The Wind from the West [Konohagakure Gates]

A soft wind danced through Asami's hair; it tugged at her tresses and blew back her bangs as her mother's comb once had. It lacked, however, a mother's touch for it also sent indiscriminate ripples through the young wanderer's dust-caked cloak and pulled at the brightly-colored good luck talisman on her pack. Yet, through it all, the girl could not help feeling some familiarity with the wind. Perhaps it was the sweet earthy smell it carried or maybe the warm promise of the coming summer it bore, but the black-haired kunoichi knew it wouldn't be much longer now.

And, sure enough, the mighty gates of Konohagakure soon came into sight.

Seemingly emerging from the trees themselves, the gate structure of the Leaf village stood as an unmoving sentinel watching all who exited and entered. Indeed, it would be the second time they saw Asami. This time, however, she had neither Hayate nor Naoki to cower behind. No, now all she had was the blooming confidence of a soon-to-be adult and a writ of passage authorized by Naoki Gekou himself. So, although the gates never seemed to change, the people who passed through them certainly did.

That said, Asami, for her part, would stop just short of passing through the gates. Stepping aside from the threshold of the village, she allowed a large group of merchants to pass—for once she could wait. After all, she very much doubted that a shinobi would be able to simply flash their credentials and be allowed in without a fuss. Villages needed some kind of security protocol, right?

Then again, it was Konohagakure: the home of the conquered.

[WC: 275]

Some days would never change. Where as merchants passed by after an nodd from the gate guards. Some were inspected as an normal procidure, but the major point was that familiar, or not people had passports. 

As such this was handled by the black cloaked aburame who took to an extra measure to assure if any official business was called for that it was reported immediately to the kage. It was a small office. With a chair guarded and observed by a few casual shinobi on their breaks. 

So the black haired young lady was directed  towards yen for vertification. A long list of merchants and induviduals compiled as two separate list between  Himself and the visitors. His one eye peered at the young lady as she entered the small office. Various files were being carried out by quiet genin as a punishment for disobedience.  Meanwhile his pale hands were folded on the top of the desk as he gestered to the chair across from him.

"Greetings take a seat miss"

Yen offered as now he was glancing at the girl for a moment.

"You look familiar. Name please?"

Soon the merchant caravan passed and Asami fell into line. There were a few travelers behind her but, judging by the emblems of Konohagakure emblazoned on their clothes, she doubted they would be doing all that much waiting. The small wanderer, on the other hand, did her fair share of waiting as the gears of bureaucracy turned and her request for entry bounced around the various authorities—the chuunin initially attending to her passed the request off to a dark-haired jounin who gave her papers a cursory glance before disappearing. When the jounin reappeared he informed Asami that she was to follow him which, despite her increasing concern, she did without protest.

Coming to a small, but decidedly lively office, Asami's escort left her at the door. With no indication of how to proceed or who might be awaiting her, the young girl slipped into the room only to find herself face to face with a one-eyed man. Well, she assumed he only had one because who in their right mind would cover a perfectly good eye? Such thoughts aside, however, the girl approached the man's desk with a confident stride that the Asami of a year ago could have never hoped to match.

"Thank you," she gave a shallow bow before removing her pack and taking a seat. "And yes, I'm no stranger to Konohagakure; this is my second time here. My name is Asami Miyamoto of the Hidden Mist here under the auspices of Naoki Gekou himself."

Sounding more confident than she felt, the one-time chuunin exam champion retrieved her writ of passage with trembling hands. Then, steeling herself with a breath, she placed it on the desk in front of her for the one-eyed man to inspect. If he did indeed take the writ, he would find everything to be in order: the signatures, the seals, and the visas. Even though the young girl knew everything should be there she could not suppress the idle worry one feels when faced with an authority of some renown, not that she knew who she was addressing in the slightest.

---
TWC: 625

The girl's introduction granted her a small smile from yen as he leaned back. In the chair and nodded his head with a nodd of acknowledgement.

"Ah so you were that young lady that did very nicely in the chunin examinations. I will say it as you have heard a bit. Congratulations on doing an excellent job."

Yen stated as his smile  did not falter. The girl was a kiri resident so as such her fingers must've not been to far to the heart of kiri. Granted that the man known as naoki was her liberator in question. This played much more of an interest to the aburame then one would know.

