Find the missing Academy students (Team Nanpuu reunited?!)

Zitei ponders for a moment. "Why Don't you escort these nin back and I will-"

"No."

Zitei looks over to Tonou in shock. He was just told no by a Genin. But rather than fighting with him he smiled wryly. "Did you have a better plan Tonou?"

Tonou didn't take his eyes off of Shiriki. It was as if he was studying the Oto Genin. A few moments passed with just the still sun looking down on them. Finally Tonou spoke up. "Mianyi, myself, and this one will go find the Academy Students." Zitei pondered the question for a few before nodding in agreement. "Alright, Tonou, Mianyi. Try not to get killed. I will send back up to the border as soon as I get into Suna."

Mianyi is also surprised that Tonou is defying the orders of their jounin team leader. Luckily the situation is under control and the Oto-nin aren't capable of taking advantage of this momentary upset in the usual order of things.

She listens to the plan and looks at Zitei for his approval, nodding at his parting statement. "Let's resupply," she says to Tonou, and their Oto-nin 'captive', before going over to the oasis to refill their canteens. They will need water if they are to keep going.

Tonou and Shiriki follow. He hasn't taken his eyes off of him and pushes him forward after Mianyi. They descent to the oasis and fill up their canteens. Tonou, who has brought an extra, hands it to Shiriki, much to his surprise. "I'm going to let you you lead the way. If I think you are going to be a threat in any way, I will end you."

After filling her canteens and taking a long drink of water, Mianyi is ready to go.

Presumably Zitei has already departed with his Oto-nin captives.

She warily regards Shiriki, letting Tonou speak for both of them with that thread. "Now let's go," she adds on, signifying that she is ready. She makes a bit of a show in tucking weapons close at hand so that Shiriki gets the message.

Shiriki heads north. The two Suna Genin follow him, watching his every move carefully. "I don't care for explanations, but just this once, I'm going to ask you why." Shiriki seemed to know what Tonou was referring to, because he slowly began to stutter and speak. "I-I lost control last time. N-normally I do fine... I didn't ask for a seal. I was given a mission to escort the old man. He was abducting people for experiments... unrelated to the ones that we took the Academy students for.." Tonou waited patiently for the answer. He was getting tired of the rhetoric. "Ju is a bad man. I owed both of you for what I did...  for what I did in the Trader Town."

Mianyi listens to what Shiriki has to say, although inside she's angry with him for the scars he's inflicted on Tonou. Even if he suffered a scar of his own at Mianyi's hands, she doesn't feel like the score is really settled.

She says nothing in response to his explanation, but keeps an eye out for signs of the academy students and their Oto-nin kidnappers on the horizon, as well as any other indications that Shiriki might be leading them towards a trap.

"You changed when you fought us.. how?" The trio had walked for a good hour or so, taking stops every now and then to sip on water. They were trying to hurry to get to the border before the Jounin did, but they needed to conserve energy for the fight at hand. "I have a Cursed Seal... most people don't know what they are anymore... They haven't been used for over a century. It allows me to reach a state of transformation... upping my chakra and strength. I don't have control over it yet though... I don't want to."

Tonou pressed on, "So you can't remove it... Why is Oto experimenting now? I was under the impression they were weak." Shiriki nodded, he was on the verge of tears. "That's the reason. We were crushed against Kumo... I don't remember. I was too young. But when our Otokage rose to power he declared that we needed the Cursed Seal in order to make up for our loss of numbers. I'm test Alpha."

"How many more have the cursed seal?" Mianyi asks while they continue to walk, taking the opportunity to gather more information about Otogakure from someone who appears willing to provide it. "Is Oto planning to fight against Kumogakure again?"

"Currently I'm the only one to survive it.. Kumo? War? No. At least I hope not. After what happened in Kusa I wouldn't want to fight against the great villages..." Tonou, Shiriki, and Mianyi were nearing the border fast. If they had hopes of returning the Academy Students it had to be in the Wind Country. Then Tonou saw it. Up ahead were three academy students, all being ushered against their will by an Oto Jounin. "Alright Mianyi, we need to separate the students from him-"

"You'll need my help. I know what you're thinking.. but I want to help. I don't want anyone to live with this curse. I go down there, tell him the others were killed by Suna-nin and they were hot on our trail. Let me distract him and the you two can surprise him."

Tonou studied Shiriki for a few minutes and gave him two or three pats on the back. "Alright, we will jump in as soon as we see him distracted." Shiriki stared at him for a second, smiled shyly, and set off towards the Jounin while Mianyi and Tonou began to flank. On the back of Shiriki's shirt were four explosive tags, patted on by Tonou.

