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| - "So, mistress Geiha, I have returned with some good news. The Kazekage has granted us access to the Land of Wind. It'll be quite a trek, so we'll make our way to Sunagakure. We should get there by nightfall if we take the safe route. I managed to get some money saved up for us all to afford to stay the night within an inn in case we'd need that. Figured it would be best to prepare. The restaurants have also prepped us with food and water for the trip. They've really been helpful since we brought in more income to the village." Ryuuma speaks to Geiha, ecstatic about the Kazekage's agreement. She was excited about the potential outcome of the trip, making sure to get everything prepped up to a T. "Excellent work, Ryuuma. It makes me proud to see your determination in the discovery of lost history. I knew I was right in saying you'd make a fine scholar." With a smile, she pats Ryuuma on the shoulder. "So, shall we embark on another journey to bring back history?" Geiha asks. With a smile, Ryuuma nods her head yes, still blushing at Geiha's compliment. With her answer, Geiha grabs her essentials and departs from her library with Ryuuma. She heads to the restaurant where the others were eating. Looking up to Geiha, they knew it was time to leave. Finishing up their meals, they thank the chef and unite with Geiha and Ryuuma. "So we have the Kazekage's approval, then?" Tusoyoi asks. Tsuyou is Ryuuma's brother. Headstrong, but he shows great promise. "Yes we do. We're departing now. It's best to try and get to Sunagakure before sundown. It'll be quite the trip to the Land of Wind, but if we're quick, we should make it by the afternoon. Doushi, do you still have the teleportation scroll for the Land of Wind?" Geiha asks. Doushi was her second in command, the oldest of the group, and had great knowledge in seals and scrolls. "That I do, mistress Geiha." Doushi replies. Taking out a scroll, he weaves a series of hand seals and places his right hand over the scroll, teleporting the group to just outside the Land of Wind. "This is as far as it will take us. I only allow my scrolls to teleport just outside the boundaries of a country to prevent accidental trespassing. Though we'll need to walk the rest of the way, it'll no doubt cut travel times greatly." With the teleportation complete, Gaku no Ryoushi embark into the Land of Wind, noting the sudden shift in temperature as the climate turns into a vast desert. With their food and other supplies in hand, they make the trip towards Sunagakure to set up their temporary rendezvous point if anything goes wrong. A large tail swayed to and fro, allowing the wind to push it around delicately. His feathers each decorated with a crimson eyespot. Ladies found it mesmerizing upon their initial gaze. A beautiful display of nobility and an unrivaled softness. Those lucky enough to sleep upon his tail found heaven. Upon his back rested the executioner blade, Kubikiribōchō. A gift left to him by his father. He had it tied tightly around his waist, attached tightly to his expensive yet alluring Kimono. White with silver patterns, matching his own hair and porcelain skin. Only a red mark upon his forehead stood out. Actually more noticable when compared to his skin. A rare flower indeed. Zenjou sighed. "I doubt I'll need the others for this mission. Scouring old ruins sounds easy enough. Can't have them harmed for my laziness." He leaned gently against Sunagakure's gate. Awaiting for this knowledge hunting party. It took them a little while, but Gaku no Ryoushu finally find themselves at Sunagakure's gate, where a lone shinobi, dressed to impress, stood against. Geiha noticed who it was right away, having fought him to an extremely close draw in the Chunin Exams a long time ago, a fight she would have no doubt end up losing were it not for her Daitenki's influence. With a smile, she walks up to Zenjou. "It's been a while, hasn't it, Zenny? Haven't seen you in a dog's age." Geiha speaks up, the others were confused as to how she knew Zenjou. "Wait, you know this guy, mistress Geiha?" Ryuuma asks. "He seems a bit... off. Like a peacock who transformed mid-way into a human, but couldn't go any further." "We fought before in the Chunin Exams. Despite his exuberant attire, he's probably one of the best archers in Sunagakure, if not the best. He's descended from the Kaguya Clan, didn't take me long to figure that one out when I learned his arrows were made of bones, along with the rest of his techniques. He was a tough one, almost had me beat if Ouhei didn't jump in and took the reins. You never want to run out of arrows when you're fighting another archer, especially one with limitless arrows at his disposal. Managed to fight us to a draw in the end because we were both too exhausted to do anything else. But, enough about reminiscing, I assume you already know why we're here, Zenjou. We want to set up a sort of meeting point in Sunagakure to exchange information in, also a place to fall back to if things got nasty." Looking up towards Zenjou, she noticed how little he's changed over the past decade, save for the skills he's gotten better in. But one could also tell by looking at Geiha that