Blood Sand - Exalted

[LmnDrp]

Mission Title: An Invitation
Mission Rank: B
Pay: 400.000 ryo
Information: Tsubaki Ichiko, the Kazekage of Izumigakure, was invited to a grand ceremony attended by important individuals of Kaze no Kuni and hosted by an upstart religious organization. She has invited along with her adopted son Hayato. She was sent an 800.000 ryo boon as an incentive.

---

I am the Oasis for my people!

Tsubaki had prepared herself gear for traveling, combat, and a formal meeting; the essentials. Saying that the Kazekage would be 'excited' to get out of the village for a little bit would be an understatement! She was ecstatic to stretch her legs a bit, especially because these stuffy types finally allowed her to bring along a plus one, finally someone she was more accustomed to was going to be able to keep her company! She chose to bring along Hayato, her adopted son, hoping this would be a learning experience for the bright young child. Hayato was full of so much potential, Tsubaki saw so much of herself in him that she had been investing a great deal of time and energy into him recently, he and the village were at the forefront of her mind always. The young boy showed promise already, though nothing can make up for real life experience, and experience can be drawn from every and any situation. Hopefully, a dinner party and some upstart religious order could open his eyes a bit to the politics of Kaze no Kuni and how his mother keeps everything in check from their little oasis.

Izumigakure | Tsubaki Ichiko | Kazekage

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0

[Takeo]

we're just products of revelry in our own assumed knowledge Hayato woke up in his lofty sunlit room; his dark hair shielded his eyes from the sun's harsh rays. It was early in the morning, but the genin had to force himself out of bed. With a groan and grunt Hayato rose from his large bed; his hands traced along his white silk sheets. Hayato starred upwards at his room's ceiling, I've truly been saved from all types of the desert's harsh qualities, pondered the young man with his hand over his face. His face was red and blush with gratitude for the life he had been given. Hayato stood up from his bed with a fire in his gut; he was ready to take on the day. Following this, the boy got together all of his gear scattered across his room. After dressing himself, Hayato threw his illustrious cloak over his body and attached both his grimoire and small gourd to his side. The teen exited his room and headed over towards his adoptive mother's even grander room. His hands knocked at her ivory door while calling out, "Mother, I am ready for our journey," he paused for a moment. "You're number one guard is here," announced Hayato with a surprisingly amount of glee in his voice. After losing his mother, Hayato had become increasingly closer to the Kazekage; she provided a great warmth the boy had never experienced elsewhere. Izumigakure - Genin - Certified Mage

credit to nat of adoxography.

[LmnDrp]

I am the Oasis for my people!

Tsubaki only carried one of her puppets on her person, Inshi the Hermit, as it was solely capable of summoning the other puppets she held in her arsenal. She decided to simply appear as herself, rather than Tenka, as she assumed that her ruse wouldn't work so well on those native to Kaze no Kuni. Outsiders, she could fool; locals, she most likely could not. Instead, she packed her Kazekage uniform and headgear and fully intended on donning it once the two reached their destination. She swung open the door to face her adopted child with a cheerful look on his face, she quickly put her hand on the top of his head and ruffled his hair playfully before continuing to speak. "Hayato! You say you are ready, then let us depart! I am excited to get out of this big building and go out into the much, much bigger WORLD! Come on, my son!" She hurried down the ornately decorated halls that were filled with beautiful paintings, gorgeous flowers, and luxurious treasures. Eventually, the two would reach the sandstone paved roads that led out of Izumigakure and this is when Tsubaki would retrieve Inshi from her back. Manipulating her puppet, she would cause it to summon two others, Tou and Kyouko! "Come on, my big boys!" she said as they suddenly appeared in a puff of smoke. "Get on Kyouko's back or shoulder, I will ride Tou. This will make traveling through the desert effortless, we are also well equipped with water." Tsubaki mounted her puppet as she put Inshi back in his usual spot and manipulated Tou to begin to head off in the direction of the dinner meeting.

