Unknown shinobi leaves Kumo [Village Exit]

With a light step but a heavy heart, Yoto approached the Kumogakure gate. He left behind him a village where he had spent tens of thousands of ryo in a matter of minutes. He left only the bare necessities for the journey. He tried to erase from his memory what he had experienced here in this fortress full of madmen and child soldiers. He didn't think about the trouble he might have when he left. He knew he had that child guard somewhere behind him, following him like his shadow.

WC: 90

[Exit]
Village Exit to Country Borders
No claims

Stat Page:

Human Form/Present Appearance:

Hikari stood at the gate on duty for the day, there were a few questionable individuals who had been coming in and out recently and their security was on the more additional side. A few more guards were present helping traffic when Hikari spotted an individual who was attempting to leave and keep his head down not looking for trouble. Eying the man as he approached it appeared he was going to simply attempt to walk straight out of the village without reporting all his actions to the guard. Such a rude individual was not courteous to Kumogakure no Sato's hospitality. It was when he walked closer to the gate that Hikari stepped forth before him blocking his path. She extended a hand outward in a 'stop' gesture before shouting at him, "Stop!" Her attire was standard casual wear with her headband resting on her clavicle. Making this gesture when he was 5 meters from her, she anticipated him to stop before proceeding closer.

Her stance was a bit wide for her size as she stood at a solid 5 foot 1, or 154 centimeters, but her eyes were fierce as it was clear that she was not likely to take a continued effort to leave lightly. Assuming his general demeanor was anything to keep in mind, it was likely that he did not interact well the last time he came through the gate. She loosened her stance before looking at the man, "Leaving in a rush? We still need to go through the standard procedure to depart." She indicated, her voice and tone lowering and softening to hopefully ease the man's tension. She knew that Kumogakure had a reputation to uphold but they still needed to be firm with their procedure.

As long as the man cooperated there should not be any reason to have any hold-ups as he gets processed out of the village. It was clear that not stopping or listening was going to be met with likely some sort of problem. Hikari kept her focus on the man but made sure she was mindful of the surroundings as her eyes flickered to the gate guards present to make sure they were also watching the two of them face off with each other. Hopefully, this would be quick and painless for both of them to let this man go. A small flame encased within a hand lantern that she held under the setting sun's rain, still bright enough to see, just dark enough to want additional lighting.

Although it normally was just Kumogakure No Sato’s defense that made it appear as if it was raining and made it feel like it too to non-residents, it turned out to be a lightly rainy evening. Hikari looked over the man’s attire, looking to get a better visual understanding of the vagabond who wished to have disappeared into the evening for travel under the cover of the storm. It was an intriguing situation, to say the least, and presumably, others will be present to aid in his departure.

WC: 500, TWC: 500

[Interrupting Exit, reminding the presence of the Village’s Defense Raijin’s Rolling Thunder is active and inducing a 50% AP penalty to those under it. Hikari possesses Raijin’s Rage/Fujin’s Fury and is unaffected.]

Yoto had no friends or acquaintances in Kumo. From the moment he entered this village, he felt like a criminal, a me-friend who was under a lot of pressure in the village atmosphere. He felt that his presence aroused suspicion and hostility towards him from the Kumo-nin, who considered him an intruder and a threat for some silly reason. Yoto tried to avoid trouble, but it was not easy. His every move was watched and his every word scrutinized. Even upon entering, he got into verbal clashes with the local guards who were obviously trying to provoke him. He suspected that the likelihood of some sort of physical confrontation was increasing by the minute. He didn't want to stay any longer than necessary, so he decided to leave the village as soon as possible.

Yoto replayed his plans in his head as to how he would continue his journey and where to find new adventures and challenges. He had one place in mind that he would like to travel to, as by all accounts there would be more than enough work in that location. Yoto hailed from the Land of Rain, a land that was known for its inhospitality and constant rain. He was used to the harsh conditions and dangers of his journey. But even in the Land of Rain, he was not in as hostile an environment as he was in Kumo. Here he felt trapped, like a cage he had to get out of. His blood boiled, but he didn't want to show it. Yoto reached the gate that led out of the village. He had hoped that he would be able to pass unnoticed, but he was wrong. Waiting for him at the gate was Hikari, a young and determined ninja who blocked his path

He tried not to take in his surroundings or think about the damn place. Instead, he was already thinking about the better places that awaited him. The moment he was half out of his thoughts, a loud "stop" from the young shinobi's mouth snapped him out of that state. Yoto looked Hikari over from head to toe. She was a pretty girl, but she wasn't his type. She had a small and slender body that looked fragile and vulnerable, and her fox-like features made him a little startled. In her hand she held a lantern that illuminated her face and now part of Yot's. Yoto realized that Hikari was considerably shorter than him. She was even shorter than Hibiki, the child shinobi who had accompanied him to the village. 

