{Forest}

Rikudou turned away from the others after listening to some of their insight. Scouting the area did seem like a useful idea, even though the enemy had been using the constructs as distractions while the actual people fled. Suppose that some didn't notice the alert, though... And better to err on the side of caution, as the saying goes. He quickly pushed his glasses back up to the bridge of his nose before tapping a finger over his chin.

"I shall stay behind to scour the area while the rest of you go back to report... I even remember seeing some ANBU near the gate earlier so as to warn them, as well." Rikudou crossed his arms over his abdomen, the left under the right and cradling it.

_________________

*Skip!*

The Hokage had gathered them all in his office. "As you may know, we were recently attacked by an unknown force. Messengers had relayed reports that these attacks happened at several villages. All of them were repelled but damage was done. Rin has told us that they are extremely dangerous and are out to destroy the villages. I find that a little hard to believe but until we get any more information, we will have to accept that. For those who are from other villages: your homes have sent orders that explain that you are to stay here and aid us for now. However..." he frowned "...even during this time, we must continue completing requests. We cannot lose face. Therefore I am giving all of you missions in groups of four.

"Hara, you are to look after the younger Hyuuga, Yushka, and Yoshida. You are to go to the eastern providence of our country and find a contact known as the Jade Eye. Saotome, you, Hyuuga the elder, Musei, and Rin are to search a battlefield to the north, near the Village Hidden in the Waterfall. Apparently, one of the warriors who died there held an object of great historical value. It was a sword that was rumored to have been crafted by Musara, a blacksmith of great renown. Bradao, Chou, Kurokami, Cyrus, Tate, you five need to kill a creature that has been plaguing a trading post to the south. There is no information other than it is apparently wolf-like in nature." He looked at the gathered ninja. "Any questions?"

_________________
Final Fantasy IX was the best Final Fantasy game ever and if you think otherwise you are WRONG!

My fanfiction account. Comments and criticisms are very welcome.

Akito was a little taken aback, the amount of people in the office almost overwhelming to him. He listened intently to the master, making sure to take in as many details as he could. He looked to the people in his team ‘Damn.. five years older and still stuck with the kids, need to take the damn exam’ He smiled to Rikudou, ‘Suppose I will get to it eventually’. He then turned to the Hokage “err, yes Hokage-“ He squirmed slightly on the spot while under the gaze of the most important ninja in the village “-Have we got any details on what the Jade eye will look like, Or where to meet him or her?”

-Office-

"I believe I know the place you're talking about, though that story didn't make it out of the tabloids." Age responded after a moment's thought. He felt much more relaxed then when he'd first came the village, now that he had official orders, and it showed in his words. "Anyways mission accepted, the wolf-hunting crew's heading out." There wasn't a need to stick around since there was no more information on the incident and frankly the office was terribly crowded at the moment. He didn't stick around waiting to see if the rest of the team was following, figuring if they couldn't keep up they'd say something and if they didn't then they could just stay here. Normally he wouldn't be so quick to go but since he'd read a bit about this incident he had a lot more interest in finding out more about what was really going on.

-Hokage's office, getting a mission-

Bradao nodded his head silently. A monster he thought to himself, just the kind of thing that my training was made for. He shook his head, But it is wolf like, what could that be, a werewolf? He heard Age begin talking, "Right, let's go." He got up and quickly followed Age. we have to stop the monster, besides, its good training.

_________________
Hey everybody, PandaBrady here, with more roleplaying!

Also, please support Monty Oum, his work is amazing, especially RWBY. I wish I was that good.

-/ Yu-Yu | Hokage's Office \-

Yukenra looked over the gathering of ninja crammed into the Hokage's office. Many he recognized and a few he didn't. As unnerving such a gathering in tight quarters might have been to some, the young Yushka didn't mind it at all. When he heard his surname called out he looked to the other members of the four man group. He couldn't complain. Those of the Hyuuga clan were excellent trackers and taijutsu specialists. Rikudou was exceptional even among them. He knew little of their Jonin leader or the other member, but they looked powerful and he knew what he was capable of so he was confident. Hearing the other missions he was a little envious, but orders were orders. The teams had been decided and he was simply a soldier. While he was curious about this Jade Eye they were to be meeting, He had a love for finely crafted weapons and the wolf creature hunt sounded like fun.

