Evacuate the Pope! (Yoshimi)

mission:

Another day, another mission about a Religious figure. Tsubaki thought as she skimmed the mission report that she had received this morning. It felt like that the priests were the only ones getting into trouble nowadays. Tsu sighed and read the report on the figure. Souto Sato, 'revolutionary' preacher. He's a slim man with a terrible receding hairline and sunken eyes. The job was to get him out of the country safely. Sounded simple enough since it was more of a stealth mission than a defence mission. However, it was still a B rank mission so there was bound to be trouble. 

Next, Tsu read who she was with on the mission. Yoshimi Manji. He was a newly formed chunin. Nothing stood out about him on paper. She would have to meet him in person to find out more. 

The report said that Souto would meet the two in the mission building to stay safe. Tsubaki was on her way there but not before grabbing her makeup and a male outfit. She planned to disguise him as much as they could so they could hide in plain sight. 

WC: 188

Yoshimi would be meditating in his home when the serenity of the silence was broken by the door sliding open. One of his cousins would toss an envelope to the tranquil Hyuuga, the young man catching it with ease despite his eyes being closed. He would open his light lavender eyes and lift open the tab on what he had assumed was orders for a mission. Pulling out the paperwork, he would scan it fairly quickly. It would seem as though he was chosen to escort a preacher by the name of Souto Sato. He is some sort of religious figure, though that wasn’t surprising considering the religious background of Hoshigakure. Reading over more of the assignment Yoshimi would figure that this was likely going to be far more than a simple transport mission. There are reports attached that there have been prior attempts on his life due to his heretical beliefs regarding shinobi. Of course, these attempts on his life were attempted by normal people, and well… shinobi were far more skilled in almost all aspects. A normal man attempting the life of someone that likely finds himself allied with shinobi is just foolhardy. It would seem that the attacker was released from his imprisonment both times, likely the political pull of the religious leaders that seek this heretics head.
 
Yoshimi would stand, removing his casual clothes and donning his soldier garb. It wasn’t much, but it was better than his normal clothes. He would lift his helm from his nearby dresser and place it on his head, the helm covering his platinum blonde hair although the mane of the item would look much like long flowing hair. The front of the helm was the face of an Asian dragon. He would then strap on his weapon pouches and make his way to the meeting point. It would seem that there would be another shinobi assigned to the task at hand, one Tsubaki Senju. Well, her clan name held value in many circles though Yoshimi would shrug such a thing off. He has seen many shinobi of such “proud heritage and superior stock” fall to men without any such clan name. Of course, this woman seemed to be a Chuunin much like himself, and it was likely that she had more experience under her belt as this rank than the young Hyuuga had. They wouldn’t send someone that couldn’t handle themselves, so Yoshimi would push all doubt from his mind. Of course, if they are sending him they expect an attack. Yoshimi isn’t exactly one for sneaking about, and his superiors know this. No, if he was being sent it was likely as backup for when an inevitable attack came. He would stroke his chin and quickly walk to the meeting point at the mission office and wait for both the man he needed to protect and his teammate to arrive.


WC: 482

"Ah, you're here!" Tsubaki would join the room with Yoshimi, who was in the meeting place before her. Nothing stood out to Tsubaki when inspecting the fellow Chunin expect the rare lavender eyes. They weren't common, even within the crowd of Hyuuga Shinobi that was slowly becoming the majority. "I'm Tsubaki Senju of the Senju clan." She would give a warm smile to give no ill suspicion about her character.  

