Mission Keeping the Peace [C-Rank, MTM]

[Raijin Jirou]

This was an important day for Jirou and Kashikoi since they would be leading a team of genin and academy students to patrol the fringes of the village for bandits. It was a pretty straightforward task, yet one where anything could still go wrong. The village had already started to feel an economic strain from the attacks on merchants and travelers coming into the village. This was not something that could be allowed to continue. The survival of the village depended on merchants and traders being able to enter and leave the village without fear. Jirou took this assignment seriously as he spent the evening before the mission day to read over the files of those who had already signed up. Jirou saw promise in those who had signed up so far and he was curious to see how each of them would fare in the upcoming mission. These were not just kids that he would be guiding. These were young Shinobi who were being charged with helping to make the village safe from bandits. As Jirou closed the last file and set it back down on the desk in his room, he stood up and decided to get his things ready for the upcoming mission. It was already getting late and he wanted to get a good night’s rest so that he could be up at dawn and able to arrive at the main gates by seven am.

The next day arrived with a burst of energy and excitement for the upcoming mission. There was no delay as Jirou bounded out of bed and into the shower to get ready. This was a very big day and if Karasu or Hiro were awake they might be able to hear Jirou singing a lively tune in the shower with Kashikoi providing the backup vocals. While Jirou dried himself off and got dressed, Kashikoi trotted outside to water and fertilize the local flora. By the time Kashikoi returned Jirou was dressed, his hair combed and his teeth were brushed. He had double checked his gear and weapons and grinning widely found that he was ready to go. “Come on, Kashikoi. We have a mission to go on.” Pulling his backpack on Jirou started down the hallway entering the kitchen where Hiro had prepared a breakfast of rice and eggs. Kashikoi wasted no time in having his breakfast that Hiro placed down on the floor for him afterwards saying to Jirou, “Good morning lad. Have your breakfast. I have also prepared a lunch to take with you along with some snacks in case you get hungry later on in the day. You will have genin and Academy students to look after. I know that you understand what a big responsibility this is. I remember my first mission as an Academy student. I was very green and literally wet behind the ears. The Jounin leading us had to fish me out of a river I managed to fall into. Please don’t tell Karasu. She would find it hard to believe that I had a hard time listening to instructions and liked to charge off on my own. I would never live it down if she knew what I just shared with you.” Jirou grinned and promised he would never say a word. “What Karasu doesn’t know won’t hurt us.” Hiro smiled and packed the lunch and snacks into Jirou’s pack, “Have a good mission and be careful. Don’t underestimate the enemy. I have full faith that you will handle whatever you encounter with courage and intelligence.” Jirou smiles, wiping his mouth with a cloth napkin. “This is perfect. Thank you for doing all this. I am going to get going now. I want to get to the main gates early.”

Jirou and Kashikoi came up to the main gates right on time. It was seven am and one of the guards had just returned with tea for himself and the other guard keeping watch. After greeting the guards, Jirou showed his identification and the approval for the mission to the guards. The guards made their appropriate notes and nodded, one of the guards adding, “Bloody nuisance those bandits. They are terrifying the travelers coming into the Leaf. Even heard one of the travelers say that the leader was ten feet tall with a booming voice that commanded snakes. I think he even added that he had tusks like a boar. Though I am not sure just how much Saki that one had before arriving in the Leaf.” Jirou lifted one eyebrow. His curiosity was piqued about this bandit leader as he replied, “Perhaps we will find out soon enough just how much was Saki and how much was in fact unexaggerated.” The guard nodded watching as Jirou moved away from the guard station to wait for the genin and students to arrive. Jirou was both excited and maybe just a little nervous. He wanted to do well on this mission. Even more importantly he wanted the genin and students to do well. While waiting Jirou thought back to his own days in the Academy and how hard he had worked. All of that hard work had led him to this moment. It would be the same for this new crop of genin and Academy students. Missions tested all those involved and this was to be no different.


[WC: 894]
[TWC: 894/4,000]
[PC: ⅕]
[MFT]

OOC: Must have at least 5 posts minimum and 4K words minimum to get credit. We follow a Post Order and you will have 4 days to post before being skipped. If you need to be skipped please let me know. I am Modding this mission so please pay attention to the story parameters.​

 

[Sen Kaito]

"Be careful where you are going!" Yelled someone at the sight of a white haired child running right at him. Kaito didn't pay any attention to him though, he was already late enough. Kaito looked like a zombie and could barely concentrate on anything, yet he was still running, he bought a few pills that should be able to keep him going for the next few days. this was the only thing that kept him awake, and in a decent enough shape to train and go on missions. He hasn't slept for nearly two days, from the day Yasue came to him. Yasue wanted him to develop fast and gave him a few tips, Kaito felt it wasn't enough though. He didn't know how to be as powerful as them, what did he mean by bending reality? Kaito was struggling to grasp what Yasue meant, he has been working on both his chakra and emotion control hoping it will help him to bend reality as Yasue said. He has even been training in Taijutsu and Ninjutsu as well, How did Yasue get a sword out of nowhere? It wasn't summoned, Kaito was sure of that much. Yasue said it was made from the same fabric reality is made of. "Ughhh" said Kaito in a loud voice still racing to the Village door. He still had a lot to learn, that's why Kaito has been training nonstop since then. He could have asked his father, but Yasue said that his father was the one that told Yasue not to tell him anything about the powers he can unlock. Yasue disobeyed his orders though, he thought Kaito had the potential and Kaito was going to reach it with rigorous and hard training. "Maybe this jonin knows something! I should ask him" said Kaito but dismissed the thought immediately as something he shouldn't bother a Jonin with. He barely became a genin a week ago after all, and the Jonin probably had more important matters on his mind. He probably knows something about Asuka sensei though. He remembered the fight he had with her and Reyne, and the Genjustsu training she provided him with before she became the fifth hokage. "I should probably ask him about them" told Kaito himself figuring this was something worth asking the jonin about at some point.


Kaito was running as fast as he could, he kept on accidently hitting people though due to him running so fast, he could barely see them with his current state. He even thought about using his chidori to arrive even faster, but this was a very bad idea. Using a justsu like the chidori in the middle of the village ought to get him in trouble, plus he was still tired. He will take the pills before the mission starts though; it should keep him energised enough. Kaito was so occupied by Yasue and what he told him, that he just started comprehending that this was his first ever mission, and from what he heard, it was a C rank. C rank missions aren't hard to deal with, but for a Genin that was an academy student a week ago, it was definitely going to be a challenge. He planned on doing his best though, and he had all the tools he might need. He even got some food and water the day before as he wasn't sure if the shops will be open at 7 am or not. He also got his new headband with him; he still didn't know where he should keep it, so he just kept it in the bag for now. His hair was too long it would probably hide the headband itself. He would probably have to put it on before the mission starts though.


Kaito arrived at what he thought was 7 am. when he arrived he found to what seemed to him, the jonin he was looking for, well there was no one else other than him and the guards and Kaito knew the guards, so that just left the jonin. Before going to the jonin Kaito took his pill, put it in his mouth and drank some water after it, he then put on his headband. This was it; he was going on his first mission. "Hello, you are Jirou sensei i believe?" asked Kaito approaching the jonin, he already knew the answer to the question he asked, but he could never be too sure. "I am Sen Kaito, i applied for the mission. I am delighted to make your acquaintance!" said Kaito trying to keep his eyes open from both; the lack of sleep and the ray of sunshine hitting his eyes.


[WC: 781]
[TWC: 781/4,000]
[Pc: 1/5]

 

[Uchiha Kei]

“Oh. Well, I’d better make sure I wake up in time for this thing…”

The spoken words fell from his mouth with a wearisome tumble, wet with his characteristic juices of apathy. They were far from cast in vain towards the empty space ahead of him where he usually lobbed his verbalized thoughts. No. This time, they were vaguely directed towards the one currently sharing his company in the living room of his home; his mother.

“Yes, most definitely,” he started as she gently tugged from the kitchen counter a nearly fully-filled mug. Her intention was clear; to give it to her son, Kei. He stretched out a scarcely-welcoming hand, but noted nothing was presented. But a twinge of confusion touched his face before he moved his eyeline to meet her’s. “Now, you’re ready for bed? You don’t have to take care of anything else? You don’t want to be up throughout the night more than you have to be--”

“Mom…” Kei thrummed with an expression more fatigued than it usually was. The cosseting she was doing proved too much for him.

“Okay, okay.” She allowed him to pluck the mug from her before ushering him off to bed. As he walked off, his attention fell down upon the surface of the drink. It was nearly clear, tinged subtly with an earthy hue. Many an eye, following a fleet inspection, would be able to note it to be a herbal drink - of what type could be surmised via an educated guess with a humble portion of Kei-relevant knowledge. Doubtlessly, it was a sleep aid.

While year after year fell to the wayside, the psychological frights that befell him nightly still sported their thrall over him. The damage was deep set. Laying down meant the anticipation of what had become the inevitable - nightmares, and high ranked was it among things that could keep one awake into the wee hours of the night. One respite was that the sibling responsible no longer lived in Kei’s current household. This thought faded gradually as Kei brought the cup to his lips and drank. Having saw to the consumption of all the mug had to offer, he laid down and waited for the timeless black to take him.

