Right. They'll get started, then.

"Alright. I'll meet you guys at my apartment in two hours for initial briefing."

Nod.

Off to get things together.

Sayuri and Amajina had back to their apartment - living at the meeting place is convenient. 

Confirming them for the mission and getting the full packet doesn't take long, leaving her time to (gently) check behind Sayuri and especially Amajina, and then to very quickly and efficiently do her own packing. (She uses storage seals, of course.)

Amajina only needs a little correcting...

Elesse gets her pack together and heads for Shinrei-sensei's apartment before the two-hour deadline, in case she needs to make any changes.

Shinrei checks through it, but pronounces it good on personal effects - and Shinrei is bringing rations.

She does want to show them how to get into her storage scrolls.

Sounds like a good thing to know how to do.

She nods. "I have a different process than most other generic seals, too - each needs a key. There's a small number of keys I'm using on this trip, which are varyingly secure. The normal supplies are all under one key. There's another, for emergency supplies you normally shouldn't be accessing, but that you need to be able to get into if needed."

"There's a third key, for a single scroll I'm carrying. It will only work if I'm dead or very, very badly injured. If that happens, and you can't get to friendly territory without great risk, I want you guys to open it."

"What are the keys?"

Techniques, effectively, mixed with tracing certain symbols on the emergency supplies, more complicated symbols and a drop of blood on the backup scroll.

Not too hard to get down.

Not at all, and she'll check their memories a few times over the mission.

All right.

She goes over the mission plan with them, gives them maps (which are fairly low detail, don't have any artificial features marked), and has them memorize both their route and some alternate routes. Then run down on procedures for different areas, discussion of the most recent intelligence they had on safety of various areas, an illusion from Shinrei of the outside of the stations they're visiting, and discussion of how to identify themselves on approach. Then an early, light lunch, a last check for anything they're forgetting or any last minute considerations they can think of - and heading out.

Seems like they're as prepared as it would be reasonable to be.

Pretty much. More prepared than they'll often be able to, really - missions often have only spotty intelligence. 

Yeah. Just have to build good habits while they can.

Good foundations are important. 

Yeah.

Speaking of, looks like they've gotten lucky with the weather for their first stretch, so they can make good time. 

Of course, that'll probably change before they're done. Late spring isn't the worst season for storms, but there's still going to be some squalls.

Even with all that... The first leg, taking them along a chain of watch stations and small outposts in assorted towns - including a few samurai, often acting as guards in the larger towns and the cities - out to the farthest reach of Water's territory, goes smoothly. Shinrei encourages them to talk to the people at the outposts they stop at, whether samurai, shinobi, or civilian.

She also teaches them how to find evidence of human activity in an area, and they also check on some more informal settlements. Usually this goes well. Amajina charms whatever refugees have found a place to scrape by, and Shinrei talks to them about getting help. Building supplies, food, medicine - there's a small government program funding C-ranks and assorted civilian workers to improve the infrastructure, including building housing, though she notes right now it's a lottery for who gets helped first. They end up providing medical aid a few times, bring some people who had fallen direly sick to a clinic in the nearest town once, escort a few small groups... It's not the majority of their time, but it's a break in the rhythm. Not all of the groups are friendly, but they don't get into any fights worse than a scuffle with drunks.

Overall, a pretty nice change from village life.

Amajina doesn't get it quite as much - she knows a lot of these regions, but - wandering is fun, and she's been feeling cooped up a little in the village. 

But, as they're turning back - she slows down a bit, frowning, like she's listening -

Does she hear something? Elaise turns her own senses up-