With most of his face concealed within the collar of his red top, Kinzoku expected to walk into the village to be bitched out by Alec or Jr. Things seemed to be going along as they usually did in the village that was always Dark, even in the middle of the day. The hustle and bustle marketplace, the villagers going about their daily duties, old ladies gossiping, kids running around playing. Giggling and laughter could be heard amongst the usual village noise as they walked down Makkura's large main street; the large Dark Tower looming in the distance. Purple clad Operatives, most of them wearing masks, could be seen all along the walls that surrounded the village and also on the rooftops of many houses. Something large and orange could be seen in the skies above, zig-zagging throughout the dark clouds, leaving orange trails behind it in a colorful display that many would sit on their porches and watch for hours everyday.

Kinzoku caused Kaia's chair to land, and released his magnetic hold on her. In order to be able to manipulate her again, he'd have to re-establish contact some kind of way, but Kinzoku didn't plan on trying to trick her again like he'd done back in Yokuchi. Some of the villagers came around and began to gawk at the solid gold chair. Several knew Kinzoku and said hi to him, asking about the golden chair. He responded with ”Long story.” He knew he'd eventually have to explain this story, but he hadn't been met with any negative resistance yet, so he was left to wonder if anyone had even caught wind of the news yet.

Had Strafe succumbed to his injuries? Or was he still lying broken within his ravaged village, suffering? Kinzoku didn't really care either way; not even were he to recover some kind of way and be on some sort of revenge kick. If they were to ever face off again, Kinzoku knew he'd be twice as strong and prepared, so he decided to train himself once this Kaia thing was over. He was strong for standing up to a Kage level Shinobi and holding his own as it was, but he wanted to be stronger. There were several Jinchuuriki in the village... Jr told a story about a book in the Tower that listed some of these tailed beasts. The idea of having one of these beasts sealed within to amplify one's own power honestly sounded intriguing to Kinzoku, even with the fact that once joined, the beast and the host could never separate again; such would mean death. It was a risk he was willing to take, and something he planned on looking into very soon...

When the gold chair Kaia-Mai was seated upon was set down she paused for a moment as she wondered if she would still be stuck to the thing. She got up slowly, stretching and feeling the sweet release of muscles that had been in the same position for a while finally being able to move. She could hear the sound of laughter and children having fun in the background, and could see many people clad in purple some of which were wearing masks, and villagers going about their daily lives as if they had nothing at all in the world to fear. It all seemed just like home; a normal village filled with normal people. She hadn't known exactly what she had been expecting to see: she had heard that Makkura was home of the Dark, a criminal organization that was known for its terrorist type acts. However, the villagers here seemed happy and well cared for, not frightened and waiting to be struck down or killed just because someone felt like blowing off a little steam. Could all of the rumors be just that? Lies to turn people against a powerful village?

It was those thoughts that kept her standing where she was instead of going bolting straight towards the nearest exit. Well, that and what she was seeing flying around in the sky. She had heard the stories spoken by clan elders and the elderly, had seen pictures drawn up by them of the great phoenix they all worshiped, and she found herself feeling very sure that what she was seeing as the one who Kinzoku had mentioned that had the phoenix sealed within them: it would certainly explain the flying and the lovely display. However, she felt it best to ask and be reassured, "Is that who you spoke of?", her voice held awe, her face equally as much: awe and curiosity.

Suddenly, being brought to the village of Makkura didn't seem like such an awful thing after all. She was even sure her parents were going to be jealous as hell as soon as they heard about her adventure.

Alec sat in the recliner in his room, in front of the global device that let him see the chakra signatures of others around the globe. When Kinzoku asked to travel back to Yokuchi, Alec figured something was going to happen, but nothing such as this. He'd seen the entire spectacle play out, but didn't really know how it started. As far as he could tell, it was because of some other chakra signature Alec hadn't really noticed before. After encountering it, Kinzoku attempted to leave with it, but another appeared more powerful than them both; possibly Strafe.

There was an entertaining exchange in which the more powerful chakra signature looked to be the victim of a cleverly prepared attack that destroyed much of the village. This person - Alec continued to think it was Strafe – was still alive, but looked to be in bad shape. Kinzoku made his way out of Yokuchi and back within The Land of Shadows with what looked to be his captive. When he stepped over the border of the countries, Alec could than see that the other chakra signature was a female.