The next day was like any other. The sky found itself speckled with clouds, spaced enough to let the sun through for rather generous periods of time. Grand, far-stretching puddles of light washed their way atop and through the Hidden Leaf Village. He appeared to have time to casually craft his strides. There was no need to rush there.

Before long, the faces he had seen prior during the mission’s handoff crept into view. His face was as boring as it usually was and did not change when stepping close enough to offer a greeting. “Heyo,” he said as he brought an arm up in a waving gesture except without the actual motion of a wave. The one tasked with taking the team’s lead, a beautiful, but stern-looking woman, gave him the smallest hint of a smile. What followed was a, “hmph;” not one born of ire, but perhaps expectation. She started forward in such a way as to suggest each of them follow along. Kei did just that.

“Wait just a moment,” she said as she paused her step. Kei gave an inquisitive look, ceasing his strides and looking to the jounin directly ahead of him. She turned and knelt down as if, perhaps, something was on his face that she wished to wipe away. And then pain. Pain and shock; blinding white that mercilessly stole his breath away. He heard a crackle - an eerie crackle and saw slender, bright tendrils of light licking at the trajectory of his eyeline. Looking down, Kei saw the woman’s arm plowed entirely through his chest, her appendage wearing a hot coat of lightning that seemed to cackle with its sinister crackle.

Kei woke up.

The blackness of night was never inviting when he woke up so abruptly to it. Always a heavy, heaving breath as he quickly seized grip of reality and the reality was the morning had yet to come. He sat upright, back arched while he drew his gaze from the covers below. Taking a look at a nearby clock, Kei noted that he was expected to be there in four hours, however. That thought was, while not as uncomfortable as the ones he was having as he sprinted through the bridge between consciousness and unconsciousness, still left him in a sour state. Having grown used to such things, he simply laid back down and cared not what closing his eyes might bring him.

The next day was like any other. It was partly cloudy. The morning sun possessed a golden hue, having yet intensified into its usual, all-encompassing white. Regardless of whether or not he had to hurry, his paces were casual - perhaps slightly quicker than casual, but not by much. Kei always allowed his nights to sour his mornings. So, when he walked up to the familiar faces seen prior to that day during the actual hand-off and briefing, his was its usual blank, slightly weary self.

“...Heyo,” Kei said to them collectively with a wave, but without the motion of a wave.
​

---

[WC: 878]
[TWC: 878/4,000]
[Pc: 1/5]​

 

[Raijin Jirou]

Jirou and Kashikoi waited by the gates for those who had signed up to arrive. The morning fog that had settled in overnight was lifting until only a few scattered clouds remained overhead. Kashikoi laid down while they waited, though this was the pose of a sentry on duty and not one of rest. Kashikoi sniffed the air and Jirou knew that his attention was on those who were approaching the gates. Jirou would not have to wait long. While he was waiting Jirou thought about the mission ahead of him. His curiosity was piqued to know more about the leader that the guard had mentioned. Even if the specifics had been exaggerated there was a pretty fair chance that there was a kernel of truth to be found in the description. Jirou understood that this mission could become so much more than simply a patrol outside of the Leaf village. He would need to review the mission parameters with the Genin before they began the mission.

Indeed it was not long at all before the first arrival was approaching him and Kashikoi at a brisk pace. He introduced himself as Sen Kaito and Jirou nodded to him and answered back. “I am Raijin Jirou and this is my wolf, Kashikoi. It is a pleasure to meet you as well. We will be getting underway very soon. I am afraid that Manzo will be unable to join us for this mission. As soon as Uchiha Kei arrives we can get started though. I hope that you were able to have a good night’s rest.” Jirou could already guess the answer to this since the dark circles beneath Sen Kaito’s eyes indicated that he had likely been spending quite a few late nights training and not getting enough rest. Jirou was able to relate since he had done the same as an Academy student and Genin. Despite his fatigue Sen Kaito still had a good amount of energy even before Jirou watched him take the energy pill. Jirou hoped that by the end of this mission Sen Kaito would realize just how important it was to devote some time to one’s bed after training. He knew that by the end of it he would likely be dead on his feet and ready to collapse into his bed. Jirou put a check mark beside his name and looked up when he heard the greeting from Uchiha Kei. The next one had arrived and Jirou recognized him from the photo that was attached to his file. “Hello there. I am Raijin Jirou and this is my wolf, Kashikoi. You may already know Sen Kaito.” He motions towards the other boy standing nearby before continuing, “You must be Uchiha Kei. It is a pleasure to meet you as well. I have already told Sen Kaito that Manzo will not be joining us on this mission. So it will just be the three of us.” Jirou had noticed both his casual stride as he walked up to the group and the listless, somewhat apathetic tone to his voice. Jirou was guessing that Kei either didn’t get enough sleep or his sleep was restless and troubled. It amounted to the same thing. Jirou had no intention of babying either of them. They were Shinobi and they were both going on an important mission for the village. They would learn the hard way how to function on a mission regardless of any fatigue they felt.

“Now that we have the introductions out of the way it is time that we review the mission parameters and go over a few ground rules. The Leaf village has received reports about bandits harassing travelers and merchants entering and leaving the village. This is not something that can continue because it is beginning to impact the economic functioning of the village. The village relies on trade and supplies being transported safely here. This is why several teams are being dispatched to patrol outside of the village and make sure that the way is clear of bandits. As Shinobi it is our job to protect the village against such threats. You are not just genin to me. You are Leaf Shinobi. Out there we will be one team and we will have each other’s backs. This is perhaps the most important rule to remember and that is that a Shinobi does not abandon his team mates. We go out there together and we will return to the village together. Both myself and Kashikoi will do everything that we can to make sure that we all return to the village safely. I expect you both to do the same. There is no ‘I’ in ‘TEAM’. You are both part of this team that has been charged with keeping the village safe from this threat of bandits. Remember to not underestimate your enemy. Use your brains and act accordingly. You have to consider your teammates in any actions that you take. It will not do if you wound a bandit and your teammate as well by using the wrong jutsu. In any fight it can be easy to forget in the heat of battle, but just know that as the leader I am responsible to make sure that you get back safely. If that means that I must give my life to do so, then that is exactly what I will do. However I trust that between the three of us these pesky bandits do not stand a chance.” Jirou gives them a smile after his speech adding, “Now unless either of you have any questions I think that we can get this mission underway. Remember our goal and let’s keep the route coming into the Leaf village safe and free from Bandits.”


[WC: 959]
[TWC: 1853/4,000]
[PC: ⅖]
[MFT]​

 

[Sen Kaito]

Kaito realised he hadn’t looked at the pictures in the mission paper, he only read the names without looking at the fellow shinobi on the same mission as him. After the ray of sunshine stopped blurring Kaito’s eyesight, he laid a glance on the Jonin. He found someone close to his age with messy sandy brown hair, and bright blue eyes. The blue eyes were what grabbed Kaito’s attention the most, he only saw blue eyes once in his life and from what he heard it wasn’t that common. It came to Kaito’s mind then how strong Raijin Jirou must be. He looked like a teenager to Kaito, and him being a Jonin already says a lot about how powerful he is. Kaito admired his achievements and wanted to do just that. Jirou was very young and already very powerful, can Kaito become a Jonin at that age as well? The thought was provoking, he never dreamt of himself being a Jonin or even a Chunin. All he wanted was to be as fast as he possibly could, that’s why he has been training non-stop. Kaito wanted to see how strong Jirou is and hoped he would get to do just that in this mission. When Kaito was introduced to Kashikoi by Jirou, he realised that Jirou must be from the Inuzuka clan, this is the only clan Kaito knew used ninja dogs or rather, wolves. Kaito would have usually caught that much faster if he slept well, or if the energy pill effect kicked in, which it still hasn’t. When Kaito check Kashikoi once more, he found he didn’t look like an adult, but he didn’t look like a pup either. In a way, he was also a teenager like Jirou which fascinated him. Kaito wanted to pet the white wolf as he always wanted to have one of his own, but he thought he shouldn't do that, it will probably be considered an insult by both the Jonin and the wolf, which Kaito didn’t want. Kaito started feeling a little anxious from what Jirou said about having a good sleep. Kaito was sure, that Jirou noticed he hadn’t slept for a few days. He was a Jonin after all, and they tend to know that type of stuff. He hoped the energy pill effect would kick in before they depart the village though.

When Jirou introduced himself, Kaito realised there was someone else walking up to him. The moment Kaito looked behind him, The mysterious person greeted them and Jirou introduced him as Uchiha Kei, The other Genin that will be joining the mission. There should have been a third genin, but Jirou explained that Manzo won’t make it. Kei was what you would think of when thinking about an Uchiha, Just like Mei. He had the black hair and black eyes of one, he had a slender shape than most though, and his hair looked like a bowl which framed the rest of his face, Kaito thought this looked very cool. Kei looked old though, way older than Kaito, and even older than Jirou. His body was close enough to Kaito’s, but his voice sounded thicker than most people his age. Kaito couldn’t guess his age, not that it matters, an Uchiha was always a very strong teammate to have. They are always very bright and have abilities that is unique to them. Kei reminded him very much of Mei actually, Mei looked younger though, and she probably wasn’t as strong as him or have the same experience as him. He might even be stronger than the Jonin himself, some genins tend to be very powerful. From what Kaito knows as well, the Uchihas usually have the strongest genins. “Nice to meet you Kei!” said Kaito when Jirou said his name. Kaito was a little anxious, he was trying not to leave a bad impression on his teammate by being rude to him on their first meeting. Especially since this teammate was most likely a senior to him in terms of both age and experience from what Kaito gathered so far.

