Gunbai Does All the Mission Things (P)

Sun Dec 18, 2016 2:44 pm

Spoiler:

Today was a day that Gunbai had not been looking forward to very much. Admittedly there wasn’t much for him to look forward to in his current situation, besides maybe a good read or perhaps a decent meal at home, he certainly didn’t have much for today. After all, today would be one of his first official missions on his ninja payroll. Gunbai cringed at the thought of that. Urgh, just the thought of doing missions sent a sense of wrong up his spine. The idea of being a ninja, let alone doing missions as one, just didn’t sit right with him and gave him an overall sense of wrong as he walked the path towards the missions office, making a few wrong turns on the way there due to being unfamiliar with the area still. He made his way mostly unaccosted save for a few curious looks from children as he passed, possibly due to his choice attire looking a little unkempt as usual, but he paid them no mind as he walked up to the mission office noting how it always seemed to be in good condition despite the general dilapidated state of the rest of the village. More than likely it was due to the cut of money it received whenever shinobi completed their required tasks. He gave himself a minute to observe the architecture before passing inside ready to do his job for the day.
It was slightly dim inside, no doubt due to the fact that the light bulb in the entryway was dim and likely in need of replacement. Remembering that he needed some form of ID so as to not look like somebody trying to request a mission he pulled his shiny Kumogakure headband from his pocket, showing it to the receptionist who nodded before letting him through into the main area. Stepping through the doorway he found a collection of other generic ninja in lines according to their rank. Shrugging in acceptance, he prepared himself for the long wait as he got in line where almost all the rest of the Genin were, a big fat D on a green background above the desk they were headed towards denoting the rank of missions held there.

A few minutes later found Gunbai at the front of the line, being questioned by the mission dispenser. After giving him his rank and name, he heard a cluck of what he thought might be disapproval. “Hmm hmm hmm,” The receptionist said under his breath, as though he had been given a difficult choice. “You’re a medical ninja, right?” Gunbai wanted to immediately respond that no, he was not and in fact simply a doctor in training, but unfortunately he had no choice in tha any longer so he nodded in response instead. “Ah, that makes things a bit more difficult for us. Pardon me for saying it, but the average medical ninja is known for being...let’s go with squishy. Sort of what happens when one only focuses on healing others instead of actively helping out in battle. However, that doesn’t seem to be that much of a problem with you, I see that you’ve been learning some other techniques. How proactive.” Gunbai wasn’t sure if he was being insulted or praised at the moment, so he instead stayed silent and let the receptionist keep on talking. “Not much of a talker? Heh, I get that. Don’t worry, everybody here has their quirks so there’s no need to simply stay quiet. You’ll draw more attention that way. Anyways, onto business.”
The receptionist reached underneath his desk before pulling out a small scroll with green bordering on it. “This will be your mission for today. Just a beginner one, so while you might be new it will be expected that you complete it within the day. My advice? Speak to the locals. Today knowledge will certainly be your friend if you wish to complete your job on time.” The receptionist went silent as though to signal that he was done with Gunbai, who took the cue and left the office so that he could prepare himself outside. He opened the scroll, reading its contents with surveying eyes.

“Catch the Thief, huh? Well, this is going to suck.” Gunbai mumbled under his breath. While it was listed as a D-Rank mission, it was likely he was going to need to enter combat in order to apprehend whoever this person was. While that certainly wasn’t something he was good at, he was sure he could figure out some sort of strategy to get the job done. It was all a matter of execution. What he did have was a bit of information, most thefts seemed to be centered around one of the creepy walls of flesh that surrounded the village. That likely meant that they were targeting a certain demographic of people, or they were based in that area. Gunbai was willing to bet on that latter, so after orienting himself to his current surroundings he made his way over to the area where most of the crimes had taken place.

To be quite honest, the area wasn’t all that different from any of the other places within the village. Kind of dark, kind of depressing and everything was still half fixed from the destruction that had occurred in the past. What was different however, was the police tape surrounding a rather ramshackle looking house. Stepping forward cautiously he looked around to see if anybody else was watching him before tying his headband to his arm, that way if anybody decided to question him he could use the excuse of doing work “for the people” so as to not be interrupted. It wasn’t like that wasn’t the truth, so in the end it wasn’t really a bad thing he was doing. Stepping inside, he found it to be pretty much a normal house, with sparse furniture in an almost utilitarian house save for a few expensive looking cabinets, all with shattered glass showing empty display cases.

“A jewel thief, huh?” Gunbai remarked to himself, after finding a rather expensive looking ring in the corner that the thief had apparently missed. He replaced it where he had found it before stepping outside and past the tape back into the open. That made finding the next target simple. Whoever had the most valuables and least protection would be next. It didn’t take much for hims to ask around with the locals, upon explaining his purpose of course, to find that such a target could be found a few blocks away in the form of a simple two story house. While the occupants were indeed a well off family the place had suffered structural damage and due to most contractors hiring out their workers to rebuild the villages main infrastructure and as such instead of focusing on small jobs it still lacked most of the basic security features it had in the past. It was a prime and juicy target, Gunbai couldn’t see the point in passing up such an admittedly easy mark if he was one himself.

