for the time being as he stepped inside and out of the wind. I was really hoping it's at least be a little warmer in here. His eyes had a faint glow as he looked around the abandoned building.


At least until someone went and turned on a light.


"Tch," Yuuki rubbed his eyes, temporarily blinded by the sudden change in light. He nodded at Kazou's instructions feeling the Jounin rush past to check for any nearby traps. It wasn't long after that the head of the research team rushed inside practically giddy at the sight.


Helping a stuck Ago to her feet, Tsubaki approached Alice. "Simple, Dr. Mirus: you hired us to protect you and the rest of your team so we'll be doing just that. You're already splitting up into three teams that makes things simple enough for us. I strongly suggest waiting until Kazou has finished making an initial sweep of the closest rooms before proceeding." She turned towards the Genin, "In the meanwhile the rest of you will double check your radios. We'll continue using the same channel through the rest of the mission."

 

[Ganryu]

Ayumu Susumu
​

Ayumu sauntered through the hall, looking about as proud as... well, a peacock. His radio he quickly adjusted. His was ivory to match his clothes of course. For once, Ayumu looked stealthy, his medley of whites making him look like snow... that sauntered. They seemed to be discussing the plan. Disgusting, Sensei had already given orders, what was the point of waiting.


"Very well, I shall follow sensei's orders for the time being, and help sweep, I do believe there's already enough of us twiddling our thumbs. I would feel oh so guilty about not following an order. Thank you for the observation by the way, Ryu."


His voice dripped with sarcasm on the gratitude. Honestly, Ryu's constant take charge attitude was more than a bit grating, and Ayumu looked forward to the chance to break off from him more than anyone else. He looked back at the group with his normal smug look, he disappeared also into the temple, in a path he hadn't seen Kazou disappear down. It would be counterproductive to just follow, or let Kazou do all the work.


"Radio check: Susumu online."


Wandering the ruins a bit on his own, Ayumu had two sudden realizations. These ruins were exceptionally clean. It was odd. He was grateful, but, it was just so unexpected. It was like Christmas.


His second realization was the fact he had no idea what he was looking for. Traps weren't exactly his specialty. Ayumu spent near all his study on what little jutsu his body afforded him. He simply didn't have time to suddenly master a new skill, unlike other people who could apparently be a ninja in their spare time. Well, if traps weren't his specialty, perhaps he should go back and grab....That thought quickly left him. Ayumu's job was his own. He shook his head. It was simple. If there was a trap, he would walk into it. That would determine if it was dangerous or not. Holes he could scale, darts he could block. Anything cliche in a temple, he could deal with, he was sure. A ninja trap would be more difficult, but the odds weren't high.  They were there, but any ninja using traps would identify themselves much too quickly.


It was about that time Ayumu realized he'd heard a snap of cord, and heard rock shifting. He inquisitively looked around, before he noticed rock falling to his left. 3 tubes fell at a 45 degree angle. 


"Of course."


He had wits enough to dive under them, going towards them before they went off. 3 torches blew fire forward where he'd been standing moments before. He looked above them, before he felt the rock under him start to give way.... a pressure plate.


"Isn't this dandy?"


He waited in fear for it to trigger, but nothing seemed to happen. Finally, Ayumu took a step forward, another cord snapping, and darts started to fly out of small slits in the walls. Ayumu managed to dance, just avoiding them. He looked annoyed as a clang resounded, one dart hitting his knives sleeve. Most people would be happy it didn't hit. Ayumu was pissed it'd ripped his sleeve. Sighing, another step forward, and he found out what the pressure plate did,  the floor collapsed. Ayumu found himself seemingly in a slide, headed at a fast speed downwards.


"Yeah, no."


Three knives produced themselves as he stopped himself digging into the slide. Looking behind him, he saw snow and ice flying. It was a slide literally off the side of the cliff. Ayumu sighed, swallowing his pride. He tapped his radio with his cheek.


"Susumu to team. There are definitely traps up ahead. Be careful."


He sighed as he started the slow climb back up. His one goal was to get out before anyone noticed him. Especially not Sensei, he didn't want to disappoint. Or worse, Ryu.


"I hate this place. Sure, it is clean, but traps just aren't my style."

 

[Hanarei]

Alice looked over towards Mochi as it seemed as if there was a team already figured out. She smiled brightly not even flinching at all accepting what she was given as a team quite excited. "Of course! Well... I mean... I was just going for one team but I was told if I paid a bit more I could get three teams instead of just one taking the younger ones. That and I was told it lets us look around more efficiently instead of sticking all together as one! I couldn't pass up the chance to spread out and cover more ground!" She spoke happily. Naturally Shinn in particular let out a sigh not far away  standing back in the main room knowing it more was along the lines of Alice being suckered into it. Chances are three teams wouldn't be a necessity on such a mission. It was hard to talk Alice out of things when her mind was set to a certain idea. 


