Jaded (w/ Ibari)

Mission:

Upon receiving written instruction, Guren traveled to the Wind Country's infamous Quarry. Although well known for being a large producer of the country's iron, jade, and other precious minerals and materials, it was also notorious for being incredibly hazardous. Not because of unsafe practices or carefree employees; no, this quarry in particular actually upheld stringent practices when it came to the health and safety of its workers. The notoriety stemmed from misconceptions, rumors, and tales of this line of work. So much so that these accusations spread all the way to Sunagakure. 

Quarry:

As a result anyone who undertook such a mission would be strictly prohibited from doing so unless accompanied by a second shinobi, particularly a high ranking one at that. Guren inferred that potential risks on site were the sole explanations of the mission warranting an A rank. The description itself seemed rather...elementary. The objective at hand would be to acquire several tons of already liberated and processed jade then have it taken it to the onsite refinery. The mineral was to be refined, then marked for shipment which would then be sent back to Sunagakure. For what uses? Who knew. But the scope of the mission ended with getting the jade refined, as transporting such a large amount would be impossible for only two men. Simple enough. 
 
Nevertheless upon arrival Guren waited for the Jounin who was also assigned this mission: Ibari. Although Guren did not know much of him or his background based on his name alone, he had still heard a handful of stories and hearsay depicting his clout and abilities alike. He was eager to meet the Jounin, but in the meantime he sat patiently in a chair inside the walls of the on site security office. Typical requirements for authorization to enter the mine would consist of safety training, signing a waiver, and being escorted by site officials. Only then would civilians be able to enter and roam about the mine. Yet that was not the process for shinobi of Sunagakure. Instead the only requirements were to sign the check in sheet which was attached to a clipboard that laid upon the security desk. Guren had already done so, thus the only thing for him to do now was wait for his partner. 

(WC = 380 x 2 Event Bonus = 760)

The time of day for him had blurred together from yesterday until now. The young Jounin spent his night studying about the bloodlines within him until the bags under his eyes grew darker. As the morning sun peered its way into his dark room, a few stray beams began to poke at his face causing him to bat at them in vain. As his eyes slowly opened a savage yawn escaped his lips as he stood up slowly shooing away the blinds to see the sky.

When he realized it was morning the sudden realization hit him and caused him to sporadically grab his shirt. Ibari had just remembered that he had a mission to oversee. It was a surprise that he could have been there on time, but had simply lost himself. Grabbing his haori he would push the door to his apartment open and dash out of his home and toward the village. To expedite the time it would take him originally to get there he made use of one of the more basic of Jugo abilities, shifting his body so that he had a pair of wings. Just under them sat two small cylinders that would propel him through the air at high speeds.

For his partner, they would see the hues of blue and green streaking through the sky as he barreled toward the area in which the security area had been. Flying was still something that he had to get used to, but as he slowly landed the wings and jets would disappear as if they had never been there and his red eyes slowly looked at Guren," Sup. I'm Ibari. The joining assigned to this mission with you. Ready?"

(285)

As Guren sat within the security office, he noted a man literally descending from the sky. He gracefully landed upon the ground, and his wings retracted themselves. Upon seeing this, Guren was confused to say the least. Seeing someone fly so freely was not something that was a typical sight in Guren’s lifetime. Although from the quick glimpse that Guren got of the wings themselves, they resembled similar appendages to those that Kenshin had showcased in his demonstration. Interesting. Perhaps this guy had similar DNA to Kenshin’s, or maybe he too was a product of his experiments.

Guren would stand up from his chair, exit the security office, and go off to greet the man. As he approached, Guren immediately took notice of his appearance. He had a similar stature to Guren’s, yet his aura seemed a bit more developed. Perhaps it would indicate that Ibari was a bit more experienced than Guren. And yet he seemed friendly and eager, as he instantly questioned if Guren was ready to begin the mission. He was.

“Yo, call me Guren. And yeah I’ve heard your name around here and there, excited to work with you. But first you’ve got to sign in at the security office in there. Then we can head down to the mine.” Guren responded, while trying to make sure that Ibari was aware of the site’s protocol. Once Ibari would head inside the security desk and sign in, the two would be ready to head down to the mine site. As Ibari was the higher ranking ninja, he would wait for him to lead the way and would follow in suit.