Akito's questions were indeed basic, but seeing as this was a known contact of the Hidden Leaf, Yukenra assumed they'd be briefed more thoroughly by their Jonin who'd be given more detailed info than the short spill the Hokage presented to them. None the less, he awaited the answer. The Eastern providence wasn't exactly small and finding one who doesn't want to be found could prove quite difficult as well.

_________________
My Poetry and More!

Rin stood quiety leaned up against a bookshelf in the Hokage's crowded office. The last few days had been an ordeal. Rin had been under containment and interrogation, but with the Yamanaka's approval, he had been released into active duty, under his old squadmates' supervision.

Rin noticed the suspicious glances at him from around the room when the Hokage mentioned his involvement, and he let out a slow breath. The others that had seen him in the forest were probably still very confused as to why he was with the other raiders, but orders were orders, and Konoha had missions to take care of. Rin had told them everything he knew and it was in Anbu's hands now.

Rin slipped out the back door of the Hokage's office. He had no questions for the Hokage, and the press of the room had made him uncomfortable. Waiting outside the front doors of the palace for his squadmates, Rin let out another deep breath, enjoying the scenery of the town he had grown up in. It was good to be home.

_________________
The truth is that the ancients never really leave. We've only just stepped out for a moment.

-Just outside the Hokage's Office-

Tsuin fell into step behind and a step to the opposite side from Bradao a moment after they cleared the doors. He simply appeared out of the crowd mid-step, cloak shifting with his movements. "A mission, Age-taichou?" His face was impassive as he scanned the side of their travel direction out of habit.

_________________
Syaoran and Sakura "Meant to be"

-Heading towards the Village Exit-

"Yes actually." Age replied when he heard Tsuin not missing a beat. He thought for a moment about whether he'd seen his comrade at that meeting but honestly a person could have missed their own mother standing next to them. "It should just be a simple hunting mission, but you're welcome to join in if you're free. This type of mission only gets easier with more bodies after all."

-Rai-
=Hokage's office=

The Hokage did have a point with assigning these missions, even if they were just attacked it didn't mean that everything else lost importance. Rai had faith that their leader was taking care of things, but for now his focus needed to be directed towards his new task. However that was something that would be easier said than done. With Akemi and Rin both back now, that only complicated things for the Hyuuga. He would have been the first to admit that after everything had happened to his team he had completely fallen apart. Rai let his emotions get the best of him, let it affect his performance in missions and still hadn't fully gotten back into a groove. Confusion would have been the best word to describe the emotion that weighed most heavily on him at the moment.

Their team was almost how it was before, but he still didn't feel quite right about things. He did feel a little bit at ease to know that Souon was going to accompany him on their mission, she was probably the only person he had continued to trust after everything that happened with his team. Rai stood in the Hokage's office, his arms folded across his chest as he listened to their leader's instructions. His eyes drifted around the room several times during the Hokage's announcements, looking towards Akemi, Rin, and Souon to gauge what they all thought about their new mission. Venturing onto a battlefield would be dangerous work, if there were still combatants present there was no telling what kind of trouble they could run into. Finding a sword may have sounded like a simple task, however this mission was still one that carried a lot of risks.
"Is there any description of what the blade looks like?" Rai spoke in a cool tone, noticing out of the corner of his eye when Rin slipped out of the back room.

_________________

-Hara Takumi, Hokage's Office-

"Alright lad's and potential lasses meet me at the gate leading out of the city," he said glancing around the group of children trying to figure out who was on his team of genin. The "younger Hyuuga" was easy to spot since the other one was a chuunin, but the other two kiddies were a little hard to place. He shrugged and spun on his heel, walking slowly by kicking his legs up and not bending his knees giving the genin assigned to him a chance to catch up and ask him any questions.

He would walk like this the entire distance to the ramen stand, ordering a meal to go that he'd eat out of a cup and continue to take the bizarre stride to his manse and grab his gear for what could be a potentially long journey. "A contact named Jade Eye," he started to mumble to himself after swallowing a mouthful of half chewed noodle, "I hope this isn't something that they can't handle, contacts could have anything waiting for us. Hopefully the old bag knows what the contact wants," Takumi was skeptical, which was also attached to his cynicism. Maybe taking care of a few light hearted kids would manage to get him out of the slump he was in.

