Another C Rank For the Win

Mission Link

Mission Details:

Senshi stood by the village gates awaiting his team to appear for their next C Rank missions. It had not been that long since their last C rank mission had concluded and in that time the pre-teen Genin had not had a lot of time to improve himself. He knew just from his chakra sensory capability that Max and Reizo felt stronger to his senses than ever before and he felt like he was slowing down in his progress. He had not become faster or stronger in quite some time, and it rather seemed like he was just training so hard to maintain his fitness level at this point. It was odd to the boy to have to work so hard just to maintain what he had been working so hard to simply achieve. Feeling a wriggling next to his neck Senshi reached up watching as Kyoki climbed gently out onto his index finger.
 
The Half inch tall white and gray flamingo looked rather ridiculous to Senshi with just how puffy it was. It wasn’t obvious simply looking at the flamingo but its wing span was more than ten times its height making the little thing look like a puff ball. Or a cotton ball. Senshi ran his left index finger down the things back gently as it spoke. “Taichou there’s a tear on the inside of your Vest.” Senshi rose and eyebrow slightly surprised by Kyoki’s words before rolling his shoulder. “I should have time to fix it before the others arrive, I haven’t sensed them yet. Here land on this crate so I can remove my vest Kyoki-San.” The little bird gave an odd chirrup in reply before unfolding its foot and a half wing long wings and gliding the few feet to a nearby crate.
 
Senshi as always amazed on how the little creatures wings folded down and compressed themselves so well. He had learned from Ganjo and the other members of his flock that the flamingos were born with incredibly large wing spans but they didn’t stay that much larger than the bird for long. It was why the older members of the species were incapable of flight. Pushing the thoughts off Senshi took a few steps to close the distance with the crate and pulled off his vest. As he began to work on stitching up the small tear on the inside with Kyoki watching his team would be able to approach the preoccupied Genin. They would see the elbow length wire mesh shirt he wore underneath and bits of his skin. The bits of skin they could see of his chest, shoulders, and back would be not only well muscles but rather…. Damaged. Scars that easily resembled long cuts from a small blade and even stab wounds littered his body. On his left hip rising up several inches and spreading slightly around his ribs to his stomach and back was an obvious burn scar.
 

The truly odd damage however was on his right shoulder where there were several blue and pink appearing lines snaking around his shoulder a few inches down to cover his defined pectoral muscles and around down his back following the lat muscle until it curved around mid-back to snake across his ribs. It looked as though all the veins in that area had been dyed the odd pink and blue color, a clear sign of high level lightning damage that he had incurred during some of his training. His body was also mottled with black, blue, purple, yellow, and green bruises all in various stages of healings. Only a small portion of his light tanned skin wasn’t either scarred, burned, damaged by lightning or bruised. To Senshi this was how a shinobi looked, to his teammates it may be different and he had not considered that showing the level of damage he had taken in order to learn pain tolerance might surprise them. Kyoki and the other flamingo summons had not reacted oddly to the sight after all. 


WC: 668
Flamingo Summon: Kyoki - E Rank (He wont be coming with us it was just for character development)

Reizo made his way over to the village gates where his team was to embark on their second mission as a team. This was a pretty standard mission that all teams likely had to complete at some point; it was a basic "guard the village" mission. He would be standing at an outpost with his team throughout the day, and submit a report at the end of it. It wasn't likely to be very exciting, but who knows, sometimes interesting things can happen while on guard duty. He hoped this one in particular wouldn't see too much action; he didn't want the village to be attacked, and he didn't quite think he was strong enough to handle powerful enemy ninjas just yet. Having more experience on missions was always welcome though, and that's part of the learning process of becoming a great ninja. He wasn't someone that just wanted to be an excellent shinobi, he wanted to get to be an excellent shinobi too. There was always a difference between being good and getting good, and that was effort. It was a value his father had drilled into him when Reizo was just a toddler, and he always admired the hard work he saw others put into their daily lives, even when it was just for small or insignificant tasks.

Reizo had his mom pack a large lunch of salmon, pork dumplings, white rice, and chicken teriyaki. He also had a gallon jug of water stored in his backpack that he'd be drinking from to keep himself hydrated throughout the day. He had dressed warmly, as it had gotten to be much colder out- he wore black ankle length sweatpants, and a dark plum winter jacket with a black scarf wrapped around his neck. He figured he'd end up stripping layers once it heated up later in the day, but because it was still early, Reizo wanted to overdress. He  nonchalantly approached the village gates, leaned back in a very casual gait, his hands kept warm deep in the pockets of his jacket. He needed his hands warm in case he had to use his weapons for anything; having cold hands would certainly affect his performance in combat.

