Perimeters and Reconnaissance

[Rinoa]

Back in the Hokage's Office...

"And I expect the two of you to work well together," the Hokage said with finality at the pair of Uchiha that stood in front of him. His eyes fell on the younger one, female, expression warm and proud. Unlike the rest of the Uchiha clan, she was the first female to have been recognize and to have gain some semblance of respect from her otherwise misogynistic clan. "Any further questions?" Pausing, he switched between the two before redirecting his inquiry to the female. "Rinoa, everything is understood, correct?"


"Y-yes, everything is understood, Hokage-sama," she nigh-stammered, a bit startled at the fact that he had specified to her. This was her first mission on the field, beyond just capturing a stray cat and patrolling within the Village. This time, she and her partner were being sent to patrol just beyond the borders. No longer would she be within the safe confines of the Village. As she had answered, she nodded her head, attempting to maintain composure. 


The Hokage gave a soft smile before he waved his hand at the Uchiha duo. "Right, well, off you go," he dismissed them. 

Regardless of how her partner acted, she respectfully bowed before shunshining out of his office. 

And now...  

The two Uchihas may have been out into the Forest of Death for an hour, at max; this mission held no time-restraints, they just needed to properly investigate the entire area and report back to the Hokage. However, it was nerve-wracking only because of her partner. While she was recognized by the Uchiha, the feat only worth anything outside of the family solely because of the fact that she was a female, her partner was the true Uchiha prodigy. Uchiha Itashui, a man completely beyond her level in her personal opinion, and her distant-cousin. 

Why she was paired with him was beyond her own comprehension, perhaps it was a cruel joke by the fates for her to be paired with her own family. Despite the fact that they were family, because of his high status as a much younger age, the two were never around each other, besides a family event here or there throughout the years. She had caught glimpses of the man, but she hadn't even heard him speak. 

As they traveled through the forest from checkpoint to checkpoint, while she gnawed on the inside of her cheek out of nervous habit whenever it came to men in general, she had daydreamed for a moment too long, losing her footing and falling down from the height in the obscure and lush tree branches. 

The fall wasn't that great for she at least managed to recognize the act of falling while amidst it, grabbing ahold of a branch some distance below from where they were originally traveling along. The hiss that left her lips however was the first sound she made throughout their entire time together; from within their bubble of silence, it seemed to have resonated loudly, the sharp inhale of air even hurting her own ears. 

[Uchiha Itashui]

"And I expect the two of you to work well together." Oh, how the taller counterpart wanted nothing more than to roll his eyes, but he respected his Hokage, viewed him as a beacon of hope for the people of Konoha. That's what defined the title, no? A man who was the spitting image of ideals, of bravery and a multitude of respectable traits; a man chosen by the people, someone who is claimed to be the strongest and will protect under any circumstance. How couldn't he have a deep admiration for the man whose portrayal meant everything to Konohagakure? His Hokage knew him well enough, and that was probably an underlying command for Itashui to take it easy on her. A threat, as fate would have it? But... even still, Itashui supposed he could be light on her... so long as she didn't irritate him. A subtle, almost unnoticeable smile graced his pale lips, but fleeted as quickly as it emerged. Whether the Hokage picked up on his faint action or not, that was left to be uncertain.

No further questions needed for Itashui, that was for certain, though. Another thing that was clear: a groan desperately wanted to escape his lips at this recruited woman. Why did he have to be the one to go with her? He was rude, surely, but he figured she'd be better off working on fixing up dinner... or cleaning a house. His views were likely influenced by his brethren at the Police force, but some women had been rewarded his recognition. He assumed this would be her test, but it still wouldn't deter him from picking on her all the while. No words came from the man, although he gave a short, curt dip of his head as his honorable bow before departing, too, in a shunshin.

He could only wonder what would await them.

---

A thick, awkward air surrounded the two as they ventured deeper into the Forest of Death in total silence. Well, maybe their footing from branch to branch, tree to tree, was lightly recognized, if one really cared enough to pay attention to extremely close detail. But, in all honesty, he didn't know Rinoa that well. He might have heard a few things on occasion; when they all gathered at family events and engaged in useless small-talk. As he concluded, it was pointless, least from his perspective. He wasn't one to enjoy the smaller, finer things in life, albeit... how could he with all that he's done and seen? It was a thought he literally shook off, steel-onyx eyes glaring forward as the two headed further and further away from the village. So far, so good. There didn't seem to be any trouble.

Until...

From the corner of his peripheral vision, Itashui noticed the abrupt decline. Cocking his head swiftly in Rinoa's direction, he'd notice the obvious: the Baka of a woman took an unnecessary stumble, for what reason, who knew! Ceasing motion, aware that his speed would make him skid, he'd course chakra to the soles of his feet, so that his next jump along the branch ahead would inevitably be his last. His plan was to use the momentum of his lunge to aid in halting just upside-down along the branch, so that his visage caught full attention of her grasping hold of a lower piece of bark. That hiss was... so hostile, it echoed like a canyon effect along the gargantuan flora that comprised the Forest of Death. It rung along his ears like nails on a chalkboard; he couldn't help but scowl.

