[Passport] I Would Walk 500 Miles

[Santaru Rin]

Rin strode into the Torre through the front doors, a somewhat unusual choice for her these days. Today, though, she felt like putting the best foot forward for proper business. Her old passport had long expired and it was time to be reissued a new one--the papers she had been sent to allow her access to Kumogakure just before her reactivation were just not meant to be waved around more than once. She wanted to get a feel for the country again outside of running missions. Sight-seeing after an assassination was crass, and Rin disliked stretching her remit for such purposes. She didn't permit it in her agents, and she held herself to at least as high a standard of behavior as she held them.

The gross amount of damage done by Makoro's attack on the Raikage had been repaired. Now the clues left behind were more subtle. Some masonry remained slightly cracked, yet had not been deemed in critical need of repair--a testament to the original builders, to be certain. The great celestial tower had been built and brought low again many times over the life of the settlement, but its construction had always been quality. The library even held blueprints of its oldest incarnations, though even a quick perusal showed that the modern version was drastically different.

She strode up to the desk where the Raikage's secretary often held court and waited to catch someone's eye.

 

[Shu]

[Hitomi - Head Secretary to Raikage ]​

Hitomi stood by the side near the wall expecting some of the construction while three young chunnin conversing with her about the current repair status. The three young chunnin were men wearing dark gray vest that hung heavily on their sides. Their feet were a covered in heavy black boots and their heads masked by a wide round hats. Hitomi was dressed in a simple white and black suit with an overlayed undershirt that extended down her arms. She held a small clipboard as she scribbled on the board while listening. Eventually, the three men departed bowing before Rin as they left the area. Hitomi approached Rin with a concerned look on her face.

"Rin-sama. My apologies for holding you. May I be of some assistance." She said making a slight bow.

 

[Santaru Rin]

Rin had been lulled into complacency by the rhythmic noises of construction and so blinked to alertness when Hitomi addressed her.

"Ah, Hitomi-san. I am here about getting a passport. I would like to do a little travel to refresh my mind and so on..." She pushed her greying hair behind one ear. "I suppose I could have issued myself one, but that seems a bit. Improper. Moreover, I would not want to leave the village without providing advanced notice that I intend to travel abroad for a short while."

 

[Shu]

"Of course." She said as she offered her hand to a private hall at the far left. The hallway felt rather small like a sliding through a slight cavern, but really it was the notorious mind tricks that Shin loved to disguise the village in. They arrived into a room at the end of the hall with gold markings embedded on the center. She opened the door presenting a much clearer and organized room compared to the rest of the rooms around Torre Celsete. Books were all neatly stacked on the wooden shelves on each side of the walls. A small mahogany desk was centered in the middle of the room. She offered her a seat in front of her desk before shuffling through her folders.

"If I may speak out of turn. Is there a reason why you can't use your old passport. Hitomi said as he removed a small binder filed with plastic sleeves." Shin said.

 

[Santaru Rin]

"Well," Rin answered, "It was invalidated when I was reactivated into the service. Paperwork things I suppose; it's beyond me. Given that it was quite old and beaten anyway, I wasn't very bothered. I've never gotten to travel outside of missions anyway."

She examined the room and the wooden desk. Even a piece of furniture such as this commanded a high price when made of such a precious material. Mahogany and ebony--two of the finest carpentry materials, and expensive to import. Rin was well pleased to have desks made of iron and stone. She found her particular chakra worked more naturally with such materials, whereas wood and plastic were too volatile.

 

[Shu]

Hitomi simple nodded her head as she pulled out one plastic sleeve from the firm folder. It was routine that passports be reevaluated every few years before they can be used again. The only thing that Hitomi did not understand at that moment was why the Sennin waited this long to request for one. Santaru Rin was reinstated for several months now it would make sense that she would acquire a new passports during the first few weeks. Regardless, it was not her position to question her superior. She reached out toward the corner of her desk and pulled out a small blank parchment. She took a small quill from a cup and began to scribble text. For a few moments the only sound that could be heard was the scratching sounds of the pen rubbing against the white fabric.

She stood up from her chair as she began to hand the completed passport and a clipboard with to Rin.

"If you could just complete the application. It is simply for papertrailing reasons. Also, Hayata-sama would prefer if he places his seal on your passport."

Name:
Rank:
Date of Request:
Reason for Request:
Signature:

[Lets say that Shin signs it in the background]

 

[Santaru Rin]

Name: Santaru Rin
Rank: ANBU Sennin
Date of Request: 3rd Day of the 4th Month of 1 Shiranai
Reason for Request: Learn the lay of Wind Country.
Signature: Santaru Rin

Rin finished signing her name and sighed.

"Well, one more thing. I was wondering if it would be possible to issue a copy of my passport with the rank of Consul, rather than ANBU Sennin. I wish to travel abroad--I am concerned that I may be waylaid by foreigners out of greed or fear if they believe a Kumogakure military leader is visiting. It might be wise to issue the passport using my mother's clan name, Yamada. So, Yamada Rin, Kumogakure no Sato Consul at large."

A consul was a lower ranked diplomatic officer than an ambassador--still enough to be accorded respect, but with lesser authority and commensurately less intelligence value to warlike minds. With less apparent authority and power, Rin would also be in less of a position to accidentally--or intentionally--cause or become involved in an international incident.

 

[Shu]

She placed the written document in a small white folder. Hitomi venerated herself as she made a slight bow. "As you wish Rin-sama, I will notify Hayata-sama right away." Rin was right to be cautious of the surrounding dangers outside of lightning country. The interaction between the hidden villages was still rather and given the circumstances that Kumogakure had faced in the past few years it has not been the village's interest to make its inter-village relations stronger. Shin had a discussion with Hitomi about Kumogakure's isolation problem but he wanted to finish his proposition before finalizing to anyone else. The only person who knew about the plan was Shin and Hitomi.

"Rin-sama, the raikage has informed me about a possible proposition for the village's inter-village policy. He plans on presenting his ideas to the Shogun and several noblemen. Unfortunately, he has requested not to divulge any more information until he feels he is ready. He just wanted me to let you know."

"If you excuse me I have some errands I need to attend to you." Hitomi said walking out the door.


[Leaving Topic after Rin]

 

[Santaru Rin]

"Ah?" Rin's eyebrows raised. "Well, alright then. Thank you for letting me know, Hitomi-san." She rose and nodded politely to the Raikage's secretary and let herself out after receiving the passports.

[TLUS]