The Crazy Construction Caper [P,Hayate]

Spoiler:

It's hard to clean half a statue.

Well, that wasn't entirely true; Asami thought it would be hard to clean half a statue. In spite of her doubts, however, she reported to the busy construction site of what was soon to be the village's newest monument to the Mizukage—the last one had somehow been destroyed in a freak accident or so the newspapers claimed. Weaving through busy workers and past grumbling architects, the young girl made her way to the foreman's tent. This would be her first official mission for Kirigakure as a genin and she didn't intend to be late.

Pitched at the base of two massive legs, the simple canvas structure of the foreman's tent seemed inhumanly small yet still people much larger than herself rushed in and out of it at a dizzying pace. Asami, for her part, refrained from going in just yet as she wasn't working on this mission alone. The mission parameters she'd been given mentioned that another genin would be joining her. Though, typical of most government documents, the mission had neglected to mention who the 'other genin' was, so she wasn't too sure of who she should be waiting for.

Only time would really tell.

Wearing a light blue sweatshirt and a pair black leggings to ward off the morning chill the only things that really screamed 'kunoichi'  about her were the weapon pouches strapped to either thigh and the still shiny headband of Kirigakure hanging loosely around her neck. With any luck, the other genin would arrive, they could get their orders from the foreman, and then be done with the whole thing. For a girl who still hated to clean her room, the prospect of cleaning a body-less statue did not appeal to her in the slightest, but a mission was a mission and it had to be done.

Oh well.

TWC: 312

Long strides, leaps, and bounds carried Hayate over the rooftops at a quick pace, making the hood from his white sleeveless sweatshirt drag behind him like his bare arms were doing.  The newly minted genin had taken great care to secure everything else rather tightly - the pouch strapped to his black combat pants stayed firmly rigid against his thigh, the village ninja headband was secured perfectly on his forehead, and even the sword hilt peaking out from his right side barely jostled, fastened as it was to his belt in two places.  The tight compression fabric of his simple half mask separated the bottom of his face from the world and the cool air, and also helped him separate Hayate from the Shinobi of the Mist he was currently acting as.

That damned administrator!  The same man who had given him his first mission - after holding on to it until the very last minute - had seemed to take even more satisfaction in rooting through his missions to give Hayate this one - that he was once again racing the clock to make it on time.  Hayate preferred to be early, if given the choice and no doubt the administrator had picked up on this bothering him.

The 15 year old slowed as he reached the closest roof to the statue, just a short walk away, squatting on the edge to make sure no one was below and dropping down.  He forced himself to walk the final distance instead of run - even if making it just on time or even slightly late bothered him, it wouldn't do to let others see that.  Let them think he was the too cool to care type.

Hayate walked past the men carrying around equipment, glancing at the base and legs of what was to be the new, larger monument to the kage.  The dust stirred up by the activity clung to the visible parts, already coated with salt and the occasional marking of a passing bird.  It would be pretty prominent when finished.  He refocused on the task at hand, heading to the tent indicated on his mission sheet.

As he approached then tent, a figure next to it caught his eye.  It was shorter than most, true, but what really stood out was that it was a person was standing in place, when everyone else seemed to be in motion.  In fact, it seemed to be the same dark haired genin he ran into (or, more accurately, who ran into HIM) the first night of the festival.  She was clearly the other shinobi the mission mentioned, probably waiting on him.  Damn that administrator.  He thought for the second time.

Hayate wasn't sure if she'd recognize him in the different clothes and with the half mask, but it was possible.  He decided to take the stoic, mysterious ninja route, just in case.

He would approach her.  If she didn't make it known she recognized him, he'd make eye contact for a second until he was sure he had her attention, then indicate toward the tents entrance with a quick head motion.