"What the hell are you doing?" He scoffed at the woman, his tone indicative that he was neither amused or impressed. It was a blunt, rude taunt. He didn't have time to play games. Hand palming against his face, his hair hanging as he did as well, Itashui sighed loudly and obnoxiously. Oh, this was going to be troublesome, he could just tell! Why did the Hokage pair them together on this mission?

Crossing his arms against his muscularly lean chest, he'd await a response - or for her to regain her composure and footing. Whatever was troubling her, he really didn't care. He just needed her to suppress it, so they could get this job done. Then, the two could go about their own business and separate. He certainly wouldn't have to deal with her again... right?

At least, he was hopeful for that, now. Should there have been a lurking menace as the two took a momentary pit-stop, Itashui was well prepared to handle it.

[Rinoa]

While otherwise tempted to shoot a look in her partner's direction of utter dislike at his tone and the stresses he preferred, Rinoa managed to reign in such immature acts. Unlike Itashui, she neither scowled nor voiced further commentary on the event - because really what could she say that would justify her slipping? - before she began to swing her legs back and forth. Perhaps it would look odd to her partner in the manner of which she accomplished this task. Did she particularly care what he thought? At this moment... No, not really. 

Poised and together, her legs swung, as though her entire body was a pendulum rocking to and fro. One swing, two swings, three... On the fourth, powered by a small surge of chakra throughout, she managed to swing fully, releasing her grip and flipping atop of the branch that Itashui hung from. The distance between the two of them wasn't that great, and the propelling of her acrobatics with chakra gave her greater height than pure momentum would have and with less time required. 

It was now that she spoke, her head tilted as she leaned over a bit, peeking a glance at her partner. "That depends; what are you doing? I'm pretty sure we weren't sent out here to hang, Itashui-san," she taunted him in return. She understood that he was her superior in many ways, but recalling his upright expression from the moments in passing at family events, she also understood that he seemed to have a stick perpetually lodged in his rear end and was in desperate need of letting loose for a moment.

[Uchiha Itashui]

His rigid expression and disposition didn't falter, eyes seemingly swaying back and forth as he observed Rinoa swinging; she ultimately reminded him of the little knick-knack on his desk in the Police HQ - the one that had two balls each attached to a metal wire; one hit the other, made that move and vice versa. Back and forth. Maybe it might have been a little strange that he watched her, but what else was he to do? He could have resumed moving forward, but she'd likely tattle to the Hokage that she was 'left behind'. He snorted softly to himself, eyes closing for an abrupt moment as he pondered the thought, fluttering open a mere second later.

Rinoa planted her footing atop the branch he hung from, causing the bark to shake for a short period of time. It didn't disrupt his balance or footing, but the next moment had him in utter shock - not that Rinoa would be graced with it; his expression was as solid, cold and composed as steel. "That depends; what are you doing? I'm pretty sure we weren't sent out here to hang, Itashui-san." Dohoho! What gall! Did she really have the nerve to call him out on 'hanging around'? There was an obvious reason as to why he stopped: her and her utter clumsiness. It wouldn't take long for him to return to the branch's top, moving with a swift step or two. "Well, I'm glad you're done wasting time. Keep up and don't slack off again." Ah, Rinoa... the woman so vibrant and optimistic about life. She was likely the one chatting up a storm at those stupid family parties; not that he really paid attention. He didn't have time for someone so annoying and obnoxious. So, he returned to his traversing state, leaping from tree to tree, eyes fixed on the forest ahead; of course, his vision would scan every nook and cranny in his perception. It was an easier task than having to deal with Rinoa, anyway; and this short-lived banter only created a further rift between the two... no?

Ugh, he just was so perturbed by her... his sharp visage void of emotion, but the clenching, locking motion of his jaw signaled his disdain. Just... a little while longer... That was all it would be...

He still clung to that notion, still clasped to that hope. Poor lone-wolf.

[Rinoa]

Rinoa could only be forced to follow in the dust of Itashui's path of travel, steadily regaining altitude with a leap up and acrobatic skills at key points. Keep up and don't slack off again? If anything he shouldn't be blaming her and nay she him. They should be blaming the Hokage for pairing him with her. She understood that they were the prodigal duo of the Uchiha Clan, but for goodness sake, Itashui was not an easy person to get along with. With lips pursed, she trailed just behind the elder Uchiha, a little more to his left rather than directly behind him, when a glimmer caught her attention and she halted. 