Kaito stopped analysing everyone around him the moment Jirou started explaining what the mission is and what they will need to achieve by setting out to complete this mission. Bandits terrorising the village trade routes, that is what Kaito’s father said a few days ago while having dinner and is what Jirou said just now, his father didn’t talk that much about it though. He said that the village is going to get them sooner rather than later, and that the village will send teams looking for them soon. Kaito never thought he would be one of those sent though. Kaito also knew there were other teams going as well, He knew Yayoi and Hitoshi were going on the same mission, but on different teams. Kaito didn’t know exactly how many teams were going but he didn’t care that much about it. All he cared about is completing his first mission successfully with no losses suffered.


Jirou’s words inspired Kaito, he always prioritised his teammates over the mission as Asuka sensei noticed from the exam she set up for him, and his fellow academy students back when she was the sennin. Kaito felt the words on a very deep level though and couldn’t help but smile slightly when Jirou finished talking. He felt so energised that he thought he didn’t need the energy from the energy pill anymore, to him this speech gave him more energy than any pill would. When the time for questions came though, Kaito had a question to ask. It was something bothering him from the moment he heard his dad talk about it, why? “I have a question if that’s okay.” Stated Kaito before asking his question. “Why are they doing that? Are they just thieves that want to accumulate as much money as possible? Or are they targeting the leaf village specifically to weaken its economy? Do we know their motive? If not what do you think?" Asked Kaito Jirou, he wasn’t sure if he was going to get an answer or not, but he asked it, nevertheless. It is better than not saying anything anyway.


[WC: 1033]
[TWC: 1814/4000]
[PC: 2/5]

 

[Uchiha Kei]

And thus marked the point at which Kei was able to put a face to the names Raijin Jirou, his wolf Kashikoi, and essentially what amounted to Kei’s genin counterpart, Sen Kaito.

Did he know the other boy? Kei’s attention fell towards him momentarily. The whimsical look he directed ostensibly forgot to undergo any amount of change as it moved from the team’s leader to the only other participating underling. It was as placid as it was upon arrival. It had utterly nothing to do with any amount of physical fatigue or some variety of unfounded hauteur, but his characteristic chill attitude and, perhaps, an early-onset world weariness.

Kei caught wind of the white-haired youth’s eyebrows and then he remembered. In an expression of realization, he plopped a balled fist into the one remaining hand’s open palm. The flash of memory revealed to Kei a portion of his academy days; as awkward as they were for the latecomer. There was one known for having the worst maintained eyebrows in the entire village. If any flies were unlucky enough to get caught in them, there was no hope of them escaping unaided - hence the nickname Kei crafted himself, ‘Flybrows.’ A school setting could be so cruel and more often than not, inspired such things to come to be. Superficial, shallow judgements were commonplace, but oddly, Kei did not express so much as a smile at this memory. His face remained quite blank and humourless, but somehow remained far separated from being cold or ireful. “Hey, yeah. Likewise, Fl-- Kaito,” he replied following the boy’s greeting.

“Oh, a ninken.” Kei was completely unable to resist dropping into a squatting position. With his knees sprawled far apart, he brought himself to the canine’s relative eye level. “Hello,” he said with the same variety of wave he gave to them previously. Kei did not seek to pet it for fear of demeaning a very intelligent creature. He felt it deserving of the same respect he would give to any other of his own species. For Kashikoi, a smile did appear on the Uchiha’s face. Kei rose back to a standing, upward position just as Jirou made mention of being one participant short.

“Oh, that’s too bad,” he replied before Jirou entered into a lengthy monologue. It began with a summary of their mission briefing that, once more, sounded an awful lot like a declaration of war. Attacking a nation’s trade route would generally be considered as such. Kei wondered if, perhaps, there was something much larger going on overall. There was a certain contemplativeness his face adopted through much of Jirou’s explanation; though, he did not elect to interrupt him. He felt like doing such at certain points, however. There was a very large focus on working as a team as if to imply the two of them were unable to understand the concept. Fortunately, Kei understood the idea of working with others. His brow furrowed as Jirou explained that it simply would not do to try killing your own team members with what he assumed to be elemental ninjutsu. Kei, most definitely, thought that went without saying. He nodded slowly, unable to completely hide how obvious he felt that was.

“Well, let’s hope sacrificing life won’t be necessary, eh?” Kei started with a dismissive wave of his hand, “and hope that the mission was properly ranked.” It most definitely sounded less like preparation for the uncertainties life often threw at you and more like there was something the jounin knew that Kei did not - or perhaps suspected.

Kei had no questions that he felt like voicing - not until Kaito raised his own. They were good questions. One of them was something he pondered on silently during Jirou’s speech. So, Kei went ahead and voiced such. “Yeah, that is a good question. Why are they doing this? Generally, such an attack is a legit act of war. They’re either very foolhardy, or… well, very confident. After all, we’re right outside the Hidden Leaf Village; easily able to call for reinforcements.” To emphasize this, Kei pointed to his headset.
​

---

[WC: 684]
[TWC: 1,562/4,000]
[Pc: 2/5]
[MFT]​

 

[Raijin Jirou]

Jirou looked towards Kaito who brought up his question. It was a very good question and one that Jirou himself had been pondering since first receiving this assignment. When Kei echoed his sentiment wanting to know the same, Jirou knew that it was time to address the question. It was a question that would take a while to answer and one that he could address while they were traveling outside the village. There was an urgency to this mission and they should get moving. “That is a very good question and one that should be discussed in depth. In fact as part of this mission I would like us to find out the motivations for these attacks from the bandits themselves if possible. In fact let us continue this discussion while we are moving. We have a mission to complete after all.” Jirou motions for them both to follow him.

As the four of them started down the road moving away from the village, Jirou would continue speaking to them both. “It is not enough to stop these attacks against the Leaf village. We also need to understand their motivations for what they are doing. What is driving their actions? Have they been hired by another village to disrupt trade coming into the Leaf village? These are just two more questions that deserve answers and what I want to find out. Knowledge is one of our best weapons. We need information about who they are, how large their group is and why they have declared war against the Leaf. This information will help us better form a strategy to fight against them. It could also help us to avoid war altogether, if we can gain a better understanding of their motives.” Taking a moment to pause, Jirou then continued. “For a long time I believed that bandits did what they did for no good reason. They had attacked my own village and killed my parents. They would have killed me and Kashikoi except for a swollen river that carried us both far from their grasp. I was too young then to understand why they attacked my home village. I still don’t know what their reasons were, but it led me to the Leaf where I was accepted and found a new family. Long story short everything does happen for a reason. These attacks would not be happening without a reason. Their actions are organized and deliberately thought out. There is a cause that is driving them forward. That is what we will be charged with finding out. There is a very good chance that we will see a fight. Blood will be spilled. I do know that they have already left several merchants very badly injured. These bandits are not just going to start off talking. They will need to be… subdued… first. So far no one has been killed, but if these attacks persist that could very easily change. Each of you should focus on disarming and disabling any opponent we come up against. We are to stop them, not create a bloodbath. A bloodbath will not stop what they are doing. It will just bring more violence and make it that much more difficult to stop them.”

They had by now been walking a good distance down the road leading away from the Leaf village. While Jirou had been talking, his attention was also on the bushes and trees lining the road. “Keep your attention not just on what might be ahead of us but also on what might be watching us from the trees lining the road. A Shinobi has to have eyes in the back of their head and never lose awareness of their surroundings.” Just then Jirou caught the faint scent of blood coming from up ahead. Kashikoi caught the scent as well. Putting a hand up for the genin to stop, he lowers to the ground narrowing his eyes. The scent was stronger now and he stood up slowly saying in a low voice, “There is something ahead. Stay focused and alert both of you. Let us move into the trees and approach with stealth, at least until we know what we are facing. Kashikoi will take up a position behind Kei and Kaito.”

They moved forward slowly and for the most part without a sound. Making their way through the trees and using the cover to hide them from view, they had gone about a hundred yards when they came to a party of travelers. Their wagon had been smashed and there were several injured that needed their wounds tending. That was what he had smelled earlier. Jirou counted a party of six wounded. Speaking to Kei and Kaito, Jirou said. “All right, move carefully and let us help these wounded. They need to be stabilized so we can help get them back to the village.” Jirou moved to treat two of the injured travelers with bandages from the first aid kit in his pouch, “I am Raijin Jirou and this is Sen Kaito and Uchiha Kei. We have come here from the Leaf village to help you. Who has attacked you? What can you tell us about your attackers?” The travelers were terrified from their ordeal and would need calming reassurance before they could even speak. One of the travelers finally spoke up, “I am Okazaki Akio. We had been carrying medicine to deliver to the Leaf hospital when we were attacked. We have no weapons and we were no danger to them. My daughter. Where is she?” The man, calling himself Akio, spoke and called for her by name. “Yua?! Where is my little Yua?” Jirou looked around and could see no girl among the injured. Jirou asked the distraught man, “We will find her. How old is she? Maybe she is just hiding.” The man started to cry, “She is only seven. I lost her mother. What will I do if I have lost my Yua too?” Jirou felt for the man but he knew that he needed to calm him if he was going to find out all that happened. Taking his water bottle from his pack, Jirou holds it up to the man’s lips to drink and tells him. “Drink this. I need you to calm yourself and tell me how many there were. We will find Yua and the people who have done this.” Akio guzzles several mouthfuls of water before finally speaking, “They seemed to come at us from every direction. I couldn’t begin to count them all. Except that many of them looked the same. I did see a very tall man who was yelling out orders to the others. The others attacked us and took the medical supplies. They smashed our wagon and just left us here to die. Yua was hiding under the wagon. Oh my God. Is she dead?” He tried to look and see if she was beneath the smashed wagon. Jirou motioned for one of the genin to check beneath the wagon and let him know if the girl is there. Jirou does his best to reassure Akio, “Let’s hope that she is still alive.” A feeling of dread washes over Jirou, who really did not want to tell Akio that his child was in fact dead. So far he had not picked up on the scent of death. Kashikoi would have smelled that scent even before him and gone to investigate. That gave Jirou some hope that perhaps Yua was only injured. Jirou waited hoping that either Kei or Kaito would find her. If she was not there, then it meant that the bandits had taken her and had her in their custody. Jirou had read that young children were sometimes taken by bandits to become slaves. This option was unacceptable to Jirou and he would do whatever he had to to get her back.

