Meeting new Allies

Books and scrolls remained unturned and unfurled as the nimble, but gloved fingers slipped through their contents. There had been a sound of music filling the area and slowly filing single file out of the depths of a certain mountain cavern that had once laid home to two of the villages Kage, and his family. Now only the Warden remained inside of it. With each page a small breath was taken as he looked onward through the annals of history. What he could learn from the past he would, whether it had been from leaders of the past or simple scribes that left behind. Most of it had been amassed here. The tall male of the Onomori family and brother to the prior Kage, Kensei, sat comfortable in his chair presumably since dawn had begun to fall over the lands of Lightning. The sun had yet to peak over the mountains so he had time before heading out of the mountains and into the village proper, but that did not stop him from going through his daily routine. First had always been a shower followed by food and tea. Afterward he sat himself here, in the same black and brown chair kicking his feet up and perusing his books he began. Being so deep within the mountains it was hard, at some capacity for him to tell when the sun was fully within the sky, but thankfully the wolves that called these mountains home would prepare him for the day. As he finished his last book of the morning, a long howl would echo through the chambers of the mountain catching the ears of the male as he smiled and closed the book setting it upon the table and standing up," It appears the day is finally ready to begin," he though inwardly towards himself. Grabbing his jacket he would throw it on as the black furs rustled silently before the only thing that could be heard were the thudding of his boots. Without pause the tall Uchiha male would begin to head out of the home built within the mountain and out into its misty terrain proper.

As he stepped closer and closer to the cavern's mouth he would be able to see the sunlight slowly peeping in before he had finally stepped out into it. Bringing his hand up to shade his eyes for a moment he would be greeting with his pack, those that had adopted him into their fold. The proud alpha parents stepped forward toward the male and offered a bow to him, showing their happiness to seeing their two legged son before he had been tackled by the pups of the pack. Standing at around thirty to fifty wolves strong he was unable to free himself from the pups, but that was more of a decision on his part. Pelted by licks and snouts he would begin to slowly place them off of himself before petting them one at a time and chuckling," Now now small ones you don't want to get your big bros fur dirty would you? I have some business in the village behave for mother and father would you?," a cacophony of yips and howls were the only answers he would get, but he could understand them well. Since his family had been busy in other endeavors and with his permanent address being in the mountains, he was accepted and adopted into the pack. From his recollection only three others before him had been accepted. Giving one last look to them, Kensei smiled and took off down the misty, windy path of the mountains. His eyes had been accustomed to the change in lighting and for some that needed guides to traverse the mountains, he could do it without neither. His sense of smell and sight had been honed during his time in the mountain, more so with his constant training with the wolves as well. To him, this part of the village was his true home and if anything he visited the village to either procure new books or to fulfill his shinobi duties.

It took him at best an hour to get into the village mostly because he had taken the time to take in the scenery and to enjoy the quietness of the mountains. Though it had been something he had come to enjoy everyday, each day brought with it something new to enjoy and be thankful for. Against the cobblestone of the village roads his boots continued to thud, his somewhat "authoritative" aura he gave, but now that he was here....what would he do? Several things came to mind, but with the current situation at him doing some missions would help him get into the groove of things. Turning on his heels he would head for the administrative building where he would begin to idly look through the missions, wondering just what he would be able to do either on his own or with someone else.

830 WC

Waking up with a lot on her mind, Hikari felt it was likely the best case to find something to take the weight off her shoulders. A lot of events had begun to transpire within Kumogakure no Sato and they were progressive movements to help the village. The Young Kitsune herself looked towards the full-length mirror and sat up staring back at herself. Her routine had shifted multiple times with more and more things coming up that required her attention. She was growing in strength and the once sicken and stricken girl was developing into a strong and valiant shinobi for her great village. Her stature was on the smaller and frail side still but it was clear to her that with her tails fanning behind her, she was stronger. Her bloodline was reaching a fever pitch in her and grew at an alarming rate. There was always something about rising to the challenge but over the course of a few months, she went from 2 tails all the way to 9 at an unprecedented and unnatural rate to the understanding that the clan had once their bloodline mutated to what it was today. Her reflection stared back at her unwavering unlike her own mind and she let out a sigh before getting up and dressed. She threw on her normal attire before shifting and transforming to her human appearance, the tails and ears hiding away visually.