Izumigakure | Tsubaki Ichiko | Kazekage

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0

[Takeo]

we're just products of revelry in our own assumed knowledge Light beamed from his Tsubaki's room when her elegant doors swung open. His adoptive mother's hands reached up slightly as they rifled through his hair; moreover, this caused the genin to adjust his hair after she removed her hand. "I am excited to see more of Kaze no Kuni. I look forward to the days when you can show me more of this world beyond our harsh country," added Hayato with a dry but grateful tone. Walking through Tsubaki's wonderfully constructed palace was also pleasing to each and every sense. Hayato's nose filled with the smell of vivid flowers; his eyes were stimulated by the varied art pieces scattering the walls. The genin followed Tsubaki out of their home into Izumigakure's streets; they did not walk for long before the Kazekage made use of her puppet to summon two other puppets. The boy's eyes widened with excitement, her chakra control never ceases to impressive, hell, this is just an ounce of it, considered Hayato in thought. "His shoulder it is," claimed the young man as he jumped up somewhat pulling himself onto the large puppets shoulder. After that, Hayato managed to sit upright on the nearly seven foot puppet. His hood shielded him from the sun, but for added effort the boy made use of Jiton Satetsu Soujuu to form a small canopy of iron sand over his head. This was relatively easy to maintain, but it still acted like stretching a muscle of sorts. Hayato could block out the sun in many other ways, but he prefers to make the most of his time. If he was not maintaining control on his iron sand then he would be sealing a jutsu into his grimoire. This time spent traveling through the desert on one of Tsubaki's puppets would not be wasted in the slightest. Izumigakure - Genin - Certified Mage

credit to nat of adoxography.

[LmnDrp]

I am the Oasis for my people!

The two set off on their journey into the vast and trecherous desert; though the two were greatly accustomed to the weather and even though it was currently winter, it still takes a notable toll. She watched as her adopted son manipulated his iron sand in a way to keep his face and eyes protected from the harshness of the beating sun, she admired his style of ninjutsu greatly and had always been interested in the usage of advanced elements, hence why she chose to study Dust Release. Though, she lacked the biological necessities for any kekkei genkai she was proud of her child for potentially being able to master both bloodline gifts and honed hiden skills. Tsubaki followed suit in covering her face in shade by donning her Kazekage's cap as they made their way through the white sands of Kaze no Kuni. It would take them about 2.5 or 3 hours of travel before they would reach their location, eventually the two would see the large and grand settlement that was their goal. Massive sandstone walls fitted with look-out towers, some buildings poking out above the wall-line, large decorative cloths with what seemed to be religious imagery (specifically a red beetle), and lastly a massive wooden door. As they approached, a horn was called. "I guess we've been expected!"

Izumigakure | Tsubaki Ichiko | Kazekage

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0

[Takeo]

we're just products of revelry in our own assumed knowledge Kyouko moved with a surprising amount of grace which made Hayato's ride smooth. He could only maintain his small canopy of iron sand for no longer than forty-five minutes. After this, his shiny sand slithered back into his gourd which he closed completely. The duo was close to being halfway through their journey, so the genin wanted to make use of his remaining travel time. He opened his grimoire and retrieved his small ink brush, and with a smudge of dark ink Hayato began inscribing in his dusty tome. First, the genin wrote down the technique's name he wished to seal, 'Fuuton: Fuujin no Jutsu'. Following that, Hayato began to list the jutsu's classification, range, and required hand seals; he made sure to describe the technique's effects in great detail. In a dark hued ink Hayato wrote, 'powerful stream of dust that tears through whatever it comes into contact with' He continued to describe the technique's effect on the human body; moreover, Hayato went into great detail about the dust stream's contents and how they were produced. He had to be detailed about everything, so his tome could properly replicate the sealed technique. The boy had previous experienced instances where his sealed jutsu did not release properly causing all sorts of wild effects. Hayato was focused on sealing his wind release jutsu into his befouled grimoire. After finishing the last of his inscription the genin's chakra had been even distributed throughout the entire ink script. Hayato's grimoire began to emit a yellow glow before closing on itself as he successfully used Jumon Fūin. Hayato proceeded to place his grimoire back into its respective pouch and his vial of ink alongside its brush. The winter sun was bright in Kaze no Kuni, so its respective reflection from the white sands was equally as strong if not stronger. Those foreign to the country would often have an adjustment period for their eyes, the land can be quite jarring. Hayato himself had grown fully accustomed to the sun's intense glare here, but he had no fondness for it. The surrounding area for the most part all looked roughly the same so it was hard to determine how far along they were. Hayato glanced up at the sun in an attempt to track its location since they had left Izumigakure. This allowed him to roughly estimate they had been traveling for some time near two hours. He released a soft sigh as he gathered his brush and vial of ink yet again atop Tsubaki's large puppet. His script suffered somewhat, but the genin was still able to successfully distribute his chakra. Hayato looked up to his adoptive mother in many ways especially her advanced control over chakra. He gently dipped his brush in the ink vial before sealing the glass tube off; Hayato also removed his grimoire from its pouch. The genin opened his tome to a new page and began to seal 'Jiton: Jakuhou no Soujin' on the darkened paper. This inscription required more distinction than the last because the technique requires both fuuton and doton. Hayato went into great lengths describing the properties of jiton before even writing the technique's name. His hands swiftly wrote the name of his desired jutsu as Kyouko stumbled slightly in the sand. Luckily, this misstep did not mark the teen's grimoire at all. The genin also inscribed the technique's range, weapon requirements, hand seals, classification, and elemental affinity requirements. Hayato made sure to write a brief description about how the jutsu would be used, 'touching any metal item to these pages will magnetize them allowing the item to magnetize whatever it touches other than the user.' If this magnet release technique required iron sand then Hayato would have to also place that onto his grimoire's page. After some final strokes of his brush the genin's chakra was properly infused and his book began to emit a bright purple glow before shutting on itself yet again. He had managed to successfully use, Jumon Fūin sealing a jiton jutsu away. Hayato put his ink brush away while also placing his grimoire back where it belongs. His intense focus was then interrupted by the loud boom of a horn; his ears echoed momentarily as his pupils dilated. Hayato's eyes scanned the settlement and its varied defenses, but he kept glancing back over the beetle imagery. The image of a beetle held many important meanings in Kaze no Kuni, but it could also hold devious connotation. When the two approached a large wooden door creaked open causing the sand around it to kick up. The Kazekage's puppets moved on their own as they walked within the grand fortress. Izumigakure - Genin - Certified Mage

