Build a Chuunin - [Team Winter]

Spoiler:

The summons came in the hour before the dawn, when the world was still and gray. The knock on the door shook him roughly from his dreams and Ayato stumbled into the predawn chill, groggy from sleep, to find the man at the door of his apartment, a Hoshigakure headband tied around his forehead. “Up, Hyuuga. Up, up, we have a state of emergency to discuss.” The shinobi said, the words leaving his mouth in haste as his breath vexed in the morning cold. “And what emergency is that.” Ayato almost said with ice in his voice, but then he remembered his duty to the village. “By all means, give me a second to get ready and I’ll off with you.” There was nothing to do but rub the sleep from his eyes, dress, pick up the tanto whose scabbard hung from a peg in the hall and walk out of the door.

The shinobi set the pace, leaping from building to building. Ayato followed by beside him, trying to keep up. He attempted to call out a question but the wind muffled his words and the shinobi did not hear them. Ayato traveled in silence. Soon he knew where they were going.When they reached the office, the shinobi put a hand on the wooden and pushed it open. The study was exactly the same as the last he had come here. Tall wooden shelves rose up into dimness crumbled with leather bound books and bins of scrolls. Hell, it even smelled the same, moisture and dirt and unwashed clothes. Quite a cozy place it was for a station that handed mission that is but is left unsaid is better understood. Shinobi did not have the luxury to afford bigger stations within the city, not enough men to occupy them.  

Walking through the narrow path created by the bookshelves, the shinobi trailing behind him came across the second figure of the day. He wore the standard Chuunin uniform, and bandana with the Hoshi Forehead protector was tied around his head, covering most of his black hair. His face was still and long but since the last time, Ayato noticed he had grown a stable that definitely in need of some immediate shaving. He hatched over his large wooden desk, a cup of coffee to his side, sending a small column of steam into the air. His eyes were captivated with the contents of a scroll in his hands but as soon as he noticed Ayato he turned to meet him with his gaze. “Morning apologizes for the discourtesy of waking you from your sheets in such dreadful hour, yet the situation demanded it.” The words left the chuunin mouth with cool courtesy, but even if he honeyed the words Ayato was not keen to forget the time he sent him and Miyamoto to that shithole known as the Waterways to die. “No matter, tell me what this emergency is about,” Ayato said the question he longed to ask ever since the knocking on his door, the tone in his voice cold and distant.

The long-faced man was quick to catch on that and put the scroll down before standing to his feet. “There was a takeover of Gazebo overnight. A bunch of religious pious it was, protesting about shinobi and the regency of the throne. Hell, can’t you even get a good night sleep in this queer place at the edge of the world?” He said and let out a sigh of frustration before taking a sip from his cup of coffee. Ayato did not feign surprise to the later part of his speech, the bulk of the Hoshigakure shinobi (Ayato included) were Kumo deserters, Kiri deserters or refugees of other major and minor villagers, in exchange for their shinobi skill they get a roof over their heads and food to put on the table, yet mistrust and ignorance was bound to remain.

The Chuunin continued after the short pause. “The ever religious Queenmens refuse to take up arms against the monks, so it is left to us godless shinobi to handle the situation and relief the takeover. But there has to be a catch somewhere.” How he put emphasis on godless was quite apparent, but still, Ayato did not get how it concerned him. “Actually, from what I read you have completed have half a dozen missions already.  You should tell me what the catch is, Hyuuga.”

Ayato considered that for a moment, under normal circumstances there should be no problem for shinobi to put down a bunch of monks, and then he knew the answer. “The shinobi can’t outright attack the monks. “ Ayato said with ice in his voice, to which the Chuunin replied with a smile. Ayato failed to comprehend why. “Am I expected to believe that you brought me here for my wisdom? This is way out of the league for someone like me. The only reason you’d have use of Genin is to form a force to storm the building not negotiate with our back against the wall.” Ayato felt the trap coiling around his neck a moment too late.  