Now came the less exciting bit. Positioning himself on the roof of a nearby building he set himself in a shaded ledge, his visage being hidden from view below as he scanned the general populace for any people who could be the potential culprit. While he did indeed spot some less than trustworthy people, he found within the minute that it was mostly due to a local dive being nearby and most of them going out to their midday drinking like any other no good layabout. He snorted a bit both in derision and humor as he continued to scan the crowds, feeling both a bit like a hawk and a stalker as he attempted to find his would be prey.

A good two hours later Gunbai was about ready to call it quits when he finally perked up and saw something that brought him back to full alertness. While originally he had dismissed the figure as a mere passerby they had been within the area for a solid half hour and never once did they leave the building out of site. What was more, they were clearly trying to keep their appearance under wraps what with the hooded grey sweatshirt and long grey pants that he was wearing. What was more was the leather bag on his back which he assumed was empty based on the fact that whenever the figure did move the bag did so just as easily without any resistance. Feeling his suspicions begin to confirm themselves as this person took a side road close to the house, Gunbai tailed from behind in order to catch them in the act.

A few minutes later and the thief had gotten in, having vaulted over the fence and picked the lock to the back door finding himself within the house. Looking around and listening he heard no sounds, causing him to smirk and lower his hood as he did so allowing short brown hair to fall and frame his face once again. He had been right in casing this one, a perfect mark with little to no security. Looking around and passing through the living room he almost snagged a bowl of decorative eggs but upon further examination saw them to be common ores and instead left them where they were in chances of finding more valuable things to take. He turned the corner and stopped dead in his tracks.

In the corner, standing while checking his nails, was a young man with neck length messy black hair in a form fitting shirt and cotton jacket along with a pair of cargo pants which seemed to be currently empty. Perhaps the outfit of an athlete or maybe a hiker, if not for the steel and cloth headband currently tied around his arm in a square knot. That could only mean one thing.

“Ninja.” The thief muttered in disbelief while taking a step back, his fight or flight reflexes already starting to kick in. Said ninja looked up into his eyes, a bored yet calculating look in his eyes.
“Bingo. I guess you know why i'm here then. So, want to do this easy or hard?” The thief made a mad dash backwards and through the entryway, bringing his hood back up so that he could disappear into the crowd. Gunbai sighed and began pursuit. “Why can’t I get the easy jobs?”

Catching up to the thief was a bit of a chore at first, as it was slightly hard to get up to maximum speed while also weaving through the everyday noon pedestrian traffic at the same time. However, in his mad dash the thief had also created a gap in his wake which allowed Gunbai to catch up to him. Seeing the other teen begin to tire, Gunbai decided to finish it right there and then before he too ran out of stamina. While he might be good at bluffing, he was certainly no superhuman.
“Alright then!’ He yelled before kicking off the ground in a feet of strength, spinning forward into the air so that his head was the closest to the ground and his feet to the thief’s face. “Leaf Hurricane!” He felt the satisfying impact of sneaker to skin before switching down low, catching himself with his hands so that he wouldn’t fall before springing upwards. Rocketing forwards with his fist he prepared for the finishing blow before he realized that the thief was already down, apparently while he was fast he was also apparently too frail to be taking hits from somebody who while he hated to admit it was now a ninja in training.

Picking up his quarry he quickly lugged him away to a more secluded location within an alleyway, healing him up so that he wasn’t quite as bruised due to his lingering guilt before beginning to drag him off on his back towards the holding area of the mission office so that he might complete his job. “Listen buddy,” He said more to himself than the thief as he was still knocked out from his meet with the pavement early. “I don’t know much about you and i'm sorry that it had to be this way. I’m just doing my job, alright?” He cringed as he said that, feeling it's callous wording as though he was simply a mindless drone. “Just...be alright. Take your punishment and move on, towards a better path.” With that said he felt a bit better, but even so Gunbai still felt a tad bit guilty as he completed his mission by turning in the still sleeping teen to the guards. Did he really have a choice though?

2130 Words

+1000 Ryo
+2130 words towards Haru (2274/3000)
+3 AP

Sun Dec 18, 2016 2:52 pm

Spoiler:

“Another day, another mission.” Mumbled Gunbai underneath his breath as he stretched out his arms in an attempt to wake himself up a little bit despite the shower he had already taken a good thirty minutes earlier as per his usual morning routine. Today he would be embarking on yet another mission, but for some reason he had received a notice from the counter receptionist that today instead of heading towards the missions office as normal he would be instead reporting towards a certain building whose apparent purpose was classified enough to not be written down on paper. Gunbai hummed in confusion while suiting up in his usual gear, packing along his drawstring satchel and book just in case before walking through the doorway, making sure that he had his keys on him before walking away and towards the location of the building. According to the map it was in one of the less populated areas of the village and would probably be easy to identify by its size compared to the rest of the buildings upon his arrival. Shrugging, he set course to his said destination while weaving through pedestrian traffic as he had become used to thanks to his job forcing him to deal with it multiple times throughout the day.