Human Form/Present Appearance:

Entering the village she had beelined to the administration building, one of the few places she found comfort in times of mental conflict due to the nature of her desires. She sought after the ladder that would help her understand political climates better and knowledge and so watching other shinobi take on missions and taking mental notes on them while helping was a dual-pronged affair for her. Hikari wanted to gather a good catalog of the notable shinobi within the village as she had met Jun and Saturn relatively early when she was still a student so surely there were others to learn of. It was on that day that she caught wind of something peculiar. Her nose, although transformed, still retained its scent capacity as she could smell the scent of canines entering the village's administration building. It was peculiar to her as she felt she would have recognized and noticed this person before. Her eyes went to look in that direction and noticed another giant amongst the average-height individuals that she could determine was the likely culprit.

She rose from the station she was monitoring and moved to the mission board section with other staff approaching the teenager. Once closer, she could tell the scent of other animals was strong on him as if he was bathed by a wolf-pup pack of some sort though there was no way for her to know. Once she was closer to Kensei, she would attempt to get into the corner of his eyesight and wave, "Hello there. I do not believe I have had the chance to make your acquaintance." She began looking towards the assortment before them that the Chuunin was looking through the missions to see what kind he was interested in. "My name is Hikari Kobayashi." She said as she adjusted the headband that rested on her clavicle showing her status as a genin. Though her attire seemed more casual, it appeared she was easily in the flow of some of the administrative routines for the village as she gestured another greeting towards the staff member who was working near the mission board.

"Whom do I have the pleasure of speaking to?" She asked promptly after her attention returned to the wolf-smelling man before her. The first thought that came to her was that he was likely higher ranked than Genin with how the man composed and held himself. There was a strong likelihood the teen before her was someone of notable heritage though her repertoire of individuals who have left a major mark on the village was minimal as most looked towards the future and did not idolize the past in Kumogakure from her experience. There would always be a first for things though as she got more socializing time.

WC: 700, TWC: 700

The time it took for him to figure out what he had wanted a couple of interesting things had began to develop. While naturally he would keep his physical guard up in the case of looking arond every so often to keep his situational awareness today was unlike most days. He had been among the village that his mentor and his brother strove to protect and even died for at one point. What he had not dropped however was his chakra based sensory. He would continue to peruse the scrolls while keeping the circumference of his range to 5m all around him. Sensing all kinds of people walking past him did not bother him in the slightest yet there was one who had just came into the range of sensory that was attempting to get into his field of vision. As soon as his right hand would move to grab at a scroll he would stop in his motions, while they may have seemed rigid to most, they were as fluid as water as he turned his head slightly so that the female had been in full view of him without making any unnecessary movements. He took in her features and form while listening to her so he did not appear as rude but the icy blue eyes remained fixed on the Kitsune for the duration of her speaking. He had not been staring into her like he would most people, scrutinizing them and looking for the smallest of chips in their armor. No, he was not in a fight nor did he need to analyze his peers among the village, but he did keep a watchful eye over her body movements. She was an oddity to him. Most were reluctant to approach Kensei let alone talk to the taller male, but this one came over without so much as an issue and posed a question that made the Warden chuckle for just a moment.

Hikari. Most would translate the name to light, but her last name was not familiar to him. An oddity for sure. Taking a single small step back he would give her a small bow before finally speaking to her," Most have not had the pleasure of speaking with me so do not feel bad about it. My name? I am Kensei Onomori, the "Warden" of the Mountains as most call me. A pleasure to make your acquaintance Hikari," though he took notice of the headband he would bring his right hand to his chin as he thought to himself. The Genin were always out and about, but curiously enough she was here in the administration building assumingly working he thought. A mental shrug soon followed before his hand retreated back to his side and he turned slightly to look back at the stack of scrolls," Are you here to find work as well or are you working on administrative duty? Either way, I could use some help picking out a couple of missions to do on today," one thing he had not mentioned or probably would not unless she asked was his rank. Most, well those in the lower echelons of the village rankings always assumed him a Genin, due to never seeing him on a squad or missions. But in all actuality he had remained as a Chuunin for some time.

557 WC
TWC: 1,387

It was easy to tell that Kensei possessed a good heart and a leveled demeanor. Hikari took note of his responses and his lightheartedness at her own approach. As much as it was clear not many would have, there was the scent that she kept picking up from him that made a lot more sense once talking to him. Learning that he keeps the mountains in check was a nice revelation for her as she had an interest in exploring the peaks around Kumogakure at one point, perhaps this would be a good time to interact and befriend someone with expertise in the region. She recalled Jun, a recently promoted Chuunin spent time there so perhaps it was something that was geared towards the more experienced. Being called a Warden did not make sense for just an average genin so she assumed it would be best to leave positions out of the equation since she equally did not inherently act her rank to a degree.