The Chuunin had already picked up the dialogue. “This is a very sensitive matter, and normally Kyousuke Snow would have been dispatched already. But since he has gone off to ranging and has yet to return…we are a bit short handed. After consideration, it was decided it falls to his students to do the deed in his name.” The creature couldn't hold back his enjoyment. Evident from the grin across his lips that made Ayato frown in dismay. "You don’t lack in experience after all." The Chuunin reached for one of the drawers of his wooden desk, pulling out a dark red scroll. He extended the arm holding it for Ayato to take.

The situation was so sensitive, that it was unlikely that any shinobi would be willing to take it under these terms. The Chuunin didn't expect Team Winter to succeed in that mission, perhaps he even wanted them to fail, to have someone to use as a scapegoat. Must Ayato attempt to defy authority the moment he realized he was being used? If he did refuse then it would only slight himself, his teammates and Kyousuke Snow. To lead better, you have to think. It doesn’t take thought to follow. Snow's words echoed in Ayato’s head and then he knew what to do. Calling the Chuunin on his scheme might help him take this one with better terms. “With all due respect sir, you don't appear to be looking for someone to complete that mission. More like for scapegoats if the worst comes to pass. And if it does I assume we know whose name will be dragged through the mud.” Ayato let out in bitter resentment. A man who would crush your skull if knew about this, he almost added.

The Chuunin’s eyes narrowed down and an awkward silence followed in the room for a few moments. That before the Chuunin burst into a rigid laughter. “Sharp as a blade that one.” He said in dark amusement as he exchanged a look with shinobi of unknown rank who stood behind Ayato. The next moment he turned to meet the later's gaze once again.

“You better not fail then.” 

===

Approximately at 8:00 am, a letter will arrive at Genevieve Oasis and Miyamoto Terumi houses by a raven. To signify it's authenticity it is sealed with a blob of wax with Hoshigakure's sigil upon it.

Letter reads:

WC : 1180

(Proof of meeting criteria: E-rank, D-rank, C-rank)

Miyamoto was dreaming of his long lost home...or the ruins of what it was.  The more time he spent in Hoshikagure, the more his birthplace seemed to fall by the wayside.  The air was humid and heavy as the rain poured down over the ruins.  The water had overtaken some of the ruins already, some places even had been reclaimed by the earth, but there was no sign of human activity in quite some time.  Miyamoto looked up into the sky and yelled out, it was inaudible, but something that happened each time this dream reared its head.

He awoke with a start.  Looking to his alarm clock, it was half past seven thirty and the sun was beginning to rise outside of his window.  He stared at the blazing ball as it rose up over the horizon, his eyes adjusted to the natural light before he finally blinked and took a breath.  The air was warm, but an underlying nip signaled that the night must have been at least chilly, his room had no real insulation being that it was the attic and that the house was old and on the outskirts of the village.  He finally got out of bed and proceeded to his normal daily morning routine.  He showered, brushed his teeth, put on deodorant, and finally got dressed in a simple t-shirt and shorts.  His mother was working longer hours and the two saw less of each other since his grandfather passed.  With a sigh we walked downstairs and into the kitchen where a note was attached to a plate of eggs and toast with strawberry jam.  He ate slowly as he tried to think back on the dream, only to be met with constant blocks where he could not recall anything.  Looking up he noticed that it was eight in the morning and a sharp knocking of the front door filled the empty house, echoing through it like a wooden bell.

“At this hour...that can’t be good…”  Miyamoto said with hesitation as he stood up and walked to the front door.

He opened it just as a delivery shinobi was about to slip the letter through a mail slot on the door.  The shinobi looked up shocked, but nevertheless he recovered and bowed to Miyamoto, handing out the letter.  Miyamoto bowed back in thanks before taking the letter and before he could say thanks...the shinobi was gone.  Miyamoto examined the letter, noticing the symbol he opened it with a quick pull, then he read the message inside with haste.  His face went cold as he read it, then a rage overtook him as he felt his body begin steaming as he had to stop and take a deep breath.

“I knew this was going on for too long...I should have done something sooner...dammit.”  He would say in a low growl before taking the letter and retreating upstairs.