While he waited for confirmation from either Kei or Kaito, Jirou continued helping to calm the wounded. It was obvious that they were barely able to walk and would need help to get to the village. Jirou checked his radio headset but quickly realized that they were already outside of radio contact with the village. He could not let the travelers continue towards the village. They were in no condition to travel that far without help. The three of them would help to set up a camp for the injured to rest and regain their strength. Jirou was really glad for the extra snacks that Hiro had packed into his backpack now. Those snacks would help to sustain the injured until the three Shinobi returned to help them get to the Leaf village. Jirou spoke to the travelers, “We are going to set up a camp for you to rest. When we return we will help you get to the village. It is still a good distance off and we are already past radio contact.” Akio nodded, hardly seeming to hear him at all, but finally saying in a sob wracked voice. “We will wait here.” Jirou set up several very simple shelters for the travelers. The other two had their own parts of the camp to set up. Jirou watched them, pleased to see them helping to settle the injured group. After the three Leaf Shinobi were done setting up the camp, they would need to get moving after the bandits. Jirou had a look of intensity on his face that said he meant business.

Standing up Jirou motioned for Kei and Kaito to come with him, “We need to go after the bandits. Based on what they told us, it sounds like they used a clone jutsu to overwhelm them. This means that we may be dealing with more than one rogue Shinobi. We will be fine as long as we work as a team. Let’s see what we are up against and form a strategy once we get close. Remember stealth mode. Stay off the road and let’s try and keep the element of surprise to our advantage.” Kashikoi had his nose to the ground following the trail of the bandits. He was already out in front using the trees as cover. Jirou moved up beside Kashikoi and motioned for Kaito and Kei to stay close.

​

[WC: 1715]
[TWC: 3568/4,000]

[PC: ⅗]
[MFT]​

 

[Sen Kaito]

Kaito was silent when the Jirou said even he didn't know their motivation, Kaito expected if anyone knew it would be the Jonin responsible for the mission of all people. Kaito understood though that knowing their motivation was key to subduing them. He was still a Genin, but his cousin was part of the anbu, and from what he heard, Intel gathering was their speciality. Intel, as Jirou said, will make it possible to formulate a plan on how to deal with those bandits with the least number of losses. When Jirou mentioned the possibility of a war, Kaito thought about it. He, as most other people, would like to not see a war at all. It was a waste for all parties that took part in it, and every other country between them. It would be even bloodier if those bandits were hired by one of the great ninja villages. They wouldn't dare risk a war with the leaf though, right? thought Kaito to himself, and he hoped the answer was that they wouldn't.

Kaito was still deep in thought about the motivation of those bandits, but once Jirou mentioned the death of his parents and village, Kaito was taken aback. His pace even slowed for a few seconds. He couldn't believe what he heard. He knew this type of stuff happened, but he never met anyone to which it happened to. Kaito was never close to any of his family, it has always been more about respecting and helping each other, in fact he only truly loved is little brother. He still couldn't imagine how he would love without any of them if something bad happened to them. He didn't even know if he could cope with it or not. Jirou must have had it hard, thank god he had Kashikoi though. He must have been a lot of help. Thought Kaito to himself again. He couldn't relate to him, but he definitely felt sorry for him.

Kaito needed to get out of it though, they had a mission to completer and people to save. He couldn't just keep on thinking about what might be, he needed to think about what he will do. He can't use any deadly jutsus, with Kaito's arsenal, this mainly means he can mainly use Taijutsu since he was proficient in both wind and lightning, both of which are considered deadly. When Jirou mentioned that they should be aware of their surroundings, Kaito realised he hasn't even looked anywhere since they started heading to their destination. of course, this is a crucial mistake, and he knew it. He was learning, which he always liked, from now on he will need to pay more attention to his surroundings. He even knows how to sense chakra from his tutelage under his anbu cousin. When Jirou said there was something close, Kaito immediately took his Kunai out in anticipation of a fight.

To his surprise, Kaito didn't find any enemies, but instead he found six people wounded near a wagon. The moment they arrived Jirou ordered for both Kei and Kaito to help. When Kaito heard Jirou he rushed to nurse another 2 himself, he took the bandages and some chemicals out in case the wound was infected. Kaito noticed that those travellers were panicking, he also noticed that Jirou was trying to calm them down so he can ask them the questions needed. The moment one of the travellers mentioned their daughter, Kaito was lost for a second again. Focus Thought Kaito. when he heard what happened he couldn't help but wanting to run to find her. He had to focus though, he had to stop. He had a mission to complete, and he couldn't just go running to find someone, this might endanger other people as well. The second Jirou motions his hand though, Kaito goes to the wagon as fast as possible to check on the girl named Yua. He found no one there though, "I am afraid there is no one under the wagon" Kaito said with a concerned voice, but when he realised his answer will most likely panic the father, he went on his knees near the wagon and continued, "I can see small footsteps though, she mustn't have gone far! I am sure we will find her hiding somewhere near here" Kaito said with a slight smile trying to hide the lie he just said. There were no footsteps he could see, he looked at Jirou, hoping he would understand without Kaito needing to say it out aloud.

Kaito set up his own part of the camp, it took him longer than he thought it would as it was his first time ever setting up all those tents. After setting up the camps, Kaito remembered Yua. He couldn't just let a child die, he hated it. I wish I could have got here faster; we would have got them before they took her Thought Kaito, giving a sigh that showed how bad he actually felt for the man and his daughter. Jirou looked just as intense though, he was probably as determined as Kaito if not more. When Jirou mentioned for both Kaito and Kei to come, Kaito went beside Kei, he was the older after all and he probably have more experience with those feelings in a mission, while it was Kaito's first. Kaito heard what Jirou said, he nodded and was ready to use his Chakra sense if they find something that belongs to them.


[WC: 914]
[TWC: 2728/4,000]
[PC: 3/5]

 

[Uchiha Kei]

A very good question. Indeed, Kei thought so, for of course, tis the reason he posed such. He supposed his guess was as good as any others’. In fact, despite the present three having already been given their mission, Jirou saw fit to introduce additional parameters to it. He struck Kei as an overachiever and just that portion of dialogue alone suggested such to him. Surely, it was something Kei was curious about, but not something they were personally tasked with discovering nor something that, he thought, possessed any weight as to whether or not they would see the mission as successful or not. It went without saying that if discovering a motive was indeed imperative to the successful completion of their mission, then they would have no choice but to attempt to discover it.

Kei was mildly surprised. He was just told that it would actually not be enough to stop the attacks against the village - or rather, to temporarily stop them, Kei assumed. They were to understand their motivations. Their squad’s lead was able to come up with one scenario and it was one of the most commonplace motives for a crime; money. However, to Kei, that was hardly a suitable motive for anyone intelligent. It mattered not how much one was being paid to do a task. If there was a high possibility that death awaited them before they could claim their paycheque, all would certainly claim it to be nowhere near worth it. Attacking a Hidden Village’s trade route for a handsome payout could be a motive, but then if so, Kei could not see the culprits as anybody holding any good amount of strength or power. The squad pressing on, their village shrinking more and more as they did - each dealt in the manipulation of subtle energies - an unseen force requiring discipline, control, intelligence - those dumb enough to attack Konoha in such a cowardly way with such a grave, unfounded self confidence - well, Kei was growing ever-the-more excited to met them for quite literally, they would likely not know what hit them; but for all he knew, they could turn out to be very power - very powerful petty thieves.

Kei let out a humoured, ‘humph,’ as a smirk overtook the mundane, horizontal curl of his lips. He thought such a development would be just his luck - so, not at all out of the ordinary for the likes of him. The brief, hushed chortle was somewhere within the pause Jirou presented before he continued with a portion of his traumatic backstory. Kei could not help but grimace at the mention of a story he had been made privy to many a time before. It was far more than enough for him to find contentment in his own family matters for, at the very least, he was one of the very few shinobi with parents that were neither estranged or deceased despite their regrettable separation. The jounin’s words ensued, confirming his thoughts, strong as they were, that something ostensibly mighty was driving them to do the things that they were. Kei was hardly convinced, but had yet to offer any words of his own until that point. It was only with the mention of subduing them and not turning this into a ‘bloodbath’ did the shinobi have a question to insert.