When prompted about looking for work, Hikari gave a light shrug before nodding. "I tend to keep track of others and some of the missions that are being taken to help understand where our shinobi's forces as orientating themselves and their skills. I tend to pick up additional hours and work within here to try towards a mentorship with the Five Elders as I seek the betterment of our village through improvements in understanding where our shinobi are strongest and weakest." She explained before looking over the assortment of available missions. "Additionally, I could always stretch my legs and go on a mission, it would be beneficial to see others' capacities in the field as well." Hikari's attention turned to see which mission Kensei was grabbing or showing interest in to gauge his general interest.

WC 300, TWC: 1,000

Missions:

Kensei listened earnestly as she explained why she had been working in the administration building, and had honestly been impressed. Most never aspired to being or at least working toward being one of the Five Elders. Most always wanted to be the elite of the elite, fighting tooth and nail for positions in the STORM operatives or being apart of the Kage's escort but she....strove for something that would provide a different form of longevity for the village that did not have to necessarily come from bloodshed. She was one to keep an eye on for sure in the path of her growth and future. His smile faded for a moment as he crossed his arms and looked back over to the assortment of scrolls and began to his eyes across them," Most strive for greatness in the throes of combat and blood but you seek a different path through the learning of what makes us weak so that we can become stronger. I have not met anyone who has had such convictions, especially when it comes to the Five Elders so I applaud you for that Hikari. In your time here what have you learned about the current trend of our shinobi's might and worth if you do not mind me asking?," he was curious as to what she had thought they needed to work on, but also to see how far her power of observation and knowledge stretched. As she mentioned also being not opposed to going on a few missions his smile would return once more as his hands stopped on a few missions, 2 D ranked missions and 3 C ranked misisons.

Picking them up he would show them to her, not unfurled so she could see the ones he had chosen and if she wanted to read the full descriptions then she could. What he would ask her however is which order would she like to do them in," Given we have three of the C ranked missions and 2 of the D ranked we can start with the more higher ranked and work our way down or start easy and work up. Either works for me but I do like to get a consensus so I know how our work ethic is going to go. Of course if you know of any others that might want to join in then you can invite them as well," he'd leave the offer to gather more members for the missions up to her seeing as he extended the invitation to join him initially and did not want to impose anything upon her if she wanted it to be only a two man team.

WC: 446
TWC:1823

Taking note of Kensei's reaction, Hikari seemed to have piqued more interest in the shinobi. Her unorthodox approach to how she wished to elevate the village brought forth a perspective of a path less traveled. Once Kensei spoke once more, Hikari's face matched the seriousness of his response. The words he spoke were true and she gave a firm nod in understanding. She was an odd one for seeking the route she wished to walk and the recognition was in her eyes. "I appreciate the awareness of the choices I've made so far. It is nice to see others see the merit in the path. In terms of what I have seen, we have a lot of new blood rising presently. Myself included, there have been questions on the conversion of promise into reality. I hope to start making good the promises I'm making to myself, my family, my friends, and to the village." She declared without missing a beat.

"There seems to also be a lot of intent mixed between the different avenues of specialties recently within the village. New medical shinobi are showing up including some invested in puppetry and weaponry. Rather different than historical data and precedence for us, but not an unwelcome one." The kunoichi indicated as she observed Kensei move to get a handful of missions to be assessed by her before they fully took them on. Seeing the assortment, Hikari looked over the available options. Seeing the two D-Ranks selected, the young kitsune thought about her sister looking at the missions selected. Peering at the three C-Rank missions and looking forward to the rest of the day, there was plenty of sunlight still out, and she considered Kensei's words. The question to answer now was if they were to invite more would it prove beneficial for the expediency of the two-man team and which order would be best to complete the missions in.

"Let's proceed as just us. It will give time for both to measure and get to know each other's skills better and see if there is merit for future endeavors if our repertoire of techniques aligns well. Not to say if they do not mesh well that we cannot work together but with considering the best course to help improve the village I think prioritizing and learning more about individual ethics is vital for proper consideration on a larger scope." She rambled a bit before handing the C-Rank missions back to Kensei, "Higher ranks will give a good showcase as I believe there is a feast that requires hunters and gatherers." She said pocketing the D-Ranks into her satchel on her body for later once they took care of the C-Rank missions that Kensei had selected for the duo to complete. "As we are going to be looking for herbs and beasts, I believe you would be best suited to lead us into the wilderness." She said pulling out a small lantern with a small lighter in preparation for their departure.

