First appearance of Yoshiko ~

Birds were chirping, the sun was shining, and Yoshiko was silently cursing. She knew she had been followed but chose not to act suspicious and played the role of the ignorant traveler. She didn't have time for any trouble, nor did she want the attention it would bring. After many days of traveling, the Tomoko girl had finally found herself near the great Konoha village and she had every intention of keep moving past it. The lightness of her backpack however reminded her that she was short of supplies, and there was no knowing when she would be able to make a stop again. She didn't know when or if her leader would contact her soon, after all she had been having too much of free time lately. But that gives me more time to search for clues about Hina's whereabouts... It was troublesome though, because it seemed like one couldn't ask any questions without having to answer a million of them right back.

A branch snapped behind her, making Yoshiko roll her eyes. Can't they at least -pretend- to be sneaky? From the rustling and other noises which were completely out of her reach to understand that any pursuer would ever be able to make, she had come to the conclusion that her followers were 5. They were all male, and judging from the smell these were most likely bandits that were waiting for the right opportunity to attack a lone traveler, or to be more precise, -her-. If she killed them this close to a big village it would most probably cause lots of investigating and lots of questions would arise. Even though she was brilliant at making herself disappear, then she never underestimated what her opponents would be capable of. And she -never- played the game of life and death half halfheartedly.

So here she was, walking at a steady yet quick pace through a forest with 5 smelly and noisy men after her. Although she didn't have any intention of fighting them, then she had no intention of fleeing or giving up. For now it was just the wait for them to attack. She had already won them countless times in her mind without having to kill any of them, even though Yoshiko was sure she'd do the world a -big- favor by slaughtering them. Alright, that's it. Her already prickled nerves couldn't handle having to listen to them for 1 goddarn minute more, so with a quick movement Yoshiko turned and placed her left hand on her hip.

"Do you intend on attacking me any time soon, or are you just going to keep disturbing the forest life by breaking every single piece of bloody branch you can find?" At first there was silence, as even the birds stopped chirping. But very soon the men stepped forward, having a disappointed expression on their faces as if they had been sure they were the best trackers in the country. A man, obviously the leader, stepped forward and eye'd Yoshiko in a rather rude way. "If you give us your katana and other supplies, we will let you walk away from here unharmed. At least.. mostly." That last part was probably supposed to be indicating something sexual, or at least that's what Yoshiko gathered from the sneers and laughter of his men. Honestly, she had never understood why people bothered communicate when most of the society was like this.

"You are very welcomed to try and take my katana and whatever else it is you are after, but I wouldn't count on you being able to walk away." If the men had anticipated a scream of fright or at least a scared look on her face, then they were very very wrong. The chill of her voice, her purple eye that looked at each of them like they were.... nothing. It wasn't really surprising when they all turned red from anger and drew their weapons. "You little bitch, we'll show you!"

And for the second time this day, Yoshiko rolled her eyes and wondered why she had even bothered to try and reason with them.

It was that time of day. Yoshimaru was on Gate patrolling and he has no time to argue with the Hokage about it. Sighing, Yoshimaru walked out of his house, made sure his son got to the Academy, and began walking on towards the Konohagakure Gate. Suddenly, he stopped dead in his tracks. "Wait... No... Yeah I gave him his lunch..." Taking in a deep breath, he kept walking onwards. The villagers passed him and he waved at them as they waved back. He ran his fingers through his hair and groaned, getting closer to his destination.

"I hate mondays so much..."He grumbled and lept up into the air, landing safely onto the platform. Another jounin friend of his was on each side, as he knew them very well. Most of the jounin around here hated the jobs they got assigned on certain days, but never complained about it to the Hokage. It was a beautiful morning and Yoshimaru didnt want to ruin that for the world. Although, he did have an odd feeling about this day. It wasnt as roudy as usual.

Yoshimaru turned to his fellow Jounin and whispered, "Im going out to search in the woods. I have an odd feeling about today. I'll leave a clone." The jounin nodded and made sure no one saw what Yoshimaru did. A clone appeard slowly from Yoshimaru's side, literally growing off of himself. Looking left and right, Yoshimaru climbed down the wall and as soon as he touched the ground, he activated the first level of his Koudogan. 'I feel... Someones heartbeat in this direction... Into the woods... There are more though...' Yoshimaru decided to check it out for himself.

Slowly making his way into the forest, following the feeling of the heartbeats, he occaisonally stopped to feel a tree or two, making sure if he was getting closer or further. Ahead of himself, he saw five large figures and one not so large like the rest. 'Is someone getting harassed?'He thought to himself, as he got closer. He then got as close as he could, and fused himself into the tree. Yoshimaru was great at blending into the backround, as if he were camoflauged.