A good fifteen minutes later, mostly due to the leisurely pace Gunbai had been keeping up the entire way, Gunbai found himself in front of what appeared to be a rather old building but upon closer inspection was in quite good shape. While the walls were faded not a single window was broken, nor was a single piece of ivy making its way up the building. Finding a pair of wide double doors, he let himself inside.

Upon his arrival he was greeted by what appeared to be some sort of office, if the carpets and desks were anything to go off of. Looking unsure of himself as the notice hadn’t described much besides for him to report there. Eventually making up his mind he went up to the counter and approached the receptionist, a brunette female with black rimmed glasses.

“Err, excuse me. Sorry to interrupt.” He looked away sheepishly before continuing, a small flash of shyness going through him before he squashed it down. “But I was called here by a notice and I don’t exactly know why?” He ended his note with a question as she nodded and looked down what apparently was a long with of names before stopping her finger on one.

“You’re Gunbai Yuka, correct?” He nodded affirmatively and she smiled in relief. “Good, as otherwise I would have needed to escort you off the premises for infiltrating a ninja run building. Please come with me. She promptly stood up before going through a set of double doors in a matter of seconds, surprising Gunbai was her speed. Perhaps she wasn’t any normal receptionist? Making up his mind he followed her through.

Walking down a sparse stone hallway he eventually was guided into another room, this one completely bare save for the tiles that made it up. On a single platform was a scroll, which he assumed was his to take. Looking behind he was that not only was he alone, but with a sudden thunk a large steel slab slid down from a hidden compartment in the wall effectively shutting his only exit. Feeling a foreboding mood in the air, he picked up the scroll and immediately jumped when he felt the floor underneath him rumble before falling away completely, himself grasping desperately for the wall so that he too wouldn’t fall away with it into the ground. He did so five feet into the fall, skidding slightly as he tried to get his grip on it and did so successfully after a few more feet sliding, noting that he certainly gotten some nasty friction burns if he had reacted any slow. Scratch that, he thought as he noticed that the fall continued for another twenty feet before reaching a stone room with only one pathway. If he hadn’t done that he would at least be paralyzed for life, if not dead on the spot. The thought made him shudder but he still pressed on, running down to the floor for fear the the walls were too trapped before opening up his scroll and read.

“Phase One of the path to Chunin, what the heck?” He muttered to himself, wondering where they had cooked up that he was even ready let alone willing to accept that rank. Then again, perhaps this was what was done to Genin in training, space out missions such as this over time to not only evaluate their progress but also move them down the road of advancement. He suddenly had the feeling that he was being watched by someone else before shrugging it off and continuing to read. According to the scroll all he had to do was figure out a way to get through the complex unseen and steal a scroll guarded by three sentries before escaping. There was no time limit, the only stipulations being that the guards themselves were left unharmed and that he wasn’t seen. He pondered this, wondering what he could possibly do.
Gunbai was not stealthy, that was for sure. While dropping these guards in a Moving Earth Core pit sounded like the easy way to do things it was likely such a thing wasn't allowed as perhaps that would be considered a form of “harm” to the guards. That left remaining unseen, something Gunbai didn’t really know how to do besides perhaps sticking to the ceiling. Then again, if these guys were ninja they would know to look up from time to time and he would certainly be spotted if that were the case. Knowing that his only other source of reference was his handy dandy guidebook, he frantically flipped through the pages for an answer.

His saving grace eventually came to him through the Hiding Like a Mole technique, which to be quite honest he couldn’t see being used for hiding so much as for infiltration in most cases. A simple yet complicated technique, it seemed to consist of the user channeling their chakra into the ground so that it would loosen and become a sand like substance, allowing them to sink into it and then travel around at a rather average speed, but certainly better than being in plain sight. Problem was, he had never seriously attempted any other C-Ranked techniques beforehand besides the basic medical technique, and that had been over five years ago under the guidance of his father. Ah well, there was a first time for everything. Or perhaps a second one, in this case.
Feeling rather aware of his current situation and the impending danger that could be facing him he studied the pages for a few more minutes to make sure he had memorized the instructions before drawing out his elemental chakra once more in a manner that had almost become second nature to him due to the recent increase of chakra in his daily life compared to his earlier years. Taking in a deep breath to calm his nerves, he poured his chakra into the stone beneath him and hoped for a miracle.

To his delight and surprise he felt his chakra flow into and become accepted by the earth before proceeding to grind it into fine powder, creating a loose sand which he prompted sunk into with a surprised yelp. Suddenly his senses were all but useless, his eyes seeing naught but darkness and his ears only picking up their own hearing yet somehow a whole different world was opened up to him. He could feel the very poles of the earth, which was very helpful in determining up and down as he experimentally attempted to move. The earth turned to sand pushed him at a decent pace and he did a few practice loops and maneuvers before resurfacing. He would use this whenever he needed to hide, but for now he would need to use his five senses above ground. The move he knew about this place, the better.