Reizo saw Senshi crouched over a crate, apparently working on something quite diligently. He saw the scars on Senshi's back, particularly the rather gnarled one that discolored his skin, but didn't give any visual or audible reaction to it aside from a slight and very brief furrow of his brow. He wasn't that taken aback- his father had similar scars from combat that he recalled- but he still found the discoloration somewhat odd. Was it a burn of sorts? Reizo didn't want to pry into any details, even though he was fairly certain Senshi wasn't the type to mind that kind of inquiry. The only thing that was a bit surprising to Reizo about Senshi's body was that it was this scarred, yet Senshi was only a Genin, much like himself. He knew he wasn't scarred anywhere near this bad. He had been fortunate to not have any training accidents, but he hadn't really thought about the possibility of something going so awry that it'd leave permanent damage. He supposed it was possible and maybe even likely, but it still felt weird to think something could cause that much damage to Senshi. Could Senshi have been abused as a child? It would explain certain tendencies of him, certainly, Reizo concluded. But Senshi didn't seem emotionally fragile at all- and that was commonplace, at least to Reizo, with abuse victims.

Reizo pushed all of those thoughts aside to greet his teammate, his breath fogging lightly in the brisk air. "Heya Senshi, whatchya up to? You ready for today?" he would ask Senshi. Reizo assured himself that nothing was going to happen on this mission- he had even brought a book to reread to help pass the time - The Tale of Uzumaki Naruto. Maybe he would use the time to train some jutsu too, but he hadn't really given any jutsu much thought. Perhaps he could learn another defensive Taijutsu to pair with his block. He had only really focused on strong offensive jutsu, and nothing to really protect himself. He recalled Intersection Method being a widely used defensive maneuver, maybe he would take the time out of his day to develop it.

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730 words

The bitter cold air would be the first thing that Max notes as he steps outside to greet the day and prepare for his mission. The briefing said that it would be a guarding mission of some sort. That seemed simple enough to the young genin. Where exactly was the mission though? Max would look over the papers once more as he walked. It seems that the outpost they were to guard would be in the Black Forest. Since the mission didn’t take place directly in the village, he assumed that they would meet up at the gates like they had on the previous mission. Chances are he would be the last one there, but he was used to being the last person there. It was just the reality of who he was.
 
Max would walk along, Napa training behind him and his puppets wrapped up on his back. The boy could feel his stomach rumbling and so would stop by the food stall that he had normally tried to stop by. Sadly, because of the cold it seemed to have been closed for the day. Wrapping himself up even tighter in his jacket he would find his way over towards the gates, suppressing his chakra the whole time. The air would sting at the unprotected face of the boy, but he wouldn’t let it bother him too much. If he needed to, he would find a way to warm his body up. He couldn’t help but rub his cold hands together as he walked, though. It was the only thing keeping them from feeling like his fingers would fall off. Plus, as a puppeteer he would need to have full use of those fingers. If they fell off how would he be able to fight? Maybe it would be best if he just put his hands in his pockets. That was one thing this old jacket had been really good at. It was good at keeping Max warm when he needed to be.
 
As he approached, he noticed Senshi a bit farther ahead and doing something with his jacket off. Doesn’t he know that it is too cold to be caught without it on? As Max headed towards his teammate he noticed Reizo approaching as well, a little ways ahead. Max also noted what looked like severe damage on the body of Senshi. Max had never seen such extensive damage on someone. Sure, he had seen plenty of damage like that one the bodies of the dead. That was the kicker, though, they were dead. Senshi must have had a serious battle to gather such painful looking bruises and wounds, and the fact that he was going into battle like that without so much as a wince of pain spoke volumes about his teammate. That was dedication to the village and to one’s own training and improvement. If Max were to be hit in such a way to gain such injury, he would likely be down for the count.
 
“Hi guys!” Max would call out as he approached. Normally he would give a wave as he did so, but he had no intentions of removing his hands from his pockets. Napa wouldn’t even seem to notice how cold it had been. It must be lucky to be a puppet. He would never have to worry about the cold ever again.
 