Alec once told Kinzoku the story of how he encountered Avery. Was this the same thing all over again? Was he following in his footsteps? Alec shook his head with a sort of grin that was more of a smirk as he stood from the recliner, grabbed his Blind Fury stick, and made his way down to the ground floor. Through the front doors and across the bridge of the bottomless moat, Alec made his way down the main street, waving at villagers and nodding his head to his Ops before intercepting Kinzoku and his female companion.

A tall white haired male wearing a black cloak would approach. The cloak had a hood; currently down. The male looked just barely out of his teens, wearing a black blindfold. Though his vision was hindered, he didn't seem to have difficulty getting around at all. In his left hand was a polished black Walking Stick. If the female ever saw one of the wanted posters of him that were still around in some areas, she'd recognize him as Alec Kane, a supposedly notorious criminal, terrorist, kidnapper, Missing-Nin and murderer. A sarcastic grin was upon his face as he seemed to be “looking” between Kinzoku and his female companion.

”So, Kinzoku... I take it you and Strafe got into it back in Yokuchi, huh? Looks like he's hurt pretty bad... This might be the start of one of these wars everybody keeps waiting on to break out, and that sounds pretty interesting to be honest, but who knows? It also might be just another incident that gets swept under the rug... and I see you brought back a prize! Care to introduce our lovely guest?”

The kid was jumping from rooftop to rooftop. It was a way to keep his legs in shape and not get rusty while staying here in Makkura and figuring out the next move. Personally he didn't mind staying here, but there were other villages as well. Makkura had plenty of medical expertise, Alec had those eyes as well as the chakra radar that he'd himself taught him how to use, so it wasn't as if Makkura was in desperate need of his services. Maybe he'd ask Mitsukai what she wanted to do the next time he saw her--

”So, Kinzoku... I take it you and Strafe got into it back in Yokuchi, huh? Looks like he's hurt pretty bad...”

These words made Holeman change directions, and in seconds there was another on the scene. A kid wearing a blue Uchiha Clan shirt dropped in from a nearby rooftop and landed nearby Alec. He wore red ankle length slacks, red sandals and red fingerless gloves. Holeman wore a Du-Rag on his head, situated so that it covered his eyes, but just like Alec he didn't seem to have any problems getting around. Red headphones covered each of his ears.

”Strafe got into a fight and got beat?... Again?...” Holeman asked. He scratched his head with a strange expression. ”Is it as bad as the last time when he got his leg cut off?”

Who was the girl? He didn't remember seeing her in Yokuchi. Maybe she was new?

Mitsukai had been seated nearby wearing her usual 'schoolgirl' type black and red outfit with the red hooded cape and black boots, polishing and sharpening up her scythe while also checking it over for normal wear and tear: it was her favorite weapon, she was going to make sure it was working well and well taken care of. However, upon hearing the beginnings of the conversation going on she closed up her scythe, made quick work of putting her cleaning kit away, and then got up after attaching the folded scythe to the hoop on her pants.

She followed the voices, an eyebrow raising in curiousity as she took in the sight of the golden chair that was being gawked over, and the female whom she had never seen before, but who distinctly smelled like... well, home. She smelled like sand and heat; familiar and yet now foreign since Yokuchi was no longer their home.

She came to a stop next to Holeman with her arms folded across her chest, looking to each individual in turn. She had heard enough conversation to realize that Strafe had been attacked by Kinzoku and that he was badly injured and that this female, whoever she was, had been taken by Kinzoku. She figured it was wise enough to guess that the reason Kinzoku and Strafe had got into the fight in the first place was because Kinzoku left with the girl in tow. A thoughtful look formed on her face. Would Holeman go over there and heal him like he had the first time? Or would this just be the kage's time to die?

"Well... this day certainly just got interesting.."

”...I never got her name,” Kinzoku said, not looking at anyone in particular. ”It's just, I knew she was from Jr's clan, the Fushichou. The bird they worship, Hi no... something. I know she got sealed with Jr, so I figure she'd want to meet her.”