(WC = 273 x 2 Event Bonus = 546. Total: 1306)

The only thing he had done in that moment was blink. His eyes had still been adjusting to the waking world, but once they did he would nod in affirmation to his partners words. His head slowly swiveled toward the security office and his body followed as he began moving toward it. In the same movement he would then turn to face Guren to respond to him," Guren huh....you're one of the newly appointed chuunin huh? I've seen a file on you recently....or I've seen you somewhere. Probably a combination of the two to be honest. How are you feeling about this mission mm?," as he asked the question he would begin the process to sign himself in.

Honestly he had only wanted to come on this mission to observe how the chuunin would handle it, but every ninja at some point needed to do a diplomacy themed mission. It would at least help acquire the necessary skills to deal with both foreign and domestic entities. One foot would begin to move in front of the other in sequence as they were escorted to the entrance of the mines and in the meantime Ibari would continue the small talk," So Guren what so you think about the mission we are on? Think it'll go north or south," his eyes would return to the male before looking forward. He would use this time to gauge how the young Chuunin thought and more importantly where his head currently was.

When they arrived to the elevator that would take them down, Ibari paid exquisite attention to the area they were descending into. What would happen with the two in here was certainly a fun thought.

(282)

Guren would pay close attention to the body language and mannerisms that Ibari conducted. It would seem almost unnatural, as if his body wasn't accustomed to normal movements. This added to Guren's theory of Ibari potentially being a test subject of Kenshin's as well. Guren knew from personal experience that upon receiving his new organs, both his midsection and his new eye felt foreign. Almost as if his body were attacking its new parts like they were infections of some sort. Nevertheless after a couple of days these effects subsided and Guren was as good as new. Perhaps the same was true for Ibari, maybe his body was experiencing similar responses that Guren's demonstrated. Whatever the case was, Guren felt it was inappropriate to ask and masqueraded the curious look upon his face with a subtle excitement for the mission. This was well timed, occurring just before Ibari would reply to Guren. 

"Hmm, it is possible that our paths have crossed before. I may have just officially joined Sunagakure, but I have been in the area for some time now..." Guren responded while pausing to gather his thoughts on Ibari's question. "And truthfully, it seems straightforward. I imagine there won't be much hostility, physically at least...But guys on sites like this are typically rough around the edge. We might face some type of verbal lashing depending on if they've had a good day or not." Guren's reflection was based on his experience performing an assortment of work as a missing ninja. At times he would find himself working alongside blue collar workers, who tended to say whatever was on their mind no matter who they were speaking to. That mentality came from the nature of the job; extensive manual labor in less than optimal work conditions at less than optimal pay. Guren speculated that the same might be true for the workers at this mine. 

As the two conversed, Guren walked alongside both Ibari and the guard which escorted the men to the mine's official entrance. It was the start of a short tunnel which led to the mine shaft at its end. As they traversed the adit, the conversation would continue. 

"Hmm. Well, I believe it will go how it needs to. Between you and I, I am confident that we can handle most, if not all, situations that this mission might throw at us." 

Guren responded with a light smile upon his face. It seemed as if Ibari was really taking in the environment of the mine. And for good reason, it wasn't often that someone would would be able to marvel at both manmade and natural carvings into the earth. Truthfully Guren was quite impressed as well. It was a lot to take in as they deepened into the cave. Now approaching the tunnel's end, the two were to take the mine shaft elevator and descend into the depths of its workings. Luckily for them, they would only have to travel to its second level which was 30 meters downward from their current elevation. Guren would approach the elevator and enter alongside Ibari and their escort. The escort would push the button which bore the L2 code, indicative of Level 2. After a few seconds of pausing, the elevator would slowly sink deeper into the earth. At this rate, it would be a bit of a wait until they reached their destination. Thus Guren would continue the small talk.

"How do you feel about this mission? I am sure you're more accustomed to higher priority and ranking objectives, right?" Guren politely asked while looking at Ibari. 

By the time Ibari was finished responding, the elevator would reach its landing place and the trio would exit. Instantly their eyes would fall upon a sea of stockpiles filled with jade bearing ore. They were still attached to their host rock, and thus Guren and Ibari would be tasked with taking a few samples of the rock to the onsite refinery, and instruct the men there to process the ore further. From there, the ore would be shipped back to Sunagakure. But before that could even be done, Guren and Ibari would have to collect the samples necessary for processing. The guard would take several steps forward until he met a rail track equipped with a cart. It was to be filled with the ore that Guren and Ibari would collect. From their, the cart would be directed along the track and onto a separate elevator in which was only used for returning mined ore to the surface so it could be transported to the refinery. But Guren and Ibari would both be aware of this, as it should have been part of the mission briefing. 