“So, I take it you folks know where this outpost is, right? I mean, it is far too cold to be wandering out in that forest without any sense of direction.” Max would say as he looked in the direction of the Black Forest. He hadn’t ever been to here before, and so he wasn’t really sure where they were going. “So, us Genin are supposed to guard an outpost? What are we to do if a foreign shinobi or some kind of rogue ninja attacks that is beyond the capabilities of a Genin?” Max would inquire, looking to the older Genin to provide insight on the mission. Deep down Max knew that the village wouldn’t send the team on a mission that they couldn’t handle.


They wouldn’t send us to our deaths, would they?

WC: 696

As Itami was getting his gear ready for another mission for his team. He made sure he had everything. Especially his new blade that he got not too long ago. His Akuma no Hashi, which also meant demon blade. He bought after he broke his katana during his last C-Rank mission with his team. He always thought he needed a new one anyway, so it broke at a good time. As he headed at the house and began to go towards the village gates. Assuming his team is already there waiting for him. He would then begin to run over there at a speed of 72. Itami received the mission under his door, letting him know he was ordered to complete another C rank mission with his team. They did a pretty good job last time around, so he has high expectations for them today again. Even though C rank missions are typically easy.

As Itami finally arrived at the gates, he saw that the three of them were already there. Seems like they are catching on quick and not being late. "I assume your ready for your next mission?." Itami would ask his team. With his new blade on his side, he is hoping to test it out on some flesh today. 

"Mission details are simple, we are on guard duty and we just watch our post. Nothing happens... mission complete, if we see some bandits.. kill them. And if we see some normal civilians, find out who they are and why they are here... easy enough." Itami would say to his team. It seemed they were all ready to go.

(sorry for lazy post lol, a little busy)

Senshi’s hands moved easily sewing up the tear in the back of his jacket, he was almost completed when Kyoki gave a low sqwuak his little eyes narrowing. As Senshi turned his head one hand moving to the tanto’s on his hip he saw Reizo and Max’s blonde hair before either of them spoke. He gave a nod of acknowledgement as he turned back to his vest finishing the last stitch before he picked it up and threw it on over his head. As he spoke his hands formed the seals for the storage displacement technique. “Good morning Reizo-sempai, Max-sempai.” As he finished speaking small pixelated lights were slowly forming in front of him. It was a slow process and as his sword, it’s sheath, and two other small objects were forming Kyoki gave a loud sqwuak at the boy.

Senshi turned holding out one hand as Kyoki spread his wings suddenly going from the half inch tall easily dismissible white fluff ball, to a white fluff ball with huge wings streaching out and gliding onto Senshi’s finger. He used his legs and beat to walk up the boys arm and perch on his should speaking in a loud voice. “Who are they Taichou?” Senshi tilted his head to the side slightly to allow Kyoki to press up against his neck and draw warmth from his body. He was currently putting himself through elemental training so that the cold weather wouldn’t bother him as much. He had heard that it was extraordinarily important in order to become a good shinobi. To not allow the elements to hold you back or be forced to wear heavy clothing.

“Kyoki, these are my teammates Shoyu Reizo and Yamaguchi Maximillian. Max-sempai, Reizo-Sempai, this is one of my Flamingo’s, Kyoki.” As Senshi finished speaking he listened to Max ask his questions but didn’t respond immediately as he knelt down picking up the finally appeared harness, with sheath attached. Before him now lay Bastuodosodo, two small containers that looks filled with steam, and a small black cloak. A cloak that looked much too small for Senshi to be wearing, but would appear to be just a bit too large for Max. As he slid the harness over his head and belted it around his waist he did a few squats checking to make sure it was fitted appropriately. As he picked Bastuodosodo up and swung her onto his back he spoke.

“I know the Black Forest, but Kyoki and the rest of my flock know it much better. Kyoki, do you know the outpost?” The little flamingo fluffed itself in pride trying to make itself seem much taller. As Kyoki spoke Senshi would bend down grabbing the cloak and the two containers. “Yea I’ve seen the outpost Taichou! It’s a very basic structure, really easy to get to. We don’t even need to pass by the village. It’s in this huge clearing, gotta be about two hundred meters around. And in the center are these huge fifty meter or so earthen walls raised up, theres a good hundred meters of length away from the walls to the tree line so you can see anything coming at you.” The little bird paused waving one of his wings around in excitement as he explained the outpost.