credit to nat of adoxography.

[LmnDrp]

I am the Oasis for my people!

Tsubaki and her adopted son entered the large reinforced walls of the 'temple bulwark. She leaned over a bit to speak to Hayato from atop Tou, "religious... and militarist architecture? Not typically adjourned together... though not unheard of, especially in places like Arashiryugakure's spirit rites or Joukigakure's... um... well all of Joukigakure." after that bit of tidbit fun facts she paused the movements of her puppets in the center of the settlement. Dust and sand kicked up all around them in swirlds as a vacuum was created from the large gate closing behind them entering. Surrounding the courtyard was a plethora of sculptures representing concepts, ideologies, and philosophies, some of which Tsubaki recognized and some others she certainly did not. Outside of this, there was also a trio of deific-looking statues that she also didn't recognize; though she did notice that they all seemed to depict a certain animal: a hawk, a snake and a beetle respectively. She hopped off from Tou and retrieved Inshi from it's resting place, resealing both of her puppets once Hayato left Kyouko's shoulder as well. As she did so, a small group approached them composed of four hooded individuals in red robes with similar iconography on their apparel and noticeable weaponry on their persons such as sickles and daggers, a short fat tan man with a disfigured face and brown hair as well as similar robes just slightly more decorative fit with other warm colors like yellow and a tan orange, and lastly a tall pale-skinned man with a slender face and long hook nose and buzzed black hair. She took note of the last man's appearance, hm... not very common around here... As they approached the two the tall man lead with open arms above his head, "ah, madame Kazekage! We have been awaiting your arrival, though you beat out a few of the other guests you are obviously of great importance to my clergy and myself! Allow me to make introductions, we are the 'Niiro Yoroi no Jashuu' and I am Kasukabe, the Shuryou for my people. Have you heard of us, Kazekage?" Tsubaki and the man spoke face to face at this point. "Just whispers. Though, I am excited to learn more, shall we go inside?" she gestured to the main temple-like building. "Ah, good! Yes, let us..." As he turned, the others did the same with bowed heads, following his curtails. "You ready Hayato? Let's go." she put Inshi back where he belonged and followed the group of 6 into their temple.

Izumigakure | Tsubaki Ichiko | Kazekage

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0

[Takeo]

we're just products of revelry in our own assumed knowledge The view from Kyouko's shoulder was high above the genin's normal gaze. Hayato listened closely to Tsubaki when she mentioned the juxtaposition of the fortress's adornments. His eyes promptly scanned the surrounding architecture and sculpture work. When the large gate behind the two closed, Hayato hoped off of Kyouko's shoulder. He fell to the ground with grace and landed with ease; continually, the genin pulled his hood down revealing his unkempt dark hair. Hayato's adoptive mother soon sealed her two puppets when a group of hooded individuals arrived. The young man looked the red-robbed men over with great detail; he accounted for each weapon and their relative size and weight. Hayato's amber eyes shot back and forth as Tsubaki spoke with a tall strange looking man. Even my dark hair and somewhat pale skin attracts unwanted attention here, how could this man survive in such a harsh environment looking like that, wondered Hayato in thought as he looked over the lanky man's angular face. The genin momentarily tugged at the strap that contained the pouch with his grimoire; moreover, Hayato gave Tsubaki a nod when she asked if he was ready. The genin followed the group into their grand temple that had a surprising amount of verticality to it. Hayato looked up into what seemed to be an endless expanse; his eyes searched the dark corners of the temple's ceiling. Hayato's gaze shifted downwards when the group of cloaked individual's all stopped. Izumigakure - Genin - Certified Mage

credit to nat of adoxography.