The men spoke to the young lady, as they seemed to threaten her and wanted her katana. She was very smooth and calm during it, and she seemed like a shinobi, without a headband though. "I should help her out... Its the least I could do now that im here." He said and appeared in a fade between the men and the young lady. "Excuse me, but I would have to ask you to leave. You're getting closer to Konohagakure, and we wont allow this type of harrassment in the village." He spoke calmly and clearly. "I can either show you the way out the easy way or the hard way. Your choice, ma'dam."He was speaking the leader of the gang.

As the leader had started to open his mouth, probably to flatter Yoshiko's ears with more cursing, a man appeared between them in a flash. It startled Yoshiko since she hadn't been aware of any other presence than the men in front of her, and it made her also feel very alert since this was probably a man of great powers from the looks of it. A Konoha ninja huh? Seems like this day will be more bothersome than I suspected. She couldn't get involved in something like this, but knew that it would seem -very- suspicious if she would try to retreat now. Sighing, as if to herself, she opened her mouth to inform this stranger that she didn't need any help. But before she could even begin, the leader of the group spoke.

"Who the heck are you? This is between us and this bitch here!" A slight twitch appeared at the corner of Yoshiko's eye. If he calls me that one more time, then I wouldn't care if the bloody Hokage himself stood there between us. She opened and closed her right palm a few times while glaring venom at the men. "H-hey boss... we are kinda close to the village.." "Shut the Hell up!" It seemed like he wasn't about to give in, but it was clear this wasn't the most brave man ever either since he was trembling slightly under the gaze of the Konoha ninja.

Averting her gaze from the men, Yoshiko studied the back of her "savior". He was rather tall, had a good muscular shape and dark hair. How come she hadn't been able to sense him? A cold sweat ran down her back as she looked around, looking to see if there were perhaps more ninjas around. She didn't like this at -all-. Taking a few steps forward until she was at Yoshimaru's side and halting there, Yoshiko looked at the men one of the other. And now to plant the seed of fright and uncertainty. "If you think I have any valuables on me then you are mistaken, plus you'd be fools to try and fight this close to a powerful village. And from the looks of it, I don't think you would be able to defeat this ninja here that easily." She left out the information that she would have been able to crush them with her thumb while blindfolded, seeing that it would probably benefit her to play the damsel in distress for now.

She was very aware of the fact that the man next to her emitted a strong aura, and didn't feel unpleasant to stand this close to which made her surprised. Yoshiko barely reached him up to the shoulder as she stood next to him, and she had to force herself to not glance up and take a look at his face. The men in front of them were became more hesitant after her words, and the fact they hadn't attacked already just made Yoshiko's suspicion of their weakness even more clear. The boss tried to make himself bigger than he was as he took one last glare at the man and girl in front of him, before he spat on the ground and mumbled some curses about ninjas as he turned around. "Let's go men, it's not worth it."

Finally.. Now she just had to figure out how to get rid of this Konoha ninja, especially since it looked like she was in his debt now. "Umm thank you for your help, I'm not sure what I would've done if you hadn't showed up." Did she sound thankful and girlie enough? It seemed so to her, although she still avoided looking up into his face. How was she going to explain what she was doing here, and also why she didn't have any headband or a marking of any kind? It had already come down on her before in other villages and she was quite frank starting to think about getting a random headband and pretend to be some random ninja. It would at least save her a -lot- of time.

Yoshimaru kept no specific facial expression the whole time as he glared at the men. They seemed very intimidated, and he was very good at fooling people with the looks on his face. The words that the men spat at them meant nothing to Yoshimaru and he felt numb to the insults. It was childish of them to call them names. He crossed his arms and smirked, waiting for them to eventually leave.

The young woman walked up and stood next to him. She was very petite; she came up close to his shoulders. He smiled at her and examined what he could see from so up high. Yoshimaru chuckled and flicked his neck, moving the hair out of his face. All he wanted to do was make the harasser's go away so they would leave this woman alone once and for all. It took a few minutes of them talking to eachother to finally realise their mistakes, and left together.

Yoshimaru smiled and looked down at the young lady. "Umm thank you for your help, I'm not sure what I would've done if you hadn't showed up." She said to him in the sweetest tone ever, but it didnt seem to match what she looked like at all. She made no eye contact with him, in which he likes to look into the other persons eye when they talk. "No problem. Its a Jounin's job. Although, if I hadnt of showed up, im sure you would've kicked their ass for sure" He stated and chuckled.

Slowly, Yoshimaru bent down slightly and gently put his finger under her chin and tilted her head upwards for her to look at his face. "Much better. Sorry, it bothers me when I cant see the other persons face or eyes." His emotionless face turned into a smile. "My name is Yoshimaru Kangai. Who might you be?"He introduced himself and waited for her to answer."

As the men disappeared from sight, the stranger spoke again and now his words were reaching her. She felt his eyes on her, and still refused to look up. Ah so he was a Jounin, Yoshiko inwardly sighed again and cursed her bad luck for having to stand there with that high ranking ninja outside a village that would most probably want her head on a silver platter if they knew who she was.