“I haven’t seen the inside of it but I know from what Ganjo-sama said that the forested area and the clearing is trapped so you gotta be careful. We have a standing order not to go near it.” Senshi gave a nod looking to his teammates to see if they had anything else to say. When they either asked their questions or stayed silent he would finally hold out his right hand to Max, a cloak, one of the steamed containers, and a small scroll in it. He offered Max his right hand, just a simple steamed container in it. “Max-Sempai I have a part of the supplies you needed in the scroll, and I noticed your jacket was looking thin in places so I found my old cloak when I was six, it should help with the cold. I uh…” He paused flushing slightly, “wanted to repay you for the kindness of bringing us breakfast last mission, so when I made breakfast this morning I made a bit more. It’s just a simple meal.”

Senshi looked down hoping the others would take the items he was offering them. Inside the scroll Max would find a quarter of the items he had requested, each listed out before the sealing symbol on the scroll was shown so that he would know what was in it. The cloak was rather thick, and showed small signs of wear but also it was clear it was exceptionally clean and cared for. Inside the steamed containers they would find four rice balls, three eggs scrambled, and four sausage links. Senshi himself had eaten a half pound of salmon instead of sausage links but his sister had explained to him that this was a weird breakfast and not something most others ate. Before he could say anything else their Jounin Commander arrived in a blur of speed. Senshi had no problems following him, but was still surprised how fast he moved.

He quickly saluted the man, a dull thud sounding as his right fist connected with his collar bone. He dropped it shortly after he spoke. They really didn’t need the low down on the mission but none the less Senshi took note of it. It was probably good for a commander to brief his team even if he thought they knew what they needed to do. Senshi whispered lowly to Kyoki, telling him to dispel and a small puff of smoke rose from his shoulder lazily wafting in the wind. He pated his body down quickly ensuring all of his weapons and gear were in place and once he was confident he would wait for Itami to give any further orders.

WC: 994
TWC: 1662

Sitting in a rough back oak chair Maku could be seen throwing Kunai at the wall. A paper hung from it with a very childish drawing of a stick figure wearing a kage hat, the symbol of lightning clear. The face was scribbled, two Xs for eyes, a frown face was it. Several kunai were stuck to the wall, others littered the floor. His feet on the desk, and his wrist barely flicking to throw them.

The outpost had been easy enough to infiltrate. Bypassing traps, and making his way into the main structure. There had been several guards, though now they all resided in the mess hall, in varying states. Some moved around as if they were chickens, others did ballet on table tops that surely they could not have done if they were sane, and more than one just laid on the floor drool pooling around their faces.

He considered it a......basic exercise at times. To cause mischief. He had infiltrated and taken the nights watch off guard. Going person to person, twisting their minds and then sending them off on their marry way. Sitting in the command office he had set up shop. A large turkey sandwich with all the trimmings just to the left of his bare feet. A female guard messaging them. Well to her she was a masseuse, not the "lethal" killer she had probably thought she had been. "A little rougher darling, can't have it too soft." He would say.

His meditation in the village was over. It was nearly time to go back out into the world. He needed to check on Hoshi first, to look at where he had left his assets. Brothels and stolen goods made good profits, but in his absence he wondered how many would have forgotten their place. After that he had considered a trip to Yuki or maybe Taki. Surely a rebuilding of sorts had happened. He needed a new home, someplace to make a home.

He also wanted to check on his brother, and maybe look in on Aki. There was a slight pang there, but one he had pressed away. Outside of training it had become stronger and stronger, though he ignored it well enough with certain assets. Which he had found in the command desk. A small glass cup with dark amber liquid on ice graced his left hand. As he continued to flick the small blades. Taking a sip he leaned forward and placed it on the desk. Taking a match he ran it over the rough desk causing a flame to strike.

Who ever had been in command liked his contraband. Come to think of it, the man was a chicken somewhere. Well, acting like a chicken regardless. Lighting the finely rolled piece of paper he inhaled deeply letting out a small ring of smoke. He closed his eyes enjoying the moment. It was good to know he still had it, even after spending so much time idle. It was like this that Maku continue to enjoy himself, partaking in some fine drink, some fine smoke, and a massage.

The outside of the outpost would look as it should. No outward signs of a struggle, no damage, and nothing triggered. A symbol of his own infiltration. His mask on his head making it impossible to sense him with chakra senses. He had no idea he might have visitors.....

