Aka checked her things ones last time. Scroll, check, kunai, and weapons? check. Aka nodded asified as she pulled on her black jacket and her katana. She looked over the room one last time before shutting off the lights and closing the door. She still couldn't believe she had agreed to come but then again whe had no real reason not to, and it would be safer with the Kage than alone.

[leaving Sora]

Hideyoshi was already ready as he had his Naginata on his back and his kage hat firmly placed onto his head. His clothes were set and his objective clear he was going to head to the bijuu training island to finally conquer his inner turmoil. With Aka coming with him this would be much easier, and now they would depart for the lower world.After a hour of traveling in the ship, they would land on the ground and continue their travels to go to the Bijuu island.

Further down the road, Vox was waiting for his charge to finish resting. He had finally gotten it through the man's head that babbling on about how important he was and how degrading walking was would only attract trouble. It was still slow going, but at least it was quieter. He didn't think he could have handled much more whining. Better vet all candidates before accepting these missions in future. Probably got some jounin I could have given this one. Maybe someone with small children, they'd at least be ready to talk to him on his level. He chuckled at the thought. "What's so funny?" his charge snapped at him, looking up from what seemed like the hundredth snack break since they'd left Kemurigakure. "Oh, it's a cultural thing." Vox lied. "Joke from my homeland, you wouldn't understand." That shut the little blighter up. Now if only he would get up, they could be moving again.

Aka frowned a moment thinking as she walked with the Hide. Her mind was contracting on what he had said was going on in his head. She sighed looking up at the clear sky thinking, he hadn't let anything else slip, but her thoughts were mostly on mind walking him again, she was nervous about things in his head, and what he might see in hers. His scars had reminded her of her own that she had to deal with before her fight, and another person to keep one ground was always a good idea but still they both had their secrets that were bound to come out, such was the way of mind walks.

Her mind was drawn back when she head talking up ahead. She paused moving her hand to her blade holding the sheath, she flicked it up a bit as she looked over at Hide. Her body relaxed seeing the richly dressed man and the ninja. escort mission no doubt. She frowned though, the ninja didn't have any chakra. That was particular. She turned to the kage and motioned for him to greet them, he was the diplomat and her people skills left much to be desired.

Hideyoshi murmured to himself as he looked at Ashie, wondering what she was thinking about while they were walking through the land between lands, to find the great turtle that would lead them to the bijuu island. He heard the voices, but paid no mind to it until she drew her sword and he waved his hand to her," calm yourself Aka...we do not was to draw attention to ourselves," as he walked up to the man and the ninja," Where exactly are you all heading, these are dangerous time especially around here. The nearest village is that way, you should head there before the sun sets," waving to Aka he would smile," lets be on our way Aka we have much to do before nightfall."

Vox noticed the duo approaching. Young man and a little girl, and the girl seemed to be going for a weapon. He folded his arms, surreptitiously putting his hands close to his swords. If she wanted trouble he'd be ready. Luckily, the man seemed to be calming her. He shot a glance to his charge. "Keep quiet and let me do the talking. If things get dicey, stay close. You could get grabbed if you run off." The man nodded, still sitting.

Vox stepped forward to greet the duo, arms still folded. The kids seemed friendly enough, but it could always be a trick. Then it dawned on him. He knew this boy from his dossiers. But what was a Kage doing on the road, and who was with him? This was unusual to say the least. He kept quiet on that point, not wanting to tip his cards. "We seem to be heading the same way for now." he said, gesturing for his charge to get up and walk with them. "We could have greater safety in numbers, at least for a little while." His accent was faint, but still present, and unlike any they'd heard before. The richer man got to his feet and reluctantly followed. A kage could likely be trusted, provided this wasn't just a henge. And either way, if this went sour Vox could at least buy some time while his client made a break for it.

Aka nodded, staying close to Hide as they went off. She looked over at the ninja with out chakra when he sugjected that they travel together. She frowned not really liking the idea before looking over at Hideyoshi, it was up to him though she was sure her expression made her opionon on the matter clear. The man did speak the truth though there was safety in numbers though she doubted a noble would be of little help.

She frowned his accent was funny, she had traveled to several hidden villages, but this one was new, she was curious as to where he was from, but still she didn't trust him. Something was still funny about him. Aka sighed before returning her hands behind her head to look at the sky. Absently she practiced her one handed signs trying speed them up, she had always been slower with then she liked.

Hideyoshi looked at the man for a moment eying him carefully as he sighed," I am a afraid you will not be staying with us for long. Where we are going it is not safe for people like yourselves, but we shall travel to the limits and that is where we shall leave you within the borders, now my sister we need to get going," smiling to Aka as he began to walk again. As they continued to walk he was keeping tabs on the happenings of the village. Though everything was calm and good he felt as if he needed to be a little precautions.