"But all in all welcome back to konoha. I assume you will be staying awhile?"

Yen stated as he  awaited for the girl to reply.

"You're too kind, thank you."

She still had mixed feelings about the chuunin exams. It was here, in Konohagakure, that she lost a friend. No, he hadn't died, he hadn't been lost, and he hadn't left. It was much worse than that: Hayate and her had simply drifted apart after the events of the chuunin finals. The red scar running across her face to her ear burned just thinking about it the whole thing. So, suffice to say, the man's congratulations were like prodding a raw wound—it stung and dredged up more emotions than the girl cared to acknowledge.

"Assuming I am allowed to; yes, I hope to be here a while," the girl's initial trepidation began to build. "My travels first brought me to the Land of Tea where I found myself faced with some unsavory criminal elements and, I'm afraid to say, my pursuit of these elements led me here."

Falling silent, she felt color rise in her face. She hadn't lied, but she also hadn't told the full truth. After all, the one-eyed man didn't need to hear about the search for her parents. It was just a happy coincidence that there also seemed to be some sort of criminal activity that brought her here as well—two birds with one stone.

---
TWC: 844

Her thanks was brought with a small nodd from yen thus he noted her next spot with interest as he listened and noted her freely disclosure to her misadventures in the tea country. Although her face flushed yen was not in the mood to dig any further as he nodded a few seconds later.

"Hm in this case take your time as you need right now. The road is rough. So a warm bed, and a proper meal will be in order of course ms miyamoto. It is possibly to your best interest to take this time and recuperate. As right now you are cleared to go. Any questions spot me or head to the kage office."

Yen stated as he leaned forward and stuck out his habd for an handshake.

Should the girl accept it he would bid her a good day and proceed to upon her leaving jotting down the notes to kinzoku before another jouninn appeared before him.  A few ruffians needed a talking to which an genin set up 3 chairs before yen and he rolled up his sleeves.

Sometimes people do not learn...


(Potential exit. Asami allowed in)

"I appreciate your hospitality," she retrieved the papers she had presented initially and shook the man's hand as courtesy dictated. "If I do happen to stop by the Hokage building, who should I ask for?"

She paused here, hoping to learn the one-eyed man's name. Indeed, only if he provided one would she continue with her the second part of her request.

"Thank you," she nodded. "And one last thing, in light of Konohagakure and Kirigakure's...unique relationship I was hoping to get authorization to complete missions in your fair village. Who would I need to talk with about doing so?"

She had not yet determined the rank of the man she was speaking with. If she had, well, she wouldn't have been asking such silly questions.

---
TWC: 974

The girl shook his hand adding another question on top of her current one. Naturally yen would reply.

"Myself as i go by yen, or the hokage."

Yen stated as he leaned back considering the girls next question for a few seconds.

"It is a good question to ask, but we shall say it is fine for you due to this relation to do some missions. Me and the kage will talk it over with you in a few days for details as you see if things went south i would figure xyxer would not be thrilled."


Yen stated nodding to the girl knowingly.

"The gravity alone should be an grave consideration as you see ms miyanoto, but for the moment you have my permission"

If there was nothing else to be added yen would glance up at the door as there would be an jouninn in the door holding a few lowly ruffians.

"Hm it looks like i have to straighten these people out ms miyamoto. Thank you for following rules and customs and you will be seeing me around."

Yen stated as he rolled up his sleeves gestering the girl to leave.

The fact his prescence could be felt by the ruffians made them go silent and still as his single eye fell on them like a search light in a prison. He was getting bored of simply signing off people so these individuals would make good mental dummies to beat upon.

(Exit and asami allowed in)

"Thank you, Hokage-sama," Asami's face flushed a deeper red. "I apologize for not recognizing you sooner."

Standing up, slinging her pack over her shoulder once more, and giving the man a much deeper bow than she had when they first met, Asami took her leave of the one-eyed kage. Brushing by the same jounin who had led her to the office, she took note of the miscreants that Yen-sama had mentioned. If anything the group looked more scared than anything else. Just what were they expecting? Yen seemed harmless enough, after all.

Kage were strange, she decided.

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Exit into Konoha.

TWC: 1,074

+1074 words to Extrasensory & +10 ap from max stats