A scrawny man then walks in. Souto Sato. "Sorry for the delay." He says sternly. His expression was fearless. Something in Tsu told her that he wasn't afraid of where he went. "It's alright." Tsu quickly reassured in the same greeting tone as she gave to Yoshimi. Souto gave a look at the clothes in her hand and the makeup kit, "Uh, I hope I didn't just walk into you changing." He seemed confused. Tsu smirked, "I thought since we were keeping you in hiding until you out of the country we needed to hide you in plain sight. And for that, you need to change." She gave the pile of clothes and accessories to the man. He rolled his eyes but seemed to agree in the end because he took the clothes into the washroom only to return with the clothes on him. It was some plain grey shirt and some black pants that looked basic. To conceal the head, there was a farmers hat. It was made to seem like he was a simple farmer.  Tsubaki looked at Yoshimi, smirking to him as well. "You and I are going to transform into some humble workers of his to throw off suspicion. Two ninja following would draw too much suspicion." Soon afterwards, Tsubaki uses the transformation jutsu to look like a milkmaid with short brown hair and raggedy clothes. "This is ridiculous!" The priest seemed to burst. "I'm not going to run and hide from danger like this!" Tsubaki looked at him confused. "Then why did you hire us?" The man hesitated. "I was told by some friends. They begged for my safety and paid for the shinobi to escort me." Tsubaki smirked, "Good, then listen to me and we'll get this over with." Tsu seemed almost offended at his outburst.

WC:372
TWC: 560

The young hyuuga would watch as the lady enters, her movements carrying a certain confidence about her. Her long dark hair would sway back and forth with each step, he gait emphasizing her feminine features, most notably the curves of her hips. The youth wasn’t so much ‘checking her out’ but more assessing everything in the room. Being observant was a passive trait he acquired from his family. The lady would then introduce herself, proudly proclaiming her Senju heritage. Such confidence had to be expected though. The young Hyuuga would nod, hearing her words. He would then reply, his words not bearing any great deal of emotion for better or worse. “I am Yoshimi Manji. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” He would offer a light bow, not fully bending but instead placing his arm at the bottom of his sternum and barely bending while maintaining eye contact with the Senju woman. “You are stronger than I anticipated. Perhaps my presence was not needed for this mission, though I leave such decisions to those above me.” He would give a faint smile, more like a grin as his mouth barely bends. “Before our client arrives, know that our superiors likely anticipate an assassination attempt. Not only are there two Chuunin for a basic escort job, but I tend to be direct in my approach to my work. Hiding isn’t one of my strengths. I’m here to provide an extra sword arm to dispatch the enemy…. Or enemies.” The young Hyuuga would hear out anything the dark haired Senju woman had to offer in regards to this news.
 
Once the client had arrived, the confident woman would take charge of the situation. Yoshimi was starting to get a mental picture of this woman that there was more than meets the eye. Not necessarily a bad thing, but she was far more assertive than the young man had expected. Perhaps it was just her taking charge because she was the senior operative in this mission… or perhaps she enjoyed being in control. Of course maybe Yoshimi was reading a tad too much into the woman. Some of his training was just kicking in. It was hard to put your life into the hands of someone you know nothing about, and so he was gleaning as much information he could to assess what this woman would do in various situations. More importantly her taking lead was perfectly acceptable to the young man. He respected he seniority and experience as a Chuunin, and he wasn’t the type to take the lead. He was a follower, not a leader. The only thing he would take lead in was the charge on enemy forces on the battlefield.
 
The man known as Souto Sato would take the clothing provided by Tsu and make his way to the only area he could find some privacy. Perhaps there being a woman in the room was his reason for such behavior, though he wasn’t certain that the priest was doing it for his own benefit or shame. Perhaps he didn’t think it proper to change clothing in front of her. Yoshimi had highly doubted that a woman of her age had any issue with seeing such things. The young man would simply shrug it all off, not really caring much about it. He was far more concerned with the fact that there would almost certainly be an attempt on the life of this frail looking man. It was incredibly unlikely that he could hold his own in battle, so both Tsu and Yoshimi had a great deal of work cut out for them. Luckily his Byakugan could keep them from being caught off guard from an attacker. It was incredibly hard to hide from a Hyuuga.
 