If she did recognize/suspect it was him, he'd pull down the half mask for a moment to admit it and greet her, then pull the fabric back up.  He would listen to any conversation she had, but if she didn't start talking or began to go on he'd suggest they go inside to get started

Either way, it was time to go in and listen to the foreman.

wc 585

Asami had never been a good student. Much to her teacher’s chagrin, a majority of her time in the academy was spent retaking exams and taking extra time to master what other students grasped instantly. One of the exercises she often took extra time to complete involved looking at two pictures and finding the differences between them while under time constraints. The idea of such an exercise was to develop a student’s ability to notice the finer details under pressure and, sure, Asami eventually got them down, but it took her a while. So, perhaps it made sense that she did not instantly recognize the boy who appeared before her.

“You must be here for the mission, my name’s Asami.”

She did not bother with the formality of bowing—they were here to work after all—and matched the boy’s brown-eyed gaze. Indeed, she would have continued to hold the boy’s gaze had he not nodded in the direction of the tent and pulled her from her trance. There was something familiar about those eyes and she couldn’t quite put her finger on why, but for the time being that didn’t matter.

“You’re right, the foreman’s waiting,” she nodded in agreement. “Let’s get going.”

Leading the way into the tent, Asami found herself almost flattened by a particularly large worker who didn’t even bother to apologize before going on his way. Undeterred, she pushed her way to the back of the tent where a large barrel-chested man stood over a vast array of blueprints and order forms. The man seemed to exude authority, it had to be the foreman.

“You two must be my extra help,” the man’s deep voice rumbled as he sized up the two genin before him. “I’ll keep it simple, all the supplies you’ll need are at the base of the statue. I want to be able to see my reflection in those legs when you’re done, so get to work and stay out of the way of my men.”

He dismissed the genin with a wave of his hand and returned to brooding over his work. Giving the man a shallow bow, Asami turned to go. Hopefully, the boy from before either led the way or followed because she sure as hell wasn’t going to be doing all the work alone.

“You know,” she addressed her partner as they left the tent. “Hayate, you look really silly in a mask.”

She flashed a good-natured smile at him. How she could have forgotten the boy’s eyes so quickly was beyond the young girl, but now she was certain it had to be him. Perhaps this mission wouldn’t be all that bad?

Next stop the base of the statue.

TWC: 764

As the pair pushed the tent flaps aside, to exit, Hayate thought he might have gotten the better of Asami, but those hopes were dashed when she spoke his name with such a teasing, self satisfied tone.  As his hand drew down the half mask, it revealed a grin already on his face.   "Awww... I thought I had you." he exclaimed in mock disappointment as they made their way down the somewhat rough path to the base of the statue.  "Well, I still think its a good idea.    But anyways...." His eyes stretched up the height of the lower half of the metal Kage.  "I dont suppose you have some fancy jutsu for this?"  He asked, half hopeful, half sarcastic.

There were a few buckets waiting for them at the base of the statue, next to a big barrel of water coming up to Hayates chest.  Strewn about on a pallet nearby, as if someone had grabbed it all in an armful and just tossed it there, with a few rough handheld and broom style brushes, a big green plastic bottle of some sort of cleaning detergent, and a bunch of rags.

Assuming Asami had no big plans, Hayate would begin to fill up two buckets, putting detergent in one.  He'd look back over his shoulder while grabbing a hand brush and tucking some of the drying clothes into his belt.  "So.... Top and bottom, or side and side?" He'd ask, lifting the buckets.

Whichever way they chose, or if another was suggested, they'd begin the manual labor of scrubbing off all the dirt and grime that came with a construction scene near the seaside.   It became clear quickly why the requested ninja help with this mundane task -  due to shape of the statue compared to, say, a house, a lot of places would be awkward for men on ladders to reach.   Using surface climbing, the ninjas could reach areas that would take a team of normal men rearranging scaffolding constantly get to.  It did take some forceful scrubbing to get the tougher areas clean, but nothing these two couldn't handle.

It amazed Hayate how fast the girl worked, and he caught himself watching her scramble across the uneven surfaces a few times, occasionally faster than his eyes could keep up.  Definitely impressive.  He declined to mention this to her, however, sticking to his area determination as well.  In time, they came close to finishing the partially complete statue.


wc 409 twc994

“Unfortunately not,” she shrugged off Hayate’s sarcasm and then proceeded to dash the boy’s hopes at an easy way out of the job. “I think we’ll be working the old fashion way.”