Walking down the hallway he made sure that there were no other guards around by listening for whatever footsteps they would make in their patrol, thankfully finding none after five minutes of wait and passing on into a main corridor. There he found a single iron door, bound by only three large locks. Thinking he had hit the jackpot he quickly sunk himself into the floor in an attempt to circumvent it only to find after a few feet he had met a barrier in the form of a steel dome surrounding it, preventing him from cheating his way through. It seemed that he would need to play the game correctly if he was to complete this mission. Or exercise, whatever the heck the administration wanted to call this deathtrap.

Looking at the other doors, Gunbai made the assumption that to get past the main one he would like need to gain a key to open up all three locks which barred him from what was his likely prize. That also meant that it was more that likely that each door held a single key, protected by a single guard. This also meant three different scenarios and three chances to fail. Weighing his options, he eventually chose the far left door and strode through.

After a while Garnet began to hear the sounds of flowing water and crouched down, sticking to the shadows until eventually the room opened up to a dimly lit cavern with a single platform in the middle of the room. Along the way was a collection of flora and fauna, presumably taken care of whatever staff were hired to clean up this place from time to time, along with a few stone statues of various animals. Guarding the only visible pathway from the area he was to the platform, due to it being surrounded by a small lake, was a single heavily armored guard in samurai attire. Watching him silently for a good few minutes, Gunbai noted that he was slightly tired, yawning ever so often and attempting to scratch himself through the heavy armor that was currently donned. Useful information, he supposed, but not enough.

There were multiple ways that Gunbai could approach this. The most simple he supposed would be to simply burst past or defeat the guard, but not only would that violate the terms of the mission he was also not so sure of himself that he would win that encounter. Sure he might be learning new techniques, but he certainly wasn’t any overpowered slaughter machine like the ones might hear about in stories. Briefly he considered the Hiding Like a Mole Technique to burrow underneath the lake and then swim up, but he quickly dismissed the idea after a few minutes of pondering. While it might work in getting him towards the scroll, upon breaking out of the water he was certain to make a sound and when he did he would most certainly be caught. He needed a smarter plan, simpler. He pondered this as he kicked at the ground, noting a few loose stones on the ground. His face blanked for a minute before turning back to normal.

“If this works,” Gunbai muttered to himself as he picked up a handful of stones and moved to a location that he was sure the guard wouldn’t be able to spot with just a cursory glance, behind a rather large stalagmite. Praying to whatever god was out there, he picked up two rocks and hurled them through the air. One hit the mark next to the key on the pedestal, while the other whizzed off and clattered across the floor of the cavern as though it had been kicked by an erroneous footstep.

“What was that?” The guard said to himself aloud, standing at attention. He scanned the area around him looking for people who could be nearby. Nothing but the cave and the fish living within the water. They would have scattered if the target had been in water, so he had to be above ground. “Alrighty, come out ya little ninja. I promise it won’t hurt...too much.” The guard advanced towards the cluster of rocks the stone had been thrown at and in that moment Gunbai made his move.

Weaving his hands through a series of signs, Gunbai disappeared in a poof of smoke before appearing again on the platform, taking the place of the stone he had thrown earlier as a shortcut. Quickly stuffing the key into his pocket he substituted again as the sound registered with the guard, causing him to rush towards the sound. “Oi! I know you’re there, come out with your hands up!” Yet Gunbai was yet to be seen and as such his mission was over. Pushin his chakra deep into the earth he sunk into the cavern floor with a slurp leaving him safe and sound with the first of the three keys.
Despite this Gunbai did not feel safe nor triumphant, instead opting to stay within the earth for several minutes, fearing that the guard might abandon his post and alert the others and make his job impossible now that the other two would be alerted to his presence within the building. Yet despite this nothing ever came to pass, the guard searching the area he was assigned to before giving up and moving back to his post, apparently rather upset that his key had been stolen from him by his unseen assailant. Gunbai might have felt bad if it wasn’t his job and to be quite frank if he had been distracted by the classic throw a rock trick then clearly this guy needed to consider his priorities and whether or not he should consider a change in occupation. Bringing himself up so that his energy wouldn’t be drained any further by the technique he walked stealthily back into the main hallway, sliding the key into the door and hearing a solid click in response, the left lock unsealing itself. With a loud crash another steel door crashed down from the sealing, blocking off the entrance to the previous cavern he had been in. Gunbai cringed at the sound. If the other guards hadn’t known that a trial had begun and a genin had infiltrated their facility, they certainly did now due to the obnoxiously loud sound. Then again, it seemed that they were not allowed to enter into the main room so for now he was in the clear.

Gunbai briefly considered consulting his handy dandy notebook for more life advice or perhaps just a new technique but set the idea aside, for now he would be fine without another technique or whatever witty quote he would find inside. No, for now he would simply quest onwards for better or worse. Stepping through the entryway and into the hallway on the far right, he continued onwards.

