Sanctuary to the Faithful [Mission] [PNKWEGH]

[Sorry it took so long to respond, I needed to get classes finished before I could focus on stuff. Next post should come a lot faster.]

“See, I may be short, but at least I've got enough brain to realize that one person on watch at all times means two beds for two people,” Shiroi said. Being called short didn't phase her too much anymore. She was short. There were nine year olds taller than her. Yeah. She was short because she did something courageous and nearly died from it. So anyone who thought lesser of her (eh? EH?) for it could suck a fat one.

The night felt longer than normal. Perhaps it was due to the old man. He went to sleep early and wasn't awake until well past sunrise. Even with the two Jounin trading shifts, Shiroi still woke up (relatively refreshed) well before the old man. She had even shot a worrying glance in Kyousuke's direction before getting close enough to make sure the man was still breathing.

The next morning was rather uneventful, save for any “witty” “banter” that may have happened. Shiroi consumed two eggs and a piece of toast, and the old man simply had a buttered potato. Shiroi had assumed that Kyousuke would pull another stunt, so she made sure to ask the bartender for the meals before Kyousuke left the room. There was no need to show the ten people downstairs that something about the group of travelers was off by having some random person waltz into the kitchen, without even asking permission, and cooking up a giant meal for who knows what reason.

Shiroi shortly thereafter forgot why she had chosen this inn. The owner, while having never seen the old man or his likeness, was an avid supporter and practitioner of the religion. This gave them something to work with if things went south, but also relative safety if they stayed peaceful.

The remaining day consisted of a lot of walking and a stop in one other town, around noon. The itinerary was to stop at a small cafe. This time, Shiroi would make sure to mention that it was owned by family of a Hoshigakure ninja and they were aware of the situation, but uninformed of who the man or his travel companions were. The duo was to stop there again and extend their thanks after the mission's completion.

The old man ordered a glass of tea and a soy paste bun. Shiroi ordered chocolate milk and a ham and cheese sandwich. Shiroi began conversation with the old man, asking about his past, how he grew up, but avoiding the topic of religion, for rather obvious reasons.

[423 -> 2476/3000]

[Should be a fair amount here that you can work with.

Shiroi had a point both of them didn’t need a bed if one was going to be up watching for a bit. “Good point.” He said, while getting off the floor to have a look out of the window. Guess I am taking first watch. Looking out of the window he noticed the men who had kicked him before they seemed to hang out around here. They seemed to be playing some gambling game which involved dice, the ninja didn’t watch for long. After a minute he pulled his face away from the window and shut the curtains.

As the hour’s drug on Kyousuke was ready for sleep, he kept his eyes open and his ears sharp. Listening for movement. After a bit he did hear the sound of footsteps in the room it was likely one of the two getting up to use the bathroom or coming to relieve him. Looking at Shiroi who had given Kyousuke a concerned look. She seemed to determine the man was alive as her look of worry faded. The jounin went into the bed without a word, there was nothing important to tell her. The men gambling outside had left hours ago and nothing new had come up. Getting into the bed it still felt warm and the ninja chose that spot as it seemed the most comfortable. The ninja was out after a few minutes and woke up after a couple of hours to the tune of the birds chirping outside.

After getting dressed Kyousuke went down stairs after Shiroi and their charge who had left a good five or so minutes before. It seemed they had already begun to eat. What if it was poisoned or something? It didn’t matter at this point if it had been poisoned they would know soon enough. Kyousuke didn’t eat anything for breakfast he was still full from the night before. Instead he sat down with the group and tapped his foot ready to go outside and enjoy a cigarette. Luckily he kept some matches the inn had provided it would look odd to light his cigarettes with his hoshi symbolled gloves out in the open.

After leaving and getting to the café Kyousuke ordered a water with lemon and a salmon filet. Shiroi mentioned that the place was owned by Hoshigakure ninja, so it was an ideal spot to stop. The jounin listened as Shiroi asked a question and waited for the man’s response.


As Shiroi asked the man about his past the man sipped his tea before setting it down and responded. ”I was born outside of the current village, when it was still quite hostile to certain people. My family was one of the few who provided aid and shelter to those people with talents.” When the man said certain people and talents he meant those who could manipulate chakra, he also kept his voice low to avoid others over hearing. He took a bite of his soy bun and asked Shiroi the same questions. ”How about you two, you both seem rather young.”

WC: 512
TWC: 2725

Shiroi, while somewhat shocked that the man asked about their past, did not show it. She instead finished chewing the bit of sandwich she had, and spoke in hushed tones. They were in the corner table of a nearly empty room anyways, but better safe than sorry.

"I was raised by two postal workers. Ended up in Hoshi when I was about ten, stayed there for six or seven years, then traveled for two more before returning to Hoshi. Nothing all that interesting."

The old man raised his eyebrows at that. With that timeline, her presence in Hoshi for over seven years would have directly contradicted the general population's thoughts on ninja. They were seen as monsters, and yet one had stayed in Hoshi for almost seven years? That seemed preposterous!