Yoto turned back to Hikari, who was still blocking his path. He heard her tell him that he had to go through the standard procedure before she left. Yoto smiled and replied to Hikari with irony in his voice. "Sorry, I'm in a hurry. I don't want to hold up the guard that's watching me. Surely he has more meritorious, interesting, and entertaining activities to do than guarding a single visitor like me." He utters with great exaggeration in his voice while looking at Hikari, "What do you mean by standard procedure? That you interrogate me, search me, or torture me?" He said with humor in his voice to make it clear he wasn't serious."Otherwise, of course, I'll cooperate. Ask me anything and I'll answer." he says in a calm voice. In his mind he imagines what standard procedure would look like in Kumo. Maybe it would start with point one, the breaking of hands. That would be fun, he thought sarcastically. Instinctively, he put his hands slightly behind his back so that Hikari couldn't catch them so easily. He turned back to see where the guard that was supposed to be watching him even was.




_________________
WC: 624
TWC: 714

As Yoto's attention turned to Hikari and focused on the young adult at the gate, she saw him tense up and snap out of what was his stupor. It was clear to Hikari that he had a bad experience getting through the gate and the likelihood was that he was just not cooperative or something else stirred whoever helped process him. He seemed on the older side and considering his attire, he was a vagabond who wandered around without a home and others to enjoy the comfort of friendship. He likely had lived alone, tucked away from the world for a while before crawling out and hearing the wonders that the village of Kumogakure no Sato had to offer. It really was his lucky day when he arrived though it seems clear he did not enjoy his stay albeit, unknown to Hikari, a relatively short one.

She listened intently to the crude man before her as his gaze lingered on her body and frame for a bit too long to her liking but was not something to be worried about yet, it was clear that he was interested in something about her but surely the man was not invested into her youthful appearance no? His words confirmed that Hikari hit the nail on the head and that he seemed to have been in a rush to simply depart from the village and his following comments confirmed the additional suspicion that his entry did not go as smoothly. Considering he was let into the village and with a personal escort no less you would imagine the vagabond to have been a tad more grateful for the assistance of Kumogakure's upstanding shinobi force ensuring he can avoid trouble at a moment's notice.

When he prompted what she meant, she adjusted the lantern back closer to her now that she had gotten a good look at his face. The fire flickered in the case beside her as she gestured toward a line of others who could be overheard declaring goods and other intent to leave justifications. "Do I have a reason to interrogate, search, or prompt to torture you sir...?" She asked prompting the man for a response. Looking to see about what was the man's deal and for him to hopefully begin with a proper introduction and get the understanding that the standard procedure was standard and unless he did something to warrant the concerns he had. Hikari kept her focus on him as she began to purposefully use her general sensory capacity to keep a more tuned awareness now of Yoto.

From there she would conduct the procedure to see all of what transpired and to get a better picture of the rush. Should his answers be satisfying then there should not be a reason to hold him longer than needed. She was curious about this guard who was watching the man and when they would make an appearance. Surely they would add some additional information for the man's unnerving assessment.

Notes:

WC: 500, TWC: 1,000

Stats:

Hibiki had followed the vagabond as he travelled the village, remained within 10 meters at all times with the seal of confrontation held but otherwise did not interfere with the man as he went about his business. He seemed mainly interesting in making purchases at Saturn’s shop as Hibiki had recommended. Judging by the vagabonds choice to head the gate Hibiki presumed he had decided to leave now that his business had been concluded. This raised some more suspicion for Hibiki as Yoto had clearly said he intended to sample the food and drink that Kumogakure had to offer. Then again Hibiki reflected that the vagabond was likely afraid that he might behave rudely again or begin shouting about torture. Judging by his actions with Zansu it was likely better that he didn’t drink. Hibiki was uncertain precisely why she reacted so hostile to Yoto’s actions but it seemed to disturb and anger her greatly so he supposed it was bad. Hibiki made another not eon his growing list of things to discuss with Hikari. She would certainly have the answers.

It was perhaps coincidence or fate then that as they approached the village gates once more that Hikari was standing on guard duty with a lantern in hand but very clearly in her human form and all trace of her fox like tails and ears gone. It had taken him a little while to get used to the rapid change but reasoned it was no more different than using a transformation technique. He kept his focus on Yoto, remaining 10 meters behind and prepared to attack or defend if the situation required it. Hibiki had no doubt that Hikari was capable but he was not going to bet his friends life or well being on it. Hibiki would rather sit through a lecture than have his friends hurt because of his carelessness or to save face. When Hibiki came clearly into view he have a nod and a quick smile to Hikari before putting on his serious face again, allowing her to take the lead as he was technically not on guard duty at the moment.

