Adventure Time!!!

"Come on sensei slow down~" Shura called ahead to Miku. They had been walking since they left the Charred Village in the Land of Ash. Miku gave her minimal breaks that usually consisted of a small sip of water before walking or running again. "Why didn't you tell me we were going to be running most of the time? I would have worn a better top."

Miku remained a good six paces in front of Shura most of the time. If she tried to rush her benevolent sensei would increase her pace, but if she slowed down she'd leave her behind. Shura knew she was trying to train her, but come on. Compared to Miku, Shura might as well been sitting at home the whole time. She was about to call it quits when she was something in the distance.

"Oh oh Miku-sensei, there's a village coming up," Shura's voice raised in pitch as her excitement overflowed, "Can we pwease stop, I'm going to pass out if you don't and you'll have to carry me~" Shura made sure to make the last part sound pathetic.

It was hard to keep in mind that Miku was traveling around with a genin. A genin that had probably spent a lot of her time trapped inside that cramp village called Nokogakure. Miku paused at that, grimacing shortly after wards. She liked to travel. It was her favorite part of being a shinobi. Being able to go out and see the world while running errands to help others. Well, help others some of the times. Nowadays, it was nothing but spying and fighting. Or at least it was in her case.

“Stop whining already.” Miku responded. “Or else I'll make us skip this town completely.” She rolled her eyes. Eh. Genin. What could she do? “We're going to stop here anyways. Need to collect information on the caravans. They probably traveled through here.” The jonin paused, stopping for the first time in hours. She set both hands into her pockets, and stared intently at the town, as if expecting to find something. Lightly, she hummed under her breath.

“Don't sense anyone out of the ordinary. That could either be a good thing, or a very very bad thing. Still, no point in worrying about certain chances.” She muttered lightly under her breath, knowing Shura would overhear her. “Remove your headband and store it in that seal of yours. You'd be better off if we looked like civilians and cover up that tattoo too. Don't want you to attract attention, alright?” It was traditional ANBU protocol. Something Shura didn't need to know, but knew it would help in the long run anyways.

Miku began walking again, this time at a slower pace. Her hand wrapped around her traditional duel blades. With a small puff of smoke, they were safely stored in a scroll. The scrolls on her hips were hidden in her sleeves. There was no indication that she was a shinobi.

Entering one of the towns was no big deal. People payed the two ninjas no mind. Taking note of how tired Shura was, Miku immediately headed towards what seemed like a restaurant. She pushed open a door, leaving it wide open enough for Shura to enter in after her. Miku glanced around at everyone inside, seeming to be at perfect ease.

The jonin took a seat at a empty booth, leaning back in the cushion of the seat and crossing her arms behind her back. Snagging lunch wouldn't be a bad idea.

Shura tried to puff out her cheeks and pout at Miku's comment about whining, but she just couldn't muster the excess strength to do that and keep up. She got the chance to breath for a few seconds while just standing as Miku used her sensory skills to scan the town. Shura made of an overhang with her hands over her eyes as she scanned the town from the distance. It was a rather large little village featuring several establishments as well as homes and farms. Perhaps one of those lucky villages that rest on intersecting busy paths.

She jumped at Miku's statement. She had completely forgotten about her shinobi headband. She often forgets that she even has it most of the time. She uses it as a makeshift belt despite her peers chastising her for doing so. She unraveled the cloth attached to metal and held it up. It showed the elaborate symbol of Nokogakure featuring a symbol that looked like a volcano spewing smoke or something. She lifted up her shirt revealing her midriff. The bottom part of her tattoo wrapped around her navel. This part of her naval counted as a sealing rune just as the one upon her chest. She pressed the edge of her headband against her stomach and with one finger pushed slightly. A small purple light glowed as her headband was disappeared from sight within the seal. It always seemed like she was eating it when she did that.

"That's true, don't want anyone finding out we're foreigners and shinobi," Shura said as she pulled the hoodie up and zipped it up far enough to cover her red tattoo. The tanktop she wore made no attempts to cover it. She followed Miku into town with renewed vigor in hopes of gaining a bit of rest. Her request was met as Miku veered toward a restaurant. Shura's eyes lit up as she imagined getting the chance to eat. She was starving.