Miyamoto dressed in battle gear; a black Gi with combat boots, black gloves with both the Amegakure and Terumi symbols stitched in, finally he took his headband with protector and he tied it to his forehead proudly before pocketing his five kunai and one exploding tag just incase.  He looked into the mirror, taking a deep breath before tossing the letter on his bed.  He would then leave his house, locking up behind him as he would take off towards the meeting place at the Water Gardens.  The trip was quick as the citizens of Hoshi seemed to be drawn to the growing unresolved insurrection at the prized garden. 

Miyamoto would arrive, looking for his other teammates, finding only Ayato first as he would come up behind him and sigh before standing beside him.  The murmur of people all around was definitely a sight to behold...the queensmen were no help...just the shinobi…


“So...how do you think this is going to pan out my friend…”  Miyamoto would say aloud as he looked on, not moving to look at his teammate

Proof of missions

WC:670

When he first arrived, his eyes swept back and forth, trying to isolate the valuable information from the noise pollution that was caused by monks. He had succeeded, to an extent, yet it was not a feat he would be given praise for. The words "broken statue" and "work of the shinobi" flew from their mouths like a flock of ravens. Yet soon, there would be no more need for him to focus, the crowd would fall quiet the moment a man, stood up on a piece of marble where the broken statue that now laid on the ground once stood. He would lift his arms towards the sky, adding emphasis to the passionate sermon given to the ones below him.
 
 
A loud cheer from the crowd followed after the speech was over, arms rising in the air, hands clenched in fists the gods receive words of homage and shinobi insults. Ayato wanted to process this, initially. But before he could, Miyamoto appeared beside him, asking him how he believed this was going to play out. And Ayato spurred the words that first came to mind. "Wel,l let me tell you. The situation is a bloody mess. Monks are preaching about a broken statue. How it is work of the shinobi or a sight that the gods were angry.  I can't tell anymore.Yet, I'm more disappointed in the shinobi of Hoshi; antagonizing the very people they are sworn to protect. They want a good excuse to gut them all monks. But in the end, people have to their nature a very efficient way of dealing and turning deep seeded anger into a violent outburst, don't you think?." Ayato let out, his frustration about the way things stood apparent, even if the words would leave his mouth with his voice not cracking one bit. "We have to put an end to this before it escalates."
 
The next moment Genevieve Oasis was to his side. The hair of several different hues always made for a beautiful sight for one's eyes to gaze upon. Even at this dreadful hour.  “This seems like a good time to fight ‘fire with fire’; Should I perhaps go first to try and reason with them, Ayato?” The priestess turned shinobi offered. “I could attempt to reason with them, perhaps even use it as a diversion for you and Miyamoto to slip in from the back?”
 
Ayato would turn to face her, the black circles under his brown eyes would make it difficult for the girl to define the warmth behind them. “Your notion is as good as it gets, my lady. From the three of us, you are the only one who they'd be willing to speak with. However, there is also a mob mentality we have to account for. People in crowds do things they normally wouldn’t. It is scary and dangerous, the mob gives them anonymity and this, combined with the actions of the rest of the crowd gives them the impression they can smash burn or beat whatever and whomever they wish. " Ayato would avert his eyes from Geni and turn around towards the crowd.  He would gingerly start to fill the hilt of the tanto strapped to his waist with his fingers. Was this the point where he wished he had no use of his blade today? If so why this wasn't the case right now?  "You are to engage in a conversation with them, of course. But I and Miyamoto will be by your side and add our voices to yours if need be. "Ayato finished and slowly,  started to make his way towards the center of the plaza. Create a path for Team Winter to walk by gently shoving any monk who stood on the way aside with the palm of his hand. 
 
WC - 728

Miyamoto listened to his teammates, their ideas were in the right place, but Miyamoto had recently broken all contact with the monks due to a severe disagreement he had with his one time close friend and mentor Isshin the Monk...he had an idea of what they could do if provoked.  Nevertheless Miyamoto remained silent as it seemed their course of action was decided for them as they would simply walk into the gazebo and attempt to reason with them.  His mind was already picking through the monks that he could see, none of them seemed to be from the spar the other day, but that did not mean anything...the monks had numbers...and they were swelling each day.  As Ayato would begin to walk, Miyamoto would look to Genevieve and signal for her to go first so he could bring up the rear.  His focus was on the mission and making sure his team entered the battlefield and exited the battlefield.  He was ready for a fight, but still he wanted to avoid any confrontation if possible.