Once the rest of the team had arrived, Reizo was ready to depart on their mission. When Senshi offered his food to the group, he politely accepted and thanked Senshi for the kind gesture. He felt a little embarrassed because even though he had brought food for himself, he hadn't thought to bring extra for Max and the rest of the team, especially after Max had saved him the last time from hunger with his pretzel and chocolate breakfast combo. He almost felt guilty that he hadn't prepared a gift in return for Max.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Reizo was intrigued by the tiny bird on Senshi's shoulder. Was that a summon like Futachimaru? It looked like a flamingo, but it was far too small to really be used in any type of combat. Reizo was taken aback by the stark contrast in the mentalities of his otter species and these flamingos. The otters were a proud warrior species who prided themselves on their loyal devotion to their masters and their combat prowess. The flamingo in front of him seemed to suggest that the flamingos didn't have the same warrior heart, but were a bit more docile. He couldn't be too sure, however, because it could very well just be a trait of the younger ones. He knew that the otters were more playful when they were younger, but as they matured they became more motivated to fight and train.

Eager to start the mission, Reizo looked to his sensei to lead the way to the Black Forest. He had learned from the last mission that it wouldn't be wise to once again head out without any sense of direction.

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280 + 730 = 1010 words

Max would happily take the scroll with the supplies sealed within. These supplies would be a great help. He wouldn’t need to scrounge for the necessary materials to complete his projects. Mentally reading the list off the scroll, he would smile. This was plenty enough for him to work on a masterpiece. Which one of his puppet ideas would he use though? He had so many rattling off in his head that pinning down a specific one sometimes proved to be tough.
 
Not only did Senshi provide him with supplies, but he also offered Max an old cloak he had when he was younger. It would surely help keep the winters chill from grasping at the boy, and so he would put it on and bundle up a bit. “Thanks. It’s nice and cozy.” He would say as he looked at himself to the best of his ability. It would take some getting used to, but he would be plenty grateful. This would help keep him warm while away from the shack he called his home.

Then almost as if he could read the mind of young Max, Senshi offered up some of his food. Max would happily accept such a pleasant gift. He was very hungry, and so he would quickly thank Senshi and begins to eat while he stood there. Biting off a sizable chunk of sausage, he offered some to Napa, but the puppet shook its head in refusal. That was probably for the best anyhow, as Napa wouldn’t really gain much from the food. Still, it was polite to offer it to his friend. Plus, that just meant more for him! Finishing that bite, he took another and ate a bit of the scrambled egg. During this time, Commander Itami would appear before them.
 
With a mouth full of food, Max would try and welcome the commander to the best of his ability, but it came out as a jumbled mess that was nearly incomprehensible. Finishing the food that he had been chewing, Max would give a slight bow and welcome their commander, “Greetings Commander Itami.”
 

Listening to the briefing, Max understood what was expected of him on this mission. He would wait for the others to start it off, as they knew where to go. Max would simply follow, ready for the mission ahead.


OoC: Not the strongest post, but hopefully sufficient. Ready to head in and... totally kick some rear end.

WC: 389
TWC: 1085

As it was obvious to Itami, that his team was ready. After everyone greeting Itami, he would then nod to them to show somewhat respect to them. It was now time to head into the forest. Another C-Rank mission for them should be nothing to worry about. As Itami began to leave the village gates and walk towards the forest. Itami would have his chakra sensory activated since their job was to patrol the forest and make sure everything was under control. Getting a bit used to his team, he is still annoyed that he has to babysit. But they have shown a few signs of potential. Especially the one called Senshi, he is clearly the strongest of the trio. With him being the strongest, that should certainly drive the other two to try and pick up the pace. 

Entering the forest, Itami still has his chakra sensory activated. Looking to see if any enemies or civilians might be within the area. But he would also suppress his chakra to make sure he wasn't able to be sensed. Though that most likely wouldn't do much, he assumes his team doesn't know how to suppress their chakra. There is a lot of things Itami still has to teach them.

"Even though this is another C-Rank mission, don't lose focus..." Itami would remind his team as they were strolling through the forest. With his new blade on his side, he was ready for anything. But he was almost positive nothing devastating was going to happen in this mission. He assumed he would just run into a few civilians or some bandits. But then again it was Kumo, so he should still be on his toes either way. As he sensed about 100 meters in all directions, everything seemed clear for now. But they would continue walking through the forest.

Skip me on this one. I'll post on my next go round when you guys are closer. So just assume Maku is still taking sips and smoking