sunshineverse | OPEN!: Kisame's whirlwind diplomatic tour

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OPEN!: Kisame's whirlwind diplomatic tour

Who: Hoshigaki Kisame, and whoever wants to meet him/work with him on his mission
When: Late March-mid April ..ish? I'm flexible!
Where: Kirigakure -> Sunagakure -> Konagakure -> ??? ~~-> profit!~~
Notes: Kisame has been named Kiri's official ambassador to Suna and Konoha and possibly other places. The latter is because he and his clan have been pushing for it, and the former is because Yagura is a dick and likes sending Hoshigaki to the desert.

In Kiri, before leaving

Kisame almost hadn't expected it to happen, even with the pushing Great Grandmother had been doing, and the hints he'd dropped, and the more outright pointed statements that had been calmly delivered. When it did, he was as unprepared as he could be, having been eyeing an assassination that had looked fun. Having a mission scroll shoved into his hands like that had almost pushed Kisame into being visibly off-guard. The papers were first, declaring him an official ambassador, and Kisame had to smile.

He didn't know why Mizukage-sama had suddenly decided to do it (and give it to him of all people) but he was going to have a chance to get in those spars he'd promised--

Suna. Well! Now Kisame wasn't so surprised. It would be like Mizukage-sama to give him what he was asking for but not what he wanted, though it wouldn't hurt to get some more desert training in. Kisame wasn't going to let this disrupt him.

It didn't take long for Kisame to prepare. A debriefing or two, a notice of his absence, and a little packing was all. It would be interesting, he thought, as he headed towards the travel seal.

In Suna
The desert burned, as usual, and Kisame had work to do this time. There was an escort to meet, first, and then maybe he could wrangle a tour. He'd probably already seen most of it, but seeing a native's reaction to the place could be telling.

Then there were meetings and paperwork. Kisame actually had an idea of a program that might foster closer ties and make them both stronger. He wasn't a stranger to how hard the desert was on Kiri-nin, even non-Hoshigaki ones, and he'd noticed more than one Suna-nin having trouble in return. A brief exchange for training purposes, probably of genin, would help both sides adapt better to the opposite environment. He had a Suna-nin to thank for giving him the idea, if he saw her.

And, of course, he couldn't be in Suna without hoping for another spar. The one with Sephiroth had been invigorating, and so many of the locals seemed strong. Kisame wanted to test it.

In Konoha
Konoha was as interesting as last time, and this time Kisame was himself, Samehada and all. If they didn't respect his weapon, he'd be a poor ambassador, so he'd brought the sword. That, and he hadn't wanted to leave it behind and find out one of his cousins had gotten drained close to unconsciousness after getting too close.

The official business was much the same here, though Kisame had fewer ideas on ways to improve relations. Well! Official ones, anyway. He had more than one "gift" of treats for the Hokage, and sparring was always an act of at least a minimum of trust when it happened between shinobi of different villages, so that might work in his favor.

He wondered who his escort would be this time, and if he might get to spend more time looking around, this time without the burden of reporting every little detail back.

((ooc: The top post is a general glossing of what Kisame will be doing! Put up a starter, or for something more focused, ping me and I'll write up something in post.))

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After informing Sephiroth of his impending departure, Naoki took his gear and a second hat to give to Kisame. He doubted Kisame would bring one of his own. Another trip to the desert wasn't exactly high on the list of things he wanted to do, but each time he went to Suna it was a little easier. And at the very least he knew a few shinobi over there.

"Hey Kisame-san." He said, giving a little wave when he saw the jounin.

Kisame nodded at his assistant's arrival. It would actually be a good fit for Naoki's skills, he thought. There was steel under the exterior, but he'd seen for himself that Naoki's personality seemed to lower people's guards. He was a good pick for an envoy himself, if a little inexperienced yet, so Kisame wasn't at all surprised by the assignment.

That he was undertaking this mission with someone he tolerated, quite a bit more than but he wasn't about to say that out loud, was a bonus.

"Ready to depart? We're headed to Sunagakure first." Which Naoki presumably knew, but Kisame wanted to give him a chance to go back and get anything he might have forgotten. The desert wasn't forgiving of even small lapses.

He grinned and nodded, pulling out the pair of hats and taking one for himself before he offered the larger one to Kisame. "Yeah, all packed and ready to go." As unpleasant and dangerous as the desert could be Naoki kept all the extra things needed for it together and ready to go. The sudden interest in diplomatic missions was a little surprising.

Naoki stayed out of clan and village politics, but he was aware that Kiri was less involved with other villages than their counterparts.

The hat made Kisame laugh. He remembered that chuunin exam and the gift, and the interesting exchanges that had come of it. He took the hat with a little nod, but in Kiri there was hardly reason to put it on just yet. He couldn't deny that it would be more welcome than he would admit once they were in Suna. But first getting there.

The travel seals were very useful in that respect. It would have taken days and days at full speed before, and now a day of leisurely travel at most. But that was no reason not to push themselves to get it done faster.

"Then keep up, Naoki-kun."

With that he was off, laughing honestly and grinning challenge back over his shoulder.

With Sephiroth as his squad leader, Naoki had lots of practice chasing Jounin. He put the hat away and took off after Kisame. The little challenge is there, and Naoki has learned from exposure to the Hoshigakis that they enjoy most kinds of physical competition.