she's become infinitely better at her skills than she was back during the Chunin Exams. That little comment cause Zenjou to give her a deathly glare. Suddenly, a thousand eyes peered towards Ryuuma as his tail fanned upwards rather quicly. They bristled in the wind and showed his true beauty. But as quick as Sunagakure's wind ended, Zenjou's tail fell back to it's resting position. He chose to ignore them and focus on the girl...No. The only other women who could bring Zenjou to his knees besides his former teacher. Zenjou walked towards Geiha, who stood only a few inches under he, and rustled her hair. "Hello Geiha-chan," His smile was actually legit. Finally, the Nanabake leader who murdered hundreds exhibited a true emotion. "It's been far too long. You know, You're actually quite beautiful when you're not trying to cut my head off. After this, we should meet up for dinner." He joked but his natural assassin behavior made it impossible to see through. Her compliments made him blush slightly. "Stop, stop you flatter me Geiha-chan. An Archer here is nothing compared to one from the Land of Fire. I've never met someone who could tire me out. I think our battle is one I shall never forget. And besides, your notes are one which surely overwhelms my own." Zenjou bowed towards Geiha. "Ah, I was told about your noble quest. The Kazekage assigned me to not only escort you all, but also assure your survival." "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Zenjou performed a single seal and smoke erupted next to his visitors. From the smoke emerged multiple horses. One for each adventurer. Each horse possessed muscles unseen before in horses. They were monstrously large, and capable of producing thundering neighs. Only a master could ride them, yet Zenjou's gentle touch caused them to obey him. Among one was a larger emerald horse with a green tail which rivaled Zenjou's own. It also possessed two large wings which stretched far beyond. "Our destination is a day's travel...But my friends here shall make it a few hours. Don't worry, they do not bite. Much." Zenjou went behind Geiha and offered to help her before jumping upon his own. "Oh boy. I think we might need to help Yasuraka up on his horse." Ryuuma sighs. As she signals her brother to help lift him up, the two show their surprising strength by easily lifting the Akamichi up onto his horse before getting up on their own. Yasuraki's cat makes itself comfortable inside his jacket to avoid falling off of the horse. Doushi followed suit, adjusting himself accordingly to get used to the horse's large frame. As Geiha nods, she signals her horse to follow behind Zenjou, as do the rest of Gaku no Ryoushi. With the intense, afternoon sun bearing down upon them, the heat was making itself known. But they were determined to make it to the ruins, even through the Land of Wind's notorious heat. With a strong determination on their faces, they grip tight the reins of their horses and continue running through the Land of Wind. The horses released a thundering roar as they pulled off. Their strong legs created a massive dust cloud in their wake. Zenjou of course rode before them, and his horses followed. It felt as if they surfed upon a cloud. Perhaps a nimbus of sorts. Just as Zenjou warned, his horses were extremely fast. Faster than the average beast. They crossed lands in a matter of hours, whereas Shinobi took days. It also allowed both to conserve their energy just in case of serious matters. A few hours later, a ruined city started to emerge from the horizon. A large, destroyed city from long before...It looked completely deserted...Untouched. Forgotten. A fragment of history. Sendou slowed upon Zenjou's command. Causing his other horses to follow. "We're here...Well...Close." Zenjou jumped off of his horse and helped Geiha off of hers. He turned slowly to the others assuring they survived their dismount before each beast disappeared. Sendou following with a gentle brush from his master. Zenjou's eyes seemingly changed before his guest. A lavender hue encompassed his golden irises. Although death lurked about, Zenjou seemed quite shocked. "Beneath us is a large tunneling system...Which spreads farther than I'm capable of reaching. It's pitch black...And there are things rustling about...I can't quite describe it." His eyes returned before Zenjou smiled. "The entrance is not far from here. It's hidden, but I'm sure we can reopen it." "Just show the way. If the way is locked, leave that up to me. I know my way around a lock or two." Geiha speaks up. She could see the city beyond, or what remained of it. Taking out one of her contact lenses, she gets a heightened view of the city. It was all built from sandstone, which had been smoothed over from centuries of sandstorms. "Looks to be about the same size as Sunagakure. An impressive feat, considering how long it has been. Everything has been smoother over from hundreds of years worth of sandstorms." Putting her contact back in, Geiha blinks a few times to adjust the contact. Walking up to Ryuuma's horse, she helps her off of it, who in turn helps her brother and Yasuraka off their horses before helping Doushi off of his. "If there is a tunnel system, it was no doubt