"Never thought it would be easy to get into this village. Phew! I'm very lucky there's a caravan that I can pursue."
The breathtaking scenery made Yoichi pause for a moment, having diligently trekked these precipitous mountains for about 2 hours.
The mountain peaks encompassed the whole area with craggy landscape, overcast by the seemingly endless quantity of thick, clustered clouds.
Inside, robust establishments were perched atop or on the slopes with inhabitants dressed in white flak jackets, training nonstop without any break in this out-of-this-world setting.
What actually made him look was the bluish fruit-like towering structure in the middle of it all. Yoichi believed that it was the main headquarters of the Kumogakure Shinobi in the village.
"Find something to be impersonated. Preferably a dark skin boy like me and without a parent or relatives that might compromise my mission."
Yoichi's eyes became profound and imperceptible. This is not a game anymore, it's about finishing the task without major hiccups along the way.
Though he appeared to be identical and really looked like them, he still had some reservations since he was a total fledgling and someone might be very doubtful of him.
Phantom Steps!
"Not this, white hair with a shinobi dad wouldn't suffice."
Phantom Steps!
"Unlucky! He has a protective aunt."
Phantom Steps!
"Still has no luck!"
Within 4 hours, Yoichi efficiently used his technique in a much secretive yet nimble pace without any results given on his information gathering streak.
He had been successfully infiltrating houses within Kumogakure to no avail, considering the event relatively unfortunate against his odds.
"Wait, I can forge the authorization slip! With ink and a paper brush, it should be extremely feasible!"
However, as soon as he saw the lousy processing of the document, Yoichi's eyes became cunning like a fox.
Word-for-word, letter by letter, he used a simple tracing method exploiting a candle's light, a basic technique for forging some of the complex writings.
As for the red stamp beneath the letters, Yoichi carefully traced the stamp markings and heated the red candle wax, slowly dripping each drop in an intricate method.
"Perfect!" Yoichi exclaimed. "My nickname should be one word only like the rest. Hmm, I'll go with Yasuo!"
Therefore, he wrote his nickname as Yasuo on the authorization slip.
About Yoichi's actions, it wasn't brand new or revolutionary. It was simply falsifying documents, a basic task for an exceptional or meticulous shinobi.
Now that he has completed the identity issue, Yoichi strolled around the wide platforms of the village with a hint of mindfulness in his vicinity.
Kaedehara Yumiko, a grown-up girl who betrayed Konoha for its outstanding but confidential information... Hmm, is this actually true? What if the Kumogakure assigns somebody to kidnap her?
As a prudent child, Yoichi felt a little uncertain about this questionable mission.
According to his past remembrances, Kumogakure had shameful accounts of kidnappings and other forms of treacherous deception amidst the peace treaty between the villages.
The best examples of documented victims were Kushina Uzumaki and Hinata Hyūga, both gifted as well as beautiful in their own leagues.
However, the two attempts fell flat, and those kinds of very underhanded methods weren't relevant right now.
It's all in his memories of the past.
But what if this mission is the spark of their crooked hands from overreaching?
"Ahhh, might as well design another identity for myself. Let's call it, Yone. Yasuo and Yone, the wind brothers!"
Yoichi shook his head, leaving the uncharted house with two permission slips successfully developed by him.
...
"Authorization slip and reason for your visitation here?"
Once Yoichi had become slightly adjusted to the terrain, he then went to an inn with a white-skinned man, the receptionist at the main desk who was solemnly scrutinizing him.
"Yasuo, sir. I'm here for the admission to the Academy." Yoichi presented his authorization paper to the skeptical receptionist.
Any great village has its own academy though the educational programs greatly differ from each other.
If Konoha promotes Will of Fire, then Kumogakure adheres to their intense training at the age of 4. Yes, it seems extremely harsh or cruel but Shinobi World was brutal to begin with.
「Name: Yasuo」
[I hereby allow this participant to have an opportunity to be a part of the academy for the upcoming days.]
「Stamped by: Yotsuki Clan」
Examining the permission slip, the receptionist's eyes slightly shifted to the kid named Yasuo, frowning.
"Here, Room 34. To the left side."
"Thank you, sir."
After giving a key room, the front desk clerk couldn't quite put a finger on this imperceptible feeling as he stared at the child's shadow for a long time.
Being a shinobi himself, stationed here in the boring spot truly led him to believe that his skills had worn away with time.
However, his instinct wasn't.
*Ring!*
"What is it now?"
At the sound of the bell ringing, a dark skinned man emerged from the roof in an instant, appearing to be rather irritated at the sight of the front desk man.
"Can you fetch me a copy of that schedule ledger?" the receptionist asked.
"Huh? Don't tell me that you are just very interested in knowing that child! They are just here for 3 days! Heh, even if they plead to be a part of the academy, they won't be recognized by the main headquarters!" The man rebuked, laced with annoyance.
"Can you simply get it, will you? This is our strict protocol here!" the front desk man reprimanded with a stern expression.
"Alright, alright!" the man scratched his head, heeding his words.
"Damn it! What an arrogant piece of shit. Acting high and mighty before me." the man added an ingratiating whisper which was very subtle yet audible to the ears of the receptionist.
As soon as the man departed, the front desk man couldn't help but sigh and thought,
Why couldn't we just be united? This goddamn division between us will only worsen each time we don't deal with it sooner or later!
...
"What an impressive intuition! This B-Ranked Mission truly is extremely different and problematic unlike the other missions."
In the spacious room, Yoichi heard the conversation within his 110-meter perception including the suspicious insight of the receptionist's senses.
At this point, he was racking his brains for any reasonable solution to this complicated situation.
Shadow Clone Jutsu!
*Puff!*
"Stay here and don't move around."
Face: Changing!
I need to find the target as soon as possible before Kumogakure Shinobi arrives! Otherwise, it would be a total pandemonium once they declared a state of emergency!
Yoichi's expression became solemn as he transformed into another typical face and rushed out of the room through a murky window.
Phantom Steps!
In the blink of an eye, he completely vanished and left a clone, who was totally helpless in the face of danger.
It appears that the clone was once again, a scapegoat for Yoichi.
_____________
Thanks to BigFan and Daemonic_Dragon for the power stones! Senior brothers, thank you so much!