No, unless Hayate wanted her to reduce the statue to molten slag, she lacked the jutsu necessary to speed up the process. Though, as she approached the towering legs and considered the work before her, she mused if melting down the structure was the worst idea in the world. The job before the two genin was not the most appealing, but Asami wasn’t about to openly show her distaste for the task.

“Side to side, I suppose,” she affirmed with a resigned sigh.

And so the real work began. The next hour or so went by in a blur. Asami zipped this way and that as sweat and suds built up on her brow. At first, it seemed as if the façade of filth would never disappear, but sure enough with each successive pass of the brush and swipe of the rag, the metal began to shine. Strangely enough, unlike when shoveling laundry from her room or shoving things in her closet, she felt proud of the work she’d done.

“Well, that just about does it,” she said with some finality and slumped down against the now mirror-like base of the statue before taking up a facetious tone. “You ever consider dropping the whole shinobi thing and becoming a cleaning man?”

The straight face she tried to maintain broke into a half smile nearly instantly. Her smile, however, never became a full one because it soon morphed into a thoughtful pout as a chorus of frenzied voices erupted from the foreman’s tent. From where the pair of genin stood/sat they had a clear view of the tent; a group of three rushed out the front of the tent and a single hooded figure slipped out the back carrying what looked to be a large roll of papers.

“Comb the area,” the distinct voice of the foreman carried throughout the immediate area. “They can’t have gone far, get me those blueprints back!”

The hooded figure moved like a shadow through the complex of tents and work supplies. There was no way the workmen would catch him. Asami cast a nervous glance over to Hayate as if to wordlessly ask, ‘what should we do?’

The answer was, of course, obvious, but in the moment the young girl froze and she looked to another shinobi for direction. She still had a long way to go as a kunoichi. Hopefully, her indecision wouldn’t cost the foreman his plans and, considering Kirigakure’s reputation, his head.

TWC: 1205

"Oh, surely I could never hope to compete with your future cleaning empire" Hayate shot back at her as he walked to the original pallet to return his gear.  "You can have the whole field to yourself."  He teased, but when he turned to join Asami at the base of the statue and se her reaction, she wasn't smiling.  She wasn't even paying attention to him, she was staring intently at something beyond him.

Hayate turned to look at the commotion as well - three grown men arguing about missing blueprints in front of a tent.  But that wasn't where Asami was looking.  He lifted his gaze as well, to a hooded figure with a large roll of papers on the other side of the tent, moving away.

He turned back to Asami, wondering if she saw more than him.  The concerned and nervous look in her eyes, which were now focused back on him, seemed to confirm the figures were related.  She obviously wanted him to say something, but he didn't know what to say here either.  He was barely a genin, he had never given orders or made a decision.  Heck, he had never done anything but manual labor on the job, no combats or chases.  What would his teachers do, what would the shinobi he heard stories about do?  He hesitated as well.

They would acknowledge the situation, and use their assets in the best role possible to help the village.  His lessons came flooding back to him.  Simple, ninja training 101.  He wanted to be the one to stop what they assumed was the thief, but he wasn't the best tool for the job this time, and he had to come to terms with that.  He did his best to sound confident and sure, two things he didn't yet feel.  However, the urgency in his voice was genuine.   "You're faster.  Stop them.  I'll alert the foreman and be right there."

Hayate began running, making the rat and boar handseals as he did so, hoping asami was moving as well.  Once the seals were complete, Hayates body seemed to stretch forward out of itself, leaving behind after images as he rushed forward.