"Ah, no not at all." Waving her hand in front of her, she hoped he'd lose interest now and just walk away after doing his good deed of the day. But to her surprise he seemed to have something else in mind, as he lowered himself down and with a finger under her chin made her look up into his face. A purple eye met blue ones and there was silence for a few seconds as she just stared. What the ... Her hand grabbed at his and removed his finger from her chin in a matter of a second, as she glared slightly while her pale skin got slightly pink in the cheeks. Just what does he think he's doing!? "I'm sorry but I don't like being touched." The slight coldness from earlier came back to her voice as she felt to her anger that she had gotten embarrassed, and actually blushed for the first time... ever?

Yoshiko didn't look away though, but examined his face and came to the conclusion that he had some very nice features. And here it came, his introduction and the question about hers. Whatever I say doesn't really matter since I'm not from this part anyways. "Nice to meet you Yoshimaru Kangai, I'm Yoshiko Aiko." The birds were chirping again and the wind blew quietly around the two ninjas at their first encounter. "It would seem that the Jounin of this village are pretty stealthy, your presence was not noticeable at all." Getting some information about this village didn't seem like a bad idea since she was stuck here with a Jounin anyways.

Her stance was relaxed again as she looked up at him and tried to look friendly, or at least like she was more interested than she was. How -are- girls my age supposed to act anyways? She was sure this man would make any girl swoon, even if that didn't work for her. But she -did- have some interest in him, at least some curiosity, and that was more than most could say when it came to her.

Yoshimaru chuckled softly when she took his hand off of her chin. He understands that some people are touchy, and some people are not. He was one of those touchy kinds that like to make someone feel welcome and comfortable, but not trying to be creepy at all. Although he did notice that she had examined his face, as she did his. She had a beautiful purple eye, and the other one was hidden behind her hair. He stood himself up erect instead of having to bend down to try and make himself seem less intimidating.

She introduced herself after he did, which is a good sign. He noticed that she also had the word "Yoshi" in her name, which amused him. Yoshimaru ran his fingers through his hair and smiled, as she made the statement about konoha shinobi. "Accually, that is very true. But myself, I can make myself one with the nature around me. Its pretty cool if you ask."He chuckled and leaned against a tree, as the tree bark began to stick to him. "Where are you from, and would you like a tour around Konohagakure?" Although he could be breaking the rules and bringing an outsider in, he wanted to know more about this girl that he somewhat fancied.

Even though it was coming close to noon, he knew that most restraunts were opening up like many other shops and stores. Yoshimaru hoped that his clone was doing a good job impersonating himself, which he knew he probably was. 'I hope I dont creep her out.. thats the last thing I want to do..'He thought to himself and leaned off the tree, the bark ripped off slowly like wet clay, and fit back into the tree. Downwards, you could see small buds growing under his feet, which was an effect of his happiness.

To him, she looked like a missing ninja. But in all honesty, he could care less where shes from, or what she was labelled as. In Yoshimaru's book, everyone was the same but unique, and he tried his best not to kill anyone or get into fights. Talking things out was the best solution he always had and used each time. Only a few times has he ever killed anyone in his life. But back into reality, he waited for her answer and more information about herself.

He can make himself one with the nature? That was a spectacular skill and made her curiosity tingle even more as she bit back the questions. It seemed like he was very relaxed and not the least bit threatened by her, which either meant he knew he could get backup at any moment or he didn't feel like she could pose any threat at all. Or well, it was always that possibility that people could actually act normal around others instead of keep suspecting them of evil deeds. Yoshiko was not one of those, unfortunately. While he leaned back and seemingly waited for her answers, she thought quickly about what to say. Well the truth about her birthplace meant she wouldn't be caught lying by accident, and there was really no way he could have any more suspicion towards her old village than any other.

"I'm from Kirigakure. I took up wandering a few years ago and haven't really found a reason to settle anywhere." Get a tour? She knew she should say no, but even so she thought about why she shouldn't. After all, she could probably use the information from inside the village later on. And she was kind of also looking for an excuse to get to know this Konoha Jounin better. Somehow she felt more relaxed around him than most others, and he seemed like someone that wasn't a prick, which was pretty rare. "Sure, that would be nice. I need some supplies anyways." Attempting to smile would probably mean she looked like someone had stepped on her toe, so she just looked at him and nodded, feeling like an idiot. I should really start practicing on how to smile again. It can be handy when dealing with others.

The sound of the bark slowly ripping as Yoshimaru pushed away from the tree confirmed his earlier words about him becoming one with the nature, and one glance down at the ground made Yoshiko catch her breath as her eye caught the buds that were growing. This man is -really- interesting. If she had known that interesting ninjas like this were in Konoha, she would have come here long time ago, a missing nin or not. Raising her face upwards, she observed the cloudless sky and took that as a good omen even if many would find that silly. This was an old habit of hers, and had been good up until now at least. She really loved the sky and was sure she had been a bird in the previous life. Glancing back at Yoshimaru, waiting for him to show her the way into the village she spoke again. "I have heard that Konoha is a village of prosperity, is that true? It was good to begin with small, innocent questions. At least that would be better than the silence, even if she liked it. As she thought about going into Konoha, Yoshiko felt somewhat like a mouse that was going into the lair of a snake. If something would come up, it wouldn't be easy to escape out of there.

