With no teeth how do you eat? [Modded Mission]

[Tatsuo]

An unfortunate side effect of the shinobi world was the casualties of young men and women who sacrifice their life for the sake of their village, ideology, or anything else that drives one to fight. However a more unspoken and just as dastardly consequence of the violent world we live in, is the shinobi who grow too old to fend for themselves any longer. Once powerful shinobi capable of moving mountains if willing, reduced to elderly people who have a hard time opening a jar. The physical pains are nothing compared to the mental blows to their pride, ones that are rarely addressed.

No matter the psychology of it all, everyone needs to eat. Elderly shinobi included, to help ensure they're eating correctly and give them some much needed social interaction, the Academy has a long lasting program of students delivering meals to these elderly folk and helping out with any simple chores they might have that day. Today Arashi Tajeko was chosen by his teachers to participate in this program and after a quick briefing from a Chuunin explaining where to go and where to pick up all the food, he was sent off to meet his new friend for the day.

His name was Katshi, Ronin an accomplished shinobi in his youth. Rising to the ranks of a Jonin at the mere age of thirteen he completed many missions that were integral to the safety of his village. Facing off opponents of all calibers and coming out relatively unscathed in all, he was able to meet and overcome every challenge he faced. Except that of a bad back, which made it difficult to move things around his house and do the general maintenance that was generally required.

Described as a patient man and good with kids, he was a shoe-in for the program and everyone at the Academy hoped the program would work without a hitch, but only time would tell.

After getting all that was required, Tajeko was sent to the man's house on the edge of Maple Town, a small apartment with a yard that was a bit overrun with weeds and looked like it could use some loving. The place itself seemed structurally sound and it was in a nice neighborhood, but from what Tajeko heard of the man he probably had a hard time doing yard work. His door was labeled with a small sign that said "234", obviously the street number which matched the information Tajeko was told in his briefing. It was now up to Tajeko to deliver the man's lunch and help him for the day. Hopefully he wouldn't be too difficult.

 

[Arashi Takejo]

This was it, wasn’t it? Arashi stood in front of an apartment. He looked back and forth between the paper in his hands and the number on the door. It was the same, 234, but he hadn’t the faintest idea what to expect from the ‘elderly’ person, to whom he was to deliver the meal. He had been in this part of Maple town quite a number of times, especially during all those maple festivals. He and his brother had swindled a lot of unexpecting customers when they had set up their stall that one time. It was one of his fonder memories. His lips broke out in the shape of a small smile. Not wanting to linger on and reminisce further, he quickly recomposed himself. He had heard rumours from his fellow students that today’s ‘client’, A man named Katshi Ronin was supposedly a patient and good natured man. When he scrutinised further and enquired, his teacher had revealed that the man used to be a very talented Shinobi back in the day. He was rumoured to have defeated several powerful opponents and completed many deadly missions. Hearing that had made Arashi sadder for some reason. Whether it was the realisation of impending old age or compassion, he did not know. There was nothing more painful than to be alone and helpless. He knew it all to well firsthand.

As he was about to knock on the door, he heard faint noises coming from the back of the apartment, probably where the yard was. From where he stood, the noise was very faint. Almost as if someone was scratching the ground. Arashi decided to check out the source of the sound, before proceeding. After all it could be any number of things. He quickly went around the narrow alley beside the house and over the small picket fence in a swift fashion. Once there, he was directly in front of the rear wall of the apartment. The scraping sound had grown more prominent. One of his classmates, who had been here earlier had informed him that Mr. Ronin had a bad back and couldn’t work in the yard, so who could it be? He decided to investigate this further. The wall was a good 10-15 feet so climbing it would be tricky. Tying the lunch bag behind him, He took two steps back. Focusing chakra at the bottom of his feet, he dashed towards and up the wall, reaching only the fring when his chakra control gave out. Thankfully he had managed to get a grip on the top and peeked over a little. To his utmost surprise, it was an old man. Arashi deduced that the old man must have been Mr. Ronin by the visual discomfort in his back. Despite that he carried on with the chore. As he was peeking, the old man suddenly looked in his direction. This surprised Arashi so much, that he almost lost his grip. Looking at him, the old man smiled a little and said in a kind voice,

“Ah you must be the boy from the academy. Won't you come in?”

Arashi knew that this was an embarrassing situation, but there was nothing else to be done. He quickly climbed over the wall, and as soon as he was on his feet, He started apologising fervently for trespassing, even though technically it wasn’t.

WC = 563

 

[Tatsuo]

The old man laughed and shook his head, "Do not worry. I am not mad that you were trespassing, when I was your age I was doing much worse things." he said with a chuckle. Taking a key out of his pocket he made his way through the door with Tajeko in tow. "Do you like tea? Let me make some." he said walking into the kitchen which was connected to the living room. The inside of the place was much better kept than the inside, "Sorry about the mess outside, it's become harder to mow the grass and pick up things in my yard. I put in a lot of effort in cleaning this place." he said motioning to the very clean inside. "My damn back.. i'm telling you, worse than any ninjutsu i've ever been attacked with." he said with a chuckle.