(sorry its short..cant think of anything)

Vox nodded. "We probably have different destinations anyway. That doesn't sound like a place for tourists." he said, gesturing to the man following behind him. The ponce was scurrying along, keeping pace with him surprisingly well. Apparently the shock of the new companions had been good motivation. He was sticking close to his bodyguard, although a few well-timed glares kept him from breaching the jounin's personal space too much. "So your sister, huh? She seems a bit young for a place as dangerous as you're describing. You sure the kid can handle it?" there was genuine concern in his voice. Young shinobi worried him a bit, he didn't like sending kids into danger like that. Especially one as young as her. Glancing over her way, he could tell she didn't like him too much. Made sense, as the boy kage had said there were a lot of dangerous folks on these roads.

Aka turned and glared at the man she could feel her temper flaring. She was 22 damn it! "I am old enough and can take are of myself Jounin-san, your concern is noted but not needed." Her vice was hard while she inwardly glared at her Bijuu who was laughing at her.

"Oh, child what can you expect with your height?" Aka frowned blocking her out as best she could. Her height was a sensitive button and she certainly hated being called a kid. It was a show of her self control that she hadn't tried to go after him yet, but then Hide wouldn't like that very much for her to that. Aka glared more before turning her gaze forward contemplating dismemberment and mumbled around bad genes. She did not like this guy at all.

Hideyoshi laughed for a moment as he patted Aka's head," It is okay my dear little sister...he means you no ill will and yes my sister is correct she is strong enough to fend for herself," smiling as he continued to walk around. In his own head he could hear Uzu laughing," Oh man that was fucking hilarious," cackling as Hideyoshi shook his head and continued to walk around. Hideyoshi had towered Aka but she could grow at any time considering she was still young.

Vox chuckled. "They grow up so fast these days." In his head, he was going over his intel. There hadn't been any mention of the Sokage having a sister, and red hair was rare among the Senju clan. He made a mental note to check for any known ninja matching her description when he got back to Kemuri. He knew nothing about her, and that was not a position he liked to be in. Vox wasn't even sure whether the kage was sincere about her abilities or just patronizing her. It was unlikely to come up now as the duo didn't seem hostile, but an unknown element was still a risk. "Well, I hope you're right. Don't get too cocky, like you said these are troubled times."

Aka glared more before pouting more, underneath she smiled slightly that he acknowledged her strength; a small part of her also liked that he called her sister, she didn't have a family. Sure she had the village, but they were like cousins and and Aunts and Uncles, no one was really like her close family and traveling alone, even with Genbu, got to be hard after a while. It was just a cover but it was still a nice feeling.

The red head looked over at the funny ninja, and then at the stuffy man. Her face frowned a moment before she shrugged she was never very fond of rich people they always tried to look down on her. She glanced back at him one last time before shrugging. The man seemed to be getting over his shyness, but that wasn't really her problem. Silently she hoped he was one of the annoying ones. Revenge Sweet Revenge!

Vox looked over towards the girl. Her mood seemed to be improving a bit, though he wasn't sure why. Maybe it had something to do with the unkind looks she was giving his client. It could be that she liked watching the man squirm as much as Vox did. The businessman had been a millstone about his neck since they left Kemuri, and it was nice for once to see him getting a bit of his own medicine. Vox barely suppressed a smile as he glanced back at the man, who seemed to be utterly terrified of their traveling companions.

"What about you, miss?" he said, glancing over at the younger kid. "Do you feel ready for this place of intrigue and danger?" He was grinning a bit. The kid had enthusiasm, that was for sure. It was nice to see a young adventurer in their element. Who knows, maybe this trip wasn't going to be as terrible as expected.

"I am confident that we can manage, but ready I'm not sure yet. When we get through we will have to be." Aka admitted as she turned her gaze up to the sky again, wondering if they would be ready. Hide wasn't the only one who personal problems to overcome, but at least she wasn't stuck as twelve year old.

"So where are you and the over stuffed apple heading?" The rich man did look like an over stuffed apple, at least to her he did. She paused a minute thinking about Ninja protocol, whoops wrong question. "Never mind where are you coming from?" Hide, she discovered, wasn't much of a conversationalist he just liked enjoying the silence. Aka was fine with that, but she hadn't had a traveling partner to talk to in a long time so now seemed as good as time as any.

She turned to fat apple again and grinned, her slightly teeth appeared slightly sharp like the Hozkoi clan's before turning back. A smirk formed on her face as an idea struck her, if the ninja didn't feel like talking she at least could but the apple for a bit.

Vox nodded. Shinobi seemed to have a fondness for sink or swim training, although it did make sense. It was really the only way to unlock powers like theirs. He'd experienced quite a bit of that himself, even before coming here. The idea of making a kid go through that did make him a bit uneasy, but that seemed to be the way here. Everyone had an early start.

The questions made him more uneasy. Traveling companions or not, he didn't like giving away details about his missions, especially a sensitive job like this one. "Just getting our friend here between vacation homes." he said, trying to dodge the questions. She could probably guess from the insignia that he was from Kemuri, but there was no sense in revealing their destination to a stranger. Even if the Sokage seemed to trust her, Vox wasn't sure that he did. "We're almost there, thankfully. He's starting to regret going for the hiking option." Another pointed look kept the overstuffed apple quiet. Left to his own devices, there was no telling what he might have blabbed. "Not everyone's used to long-distance trips like this, I guess marching takes some getting used to."