Tsu would shift her form to that of a humble worker. Yoshimi wouldn’t question her orders, for she was likely to be the more experienced one here and far more likely to know how to best pull of a stealthy approach to this mission. Yoshimi would likely just walk the man to his destination. Anyone foolish enough to confront him would find themselves quickly without hands if he wanted them alive, or heads if not. He would listen and use the transformation jutsu to turn himself into a simple farmhand with a small straw hat and loosely fitting beige shirt with dark trousers. “I recommend you follow her orders, Father. You want this to go smoothly.” He tried to reassure the man as best he could. Perhaps her plot would keep the assassins off their trail.


WC: 764

Yoshimi, heeding to her advice, transformed into a common farmhand with a straw hat matching the priest's. It was the perfect disguise for the three of them to get unnoticed. Even better, she found that the boy respected Tsu by defending her when it came to her plan. "Thank you, Yoshimi." She nodded to him in acknowledgement. Since Yoshi seemed to be going with her plan, Tsu would continue with the plan. She pulled a rough map of the area. There was a red line on one of the paths leading out of the village. "We'll take this route out of the village as it's the most common for farmers to exit from as it's closer to the market. Souto will lead while the two of us will stay behind a bit, defending from the most common form of assassination. However, we still have to blend in so don't look too suspicious." The priest nodded, not talking back from that point on. He seemed to understand that Tsu knew what she was doing. 

After their plan meeting, Tsu would lead them to the route starting point. From there Souto would take lead onwards. The crowd was large that time of day, exactly as she planned. The crowd would act as some extra blending. No assassin would risk killing someone in broad daylight and with a bunch of people around to witness. Even long-range assassins would have trouble targeting without getting up close. The perfect getaway. She wondered why Yoshimi wasn't interjecting. 

Yoshimi Manji seemed to be the silent and observant type. Before they even started the meeting, he gave an analysis of his powers and weakness, which was a very professional a shinobi. He was formal as well, much like her student Kuniko, preforming a bow after introductions. However, he had a sense of some humour, as seen when he tried to say that he might not be needed for the mission. At least, she thought it was a joke. Perhaps she just misinterpreted the grin. 

As they trailed along the laid out route, the Senju would move closer to talk in a hushed voice to the boy in his transformed state. "I guess if we are going to be fighting together I should tell you my abilities. I'm a mid to long-range ninjutsu user. I'm also skilled in medical ninjutsu. I have chakra sensory as well as a sensory technique that allows for sensory of about 150 meters. However, it's a strain on my chakra, so I can't constantly use it." She smiled, hoping to spark some more character in the boy. "Hopefully it won't come down to a fight. It would mean that my plan failed."


WC: 448
TWC: 1008

Yoshimi would follow along with her direction, as it made the most sense for them to avoid detection that way. Not standing out was going to be key in keeping the client safe, or at least that was what they could expect to be the most reasonable course of action. “I will keep my watchful gaze on our surrounding areas as we travel. If these would be assassins can sneak past me without my notice we have a serious problem on our hands.” Yoshimi would focus, the veins surrounding his eyes starting to bulge as his lavender eyes transform in an instant as his doujutsu awakens from its slumber. He would never risk showing such a thing before the shinobi took control, but it was unlikely for him or his kin to be persecuted for it now. Should the Senju woman know anything about the great Hyuuga clan from Konoha, if the eyes hadn’t revealed his clan origin before they certainly did now.
 
The priest seemed to be in agreement with this plan, at least he was enough to not question her any more than he already had. Both shinobi protecting him had stated this was likely the best plan. Not trusting their judgement would just be foolish, especially if you are supposed to trust these people with your life.
 
Taking up positions behind him at a distance of a mere meter or two they would begin the trek. Tsu would state that she was more of a distance combatant and medic. He had experience working with Akaboshi, another practitioner of ninjutsu. This experience would likely prove beneficial to them both, so long as she was at least as capable as his brother-in-arms had been. “I am a weapons specialist, and as you can see I too am able to scan the area. Do not deplete your chakra reserves worrying about sensory. Keeping my doujutsu active takes almost no effort. Hold on to that energy in preparation for the worst.” His head would be tilted downwards slightly, hoping to use the straw hat to hide his eyes from any onlookers. He might have been in a farmers clothes, but his eyes would be a dead giveaway if they were spotted.
 