[LmnDrp]

I am the Oasis for my people!

Hayato and Tsubaki were soon within the walls of their host's temple, as they followed closely behind the cloaked individuals. Eventually, they came to an abrupt stop and turned to face the Kazekage and her ward and addressed them. This time it was the shorter man who spoke, "madame Kazekage, please, follow me into the dining room where a handful of our guests are waiting, and where we will wait for the remaining few..." He voice was coarser than the more sleek tongued slender man, but he was well-spoken nonetheless. "Very well," she said as they were ushered down another long and tall hallway, splitting from the others with a nod. They soon opened a pair of large red-colored wooden double-doors to reveal a excessively long U-shaped table fit with a varying spread of appetizer foods and drinks. It was absolutely awe-inspiring, the amount and quality of the feast, though it made Tsubaki cringe internaly. People in my land starve daily, not all are fortunate enough to travel within the walls of my oasis village, let alone live there, and they certainly will never see this much food in their life. It makes me sick... As she scanned the faces in the room, she recognized almost all of them as afluent individuals of Kaze no Kuni, and some from southern Tsuchi no Kuni and Hi no Kuni. Though they weren't all the most reputable and not all had a good relationship with Tsubaki herself, they were all well aware of who she was. "Hail! Madame Kazekage! And young Master Hayato!" people would stand and bow, she shook a few hands, some would clap and address her directly, she even heard some commenting on the young and skillful Hayato. "How dramatic," she joked to her son quietly before turning back around, "thank you, fellow nobles and prominent individuals of these lands alike, for such a warm welcome. Please, settle down. Let us enjoy some food and some conversation, what did I miss?"

Izumigakure | Tsubaki Ichiko | Kazekage

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0

[Takeo]

we're just products of revelry in our own assumed knowledge Before he knew it another man was addressing Tsubaki. What caught Hayato's attention was the mention of guests; his hands began to shake at the thought of having to introduce himself to many other people. He had always wished to be a nobody, but that desire significantly opposed Hayato's other desires for fortitude and power. He brushed some of the hair out of his face and tightly held onto his robe. The dining hall was grand to say the least, and Hayato had become more accustomed to grandiosity and luxuries in one's living environment but this was ominous. People murmured about the duo and the genin even heard his name thrown around a handful of times; continually, the boy instinctively bowed out of respect when others began to clap and bow for him. The surrounding air was heavy, and Hayato took a moment to take a seat. After sitting at one far end of the long table filled with many other nobles the boy got a closer look at the food. The spread of various items looked somewhat foreign to the genin; moreover, the food looked so pristine it left a worry in Hayato's gut. He first looked around to see if others would start eating, but his sense of sound was drowned out by the continuous chatter of 'adults'. People like this don't understand the importance of solitude and silence, they surround themselves with mirrors, considered the boy as he gently tapped his fingers against the long table. Izumigakure - Genin - Certified Mage

credit to nat of adoxography.

[LmnDrp]

I am the Oasis for my people!

Tsubaki had her feet on the table and her hands behind her back, the way she was raised caused her to throw out the concept of manners and embrace firmly respect, thus she had no qualms with acting uncouthly because to her it didn't matter while disrespecting someone by being impolite for example was unbelievably rude. She eyed the food before her, keeping her restraint to eat, knowing she had to at least wait for the other guests to join them. She looked down at her son who looked a bit uncomfortable, "Hayato, it's not just you. These snobby nobles are a bit much for me too!" she joked with him. Time passed and other guests eventually joined them, it was time to eat. Before that, though, the Shuryou from earlier took a stand at his seat at the opposite end from Tsubaki and Hayato to give a speech. "Today, we celebrate power, wealth, and affluence. We celebrate TRUE strength. Haha... yes. And, most of all we celebrate Madame Tsubaki. I have brought you all here to... establish links. And make a mark on history, and I hope I have done so with you all tonight! Now, enjoy!" Tsubaki's eyes narrowed, there was something about that speech and the entire event that was off with her, but she ignored her better judgement lacking any evidence. She grabbed some of the nearby foods and placed them on her plate.

Izumigakure | Tsubaki Ichiko | Kazekage

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0