Yamazu trundled on down the busy streets of Konoha. The air was light today despite the slight drizzle that fell from the sky, filled with the voices of store owners advertising their wares in bellows designed to drown out their rivals. The Monkey Sage loved this atmosphere. He hated it when places went quiet. True, silence was needed on some occasions and there were times when Yamazu enjoyed the peace and quiet of the forests and lakes that surrounded his home. But even there noise still existed; birds chirped, insects creaked, frogs croaked. It was a silence of a type and it was the type that he preferred.

Shifting the weight of the massive scroll he had strapped across his back, Yamazu wove his way through the crowds. He had no real purpose to be outside today. The odd shinobi had simply wanted to lose himself in the mass of people. It helped remind him what he strove to protect, the lives that he held close to his-

Oh! Apples!

The thought bumped into Yamazu's mind unbidden and he turned to one specific stall, his eyes widening. By all the gods, those apples were ginormous! So shiny too. The Sage's mouth overflowed with saliva and he licked his lips, hands diving into his pocket. Yamazu's eyes dropped to his hand as he pulled it from it's search, his mouth dropping open in horror as he realised he had no money.

Then a mischievous twinkle enter the Sage's eye.

With a quickly look around, Yamazu fairly jumped into a side alley, clambering up the side of a building to gain access to the rooftop. Peeking over the edge, he saw that the busy street's view of him would be somewhat blocked by a post. They would only see him if they look directly past the post. Rubbing his hands together in anticipation, Yamazu flipped his position, sending chakra to his feet to keep him glued to the small bit of ledge that overhung the stall and reached out for the apple at the top of the pile.

Almost... Almost... Almost...

Gottcha!

Yamazu's hand clasped the large fruit, a massive smile splitting his face as he grasped his prize to his chest.

"I wanna cook something special for my sister today... something.. surprising?" Immediately in her head popped up a few scenes of various objects jumping out of cakes, some.. overly spiced food with some "surprise" chilli taste, and even a small whipped cream explosion managed to squirm it's way into her mischiveous thoughts. No... no... I want to live. So no explosions. She needed some new ideas though, it seemed like her dear sister was becoming too accustomed to her small and sneaky ways of trying out the element of surprises. Well if she wanted to truly surprise her sister, then she would bake something nice and not have anything happen. Ariana grinned a bit to herself, it would be comical to watch Elena eat while half expecting something awful to happen at any moment. Alright! It's decided then! But.. what to make? As she kept walking in a relaxed manner down the street, she tapped her slender finger on her chin while in deep thought.

Apples.. yes.. apples could work. She could make an apple pie. Stopping, the golden haired Chuunin looked around. If she wasn't mistaken there had been an apple stand not so far from where she was right now. Taking a few steps back, then turning to the left, she soon spotted the apple stand. Her mouth got a bit watery as she could already imagine the sweet juice of the apple filling her mouth. The aroma of the yet to be baked pie made her stomach protest out. Wait.. Coming to a halt, she watched with a bit of a surprised look at some rather unusual activity. A man with a high, blonde pony tail and a massive scroll on his back was upside down hovering above the oh-so-very tempting apples. It seemed that more than just her had been tempted by the fruit this day. Judging from his position, she guessed she had not seen him this easily if she hadn't come alongside the alley next to her. This man had clearly calculated how to best keep from view.

Walking quickly up to the stall, her hands on her slender hips while her small chin was thrust out, Ariana addressed the victorious looking man in a low growling voice. "And just what do you think you are doing mister?" He looked to be probably in his thirties, and it made Ariana feel quite a bit irritated to see a grown man behaving this way. And it was very clear on the small scowl which had made its way to her face.

Just as he was about to make his way back up onto the rooftop, he heard a rather stern voice ask him what he was doing. With a small yelp of surprise, Yamazu dropped his prize. A look of panic flickered onto his face as he scrambled to stop the falling apple, grasping with his long fingers to reclaim it before it fell to the floor. In his desperation, he lost his concentration and the chakra flow stopped going to his feet.

An expression of comical realization of what was about to happen crossed his features just as gravity did it's work, pulling him down head-first into the cart. There was a crash as the odd shinobi smashed into the sturdy wooden construct, which collapsed under his weight and the weight of the scroll he carried. Groaning in pain and his back covered in squashed apples, Yamazu looked up at the person who had made him fall from his laying position, looking almost like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar. The owner of the stall spluttered, seemingly unable to find words for the moment.

"I, er... I was, er... You see... It's actually a funny story...", Yamazu bumbled, his excuses withering in his mouth under the angry expression on the women who had caught him. There was silence for a moment as he watched her apprehensively. Suddenly, Yamazu somehow managed to jump from his splayed position on the floor without seeming to move a muscle. He flipped in the air until he landed on the rooftop above on this hand, legs in the air. With his free hand (which happened to have an apple in it), he waved down at the two people standing in the street, a massive moronic grin on his face.

"Sorry 'bout the cart, my friend!, he chuckled down cheerfully at the stall-owner, who looked like he was about to explode. "I'm sure it was all for the best! So long!"