Hibiki watched and waited to see what the vagabond would do and it would be clear to Hikari that he was also actively using chakra sensory to watch Yoto as well.

WC: 388 TWC: 388

Yoto felt trapped in his thoughts, which revolved around the recent incident. Although he tried to think of other things, his mind kept returning to this one incident that had affected him deeply. He knew he should accept what had happened and move on, but it wasn't that simple. Any attempt to distract his thoughts was only a temporary escape from the reality that was still catching up with him. If the little shinobi had charred his mentally disturbed colleague, they could all be better off than they are right now. And Yoto could have been tuning up with cakes, candy, and drinking with the local Kumo-nin at the bars. It was as if he had taken these thoughts and moved them much further into his brain into a special compartment called "people who will pay for it sooner or later in blood", and that closed it for now. He wasn't going to keep coming back to this event and dwelling on them. With these thoughts in mind, Yoto turned to Hikari, who he decided not to burden with these thoughts in order to speed up the process. "Of course, there is no reason to hold me back or anything else,"  he said in a neutral tone of voice. His words were firm, but concise.

Yoto had no idea what Hikari was going to ask him. All he knew was that he didn't have time for useless talk. He needed to get to the land of moon as soon as possible, where he had a few things to deal with. However, his cold and aloof demeanor did not endear him to the locals. So he tried to work with Hikari to hasten his departure. He found just entering the village annoying and tedious. From his perspective, it took him forever. He understood why villages guarded kohokov who approached their territory like this, but if he could leave faster he would be satisfied with the entrance. While waiting for the next question, he tried to guess what the guardians of this village thought of him. He wanted to give them everything they wanted him to do, to finally leave him alone.

Yoto picks up his cloak to reveal a few vials of poison, a thing resembling a sword scabbard, and other things. "My name is Yoto Hisashiburi, a vagabound who bought this at the village ninja shop". He points a finger at a piece of equipment hidden under his cloak. ""And in the shop I visited on the recommendation of the guard behind me I bought this." and starts showing more equipment. "I didn't buy anything else, and I didn't do anything wrong to your villagers, and I think the guard who's been watching me all this time can attest to that." He gestures with his hand to the small shinobi. Yoto has said the most basic things about himself, what he acquired in Kumo and why he is leaving in a hurry the guard already knows too. Yoto doesn't know what more she wants to know, so he shuts up and waits to see what else she asks of him.


_____
WC: 520
TWC: 1234

The Kitsune's eyes flickered past Yoto once her awareness brought forth the recognition of Hibiki being the guard responsible for the Vagabond. She gave a light nod in recognition as he followed close behind and made his presence aware to her while she was on duty. Yoto spoke up shortly after her initial prompting if she should be concerned about him but gave him time to compose his thoughts. Listening intently it was clear that Yoto had a heavy thought on his mind through his slightly delayed response to her initial question. Hikari took note of his initial neutral tone which led to his disclosure of his time in Kumogakure.

It appeared to her that his time at the gate led the man to expedite his time in the village by simply making purchases and leaving. Hikari adjusted her grip on the lantern to let the ring slide onto her wrist to take note of the comments he made, "Thank you for your cooperation Hisashiburi-san." She said as she wrote down and observed the display he had shown her of various poisons and other accessory items. Taking note they likely came from Saturn's shop it was clear that the village was likely to get visitors to arrive there presently and simply make a purchase and leave. Hikari remembered this for later. The last part of phrasing caught her attention and she simply shook her head back and forth, "Good heavens if you had done anything to our village I would imagine we would not be conversing at this time and place now would we?" She said in a lighthearted tone to try to brighten the spirits of the man giving a smile before putting her notepad away.

She readjusted the lantern and stepped two meters to her right out of his way, gesturing it forward towards the bridge that left Kumogakure No Sato. "You answered plenty well enough for my satisfaction and indicated adequately what I would need to confirm from you. I hope you have safe and speedy travels to wherever you are intending for a destination. It seems Kumogakure may have soured a bit of what you were expecting but I hope you find it in your heart to return to enjoy a longer stay." Hikari declared before her eyes shifted to Hibiki, there was likely much for the two genin to discuss on what occurred earlier on for this man. Hikari gave a light gesture alongside that returning her focus to Yoto as she gave a thumbs up to him, "Careful on the bridge, the rain makes it slippery sometimes. For your own record, you may call me Kobayashi." She indicated giving her family name over her full name.