He glanced upward at the kid flying around through the dark skies above, creating a mixture of orange and purple. ”Strafe... He came running to the rescue trying to play hero... but I don't remember him ever be willing to fight for me... He didn't come looking for his best 3 either. He got in the way... I imagine that both of his arms and legs are shattered, and it must hurt for him to breathe because of a few broken ribs, but he's alive... He wasn't worth killing.”

Kinzoku adjusted the strap that carried his gourd of Iron Sand, his mind wandering toward the horizon and a chance to increase his powers, just in case someone decided to retaliate, or if even Strafe himself wanted revenge. ”If there's any retaliation because of this, i'll take care of it. That village... brought old demons back to the surface, and what happened just... happened. The girl... after she gets the chance to meet Jr, she can leave, free to go. I never intended on taking her prisoner for long...”

It had been a long day. He'd gotten into a farce with someone stronger than him and came away victorious. Kinzoku knew that could have easily been him lying somewhere broken and suffering, and just wanted to sit down to gather his thoughts...

Kaia-Mai's attention shifted from the streaks of orange she could see in the sky, which had held her attention from the moment she first laid eyes on them, to the arrival of three people. The first to show up was a young looking blindfolded man; she recognized him from some old wanted posters she had seen when making her way through alley ways while doing the more darker deeds within the village of Yokuchi to make some money for her family: he had a large bounty on his head and was wanted for various crimes including terrorism. The next to show up was a kid with a Uchiha shirt on who she believed was the kid she had heard rumors of, the Chosen One, a prodigy medic from the Holeman clan, but whom she had never laid eyes on before. The last was a female dressed with a red cloak, yet another person she was sure she had heard rumors about who used to cut up the bad guys with a giant knife and carve them up like turkey dinners. All three of them, as well as Kinzoku, were all more powerful than her: it was the sort of power she hoped to one day reach. She gave a respectful nod. "I am of the Fushichou clan. My name is Kaia-Mai, it means dancing fire."

She then thought of Kinzoku's final words and the fact that she was unsure, even now, if she would want to leave. Everyone here seemed happy and healthy. Kinzoku had spoken of several individuals who had deserted Yokuchi and come here, and she assumed two of them were in front of her. Makkura couldn't be as bad as they had figured Yokuchi to be if they were still here, right? Kaia-Mai felt her emotions jumble together; a mixture of confused and torn as to what the future might hold for her. She believed Kinzoku by this point when he said she was free to leave, but she didn't believe herself when she thought she would go home as soon as she met the phoenix her clan worshiped: she didn't believe herself at all. But, what would become of her family if she didn't go back? It was her fault in some way that Strafe was lying broken and likely dying and it would be her fault if she chose not to go back. What would happen to them? Would the people of Yokuchi retaliate and slaughter her family because of her?

"I'm... confused, on something. You say that you, and three others just up and left Yokuchi and he made no intentions of going after them..." She paused and shook her head, frowning now. "Then why did he go after me? I'm nothing compared to the power I can feel here. It's why I told him he should just let you leave back there; the life of one person, one genin who can easily be replaced, is not worth the lives of many innocents; let alone the destruction of a village." She truly was confused: why go after a little genin who could so easily be replaced but not go after your top fighters?

So things were looking pretty bad for Strafe, crippled again. He was probably lying somewhere in the ruins of Yokuchi still. With no Medics in the desert anymore, things would surely be looking grim for the Kouyakage. The story sounded familiar to his own encounter with Strafe, all those years ago. Alec found it strange that Strafe was willing to fight for this girl but not his 3 top ninja.

”...Me personally, I have nothing against the guy anymore. The time me and him got into it, I was drunk. If someone wanted to go over there and save him, I wouldn't try to stop them... But at the same time, if no one wants to go, then I can't say i'd blame them. Especially with the news that Strafe put his ass on the line for her, but his best 3 went forgotten...”

The female was introduced as Kaia-Mai, and in the same clan as Jr's, the Fushichou. She seemed to be just as confused as Alec was at Strafe's actions. There were visible problems withing some of these villages, and Alec thought it best that Makkura distance itself from them, since everyone wanted to avoid a senseless war. Makkura would keep it's distance, so long as they kept theirs. All that left is that psychopath Ranmaru, but he'd have to be a complete moron to attack Makkura alone, or even with help.