Don't be silly Yoshiko, just act normal and you will be in and out before the day is over.

Yoshimaru listened to her as she gave him information about where she was from. 'A kirigakure ninja, huh?'He thought and cracked his neck. She didnt seem to look like one, but he believed her anyways. He knew that many people went missing and ended up looking like they didnt belong to ANY village what so ever. Yoshimaru was just lucky to pick up on a wanderer that abandoned her village and ended up here. But of course, he wasnt scared of her, he could take cae of himself if she attacked him, but his kind nature wouldnt ever put him in THAT position.

She had agree'd to tour Konoha with him. This was an opportunity neither of them wanted to pass up, especially when it came to making new friends for Yoshimaru. He smiled and nodded his head, holding out his hand for her, "Let me get you out of these woods as quick as I can." If she took ahold of his hand, he would lead her out quickly, as he began to walk on, her behind him, and making path's by slowly moving his hand, causing the branches to move with it and avoid hitting them. But once they got out of the forest safetly, he stepped onto the road that lead straight into the village gate.

"Why yes, Konoha is a village of prosperity. We here usually accept outsiders, if they are being escorted by a Jounin or higher. Dont be frightened if we happen to come apon any troubles, I got it handled." Yoshimaru informed her and smiled down at her. He would go to extreme lengths to make this small girl feel welcomed here in Konoha, and he was hoping everyone else did. He waited a moment and began walking into the gate, he made the tiger sign, and made his clone desintigrate into wood chips. He lost a good amount of chakra by leaving that Wood clone out for so long.

Beginning to tour Konoha now, he made sure that Yoshiko was by his side the whole time. He was given stares by other Konoha Jounin, but made a certain handsign that assured yhem that he had it under control. Yoshimaru looked at Yoshiko again, and asked, "Are you hungry? There is the famous ramen shop here in the village. I'll pay." Yoshimaru grinned and next to them, was the ramen shop.

He seemed to believe her for now at least as he didn't raise any more questions about her origins. Take his hand? Why did she hesitate for a split of a second before taking it, as if she felt like she would be pulled into a whole new chapter in her life? It scared her, but also made her feel a small tingling feeling in her stomach. Perhaps she would be able to associate with others and be normal for once, maybe just maybe she could feel at ease for one day. And somehow she believed she would be, if she had this Jounin with her. His hand felt warm against hers as they walked quietly out of the woods, Yoshiko watching with interest as the forest seemed to listen to every sign Yoshimaru gave to it, moving aside branches as if he was talking with them.

Frightened? No need to worry about that. But she nodded and tried to look thankful, while glancing sideways at the guards. Perhaps 6 slices and they would be quiet, at least if this was one of the other villages she had been to. She wasn't as sure though if the Konoha ninjas would fall as easily as her prey. If the other Jounin were like Yoshimaru then she had plenty to observe and learn before she could get into this village again without an escort. Her eye wandered curiously over every building and path they walked, and also took notice of every person around them. As she had thought, then everybody looked healthy and happy. A few small children ran past them, laughing happily while yelling some random ninja orders. Yoshiko's gaze went a little softer as she saw in their stead her little siblings, running with just as happy smiles on their faces. However that moment passed quickly, and she tore her gaze away from the children.

The young ninja was very aware of some people staring at them, probably wondering who she was and what she was doing there with Yoshimaru. But no one commented or seemed to have any intention of stopping them, so Yoshiko pretended like she didn't see them and just listened to Yoshimaru as he was pointing out random things for her to see. When he asked her if she was hungry, she thought for a moment about denying that. However her stomach had other plans as it growled loudly, making her blink in surprise before nodding with an awkward expression on her face. "Ramen would be good... but I have some money..." She had gained some money a few days back after she had encountered a loner thief which had made the mistake of taking her for a prey. That time the prey had showed it's claws, and the thief would never bother anyone again.

Yoshiko felt a little sting to her pride if she would let him pay, but it would help her out so she could rather buy supplies with her money. While worrying her lower lip with her teeth, she waited to see what his response would be.

Shinsei happened to be walking when he heard the sound of a heartbeat. This one didn't seem calm. It seemed tense, as if it was worrying about something. He decided to "see" with his ears where that sound was coming from.

Shinsei eventually got arrived near a Jounin when he recoginzed the abnormal heart beat. He could also it was a girl, as the heart was somewhat delicate, but not completely. He also detected a similar heartbeat near, which he recognized as Yoshimaru's. Shinsei liked to know the names of the shinobi of higher rank. He didn't know why, but he did. "Yoshimaru...who is this? Her heartbeat seems tense, as if she was worrying about something."