The crowds along the path provided a great deal of cover, but as the trio would go farther and farther out there would be less and less people. One of which would catch the attention of the Hyuuga. With a hushed whisper to his teammate he would address his concerns. “That man behind us. He has been following for quite a distance, and he manages to stay exactly ten meters from us, even during stops to rest. It is harder to tell without drawing suspicion, but his frame and stance as he walks suggests martial training. It could simply be a retired soldier of some sorts, but we should keep an eye on him.” The Hyuuga of course would not turn to speak with the Senju woman nor turn in the suspicious man’s direction.

WC: 504

Yoshimi would respond to her analysis with his own. He explained to her that he was a weapon specialist and that he was able to survey the area with his dojutsu. That's when Tsu looked at his eyes again. This time, the veins around the boy's eye were bulging. She knew that this was the signature dojutsu of the Hyuuga clan. "Ah, The Byakugan. I didn't know you were Hyuuga." With Yoshimi's family name being Manji, she didn't notice that he was part of the growing clan. It all made sense to her, especially the light eyes. Tsu had worked with plenty of Hyuuga, including her student Kuniko Hyuuga. Tsubaki knew that they mostly dealt with close combat taijutsu but it seemed strange that he was a weapon specialist instead of a Tai user. But it didn't matter. His dojutsu was perfect for the operation. 

As they continued forth, they took a small bathroom and drink breaks as Yoshimi contentiously watched the area. The area became less busy as the hustle and bustle of the village were now behind them. This made the crowd cover disappear. Yoshimi and Tsubaki would have to be more on guard.

During a part of the trip, Yoshimi would silently inform Tsu of a potential follower. The Senju couldn't turn around to look at the tailer to keep their secrecy, but according to Yoshimi, he seemed like a possible former shinobi. "We'll have to on be on our guard. We lost our crowd cover. Keep an eye on him while I'll keep an eye on Souto."  Tsubaki would wait patiently to see what her defensive measure would be. 

WC: 273
TWC: 1281

Yoshimi would watch the man, his Byakugan allowing him to see each movement of the man down to the slightest motion. As they continue to walk, the crowd seems to completely disperse and the man begins approaching the trio, a smile on his face as he walks. His approach is that of a friendly passerby, a wave and “Hey!” said aloud to try and get the group’s attention. Everything inside him was telling him to strike before the man got too close, but he couldn’t just attack a civilian if it happened to not be an attacker. He seemed to not be addressing any of them specifically, so Yoshimi would step between this man and their client. “Greeting’s traveler. How can I assist you?” Yoshimi would ask, hoping to keep the distance between them great enough for the Hyuuga to draw a blade before the man got into striking distance.
 
“I think I may be lost!” He would offer, scratching the back of his head as he interacts with Yoshimi. “I’ve just been following this road, but I was under the impression that there was supposed to be a turnoff somewhere around here. Are you familiar with the area?” He would laugh, “Of course you are. You farmers must know this land like the backs of your hand. Would you mind showing me where that side road is?” The man would ask. It was hard to discern if he was being honest here as an assassin would likely be trained carefully in the art of deception. Yoshimi was perceptive, but nothing about his words seemed out of place. There was in fact a side road a good bit up the road that leads to Forest Country, and it was easy to miss if you weren’t familiar with the area.
 