After a good hundred feet Gunbai found himself in what he daresay believed to be his easiest puzzle yet. In this area, a large gaping chasm with spikes about ten feet below awaited him, along with a single long beam across. Now, there were two ways to go about this. He could either a: complete the trial as it was intended and walk across the gap or b: play it smart and simply walk across the ceiling instead, bypassing the threat of losing his balance and falling. Since Gunbai had a brain he obviously took the second, taking a tentative step on the wall in fear that it was trapped but felt nothing sink in before quickly running across the ceiling in case it was a delayed mechanism. Dropping onto the other side of the hallway brought no reaction and he moved forward, determined to complete this trial.

His next room ended up being a giant maze made of white stone, which was a bit hard to get used to due to its seemingly inherent luminance. That or somebody had a very bright light and was reflecting it to make such an effect. Once again Gunbai weighed the pros and cons of tackling this obstacle the traditional and ninja way, once again settling on the easier path as he spent some more chakra sinking into the ground before pulsing his chakra outwards in order to see the area around him. It seemed that the maze eventually moved upwards towards another tunnel which he assumed would be where the guard was awaiting his presence. Traveling cautiously he surfaced again onto land so that he might use his five senses to get a better hold of the situation before moving forward.

This time Gunbai was faced by a single hallway being patrolled by a sentry, allowing for little to no way around him based on the way that he was walking back in forth in the same direction while also checking above him from time to time so as to deter invaders who would attempt to infiltrate from the ceiling. Attempts to sink into the ground with Hide Like a Mole were unsuccessful, once again the ground being replaced with steel so as to prevent such a method from working, leaving Gunbai stuck as for what to do. Feeling temporarily stumped, Gunbai retreated to the maze area so that he might think through his plan further.
After a few minutes of pondering a slightly annoyed Gunbai turned towards the book he was finding that he was increasingly reliant on for advice, not finding much on stealth techniques so much as flinging around elemental chakra and such as though it were some sort of fantasy action movie. Sure it was nice and all, but not what he was working with at the moment. It seemed that this time it would require his own with and ingenuity to figure out a way to get past.
Briefly considering his options, he began to realize that perhaps once again it had been the book that had given him the answer. One of the side effects of Hide Like a Mole was that it turned earth to sand, leaving him quite a large amount he realized as he saw the remnants of the technique which he had utilized earlier. A plan began to form in his head and he pulled out a small bag he had kept inside of his knapsack just in case, filling it up until it was full of sand. It wouldn’t be nearly as effective as your average smoke bomb, but it would be enough for now.

Sneaking his way around the corner so that he was unseen by the guard but still able to aim, he waited for the footsteps before throwing the bag to the ground, hearing a loud pop followed by the sound of coughing as the guard was enveloped in smoke. Taking his cue and running forward he caught a glimpse of the guard covering his eyes to prevent blindness before he dashed forward, finding at the end of the hall a single pedestal with another key on it, shoving it into his pocket before running up onto the ceiling and hightailing it, knowing that the guard would be too bewildered by the surprise cover to look upwards for any assailants. A minute later he was in the clear again, a bit dusty from his run through his self made cover but triumphantly holding a key in his grasp. The guard himself was unharmed but clearly a bit disgruntled at being thwarted by such a simple trap, looking for him in vain when in reality Gunbai had already sunk into the earth and had begun his way back through the maze to the main room.

A few minutes later and an almost death by stabbing thanks to Gunbai getting cocky and deciding that he should try the first puzzle the legitimate way and he was once again back in the main entryway with the key in his grasp looking barely worse for wear after that little inadvertent shock. Fitting the key into its rightful place the clicking sound surrounded him as the lock came undone and the path before him closed, leaving just one more door and one more lock until mission complete. This time Gunbai decided to pause for a bit, pulling a granola bar out of his bag and munching on it for a bit so as to restore the energy he had lost and perhaps quell the rumbling of his stomach. What? Everyone get’s hungry, and Gunbai was certainly not an exception.

His stomach satiated but not satisfied, Gunbai continued on through the next door and through a hallway which led him into a cavern which he felt was slightly warmer than the rest, which might have been due to the intermittent torches which lined the walls giving it almost a holy feeling to it. Gunbai moved on stealthily but also reverently silent, feeling that somehow this place had a sacred feeling despite the fact that it had clearly been made with the intent of training Genin for it to be attached to this death trap of a complex. Yet as he noted the walls, adorned with ornate carvings, and the intermittent stone statue here and there he almost didn’t notice that he was in this hallways key area until it was too late.

This platform was made of wood, as he could tell by it’s texture, but was also incredibly massive in both height and width so that it almost took the entire area of the cavern it was in. On top rested a giant standing gate, or torii depending on who you were talking with, and from it rested the final key. Below it however rested a single guard in a samurai outfit, standing at attention from his post.

Gunbai immediately felt out of his league. Sure, this area had only one room, but of them all this one felt the most heavily guarded and to be frank the guard seemed to be the most capable. Perhaps the one behind the armor was actually a ninja in disguise, a final test to those who were to prove their worthiness for a higher rank? Gunbai wasn’t sure, and to be frank he didn’t really think that it was worthy information to pursue. Instead he went ahead and analyzed the room more.

