1st Sandstorm [Video]

[fifth_kazekage]

[Gaara awakens abruptly on the beach. The journal is next to his side, open and recording. He sits up too quickly and stifles a quiet groan of unease. The sand around him shifts and stirs, seeming agitated.]

......

[After a short while, he rises to his feet. He looks down and acknowledges the journal with a brief glance. A slight shift of

Comments

[toujoursfluer]

[Robin stands on the beach at a fair distance, and stares into the water. She's very obviously a new feather from the clothes she wears to the journal she clutches loosely in her hand.

[She sees the sand moving in strange patterns further down the beach and her fingers clench press against the closed journal. Is it...?]

[fifth_kazekage]

[...A woman, in the distance. Gaara couldn't detect her chakra signature, but she could have been concealing it. If she was affiliated with the Akatsuki, that behavior would be expected of her.]

......

[He continued walking forward, watching her warily, as his sand kept stirring with the intention of protecting him.]

[Action] <--should have put that first. ffff

[toujoursfluer]

[That is definitely not Crocodile, despite the way that sand moves around him like a live thing. Perhaps its sand only in appearance.

[She can't tell whether or not he is a threat but turns to face him anyway as it seems she has been spotted and she would rather not present her back to him. She tries to grow an eye from his shoulder where he wouldn't be able to see it, but it doesn't work-- so she waits, holding the journal in front of her, water rushing briefly over her feet.]

[Action] np! :3

[fifth_kazekage]

[She didn't make any movement against him, but it would be foolish to let his guard down.

He observed her in silence for a few moments. When he deemed it a waste of time to continue doing nothing, he finally spoke up.]

State your identity.

[If Gaara wasn't under the impression that he was in enemy territory, he wouldn't have sounded so antagonistic. He could tell that his chakra level wasn't up to full capacity. Engaging in a fight now, wouldn't be the smartest thing to do.]

[Voice]

[its_troublesome]

[Had Shikamaru not been an observant type of guy, he might have missed this, it's so quiet. Going through the journals feels like an endless pitch of noise some days...

Point is, by the time he's noticed, Gaara has already stepped away from the journal and he's not sure how far he's walked from it. It looks like he's at the beach though - it's not likely to be anywhere else, what with that sand. He'll give calling him a shot anyways.]

Oi. Kazekage-sama. You still there?

[Voice] 1/2

[fifth_kazekage]

...?

[Voice] 2/2

[fifth_kazekage]

[From this distance, he can only vaguely make out the voice, but hears the address. An ally?

But there is no one around.]

......

[He walks back toward the journal, unsuspecting of its use.

Silence.]

Reveal yourself.

[Voice]

[its_troublesome]

[Ah. He doesn't remember, then.]

Take a look in the book. It's a communication device.

[Video]

[nextgen_hokage]

[Naruto can only catch a glimpse of what looks like someone he recognizes. And he's sure of it. The problem is that it was a little difficult to try and catch a better view of Gaara through the journal window, especially since he was trying to step away.

Which only leads to Naruto pressing up his face closer to his own journal in an attempt to get a better view. That's not working too well. The only sound he lets out is a questioning "eh?" in the process.]

[Video]

[fifth_kazekage]

[Even if Gaara had a better imagination, a talking journal wasn't something he would think up. He actually thought the talking voices were illusions, or someone was playing a trick on him.]

......

[The last one sounded like Naruto. His eyes narrowed suspiciously. Had he been taken to the Akatsuki's lair?]

[Video]

[nextgen_hokage]

[He really can't get a good look at Gaara, so there's only one option left.]

Oi! Gaara! That you!? [Yelling at it.]

[Video]

[fifth_kazekage]

[Okay, he definitely heard that.

He hesitates before calling back in response.]

Naruto?

[Voice]

[piggybabe]

[Once she sees the image, Ino blinks. Well, look who the Malnosso dragged back in. It somehow fills her with unsung dread, knowing that this place can really just make people return and then drag them back in.]

Kazekage-sama?

[Voice]

[fifth_kazekage]

[By now, Gaara has realized that the journal can talk. Or at least, people talk through it. His brain hasn’t quite wrapped itself around the realism part just yet.

The voice sounds vaguely familiar, like one that he doesn’t hear on a consistent basis. He recognizes the kunoichi by sight, though, and greets her after brief hesitation.]

…Ino.

[Voice]

[piggybabe]

[She would have said something like "You're back!" but she refrains, not wanting to confuse the Kazekage.]

Have you been briefed about the situation?

[Voice]

[fifth_kazekage]

[He frowns slightly, but nods.]

It still feels like an illusion. [He has to keep stopping himself from trying to release the genjutsu.]

Have you ever encountered the enemy?