”A good question, miss Kaia-Mai, perhaps we'll get to ask him that one day, if he survives... But in the meantime, I think it about time that we distance ourselves from certain villages; Niwa, Yokuchi, and that new place, Hinowa in particular. No one travel to any of these villages if you absolutely don't have to. Amara, from the village in the clouds, Kumo... She wants to make peace and lay the past to rest. If we have at least one of these villages as some sort of ally, that will be good enough for me. I'll speak with her personally on the matter... “

This much was said on the party line. All Ops and major members would have been able to hear it. Niwa was full of barking dogs, Yokuchi was constantly being ran by airheads, and Hinowa it seemed was just another Yokuchi. Constantly tangling with them would just be a needless problem.

”Kinzoku i'll leave retaliations to you, with you being head of security that would be exactly your expertise. If things get too out of hand though, some of us might step in to help out, but you know that already... Go and get yourself together, you look pretty rattled. When Kaia-Mai wants to leave we'll make sure she's off safely.”

So Strafe had gotten himself into a jam again, only this time he got crunched up in Kinzoku's Iron Sand. Holeman knew since there were no longer any Medics in the desert, that Strafe was probably still over there lying in the dirt in serious pain. Holeman honestly thought of letting the man lay there and suffer, seeing as he openly fought Kinzoku to prevent him from bringing Kaia-Mai here, but never even investigated to find out what happened to he and Mitsukai and Emiko.

The Medic in him was urging him to return to the desert one last time to heal the man and repair the damage between the sand and the shadows. Strafe had also been the only Kage to come down into the streets and fight with he and Mits. ”...I'll go fix him,” Holeman said, pulling on his gloves tighter. ”Suppose I owe him that much. When those criminals tried taking over the government he helped us fight them off... This is gonna be the last time I patch him up too. Also an opportunity to tell him he has nothing else to worry about when it comes to Makkura... I'll get this over with now.”

Holeman produced himself a storm cloud and jumped aboard. The cloud carried him off into the opposite direction and rapidly picked up speed...

[Exit]

Yes, that was a very good question - why hadn't he come after them but had come after a genin - but Mitsukai wasn't going to dwell on it. What was done was done. Holeman spoke of going over there and healing Strafe one last time and Mitsukai watched him leave. She had been tempted to follow after him but knew that her presence might be seen as a threat: she wasn't a medic, so it could be taken that the only reason she was over there was to finish the job off, and that was only going to lead to a bigger headache especially if one of them decided to retaliate and attack her. So, she stood where she was and folded her arms across her chest much like Emiko often did.

So, instead she focused on what her grandfather was saying about Amara and Kumo. She nodded a bit before speaking, "Amara is a good person. I spent a good bit of time with her when I was acting as an ambassador between Yokuchi and Niwa back when Aisling was Hakage. Her and her father have an apartment in Niwa that they often used." Becoming friends with Kumo didn't seem like such a hard task to accomplish. "Amara's pretty straight forward and honest when she says things or agrees to things." She shrugged. "Unlike most politicians who hide behind lies and false promises Amara's completely honest. She's not the type to have ulterior motives in things. So, she'd definitely be a good village to be friends with." Yup, Mitsukai was all on board with this plan; plus, it meant she would have a reason to travel to Kumo and not have to worry about trouble arising. She had never been to the village, mostly because it was freshly rebuilt after being destroyed, so it would be a nice chance to explore.

Kinzoku took one last glance toward the girl he knew he'd probably never see again, and would probably be hunted because of. It was all in a days work, and he welcomed the chance to crush someone else should they come after him. For now though, he just wanted to go and sit down.

He turned and began walking toward the east end of the village, headed toward home...

\Exit\

Kaia-Mai looked over to Kinzoku as he turned and began to walk away after throwing her once last glance. She was unable to be angry at the man for taking her; especially if what she kept seeing flying around above was the phoenix he had spoken of. She listened to the conversation going on about how Alec Kane seemed to be ordering his people to avoid anymore encounters with Yokuchi, Niwa, and a village she hadn't heard of named Hinowa. She listened as he spoke of the Raikage and the fact that the woman wanted to make peace and put whatever it was that had happened in the past behind them all and be friends with Makkura.