Then Shinsei realized something. He had forgotten to introduce himself. Yoshimaru would probably wouldn't know him. "Sorry Yoshimaru, I'm Shinsei. Shinsei Kuragari."

His pure white eyes gazed into the girl's eyes, vacantly, but suspciously. Something didn't feel quite right about this girl, but he wasn't sure what...most people have a calm, realaxed heartbeat in Konohagakure, at least the villagers and shinobi. This meant she was having a bad day, probably looking for something, or wasn't from the village...which concerned Shinsei. He studied the girl, based on the sounds of her heart, when he realized he was probably being paranoid. But his shinobi instict told him something was missing here, for the wind began to pick up a little bit more then what it was.

Based on the feel of the ground and path they were on, they were probably heading toward the Ramen shop. "You two are heading toward's Ichiraku Ramen, aren't you? Mind if I come and join?"

Shippou, or silver, as he liked to be called, was casually walking through the streets of Konoha. With the money left over from the errand, I should be able to get some ramen, he thought. He could smell it in the air, the aroma of fresh ramen. He couldn't resist it, after such hard work He smiled at the pure thought of eating it all in one gulp.

Instead, he stopped when he noticed a jounin escorting a lady, and a genin much like himself, whom seemed to interrupt or want to join them, from what Silver could hear. But, he walked by them, ignoring the feeling he recieved from this women's chakra. His senory skill blazed him, but he ignored such a feeling as, not possible. He walked over to the ramen shop, and ordered what he had originally came for.

He waited for it. He longed for it, and when it finally arrived, he paid and began to eat it in a calm manner.

Yoshimaru smiled as he watched the civillians do their average day working, and little children and genin running around acting like shinobi. He felt as if he were making Yoshiko feel uncomfortable so he let go of her hand softly, not abrumptly as if he didnt want to with a passion. Yoshimaru was just happy that she accepted his offer to tour the village with him. Although, he did happen to walk past a few of his good friends, but none of them questioned him, because he was a much higher rank than they were. 'Everyones acting like they never had an outsider walk around the village... Im just glad they're not asking us questions.' Yoshimaru thought. Most villagers accepted the outsiders and some were just plain rude.

Yoshiko accepted the offer of eating ramen with him. Yoshimaru grinned and began to walk towards Ichiraku's Ramen, but a small Genin stopped them in their paths. He began to ask them questions, especially towards Yoshimaru about Yoshiko. "This is Yoshiko. She doesnt really have any particular village, and I found her outside about to be mugged by some strangers." He told the young genin. Of course young boys like him would believe anything, and as soon as Shinsei asked to eat with them, he objected and came up with the cheesiest excuse ever. "Well.. I happen to be taking her out to eat with just me and her." He told Shinsei and put his arm around Yoshiko. "Maybe tomorrow? I'll be on road duty." He asked Shinsei and waited for an answer, but right after he slowly lead Yoshiko to the ramen shop.

He sat down and took his arm back to himself, and saved a seat for her. He looked around and saw another boy there, but thank god it was just one. Yoshimaru smiled at Yoshiko and leaned over, whsipering, "Sorry, I had to make it sound as if you were super innocent so he wouldnt go around saying that there was some sort of missing ninja in our village." He explained to her and looked up at the ramen chef. "I'll take a beef vegatable ramen. What would you like?"He ordered and asked Yoshiko.

Before Yoshimaru had the chance to reply to her, a boy made his way to them. He seemed to be rather young and of a fairly lower rank than Yoshimaru, and it seemed to Yoshiki as she looked into his white eyes that he was blind. He can hear my heartbeat huh? She supposed that to the trained ear, her heartbeat -would- be different than from those relaxed and at their natural grounds. Yoshimaru seemed to be taking it into his hands to explain who she was, and she didn't even think about objecting to that. It was quite frankly very pleasant to have someone of this high rank around. She had probably never before gotten as easily into a village.

Her face was expressionless as Yoshimaru spoke and her eyes were wandering around, as all of the sudden she felt a strong arm snake around her, causing her to jump slightly. What had he been saying? That they were going to eat alone? And why was his arm around her like that? She was just about to object, while her body got completely stiff, but then she realized he was just saying this to get rid of the boy that seemed to be this overly curious about her. Hmh...not bad. She tried to be a little bit more natural, which was kind of hard for her. But somehow they made it to the ramen stand, leaving the boy behind. I wonder if he will give it up at that...

There was another boy that sat at the ramen stand, a dark haired one, but he didn't seem to be wanting to pay them any unnecessary attention to her relief. While they sat down, Yoshimaru removed his arm but leaned closer to her, causing Yoshiko to stiffen again. She wasn't used to be around others like this, and the only communication she really knew was when in battles. He seemed to have just in mind to talk with her, making her nod her head slightly as her gaze was fixed on the wood in front of her. "It's fine."