She followed Miku to their once-empty booth, and settled down across from her. When the waitress came over she gave both of the secret shinobi a lookover. She paused on Shura for a bit before giving an disapproving look after staring around her chest. Another rival she must have thought. Miku order a simple lunch special while Shura ordered the triple combo. Miku asked how she was going to eat it all and Shura responded with a short just watch. Miku ordered some sake, her stern attitude and wizened stare kept them from asking for any identification. When their food arrived Shura was nearly drooling as her eyes were filled with sparkles. It took nearly thirty minutes, but Shura had finished her meal and Miku had just finished up her sake.

Shura's family were fairly well off in Nokogakure so she got a comfy allowance, part of which was paying for the meal. In hopes of getting on Miku's good side of course. Miku disapproved at first, but didn't argue. As they were leaving Shura spotted a shopping district.

Shura grabbed Miku's arm, "Let's go shopping for a little bit, come on~" Shura gave Miku a hard tug as she drug her along against her will.

Needless to say, the sake helped Miku calm down quiet a bit. The jonin was a bit too tense, something that was expected from somebody of her rank. The drink calmed her nerves, and as Miku found herself dragged off by Shura, she didn't complain. Mind you, she almost tripped over her own feet as she was suddenly snagged. She kept up with the excited genin, silently wondering if she could overhear an information bout the caravan. Surely people in this area would talk about people who had come into the area.

As Shura dragged her into a nearby building, saying something along the lines of 'cool swords!' Miku found herself standing alone. The jonin blinked, realizing that she was in some sort of weapons store. Huh. She was thinking Shura meant clothes. Well, this was a nice development. The jonin glanced around, nothing really catching her interest. No surprise there. She was fine with her duel blades, she didn't need some giant sword to swing around.

The jonin walked through several lanes, keeping a close eye on Shura's signature as she wandered around the store. Mind you, it would be hard to not notice it. Some shinobi never bothered to learn how to hide their signature. It was rather annoying, especially when she was around some higher ranking shinobi.

Miku paused briefly, grasping some sort of wooden staff from a stand. The jonin held it in both hands, inspecting it's weird shape. “Eh?” She paused, her fingers pressing a small button. The teenager jumped as the little staff seemed to snap out into a kite of some sort. She paused, clicking the button and watching the kites retract again.

“Huh. That's weird.” She paused, seeming to grow stiff. Another signature, one that was trying to mask itself. To one who was new to chakra detection, they wouldn't have noticed this new person, but Miku did rather quickly. She set the staff back down again. This person was no real threat. Probably a genin, from what she could feel.

She shrugged her shoulders, and decided to wait. After a few minutes, the signature seemed to enter the shop, and attempt to follow after her. Miku sighed loudly, shrugging her shoulders and stopping rather quickly.

“Hey. Newbie. Stop following me.”

"Hey. Newbie. Stop following me."

I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Thought the Kumogakure genin. He wasn't exactly an expert at tailing people, even if he planned to become one over time. He had some skill at concealing his presence, but -as he had feared upon finding the pair- it hadn't been enough to hide for very long. He had gotten to close, most likely, and so his target had been able to pick up on his chakra signature. Well, one of his targets...until the tall one opened her big mouth, the younger one hadn't seemed to notice they were being tracked. In fact, the only reason Stein had chosen to pursue the elder of the two females was for the sake of his mission. He had been told to gather information from them, and ascertain the reason they were in these lands. He didn't know if they were ninja or not, and from behind he hadn't seen a forehead protector. Almost as soon as he began to consider the possibility that the two were not ninja, the one he had chosen to follow stopped in her tracks and addressed him.

He temporarily stopped trying to hide his chakra signature, deciding an up-front approach would be most desirable. He now had confirmation that at least one of the two he had been assigned to track was a shinobi. She was a bit older than him, so he began to consider the fact that she might be a middle-ranking ninja, or worse. He didn't actually want to have a no-holds barred bout with the pair, but he also didn't want to just let two shinobi from another village go so easily. His natural curiosity wouldn't allow it, and his desire to get his mission over with in the most expedient way possible persuaded him to reveal himself. He was slow and methodical in his movements, but sure enough he came out of hiding. He slipped into her field of vision from behind a row of kunai and shruiken, and his bespectacled gaze settled on her.

