Collaborative Efforts [Group | Plot]

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Ami sat on a rock outside the Nikkousato village gates, having returned from an collaborate mission with a few of the Sun shinobi. She admitted that she was more mentally than physically fatigued, as she remembered her original reasons for leaving her own village and traveling here. She had needed a break, a holiday so to speak, but had gotten herself in busier situations than had she just decided to stay home. She had met a lot of people, many of which were very nice to her even though she was from a different village. At least that much she got out of it, if we didn't count the rewards of the assignments themselves. She was starting to miss home, but didn't want to admit that she did. Maybe after this mission she would return, seeing as how she had had to send three messenger pigeons by now to delay her return. She was a Gekkousato shinobi after all...and a Hyuuga to add to that mix.

The girl took out the mission scroll of what was to become her latest adventures and read what was written on it. She had received little information as to who her partner was, other than the fact that they were a sun ninja as this assignment was originally passed to sun ninja only. Perhaps they had recognized her recent efforts and decided that she was worthwhile to take part in it, to be of assistance. As she scanned the scroll, she was amazed at what this assignment entailed. Children were going missing for no apparent reason and there was no trace or sign of them. It seemed a little fishy, she thought to herself, placing the scroll back in her pocket while she waited. She had a soft spot for children, and the idea that they were disappearing really upset her. That was part of the reason she had really wanted to take this mission, being most likely her last one before returning to the Moon. Heaving a sigh, she would look at the desert plains ahead, staring at no place in particular while she thought about the assignment.

She was wearing a black dress, which by now was probably pretty tattered, and had her katana resting on the rock next to her. She found herself once again questioning the sanity of sun ninjas being able to live in this humidity and heat. The one thing she missed the most about Gekkousato was the cool breeze. Here there was breeze, but it was warm to the touch. She also had a strong dislike of sand, which didn't help matters. Even though she had been here for quite some time now, she still felt really out of place and not used to the extreme weather difference. She would shift a little, wondering when her partner would show up. It was still early afternoon but the heat was starting drive her crazy. The Hyuuga hoped to get to meet a new and friendly person. She was all about making friends, after all.

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And then Ami would hear a sound that made her head turn. She would meet the eyes of a red-haired man, who was biting or rather devouring a piece of fruit as he approached. Other than the fact that his table manners needed to be worked out a little more, she thought the man who introduced himself to be Maxximus was pretty cool looking. She tried to ignore the sloppiness of his eating as he gave her a wink. Standing up she would smile at him, a genuine smile half because of his foolishness. "Hyuuga Ami, nice to meet you too!" Her prayers of meeting someone new answered, she would wait until the man finished eating, taking out her handkerchief and giving it to him.

Her fascination for exotic hair colours was evident as she studied him whilst he ate. She liked the tint of colour which was something that she was not willing to admit out loud. Instead she cleared her throat and looked away, towards the desert. She was wondering where they would go to first, seeing as she knew very little about the Sun Village. Ami was hoping that Maxximus would be able to take the lead since her horrible sense of directions was probably not going to get them very far. "I suppose you read the assignment details? Where do you think we should start our...investigation?" She was keen on doing some detective work, happy that she was not killing some kind of wildlife for once.

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Ami watched the boy eat, rather amused as he finished off the fruit and burping loudly. She hadn't yet met a shinobi in her village who was even a little like him, his nonchalant attitude quite cute. His tone was slightly more serious as he commented about their assignment for the day, speaking about how worried his mother was and how he'd protect his little brother. So he was a good big brother , she thought
to herself, recalling how once upon a time she too had vowed to protect her little sister. Ami would shake her head a little, trying to clear her head so that she could focus on the mission. There was no use getting sad and depressed over something that she couldn't turn time back to reverse.

Ami breathed in and out slowly, listening to Maxximus. The academy? That made sense since many academy students were very young and were easy targets. She would follow rhe redhead into the village, heading straight for the academy. It was much similiar to that of Gekkousatou, with the exception of the lack of cheerful laughs of children playing outside. That was understandable, she thought to herself whilst walking to the entrance of the academy. It seemed the children were asked to join go to school and go home in big groups, with the older children escorting the younger ones. They would make their way to the instructors' offices where they would meet with the Jounin stationed their for any developments or clues.

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Ami would watch as Maxximus barged into the room, his ever so cheerful self radiating. She cast an incredulous look at the instructor who Max was talking to, clearly not welcoming her because she was from Gekkousato. It annoyed her that the other village had such a reputation of her own village. Deciding to shrug off the comment for now, she would think about her partner's question. She had lots of questions as she knew nothing about the disappearances. "Well for starters...can you tell us about the most recent disappearance? It'd be nice to know as much detail as possible." Her voice was slightly edgy, border lining cold as she plopped herself on a chair.

The man would look at them back and forth, as though judging to see if they were really competent enough for the mission. He would heave a sigh and sit down on a chair opposite her. "Well, the last disappearance happened three days ago, right out there in the grounds. It was late afternoon and he was waiting for his mother to pick him up. Our staff were right here, watching the playing grounds and he just disappeared from in front of their eyes." He let out a sad sigh, and for once, the young girl was empathetic towards him.

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Ami saw the man pull out a picture from a folder, handing it to Max. She saw his facial expression change, anger in his eyes as he took a look at its contents, heading out the door. She heard him claim that he would find the missing boy, and although slightly confused and surprised by his outburst, she would nod her head. Standing up from the chair, she walked to where the instructor stood. Taking a look at the file herself, she understood why he suddenly looked so angry. Seeing as these were classified information, she could only read through what was in the folder and remember the face of the young boy, before returning it to the instructor.

With a bow, she would head out of the academy, her eyes resting on the playground outside where the boy had been taken. She wasn't going to go home...she was going to try to find the child.