_________________

-/ Yu-Yu | Hokage's Office \-

With a fresh mission on his plate and a meeting spot decided, Yukenra proceeded to exit the Hokage's office shortly after his jonin leader did. He was used to the condescending remarks and the general treatment of children by adults. As Takumi made his stroll to the ramen shop, Yukenra took the opportunity to introduce himself. "Yushka Yukenra sir; foam user, fisherman, and merchant extraordinaire" he said as he walked beside him. "Smell ya later!" With that, he darted off toward his place to pack a few more provisions and a little extra spending money just in case.

Once the travel sack was packed, He would make his way toward the main gate to meet up with the four-man cell and hopefully embark on their mission east. He was still concerned with the matter of the foiled assault in the woods, but making contact with this Jade Eye individual would take precedence. He was mostly curious to see how this team would work and the overall mission would turn out. All their was left to do now was get this show on the road and watch it all unfold.

_________________
My Poetry and More!

- Yoshida Akito, Hokage's Office-

“Hopefully so Hara-Sensei” The adult Genin quickly caught up with his cell leader, Catching the tail end of his ‘old bag’ comment. “I assume a lot more information will be provided on site.” He then turned to Yu-yu as he made his introduction, Giving a gentle smile and a wave as he quickly rushed off once again “odd fellow I guess, I am Yoshida Akito of the Yoshida clan, I specialise in close combat.” He did a mini bow to his new master before continuing. “I hope this mission will go without a problem.”

{Hokage's Office}

Rikudou watched as his team leader strolled out with his two teammates. He waited a bit, looking back to the Hokage and again to the office door. He had thought they would wait to let Akito's question be answered. He liked that idea. More information on a mission was always something he liked most. But, things didn't seem fixed to work in that direction this time. With a soft sigh under his breath, he walked out of the office some moments after the rest of his team had.

He caught up as Yukenra was rushing away. Then Akito introduced himself and brought mention to his specialty in combat. So he's like myself... He looked over in the direction Yukenra had gone. Then we have some balance... I know Yukenra-san has some useful jutsu for ranged combat. Which leaves me to focus on providing support. He smiled at the thought, knowing it would give him ample chance to further practice his medical skills.

Rikudou stayed some few feet behind the other two, letting them converse while he took a moment to look around.

_________________

The young Hokage scratched his chin, assigning the ninja under his command was one of the many tasks that he was supposed to do today, and so he had gathered several teams in at once to expidiate the process. But it was better than the stack of field reports that were arranged chronologically by height on his desk, and were in constant danger of toppling onto the floor. He let puffed out a short breath and tried to focus on the task at hand. Ninjas. Missions. Questions. Right.



The Hokage frowned, thoughtful. "Only that you are supposed to meet at a roadside inn outside a port city." He shrugged, waving a thick folder briefly before handing it to the young ninja. "Ask the Innkeeper, your contact should be somewhere around there."

The Hokage raised his head, looking for another inquiry, and was immediately rewarded by Rai.



The Hokage leaned back in his comfortable, massive, winged chair and nodded. "Yes, we don't have a photo of it, but it is said to be heavy sword, about a meter and a half in length, bladed on both sides, with a large split," He motioned the shape with both of his hands, resembling a tuning fork and squinted one eye through the gap in his fingers toward Rai. "In the middle." He leaned forward again, with another frown as he watched Rin walk out of the back of the room without his teammates, and looked attentatively back to Rai. "I don't think it should be hard to find. It is rumored to leave carnage wherever it goes." He continued quietly, "But I suggest once you do," He spoke the next few words slowly, as if they were heavier. "Make sure you keep an eye on it." His eyes flicked briefly toward door Rin had exited from. The Hokage then nodded and slid a folder out to Rai as well. The return of Rin would definately put pressure on his old teammates. Though the Yamankas had cleared him, The Hokage was still unsure as to the young ninja's motivations. Just in case, he had assigned one of his Anbu to Akemi's team, just to be sure.


The Hokage looked around at the faces gathered around him waiting for any more questions. When none surfaced, he rose from his chair, addressing all of them at once. "Good luck all of you, I expect favorable reports." With a wave of his hand he said, "Dismissed!"

