Tashi was actually quite lucky in his pursuit of the fortress. The village children went up in the mountains often, and it was indeed one of the little ones that had discovered it. Among them, the discovery of a previously invisible fortress in the mountains was hardly uneventful.<br/><br/>The adults, however, refused to budge. Tashi could hardly get any information out of them, and for good reason. It appeared as if they had been told not to disclose much of the details, and while the young ninja asked around for the boy who originally found the place, he had apparently been grounded...<br/><br/>Still, from what he could gather, the fortress was indeed up in the mountains, where the waterfalls resided. That area was a popular place for the village youth, or at least it was after all the shinobi traps that were up there from the first world war had been disarmed.<br/><br/>Tashi had met one youth of note... A young boy, probably not even ten yet, with short auburn hair and wide eyes and a high collar under his peasant's dress. He figured the Mibu clansman out pretty quick as no ordinary teenager, and started asking his own questions... most particularly those related to the ninja arts. Still, he appeared harmless enough- a mere boy interested in a world that seemed so fantastical to common folk. It became clear that he didn't know anything about hidden shinobi fortresses and the like.<br/><br/>...<br/><br/>"Aaaahhh." Maki stretched, throwing her arms out into the air as she yawned. The moon was up and the land blanketed in the blue darkness of night. "Isn't it nice, just us girls once in awhile?" The hot springs did them good, a welcome relief from the soreness of their journey all day. "Haa." The kunoichi sighed, "Speaking of which..."<br/><br/>Fortunately, Tashi had arrived just then from his intelligence gathering. After a short discussion, Maki stood up and started to put her sandals back on. They were all staying in the same room, though it was quite large... and everyone had shōji doors for privacy, even if candles tended to paint a silloheute on the paper barriers... It was about seven or eight o'clock. Still early, but the team had exerted a lot of energy just<em>getting</em>to the place. "Alright, then." Maki declared, "I'm going to do a little scrounging of my own... If I'm lucky, we'll be leaving before dawn."<br/><br/>She waved her arm with a smile as she departed, sans armor. "Don't stay up too late now."<br/><br/>...<br/><br/>Three pairs of sandaled feet stood on the dusty ground quite a distance away from the Everfalling Inn.<span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 7pt;"> "Are you sure they're from Tanigakure?"</span>came a melodic feminine voice softly in the night...<span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 7pt;">"They must be..."</span>asked a second woman, her tone raspy yet youthful.<br/><br/><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 7pt;">"I don't think they know about our mission."</span>The third replied, this time the voice distinctly male.<br/><br/><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 7pt;">"Then why're they here?"</span>The second woman asked...<br/><br/><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 7pt;">"Let's find out."</span>The first voice declared, setting down a large wooden object half-covered in bandages onto the ground beside her feet.<br/><br/>...<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide</div><div class="spoiler_body">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HN6OuVc2NSc&amp;feature=related</div></div><br/>The shutters to room 203 parted with a breeze, and a draft settled lazily into their hotel room. It was around four or five in the morning when the sound of strings filled the air... Another breeze fluttered into the genins' room... the paper door seperating Lilly from her comrades parted just barely a few inches... a bang of her hair parted from a gentle, barely palpable gust of wind. It would be enough to draw her attention away from the dreamworld and back to reality.<br/><br/>Jun's keen ears twitched and Xexen let out a lazy whine as he began to awaken from the melody in the air... The almost feral kunoichi was groggily being roused from her slumber as well... the noise was so quiet, so soft... yet the way it riverberated around the room, she could have sworn it was coming from within. Like a tiny zither was being played right in there with them.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide</div><div class="spoiler_body">Tashi gets 100xp for the snooping. Should be even with Lilly now. :P<br/><br/>Assume everyone has been sleeping for eight hours. Chakra Pool restored completely. Chakra Reserve restored at a rate equal to your character level. Jun recovers her character level in HP.<br/><br/>Everyone make spot and listen check. Maki isn't back yet...</div></div>