Asides from the torches which lit it up with an eerie glow it was surprisingly empty. A few carvings of dragons adorned the walls to go along with the general theme but other than that little more was added for decoration, leaving him little to work with in solving his predicament. He couldn’t exactly tunnel through the platform and even if he were possible the noise upon resurfacing would certainly cause him to be spotted by the guard. Once again he needed to find a way to distract the guard but he had a feeling that a bag of sand simply wasn’t going to cut it this time. Once again he retreated back through the way he came, although this time he did so to the point where he was almost in the main area again, as for some reason he felt that this guard was a bit more wary of his surroundings to the point that he didn’t want to make it so that he was caught simply because he made a loud sound on accident while thinking this through. After making sure that he had put enough distance between himself and the guard he once again sat down and began to think.
It seemed that with this final guard there was to be no easy way for him to get around. While the torii gates were rather close to the ceiling, which would likely make it possible for him to grab ahold of the key if he used the Hiding Like a Mole technique to get up there undetected, the noise that he might make upon reentry would almost certainly alert the guard, ending his trial where he was. That prospect didn’t exactly thrill Gunbai, so he needed to figure out a way to distract the guard without being seen. His sand was spent and previously ruled out and anything that directly involved him being seen by the guard would be counted as a failure. He needed a way that would distract the guard which didn’t directly involve him. Briefly Gunbai considered simply summoning out Haru and be done with it before remembering that one he hadn’t talked to his friend for some time and he owed him an apology for that and two if Haru didn’t simply bring the whole building around their heads upon his summoning he certainly would if the guard attacked and to be frank Gunbai wouldn’t put it past him if all of a sudden a giant peafowl appeared in his room screaming bloody murder. Putting aside that slightly humorous thought, he considered a few other options. Technically the transformation jutsu might count as it wasn’t exactly him that was being seen, however he wasn’t sure how the technicality might work there so he decided against it. He could always also try and transform into a mouse or something equally small and stealthy, however he had never quite tried using the technique that way and perhaps now wasn’t the time to experiment. Once again this left only the option of new techniques, something risky but in the end it was probably worth it if he could find something better suited to his current situation. Flipping through a couple of pages he eventually settled on a technique that he felt while it wasn’t the greatest for his situation it could certainly offer a few moments distraction. To be frank a name like the Mist Servant Technique was a rather boring one, at least according to Gunbai it was, but if it served his purpose then he supposed he could let the terrible name slide. Waiting a few more minutes to restore himself to full energy, he struck.

Back in the other room, the last guard stood at attention waiting for his challenger to make his move. The special seals underneath his armor had notified him with pulses of chakra that the other two had already been outwitted, leaving him the sole obstacle between this young genin and victory. He almost wanted to congratulate the person, whoever they were, if it wouldnt mean that to do so would mean their disqualification. Shaking his head, he focused himself on the task. In the end it was his job to make the contestant prove their worth, going soft now in the most crucial moment would mean his loss was guaranteed.
Making sure once again that his key was still tied high above on his torii the samurai dressed guard looked forward for a few more minutes, noting the eerie silence before a soft sound appeared in range of hearing, making him turn around sharply. A single figure, cloaked in a dark black jacket, slowly began to shamble up the steps towards him. The guard faltered, confused. Did the contestant really think that this was stealthy? Suddenly he heard another set of footsteps and turned around, finding the same figure walking up the opposite way at the same zombie-like pace. Another set of footsteps joined, along with another, until ten shambling people with all the same features and clothing ascended the steps, surrounding the single remaining guard. He let out a laugh.

“So, this is what you bring to me for your trial? A good idea.” The guard began, as he drew his sword. “If not for the fact that I am armed and you are not.” The guard swung through the first clone, noting how it seemed to disappear into eerie smoke. “Just hit all the clones and you’re done once I figure out who is the real one. And sorry to say kiddo but since you aren’t allowed to attack the guard, you might as well give up the game here.” To the guard’s surprise, the clones slid right into a fighting stance before charging right at him. Surprised that he had actually been attacked the samurai was caught off guard as the two behind him rushed forward, barely catching them in time with a block before cutting one in half. Strange, he had almost felt no effort behind the swing. Were they attempting to not break the rules by not applying any force behind their swings? It would do them no good. Suddenly the guard looked in amazement as the haze the clone had turned into seemed to slowly reform, this time reforming into a set of clones instead of the previous one. “Two?” The guard asked, half surprised and half incredulous that he hadn’t noticed it happen earlier and indeed there were now twelve clones instead of the ten. The guard felt a small shower of rocks from above hit the platform but ignored it in favor of the enemy in front of him, it would do him no good to tear his eyes from the battle. The guard sheathed his sword and drew in a deep breath before speaking.