either used as a means of escape, or they found something under there long ago. Either way, I'm sure they have laced the tunnels with traps to prevent unwanted visitors from entering them." Doushi speaks up before adjusting his glasses. "I want to try something. Zenjou, could you perform your vision again? I might be able to shed some light in the darkness, if only a little." Pulling out a sealing scroll, Doushi writes down the kanji for light around it along with a summoning seal. Placing his hand upon the seal, Doushi utters an ancient incantation, a signature of Doushi's fuinjutsu. With the incantation complete, it seemed like nothing happened, but Doushi knew it worked. "Okay, go for it. I've given the tunnels some light. It's not much, more compared to a single light illuminating a long hallway, but it should give us some clue as to what may be hidden under there." Zenjou's eyes lit once more with a slight lavender hue. Soon widening in shock. A gasp. Before of course travelling further among earth's natural veins. Ancient rails that he glided with unseen ease. Absolute astonishment. "It's a massive network that stretches far beyond the surface. The actual city is below us. But it's decorated with thousands of traps. Sophisticated constructs meant to prevent invaders from entering or exiting." His eyes darted about. Like one would as they stared upon a massive painting. Admiration. Understanding. Differentiating the separate specks of color before conjoining it as a gigantic picture. But to Zenjou, only a corner had been revealed, which lit his own thirst for adventure. His eyes returned to their natural golden tone. "Allow me the pleasure!" Zenjou's massive tail swept forward. Kicking up a massive sandstorm which tumbled away from his adventurous party. A raging blast. Filled with chaos and blinding anger. However, a large stone tab was revealed. It had been branded with an ancient sigil. One alien to both parties. "I think it'd work to enter through here. All the other entrances have been caved in completely." "Let's see, there's a sigil upon this tab, ancient. Looks to be Soujagakurian dialect, very ancient. No doubt created before the massive climate change rendered the Land of Wind a desert. A lot of the original inhabitants built their cities underground. Some scholars believed they predicted the climate changes that would come, so they built their cities below just in case. Who knows how many cities like this one rest under the Land of Wind. This particular sigil marks the path for supplies. No doubt meant to be used for those who'd gather food and water from the surface when their stocks ran low. If so, I think I got the right marking for it." Weaving a symbol with her hand, a marking that matched the language of the writing on the sigil appeared upon the tab. As if responding to the writing, the stone tab opens, revealing a set of stone carved stairs below a poorly lit tunnel. "I'm going to see if it's safe down here for us to traverse." Making her way down the steps, Geiha once again removes her contacts, this time her eyes glowing from a hue of brown to bright blue. This allowed her to see what was going on within the tunnel. The tunnel looked empty, but Geiha was smart enough to know that doesn't always mean it's safe. Regardless, she heads back up to tell everyone the news. "So the tunnel looks empty, but I wouldn't consider it completely clear. Who knows what may be hidden below the floors, or even behind the walls." Putting back her contacts, she blinks a few times to adjust them into her eyes. "To think something like this existed for so long." Zenjou was truly amazed. He'd sponsored many expiditions. But few reported anything of use. Now...Maybe Zenjou might unraval a grand seccret. "The deserts are indeed unpredictable. Some nights they are capable of freezing over our water supplies. While they can dry out rivers during days. Sunagakure shinobi are taught to persevere, and to survive." Zenjou followed Geiha slowly. Staying close to her in case of an emergency. For his body could handle danger better than others. "Geiha-san, these tunnels are massive." His luminous eyes piercing the immense darkness. "I can see entire structures below and a few," He grabbed Geiha's shirt. Stopping her. A dagger shot across her face. "Traps. We must remain vigilant." Letting out a slow breath, Geiha recomposes her self as she looks at the dagger that hits the wall next to her. From behind Zenjou, a puff of smoke appears, revealing a young girl with blonde hair and green eyes. "Everything's clear, it appears nothing has followed us here. We're free to carry on through the expedition." The girl speaks out. "Now who's this?" Geiha asks, having not seen her before. She determines that she's Uchiha by her stance and the way she carries herself, but she could see she was more than that. "I am Zenjou's aid. I watch out for him when he undergoes these expeditions. We've had more than a good number of bandits and raiders try to ambush us looking for whatever treasures that may be buried beneath the sands. So far, they've failed. I am Fukitsu." The girl replies before turning around, looking down the long hallway.
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