Should Asami leave after the thief rather quickly, he'd head for the foreman, interrupting with a "Hey!  We saw someone head this way."  and follow after Asami, letting the foremen either stay or follow as they chose.   Should Asami hesitate for more than a second or two, or not go, Hayate would instead head toward where he saw the thief, swinging within 15 meters of the foreman and using ventriloquism to shout (as if he were standing next to the foreman) that the kid in white was following someone.

wc 453  twc 1447

speed 43

AP:175  (190-15 flicker)
Possibly 170 AP (-5 ventriloquism?) 
Used: flicker movement  (+10 speed, +15 reaction, this+2 posts)

Asami's body moved as if pulled by strings. Years of training moved each body part independent of her will. Her body already knew what had to be done before her brain. The pursuit of a suspect, she'd run countless training scenarios in the academy and now was her chance to put them into action. Her thoughts caught up with her movements somewhere between standing up and clapping together the ram hand seal. Hayate was right, she was faster.

Much faster.

To any normal person, it would seem as if Asami disappeared from the base of the statue and reappeared a few paces behind the thief. The surge of speed sent the young girl's hair into disarray, but for the time being that wasn't what mattered. Each stride she took brought her closer and closer to her quarry until at last, she leapt forward with her shoulder leading. She didn't need to kill the thief, just capture him.

For a heartstopping moment, it seemed like she had moved too soon and the suspect would simply keep running and she'd fall face first to the ground. Her fear, however, was unfounded as, sure enough, she sailed through the air and right into the back of the fleeing figure. The impact jarred her shoulder, but it brought both her and the suspect to the ground. In the struggle that ensued the two fought and wrestled until Asami managed to pull a kunai on the much larger man. Normally the strength mismatch would have favored the larger man, but the feel of cold steel on one's neck tends to stymie most forms of resistance.

Stradling the man's back, Asami sat on him with a kunai at his throat and waited. While a kunai was great incentive to not move she doubted she could force the man to move without exposing herself to potential retaliation. So, she would wait for backup—the plans, while crushed under the combined weight of Asami and the man, would still be salvageable.

"I'm over here!"

Hurry up, Hayate.

[-10 ap for body flicker
150 ap remaining]

TWC: 1543

Hayate caught a hint of the direction Asami started leaning towards, but that was all before she vanished.  He'd have to trust her.

He continued with his plan to alert the men about the issue,  and then ran(spd43) toward the building supply area that the thief, and supposedly Asami, had disappeared into.  The three men looked at each other quickly in surprise, but followed Hayate as fast as they could.

Instead of winding through the area at ground level, Hayate leaped up on a wooden crate of building materials about as tall as he was, letting the builders he had left behind see him, while scanning the area ahead.  He didn't see either of the people he was looking for at first, but Asami's voice rang out as if she knew he was searching for her, coming from just behind an empty cart.  

Hayate pointed at the area, turning to make sure the builders saw, and jumped down, rushing over with his left hand on the hilt of the sword protruding from his right.  However, as he rounded the corner he saw there wasn't much need for the hurry or caution - Asami had the situation well under control, the man flat on the ground, a kunai against his neck and a girl on his back.  The blue paper that gave blueprints their name peeked out from under one of the mans shoulders, mostly crushed between him and the ground - there'd definitely be a few creases.

"Hold him for just a bit longer!"  Hayate knelt down and drew a scroll from his leg pouch, opening it to lay flat on the ground.  He scanned for the right seal and put his palm on it.  When he removed his hand, a spool of metal wire came with it.  He rolled and tucked the scroll back into his leg pounch and stood back up.  As Hayate approached the prone pair he would being unspooling a length of wire.  "Alright, shift to the side, but keep the kunai on him."   Telling people what he wanted them to do was getting easier and easier.  He hoped the more experienced genin wasn't taking offense.

Assuming Asami complied, Hayate would bind the mans arms tightly at the wrist with metal wire - maybe a bit too tight, but that was the mans own fault, Hayate reckoned.   He walked around to the front of the man and would try and lift the man's shoulder to remove the blueprints, keeping a wary eye on the mans head for sudden movements.  The man looked angry, furious and seething, but not stupid enough to try anything with a kunai on his neck and whatever freight train that hit him still on his back.