"Not everyone was made for it, though it is good for keeping in shape." Aka sighed taking the warmth of the sun, it was a nice day to be out walking. The jonin was from Kemuri that was obvious, so his question dodging was bothersome, but the red head shrugged if off as security or something; she didn't get ninja villages sometimes.

"True." he said, noting her annoyance. Apparently she'd noticed the dodge, but didn't feel like pressing the point. Though judging from the question, she didn't seem as concerned about secrecy as he was. The Sokage might be more tight-lipped, but it might be easier to get some information out of her. "What about you, where you going to and from?" Behind them, his client was barely able to hold his tongue at the insults, and implied insults, he was being pelted with. Aside from the information, it was probably for the best that she be distracted from that before the man said something stupid. Given his track record so far, that was only a matter of time.

Aka snorted and laughed, she didn't know whether to be angry that he though her so foolish or that is was funny that he had tried something obvious, he was a bad ninja it seemed; or he was underestimating her. "Nice try Jonin-san, I sure the stuffed apple is more manipulative than that, though that might be saying too much. Beside you don't get information for nothing."

Aka grinned over at the rich man, taking in details trying to place where he was from or returning to. It was hard place him, he was minor noble... no businessman...silk or maybe. His robes spoke volumes to that as did his size. There was several gold rings on his hands, but the silver one also spoke to her making her inwardly smirk. After a moment she opened her mouth, "So..." letting her teeth show again, "Apple-san is safe to assume that you could have wiggled information out me better than your guard? I'm sure you it's a possibility after all information is always valuable especially when dealing with silk."

The kid was sharp for her age. He hadn't expected her to see through it that quickly, especially since her lack of forehead protector implied that she wasn't yet out of the academy. Though it was unusual for an academy student to carry a full-fledged sword. Nothing about this girl was adding up, and it was starting to worry him. Her interest in his client was also cause for concern. He shot the man a look when the girl spoke to him, making it clear that he was to remain silent.

"Can you blame me for trying? After all, you didn't make me much of an offer in return for my information." he pointed out, scanning the road ahead of them. They would be parting ways soon, he would have to try to get what he could out of her in the meantime. "Or is this secret village business?"

Aka grinned again looking up at the sky, "Nope not saying anything Smoke-san, Mine and Big Brother's business is our business, just as silk apple and his mistress's business is theirs. Keep that away from the wife apple-san also may want to come up with an excuse for the missing ring."

Aka yawned, the sun was starting to hit the tree line, but she and Hide had a few more hours of travel to go before they could rest. Aka frowned, she only had a little time left to bug Apple-san. She looked over at the Smoke ninja, he was still funny to her which made her still wonder about him, still she wasn't ready to give up her cards yet. He was good though, but then he was underestimating her so she could really take a measure of skill yet.

It was then they came to the fork in the road. Vox stopped for a moment, turning to his traveling companions. The businessman took this as a cue and maneuvered around, putting his guard between the other shinobi and himself. Vox sighed. If they hadn't attacked already, it was unlikely that they would now. They seemed trustworthy enough, and he doubted the Sokage would do something that might provoke a war.

Vox offered the two a parting handshake, smiling. "Well, it's been nice traveling with you two, but it seems we have to go our separate ways. Farewell... I don't believe I caught your names." he said. Maybe he could get a name from the girl, or at least a known alias. That might help fill in some blanks on the dossier.

Hideyoshi came out of his deep trance and noticed the fork in the road and looked to the man and his vassal," seems like this is goodbye for now, wish you the best of luck on your travels, okay little sis say your goodbyes so we can get moving," smiling as he shook the mans hand with a firm grip. Without noticing he would smile and chuckle for a moment," Oh my name is of little importance at the moment, but if we shall see each other again then we shall discuss that," with that he would walk off down the bath they were going.

"Because we never said," Aka yawned again before turning to the rich man. "By Apple-san don't let your wife catch you!" She grinned and waved at the pale faced man, before tagging after her "big brother".

"You know when you act like that people aren't going to stop treating you like a child." Genbu inputted laughing and praising her host for her observation skills.

I know, but if that what they expect, there is no reason to change it, besides more she threw people off the better. Aka was smarter than people gave her credit for which was a good thing, but still she didn't like being called short.

The red head looked over at her traveling partner thinking, "Hey Hide, why did you pick to call me your sister?" She asked after they were out of ear shot. "Wouldn't it have been better to call me a cousin or something?"

"James Fulton of Kemurigakure." he said as he left. Vox hurried the man along, getting him down the road before he could respond to the girl's insults. These last few miles were going to be unbearable. The kid had done a great job winding the man up, and he would be whining Jim's ear off the whole way. Vox resigned himself to enduring the man's complaints and headed off down the road, into the Land of Rice Fields.

[Exit to Land of Rice Fields]