As Ayato pushed through the crowd, people began to notice who they were and they would begin to push back attempting to hinder their movement.  Miyamoto made sure that he was keeping up the rear as he would use the Lava fling jutsu to attempt to deter the mob by making it seem that each place they took a step was eating away at the ground as the lava chakra infused sweat would cause the paved areas steam as if it were melting.  As long as he was not stopped he would continue the use of the technique till they would make it to the gazebo.  Once there Miyamoto would stop using the technique and wait till they were let through.  He could hear as a monk began to speak from the Gazebo in light of the three showing up.

“IT WOULD SEEM AS THOUGH OUR SHINOBI INFESTED VILLAGE GOVERNING BODY HAS DECIDED TO SHUT US DOWN BY USING KIDS...THIS IS A SLIGHT THAT WE WILL NOT TAKE KINDLY TO!”  The voice would say as the monks would move and allow Team Winter to enter.  As Miyamoto brung up the rear, they would look at him with surprise.


“This will not end without bloodshed at this rate…”  Miyamoto would say only loud enough for his team to hear.

There they were...inside the enemy camp...the gazebo of the once peaceful Water Gardens turned into a protest to overthrow government and getting rid of the shinobi.  Miyamoto would wait to see if his teammates would stand side by side at which time he would join them and remain quiet as he would wait to see how the talks would start.

WC464/1134

Take a step, shove someone aside, struggle, push harder then take a few more steps. Then repeat. Creating a path out of the wall of flesh proved to be a lot more of a challenge than he initially believed. Miyamoto Terumi had the same feelings it would seem. Evident from how he tried to ease their trouble by using ninjutsu. Ayato was about to scold him for acting in the spur of the moment, yet it seemed to do the trick. It had the burning properties of fire and at the same time, it had an actual substance. What kind of elemental technique does that, Ayato would wonder momentarily. However, there were matters of great importance in front of them and Ayato's curiosity had to be satisfied another time. 

Somehow they made it to the center of the Gazebo plaza. The preacher and the apparent leader standing upon a broken piece of marble. He was well past his fortieth name day, with a chest like a keg of ale and a gut to match, the nose was flat and the skin of the top of his head completely barren. Below him, surrounding the trio from all directions were the monks who had come to hear to his passionate sermons. To his right, lying on the ground was the tall broken statue of a deity.  When it was whole, it would impress upon a man who came to pray in front of it or light a candle. Yet a bloody piece of rubble it was in the end. Ayato never placed much stock in the gods...the untimely death of his mother was all that it took to take faith away from the young man. 

Genevieve Oasis, took the vanguard in the talks as they discussed forehand. When she did, the crowd fell silent. "Good morning and greetings from the High Lady, I am Lady Genosis, a Priestess of the Church of the High Lady. I have come to speak to your Leader about your dispute and disagreement about the Shinobi, if he is willing to speak with me at all; from one holy follower to another. Her voice did not crack once as she spoke the words and the tone was calm and polite, soothing even.  

The leader nodded in approval to the Lady's words as he gazed down at her small figure from his elevated seat."Greetings to you sweet child. Father's blessing to you. Even though his statue may have been befouled, Father never forgets the love he has for his children. It is up to his children, however, to manifest his will in the realm of the living. For he belongs among the heavens and his voice cannot reach each and all of us." With the help of his followers, the monk descended from his elevated seat and approached the trio. Confident enough to have a direct approach to the talk it would seem. He never made any eye contact with Ayato or Miyamoto. Yet the Hyuuga understood that it not always necessary to see so he can watch. 

"Faith is the will of the gods and we are all its instruments, Lady Genosis. I'd expect your presence here today to be that of a friend. To join us in the protest against those who pollute our city with their witchcraft and also those who let their actions go unpunished. Servants make poor kings, as kings make poor servants. Yet here you stand accompanied by two of them blasphemous, faithless shinobi."