WC: 500, TWC: 1,500 | TMWC: -fill- / 8,000

She was thoughtful and he could tell through her words alone that she had been wise beyond her years which was rare this day and age. Many were always up in arms and ready to throw their lives to war and battle with no real knowledge as to why they wanted to do this or even if they would survive to see the next battle or day. Maybe she could be the missing block the village needed to move into a different future, but only time would tell. His right hand would tuck the scrolls under his left arm as he cupped his chin in a contemplative thought before nodding," You raise a very valid point. Most of the new blood is deeply rooted in the old ways of the village. Glory by combat and showing one's strength by any means but strength is not just physical. Its also mental. Which is why I think Lord Ichigo and his administration could start that process to change that mindset. While he is strong, he also leads with wisdom over power. It is a good way for the youth to see that there is more to battle and life than simply fighting. It is going to take those like you, with a similar mindset to find an out of the box path to further push this change, but only time would be table to tell us where we will be in this life," he'd nod for just a moment feeling as if he was remembering a past conversation with someone. The rise of the medics was a surprise to him and seeing as many had begun to leave the way of the fist and weapon and lean toward medicine and ninjutsu. It was a curious shift in the dynamic of the village but something that could pose a significant chance to flourish as well," We have not seen a puppeteer in the village since Lord Maximillian was the Kage so maybe it will shine on in one of our up and coming shinobi. I am interested in seeing how the dynamic of our shinobi will change," he did not have much more to add on to it, but it would be something he would keep an eye on.

A small chuckle escaped his lips as they began to head out to start their mission detail, her notion about him being better suited for the wilderness tickled him," There is only one other person that has occupied this village that has me beat in knowing our wilderness and the beasts that roam them. Though I simply inhabit his domain, i come to think of each of the denizens of the forest as family instead of animals. While we are in the mountains I can introduce you to a few of them so you can get acquainted with those that watch over our mountains and resources. I was always taught by my brother, who had been a student of Lord Eleventh, that the greatest asset one could ever have besides the knowledge of ones surroundings is what lives in the area as well. Before we laid claim to these parts, they were the kings and lords of the world," he said it not in a know-it-all sense, but something that he was happy and proud to know.

553 WC

Paying close attention to the words that Kensei spoke, Hikari paid close attention and mind to what was being vocalized. There was always something of note and concern when it came to how people approached problems. She only recently began to work outside of her normal circle of Hibiki and Minami so this would be a great time to invest into connections. Upon hearing how Kensei appreciated the natural world outside of the village, it was one that she was happy to hear about as she herself had a more direct connection than the average shinobi. Perhaps these missions with Kensei would prove beneficial to her own development.

The commentary about his family, be it of blood or of nature, was one that made the young Kitsune smile. Equally to her, finding family in places where one would least expect was something to talk about at possibly a later time as she gave a nod in recognition to the concepts being proudly discussed by her senior, unknown to her still presently. "It would be my pleasure to meet some of the denizens." She said simply and adequately as they approached the first set of missions they were working on involving the exploratory nature of the wilderness in search of herbs.

Once they entered the forest, Hikari was quick to use her own scent capacities to help spot and find the herbs in question. With the concern of bandits and rogue shinobi within the vicinity it would be quick and easy to resolve the problem between the two of them in Hikari's eyes, as she was confident in her own capacities and when considering Kensei had worked and lived and created bonds within the forest it would be no sweat off of her back when assessing dangers should they occur. With not many words being spoken now, the young Kitsune's focus darted from one patch of herbs to the next. Should anything occur she knew her own sensory capacities would likely alert her before any problems arose should they and if not, the hope that Kensei would alert before her.

That being said, the mission did clarify that bandits and rogue shinobi were likely in the area so Hikari kept her attention up as she used her natural senses to work within the forest around Kumogakure to find the herbs in question efficiently before such potential threats arrived to the scene.