It seems that you are indeed a clever one, with your use of these strange clones. However…” His eyes glowed with a fearsome light as he began to draw his sword out once again. “I will not be swayed so easily!” With that yell he swung his sword in a full circle, cutting through all of the figures surrounding him. Expected to hear a scream along with the sound of blood falling on cold stone he was instead greeted again by the sound of the smoke dissipating only to find that this time, they did not reform. Wondering what the contestant was doing he checked the torii once again only to let out a scream of outrage, finding that the key had been taken while he was dealing with the clones. It had all been a trick!

"Gunbai cringed from underneath the earth, having heard the shout even from his position surrounded by sand as he clutched the key tight in his fist as he traveled through the earth in the hallway as he wasn’t too sure if this guard would end up giving chase in his emotional height. In the end it had been all too easy to use the small amount of earth available to sneak up into the ceiling before popping out long enough to cast the genjutsu on the unsuspecting samurai. Ignoring the fact that he was almost caught when the samurai looked up to check the key of course, that in itself almost scared a couple of years out of his life when that happened. After that all it took was for him to wait for when the guard was most distracted for his illusion which was apparently mistaken for a clone horde before reaching out with his full height, having been barely able to grasp the string holding the key before untying the knot and sinking back into the earth of the ceiling to make his escape. He didn’t feel the plan was anything that special but apparently it had been more than enough as it had gotten him where he was now. Not allowing himself his moment to gloat in fear that the people who were likely still watching him were analyzing his every move he pulled out the final key from his pocket and slid it into the center key, hearing it's satisfying click as the lock was undone and the last trial door slid shut blocking any more entry. The sound of many gears grinding echoed through the room and Gunbai prepared himself for whatever lay ahead, sure that it was the way to the end off this hell of a mission.

While he was partially correct, the only thing left being a simple tile hallway along with a staircase about fifty feet away which he assumed led outside, what he hadn’t accounted for was perhaps the biggest, meanest looking boar he had even seen simply chilling out in the hallway. This thing had some massive tusks, some decidedly large muscles and most of all it was decidedly angry looking as it took one look at him before letting out an angry squeal before performing an all out charge at him.

Panicking Gunbai quickly slammed his hands into the ground, rising up from the ground just in time for the animal to crash against the wall, sending a long shudder through his structure as some of the newly formed wall crumbled away into the hallway. Ah man, this was not what he had expected. Gunbai frantically thought of all the ways that one might kill a boar, yet for some reason all he could think of was sharp objects such as swords or perhaps an arrow. Gunbai had the luxury of neither and to be completely honest none of his techniques would probably have any effect on this time, last he checked slapping a boar was not a valid way to put it down. Another shudder rocked through the platform he had made and his footing became momentarily unsteady as he readjusted himself, realizing that he would have no time to consult his book for a tailor made solution to his current problem. He had to act on his feet, but how? He thought back to his childhood watching his parents perform surgery on a man who had been gored by a large stag after a hunting accident. His parents hadn’t had many of the needed tools at the moment as they weren’t at their actual office when it had happened, so they had opted to use something else instead. He remembered how it cut cleanly through the bone and tissue, the hand signs they had used along with the way that their chakra seemed to form around them like a blade. A blade, of course. Gunbai didn’t need to have a weapon, he simply had to create one himself. As the boar backed up for another charge Gunbai flew threw the five hand signs of the technique before forcing an obscene about of his chakra into his hands and refining it sharp as a blade, feeling the instant fatigue as about a third of his energy was drained out of him in one go. Despite this however his hands coated in a blue energy, humming with power and ready to go just as his parents had been so many years ago. Now was not the time for celebration however, it was for action.

“Haaaah!” Gunbai screamed, all sense and words leaving him as he jumped off the platform just as the boar crashed into it sending the rocks crashing down on top of it’s head. Not wanting to give it any chance to recover he quickly turned around after landing just behind the boar and lashed out, putting one hand through it’s head and the other into it’s chest so as to disable it immediately. The animal let out a piercing wail as his left hand sunk through it’s major organs and the other obliterated it’s brain, leaving it nothing more than a fleshy pulp as it kicked and wailed in fear and terror. Backing away quickly Gunbai waited until the beast had gone still before looking at what he had done, and then at his hands. Disgusted more by the brain matter still coating his hands than the actual action of killing the boar, due to it being the aggressor, he wiped himself clean on it’s fur before ascending the staircase, noting the scroll that he had been sent to retrieve in the first place was simply lying there as though it had been discarded before picking it up. Further investigation found it to be blank which somewhat irritated him.

As he rose up the steps, Gunbai mentally congratulated himself on grasping a technique so hard and draining in such a short amount of time, although he largely contributed it to the fact that it had been performed around him all his life and as such it was only natural that he would be able to do so. After one seems something for so long it would made sense that he would at least be able to grasp its essence even on the first try. He wondered what the signs had perhaps meant as he continued up, now around halfway and admittedly dawdling with his thoughts as he did so. Perhaps the tiger, the horse and the rabbit were for some kind of strength? If so, it would only make sense that the rat and the dog were there as a representation of cunning, perhaps the one required to use such a technique for it’s true purpose. Gunbai turned back, looking at the dead beast on the floor which was slowly beginning to steep in it’s own blood and letting loose a wretched smell. Perhaps he wanted to learn a bit more about the cunning bit before he even tried to perform on a human being if these first results were any indication. His cheeks flush with embaressment despite the fact that he had been slightly proud only a few seconds earlier. Was he seriously getting this emotional over a boar when at this point he had been completely callous over all the monstrosities one could find around Kumo on just a casual stroll? Mentally slapping himself to bring him back into reality he checked his hands to make sure that all that remained of the blood was a barely visible red tint before rubbing them together to get off the dead skin and hopefully remove some more pigment. Trusting he had done as much as he could with what he had at this point he opened the door.