The Hyuuga would turn to the other two, mouthing to Tsu to cover him while placing his hand up to his eyes and looking off in the distance away from the man’s view. The Hyuuga would use his telescopic vision to look at the road the man spoke of. For a road barely traveled it seemed as though there were a few more conspicuous people that were loitering around that pass. He would look at Tsu and shake his head slightly, a frown on his face knowing that he was likely going to have to kill this man. Yoshimi would then answer, “I am familiar with that side road, yes.  What takes you to Forest Country? ” He would ask as he turned back to the man, keeping the straw hat between his eyes and those of the man to avoid blowing their cover. He expected this odd man to know that the priest was among them if he was an assassin. It also seemed like he wanted to lead them into an ambush. Yoshimi was not the team leader in this mission, so he would await instruction from Tsu before making a move on the man that was a mere two meters away from the weapon master.

WC: 507
TWC:2257

OoC: This thread is being wonky and not showing all of our posts for both myself and Tsu. I do have screenshots of the posts though if such are needed to confirm WC totals or such.

"Hey!" A voice came from behind the group. The shout grabbed the attention of the group, turning to meet the stranger. Tsubaki would look notice that the man didn't look like a shinobi. He was a scrawny middle-aged man, about the same age as Souto. However, his posture did suggest confidence and a possible former shinobi. Yoshimi was the first to talk to the man, stepping between the stranger and the priest. Although his reply was basic and calm, Tsubaki knew that Yoshimi was tempted to eliminate any threat. However, if they eliminated everyone nearby, the two of them really couldn't call themselves protectors of the village. 

Tsubaki would keep a steady mind as the conversation between Yoshimi and the man went on. The stranger would explain that he was lost and that he would like to know where the side of the road was. He seemed normal to the untrained mind, however to Yoshimi and Tsubaki knew that assassins were trained in the art of deception. Yoshimi turned to Tsu and mouth to cover for him. "Look," She would quickly interject to have the stranger switch his attention, "we are kind of in a rush." The priest would seem concerned for this man's well being. "Perhaps we have time to-" Tsu would quickly shoot his a glare, hoping he would shut his mouth. It did. "Sorry," Tsubaki would apologize to the stranger, bowing slightly. 

Yoshimi would turn back to Tsu and shake his head, signalling that they shouldn't follow this man. This could mean that Yoshimi saw something in the distance that would lead them into an ambush. Tsubaki cursed to herself, how did they know? Perhaps it was a random group of muggers and it wasn't an assassination attempt. "We must be going." She would grab the shoulder of Yoshimi and turn back onto the path out of the country. She waited to see what the man's response would be.

WC: 322
TWC: 1603

The approaching stranger didn’t seem to want to take no for an answer. “I’m just looking to go meet a potential client. This is a business trip for me.” He would give a loud belly laugh, “Well, if there wasn’t a turn back there that must mean it is later down the road. Looks like we both seem to be heading in the same direction.” He would offer a smile, though Yoshimi couldn’t tell if it hid malicious intent or not. The Hyuuga couldn’t really offer a reason that they shouldn’t travel close to one another without possibly tipping off that they weren’t merely travelling farmers. There was strength in numbers, especially for a group of untrained farmers. He had no intentions of lying to the man either, so he simply wouldn’t say much. He would offer a shrug in response, hoping not to arouse suspicion in the man. While this man might have been being honest, the people waiting at the turnoff that he planned to take them to seemed far too much to be pure coincidence.
 
Yoshimi also couldn’t just kill the man and be done with it, since there was no true proof yet that the man was an enemy. Killing the man without just reasoning wasn’t something the Hyuuga wanted to do, but he would keep at the ready just in case the man thought to catch them by surprise.
 
“So, what crops did you bring to sell to Hoshi?” He would ask, an attempt to make conversation with Yoshimi. He didn’t want to be rude, but he wasn’t particularly skilled at interacting with others especially when it came to trying to deceive. He hoped that Tsu would take the lead on this interaction. “I don’t sell the crops. She does.”
 
At this rate it wouldn’t be long before they were all at the crossroads where the ambush was ready and waiting. Tsu was the leader for this mission, and the younger Yoshimi would allow her to make whatever call she deemed necessary.


WC: 337
TWC:2594