This was a safer bet and she was distinguishing enough that should her return she would hopefully have made a notable name for herself. There was always a question of how she would do that but for now, that was not her concern. Once Yoto had begun to depart and was more than 10 meters away, she gave a wave of the lantern to the other guards on duty before turning to Hibiki, "I believe we might need to have a debrief of what all happened." She said giving a light shrug to her fellow shinobi before returning to her guard duty shift. She had to complete her tenure at the gate still and would not let an odd occurrence like this disrupt that. Though she knew Hibiki was inquisitive enough and likely this would be another question and lesson session for the young genin to learn from for now.

During the brief interim of the man's departure, Hikari kept her focus on her chakra awareness as he continued to leave. There was a multitude of reasons why but the main one was to just make sure she had the cognition to see that he did not turn back for one reason or another. Travelers often found themselves forgetting something at the last minute in a cliche way in the fiction she read from time to time and the limited experiences she had at the gate did not verify if this was inherently true, nonetheless, she kept her vigil of guard duty active and present. Surely there were no further surprises that were necessary or needed for the affairs of the day. The matter of the unknown shinobi was dealt with and handled swiftly thankfully due to the ease and cooperation of the Vagabond known as Yoto Hisashiburi.

WC: 750, TWC: 1,750

[Allowing Yoto to leave Kumogakure.]

Yoto, whose face was a bright reflection of relief and satisfaction, said goodbye to the formalities that bound him with a deep nod. His gesture was nothing less than a silent ovation for those who had allowed him such a smooth passage. "Maybe one day I will return," he said with a friendly smile, "and I hope to spend more time here under better circumstances." His words were full of hope, but also of the promise of a return. "Unfortunately, I have a lot of work to do now, but when I finish it, I may return" he added with a thoughtful look into the distance. He may have felt uncomfortable here, but theoretically, if he met someone less aggressive at the gate next time, it could have been time well spent.  With these and similar thoughts, he looked at the massive storm.


Feeling that his purpose for the journey had been fulfilled, Yoto turned and headed away from the village. His steps were determined yet light, as if he had just shed an invisible burden that weighed him down. He still had one more obstacle ahead of him - the permanent storm that surrounded the village. "I bet this massive storm wasn't here a while ago when I came here.  Their weather here is looking pretty erratic and," He noted to himself with a slight smile on his face, before stepping into the storm and thus out of sight of the two guards. This journey through the storm was going to be quite wet, annoying and lengthy. These thoughts were the first that popped into Yot's mind the moment he entered the storm. But unfortunately, it was the only way out of the Kumogakure No Sato area known to him.

WC: 290
TWC: 1524

[Exit]
Claims: 
1500 WC = 15 Stats // +15 Chakra
Chakra Thread Formation: Sundering Drill (C to B rank) 1000 WC
Genjutsu Release (Mastery: No seals) 500 WC
52 WC donated to charity 

Yoto Hisashiburi wrote:

WC: 290
TWC: 1524

[Exit]
Claims: 
1500 WC = 15 Stats // +15 Chakra
Chakra Thread Formation: Sundering Drill (C to B rank) 1000 WC
Genjutsu Release (Mastery: No seals) 500 WC
52 WC donated to charity 

Approved

Hibiki stood in silence as and simply observed the vagabond as Hikari processed him and asked questions of her own. Hibiki continued to watch the vagabond carefully, ready to strike if he sensed any danger but fortunately the vagabond was much better behaved than when he entered the village earlier that day. Hibiki watched Yoto leave as he walked out the massive gates of the village and noticed Hikari watching him. Hibiki dropped the stern ‘guard face’ and transformed into his usual smiling and cheerful self. Hikari mentioned attending and debriefing and Hibiki nodded in agreement before responding, casting one last glance to the figure of Yoto slowly moving away. “Sure! I heard vagabonds could be a bit odd but I didn’t expect that! Do you want to go to Kumogakure Fried Chicken for the debrief? My treat?”

Hibiki attended the debriefing with Hikari wherever she chose to carry it out and whether in company or alone would head to the reputed chicken restaurant before saying his goodbyes and heading home.

[Exit]

WC: 171 TWC:559

Claiming 559 wc (25% discount due to max stats)
- 34 wc to complete Lightning Release: Ground Rod 750/750 - 34/559

Links to past claims:

- 308 wc to complete Sealing Art: Dark River Breaking Seal - 1750/1750 - 342/559

Link to previous claims:

- 217 wc towards Sealing Art: Chakra Storage Seal [Incomplete] - 217/1125 - 559/559