“So, I’m assuming the mission has changed then? From ‘clearing the way of bandits,’ to capturing and interrogating them?” Perhaps that was always the intention. However, besides Kei simply wanting to be clear on the matter, it was simply how he interrupted ‘clearing the way’ of something. This, of course, meant things could get tricky as a result. He made no mention of this. He was sure the jounin knew for his knowledge appeared to be nigh ceaseless. Asking the apparent upstarts to subdue and disarm targets opposed to rendering them unconscious could be asking a lot. It almost verged on underestimation for it would have to be assumed their own power trumped that of the bandits to overwhelm them so thoroughly. Kei hoped they were powerful enough to hold back to such a degree. Then wrestling their weapons away from them and carefully restraining or, perhaps, knocking them out was a possibility. While he had confidence enough it was possible, it really depended. After all, their jounin eluded to the fact that their adversaries could be no laughing matter.

To Kei, being outside the village was a definite treat. He had a love for breezy weather and was all too glad when blankets of grey swept across the skies overhead. To him, it was the most refreshing kind of weather. The monochrome ambience did not depress him like it appeared to dispirit others. That day was more of one that let the sun’s rays slip through far more often than not; but besides that, there did seem to be a sporadic breeze Kei would be able to enjoy if it were not for, of course, having to keep his awareness sharp. Far too easy was it to err when losing one’s self in the comforts an environment had to offer. So, he had only so much he could appreciate that day for most of his attention lay all around him. Had he forgotten to do such? Well, no. The threat of being attacked any moment by bandits did that. He had not forgotten the purpose as to why they were there or what it meant for the militant assassins that they were to stop paying attention to their surroundings.

Kei crept to a halt, hands long-since hiding within the bedimmed innards of their respective pockets. The adjacent youth pulled to the ready a familiar tool of the trade while Kei himself… remained in the very same post he struck upon coming to a halt just behind Jirou. His disposition was as it always was. He appeared far too lax, nigh shrouding the area whole within a mocking nonchalance. The two of them were told to take to the trees. A subtle, devil-may-care shrug was Kei’s initial response before he followed suit, most likely being the last to find the soles of his standard shinobi sandals touching tree bark. He possessed as much skill with stealth as any other average ninja. He did not accel in it, but knew the resulting ambushes proceeding them to be something he rather not ever have to deal with. It was yet another reason he kept his focus high and did so under a comfortable guise of casualness.

Their movements were predictably sluggish for care was needed to avoid snapping twigs or rustling foliage. The Uchiha moved overhead, bounding from one branch to the other. He did so sparsely. The intention was not to move ahead of the two below. Though, with a familiar crimson overtaking his irises, a trio of tomoe surrounding an attentive pupil, Kei scanned all around him, looking from one portion of the forest to the other before looking out towards the path they were most interested in. With the doujutsu’s deactivation, the mundane black flooded his irises. At some point, they traversed an approximate one-hundred yards. It was around then did the unfortunate wreckage of a merchant’s cart come into view. ‘Wow, this really is a problem…’ he thought to himself. While he did not disbelieve the happenings the council-given mission entailed, he did not expect it to be so easy to come across the bandit’s aftermath. It very much was the very first thing they encountered after venturing beyond the borders of the village.

Six individuals speckled the area, all injured. Upon bearing witness to the unfortunate scene, Kei recalled a friend that would have been of undeniable use tending to those needing medical attention. It was a shame his headset was a lot less useful than he ever remembered it being or she could have easily been called in to perform her medicinal feats. “I’ll do what I can…” Kei replied. He moved over to a pair that were not currently being tended to. He did so with a lot less vigor than his counterpart did and traced his fleet steps with an eye almost pitying. That greenness and innocence certainly would not be lasting in a career such as the one he chose - assuming, of course, if he were to survive it at all. Dismissing the thought and arriving at the needing two, Kei fished from his pouch many of the items Jirou already had been utilizing where he was. Disinfectant was a clear top priority before stitching or bandages could be applied. Kei casually, but incontestably tossed objects one could bite down on for sewing whatever open wounds needed closing after they were disinfected. Luckily, they were herbal rubs to somewhat numb the area. There was a certain callosity that accompanied his actions as he performed them, but they were not executed roughly. They were done in a manner that suggested just that; actions that needed to be done. He was not one for giving medical attention and certainly was not excited to catch sight of the murky innards of a human body. At the same time, he could shut himself off from reacting to it as well, much like one might when moving to kill a spider; a gross endeavour, then one’s consideration of the endeavour leaves them and the act is simply… performed. Thoughtlessly.

Upon hearing his name, Kei offered a low-energy wave without turning to those the jounin was speaking to. Instead, he continued wrapping up the recent task assigned to him. “Sorry if any of that felt rough. You’re okay?” he asked the two receiving his makeshift treatments. As they replied, their words faded in volume as Kei turned his attention to the vocalizations of the ones Jirou was speaking to. From what he could tell for the moment or two Kei was listening to his patients, they were fine. Afterwards, he made some mental notes. All upon the cart were injured quite badly. Their cart was destroyed and the medical supplies they were delivering to a Konoha hospital were stolen. On top of all of that, they kidnapped a girl whose age had yet to hit double digits. The order to not kill was quickly evanescing within the genin’s mind at that point. His imagination began to run wild with terrible images he began to thirst for, drowning out the white lie that followed the mention of nobody being found hiding beneath the splintered, torn cart.

Despite their efforts, they were unfit to make it back to the village of their own volition. Even if able, as heinous as their assailants have proven to be, there was no guarantee they would not have been attacked in their attempt to retreat to the safety of the village to begin with. The setting up of a camp was the best the three of them could manage to give them both respite and some degree of safety - a fleeting sense of one that was mostly illusionary at that. If horse and carriage was not enough to shelter them, neither would be flimsy tents. While that weighed on Kei’s mind, so did the passage of time and the fate of the young girl hanging in the balance.

“You better believe we do,” Kei nigh spat with a nearly tangible ire sousing his words. They followed Jirou’s statement of needing to pursue the bandits. He continued to expose his clear malice, only but subtly hushed, as he continued. “Yeah, clones are a poor choice against me…” Already did his eyes abandon the two of them and search discreetly about as if hoping to catch sight of someone to usher a silent warning of what was to come. Having been instructed to keep to the trees once more as well as keep close, he did just that. He was to approach this intelligently. While Jirou took the lead, their every action was not going to be dictated to them. Kei was ready to execute his various plans depending upon the situation that unfolded before them. The wraps woven from fingertip to elbow secured themselves in place upon the boy. They ostensibly did so of their own accord.
​

---

[WC: 2,035]
[TWC: 3,597/4,000]
[PC: 3/5]​

 

[Raijin Jirou]

When Jirou heard what Kaito had to say about not finding anyone under the wagon, he knew there was still hope that the child was still alive. However the tone in his voice and the way that Kaito looked told him that there was more to his words. Jirou did not press for details from Kaito, but instead turned to ask the father, “Do you have something that belonged to Yua? It will help us to track her.” The father nodded and fished through his rucksack before withdrawing a stuffed panda and handing it to Jirou while adding, “This belongs to Yua. She can’t go to sleep without her panda.” The stuffed panda looked worn and well-loved. It would be just what they needed to help track her down. Jirou took the stuffed panda, inhaling deeply the scent of the girl before holding it out for Kashikoi to do the same. Closing his eyes a moment he was able to get a fix on the direction that the bandits were going. When he opened his eyes Kashikoi was already pointing in the same direction. Saying to the father he asks him, “If it is all right I will keep this panda in my backpack, so that we can give it to her once we catch up to the bandits. I think that she will be very happy to see her panda again.” The father nodded gratefully, answering back. “Thank you. Yes please give her the bear. She calls the bear Po.” Jirou nods to this, standing up and packing Po Bear away. It was time to get going. They could not allow them to gain any larger of a lead than the one that the bandits already had on them.

Jirou and his team take off after the bandits. As they do Jirou is very aware that these bandits were far more ruthless than he realized. Jirou was no longer certain that they even should be questioned. At least not by them. This was an act of terrorism that needed to dealt with quickly and efficiently. They should be arrested and brought to answer for their crimes. It was even worse that they had taken a small child with them. This was an innocent that they had taken and Jirou was determined that she would not have to remain with these bandits for long. Looking upwards towards Kei as he traverses the tree branches, Jirou says to him in answer to his question. “The mission has always been to stop these bandits. While it would be useful to understand what has driven them to take these actions against the Leaf, it may not be something that we have the opportunity to do. These bandits must be stopped. Their prisoner must be reunited with her father. I would like us to capture and immobilize them so that they can be taken into Leaf custody. Once we are back within radio range a communication can be sent to dispatch a team to pick them up. These bandits need to answer for their crimes to the Hokage. Once in custody then the business of interrogation can begin. That way we will learn their reasoning.” The pace that they were moving at was good and Jirou could sense the gap closing between them and the bandits. It was possible that the stolen supplies and their captive were slowing their escape down. It could also be that they were being led to their main camp where they would be facing an even larger group of bandits. If that was the case they had to reach them before they could meet up with their reinforcements. Jirou picked up the pace even more and said to Kaito and Kei, “We are closing the gap. Let’s try and reach them quickly. We want to get the drop on them first. If you see the child, whoever is closest should try and reach her and get her away from the bandits, while the other two keep the bandits busy. Once the child is away from the bandits then rejoin the fight and let’s stop these massive pains in the backside.” Kashikoi is loping at an even pace, staying just ahead of the group. Kashikoi was ready to rip into the bandits and Jirou knew that he was not going to be holding back. Jirou was incensed and knew what they had to do. This threat to the Leaf needed to be stopped with force and efficiency.