All the while Kaia-Mai's focus remained on the orange streak in the sky. She wondered what kind of power the one who had the phoenix sealed inside of them-self wielded. Would she ever be able to come across a phoenix or other form of chakra beast and befriend it enough for it to be sealed inside of her? Would a chance like that ever happen in her lifetime? Or was she doomed to forever be just simply Kaia-Mai; the girl with the nasty temper who lit things on fire occasionally and who would likely spend the rest of her life taking any and all missions that came her way simply because she loved her parents and wanted them to be as comfortable as possible.

"Is that the person with the phoenix my clan worships sealed inside of them?", she finally asked, tearing her gaze away from the golden streak and focusing it instead on Alec Kane. She said nothing else as she simply waited for a response.

Some guy named Strafe got into a fight with Kinzoku, which ended up with Strafe being crippled, and much of Yokuchi destroyed. The fight was over a girl in the same clan he was in. Kinzoku wanted to bring the girl here so she could meet Hi No Seishin, but Strafe got in the way.

A large glowing Phoenix descended from above. When it was close, it was actually revealed to be the aura that surrounded a boy. Besides having shorter white hair and red eyes, he was the spitting image of his father. He wore a black and white striped shirt, loose fitting grey slacks and black sandals. The immediate area warmed up around the child as he landed nearby his father.

”I never thought i'd meet someone else from the Fushichou,” Jr said, looking toward the new girl. ”Books said they'd all died out and were run off ages ago.”

”They weren't ALL run off,” replied the voice of Hi No Seishin. ”Most of the ancient Fuchichou were fanatics and maniacs, but some of the more clever were able to blend in with the rest of the world to prevent becoming part of the genocide that took place... Kaia-Mai here comes from a bloodline of Generals that once commanded invincible armies. She has a flame that will burn hot at its peak.”

”Generals, huh? Interesting...” A bunch of kids came around to say hi to Alec, Jr and Hi No Seishin, but mostly to stare at the large orange bird composed of fire.

Alec was about to answer her until Jr came down to answer the question himself. While propping his hands atop his Blind Fury stick he listened to Hi No describe how most of the people in the clan that worshipped her were crazy, possibly the reason why others rose up and exterminate the clan according to the “genocide” she spoke of, some had the intelligence to blend in with the rest of the world and survive.

Kaia-Mai here came from a bloodline of Generals from long ago. It left Alec wondering how many more Fushichou were out there somewhere, and how many of them even knew what they were? He waved and said hello to the kids that came near and spoke to them. Kinzoku had said he wasn't taking her hostage for any extended amount of time, and was free to go once she was ready. Would she seriously go back to a village where her leader had been broken and left to die?

It was her choice, and Alec wasn't going to do anything to prevent her from leaving when she was ready to. If anyone came out here investigating because of her, it would be dealt with accordingly.

Mitsukai blinked as she was surprised to hear that Kinzoku's captive was from a bloodline of Generals who had once led invincible armies; she could only wonder what the girl had done for the village of Yokuchi up until this point and wondered when she would end up heading home or if she would end up remaining here like Kinzoku, Holeman, Emiko, and herself had. Mitsukai was pretty sure no one would have a problem with her staying especially with how powerful the phoenix had said that she would become at her peak.

She focused her attention from Kaia-Mai and Junior and onto her grandfather. "When are you planning on going and having this conversation with Amara? I'd like to tag along... I haven't seen her in a while, and I've never seen Kumo before. Might be a pretty awesome adventure to get to go on.", she said with a grin. Maybe they'd run into some bandits or idiots along the way and she'd end up getting to use her scythe and speed like she always loved to do: it was something to definitely look forward to for the future.

Kaia-Mai watched closely as the orange streak seemed to descend back towards the ground and then finally land. As she got a closer look at what exactly she had been seeing she realized that what had been flying around up in the sky was a boy; someone who looked like a miniature Alec Kane. She guessed this to be Junior, his son. The aura that surrounded the boy was that of the phoenix, and so she quickly deducted that this was the one with the phoenix, Hi No Seishin, sealed within him. In response to Juniors statement she shrugged lightly, "There really aren't a lot of us left. I mean, my parents are back in Yokuchi, but that's really all at least that I know of."