She hadn't cared that she could be possibly left behind at this point, should her partner care to accomplish a mission accordingly, he would've known that one must work with their team, rather than attempting to shoulder the burden and responsibility of all members. Eventually he's going to burn himself out, no matter how powerful he may be currently or will be in the future. 

The glimmer was solely a reflection of some discarded ninja tools and weapons, however they seemed to be in too neat of an arrangement to have been there by chance. Her hand came to cup her face, slender fingers quickly pressing into the earpiece that would've radio'ed her to speak with Itashui. "There's something strange over here. Who just leaves weapons discarded out in the open?" she murmured, her voice chiming into his respective ear piece. Both Uchiha, granted with beautifully long hair, had their communication devices well hidden underneath luxurious locks, maintaining discretion.

[Uchiha Itashui]

Perhaps more than just a few branches ahead, Itashui honed in on the abrupt message, Rinoa's voice rolling into his ear - he seemed to have forgotten about the earpiece radio, honestly. "There's something strange over here. Who just leaves weapons discarded out in the open?" It wasn't that he could entirely blame Rinoa for his distracted demeanor, he was partly at fault, too. He'd cease motion and turn to look in her proverbial direction, only to mutter. "Hm, I'll hit around the other side, just be careful and stay on the lookout for anything." His direction shifted and Itashui was now headed toward the left, which involved some chakra suspension along the main bark of the tree. Finding a branch on the opposing side of the tree in which he once stood upon, the male then hopped onto the nearest branch of another tree, his intention to circle around the 'discarded weapons' so that Rinoa would face one direction and Itashui another - together, if headed toward each other, they'd 'collide' with the weapons being the center or focal point. "Once we inspect the outward area and make sure the coast is clear, then we could look at the 'site'." The male voiced his thoughts into the piece of metal along his ear before his feet resumed motion in propelling him from branch to branch.

Soon, he would find himself in the desired position, Rinoa and Itashui overlooking the conspicuously-placed weapons in opposing directions: one was stationed left, the other right. His eyes meticulously scanned the near vicinity for any signs of odd-placement or something that stuck out, pivoting swiftly on his heels to get the full, 360 degree inspection. Not another word was uttered from the tall, cold man. Something was suspicious, for sure. And although he would never admit it, just another secret to take to his grave, he was somewhat glad Rinoa discovered this peculiar find. He was too distracted or focused on getting the mission done and over with that he actually lost sight of the mission! Although his bangs and hair both framed and obscured some of his face, he couldn't help but try to hide the heat rising to his cheeks with his ascending right arm. He was blushing! Not of shyness - no - but of embarrassment. His lips mimicked a scowl but no actual noise reverberated from his maw. Undeniably, in this example, he did slip and slack off...

But, now... he would be focused, surely? He hoped that with a closer and detailed look, the two would be able to find something - insignia or kanji, something. Rinoa was given the opportunity to check as he stood guard and collected his cool, if she wanted, of course. Otherwise, if nothing important was exposed, they'd likely move on with caution.

[Rinoa]

There was a suspicious chill that ran along her spine, forcing unwarranted goosebumps to break out along her arms when Itashui was within her sights. Ever sensitive to surroundings, even the slightest change in conversational atmosphere would trigger her body to react in the most abnormal ways. Now was no exception -- to her, it was as though the air around them had condensed, almost stifling. Perhaps it was her nerves, hell, it could've been anything. At this point, she could chalk it up to chance.

As she noticed Itashui's firm stance, facing away from her and most likely (to her understanding and assumption) analyzing their surroundings as a lookout, she bent down and carefully inspected the weapons left. She was careful to resist the urge to pick them up, what if they were laced? 

Paranoid thoughts filled her mind in this moment, clouding her own thoughts of present events. Countless possibilities filtered through her mind's eye. If Itashui had taken a moment to look over his shoulder at his partner, he would've found her grey eyes clouded over as though she were locked in a genjutsu of sorts. However, this only lasted a brief moment before her voice left her lips in the faintest whisper. 

"Ita-san," she murmured, "this is really not looking good. The arrangement is too neat." The pause between her words were strikingly punctual, despite her soft tones. "This is most likely a -"

And just as quickly as she had started to deduce and suspect that it was a trap, a kunai came flying down from above her head. The sound of the sharp edge whizzing against the air reached her ears before the weapon touched her head, allowing her to easily shunshin out of the way. The weapon firmly stuck itself into the ground next to the bed of weapons left behind. Further away from Itashui, Rinoa remained crouched in the tree branches above him, her own head whipping back and forth as she tried to see if she could locate the source of the attack and in turn, the attacker. 

[Uchiha Itashui]

A threat loomed, eerily lurking as the air soon thickened, worse than the awkward silence Rinoa and Itashui once came to know. It wasn't like when they were preoccupied with searching - no - things were different: a threat was actually present. It was evident based on sole intuition alone that Rinoa and Itashui weren't the only people or even creatures out in the Forest of Death; the suppressive air was a definite indicator of that, almost constraining and restrictive along his throat.