It was already late afternoon and they had traveled a good distance moving further and further away from the Leaf village. Jirou and Kashikoi came to a stop when they saw just ahead of them the party of bandits stopped at a crossroads. Jirou could hear their raised voices as two of the bandits were complaining that they wanted a bigger cut. There were seven bandits in all. Of course the seventh bandit was quite a bit taller than the rest. He was also barking orders and bossing his subordinates around. He was built like a tank with a large sword strapped to his back. His hair was cropped short except for a long strip of hair that reached from the middle of his forehead and traveled back to end in a long ponytail that ended between his shoulder blades. His arms were covered in wraps and he wore a gray tunic belted at the middle, loose pants and open toed boots. Jirou lowers down, motioning for his teammates to do the same. He wanted to hear what they were saying before they approached them.

The leader had the loudest voice and what he said was the easiest to hear, “You are not here to think. You are here to follow my orders. This is all part of the plan to drive the Leaf village to its knees. This is War and we will be victorious. We terrorize those entering and leaving the village. We take their trade away so their economy fails. We isolate them. Then we strike and strike hard. We take out their Hokage.”

The leader faced a challenge by his cohort who asked, “What about this brat? What are we going to do with her? I never signed on for kidnapping young ones.”

“The leader answers gruffly, “We will take her to Crater City and sell her. What becomes of her is not my concern. Don’t start growing a conscience now. She is just part of how we terrorize the people we attack. We let them know that no one is safe.”

Another bandit pipes up, “Wouldn’t it have been better to just kill the brat? It's annoying having to listen to her whimpering.”

There is a basket on the ground that the leader kicks and says, “Shut your mouth or I will give you something to really cry about! Just do your jobs and let’s keep moving. We should make it to camp just before dark.”

When Jirou saw the leader kick the basket that was more than enough for him. He starts forward and motions the others to follow. Jirou approaches the bandits and speaks to the leader, “That is enough. I am giving you one chance to surrender.”

The leader and the six bandits start laughing at the party of four that now faces them. Kashikoi is letting out a low growl with his hackles raised. The Leader says to Jirou, “Is this the mighty fighting force of the Leaf village? How pathetic. It will actually be enjoyable to send each of you back to your village with your tails between your legs.”

Several of the other bandits start to move into formation and one says, “Let’s get on with it already. You brats and that mutt are finished. You are outnumbered and outmatched.” The Leader then kicks the basket again causing it to fall onto its side and start to roll towards the three Leaf Shinobi. As the Leader reaches up to draw his massive blade from its scabbard, Jirou draws his own katana from its saya. Lightning was channeling down Jirou’s right arm and into his blade. The blade glowed with the electrical energy, as Jirou beckoned the leader forward with his left hand. Things were about to get very real as the four of them prepared for battle. Six bandits and a leader facing the four youthful Shinobi. Jirou had faith that his team could do this and he said to them, “We can do this. Let us show them what happens when they attack the Leaf.”


[WC: 1424]
[TWC: 4992/4,000]
[PC: ⅘]
[MFT]
[Used: Chidori Control]​

 

[Sen Kaito]

Kaito was still thinking of the young girl. Kaito had a younger sister and he very much loved her. He imagined she was the one kidnapped. He took it very personally which probably wasn't the best thing to do in a mission, nevertheless, he was determined to get the girl back. Kaito looked at Kei to see how he was reacting to the situation, and to his surprise Kei was as casual as ever. Is this what shinobis should be like? Have no feelings in missions? Kaito wondered, this might have sounded like criticism from Kaito, but Kaito was legitimately curious, he was still new to being a shinobi. He didn't know how he should react to stuff like that. He wanted to ask Kei but realised this wasn't the best course of action with the circumstances at hand.

When the father gave Jirou the Panda, it reminded him of his sister even more. She always slept with her Panda beside her. He noticed that both Jirou and Kashikoi inhaled the scent of the Panda. Kaito saw this before with one of his dad's friend. Kaito was hiding from them for an extended period of time just because he was bored. His dad could have easily found him from what he heard later, but this friend was around anyway, and he happened to be from the Akimachi clan, Kaito was found almost immediately. People from the Akimachi clan has very strong noses, which can only be compared to their own wolves. The same was happening here, Kaito noticed that both Jirou and Kashikoi looked at the same direction, this most likely meant that the girl, and in turn the bandits went in this direction. They will probably have to go fast if they planned on catching up, they lost enough time tending to the people wounded and building the tents.


When they started going after the bandits, Kaito was, strangely enough, excited. He didn't know what was going to happen, he knew they were going to fight people, and he is finally going to use his Jutsus in actual fight. That was his first mission after all, it didn't take him long to realise the danger of one of them dying, or even worth to him, the girl dying. He quickly dismissed that thought though, he knew it was going to be fine, they will get her back and they will all be safe. Kaito is quite the optimist, at least that is what his friends called him. Kei's question was a very good question, it asked about the objective of the mission, and if it changed or not. Jirou's answer also helped him understand the situation better. Although it made it harder for him. Kaito was most trained in both Wind and Lightning, which were the most lethal of the elements, he had to make sure no one dies though, Only immobilized, got it Thought Kaito to himself. He started to think about the Jutsus he could use, this statement alone left him without most of his arsenal. Once Jirou said we were closing in, Kaito started going faster. Jirou then told them the plan to save the girl, Kaito wholeheartedly agreed with it, he didn't like the fact they will split up for a while, there might be an ambush, they had to save the girl though, no matter what. Kaito planned on doing his best to do that, he will try to secure an opening for anyone to save her, of course Kaito will try to save her if he gets the chance, but he knew Jirou or Kashioki were probably more suited for the job, He will try nevertheless though.


When Jirou ordered Kaito and Kei to stop, Kaito could already here the two bandits arguing. The bandit who mentioned he was the leader was huge, especially when comparing him to Kaito who was 13 and was already thinner than most people in his year. He was also extremely loud which was very strange as Kaito imagined they will try to hide, but they didn't. They clearly thought of themselves strong enough to match a leaf team. This meant they were probably stronger than Kaito anticipated. I will have to be careful and not take any gambles Kaito thought, his train of thought was cut thought when they mentioned the Hokage, They want to kill asuka sensei? No! Kaito said looking as determined as ever, He knows the Hokage is one of the strongest shinobis in the whole world, and will probably be able to handle a few bandits. If Kaito could help Asuka sensei he would though, she did train him several times in genjutsu and everything else really. He looked even more determined than before. He never thought he could be as serious as he was at this point. The bandits even wanted war, Why would anyone want that? Thought Kaito, he knows war can be beneficial to a few people, but it kills even more people than the ones it enriches. Kaito forgot about the girl for a second, but when one of the bandits mentioned her, he saw she was in a basket in front of the bandit leader. Crater city, Does this mean they are from there? Not necessarily, they can just be going there to give us wrong information. When the bandit kicked the girl, Kaito was angrier than ever, he felt different. He thought it was adrenaline, but not, it was stronger, it felt like his body was going to move forward on it's own, not even a normal movement, it felt as if he could go to each one of them and kill them without them even realising what happened to them. It felt like he had infinite chakra that fuelled his strength and agility. Should he use this... feeling of his to save her? No! I can't risk her life Thought Kaito. He saw Jirou interfered immediately after he saw the girl being kicked. He must have been as angry as Kaito if not even more. When Jirou interfered Kaito followed immediately, the girl had suffered enough already. Kaito had his kunai ready, and when Jirou used the chidori control on his sword, Kaito wanted to save the girl or at least help someone else do it, a sudden wind gathered and changed into a spiralling force, creating a large funnel cloud that became a large tornado. Upon impact, the vortex of wind drilled into the bandit closest to the girl while carrying them high into the sky through the sheer strength of the winds. The battle was on.

[WC: 1099]
[TWC: 3827/4000]
[PC: 4/5]
[Used: Tatsumaki]

 

[Raijin Jirou]

Very slowly the leader turned to face the youthful challengers. The expression was one of visible annoyance especially when he realized that their arguing had allowed the Shinobi to arrive undetected, “Well isn’t this a pleasant surprise? The Leaf has sent its ‘finest’ to stop us.” The word finest was said with a tone of condescension. The leader strikes his companion on the back of his head adding, “You idiot. This is exactly what I mean. You don’t pay attention and now we have ‘company’ to deal with.” His companion rubbed the back of his head frowning, “They are just kids. We can easily deal with this lot.” The leader waved a hand dismissively before adding with a derisive laugh, “Looks like we have been given one chance to surrender. What do you say, my brothers? We can have some real fun with them?” With that he turns to face the Leaf Shinobi alongside his brothers and calls out, “Is this the mighty fighting force of the Leaf village? How pathetic. It will actually be enjoyable to send each of you back to your village with your tails between your legs.”