She then heard the phoenix speak, listened as she explained that the clan wasn't all run off, that there were a few left scattered about after the genocide took place. How Kaia-Mai herself came from a bloodline of Generals that once commanded invincible armies. She had heard old stories from her father about such things, but had never really believed them. She had shrugged them off as nice bedtime stories; but now, well, now she was thinking her father had been right the whole time. She then heard as the phoenix spoke of how she had a flame that would burn hot at its peak. She bowed her head respectfully in response. "My father told me stories like those when I was younger; but I had thought they were nothing more than bedtime stories."

And then she found herself being completely honest with her next statement, "I doubt my flame will burn that hot just living in Yokuchi... if the strongest fighter fell that quickly then who am I going to look to for proper training?"

Jr liked to leave all of the political stuff to his father. He was named Kage, but everyone knew who really ran the show. Jr was fine with that. With everything everyone went through to make this place safe for people to live, Jr wanted to make sure it stayed that way. He didn't know what to say about Strafe taking a nasty loss to Kinzoku, but this girl here being a witness to it made Yokuchi look pretty bad.

”Why don't you stick around here for a day or two, then?” said Jr, rubbing the bottom of his chin. ”If anyone comes looking we'll deal with it. We'll look after you, and if you like it here you could even stay if you wanted... You're part of the clan after all. There's a bunch of girls around too, I think you'd fit right in...”

Hi No Seishin seemed to be in agreement with the idea. She seemed to burn brighter in the presence of one of her children. Jr gave a glance to his father to see how he felt on the matter. Another pretty girl around the village would be awesome. Jr knew the shit was on the fan at the moment when it came to a member of Makkura attacking Yokuchi's Kage and kidnapping one of his Genin, but he'd cross those bridges when it came to someone trying to retaliate when it came to that.

”When Holeman returns from putting Strafe back together again. You and him can come with me, I had an idea anyway.”

Alec said this to Mitsukai. His idea was to bridge the gap between Makkura and Kumo. Alec had let his mind wander the past few days and thought of big things with the village in the clouds. A vacation getaway spot; one of their biggest houses. This would mean having to officially make friends with Amara, and Alec figure he'd found out the perfect way.

This Kaia-Mai thing was the kind of shit that wars were fought over, but strangely, Alec didn't seem worried at all. Not even when Jr suggested that the girl remain here in Makkura. He had no plans to interact with several countries anymore, but it didn't mean he was going to just sit back and accept being invaded or attacked. Alec saw the glance Jr gave him, making him simply shrug his shoulders.

”She seems old enough to make her own decisions, and Makkura is constantly expanding, so it isn't as if we don't have the room... If you know the technique to clone yourself, you can send one home to deliver a message to your family, to let them know what's going on... If you don't know how, one of us could teach you. If you're worried about your family's safety, you could even have them relocate here. Like Jr said, we'll look after you... The Land of Shadows has many treasures and secrets; who knows, maybe you'll discover some of that for yourself...”

Mitsukai nodded to her grandfather, curious as to what his plan was if it involved both herself and Holeman. She had no problem waiting until Holeman returned to then venture off to Kumo as she was sure he would be just as interested in that adventure as she was. Exploring new villages was always fun to do. She then looked between Kaia-Mai and Junior as Junior spoke of her staying a few days and if she liked the village then making it her home. Mitsukai knew that Kaia-Mai, like everyone else who ended up here eventually, would like this place if she chose to stay.

"How many missions did you do while in Yokuchi?", she asked curiously. A small frown formed across Mitsukai's face however at the mention of Kaia-Mai's father being injured and unable to work, and the fact that Kaia-Mai had to do some shady stuff to make ends meet. She wondered what sort of injury the man might have suffered, and if Holeman or one of the other medics might be able to heal him up good as knew if Kaia-Mai's parents ended up joining her here in Makkura. Hearing about how Kaia-Mai had single-handedly been taking care of her family made Mitsukai guess that she was a very loyal individual who once she was loyal to someone didn't sway; it also showed her that she was a very hard working person, too. But, it also saddened her slightly because Kaia-Mai looked no older than Mitsukai herself, which meant she was shouldering a great burden at such a young age instead of enjoying life like she should have been.

