===========Three Days Later==========
Tomiko had never dreamed the day would come when she would be directly thanked for her contributions to the village by the Lord Tsuchikage himself. Granted, she had dreams and aspirations to take the very seat he resided on but to see him so soon and get this kind of audience while not even a Chunin was almost too much to take in.
Almost.
Either way, Tomiko heard his word that they were allowed to go home and rest, she had a lot to do. First and foremost as she left with a big grin on her face as she had to back to her folks and with the crew to celebrate the good day. The rewards would come later, one she would invest in her folks bakery and the local community as she had done with all of her ninja paychecks. Being one had been good pay, but in the end it was just one trying to provide for an entire community so it was a tall order for it to magically make things better. But it had not discouraged Tomiko in the slightest. An offer had been made and accept for Mori to come visit the bakery so she'd have to hurry to beat him there, though as she walked out she happened to overhear some of the three way conversation and it drew her curiosity. So she hung just outside the office to listen in.
On one hand, she felt bad for snooping on something personal, on the other hand she was far too curious to overhear. And in truth she had not gotten much, but there was one thing she noticed from her peeking and listening in more than any other.
Katsuo getting an Iwa headband.
Tomiko had this image planted in her mind, even as she left the area as it seemed Katsuo was recognized by the old Tsuchikage himself. In her eyes Katsuo was the most talented ninja of their generation and between her and Mori it seemed the possible competition for the next Tsuchikage or even the shinning ninja of Iwa would be a tight one within that hypothetical.
And Tomiko only grinned as she raced back to the slums.
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"M-my my Tomiko, I appreciate the warm invitation but there was no need to involve so many of your friends as well. We can handle this alone." A older woman with black hair tied into a bun and an apron said as it seemed the bakery was a bit crowded today. As Tomiko's crew had caught up with her when she returned to the slums and on the invite that Mori was offered to visit their bakery on his suggestion they decided to tag along as well as they had grown to like Mori.
Naomi especially, as she still clutched the repaired Mr. Snugglebottom he saved those months ago.
So the crew all came to the bakery, much to the chagrin of her mother Atsuko Usagi. Though as she tended to the dough with the assistance of the crew (With Mio & Miu practically beating it into submission) a taller and well build man with a goatee had a grin on his face as he had set the oven to preheat.
'Now now an extra hand or two to help isn't the worst thing. Besides, I think it is good Tomiko's friend wanted to pay a visit." Kuro Usagi replied as Tomiko had a grin while she helped the crew prepared the dough.
"Yeah, besides these guys are quality workers. They won't get in the way and if they do I'll knock them straight." Tomiko said with a grin as the group all worked to help prepare this meal the parents desired for herself and Mori for their hard mission. Ren, Jirou, Hoshi, Mao, Mio & Miu and Naomi all helped out. Even Mr. Snugglebottom (With a protective bag wrapped to its fur would get on the dough) helped mold the dough with Atsuko who grinned as she directed traffic and together they loaded it into the oven as she smiled.
"Supposed you both make fair points. Should be ready to go by the time he arrives. And there will be plenty to go around." Atsuko assured everyone much to the cheers of the group.
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"In a technical sense, you failed to retrieve the escapee and the entire endeavor had been more straining than I'd have preferred. But calling it a failure when you managed to bring in a Biju all the same is an extreme too far. You served your nation and you all should be proud. "
It had not been long since Team Darui touched back down in Kumo, as the Biju had been sealed in a containment jar and placed in a classified location under guard until a new Jinchuriki had been selected, and they had been called into his office to be brief on the result of the mission. Though his wording was never known to be "warm" he had given the group credit for their efforts which was enough for Aisha to have a toothy grin as she felt some pride while she was next to her companions Luna & Sky.
Kenji had a focused gaze, though said nothing as despite part of him wanting to jump into the words of his own Raikage something had kept him from fully embracing such feelings.
"In any event, you will receive your well earned composition. For the moment though, Darui, remain here we have much to discuss. The rest of you are free to rest and return to your homes. But before you go, Aisha stand forward." Ay replied, as Aisha had an eyebrow raised while Kenji looked on with curiosity. Ay seemed to have an attendant come over to him with something in hand.
"Darui spoke highly of your contributions, your sensory skills were vital to the endeavor and he also informed me that you are not an official resident of any nation. Is that correct?" Ay asked somewhat sternly as Aisha nodded simply unsure of what else to say. Ay considered this before he grabbed the item and walked down to Aisha before he presented the Inuzuka with a Kumo headband as her eyes widened.
"Consider this an open invitation and thank you for your service." Ay explained, as a dumbfounded Aisha slowly reached out to grab the headband as she was speechless....both at the shock that such an branch was given to her and also thoughts back to her clan in Konoha she had not met. Either way, she simply gave a nod as she smiled.
"T-thank you...L-lord Raikage."
Kenji however didn't stick around for the proceedings, given that the group praise was done and Aisha was presented with a headband he felt this was personal and simply walked out. Hands in his pocket as he clearly had a lot to think about and a lot on his mind. The mission was a success, but in truth he could not take much pride in it. He didn't do anything, granted just surviving that entire ordeal was reason to be thankful enough but it had done little to give him any reason to celebrate.