Ken wasn't exactly a dangerous looking boy...at least, not at first glance. And he didn't fancy himself a bloodthirsty assassin by any means. Still, the older girl of the pair had revealed herself -in her own way- to be a ninja, and Stein didn't recognize her from Kumogakure. He would also not be distinguished as a Kumo shinobi...he never wore his forehead protector. No, today -as always- the boy wore rather unique attire. A kimono of sorts, more akin to a yukata, but still a loose-fitting gi. He also wore a dark hakama and sandals with tabi socks, and beyond that little else. Besides that ensemble, he had his weapons, and his equipment.

"You know, I probably shouldn't be surprised. Even so, I didn't think I'd give myself away so easily." A thoughtful pause, before he continued speaking. "A kunoichi...from some village other than mine. You know, I was told to come to the Land of Lightning to find the local Hidden Village...but I guess my mission can wait. I am chuunin Kenpachi, from Nokogakure." He lied very well...his voice never fluctuated, and his body language suggested he was telling the truth. Unfortunately for him, the kunoichi actually was from Nokogakure. "If two shinobi are exploring the Land of Lightning so freely, then obviously it is in the best interest of my village to find out what you two are up to. Maybe you're from Kumo?" He asked this question in an even tone, sincerely sounding curious.

"There is a saying in this land. When the sky is clear, linger, like the lazy cloud. I can deduce that if two shinobi -from Kumo or otherwise- are out this far, then you must be on a mission. Still, I am hard-pressed to simply walk away from someone after they've so easily tracked me. Why don't you collect your luggage? I'd very much like to ask you two some questions." Ken's voice -cool and collected- did nothing to suggest his guard was still very much up. His reference to the genin kunoichi as "luggage" was meant to try and be subtle, as a scene had not yet been made. He kept his hands at his sides, away from any of his equipment.

Miku's lip twitched upwards as this newcomer began to speak, this smirk seemed to turn into a soft smile, as she leaded up against the isle, listening closely. After a moment of silence, she began to laugh. It wasn't some roaring laughter or anything, it was soft, but she was obviously amused by the genin standing in front of her. She hugged her midsection, both of her eyes closed as her body shook from her giggles that escaped her lips. Questions? He was demanding to ask her questions? Ha. It was adorable and brash all at the same time. There was no way she could take this silver haired brat seriously. Who could? He was young and inexperienced. A jonin could never be fazed by that.

She kept laughing for several moments until she regained her composer. Even then, her smirk failed to fade. “Questions? You want to ask me questions. Aw. How cuuuuuuute~” She chuckled. In a flash, she was suddenly at his side, both of her fingers secured on the flesh of his cheek. She gave it a little pinch, and then let go to ruffle the hair atop his head. “How about this, we can have a nice little chat after I take you out for ice cream, if you're a good boy.” She waved her finger in his face.

“That means being a bit more honest. Chunin? Nah. Genin seems a lot more likely.” She looped one hand over his shoulder. “And from Noko? No waaaay. I don't see why my own village would send someone out. Unless the good old Kage decided that my little genin needed a fwiend.” Speaking of genin, she made sure to watch Shura's signature like always. If this genin brought reinforcements, that could be unpleasant. They would probably have to go through a whole interrogation. Not so much for Shura, but more for her. Miku had no doubt she was listed in the Bingo Book as a member of Noko Anbu, despite being upgraded to jonin. The new issue probably didn't know she had been upgraded. Of course, that was probably a manner of time. The bingo book recorders were sharp and had a ear every where it seemed.

Miku paused for a moment, thinking over that luggage comment. “Actually, I got a bit of a challenge for you, Genin-chan. Since you have a mission to do and we have a mission to do, how about we help each other out, eh?” She proceeded to drag the genin over to Shura, who she also grabbed and linked under another arm.

