Mirai laughed and smiled, closing her eyes, "It's only for a week, though..."<br/><br/>She put on a cat-like smile and softly whispered to herself, "Once they've gone on to the second stage of the exams... I'll have the whole room to myself!"<br/><br/>"Why not just get two separate rooms and then just check out of one while we're gone?" Tēru said, stroking her chin skeptically, "Hey, Boss! You're going to just have some kind of... hotel party the whole time we're out there scavenging for food and water on our own!"<br/><br/>The Jounin smiled again, laughing nervously as she got real close to the Inuzuka girl's face. Still with her eyes closed and her grin wide, she said between her teeth, "Who ever heard of such a sanctimonious little genin? We ought to see what their policy on pets is, eh?"<br/><br/>"We should see what their policy is on org-" Mirai put her hand over Tēru's mouth, squeezing her cheeks with her fingers and thumb. Though Yoshi never paid much attention to her personal life, it wasn't very much of a secret that Mirai had... something of an appetite. First the Sixth Hokage, despite him being in his fifties at the time of the affair. Then she moved on to other prospects, men old and young...<br/><br/>The two continued to argue and make veiled threats or condemnations while Yoshi recalled what he had learned about Kirigakure from his academy days and the time spent travelling since then. He remembered that the village has opened up a lot in the last few decades, with a pretty thriving tourism industry emerging. Of note, the village has a number of rivers, canals, and lakes that run underneath and alongside its major travel routes. Often travelling by water is more expedient by land, forming a sort of subway to those who know how to navigate them. There is at least one notable hot spring, known as the Misty Grotto. It has no barriers separating males from females, but the mist is so thick that one cannot even see their own hand, were they to fully extend their arm.<br/><br/>"Good thinking." Setsuko said, pushing up her glasses, "All of these exams are full of tricks and treachery. This week to prepare and get settled in might just be the first stage of an elaborate test! We should begin collecting intelligence on our adversaries right away."<br/><br/>"That's a pretty good plan." A girl's voice came from not far away. It belonged to a black-haired girl in a bushy ponytail wearing a neatly trimmed deer-skin vest, tights and tall boots. She was Nara Naomi, not from the esteemed 'Shika' branch, but still the clan's most promising genin. She had her hands in her vest as she casually smiled, "The rest of my lazy team's probably sleeping in... so I thought I'd take a stroll around town."<br/><br/>"Then why'd you come back here?" Setsuko said, narrowing her eyes jealously.<br/><br/>The Nara girl smiled, showing her room key, "Complimentary meals." She was attractive, with a very confident look to her... and from what Yoshi remembered from talk around the town, she was very hardworking and intelligent, the best in her class at the academy. Meanwhile, Mirai and Tēru were still at it... acting like the best of friends while insulting eachother through clenched teeth.<br/><br/><hr/><br/>The disappointed Tomo brightened up a little at the prospect of shopping, and nodded eagerly. "Then it's settled. How about we meet at the center of town by, say... eighteen hundred." Seiji said, "By the big monument to all the men and women who fought in the war."<br/><br/>"Very well." Ichimaru said, nodding his head deferentially before turning to Shiori with a smile, "Forgive me, I'll have to rely on you to keep track of the time. And... to get us there as well."<br/><br/>He laughed, somewhat nervously at himself. At least despite his disability, he kept a sunny outlook about things and was ever humble. They called him a genius, but they only saw him at his best. In truth, that moniker may as well have come with a small unspoken caveat that meant he might never be called such a thing if his eyes were whole...<br/><br/>The Kitas departed, leaving Shiori and Ichimaru alone as they traveled further into the city. A light fog obscured distant places, and the cylindrical towers were at some times massive and stealthy all at once. Ever present was the sound of flowing water- Ichimaru pointed out that it was beneath them. She heard it faintly, but could never pinpoint its source exactly, until he told her that underwater rivers and lakes ran in passageways beneath the village. Sometimes they would surface, as they passed the occasional vista overlooking a lake or canal.<br/><br/>"Mmm." Ichimaru suddenly licked his lips, "Something smells delicious."<br/><br/>They came across a small stall with a pleasant-faced girl outside offering free samples of sauteed shrimp. It was a little seafood place on the side of the road, where Shiori could see quite a few patrons already enjoying themselves. There were four of them, wearing headbands and dressed in ninja attire. There was a female Jounin wearing a green vest, a rather... large girl beside him, and two other males, one of which had his forehead protector on his sleeve.... Konoha. Beside him was a kunoichi who seemed in mid-conversation with the male on the end. She shot a glance towards Shiori and Ichimaru, then returned to her conversation.<br/><br/>"Maybe we should keep going..." Ichimaru said, "Seems pretty busy, huh?"<br/><br/>The kunoichi held the Konoha ninja's hand for a moment before she turned in her seat and got up, advancing towards the pair from Takigakure. From behind, Shiori thought she was much more clothed than she really was... The Kunoichi was from Kirigakure, judging by the headband around her neck. She wore a short-sleeved open vest and a bikini underneath. Around her waist, she wore a belt that had a large pouch attached on the back. She wore ninja sandals and forearm protectors and little else... save for a holster strapped to her bare thigh. She was still fairly light-skinned, with a pair of swimming goggles in her short blue hair, with two large bangs that framed her face and a pair of braids down to her shoulder blades.<br/><br/>"Oh, more<em>visitors</em>!" She said, flashing a smile and a wink- her eyes were blue just like her hair, "I guess you two are just on a date and<em> totally</em>not here for the exams."