"What are your leaders trying to achieve by building up forces and exploring lost techniques?" Mianyi asks, all kinds of curious as to what Oto is up to by creating ninjas with cursed seals. At least there is only one for now.

Mianyi flanks Shiriki from a distance, getting into position and waiting for the Oto-nin to provide the necessary distraction. Of course she noticed the explosive tags, but does not indicate either approval or disapproval of them.

Tonou prepares to detonate the tags, but decides to give Shiriki a chance to detonate. "Alright Mianyi, this Jounin isn't coming to Suna with us. If he does, it's going to be in a body bag." Tonou flexes his muscles and prepares Gone with the Wind. Shiriki is visibly talking to the Jounin. The discussion takes a few minutes, just out of Mianyi and Tonou's ear shot. The academy students are visibly shaken, but they are Suna nin. They will pull through. The points at Shiriki to stay with the academy students. He then begins to ascend a nearby foothill to try to get a vantage points. "Now."

Tonou rushes forward towards the hill with the Jounin. In his pereffials he can see that Shiriki is ushering the Academy Students southwards toward Suna. He then turns and runs alongside Tonou. While surprised, Tonou doesn't waste any time trying to figure out his play. If he is going to help, then he will, if not, then Tonou will kill him too.

Mianyi remains hidden when Tonou gives the cue. She creates a mini tornado and sends it towards the jounin. It's meant to look like a naturally occurring dust devil out in the desert at first, at least until it veers directly for the jounin. The jutsu is being used as a distraction - to catch the jounin's attention and create an opening for Tonou and Shiriki, or at least drive him closer towards them.

The Jounin turns to the mini tornado just in time for Tonou to land an Oukashou to his gut. The blast sends sand flying everywhere around the Jounin. He remains stationary however and prepares to counter the blast until Shiriki flies in with a kick to his head sending him toppling over in the sand. "Shiriki, the hell are you doing?"

And then Mianyi makes her entrance, relying on Tonou and Shiriki to have provided suitable enough distraction that the appearance of a third comes as at least a mild surprise (despite the earlier tornado). She charges in with a chakra smash that the jounin rolls away from. The jounin disappears from Mianyi's sight in the resulting spray of sand. She quickly rolls away to try and distance herself from the ninja whose whereabouts are momentarily unknown and ends up kicked hard in the side. She falls to a spot near Tonou and gets back to her feet, clearly favoring that side. She exaggerates the movement, trying to play at being more injured than she actually is to deceive the enemy.

Tonou recognizes that the Jounin has risen high above the trio. He is a good 10 meters in the air before he charges in a downward descent aimed for the three of them. As Tonou jumps back he notices Shiriki roll forward. As the Jounin slams into the ground sending sand everywhere Tonou worries if Shiriki was hit. Instead he sees the dust settling to an impaled Jounin. Shiriki had rolled forward to avoid the blast, but came back and stabbed the Jounin with his large shuriken. The Jounin coughed and sputtered some blood before falling in to his knees. He gave Shiriki a disproving look before collapsing in the sand.

Mianyi is rather impressed by Shiriki's actions, but there is still the question now of what to do with him. Despite this, she isn't quite willing to forgive him for scarring Tonou, yet part of her knows that his knowledge of Otogakure could be quite beneficial for Suna. Then again, this could all be part of some master plan by Otogakure to get a double agent in with Suna…

Mianyi looks over to Tonou to see what he does next.

Tonou looks at Mianyi and locks eyes. It's as if he's reading her thoughts. He nods and looks back to Shiriki, but before he can speak Shiriki speaks up. "Take your academy students home. I'm going back to Oto... I'll tell them everyone was killed. I'll be punished... I don't want war. I don't want to fight. Our people are starving and sick. No one will aid us. I don't care if you trust me. I didn't want to hurt you. I-I... I just lost control." Tonou looks at him for a moment.

"You helped save three innocent lives. We have three of your comrades for interrogation. We will learn everything from them. If their story matches up what you've told us, then all is forgiven but not forgotten."

Shiriki nods his head at Tonou. He grabs his Jounin's body. Tonou doesn't object so Shiriki slings it over his small shoulder and sets off toward Otogakure. Tonou turns to Mianyi and nods over at the Academy Students off in the distance. The two of them will bring them back to Sunagakure to prove their mission a success.

Mianyi nods and heads off to rejoin the Academy Students and lead them back to Sunagakure. She can't keep quiet after something like that. "I really didn't expect any of that to happen," she confides as they walk towards the students.

[End and continue in a normal RP?]

Yeah, for the post count i'm giving us B Rank mission completion.

ooc cool