"I think you'll like it here... If you choose to make Makkura your home you'll see we're not like the other villages.", she settled on saying.

[I hope no one minds, I'm just going to use the word count from the posts I've done throughout this thread to count towards my Shadow Clone Training right fast. It came to a total of 1,468 out of the 1,500 I need.]

Kaia-Mai couldn't hold back the grin that was spreading slowly across her face no matter how hard she tried. She was being given permission to remain here for a few days, or forever if that was what she wanted. If everyone around here was as strong as those she had met then it was surely a good idea. She too could become super strong and then she would never have to worry about something bad happening to her family or herself, ever. Yes, the idea to abandon Yokuchigakure was becoming more and more tempting the more she thought about it, especially when she added on the fact that Junior, who was part of her clan and whom had Hi No Seishin sealed within him, was also here.

She turned her attention to Alec when he spoke of how she was old enough to make her own decisions on if she wanted to stay or not and couldn't help but grin fully especially when he mentioned how the Land of Shadows was full of many treasures and secrets, some of which she might even discover herself. "If I'm honest... I was sort of headed in this direction in a manner of speaking anyway, or prison at least." She shrugged lightly, figuring it best to be completely honest with them rather than lie. "The regular missions in Yokuchigakure just weren't paying enough. So, I started taking odd jobs from some of the mafia and criminal types in the village. My father was injured while working so he can't hold a job anymore, and my mom's always busy taking care of him. So it was that, or let my parents starve and lose their home." She glanced over to Mitsukai at her question. "Twenty-two in total. Fifteen D ranked missions, five C ranked missions, and two B ranked missions."

This was sounding more and more like the place for her; but she needed to get into contact with her parents and let them know what was going on and the jutsu he had mentioned, while she had heard of it many times before, she had never had a chance to learn. "As far as the jutsu you mentioned, well I've heard of it, but I never had the chance to actually learn it."

Wordcount: 380 + 1,468 = 1,848 / 1,500

Jr wondered just how shady things had become in Yokuchi if their people had to resort to doing underhanded things like taking jobs from crooks just to get by. Some of these other villages were starting to seem just plain weird, so his father deciding to cut off ties seemed like a good idea. As long as they didn't try anything funny in return, then no one had to worry about being burned to death. There was also that crazy man, Ranmaru, but Jr wasn't worried about that guy either. Him attacking Makkura like he did Kori would be a death sentence, for him.

”That's a bunch of jobs! She sounds like another hard worker, sort of like Holeman and Mitsukai when they lived in the desert, or those Yanagi twins when they lived up in Hinowa,” Jr said. ”Pretty impressive!... Well, we'll be around if you need anything or have any questions. I'm sure Hi No wouldn't mind answering some... Get your hands on a Wireless Communicator and we can all stay in touch, yeah?”

Jr pointed to the wireless comm in his right ear before the Phoenix aura flared up again, lifting the child upwards into the dark skies to speed about the purple clouds and light up the skies in an interesting display of colors....

[Exit]

Alec formed several hand signs in a rapid fashion before a duplicate of himself appeared to his right and to his left. The duplicates were exactly that, having every last detail of Alec's. A skilled sensor wouldn't even be able to tell the difference between who was real, and who were clones.

Shadow Clone Jutsu – 760/800 Chakra:

”Easy when you get the hang of it... Something tells me someone like you can master something like this after seeing it done only several times and having only a small amount of practice with it yourself... It shouldn't be difficult for you, right?'

The 2 clones vanished in gusts of smoke, carried off by a breeze passing through Makkura. The girl said she was headed toward a life of crime and possibly joining up with the likes of them anyway, and described how she had to take jobs from criminals just to get by, and that her father could no longer work. Had things really gotten so bad in Yokuchi that this is what the Shinobi had to resort to just to get by? It made Alec shake his head.