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Well, the mission was a success.
Madoka had yet to receive word on an official meeting with Rasa, as she assumed his efforts were preoccupied over the last couple days subduing and keeping the Jinchuriki herself. Given what she had seen of Kin or what she had heard during the transport back to Sunagakure.
Irregardless, Madoka was content to report whenever asked of her. Till then she had time to work on her puppets and think things over.
Madoka was unsure of where to go from here, Genin missions seemed obvious but they felt like time killer. As she felt she was above that, but would have to wait till the next Chunin Exams in order to prove it. And even then what was the plan here? Tomiko had a clear goal of what she wanted to be and was quite drive, maybe
too driven at times but Madoka had been the opposite.
What kind of ninja did she desire to be? What was the end goal?
Madoka shook her head, maybe if she focused on fine tuning her puppet repairs it will clear her head. But she had a feeling this issue would nag her despite these efforts, so she'd simply hope that she could think of an answer to these questions that had annoying invaded her head.
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Since returning to Konoha, there had been a lot on the minds of those who ventured to the islands.
For Sakura, it was merely a state of relief. The hectic chaos that had been the mission was past here, but her work had yet to be done. Sakura being an aspiring medical ninja was part of the escort to take Zaku to the hospital. In his condition he was required to have additional medical evaluation, and sure enough was given a room to rest and recover.
Naturally, with a hidden ANBU guard whose presence was near impossible to notice even for the higher level ninja.
Either way, given that among the current parties Kou seemed to trust her the most and he would not leave Zaku's side she stayed with him while he was placed in medical care. It was a bit of a hassle, but it was better if Kou pestered her rather than the other medical ninja.
At the moment, Sakura had walked down the hospital hall as she had some flowers on hand. A gift from her friend Ino who she visited at the Yamanaka Flower Shop prior to her arrival. She expected to see Kou waiting outside Zaku's room as he had made a habit.
-----
For Takato, he had been busy working up his mission report to bring to Tsunade before they'd be called into briefing. In truth, he had a lot to say as far as how he felt they performed and regrets on both a personal and team level. However, in spite of his personal feelings that regarded the Hyuga members going off script and Hina's rather lax style of leadership on top of....conspiracy theories that concerned Kiro's "test" he tried to remain objective in his report. Include their fault in execution of the plan and his own passive approach that brought it down.
Either way, he soon finished his report. Clarifying that they managed to keep it out of Oto's hands so that much of their goal was met. So he would have it mailed to the Hokage's office once he had returned and spent the next day simply relaxing. Hoping he had even a moment of peace after a mission of that caliber.
After all, just relaxing and enjoying the sun shining in his room beat island chaos any day of the week.
-----
Tayuya sat in the bunk of her "guest" room as she simply starred up to the ceiling. The mission had been flat for numerous reasons, Lord Orochimaru lost not one but two Jinchuriki and the operation seemed like a bust; with her having pretty much no presence other than that team fire from Kin.
If there is any solace to all of this, it is knowing that she is probably gonna die when they go to yank that thing out of her.
Either way Tayuya was unsure what she was to do now. Guess she figured she'd be here till they decided she was of no use and decided to off her. No matter what she wouldn't give them the satisfaction of begging, and for now she'd be content to just nap or work on her Taijutsu hybrid in isolation above all else.
Course, some peace and quiet was impossible in this shockingly peppy residence. As there was a big holiday themed event tomorrow with special emphasis on wearing "festive' colors for tomorrow.
Inwardly Tayuya had to gag when she heard that. These people seemed to go out of the way to make her captivity here as awkward as possible. Tailor maids had bugged her about what outfit she wanted for the occasion, and she typically responded with calls to fuck off.
Course, if these Hyugas had their way she'd have no choice in this. She had to let out a sigh as this just spelled a long day tomorrow.
-----
"Are you certain?"
"I know what I saw. And if your description you gave to me and Lord Minato about their clothing was accurate, then there is no other option to consider."
"I see...."
Kakashi Hatake had been quick to send word of what he had seen to Tsunade and the higher ups, but more importantly he had sought out the Toad Sage who thankfully had been rather predictable as far as where to find him within the village gates. As he had been conducting "research" by the local hot springs.
Thankfully, once Kakashi arrived and made mention of the cloaked arrivals, Jiraiya managed to flip the switch and took it seriously. As he had been the one to report on the Akatsuki before anyone else and knew better than Kakashi what they had been up against.
Even if what he had was only scratching the surface.
"Didn't expect them to make their move so soon." Jiraiya admitted to himself.
"And you are certain they are the target?" Kakashi asked, with no mystery on what "they" referred to.
"Their presence on your Jinchuriki hunt could not be mere coincidence. And if they are acting then measures need to be taken that we do as well. Is the Kyuubi still secure?" Jiraiya asked with a lower tone.
"At the moment it is still within the heart of the village. What specifically has been done with it has been classified." Kakashi further added with a low tone, and if something is classified and even he could not get a piece within rumor mill showed it was secure. Jiraiya gave a nod.
"Focus on training your pupils. They may need to grow at a quicker rate given what is to come. In any event I will speak to Tsunade about this." Jiraiya explained before he vanished in a puff of smoke.