WC: 541

Miyamoto stood there in silence as Geni spoke with the preacher monk that seemed to be leading this cause, thinking back to the way he acted previously in the crowd.  His eyes darted around the area as the mob was silent around them, the monks not moving but instead staring...Miyamoto knew that the situation was tense and that the slightest of movements would most likely be met with hostile force.  The fact that no one responded to the incident in the crowd was good, he did not want the team to fail.  Keeping quiet, He would began to count the monks as the talks continued, silently keeping track of the numbers in his head.

“1...2...4...7...12…”  He came up with twelve total monks in his field of vision, not counting the queensmen and whoever else might be on the side of the monks.  The situation needed to be resolved soon, and if if the cards were played right, it would end without violence.  

He kept up with the conversation, but seeing as to that he was never addressed besides the mentioning of his and Ayato’s presence there he would just keep his stance, watching the gene unfold.




WC:201

“I understand your position and I would very much like the opportunity to, perhaps, discuss their side of things on their behalf if you would allow me the chance to do so? They have defiled this statue, yes, but I would very much like to leave here with intents to have it restored to its glory; for no one should have to see their idols in such a state.” 

Gen Oasis who when Ayato first met her appeared to be clumsy and socially awkward, and even incompetent. Today, she proved herself to be careful considerate, first building a rapport with the monks and their leader, due to their sharing occupations and then she proceeded to defuse an explosive situation step by step. Offering a logical solution to what proved to be a solvable problem.

The monks surrounding them began to whisper to another in low voices. The solution Geni offered seemingly sufficed for them, but their leader was not amused. His lips tightened and the words came from his mouth sooner than later. “Sweet child, you do understand that siding right now with the shinobi is against everything that faith stands for..." The priest responded to Geni's word stuttering "The...the crown, yes it spouses about equality but they don’t spend any thought for common folk like us. Even worse they let the shinobi expertise their witchcraft against its own people.”

The priest extended his arm and pointed with the fingertips of his callused hand to the broken, fallen idol to his right. “Pilgrims cross the land to light candles here at the feet of their gods. The statue of the Father holding the scales of justice in his arm until a shinobi got too drunk and defiled this statue. And the atrocious crimes of godless men cannot go unpunished.” He finished, trying to rally back his followers into it, they would begin whisper to one another, cursing the queen and another.

Ayato’s brow would narrow down until it fully grew into a frown. Memories are ghosts, was his belief in life, whenever they are literally disembodied consciousness or simply metaphorical echoes of the past time.  And the memory of a time where this city wasn’t filled with shinobi haunted them. Religious extremists like the one standing in front of Team Winter would twist everything to fit their preconceived notion. There was no reason to remain delicate any longer. 

"What about you, then, kindly hearted priest, you seem to believe you are blameless. " Ayato said with ice in his voice. Suddenly all eyes were on him. "Passionate sermons and insults are one thing, but you are selectively forgetting that shinobi were the ones who brought peace and prosperity to this dying land. You are also relying on the concept of an idol to justify your cause, even though Lady Genosis, who shares blood with your people suggested we help you fix it." Ayato paused for a moment, to draw his breath. It was very difficult to keep his voice from cracking right now, but a shinobi must not bend under pressure. "The gods you are preaching about would not encase themselves in stone, and certainly not want you to give a reason for the blood of hundred to be spilled in their name."

Ayato would clear his throat and began his search for a voice within him, his father's voice. "We of Team Winter, are here on a diplomatic mission, to prevent disputes from arising between the shinobi and your party, but seeing as we are way past that line we hope to prevent the existing dispute from escalating into a full-fledged conflict. But your stubbornness and the fact you are blinded by your hate is leading us down that path." Ayato proclaimed the tone in his voice cold and distant. That would be a good time for Geni and Miyamoto would add their voices to his own. If the situation went south then they would be forced to steal a page from their teacher's book. Well, not that Kyousuke Snow ever bothered opening any.

WC: 675