He could do more than keep up, at least over a short distance, so he darted ahead a short distance. Betterto get Iit out of Kisame's system before they reached the travel seal.

"Sephiroth-san has trained up your speed well!"

Naoki probably had more raw speed at this point, but Kisame knew he had more stamina and he had chakra to burn. So Kisame picked up his own pace and pulled ahead, grinning with the pleasure of honest exertion and a good match. They'd reach the seal in less than a couple hours at this rate. Hmm, maybe they could beat the current speed record.

"Want to see if we can beat Sephiroth-san's current standing time?"

Keeping up with Sephiroth required dedicated speed training. He was still looking for ways to get faster, and had a few ideas on that front. His chakra and endurance weren't up to Kisame's but they could make a solid attempt at Sephiroth's record.

"Does it county if we fly part of the way?" He had some exceptionally fast moths but they couldn't out speed a paor of shinobi over that distance.

“I don’t see why it wouldn’t!” Kisame laughed, having an idea of what Naoki meant. Useful summons, even with how harmless some of them looked. And if more of the route had been on water, Kisame would have had no qualms about swimming, so why not fly?

“It would be a clever way to spell ourselves.” Even if Kisame didn’t need it, Naoki probably would, and it would help with Kisame’s overall speed to rest, even if his stamina was up to the challenge. He could push his speed even further, otherwise.

Naoki surged ahead, the promise of a break to catch his breath while they traveled via moth enough to let himself use more chakra and effort than he could otherwise. Exhausting himself was unwise, even so close to Kiri, so he stayed safely below his top speed.

"Just try not to startle them too badly this time, please." The hummingbird moths could be a little antsy.

"Remind them I'm not going to eat them again as soon as you summon them, eh?"

But for all that they startled easily, they were useful, and Kisame was looking forward to flight. It wasn't often he got the chance, after all, but he also nodded, making a mental note to move slowly and carefully when the moths were brought out.

Kisame sped up to keep good pace with Naoki, noting with approval that the younger ninja wasn't endangering himself with his speed. Who know what dangers could assault them, even so close to home? The mind-transfer still weighed on his mind.

He let out a short laught. It was more the sudden movements right when they appeared. Naoki rarely summoned them in combat. They were not good with fights as far as his moths went, but still very useful.The run was both Iinvigorating and almost relaxing. Covering the distance at speed without anything urgent hanging over their heads.

They covered a fair distance before Naoki felt his legs begin to hurt and a faint pain in his lungs. He formed the seals and drew blood, slowing down enough to summon a pair of brightly colored hummingbird moths. "Hey, ready to fly? We're going for the travel seal."

Kisame slows down and goes still when he notices Naoki first tiring, and then summoning. He waits at a slight distance while Naoki first greets the moths and then comes forward. Kisame is almost wanting to keep running, because pushing himself like this feels good, but to beat Sephiroth’s record, he knows he needs to rest more often than he usually would.

When he’s closer he nods at the moths. “We’re trying to beat the speed record and thought you might want to help.”

Their wings flutter a few times, almost too fast for the eye to follow, when Naoki asks if they're ready. Fuzzy antennae flicking and twitching to feel out the air conditions. The moths aren't the most talkative summons he's ever met. He hops on the soft, fluffy body of the closest moth. The other moth made a slight noise of derision at Kisame's question and turned so he could climb on.

"Nothing with legs can beat us in the air," She said. Naoki wasn't sure that was true, but he wasn't going to even suggest it might not be. Butterflies might be more haughty and condescending, but angry Moths hold grudges.

“Then we’re lucky you’re willing to help,” Kisame answered the moth amiably, as he situated himself on her back. There was no hint of mocking in his tone, even if he wondered if it was actually true. Well, they’d find out soon, wouldn’t they?

“I’m ready.” Kisame said that to Naoki and the moth both, because in this case, he wasn’t the leader who’d decide when they moved.

It was just a quick signal with his hand and the moths took off. Fast, but at their size, they were not quiet. The sound of their wings beating the air wasn't too loud, even this close, but they would sneak up on no one. At least the ride was smooth and the breeze was nice.

There was something fantastic about flying. Naoki checked his watch and did a rough estimate in his head before lifting his hand to flash a few signals. Current time, fly, end time, run, final time, and the gesture to indicate uncertainty.

Flying was always an interesting way to travel for Kisame. Well, more to the point, riding anything was, because he rarely traveled not under his own power, but he had to agree that this would be the way to beat that record, and looked forward to the look on Sephiroth's face when he found out.

He relaxed, going into an alert but meditative state, and flashed signals back at Naoki's question. Time, number, end, and then a signal seeking agreement.

That should put them on course to beat the record.

Naoki grinned and relaxed a little to enjoy the ride. He didn't often need to fly on missions, and rarely trained with riding anymore. But it was nice. The ride was nice too, watching the terrain pass evenly beneath them and enjoying the breeze of their flight. It was a good break from the exhilarating run.

He rubbed and stroked the soft fur of the moth's back. He'd have to reward them later.

Kisame enjoys the silence. If this were any other country, he'd probably be regretting the flight, but right now, in Water Country's moist air, it's very pleasant. He flashes a signal when they're close to a good stopping spot. It might make them have to work a little to keep the pace, but Kisame is looking forward to the challenge, and there's more than enough space for the moths to land without interference.

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OPEN!: Kisame's whirlwind diplomatic tour

In Kiri

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