_________________
The truth is that the ancients never really leave. We've only just stepped out for a moment.

---Following Age---

"Alright!" Tsuin cheered, his fists coming together under his cloak with a metallic clank as the knuckle-plates collided. He sobered almost immediately, "Ah-heh. Sorry, Age-taichou. This village was starting to wear on my nerves there for a while."

He went through a quick inventory of his vest, his cloak showing the indications of his hands checking his various pockets and pouches. "I'm green, Taichou. Lead the way."

(For the benefit of you who don't know or find it confusing... Preparedness: Green means good to go, Black would be reloading, Red would be Out of supplies. Not that an enemy would know this unless he'd studied a given village's methods.)

_________________
Syaoran and Sakura "Meant to be"

-Village Exit/Outskirts-

"Then we're good to go in just a second." Age said, pausing for a few moments at a news stand to purchase a gossip magazine that actually had credible stories sometimes. He then motioned to the other that they could get going again. "Actually I read a little bit about the incident we're investigating before we left home. It's only rumors but supposedly there's been over a dozen victims, hopefully there will be some descriptions of our target in this issue." He'd already started flipping through the pages, expertly navigating around obstacles and people at a good pace, even though he couldn't see where he was going. He looked over to Tsuin for a moment, not pausing in his stride as they left the village. "Can I ask you to keep an eye out for the others for me, I might accidentally leave them behind while I'm reading this."

-Village exit-

Bradao leaned against a wall, "I'm ready to go when you guys are." Then he thought about the werewolf creature. "I hope it isn't like Chris Byakugan." He said as he thought about the assassin he fought a while back. He then began thinking back on his teammates, Baio Fukumen, Hogosha Koukuie, and his sensei Shin Sharingan. "I hope their mission is going alright." He said sighing.

_________________
Hey everybody, PandaBrady here, with more roleplaying!

Also, please support Monty Oum, his work is amazing, especially RWBY. I wish I was that good.

Akemi Saotome: Saotome, Hyuuga the elder, Musei, and Rin: most of the old gang

Akemi was in the office and when she heard her name spoken, looked up. She listened to the list of people who would be under her charge and gave a small smile. Most of the old group. It seemed odd that they would be sent out on a wild goose chase to find a sword that a fallen warrior had, but she had been sent on stranger missions and said nothing but "Un" in agreement. "Is there a time limit?" She asked after a moment's consideration. She, of course, would aim to get this mission accomplished as soon as possible, but there were always deadlines and she liked to know. She had noticed that Rin had left, and would talk to him at a later time, perhaps when she was finished with the Hokage.

Thinking on the mission, she listened to Rai ask what the sword looked like, and smiled. It was a good question. She had noticed Rai's glance and gave him a small nod of assurance. She'd been in worse situations, ones that had left many many scars that were still visible even after all the many years that had passed since the initial injuries. Another battlefield was just another battlefield. Another place to find fallen soldiers, looters and the conquering force. In some cases, things seemed to be tied, but those were rare cases. There was always a victor. She began to think on the mission and her teammates. She didn't think of them so much as students as teammates at this point. She could share information with them, but she would expect for them to teach her in turn. They wouldn't know this of course, but she would glean information eventually, because the information that she sought couldn't be taught, it had to be experienced.

Once the meeting was over, she walked outside after bowing to the Hokage and thanking him for his time. She gave the area a quick glance for Rin, and gave Rai a look that said "I'll be back" and walked over to Rin. "It's good to be back, ne?"

_________________
Doctress Who-CURSE YOU AKAINE AND FENIX. *Shakes fist*
Musicmac-INNUENDO... STRIKE!
Innuendo Squad Leader
Dare to join?

Ninja had begun to slowly filter out of the palace, and Rin watched them quietly as they passed by. There were many foreigners in the Village lately. 'That is likely for the best.' Thought Rin, stretching his gloved arms out on the bench and folding his legs. With the hidden villages being attacked by outside ninja, it was good to see that the alliances stood strong.

More ninja began to pour out of the front doors, and it looked as if the meeting was over. Rin stayed seated until he saw his squad, and rose as Akemi Approached. "Mmmn." Rin purred with a nod to Akemi's question. "It has been a long time, Akemi-San."

In the year since their last meeting, Rin had grown to stand a few inches taller than Akemi, but the quiet power that she radiated was still as intimidating as ever. Rin rubbed his neck, tilting his head as he noticed his other teammates exiting the building. "So," He said in a low voice. leaning toward Akemi "What is our next move?"