The question was though, what did Yoshimaru himself believe? He said this casually, but was he implying something? Without looking at the man that was taking the order, Yoshiko muttered that she would be having the same as Yoshimaru before she turned her face towards him and looked him straight into the eyes. "What is your thought on who I am?" She somehow had to hear what he would say.

As Yoshimaru waited for his order to come in, he studied the boy that was in Ichiraku ramen as well. He had on a headband and he looked very young to them, he looked as if he was a genin. Yoshimaru looked back at Yoshiko and he reached in his pocket, took out and rubber band, and tied his hair back loosely, not too tight though. Yoshimaru always gets food in his mouth or food whilst he eats, so he started to fix it by putting his hair up. What is your thought on who I am?" She asked him, looking straight into his eyes.

Chuckling, he made his eyes gentle and answered to her. "I dont think you are any threat to this village at all. You might be a... missing nin.. But it doesnt bother me. I know you are very powerful, but I dont fear you." He smiled at her and moved his bangs behind his ears, taking a sip of Sake that the waiter gave him, then carrying on. "Lets just say I can hide any emotion and lie without any problem." Yoshimaru explained to her as he contunued once more, "Im sure if we ever fought, you'd leave me bruised and bleeding." What he was saying was the truth, and not a lie at all.

After a few seconds of talking, the waiter rang a bell and set both of their ramen infront of them. "Enjoy!"He said and left. Yoshimaru grinned and got two pairs of chopsticks, handing her one, and breaking his apart to use. "Itadakimasu!" He exclaimed with a gentle voice towards her and began eating, making sure it wasnt too hot and no hair fell into his bowl of soup. Yoshimaru made sure he ate with his manners and didnt seem like a slob.

His answer didn't really surprise her. She wondered what he would think if she told him just who she was, her mind toying with that for a few seconds. But she did know better than that, so she just looked away with an empty expression. She didn't take him for one that could lie easily as he said himself. But in the world of ninjas you never knew. Leave him bruised and bleeding... Images of some of her victims appeared in her mind, making her swallow before thinking with a bittersweet feeling that she was an idiot to think she could ever have a normal day like this. Perhaps there was already someone on the way to see who this stranger was in the village. -But- she was close enough to the village gates to be pretty sure she'd make it out. I will at least eat and try to get some supplies before leaving. Not everybody of high rank here are as laid back as this Jounin is.

She looked at Yoshimaru again. "Even if you wouldn't fear me, would you not fear for the lives around you -if- I was perhaps a bad person?" Her face was expressionless, but she voiced the question as if she was only testing his answer, not actually meaning this. But why was she pushing the matter? Perhaps it irritated her that someone was this open, welcoming. She hated herself most of the time, hated what she was, but yet she couldn't escape from it nor did she want to. She took the chopsticks and slowly broke them apart before holding her hands together in front of her. "Itadakimasu."

After only one bite, she was sure this had to be the best ramen she had ever tasted. Closing her eyes slowly, she savored the taste in her mouth before swallowing. Yoshiko only relaxed when she was eating, and actually looked pretty normal now as she ate with her eyes closed. Her pink tongue licked quickly over her lips before she helped herself to another bite, then opening her eyes and looking at Yoshimaru with a softened expression. "This is really good."

Although she was relaxed, then all her senses were open. She followed every movement that the boy on the stall with them made, and she was open to anyone that walked past. Her voice was kept low, making sure no one would be hearing them talk. Although usually when she did talk then her voice was low and calm. What she was also thinking about at that moment, was if she would maybe have time to search for clues about her sister. She wasn't sure if she should ask Yoshimaru, because if she would it would probably lead to some more questions. And what was she supposed to say anyways? That someone had killed her parents and then she had by accident killed her little brother and in the process lost her sister? Not a chance.

He heard the two talking after he had been almost finshed, he worried himself over whatever theyhad been saying. He wonder, dazzled with confusion, wanting answers. He let out a sigh of relief, remaining quiet and calm. However he wanted to know who thi was, he could feel everyone's chakra, a natural thing to him, even though he was an uchiha without the Sharingan. He longed to understand it.

Keeping his eyes closed, he opened them. His gaze was more or less fixed on the other two, and he looked away for a few seconds. He looked back, laying both his hands in his lap. "So, I've seen you before..., he said as he spoke softly to them, But not you, are you from out of town?, he asked her. He didn't want to offend, he was just curious and wanted to know.

The question Yoshiko had asked was not a hard one to answer at all, but he waited a few seconda and kept eating, finishing half of it. "Of course I worry and concern for the lives around me, if thats what you are asking me. But I trust you not to try and kill anyone here." He answered her quesion with a calm tone, and an expression that told her that she can trust him as well. Yoshimaru used certain facial expressions for lying and telling the truth, and if you knew him well enough, you would know instantly.