Around this time the builders would come into sight of the now standing Hayate.  Assuming things had gone to plan, he would wave them over, cupping one hand to his mouth and shouting "Hey!  Over here! She caught him."  while waving the blueprints in the air with the other.  (and if things DIDNT go to plan, they'd see what was happening)

AP170
wc 512  twc  1959

“Took you long enough,” Asami quipped wryly upon the arrival of Hayate. “What’re you doi—”

Glancing over her shoulder without shifting the kunai in the slightest, she answered her own question—restraining the suspect, duh. Moving to the left she allowed her partner room to work. The suspect tried to shake free, but his attempt was in vain as it only resulted in the girl pushing the kunai closer to his throat. It seemed the man was reckless, not stupid because he stopped when it became clear he would not be escaping.

“Well, I’ll be darned, you two were actually useful,” huffed the foreman. “Leave our friend here with me and go report to mission command. We’ll take good care of him until he can get picked up.”

The way the foreman balled his hands into tight fists told a story in itself. The thief had quite a lot to answer for; first to the foreman and then to the village higher ups who were not well known for their mercy. Letting out a breath, the young genin allowed herself to relax, she hadn’t noticed before but her whole body had tensed up and as the adrenaline ebbed from her veins a dull pain emerged in her shoulder. Nevertheless, she stood up nodded weakly to the foreman and turned her attention to Hayate.

“He’s right, we should go.”

The rest of the day was spent filling out paperwork and recounting the incident for various people. The debrief, ironically enough, took more time than the actual mission. Gotta love a bureaucracy, right? That said, through it all, Asami still found herself unable to shake the lingering pride she felt earlier even as she followed the familiar path home—she’d helped her village.

Her and Hayate didn’t make a half bad team.

TWC: 1844

[Exit, completion of the missions listed in my first post, one E-rank (500/500 due to spilt WC w/ Hayate) and one D-rank (1000/1000 due to spilt WC w/ Hayate), +1500 ryo, +4 ap, and 1429 words towards shadow clone jutsu, which in addition to the 1571 words done here, puts me at 3000/3000 for learning it. The excess 415 words are being put towards shuriken shadow clone, 415/4000]

As the workers took the thief away none too gently, Hayate had the foreman sign the mission papers.  After stopping the thief, the man barely glanced over to the statue for just a cursory look as a formality.  The new shinobi didn't realize it, but even his small part in the chase had his adrenaline pumping, and now that it was fading away, he could feel himself relaxing a bit.

He did have a bit of residual disappointment in not being able to physically take part.  Thats where he prided himself, his physicality, and he was quickly learning outside of the academy everyone was faster and stronger.  He was once again a small fish in a large pond.

He contemplated this as he walked side by side with the kunoichi he had been pared with today.  She had showed him a lot, and had really performed well.  So that would be the kind of thing expected of him in the future.  He was curious why they'd send two genin to do such a simple job, but with a thief like that hanging around - he wasn't sure if he'd have caught the man alone.

"Hey Asami... You did really well today."  he slowly balled up a first and pressed it against her arm in the slowest fake punch ever.  Hopefully it was enough of a gesture.  He was rather curt during the mission - He blamed the adrenaline.

While being debriefed, Hayate got his wire back (with a little blood on it, he would hate to see that guys state) as apparently the criminal was brought back before they were done with the length process.  He waited just a bit for Asami, but apparently since she was the one that actually did the capture she had to stay longer.  Oh well.  He had money, and some spicy udon waiting for him.

wc 309 twc 2268 

=================
EXIT
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Claims:
Two missions: D Hunt the thief (2000 wc/2ppl=1000wc)  and E The Mizukage monument (1000wc/2ppl=500wc)
D and E ranked mission gives 4 ap (3+1)
D and E ranked mission gives 1500ryo (bringing me from 1k to 2.5k total)
Claiming 2000 words for C rank Crescent moon beheading
adding 268 words to B rank Rupture (now 268/3000)