_________________
The truth is that the ancients never really leave. We've only just stepped out for a moment.

(If I could get an acknowledgement of those people in our group? That'd be Bradao, Chou, Kurokami, and Cyrus I think? I'm pretty sure Tate is Age so...)

--Following Age-Taichou--

"Is this everyone here?" Tsuin queried as he looked over the group that was ostensibly following the two of them. If he was surprised by anything he saw, he didn't show it.

_________________
Syaoran and Sakura "Meant to be"

~At the gate waiting for the group.~

"I'm here," Bradao said, "Ready for anything." He said

_________________
Hey everybody, PandaBrady here, with more roleplaying!

Also, please support Monty Oum, his work is amazing, especially RWBY. I wish I was that good.

Akemi Saotome: Outside the Hokage building

"Ah." She agreed with him. "It has." She paused for a moment before giving him a bit more information, as he had probably noticed the way her eyes were searching the village in a similar was to Rin himself. "If you weren't informed earlier, I too have been gone for a while. I just arrived [here] today. It's a good thing, too." Rin continued. Akemi paused for another moment, to think. In the time that she had been away, she had gotten better at expressing herself, but that didn't mean that her almost cautious way of speaking had changed. She liked to think before she said anything, even more now than before. She wasn't just being cautious, she was weighing her words, savoring them on her tongue before speaking. Chuckling a little, she spoke, "I would have thought that you knew our next move. Prepare for the mission." She gave a little smile, verging on one a conspirator would make, and continued,"After a little training, of course. I haven't been able to see you in action in a long time, so I want to see where you [all] are in skill level." She had seen them in action in the forest a short while ago, but that situation didn't show her their full potential in the way that she would have preferred. She had worked with them, but she wanted them to work together as a team for a goal and see how the old hinges worked, if at all. In her next activity for them, they would have to trust eachother. She inwardly gave a small and slightly vindictive grin at the thought.

_________________
Doctress Who-CURSE YOU AKAINE AND FENIX. *Shakes fist*
Musicmac-INNUENDO... STRIKE!
Innuendo Squad Leader
Dare to join?

-Lucas Slade-
(Not really sure whats going on, but this seems like a good place to get back in)

A cold and metallic feeling raced up Age's arm, familiar in every way to their home. The feeling was not a blade but a metallic hand created by one of the villages inhabitants and Age's group partner. Lucas Slade. "Very funny, Age. Thinking you could leave me behind. We both know at your.... Age?... I'd catch up before you got 30 feet!" Lucas slapped his knee and gave a cheerful laugh, the swords on his hips and back clanked in the sheaths.

Snapping his non-metallic hand, "Oh before I forget. Cyrus isn't coming. Business at home is going south apparently so he was told to return until further notice." With the patience of a true soldier, Lucas stood where he was and waited for his elder, Age, to inform him of the next task at hand. A mission was here and Lucas was ready for it.

_________________
"But when one of it's baby chicks is in trouble, Momma comes a run'nin' and a squawkin and a run'nin''." -General Treistar

Rin nodded at Akemi's nostalgic mood, and as she looked around, Rin Realised that the two of them shared a similar thread of thought. Both had been away for a long time, both had experienced some personal growth, both had changed. Rin realised how very much like meeting a new person this was. Akemi gave a small smile and continued slowly.



Rin straigtened, Looking down at his former teacher and feeling a little foolish. He didn't let it show, his face a passive mask. For the last year, not being ready to go right away wasn't a luxury he could afford. All he owned currently was on his person. He hadn't remembered the conveniences of Villiage life. But with Akemi's conspiritorial smirk , Rin suspected that she may be teasing him. He raised his eyebrows inquisitively.



Ah. There it was. Akemi's team had always expressed itself most productively via combat. And as Rin looked up and saw Rai and Souon near the large double doors of the Hokage's Palace, he couldn't help but wonder what kind of training Akemi had in mind. Catching Rai's eye, Rin nodded, beckoning Rai and Souon to join Akemi and Himself.

"Alright," Rin grumbled quietly, his eyes bright as he folded his gloved arms. "Sounds fun."

_________________
The truth is that the ancients never really leave. We've only just stepped out for a moment.