Taking another sip of Sake, he stretched his arms out and continued to eat. He knew what he was doing with thing young missing ninja was no mistake. He was sure that if anyone knew about her in here, they would tattle and tell the Hokage, so thats why he tried to avoid having company other than Yoshiko. Finishing up his ramen, he relaxed himself and looked at the cieling, then down at her. Leaning in again, but not too close to make her uncomfortable, he whispered, "You know you can trust me, ne? There isnt anything to be scared of. Im not going to give you away." He wanted her to trust him, because trust was the first thing that can start a good friendship between two people.

"Another one, please?"Yoshimaru ordered to the waiter for another ramen. Wanting to make as much time as he could with Yoshiko, he didnt want her to return to Kirigakure just yet. He wanted her to stay. "What do you think of me?"Yoshimaru asked Yoshiko. Obviously he didnt want her thinking he was a bad person or anything at all like that.

He says he trusts me? Surely she wasn't some sociopath that went out of her way to kill people for fun, she guessed it was nice he thought that then. She kept eating but paused as he leaned closer to her again, whispering to her. Ah, so he -did- suspect that she was someone that would most probably be wanted somewhere. She should've known that her story about a wanderer from Kirigakure wouldn't have fooled everybody as easily. Her eye searched his face as she nodded at him, unsure why he wanted this much for her to trust him, unsure why she was even here. Although she didn't say it to him, then she knew that if there was somebody of the Konoha village that attacked her and tried to imprison her, then she doubted very much that Yoshimaru would start fighting his comrades. But even if his words didn't all reach her, she still appreciate the thought and the words of kindness. Probably the first words of kindness she had heard in many years.

She was just halfway done with her ramen, already starting to feel full. That's the curse of eating so rarely.. I can hardly have the room for food anymore. Watching with envy as Yoshimaru had finished and was ordering more, the purple eyed ninja kept eating and ignored her feeling of fullness. His question surprised her slightly, but not that much. They had been talking mostly about her topics, so why not have it his turn now? "I find you....pleasant to be around." That was most probably the biggest compliment she had ever given anybody. Seeing that she never really felt good to be around anyone.

She looked at him again, tilting her head slightly to the side as she let her gaze wander over his face. "I think you are probably a very honorable ninja, but maybe you are too quick in trusting people." How she hoped she would never have to fight him in the future. Or see that look in his eyes, that smile die if he would find out who she was. But as if to help her get out of those thoughts, a new voice reached her ears. In their little moment there, she had completely forgot about the boy that had been eating ramen at the same stand.

How can I be this careless? Leaning slightly forward so that her eye rested on the face of the boy, she studied him slightly before answering. "I am a wanderer yes. And am now enjoying the hospitality of this village after being rescued by this Jounin from bandits." Her voice was still low, and had a slightly soft tone to it. She was starting to sound pretty good in her role of the damsel in distress, making Yoshimaru sound like the knight in the shining armor.

Although Shinsei had left when Yoshimaru had told him to leave, Shinsei didn't leave his feeling behind. "It doesn't add up...her worry, care free attitude just doesn't match her heartbeat. Where have I heard Yoshiko before....where...it sounds to familiar..." Shinsei said, talking to himself. He was carefully examining Yoshiko's heartbeat, waiting for any changes in rythem. "It's beginning to get relaxed...slowly..." he thought. "But what was bothering her? I highly doubt Yoshimaru would be going out with her...she's more then likely a stranger to Konoha." Shinsei was thinking of all possibilities when he remembered something. "I should probably check the bingo book...which means I'm going to have one hell of a headache later...but first..." Shinsei stopped as he saw a little dog scurrying around. "Henge no Jutsu! The Art of Transformation!" Suddenly, Shinsei turned into the very dog he transformed into, and used his kenkai genkai to see, despite the massive headache. He then went to the ramen shop, acting like a stray dog would, but keeping his distance, just in case someone saw through his little act.

OCC - A dog, lol

IC - Silver thought for a moment. Sure the chakra levels didn't add up to the way she was acting a bit too innocent. But he didn't really care. "Wanderer?" "Sounds like fun, you get to travel across the lands." he said in admirence of her being a wanderer. So, maybe that's something I could become, a wanderer to improve my skills and become stronger, he thought before feeling a new source of chakra.


It's shape was a bit familiar, like a small animal or something. He looked to both his sides, but seen nothing. But with a closer glance around the area, Silver noticed a dog with another dog scurrying off.

Shinsei continued his little act. "So she's a wanderer..." he thought. Then he saw someone staring at him. In fear, he ran off, but not to far. He quickly took an alley that led to behind the Ramen shop so he could continue listening in on the conversation. "He must've noticed something was going on...not quite sure though..."