“You two have a little friendly fight. Who ever wins gets to question to other first. So, if Shura wins, I can ask you about a little caravan that came through this area recently. If you win, we'll tell you all the dirty little details about our mission, deal?~”

Shura spun some shuriken that were sitting on a ring while she listened to their conversation. She noticed Miku use her speed to get next to the boy and mess with him. Shura was right to think that Miku would call on the boy's bluff. She snickered as Miku gave the boy a hard time. She was distant from the conversation until she heard Miku's proposition.

“You two have a little friendly fight. Who ever wins gets to question to other first. So, if Shura wins, I can ask you about a little caravan that came through this area recently. If you win, we'll tell you all the dirty little details about our mission, deal?~”

Shura looked over at her sensei with a puzzled expression. Did she just set me up in a fight?

"As for your offer...I'll accept it. I'll be honest now...I am from Kumo, and while our village survived the troubled times...it was not without casualty. Truth be told, you're right. I'm a genin, indeed I am. But my village had no choice but to send me out...so, on behalf of Kumogakure, and the Aoyama clan...I will accept your challenge."

Shura walked over with the same puzzled expression, "Do I not get a say in this? Maybe I don't want to fight some random boy from Kumo. I feel like I've been inducted into some kind of fight club."

Shura jumped somewhat as Kenichi turned his attention toward her. It wasn't surprising that he would given that she had forced her way back into the conversation, but to watch him switch targets made Shura uneasy. She found the boy odd and perplexing. Perhaps it was his politeness in the manner he spoke and the acceptance of power with Miku. The concept just seemed foreign.

Shura listened to him politely provide a reason that they should duel. What he refereed to as her sensei's judgment sounded like Miku's reign. She couldn't help but worry that Miku might rule over her life like a queen someday. Perhaps her stories of her sensei were getting to Shura. It was hard to say exactly.

Kenichi continued to lay out the guidelines of the duel. He wanted to have a competition of blades rather than shinobi arts. From the way he worded it, he was more of a samurai right now than a shinobi, focusing on the way of the sword rather than on how to be a shinobi. Shura couldn't blame him. Sometimes she considered herself more samurai than shinobi, until she thought about how she could fire lightning out of her hands.

Shura frowned before sighing heavily, "Fine fine, we can have this 'duel.' I can't say whether or not she has my best interest in mind," Shura said looking at Miku with a look of mild irritation, "Or if she gets some secret pleasure from messing with me. Plus having her nearly my age and yet appearing to be so much younger than me throws off the whole student teacher relationship."

Shura walked forward passing Miku and Kenichi. She made her way to the door before turning around, "Let's have this competition somewhere else though. I don't want to cause a commotion in town."

===============================================================

Shura, along with her duelist challenger and her observational instructor, stood in a gentle field of wild grass a short distance from town. They were about five minutes from the village they once were making sure no civilians followed them there. Along the way Shura had snuck out her kusarigama she had recently bought by disguising her retrieval as getting something from her backpack.

Her two tantos were resting in her pants pockets while she held the new weapon in her hands. She didn't want to reveal her secrets, especially her family's seals and sword, to a shinobi of foreign culture. Though their competition was peaceful and sportsmanlike, the idea of showing off family trade secrets didn't sit well with her. Wielding a weapon she had just recently purchased would definitely put her at a disadvantage. What kept her from simply focusing on using the tantos as dual blades like kunai or other ninja tools was her father training her in the use of a chain and a sickle.

She was far from a master, but she felt what would be better than hands on training. She held her left hand tight on the chain letting the weighted ball rest on the ground. Her right hand loosely held the chain nearly a foot away from the sickle. A slack of two or three feet hung limp in between her hands. She swung the sickle with the chain getting a feel for the weight of the weapon. Her confidence grew as memories of father's training flooded her mind. It was almost like he was here standing behind her and giving her instructions. A large grin was plastered on her face.

"I'm ready whenever you are Kenichi~" Shura called out letting the boy know that he could make the first move.