And with that the Sage pushed off with his hand, flipping himself onto his feet and took off, his high-pitched chattering laughter echoing in the street below.

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OOC: IF there's a problem with me joining, just let me know and I'll delete my post.

Hiroshi often wandered through the streets of the village in off time. Some days he was likely to be found amongst the streets, taking part in the village, carefully evading the children playing amongst the street as he observed. Other days he lurked atop the rooftops, silently observing, falling into the noise of the village that had become part of him. There were days in the past that he would’ve preferred the silence, finding a spot farthest away from anything and everything, yet the years amongst the village had changed that part of him. This was his relaxation time, sitting upon the rooftops and basking in the business of the village below.

He crouched upon the corner of the roof as he was ever aware of his surroundings, his black suit was smooth as he crouched, not even creased the slightest, even from the weight of the gourd upon his back. He wore a pair of sunglasses, which darkened the bright day around him. If one removed the gourd, he would have an entirely business like appearance, his fierce black suit contrasting nicely with his complexion and gray, nearly white hair.

He crouched over the corner of the roof, his stance well balanced as he watched the village below, too his left were several carts, each selling their wares to those who wandered through the streets, among them, an apple cart who’s delicious items created a soft growl within Hiroshi’s stomach as he looked over the people within the street. Children playing, a man who chased after what Hiroshi assumed to be his daughter as she ran ahead of him in the busy market district. This was one of Hiroshi’s favorite past times, merely watching, learning what he could about the daily life of the people whom he governed. It was a pleasant break from the near constant mountains of paperwork which he had back in ‘ye ole dungeon’ or as some might call it “The Hokage’s office”. Hiroshi truly hate that place, the bureaucracy was not his strong suit, yet he was honor bound to deal with it as he was the most applicable choice for the village leader.

It was with that train of thought that Hiroshi’s mind snapped back to the street as he heard a thunderous crash to his left. A man..looking suspiciously like a certain troublesome Jounin crashed into the cart of apples, destroying the cart with the weight of his fall. Hiroshi focused on the words the man said, faint as they were in the distance. His eyes focusing in to see the apple the man held as he flipped and took off away from the woman who stood on the roof and the mess he had made.

A smirk grew across Hiroshi’s face. ”Looks as if today might be more interesting than I thought“. It was pure confidence that could be seen on his face as Hiroshi took off, propelling himself across the wide street and onto the next roof, the tile cracking slightly under the pure speed of his dash. There was no way the Jounin could out run him if Hiroshi used his full skills, yet the fun was in the chase so he held back, pretending to be slower than he was as he stayed above the view of the man. ”Besides...Im curious..“ He whispered quietly to himself as he moved along the rooftop, pacing himself behind the Jounin. His gaze cast back to the blond who was by the cart, a flare in his eyes as his eyes met hers. ’I wonder what she can do.... He didnt plan to take over the situation, rather intrude only if needed. He wanted to see what the woman could do.

Her delicate eyebrow rose even higher as Ariana watched the man jump a bit as he heard her voice, making her wonder if he really hadn't noticed her arrival, and then he started fumbling after the apple he had dropped as he got startled before ... well.. he fell with a crashing sound into the stand. A single apple rolled from the heap, stopping with a small thud at Ariana's right shoe. She observed the scene in front of her and blinked once, twice.. while barely managing to hold back the laughter which was threatening to rise up in her throat. Just a small twitch of the right corner of her mouth was the only thing that betrayed her otherwise serious and stern expression while she was preparing to lash out some scolding. This was just.. a scene which would make anyone want to facepalm. The man mumbled something which could be called the start of an excuse, seemingly being very fidgety under the gaze of her violet eyes.

Before he even finished that though, Ariana was in for a slight surprise as the man jumped up without any seeming effort. He was probably a ninja of either her rank or higher, she would have guessed, but then why did he act in such a way? It didn't seem he was about to give her a chance to ask that, as he took off just like that. "Hey! Wait a min-.." Her outstretched arm was drawn back as he jumped off. "Oh is that so...." The owner of the apple stand was already raging and fuming, tearing at his hair while observing the damage. But Ariana didn't really pay him much heed. She was already forming the handsignals before muttering the words out. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu." A complete replica of herself appeared next to Ariana, and without needing to say a word she simply pointed at the rooftop in front of her and the clone had already dashed up on it, following the fresh trail of the man. Ariana felt somewhat satisfied with the speed of how she had acted, as she didn't want to give the culprint any chance to use Jutsu to take off.

Just as Ariana herself moved to start running next to the building, her eyes met momentarily the face of a man on the rooftops. He was seemingly following the other man also, and even if he was wearing sunglasses then there was something about his figure that made Ariana's heart flutter for just the tiniest bit of a second. No way.. it can't be -him-. She shook her head, her golden hair tumbling across her shoulders and back before she was on the run at full sprint. Her clone was already passing the white haired man, it having the same determined look on it's face as Ariana herself. She was going to catch that man one way or the other and totally whoop his ass! And then he would pay for the damage he had just made. She dashed alongside the alley, moving swiftly in the same direction she had seen the apple thief going to. With agility and trained movements, she passed people by without crashing into them, swiftly dodging objects in the way while jumping over a few obsticles.