Shinsei decided to release his transformation, then put his hands in his bag. "Looks like I have enough for some Ramen. But the problem is...how do I get through the alley without raising suspicions"...then he heard something that alerted his ears. There were many heartbeats nearby. He had to be near the Hokage Mansion! He walked a couple of feet near it, then came out the way the shinobi were coming from. "Hey. Sorry about earlier, I didn't mean to come off as rude. I just got back from a short D-Rank mission and got some Ryo. Mind if I join you guys for some Ramen?"

Yoshimaru was certainly getting annoyed with both of the genin that were questioning them, and following them around. Sighing, he didnt show that he was annoyed with them because he didnt seem like a jerkish asshole. He wiped his forehead and rubbed his temples. Yoshimaru had to convince them in order to make them leave Yoshiko and himself alone. Softly, he held Yoshiko's hand and looked at both of the ninja, then at Shinsei, "We were accually just leaving. Im sorry, but it doesnt seem like two adults can have alone time around here. Dont follow." He might have had some spite in his voice, but that was his emotional state hiding the fact that he wasnt mad at all.

Standing up, he continued to hold her hand and directed her out of the ramen shop. He walked slowly with her by his side, and began to gain speed. He tiled his head to the side and smiled at her, "Im sorry, I had to get away from those genin's. I didnt mean to seem like a jerkwad." Yoshimaru appologised. Yoshimaru would basically do anything to be alone with Yoshiko right now. He didnt want any distractions, so he looked from side to side and let go of her hand softly. "Did you want to go to my house and talk there? Its probably the closest we'll get to being alone." He offered her and kept his promising smile.

Although, he continued to watch out for those same genin. He would have to go to extreme lengths to get them away from him, but Yoshimaru knew he didnt want to hurt anyone. 'I hope I dont seem like a creeper to her or anything... My house is honestly the only place we could be alone..' He thought and untied his hair, running his fingers through it in order to get the knots out.

Fun to travel all the time and never being able to find a place to settle down and have friends or family? Maybe that sounded fun for someone as young and inexperienced like this boy. It seemed like Yoshimaru had finally had it with genin's spying and or questioning them, as he stood up and took her hand in his again. This man is really on the touchy side.. They were leaving apparently, or at least from what he said. Which suited Yoshiko just fine actually. "It's fine, the young ones sometimes don't know when to stop." Ever since Yoshiko had made her first kill, she had stopped looking at herself like a kid. And today she kept referring to herself as someone that was older than her mere 19 years. Perhaps more felt like this, like the way of the ninja made one age quicker. It was kind of necessary, because otherwise you'd simply get killed.

To his house? Yoshiko stopped abruptly and stared at his face. I do hope he doesn't think of me as someone that stupid or loose. His sincere look though convinced her that he wasn't after something sexual, but this offer still made her hesitate. It wouldn't really be long until someone would sniff her out, and even if she wasn't in any bingo book or known anywhere it didn't mean they wouldn't be able to find a reason to jail her or worse. "I have a better idea actually." She -could- just leave him now and go on to her own business, but she was still curious and had more questions to ask. Besides, she hadn't really had any chance to be able to get information about her little sister. Perhaps he would be able to help her out. Taking a hold of his wrist, Yoshiko turned on her heel.

The young girl was now literally almost dragging Yoshimaru behind her as she walked in quick steps back to the village gate. "I'm sure you had in mind that we would be left alone, but even so then not your house is safe when people suspect me to be someone dangerous." It was probably a little comical seeing that petite girl have such a strong hold on the man behind her as she made him walk at her pace. "Even if I say I trust you, then there is nothing that can guarantee that someone hasn't already told a higher up about the arrival of an unknown ninja. And I have no time to be questioned about my origins." They were at the gates now and Yoshiko let go of his arm, waiting to see if he would keep walking or give the other guards some excuse of walking her out of the village. Speaking in a low voice, she looked away from him. "It would probably be good if you told them I had been causing a ruckus and you were making sure I would leave and not be returning."

Let's see just how good his lying skills are towards his comrades. She sighed slightly at the fact that she hadn't gotten any supplies, but was sure she'd manage until she'd find another place with food. It had often happened that she had run out of food and had to live on what the nature gave. As a ninja that was something one had to always be prepared for.

Shinsei sighed. He did pass over as rude. And he was a Genin; what did he know? The Jounin was far more experianced. He decided to buy some Ramen. Then he fealt a booming beating of the heart. Someone was right next to him. Without looking, he said, "I'm Shinsei of the Kuragari clan. You are?" Waiting for a reply, Shinsei began eating Ramen, when he remembered the person's name. He felt this heartbeat when he had graduated. It was a calm, abnormally relaxed, but rather sad at the same time heartbeat. "You must be Shippou...of the Uchiha clan. Weren't the Uchiha wiped out?" Shinsei continued eating his ramen.

Then, for the first time, began staring without seeing at Shippou. "Am I rude?" Shinsei asked, continuing eating his Ramen. "Mmm...not bad..."