When danger and hazard became real, distractions were minute with his nigh focus, his senses primed to recognize any signs of alarm. He wasn't protecting just himself now, but also Rinoa. From the corner of his peripheral vision, he suspected she crouched down to investigate the weaponry. However, he didn't cast a glance in her direction, unaware of the cloudy gaze Rinoa momentarily succumbed to, but, luckily, her words didn't fall on deaf ears. "Ita-san, this is really not looking good. The arrangement is too neat." Perhaps unbeknownst to Rinoa, Itashui's right hand fiddled into his ninja pouch, catching a kunai within his hand. It was perfect timing, considering the pause that soon alerted the two that this was, in fact, a trap. "This is most likely a -"

The forest canopy aided in forewarning Itashui of the incoming Kunai, given the tiny rays of light creeping from the bed of leaves reflected off the metal, shiny weapon. It was a matter of then judging the angle of which it was thrown, the Uchiha man deducing that it came from above the two Konoha nin and more specifically, it targeted Rinoa. He was relieved she managed to evade the projectile on her own accord - meant less work on his behalf and that he could concentrate on revealing the assailant. Flinging the kunai overhead, his desire not entirely to hit the attacker but instead expose the figure clouded by the flora - to bring to light the intruder - Itashui gathered another kunai at his disposal. He'd wait for a possible reveal or a second thrown weapon in his direction, eyes attentively scanning for any signs of the aggressor. He hoped the lurker became visible... so that he could end this 'folly', once and for all; or, at least capture the foe for interrogation.

[Rinoa]

The sunlight that had been filtering through the foliage, originally bright with the day, had slowly began to take to a burnt orange hue, indicating the transition of day to dusk. It gleamed against the metal of the kunai that was now imbedded in the earth, a strange silence and lack of movement now overlooming throughout the Forest as she and Itashui became separated.

Gloved hands reached to her waist, grabbing at the wire and quickly tying it around the handle of her own kunai. She did this with ease, despite her heart thundering against her rib cage from the evasion. It was a close call, had she not been so sensitive to her surroundings, she may have spilled blood.

Whoever this enemy was, they were solely seeking to send a message. Grey eyes narrowed as she stared up against the orange and red hues, searching for any visual sign of movement as her ears were now fine tuned to pick up on a creak against the branches. Faltering for a moment, her eyes fell to across from her, where she could distinctly estimate where Itashui was. Both were well hidden from each other that through the flora they would be unseen, but she still had common sense. A moment of worry overtook her features, would she really fail him during an ambush?, before she resolved against her fears. She was the prodigy for a reason. They were paired together for a reason.

Another hand dipped into her pouch, retrieving one paper bomb and two shuriken. One moment was taken to steady herself before she flung the kunai up, paper stuck to the tip, while the two shuriken also went up. The three weapons were flung away from each other though, hoping to rouse the enemy from their hiding spot.

With a few heartbeats to go, Rinoa held tightly to the wire and swung acrobatically from her spot to across the forest floor, only to let go at it's peak height and propel herself to greater heights. The enemy wants a fight? Fine.

An explosion roared, bark chipping off and falling carelessly to the floor. If Rinoa or Itashui noted, they could possibly see two or three different shadows dispersing after the explosion's first exclamation, in opposing directions, one specifically following after Rinoa in her swing.

[Uchiha Itashui]

The rumbles and quaking of the explosive tags caused the tree he stood upon to lightly shake. Itashui was likely able to see bits of the explosions, depending on the angle and direction, and while it did give him cause of concern, he also estimated that it was Rinoa testing the waters, essentially. The two had the lower height, it would only make sense if she threw it upward. He was actually impressed! And, well, muttering to himself how he didn't think of utilizing explosive tags beforehand!

Her intention to rouse the attackers proved successful - his watchful and observant eyes noticing three distinct shadows along the canopy of the forest. He even glanced down and off to the side to notice Rinoa in motion, moving to surface amongst the tops of the trees. In fact, a shadow was headed in her direction. It was best to thwart the possibility of a back-stabbing attack. Itashui utilized a succession of several shunshin no jutsu techniques, dispersing and reappearing to close the gap in distance. Rinoa's leap was likely high, so his shunshin moves also meddled with height, rather than a stretch of measurement forward. Katana strapped along his back, Itashui would remove the blade from its sheath, drawing near toward the assailant. His eyes were still an abysmal obsidian, not requiring the shift toward a bloody, devastating crimson. Not yet.

He'd be on the Kumo Nin's tail, likely to defend his partner. While the other two headed in opposite directions, Rinoa and Itashui could likely catch them later. Unless they were making an alternative route toward the two Konoha ninja?