"What is your name, boy?" he said as he put the tea on the stove, turning to look at Tajeko. "I think you already know my name, but to be polite I am Ronin, Katashi. A former Jonin of Konoha." He said with a toothy smile, that flashed behind his white beard. The man had a few bald spots on his head and obviously looked old, even if he still seemed sharp for his age. "You are an academy student, right?"

 

[Arashi Takejo]

Arashi breathed a sigh of relief when the old man reassured him that he wasn’t angry or offended. He swiftly accepted the man’s invitation for tea, “Yes I love drinking tea.”, A white lie, he rarely had any but he said it the best smiley face he could do. As he followed the old man inside his apartment, he marvelled at how well maintained the interior was. There was hardly any speck of dust or squalor.Arashi smirked a bit when he absentmindedly compared it to his messy room. Mr. Ronin confirmed that indeed his back was in poor condition, due to which working outside was becoming harder and harder for him. He even made a joke about it, but Arashi could only do a sad smile in return. He also revealed the fact that he was once a Jonin, which made Arashi perk up with interest. Achieving a rank of Jonin meant that this man must have been very powerful during his prime. He had read that only highly experienced and highly skilled shinobi were elevated to the rank and they were the ones who carried out A rank and even S rank missions. Even at this age, the old man looked sharp and had an aura about him which emanated power.

Arashi introduced himself as well with a little bow,
“I am Arashi Takejo and I am a new academy student. I had heard that you were a famous Shinobi Mr. Ronin, but I had no idea, you were so powerful.” pausing for a moment, he did another bow “And I apologise if this is weird, but I want to thank you for all the service you have given to Konoha. I was not born in this village, but without it I would not have survived. Thank you for your efforts in safeguarding it.” Why Arashi had said that, even he didn’t know. Perhaps it was sympathy or perhaps pity. Either way it was instantaneous, but he felt like he didn’t say anything wrong. Before the old man could respond, He untied his sling bag, and retrieved the boxes of food from inside. He placed them on the nearby dining table in the best orderly fashion he could manage.

“Here is your food, Mr. Ronin. I hope it tastes alright. But if you don’t like it I can go and get anything else you would like to eat." He finished with a chuckle.

TWC = 963/2000

 

[Tatsuo]

Mr. Ronin blushed a bit at the boy's praise, shaking his head. "You will follow my foot steps, I can tell. I was just doing what I was raised to do. You know what the Will of Fire is, don't you boy?" he said looking over to him, almost everyone in Konoha knew what it was, but because of Tajeko being from out of the village he thought it'd be wise to give him an official statement about it. "The Will of Fire is what makes this village run, it is the drive to not only protect each and everyone who calls Konoha their home, but to raise them and help them grow to be greater than yourself. That is why no matter what happens to Konoha, it always comes back. We are a proud people but kind and generous. I don't know how much of the world you've seen but I will always consider you one of ours as long as you consider Konoha your home." he said with a smile, as the tea finally began to whistle. Pouring two glasses, one for each, he handed one before taking a sip. It was sweet but still had a strong tea flavor, even if Tajeko didn't like tea he might find it pretty good.

"You know, I think the only thing I didn't lose was my ability to make a good cup of tea." he said with a grin as he placed it back on the table. "You said you're not from the village, where are you from, Tajeko?" he asked curiously as he leaned on the counter, looking at the young boy with his arms crossed.

 

[Arashi Takejo]

Arashi’s sudden praise definitely caught the old man off-guard and he blushed a bit. But it was Arashi’s turn to blush next, when he suggested that Arashi could follow in footsteps. He had not thought so far ahead, but only time would tell if, one day he could reach the rank of a Jonin and become a well known Shinobi. Deflecting attention from his personal achievements, Mr. Ronin asked the boy if he knew what the ‘Will of Fire’ was. Arashi had heard it a few times before. It was a pretty common saying in Konoha that when elders in the community passed away, they left their feelings and devotion towards the village as the ‘Will of Fire’ for the next generation. The old man explained in detail what the Will was and the passion in each of his words reflected how proud he was to be from the village. Arashi attentively listened to his explanation and tried to remember it as best as he could. As he finished speaking, as if on cue, the kettle started to whistle and the old man, poured the tea into two cups and handed one to Arashi.
It had been awhile since Arashi had last had tea, but he could not remember drinking such a delicious flavor ever before. It was sweet but not excessively strong at the same time. As Mr. Ronin half jokingly praised his own tea making skills, Arashi quickly acknowledged that this was the best tea he had ever had,

“The tea is delicious Mr. Ronin. I don’t think I have ever had any better flavour than this.” He said with a smile.