Then a flicker of recognition shot into the old man's eyes. Shiroi noticed it, too, and quickly shot a glance towards the man that could only be taken as "shut. the fuck. up." even though he hadn't started speaking yet.

With any luck, actually, within all reason, Kyousuke would have no idea what was going on here, unless he spent most of his free time reading old newspaper articles. Shiroi's story was well known within Hoshigakure a few years ago, although her name was disconnected from it. Since then, however, it had faded into the back of people's heads. No one cared enough to remember about one random ninja, especially once large numbers of ninja started flooding the village. It didn't help that the contents of the letter were still heavily classified, and it was possible only the Queen herself knew what it contained.



The meal ended shortly thereafter, and the three set off once again. Their destination was likely reachable by the end of the day, although that was not a certainty.

The sun was high, and the humidity low. Heat bathed onto Shiroi, scalding her shoulders. Her mouth quickly dried, and she could feel her lips beginning to crack. Yet she did not drink. She knew the old man would need the water much more than herself, and only took enough to avoid light headedness.

Birds chirped the entire way to the small cottage on the edge of a smaller village.

“Why I haven't seen this place in ages” the old man said, walking up to the doors of the cabin. He knocked on the door, and a small child opened.

“GRANDPA!” she yelled.

“Suzu!” He yelled back, leaning over a little so she could hug him.

“Dear god I can finally cut the act” Shiroi said, her voice changing as it went, the transformation technique finally being released. “You too, Mr. 6 foot whatever. Missions basically over, we just have to explore the village once. You watch over the old man, make sure his kids are all prepared for him. I'll go check out the village.”

Shiroi donned her Hoshigakure band, wrapping it and it's white and black checkerboard material around her neck, letting the metal show out while the extra strands of material tucked itself into her hood.

The sweep of the village was quick. It was small and out of the way. Everyone knew everyone, so confirming identities was as hard as basic chakra sensing and a bit of asking around. After that, it was back to the village. Nice to be able to go at full speed, meaning they would be back probably around sunrise if they ran through the night. Of course, they still had to thank the two shop owners who had (willingly or not) kept them safe. So maybe not before sunrise after all.

[604 -> 3080/3000]

There seemed to be an awkward face competition going on between Shiroi and the older gentleman. If Kyousuke didn’t know any better he would say Shiroi was trying to hide something. Kyousuke knew a thing or two about hiding things, which is why he didn’t question the exchange. If Shiroi had something she wanted to keep hidden that was between her and god, no one else. To end the awkwardness the Jugo added in his own story. “I was born in Hoshi as well, mostly I kept to myself and that kept me safe. That… What you don’t want them to know, you can’t tell them all of the people you killed? Limbs flying the sound of their screams!” The sclera of the ninja turned black as parts of his body started to gray. “Shut up!” He said lowly, but loudly enough for those at the table. With those words the ninja’s color went back to normal.
 
Kyousuke didn’t say anything after he pulled out his bible and began to read, as if there were a demon chasing him down and the book were the only way to exorcise it. Even though the attacks on his mind and body were less frequent they still happened. Which was a problem, ever since he had last used the berserker sage transformation. The jounin knew he would have to get that under control and soon before he hurt someone.
 
Walking along it was easy to note the lack of water that they had all carried. Luckily Kyousuke was a practitioner of the water element, so finding it was simple enough. Within minutes he felt the presence of liquid under their feet. Looking around to see if anyone was near, along with using his chakra sense he punched a hole into the ground allowing the water to surface. It was a little dirty, but nothing a quick strain and boil wouldn’t fix. Until then, though the ninja would just offer his water to the two. It wasn’t long in the heat that he started drinking the dirty water anyway. Water is water. He would think before taking a gulp.
 
After a while they had finally arrived their charge was safe and the old man uttered in relief of getting to the cabin safely. Once inside, a little girl ran up to the old man and hugged him. All was safe and Shiroi seemed glad to no longer have to remain looking as a kid. It would have been nice to end the transformation, but with the low ceiling Kyousuke would have to hunch around the house and worry about smacking into every doorway. “I’ll pass for now on going back to being giant.” Shiroi was the leader of the mission so he nodded and did as told asking the man’s children if they had enough food and supplies until it was safe to return to Hoshi if not some would likely be sent soon.
 

Once, his partner was back Kyousuke exited the house and ended his transformation putting on the jounin jacket he had taken off before. With that the ninja were headed off back to the café to thank the owners and then return to village.  They would be their soon if they continued at their current pace.

WC: 545
TWC: 3270
Claiming: (Mission Rewards, 8 stats, 3000 WC towards Berserker Sage Transformation to get chakra familiarity ability, Shiroi Shinzo's Chakra Memorized.)
(Exit)

[Claiming mission rewards, 7 stats, 3000 WC towards Taijutsu Block (B rank), 7 AP]