Time to move, I guess

The morning was early and the air was fresh. Naoki took his time to prepare for the task given to him, although he was reasonably certain he was not late. Xyxer had already moved out most of the forces of the Mist and should have engaged with the Sand by now. Luckily for the former leader, he would not have to travel the whole way there. But before he could depart there was a small matter to be taken care of.

Stepping in front of the gate that bared the passed into the harbor, Naoki would stop to look back at the village he grew up in. His manipulated fabric was given the same appearance as back in the Gokage summit, a light armor of midnight black. A dark haori with a white symbol of the Mist would stretch from his shoulders to about his knees and a similarly dark plain mask with an identical symbol would cover his face. He would seemingly carry no other equipment as everything he needed was stored away in seals or bound to the fabric, ready to be summoned at a moment's notice.

Taking a deep breath Naoki would remind himself what he was about to risk his life for - a chance at world peace, to fix his past mistakes, to make a better future for the young than he had to suffer through. Turning back at the gates he would raise one hand and form a one handed seal. With that simple gesture his mind would extend past the village and reach for one specific signature. It was like listening for a strange bird song in a forest of crickets and other loud beasts. It would take him a moment, but he would finally focus on it - the signature of the mark he had placed upon the girl Asami, when he allowed her to leave the village as a wanderer. Naoki was to summon her back and for that he needed to know where she was. Luckily she was not that far away - in the land of fire. That was close enough for the Uchiha to call her from right where he was, without needing to make a detour.

Raising his other hand, the two would meet to form a sequence of handseals before he put his right on the wet, dew-covered grass. With that a seal formula would extend along the surface and a seal would pull Asami here. Should she answer his call, the girl would appear in a puff of smoke some couple meters before him.

It was early, too early for Asami to be awake.

Many days had passed since the drums of war summoned a large portion of  Konohagakure's shinobi population away. And, as a result, the streets were emptier and the people who did venture out wore faces of stony solemnity. The whole village was on edge and it left the Kirigakure Kunoichi with neither friends nor direction, for her own village had not deigned to send instructions. Or rather, they hadn't until a faint tug on the back of her consciousness pulled her from Morpheus' sweet embrace.

The tug felt as if someone had picked a point on the back of her head and was now attempting to pull her whole being through it. In her half-awake state, she was in no fit state to resist. When the innkeeper came to check the room later in the day he would find the room vacant with its occupant having seemingly disappeared in her sleep. Indeed, once more, the wanderer's training had failed her as it so often had in the past.

In a poof of smoke, the teenager found the warm bed of clean sheets beneath her had transformed into a bed of cool morning dew. Scrambling to her feet, the girl squared off against a familiar man clad only in her flannel pajamas and a white tank top. What was Gekou-sama doing here? Or, more importantly, what was she doing here?


"Gekou-sama," she intoned, giving a shallow bow. "What's going on?"

In an attempt to ward off the morning chill that every Kirigakure shinobi knew well, Asami crossed her arms across her chest. She was definitely back in her home, the salt air confirmed that much. But, the question remained, why was she here?

Naoki felt the connection take and saw the kunoichi appear before him. Rising to stand straight again the man would wait for Asami to gather her bearings - it appears he got her here directly out of her bed. Not to raise more suspicion and confusion that there already was he made sure to pull his mask to the side, enough for his face to be clearly visible. When the girl finally found herself on her feet Naoki would return the greeting with a quick nod and replied.

"Your search will have to wait, I'm afraid. Mizukage wants you back in the village."

It was but a summary that he was going to expand on, but seeing the girl in little more than nightwear standing bare foot in the cold grass and clearly not the most comfortable in the misty climate of the islands made the deputy Mizukage pause. He would grab part of his haori and with a quick tuck tear most of it off, the few bits that remained on his shoulders would slowly merge in with his armor and disappear.

"Here!" He would throw the cloak to the girl "I would rather you not go out of commission as soon as you're back."

Assuming she accepted this small gesture of his, he would use the time it took her to cover herself to explain the situation. If not, he would just eye the torn part of his armor and then proceed to explain.

"As you probably know Kirigakure is going to war. The village cannot afford wanderers right now, we need every shinobi and kunoichi. You will have to stay and protect everyone's home."

Snatching the makeshift cloak from the air in a fluid motion, Asami brought the Mizukage's gift around her shoulders only for the bottom of it to settle halfway down her shins, making the height differential between the two figures all the more apparent. Nonetheless, it was an appreciated gesture and the girl already felt a bit warmer even if it was only a result of the man's kindness. The man's words, however, sent a chill down her spine, making her stand up a bit straighter—the rumors were right, Kirigakure was at war.

"U-understood, Gekou-Sama," her voice faltered, betraying the growing fear in her heart for whatever may come next. "I will do my best."

She hesitated here. There were so many questions she had for the older man, but they all seemed to want to come out of her mouth at once, leaving her tongue-tied. Indeed, it took a deep breath of salty air for the Kunoichi to steel herself before continuing.

"Will you be staying here as well?"

Something like hope entered her voice; surely the defense wouldn't be left to a handful of lower level shinobi. For whatever reason, the task of defense felt more bearable to the girl if more capable ninja remained behind with her—confidence had never been the teenager's strong suit.

The former leader was pleasantly surprised to hear Asami accept her role in this conflict. Given how determined she was to leave, Naoki expected a bit more resistance. Maybe she was satisfied with what she found during her journey or maybe she felt the gravity of the situation and realized that this was the best course of action for her now. From what little he knew about the kunoichi, she seemed to be driven by emotions more than by logic, so unless she learned some harsh lessons during her wandering, it was more likely that he quest was complete. Hopefully this conflict would end soon and she would not have to live in the cruel world where cold logic was required for survival. Naoki was not a faithful man, but the thought crossed his mind - were he, he would pray to such an outcome.

"Not this time. I have a mission I need to take care of." He would respond to her inquiry.

Taking a few steps back, he would add. "But once that is done, I will return and you can tell me all about your adventures out there." He would smile saying that, while raising his left hand to form a handseal for his transportation technique.

As the sphere of translucent chakra was forming around him he would turn serious again and finish with a final command to Asami. "Report to the office building. They'll figure something out about your gear and you will be given your mission. Good luck!"

And with a sudden whoosh the sphere would collapse into a single point. Naoki would soar the astral winds to his destination. An unnamed crossroad, the closest location to the Haven country that he knew of. From there he would start his journey to the Hidden Star Village.

1006 w.
[Exit, teleporting to borders]
+10 AP
Spending 1006 w. towards learning Mind's Eye of Kagura, will add the rest from OOC WC

Approved