Gunbai was surprised to be once again back in the lobby, this time at a door on the left side of the room instead of the right. He looked out through the doors and saw that it was at least late afternoon, if the slowly darkening sky was any indication of the time. Not quite sure what to do he looked towards the desk to find the same woman as before, this time beckoning him forward to her. Feeling compelled to listen to her silent command both by orders and his own curiosity, he stood in front of his desk and stood silent as she apparently gave him the report on his exam.

“Well, Mr. Yuka.” The receptionist began, although at this point he was wondering if she was really just a receptionist. “Our committee has decided that you indeed have passed this portion of the exam, although your timing in doing so was a bit of a concern in doing so. I suggest that you bolster your repertoire of techniques further, as the amount of research that you needed to do in order to get past each trial was a noteworthy topic that came up in their discussion.” Once again Gunbai flushed red, but she continued. “However note that this is not absolutely negative, as a few members felt that your aptitude to finding new information to complete your task effectively and safely is something to be admired and you should continue to do so, provided that it is not done so heavily.” She stopped to turn the page of the small packet which had somehow already been written out and he wondered just how fast the administration at this place was exactly. She continued.

“The guards also give their congratulations, finding that your methods were indeed worthy of consideration compared to the usual approach one might take. Your rock distraction with the first guard was considered rather primitive but overall effective considering that you were able to combine your substitution technique as well to create a daring escape from the guard. Admittedly we have also found that by the fact that he had fallen for such a trick that this guard has been deemed unfit for further genin examination and will be returned for training until he may return once again.” Gunbai frowned at that, feeling a little bad that he had ended up costing somebody his job through his actions. Ah well, that was business for you. As for the second, the use of a sand bomb was effective if not a dangerous move, as if you had any more sand it likely would have gotten into his eyes and disqualified you. As for the final guard and the use of genjutsu as a distraction while you yourself gained the final key we found it was a most exemplary combination of techniques and give you congratulations for it. Ah, and of course there was this.” She pulled out a final page.

“Upon consideration of the participant we have decided to add a final hidden trial by placing an aggressively bred boar behind the final door and primed it to attack the trial goer upon it’s opening. This was to test his skills in a sudden and unexpected situation as opposed to the previous tasks in which he took time and preparation to do. While admittedly the contestant was caught off guard they were able to manifest a new and powerful technique in order to defeat their obstacle. However, we recommend that they learn to control themselves as cleaning up the mess from the white tile is certainly going to be a pain.” Another blush from Gunbai. “In conclusion, we, the committee for the promotion of genin, deign Gunbai Yuka worthy of proceeding from the first to the second part of his path to chunin. So mote it be.”

The receptionist finally stopped, seemingly rather bored with the long winded way of simply saying that Gunbai had passed the exam. Feeling relieved and at the same time anxious that apparently there was more to this based on the ending remarks, Gunbai asked a simple question. “Well...what next?” He fidgeted nervously.

“For you?” The receptionist questioned. “Nothing. For me, I have to fill out a bunch of paperwork in order to get you scheduled for the next piece of your trial. I’ll try to have a message sent to you a couple days before so that you’ll be better prepared. For now just go home, have a nice dinner and go to bed early. Oh, and before you go.” She bent down slightly and pulled out a manilla envelope. “One B-Rank missions pay. Congratulations on passing Gunbai, now go home and rest.” She gave him a slight smile before turning back to her work, signalling the end of her engagement in discussion. Sensing that the whole ideal was now over, Gunbai let out the breath he didn’t know he was holding before stuffing the envelope in his bag and walking out the front doors without a second thought. Home was where he was going and sleep he would indeed.

7162 words
+3000 ryo
+Hiding Like a Mole Technique (2000/2000)
+Mist Servant Technique (1000/1000)
+Chakra Scalpels (4000/4000)
+284 Words towards 1000 Years of Death (162/500)
+10 stats
+7 AP

Mon Dec 19, 2016 10:01 pm

No stats for a D rank mission. <3

Mon Dec 19, 2016 10:08 pm

dawww, that's just too bad. Fixed that up.

Mon Dec 19, 2016 10:14 pm

Approved <3

Gunbai Does All the Mission Things (P)

Gunbai Does All the Mission Things (P)

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Re: Gunbai Does All the Mission Things (P)

Re: Gunbai Does All the Mission Things (P)

Re: Gunbai Does All the Mission Things (P)