WC: 400, TWC: 1,900 | TMWC: 4,276 / 8,000

There was some small hope in the future of the village and he could see it in the words and eyes of this young lady beside him. Knowledge was always key in gaining power and when you had an equal amount of both, it showed you were going places. For a moment he considered taking his brother's deal on taking up a small Genin cell, but he was still to this day a lone wolf in that regard. Many learned through their own struggles and being held accountable for the growth and lives of three others was not something he was willing to take on at this moment. When she had replied that she would like to meet some of the creatures of the forests and mountains, he would give a small nod as he replied." Our journey with these missions should take us up to the mountains and once they hear or smell me coming they will meet with us. Just be weary of the smaller ones. They love to play and act as if they are hunting before they engage in play," a statement he had found himself in the middle of plenty of times as he rubbed his stomach. As the two entered the forest, Kensei would take a small sniff upon the air and smiled for a moment as he flattened the collar of his jacket and rolled up his sleeves," With the warning of bandits in the area I feel as if I will be able to get my morning exercise as well. If it comes to it continue to look for what we need and I will keep them off your back alright?," he wouldn't prevent her from fighting if she wanted to, but if it came to it he knew he could take on a moderately large group if he only had to worry about himself. For the moment he had activated his three tomoe sharingan as he observed the area that he could for a moment, his head slowly turning on a swivel as he remembered something else about the missions they took.

"Did you hear that apparently there was a rare, elusive creature that lives in the forest here? Tusks as red as blood, even manages to elude our most practiced hunters. Tales of the Crimson Tusk stretch far and wide as well as its many legends. I wonder if we will be able to meet such an elusive creature and finally be the match its been waiting for," though as he said this something had triggered against his chakra sensory. Stopping in his tracks he would raise a hand to Hikari, requesting her to stop for a moment as he took a few steps forward. As he did, just with his chakra sensory extending its range further he would be able to pick up a few chakra signatures outside of theirs which meant they had either been there for a moment or he had made an error in his original assessment of the area. Sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose, he would notice them coming closer to them, 6 in total spread out to make a U-shaped formation around them. Looking back to Hikari he would motion her to go up one of the trees that would give her the best cover and put a finger over his mouth," Go up the tree and cover yourself silently, wait for my signal then we will ambush them. We are the ones of the forest not them," and as soon as she did he would turn his attention to the ruffians around them.

His eyes would look at each of them individually, counting in his head the ways this could go alongside what he could do to minimize deaths so that they could be properly questioned. In his own mind he could go about this a great many of ways, but non-lethal in this instance was his preferred method. One of the bandits , whom he had dubbed the leader, stepped up to six foot giant of a male and looked up to try and make eye contact with him, but failed. Stepping back a few feet he would chuckle and proceed to talk," Well if it aint one o' dem spinny eyed fellows. We don't get many of your lot out here. Will be taking all of your coin and items if you don't mind...and i hope you don't hate to ruin that pretty face of yours," the rest in the back simply hollered and repeated what the leader had said. Kensei was disgusted simply about how the male had portrayed himself and spoke. Nothing was elegant or proper about it and if anything it just showed how unintelligent he truly was. Letting out a small sigh he would look to the group again, some had a few crude weapons nothing of import. Their clothing had been tattered and if not that, look as if they had taken it at some point prior today he would guess. They were not much of a threat but some of them looked as if they could have been shinobi at some point.

Tapping his left index finger against his forearm he would shrug as he slowly reached behind him and pulled out a pair of gloves and put them on," You see I have a problem with being held up especially when doing a mission for my home. You are uncultured. Uneducated. Clearly in need of a good lesson, and as the Warden of the Mountains, I am obligated to teach you it," the leader laughed as he looked back to his gang and then back to Kensei. The moment his head made the motion to return to its resting position, Kensei's left fist would connect to his jaw as he sent them flying backwards into the group of bandits and took his stance. A boxer's stance. Bouncing on the heels of his feet, his right arm would be bent at an ninety degree angle but raised to cover his jaw on his right side, his left hand bent at the same angle but lower to his chest. He didn't hit the man terribly hard, just hard enough to knock him back a bit. Angered by this, the rogue would stand up wobbly and shake his head as he growled," Don't just stand there gettem!! I want his eyes too," a challenge Kensei would give them. As the moved to corner him, Kensei would bounce to the right as he dashed forward with blinding speed, tucking his arms in and as soon as he was to the right of one of the bandits, he would deliver a right hook to their jaw. Kensei prioritized speed over power, allowing the speed of his punches to convert into an explosive punch as he did it. His fist connected with precision as he ducked and hit him twice more with a left-right combo crippling him to the ground. The second one came with a rusty sword trying to hack at Kensei from the left. His eyes caught it and he sidestepped and performed a duck, roll before catching the man off guard and knocking the wind out of his chest.

Kensei stepped back and retook his stance as he smiled and punched at the air," Come on you are supposed to be big time bandits and rogues give me a work out....Or else my friends in the forest are going to jump out at you," that being the signal for Hikari to jump in if she so wanted to.

WC: 1,263