"The temple itself should hold a vast amount of knowledge about humanity and how we thrived. Believe it or not, there use to be a time when Shinobis use to not exist nor any of that fancy magic stuff you did either." She spoke mostly referencing the little Genjutsu she was caught in earlier. "Such a temple in a remote place we believe it to be possibly the home of one of the great Sages. The sage were said to possess supernatural power that was unrivaled, often accompanying many followers who attempted to achieve the same spiritual enlightenment as their Masters. It isn't something we are completely certain just how they were or the full details about it, though from what many tomes have written down there have been some known to of arised since those days... although it is suspected they aren't exactly the same. We aren't sure if they are a derivative  of those old sages or if its more so a name that was taken from a completely different practice. In the end it could just be a myth. Myth or not, there is plenty of culture that can be learned from such temples to get a fundamental understanding of what their beliefs may be. Come come!"


Alice spoke waving her hand venturing ahead not giving much chance for any words as she practically pranced down into the dark hallway, heading deeper inside.


@Ganryu @Kinzu Hekmatyar @AnnoDomini

 
​

 
​

Shinn watched as Alice moved ahead sighing a bit at the souind of her gasp and dismissal of it being a false alarm further down from the doorway. He looked over to Tsubaki shaking his head. "Sorry, she can be... brash at times. I'm sure she should be okay..." He spoke not sounding completely sure. It was at that point the other female researcher looked over still covered up mostly hearing from Ryu's radio. She let out a sigh pulling down her hood exposing herself more and her blonde hair.

 
​

"Dr. Coluber, Lauren if you really want to call me by that." She spoke stepping forward giving a brief usher to Shinn. "He must of found the traps. My expertise is in old mechanical stuff, including traps. Just follow along and be careful not to step on anything. They likely use pressure plates for many of the traps. Its a nice discrete way to catch intruders off guard and its simple enough for normal residents to easily bypass without disrupting their routines." She spoke stepping forward grabbing Ryu by the shoulder. "Come on buddy, you to... whatever you are doing... Just stick behind me and be careful and I'll do my best to keep yall from falling into a trap too." She spoke pointing towards Ago who seemed to be... well... she wasn't certain what she was doing. She mostly wanted to make sure the girl was alive... ideally keeping her from stumbling into a trap considering how much she seemed to love flopping into things.


@Orikanyo  @Ganryu @One Mean Ghost

 
​

The one researcher known as Dr. Tueor seemed to be fixated more on the door, glancing upon it in some thought noticing it seemed to be locked. His eyes focused on it, the lock itself appearing quite sturdy built into the door with a keyhole... though the key itself seemed as if it had to be quite large for the typical key you would have now a days.  The man sighed pulling down his hood brushing his grey hair biting down upon a stick, his way of holding back his urge to smoke not wanting to risk damaging anything within the temple. "Well... anyone good at picking locks? This seems simple enough... just... a bit larger then the typical lock you might find. Don't think there is anything super special to it." 

 
​

The youngest of the group, Dr. Lumen stood quietly not doing much of anything, finally exposing his face though deciding to keep the hood over his head a little too cold for his tastes coming from a typically warmer climate. He gripped the strap on his pack looking over to the others noticing a few other of the Genin gathered around, keeping quiet not speaking up much at all.


@Red @KageYuuki @AnnoDomini

 

[Kinzu Hekmatyar]

Kiso 
​

All this talk about tomes,important scroll,old stores almost made Kiso want to cry out in annoyance and desire of actually fighting those they had come to deal with . Sighing as the woman motions them forward fine she thought this shouldn't take long as she played along right ? though she had to ask after all she wasn't too sure of the mission at hand dang she thought she should've listened better after. Rushing after Alice ,"hey um Alice was it? ,what is our mission exactly are we just gonna snatch some important scroll or something ? :" she kept close to alice her own hand lightly brushing the blade she had slung over her back a simple Katana .
​

@Hanarei
​

 

[D3lmoniko]

[SIZE= 36px]Akihiro Tsubasha[/SIZE]


Aki cleared his throat and went near Dr. Tueor. Kneeling down, he let out a sigh, feeling the ground. "...It should be soft enough to use my Hidding like a mole, or even my Inner Decapitation to get through, see if I can find key... Easier than picking the lock..." Raising up, he turned to look at the other. Some already chose their teams, sighing.


Putting his hands together, he closed his eyes. "...Inner Decapitation Jutsu..." And he disappeared underground, only leaving small traces as to where he went. A few moment of quiet, before a small sound could be heard, like an unearthing sound. "...The room is lit..." Came Aki's muffled voice, as he was a little interested by who left the torches lit.


"...I didn't think this through..." He said, looking around the new room. Seeing a small lever, he was a little suspicious about it. 'Could've used someone with Byakugan.' Sweat was already starting to form, as he looked at the lever. To push it, or not to push it. He had an idea. Tying the excess rope he had to the lever, he jumped to hang to one of the suspended torches.


"...Here goes nothing!..." Aki says, pulling the lever. A click could be heard, as the door opens slowly. "...Oh yea-" His words were cut short by the torch holder broke, Aki falling down on his butt, the torch falling down and the light source just disappearing. Standing up, he brushed himself, coughing.


@Hanarei