”...Maybe your father could get medical treatment here that he couldn't in Yokuchi... I won't ask you to make any hard decisions right now though. We still don't know what the other village's reaction to all of this will be, but as Jr said, we'll handle it when it comes about...  I think you should also be aware of the world, and the monsters lurking around it. There's a psychopath out there calling himself 'Ranmaru.' There's a chance that he could have several Bijuu sealed inside of him, and his mind is totally gone. I spoke of sending a clone because there's no reasoning with the guy if you run across him. Something bad is going to happen in the near future, I feel it, and it's going to involve this guy. He attacked a village and viciously assaulted many people... it's only a matter of time before he attacks somewhere else. So be warned...”

He could just as easily attack Makkura just the same as he did Kori. In which case, Alec was more than ready for him.

Mitsukai's eyes went wide as she heard exactly how many missions the girl had already accomplished. Twenty-two missions in total, a whole lot of D's, and some C's and B's. Could that have been why Strafe had decided to go chasing after this genin? He had already lost four of his top people and didn't want to lose any others? Or was it something else? She didn't know, she didn't want to know if she was honest with herself. What was done was done and from the way she was hearing Kaia-Mai speak she was sure that the female would end up staying here with them instead of returning back to her village. She watched Junior take off and then watched as her grandfather made the hand signs for Shadow Clones.

She looked back in the direction that Holeman had exited out of, wondering if he had made it to Yokuchi and healed up Strafe yet... and what was taking so long in him getting back. Surely he would have got there and back by now, or so she figured. A small frown formed on her face and she remained silent, thinking.

Kaia-Mai nodded in response to what Junior said about how they would be around if she had any questions and to get herself a wireless communicator like the one that he showed her. She then watched as Junior took back off into the sky, leaving the same orange streaks as before that she had seen when she first arrived.

She watched then as Alec preformed several hand signs, memorizing them as he did so. Two clones then appeared, Shadow Clones. She thought for a second over what she had seen while listening to Alec speak. The idea in itself that her father could get the medical treatment here that he couldn't get in Yokuchi was enough reason in and of itself to just go ahead and tell her parents to come here and live. But, she listened on as he explained about an individual named Ranmaru who was a psychopath and very dangerous. She had no intentions of ever running across this guy, at least not without a good deal more training under her belt. She thought carefully of what she wanted her clone to tell her parents. "Hm... if there's a psychopath running around like that then my parents coming here on their own likely wouldn't be the greatest of ideas. My father's in no shape to fight..." She would have to go get them, or someone would.

She weaved the same hand signs that Alec had and up popped a perfect pair of Shadow Clones which looked exactly like her. They held a decent bit of chakra due to the fact that she planned on having the clones escort her parents here. "Hm... I'll have my clones escort them back if they wish to come." Both clones nodded to her and then turned and took off in the direction of Yokuchi at full speed. Kaia-Mai had made up her mind: living here in Makkura was far better than Yokuchi. "I've made up my mind to stay here... especially if my father can get better here instead of continuing to suffer like he does in Yokuchi."

Wordcount: 347 + 1,848 = 2,195 / 1,500

Alec was right in thinking she was a fast learner, seeing how easily it was for her to create clones on only her first attempt. He nodded his head when the girl announced that she wanted to stay here in Makkura. This would probably create conflicts later on, or maybe it wouldn't. Either way, Alec didn't have a problem with the girl's decision, and should anything arise behind it, he was prepared to handle.

”...Then come with me, please. We should get you sorted out with somewhere to keep your things and lay your head.”

Alec turned and started making his way toward the western end of the village, tapping his Blind Fury stick along the way, though he didn't actually have to. When people waved at Alec, he'd wave back, though blindfolded. Some people were still trying to figure out how he did it, making Alec keep the sarcastic grin on his face.

He lead Kaia-Mai to a street that recently looked constructed since the sidewalks and surroundings looked brand new. The houses on the street looked new as well. Only several people lived in this new neighborhood, and Kaia would be one of the first. Alec stopped in front of one of the larger houses. It was a fully furnished 3 story building with 4 bedrooms, 2 baths, and a front and backyard.

”If you like it, it's yours... if there's anything we can do to improve on anything, don't be shy. Like Jr said, you'll want to get your hands on a Wireless Communicator so you can stay in the loop... If there's anything you need, be sure and let one of us know...”