It was true that the Leaf Shinobi were outnumbered. However that fact did not deter them. The Will of Fire burned within their hearts and with that a desire to protect the Leaf village against any threats. These bandits were just such a threat and they needed to be stopped before they could cause any more damage than they already had. The leader had drawn his own blade and in response Jirou readied himself for battle now saying back to them, “You have been attacking travelers entering and leaving the Leaf village. This is not something that we can allow to continue. This is an act of war. What village have you come from? Why are you doing this?” As he said this he was keenly aware that the basket containing the girl was rolling down a slight slope towards Kaito. One of the others was moving ever closer towards Kaito to engage him and retrieve the basket. Jirou had his hands full facing the leader and two others who joined their leader in this fight. Still he could see from the corner of his vision the basket being lifted up and he felt the sudden onrush of wind that let him surmise what jutsu it was that Kaito had used. Jirou had no time to waste as the Bandit’s leader closed the distance between them. Their blades clashed in furious movements. Lightning coursed through Jirou while Kashikoi charged at another of the warriors fast approaching Jirou. Using his fangs and claws Kashikoi lunged after the man, his own intent fully upon drawing blood.

The Leader did not answer Jirou’s question, instead pressing forward in his attack against the youthful Shinobi facing him and his men. Swords clashed and the fight was on. Jirou acted on instinct as each sword strike matched and blocked the leader’s strikes. Before even engaging his foe Jirou had surveyed the land and his mind had worked out the strategy that he wanted to use. Seeing his opportunity once Kashikoi had herded two of the warriors close enough together, Jirou leaped back away from the leader and made the hand seal to create a Laser Prison around two of the warriors. That would at least keep them busy while he dealt with the leader. He could only hope that the genin were holding their own against their own enemies. The warriors look startled at being caged. Kashikoi snarled at the men within the prison. One of them attempted to touch the barrier thereby receiving a painful shock that knocked the warrior to the ground. The other warrior muttered something, while calling out to the leader who was once more facing Jirou. The leader was strong to be sure and he wielded his giant sword with fluid dexterity. The fact that Jirou had managed to imprison his brothers only fueled his rage, and the leader attempted to strike hard and fast against Jirou. For Jirou his speed was a very real advantage. His goal was to keep his opponent off balance by circling and staying in constant motion. Jirou would circle his opponent appearing on the opposite side as the blade crashed down where he had been only moments before. Kashikoi darted in and out as well causing his opponent to have to evade and adjust his stance continually. Jirou’s strategy was to both confuse and tire his opponent.

In the meantime Sen Kaito was fighting his own battle. Having already sent the basket up into a cyclone, it remained to be seen just where the basket would land. What goes up must come down and a hard landing could cause serious injuries to the child inside. The one warrior had been knocked back by the wind jutsu at least temporarily. Another warrior was already on the move to engage Sen Kaito in battle. The second warrior formed a long thin tendril of water reinforced with his own chakra. The warrior wielded this tendril like a whip and attempted to strike Sen Kaito with it. The girl was screaming in terror as the basket turned around and around in the cyclone. The warrior was brutal and it would be very obvious to Sen Kaito that his opponent was experienced in wielding a whip. Especially when the basket started its return back to the ground and the warrior suddenly diverting his attention from Sen Kaito lashed out with his water whip attempting to split the basket and the screaming girl inside into two halves.


[WC: 938]
[TWC: 5930/4,000]
[PC: 5/5 ]
[MFT]
[Jirou Used: Laser Prison against two NPC’s]
[Kashikoi Used: Blood Rack]
[NPC Warrior Used: Water Whip against Sen Kaito]​

 

[Sen Kaito]

Kaito was more focused than ever. This was his first actual fight, and it was very much as he imagined it would be. The adrenaline rushing through his veins, his heart pumping faster than it ever did and his decisions changing the future of some people, and maybe even whole villages. He could hear the leader of the bandits understanding them, ‘finest’ he said. Kaito didn't care what he thought at all, neither did Jirou or Kei, visibly anyway. Jirou still asked them where they from, and who they were working for, but they give him no heed. This were important information that the village needed to know, and they will answer it when they are questioned by the hidden leaf village, whether they wanted to or not

when the fight started Kaito saw that 3 of them headed towards Jirou and Kashioki, the bandit leader included. Jirou was a jonin, and Kaito was sure Jirou was going to win this fight, he was a leaf jounin after all. He always heard how leaf Jonins are the strongest of all and only second to the Hokage and the anbu, and with Kashioki around, Jirou chances in winning only increased. Meanwhile Kaito couldn't see Kei, Kaito was hopeful he would handle himself though.

After Kaito used Tatsumaki , he looked at Jirou. He held two of the bandits in what seemed like electric prisons, and he and Kashioki were handling the leader. Jirou was way faster than the leader, but the leader looked formidable with his strong sword. If Kaito was in the position of jirou, he would have tried to out fast the leader, and disarm him. Jirou would know better though, he is the experienced one, not Kaito. This thought lasted for Kaito's mind only one second, he needed to help the girl get down, but before he could, another bandit attacked him with a water whip. Kaito barely dodged the first one as he was readying himself to catch the girl and didn't anticipate another bandit to attack him. Kaito looked at the girl again, she was falling down. Kaito had to save her before she fell on the ground. The bandit suddenly stopped aiming for him and aimed his water whip at the girl, if he hits, he will cut the girl in half. Time stopped, Kaito could feel the same unnatural power coming to him, he felt as if he could save the girl, and knock down all the bandits in one second. All he had to do, was to let his legs move. Kaito blinked for a second, No! He thought, opening his eyes, he can't endanger anyone with whatever this power was.

Kaito quickly got back to his conscious. He needed to save the girl and knockout this bandit. He immediately jumped in the air as fast as he can to catch the basket with the girl in it, and he did. The whip was going to hit both of them if he didn't do anything though, that is when a rapid vortex formed around both Kaito and the girl, with wind so strong it protected them from the water whip. Kaito landed on the floor with the girl in his hand, he put the basket on the floor behind him with the girl still inside. He looked at the bandit with the water whip for a moment and waved a hand sign. The area started getting hotter and hotter by the second, so much so that when the bandit tried attacking Kaito again, the whip evaporated mid-way. Kaito has had enough of those bandits terrorising the village and its inhabitants. He stared at the bandit that attacked him and the girl with whip, and waved another hand sign. When he did, an electric ball appeared in his hand, that then changed to look like a very long spear. This spear was long enough to pierce through the bandit's shoulder. Kaito made sure the bandit wasn't dead, he wanted to just immobilise him. Kaito then took the girl and ran through the forest as fast as he could. He didn't want to endanger her any further.

He took her a few miles away from the fight in a small cave he found when they were following the bandit's trail. "Sorry you had to go through that, you are safe now though. don't worry, we will take you to your dad soon, for now though, I would like you to stay here with a companion you can play with" Kaito said with a smile on his face while summoning a rock golem. He wanted the rock golem to protect her in case anything happened, he told her she can play with him though as to not worry her.

Kaito returned as fast possible to the fight though. He started reassessing the situation when he came back, he didn't know what happened after he left.

[WC: 824]
[TWC: 4645/4000]
[PC: 5/5]
[Used: Cyclone Movement, Heat Wave, Chidori Control and Rock Golem]

 

[Raijin Jirou]

The strategy was paying off as Jirou’s opponent was becoming visibly frustrated at the quick moving Jounin before him. The leader’s movements were slowing and Jirou could see beads of sweat dripping down into the dirt caused by the man’s exertion. The leader was tiring and he slammed his fist into the earth using the Sinkhole Fist jutsu in an effort to rain down rock and debris onto Jirou’s head. Jirou knew immediately that this could become a very real problem very quickly unless he managed to put the leader out of commission in a hurry. Jirou did not hesitate to sheath his sword and make his next move against the Bandit leader. Kashikoi dodged in and out of the falling debris coming ever closer to the leader, while Jirou held his hands out in front of him and shot thin bolts of laser focused lightning from his fingertips at his opponent.. The lightning struck the Leader, dropping him to the ground. His body convulsed and the falling debris slowed and ceased completely once the Leader had lost consciousness. Jirou looked at the man, turning his attention to the two in the Laser Prison that he managed to maintain during the fight with the Leader. The Leader on the ground was not moving and Jirou wondered to himself briefly if had killed him. Kashikoi approached the Leader and picked the sword up in his mouth carrying it over to Jirou like a dog fetching a stick. The Leader had dropped the sword as soon as the lightning hit him causing the muscles and tendons in his body to spasm and convulse. Jirou took the sword claiming it as his own and was determined to deliver it to the Leaf village. He hoped that the Hokage would allow him to keep the sword. It would make a cool trophy for his wall in his bedroom. Hiro might even have some insight with regards to its origin that could be passed on to the Hokage.
​

As for this moment however Jirou bent down over the Leader. Realizing that the Leader was still breathing, even though the breathing was shallow and ragged, Jirou knew that he would need to tie up these loose ends before he and Kaito could return to the village and notify the Leaf to come and get this group for interrogation. Looking around at the scene around him, Jirou saw Kaito was not far off but there was no sign of the basket that had been holding the girl. He didn’t see the third genin or the two other warriors that had been with the rest of the group. Had the third member of their team run away from the battle? Jirou really hoped that was not the case, but the more that he surveyed the scene with Kashikoi the more likely it became that the genin had in fact run off and abandoned his teammates. Jirou would need to notify the Hokage about this development on their return to the village. In the meantime Jirou turned towards Kaito whose opponents had been struck by some of the falling rocks and debris that their leader was responsible for in his effort to defeat Jirou. Not only had the Leader failed to hit Jirou and Kashikoi, but he had hit his own people instead. Looking over at Kaito, Jirou asked him. “Are you injured? Where is the girl? We need to tie up these bandits for pickup. Once we are back within radio range with the Leaf we will notify them and arrange for this lot to be picked up for interrogation. Very good work on immobilizing these two. I am very glad that you had my back.” Jirou needed to also make sure that the girl was uninjured after her flight through the air.