As the friendly conversation continued, the old man asked more about Arashi’s origins with a curious look. With a more sombre expression Arashi started to narrate his rather tragic life story,

“I myself don’t know where I come from, I never knew my real parents and my adoptive parents were Iron traders. They travelled from one village to another, and I grew up on the road. Unfortunately they were killed by unknown assassins. I was helpless back then, but the people of Konoha took me and my brother in. Naturally I feel a debt towards this village.” He finished with a small sigh, before continuing on with his cup of tea.

TWC = 1348/2000

 

[Tatsuo]

The old man grinned cheerfully as Takejo enjoyed the tea, it was something he was really proud of and sharing his tea with people was something he came to join. Most of his friends had grown old and passed and he had no family in the village anymore, so situations like these were the rare times he had to connect with others. He listened intently as Takejo explained about his family and his past. While well travelled he had always known Konoha as his home so he had a hard time relating to the child's earlier refuge.

"Well the only debt you owe to the Village is to become strong enough to protect your own home. Much like everyone else." he said with a wise grin as he rose from leaning on the counter. He winced and grabbed at his back, he could feel the pain shoot through and let out a grunt. "Da-- I mean darn back.. Always giving me a rough time.." he said shaking his head with a sigh. He hobbled over to a chair in his kitchen and sat down letting out a tired sigh. "As much as I love to just sit and talk, I am sure you are busy and wish to get back to your friends. Hanging out with an old geezer probably gets boring after a while." he said sticking making a joke at his expense. "The only real thing I need is for my lawn to be mowed and some weeds to be pulled in the front.. if you can do that i'll be sure to tell the academy you did a great job." he exclaimed, as he looked over to him. "There's a lawn mower in a shed behind the apartment." He pointed out towards the back of the small home. "Just grab that and anything else you think you might need. I might cook something if you want to eat." he rubbed his back, "That is if my back isn't killing me."

 

[Arashi Takejo]

Arashi’s praise about the tea had really pleased the old man. But the tea was so damn good, that it could give all the tea stalls in Konoha a run for their money, or atleast Arashi thought so. Perhaps in his old age he could not meet many people and spend time with them, so it was only natural that he was getting comfortable in talking with a visitor. Arashi wasn’t getting bored either. There were few people he could truly gossip with and it felt like Mr. Ronin was one of them. Even when talking about his past, he did not feel the usual pain, he always felt while remembering those experiences. The old man patiently listened to his story as well, but to his surprise he did not offer pity or condolences like others. Instead he stood up and affirmed with a grin, that the only debt he owed the village was to become strong enough to protect his home. Arashi was surprised at this, but before he could give this more thought, the old man winced in pain, while attempting to get up. Arashi quickly stood up, ready to help him, but to the old man’s credit he stood up without further issues or requiring assistance. He hobbled over to the kitchen and asserted that Arashi might be getting bored by staying. It was quite the opposite. He was enjoying his time here surprisingly. He quickly refuted the old man,

“Not at all Mr. Ronin. In fact I am enjoying my time here and most of all this tea.”

Arashi didn’t have too many friends waiting for him back at the academy either, so he was relishing every opportunity for getting to know new people. As he finished, the old man presented Arashi with a request. He wanted his lawn mowed, and some weeds pulled out from the front yard. Arashi was happy to oblige plus the extra incentive of getting praised by an ex Jonin would really make his reputation soar among the academy teachers and there was an added benefit of free homemade food. Logically thinking it was a hard offer to turn down,

“Of course, I’ll be more than happy to help and thanks a lot for offering food. The least I can do is to some manual labour to repay for them.” With that said, he took his leave and headed to the shed behind the apartment. Indeed there was a dusty lawn mower sitting in it. It looked like it hadn’t been used in a while. He cleaned it a little and brought it out to the lawn. Thankfully Arashi didn’t have any issues starting it up and he started mowing the lawn from one edge, working his way towards the other. This will take a while, he thought to himself as he continued to work on it.

TWC - 1824/2000

 

[Tatsuo]

The old man was happy to hear that but he didn't want to keep Takejo here too long, he needed to get started on dinner anyways. It would take the boy a while to finish up all the yard work so Mr. Ronin took no time in getting started. The man looked in his fridge and finally decided on baked chicken. It wasn't long before he got everything set up, rice to steam, veggies roasting in a pan and the chicken baking in the oven..

Back in the yard where Takejo was working he wouldn't find really any huge issues while mowing the lawn. It was a simple job after all. Back and forth with the lawnmower cutting the grass all the while, it wasn't long before the yard was cut fresh and that great smell of a clean yard was filling the air. All he needed to do now was get to the weeds and by then hopefully dinner would be done by then.