"I'm ready whenever you are Kenichi~" Shura said to him with a happy grin plastered on her face. She was certainly a sight: an easy-on-the-eyes kunoichi, smiling so hugely while carrying one of the deadliest weapons to ever exist in the ninja world. Kenichi -whose family prided themselves as masters of bladed weaponry- was no stranger to the versatility and sheer terror that a kusarigama could unleash upon an unsuspecting or careless enemy. He had half a mind to question aloud if she remembered this was supposed to be a friendly duel, especially when she began swinging the scythe about with what he considered reckless abandon. Still, something about the way she held her weapon at the ready caught his attention, and as he focused on the armed kunoichi, the world around him seemed to slow down. It was second nature to any Aoyama clan member to hyper-process combat-related information, even in the heat of battle...yet, the sheer speed of the analysis was such that only a second or two was needed in real time.

I was hoping that she'd be using her two daggers there...her tantō. A kusarigama makes her a bit more dangerous. Truth be told, though, she's not using it properly. She's swinging the sickle -the handle of which gives one the best control and leverage- and thus unknowingly sacrificing her overall control of the weapon. If I charge straight in, she'll most likely attempt to fling the sickle towards me. That will create a hazard if she tries to pull it back...but if I keep my eyes on her hands and the chain, she will not catch me off guard that way. Assuming I get through, she can use the chain and the weight to either defend herself, or to counterattack.

Kenichi had considered the various ways Shura could attack with her kusarigama, and he knew she was expecting him to begin the first exchange. He was more than willing to oblige, but even as his focus returned to normal and the world resumed its normal cadence and time, he was careful to not be reckless. Kenichi drew both hands to the katana on his right side, beginning to slightly unsheathe the blade. However, he did not fully draw his sword, and instead allowed his left hand to firmly grasp the hilt. Then, he began to run, not using shunpo or shunshin, and unable to use the latter due to the taijutsu only agreement. He knew that soon he'd be within range of the first strike from that vile weapon, and he prepared himself to try and maneuver around the decently-ranged chain, regardless of which end came his way.

Shura watched the boy's every movement wondering what kind of sword fighter he was. His seeming reluctance to remove the sword from its sheath said he was either a draw-style swordsman or didn't draw his sword until he got within range. As he charged her, Shura didn't feel right about throwing the sickle at him.

With her left hand, Shura whipped up the weighted end of the kusarigama and lobbed it at Kenichi. The aim was for his center. As the chain extended away from her Shura released her spin on the sickle end and gripped the handle. Her left hand stayed loosely around the chain giving her control while the weapon flew forward.

She suspected the boy would stop or release his sword to block the weighted end. With this idea in mind, Shura ran forward with her left hand now gripping the chain hoping to clear the distance between the two. She remained far enough away to conduct a back-up plan if he didn't follow her prediction, but close enough to fill the distance shortly after in the case that he did follow suit.

Spoiler:

Shura watched with minuscule satisfaction as the weighted end of the kusarigami hit its mark. Though she wasn't really aiming for any specific part of the boy. A small smile was on her face as she watched the boy's charge. She noticed his hand fall upon the hilt of his blade. Her chain was still being pulled away, but there was still plenty of chain left in her hands. As the weight flew and the chain twiddled away she kept a loose hand around the chain giving her some control over the course of the weight's flight.

The hand upon the hilt warned Shura that Kenichi was about to strike. She was visibly shocked when the boy suddenly increased his speed and moved into close range within mere moments and was ready to strike. She gripped her left hand around the chain and pulled away from her body with her right constricting the chain and causing it to pull horizontally across her body.

The sword racked upward nipping her body, but losing much of its preordained path with the blockage of the chain. She felt sharp, stinging, slicing pain from her side where the sword tip was able to cut her. She instinctively leaped back away from Kenichi. She felt the wound with her hand and her finger tips brushed near her chest. Her expression changed from distressed to irritated as she realized how close he had gotten to her assets.

She ran forward with her new found conviction holding the sickle in her right hand and the chain in her left. She flicked her arm up and back down causing the chain to form a wave a launch into the air in front of Kenichi. She closed the distance as best she could and swung her sickle down. Though the sickle wasn't aimed at Kenichi's body, but rather his sword. She planned to push his sword away from him keep it at bay so she could do some close combat. Releasing the hold on the chain with her left hand, she pulled back and threw a powerful girl-power punch for Kenichi's head.