While Jirou waited to hear how Kaito answered his questions, he set his backpack down and took the rope from his backpack. Without delay he hogtied the Leader binding his feet and and hands behind his back while the Leader remained face down. The Leader had not yet regained consciousness. Jirou could hope that he would not regain consciousness until he was in the custody of the Anbu. The other two were still snug and secure in their Laser Prison. They could stay there until they were picked up. Jirou was certain that the Anbu would get answers from their prisoners. After all, the Leaf still needed to know why this group had essentially declared war against the Leaf and who, if anyone, was helping them. Jirou looked over to see how Kaito was coming with his own prisoners and if he needed any assistance with making sure that they were restrained to await pickup.


[WC: 790]
[TWC: 6720/4,000]
[PC: 6/5 ]
[MFT]
[Jirou Maintains: Laser Prison against two NPC’s]
[Jirou Used: Lightning Torrent against Bandit Leader]
[Bandit Leader Used: Sinkhole Fist Against Jirou]​

 

[Sen Kaito]

When Kaito came back, he started looking around to see what was happening and what happened when he was away. He stood on a tree which served as a vanatge point. He could see both Jirou fighting the bandit leader, and he could also see his rock golem. As long as the golem is safe, the girl should be as well thought Kaito to himself. He knew putting the rock golem there was a risk of attracting unwanted attention to her. The enemies were nearby though, and back when he was fighting his two bandits he couldn't see neither Kei or the bandits he was fighting. He couldn't risk the girl being kidnapped by them again so he put the rock golem. He hoped Jirou wouldn't blame him for the decision he took when he tells him. Kaito was watching Jirou fight the bandit leader, he didn't know if he should help or not. They are two jonins fighting, should a gennin try and help? or will this compromise the mission? Kaito didn't know what he should do, he opted to stay out of it though till jirou signals otherwise. Kaito was still looking around for Kei, he didn't know where he went. From what Kaito knew about Kei, he was an Uchiha. They were mainly able to handle themselves, but if Kei needed help, He will recieve it from his team. Kei gave no sign that he needed help, or any at all really, he just vanished. Did he run? No of course not, he would not! It came to Kaito's mind, but he dismissed it. He couldn't have possibly done that. He did complete all his previous missions from what Kaito knew.

While Kaito was thinking about Kei and jumping from tree to tree to look for him, keeping in mind to also be able to see both Jirou and his rock golem, he saw Jirou holding his hands at the direction of the bandit leader. Kaito saw what seemed to be a lightning torrent, but he thought he could see some laser in it as well. He wasn't sure of it, but nevertheless this attack was enough to make the bandit leader fall unconscious. The moment the bandit leader fell the number of debris falling started decreasing till it stopped. Kaito started looking at the two bandits that attacked him. Kaito stepped off the tree to take a closer look of them. they were both out of commission, one of them being immobilised forever and the other temporarily. The former Kaito's Chidori hit him in his shoulders, apparently injuring his shoulder grievously, he was still alive, but Kaito didn't know if he would be able to mould chakra ever again. He was also visibly bleeding, Kaito tied his shoulders with a piece of cloth he was carrying to prevent his condition from getting any worse. The latter was only unconscious from what Kaito could tell, he did fall from very high altitude after all, the debris falling on him didn't help him either.

Kaito was starting to tie them up but then Jirou came to make sure he is ok. Kaito had several questions, but he opted to answer Jirou's first. "Thankfully, i only have a few scratches, nothing too bad." Kaito said with a slight smile on his face, he was happy no one was dead to say the least. "The girl is safe as well, i took her away from the fight, 2 kilometres away. I left her in a small hole in a cliff. I also left a rock golem to protect her, I know it might attract unwanted attention, but with 2 bandits nowhere to be seen, i thought it would be the better choice. The rock golem is still intact as well, so she should be safe." Kaito said explaining his reasoning to Jirou. He didn't know whether he took the right decision or not. He nodded to Jirou's order of tying them up. Kaito took some ropes to tie the two bandits he took on. They were still unconscious, so they weren't really a threat, but better be safe than sorry.

"I have a question if that's okay. I couldn't find Kei anywhere, I stood on several trees and neither he nor the bandits fighting him were anywhere to be seen. Do you know where he is? Should we go looking out for him?" Kaito asked, a little bit worried about his teammate, he didn't want to lose someone in his first mission. "We should also meet the girl on our way back to the village, I made sure she was hidden closer to the village, and on our way back." Kaito said as to clarify in which direction the girl was.

[Word count: 783]
[TWC: 5438/4000]
[PC: 6/5]

 

[Raijin Jirou]

Jirou sighed as he looked around realizing that Kei was indeed nowhere to be found. As he finished securing the prisoners while listening to Kaito, he nodded towards Kashikoi pointing to the prisoners near Kaito. "Make sure to secure those prisoners. Kashikoi will stand guard while you tie them up. They will be heading back to the Leaf for interrogation. You did very well and I will be saying as much in my report to the Hokage. As for Kei I cannot say where he is but his absence will also be noted in my report. If it were in my power to give his share of yen to you I would. I would be happy to go on any mission with you in the future. You are an excellent Shinobi.” Taking a moment he adds, “We will pick up the girl first and reunite her with her father before guiding the travelers to the village to recover from their ordeal. I am certain her father will be very glad to see his daughter again.”

Overall this had been a successful mission. It could have very easily have ended quite differently when Kei abandoned the team. Any mission is a team effort and each member carries a responsibility to the other members of the team. The disappointment that Jirou felt was very real, but it would not be something he would dwell on. They still needed to return to the village and contact the village to send a team to pick these bandits up. He hoped that the Anbu would be able to find out why they had declared war and who, if anyone, was encouraging them. The times were becoming dangerous and Jirou could not help but wonder who else waited in the wings to strike a blow against the Leaf. While Kaito was wrapping up his own loose ends, Jirou packed up and put the backpack back across his shoulders. It was already dusk and he wanted to get back to the travelers with the little girl. They still had a good distance to travel and Jirou did not want to delay any longer than necessary. “Once you are done tying up your loose ends, we will head back towards the little girl and the travelers. If we make good time we might make it all the way back before midnight. I would rather not keep the travelers out here another night.” Together Jirou and Kashikoi would point towards the path ready to start for home, “I am sure that you are tired and hungry.” Taking a chocolate bar from his backpack, Jirou offers it to Kaito with a smile. “I was saving this for the walk back. Please enjoy it.”


[WC: 453]
[TWC: 7173/4,000]
[PC: 7/5 ]
[MFT]

OOC: Mission ends after Kaito’s post. I will add in the Mission Reward/Yen Request thread for rewards.​

 

[Sen Kaito]

Kaito was looking at Jirou when he asked him where Kei was. From Jirou's face, he looked disappointed and understandably so. Genins don't usually go missing in the middle of a mission. Kaito was hoping that Kei didn't run though, he knew this was most likely the case, but he didn't want to believe he did. Kaito never really knew him, but he seemed like the least emotional of the whole team, which Kaito thought would help him to keep his cool under pressure. Apparently Kaito was wrong. Kaito followed Jirou's order of tying his prisoners up, and he did just that. He brought more than enough rope to tie all of the bandits up in case no one brought any, it was his first mission after all, and he had to be ready. The two bandits that attacked him were still unconscious, and it didn't take any effort to tie them up really, and with Kashikoi's help it wouldn't be that hard even if they were fully conscious.

Kaito blushed when Jirou said he was an excellent shinobi, he was never praised by a Jonin before. He was praised by his teachers in school, but it meant nothing to him, it was all in the academy which was away from danger in most cases. Being praised in the middle of the forest by his Jonin leader though, was something else. Kaito was very tired, he remembered he hadn't slept for a few nights now. He must have forgot that in the middle of the fight, he owed this to the pill he took before meeting Jirou and Kei. Overall this mission had been quite an experience for Kaito, he fought enemies, actual enemies. He remembered his fight with Asuka sensei and Ren before Asuka became the hokage. It was of course, way harder than this fight, but he knew Asuka sensei wouldn't have killed him, while here he could die in an instant without the enemies even giving it a thought. He saved a child, which reminded him so much of his little sister and even his little brother. He also felt this very strange feeling, was this what Yasue was talking about? Kaito got no clue, but he will have to see what that was when he goes back home. Kaito couldn't believe he learnt all of that in only one mission, It was quite an experience Kaito thought to himself. Kaito eyes widens when he sees Jirou handing him a chocolate bar, he didn't think he would end his mission with a chocolate bar, but when Kaito thought about it, there wasn't a better way. "Thank you! I am done tying them up, we should probably go. we wouldn't want to keep the girl or the travellers waiting" Kaito said with a wide smile on his face.

[Word count: 459]
[TWC: 5897/4000]
[PC: 7/5]

OOC: Mission completed!