 

[Arashi Takejo]

Massive beads of sweat were rolling down his face as Arashi took a break to wipe of his perspiration. The lawn mowing assignment was almost finished, with just a small corner portion of grass remaining to be cut. The sun had started to wane in the west, indicating it would evening soon. He quickly finished with the remaining portion, and arranged the cut grass into two big heaps on one side. He filled them into two spare disposal bags he got from the shed and dumped them with the rest of the trash. He took a second to marvel his hard work. The lawn was looking nice and clean, a massive improvement from its former state. Now it was time to do some weed pulling. He went inside and borrowed a pair of spare gloves from the old man. The aroma of something delicious being cooked brought water to his mouth. He mentally tried to guess what was on the menu, and concluded that it was either chicken or pork. Either way it was definitely worth the wait.

Putting on the gloves, he bent down and started inspecting the position of weeds in the yard. There were quite a lot of weeds to be plucked. It seemed liked nobody had maintained the yard for a long time and with the old man’s back pain, it was kind of understandable. He started doing the job with his hands, but then he remembered he had his hidden blade, Shinsou with him. Once he started using it, digging out all those stubborn weeds became a piece of cake. As he wrapped up the task in the yard and went inside to return the gloves, on cue the oven chimed, indicating that the dish was prepared. The old man started laying out the plates, as Arashi excused himself to wash up all the dirt from the day’s labour. It was getting pretty late as the sun had already gone down and the street lights had been on for a while. He wondered for a while if his brother would get worried if he didn’t return soon, maybe not given that Ryuu himself came home very late. Either way he needed to get going soon.

TWC = 2194/2000

 

[Tatsuo]

The man was nice enough to pack Takejo the dinner in a bento box, when Takejo came back from washing up the old man presented him with two boxes. "One for you and if you've got anyone at the house they can have some too. If not, you get extra." he said with a toothy smile as he placed them in Takejo's hands. "I really want to thank you for coming again." The man went to give a quick bow, luckily his back did not throw out this time. "You really did entertain an old man tonight so I appreciate it greatly! I will be sure to tell the academy just how wonderful you are." This was obviously the highlight of Mr. Ronin's day, if not his week. "Take care Takejo and train hard, I cannot wait to hear about the mighty Takejo!" he would say as he would lead him to the door and walk him out.

 

[Arashi Takejo]

Once Arashi finished washing up, He came out and saw that the old man had prepared food in small bento boxes. There were two of them in total and the old man said that he had prepared the extra box for others in his family. This sentiment really touched Arashi. He always had a soft spot for people who showed him kindness, almost to a fault. He also made Arashi blush by thanking him for helping him out,

“Not at all. I was happy that I was able to help in some minor way.” The old man continued his praise stating that he would be sure to convey his deeds to the academy. This made Arashi proud for a moment. It would be his first since joining and hopefully not his last. He was almost bursting with happiness, and tried to convey his feelings in a jesting manner,
“I think I was the one who got the better deal. Getting to drink such delicious tea and getting free dinner. Looking back on it I think this was a steal.” He finished with a grin. He packed up the boxes in his bag and slung it on his shoulders. The old man escorted him towards the door, heaping yet more praise on Arashi. He tried to suppress his wide smile and replied,

“I will be sure to train hard everyday and become a strong shinobi in no time at all. Please watch over me.” He finished with a bow. He started on his path back to his home, but stopped after a few steps and turned back. The old man was waving goodbye. He felt like he needed to say something else as well,

“If I get some free time I’ll try to visit again Mr. Ronin. Please treat me to some tea again sometime.” He finished with a smile, turning back and continuing on his way.

 

[Tatsuo]

Mr Ronin reveled in the banter alongside Takejo as he talked about getting the better part of the deal. "Bah, I got to spend most of the day with the coolest kid in the acadmey and got my yard done. I definitely got the most of this deal." he said waving a finger around in a playful fashion. He was happy to hear that Takejo would visit again, "My doors will always be open to you, Takejo. I hope to see you again soon." the man turned looking to a clock, "But unfortunately it is getting late for me. I am overdue for my before sleep nap." he said with a deep bellowing laugh that filled the room. "Thank you once again for doing the yard work, I cannot tell you how much I appreciate it. I will be sure to tell the academy you were great."

After the long extended good bye Mr. Ronin went back into his house, taking a seat and watching some T.V. When a shinobi grows old there becomes a fear of being unable to protect the village. Not being able to rise to the call if danger arose, but there was a sense of security now. With future shinobi like Takejo running around, Mr. Ronin could relax in peace. He knew that even if there were only a handful of children like him, the village had a bright future. The greatest trees sprout from small seeds, at least that's what Mr. Ronin's father always told him. Taking in a deep breath the man drifted to sleep, happy to know his village was in such good hands.