She jumped upwards when past a couple of buildings, grabbing onto a shelf of an open window and flipped herself through the air so that she landed standing on a rooftop of a building just a couple of meters to the side of where her clone, the mysterious man and finally the culprint would be running. Not wasting any time, she kept running as she jumped swiftly from rooftop to rooftop.

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Yamazu took off over the rooftops, his path swerving occasionally as if he was drunk. Several times he seemed to slip and fall, but this would just result in a flip that ended up righting him. He was still chuckling to himself when he heard the sound of footsteps behind him and turned his head to see who was following him. The Sage saw, as he had thought he would, the girl and an exact double of her. A clone no doubt. And behind them, dragging his heals somewhat, was...

No ways! Yamazu thought. He turned in the air and for a moment started running backwards, waving cheerfully at the man he was sure was the Hokage before turning back to face where he was going, almost falling down into an alleyway in the process. While the Sage had hoped that the young woman would join the game, he was ecstatic that someone as important as the leader of the Hidden Leaf would find the time to play. His long blond ponytail flapping away behind him, Yamazu's constant grin grew even wider. What fun they were going to have today! Now, how was he going to play this...

As he landed on the edge of a roof, some of the tiles broke away under his weight, giving him a thought. The two (or three if you counted the clone) would be only a few seconds behind him so he had to act swiftly. As he pushed away, the Sage used a burst of fuuton chakra to flip himself. Grabbing at the loose tiles, he managed to grab four before he used another burst to send him up and forwards just as the three crested the next rooftop. His moronic grin on his face, Yamazu tossed the broken tiles at his pursuers shuriken style, making some handseals. The improvised weapons came close to the three before they exploded, throwing dust everywhere.

The force of the explosion was such that there would be no shrapnel. Yamazu had no designs to hurt them even with a scratch. At most, the dust would get in their eyes a little or make them flinch. For the shade wearing Hokage, this would not be an issue at all. When the dust settled however, there was not one Monkey Sage but three, weaving in and out between each other in the same manner as the original was before.

Looking back, one of the three poked out his tongue and broke off to the left towards the more heavily populated area of Konoha where the inns and other residential buildings were. 'Another' pulled a face and split off to the right, heading off towards the gates as if to flee the Village. The 'third' landed on the edge of a building and pushed off backwards, flipping into the air above the chasers, flicking what appeared to have been something he pulled from his nose down at them before landing behind them and taking off the way they had all just come. The chattering laugher came from all three of them as they split up.

This is gonna be the greatest game of tag ever!

Spoiler:

Hiroshi kept his speed slow. If he let go, he could’ve ended this chase before it began, but Yamazu was causing no real harm and Hiroshi enjoyed games. With his speed low, the blond and her clone easily caught up to him and he cast her a glance and a quick nod. He also was letting this whole situation go as a sort of test to her, he wanted to see exactly what she could do. Surely it was obvious that Hiroshi was holding back, he decided he would only react, not actually take the offensive unless it was truly needed, but he kept his well trained eyes on the ‘opponent’ as he ran, only keeping slightly above the girl’s pace.

’He’s quite the acrobat...‘ A soft chuckle escaped Hiroshi’s mouth before he cast a determine look forward and increased his speed by just a fraction. He watched the man slip on the loose tiles, thinking that perhaps this would end quicker than he had anticipated. Yet, the Jounin proved his acrobatic nature with a quick flip, Hiroshi saw the man scoop up the tiles with a quick movement and in a swift movement launch them at the three pursuers. A kunai slid from Hiroshi’s sleeve and he prepared to deflect each of the make-shift projectiles, but just as he raised to strike, the exploded into dust, sending minuscule shards everywhere. The fine powder, probably meant to temporarily blind, was easily deflected by Hiroshi’s sunglasses.

As the dust scattered, Hiroshi sent a quick concerned look at the girl before looking back forward, only to see three exact copies of Yamazu. Dammit!, he had picked a hell of a time to look away, he had no idea which of the Yamazus was the real one. Making several handsigns, Hiroshi payed attention as one of them took a path to the left, the other flipping past them and running in the opposite direction and the final taking the path which led to the village gates. He spoke quickly as three clones of himself appeared behind him. ”I‘ll be damned if he gets away., he spoke to the girl while moving, without taking his eyes off of three targets." Send your clone with one of mine to follow the one behind us. The last two will go cut him off at the gates, and you and I shall take the one heading for the residential areas.“, they were orders, spoken in a soft tone. Hiroshi couldnt have the Jounin reeking havoc among the residential area. His two clones sunk back for a split seconds before dashing at high speeds towards the gate, easily out pacing the real Hiroshi. His third clone, not waiting for the Girl's movement, dropped back, turning quickly and taking off behind them, after the third.

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