And so Guren and Ibari should walk over towards the guard. 

"Now listen, you guys can fill this up to the brim with ore but be careful not to drop anything. Don't pick at any walls, or you could cause a cave in. Don't make any large and abrupt moves, or you could cause a cave in. And do not disturb any of the workers here because if they get distracted and mess up then guess what?" the guard instructed while pausing rhetorically. He looked at both Guren and Ibari as if he wanted an answer, thus Guren opened his mouth to speak. 

"Or we could cau-" Guren began before being suddenly interrupted by the guard. "Or you could cause a cave in!" he passionately said. Clearly he was concerned with the integrity of the mine's structural workings, and for good reason. It seemed like a natural fear to have...just not if this location was where you worked everyday. 

In any case Guren shrugged off the guard, who at this point walked away towards the ore elevator and awaited Guren and Ibari to be finished loading up their wagon. Guren would look over towards Ibari and then back towards the stockpiles, "Well....shall we?" he said with a twang of humor in his voice. From this point on, Guren would pick up a shovel which lied on the floor near him and would begin scooping material into their ore cart. 

(WC = 1025 x 2 Event Bonus = 2050. Total: 3356)

Ibari couldn't place his hands on what the look was that Guren was giving him, but it wasn't one if malice so he paid it no mind. The red eyes male listened to his partner for a moment before nodding in response, I haven't been here long myself, but then again I'm also originally from a place far from here. Been on the road for some time before that though, " his next response caused him to chuckle quite a bit.

He saw this mission as something a little lower than what he was used to, missions that dealt with things like this were a bit out of his expertise then again he wasn't adverse to things of this nature either. Whether or not the mission would get physical laid on how their refiner would act and if things got out of hand. Luckily for Ibari he didn't think it would get that far. When he was asked what did he think of the mission, he slowly let out a small yawn before speaking," Hm? Oh no missions like this aren't exactly in my skill set. I'm so so when it comes to dealing with people and I haven't done anything like this in ages. So I guess you could say I'm a little rusty?," another thing was that he was just recently indoctrinated into the ranks of Suna. If this was by Konoha standards he'd definitely be right.

As the elevator touched the ground he would begin to walk out first, taking in the surrounding area before looking at the cart nearest to them. He knew the specifics of the mission but honestly didn't expect to do much. But since this was for something as valuable as Jade, he'd get his hands dirty. The guards satire made Ibari chuckle for a moment though he understood the severity of a cave in especially in a place like this. Turning back to Guren he would only smile as he grabbed for another shovel and began their work. Maybe someone would even start singing one of those digging songs...maybe.

(346)

Guren could agree that the mission was a bit juvenile for his liking. Although he didn’t rank as highly as someone of Ibari’s status, it still just seemed too simple. But it was a mission nonetheless, and considering that Guren was in the presence of a jounin he needed to prove he could hang. Thus in response to Ibari’s comments on the mission’s simplicity Guren lowered his head and chuckled slightly. As much as he refrained from admitting it, he agreed.

The two traveled down the elevator, made it to the ore stock piles, and each began to shovel valuable ore into their cart. One scoop after another, until slowly but surely there was less and less free space within the wagon. Eventually it had been filled to the brim and more than likely contained all the necessary sample within. Guren would stack his shovel against a nearby wall of the cave and wiped the slight amount of sweat from his brow. Even though he was a shinobi, that didn’t change the fact that this was labor intensive work. Upon being finished Guren looked at Ibari and called out, “Well I guess we just need to push the cart towards the elevator, and we can head up to the refinery from there.”

If Ibari agreed, the two would push the wagon to the elevator and ascend upwards in it until they were at surface level. This time however they did not appear at the entrance of the mine. Instead it seemed as if the ore elevator took them to a completely different location. Luckily enough this place was within the boundaries of the refinery. As the elevator arose and came to its halt, the wagon tracks on the elevator pad aligned with the tracks outside of it. Immediately, the cart would be sent forward at a slow pace until it was off the elevator pad and then suddenly come to a complete halt. Guren would subsequently step off the pad and take steps towards the cart. He would be met by another man, the refinery operator, who let out a harsh, “Shinobi scum huh? They should have let me know it was your kind that made this purchase of jade. I would have turned you around a lot sooner. No worries though…I’ll just do it now.” Upon finishing his statement he turned around and began to stomp off in a storm, almost as if the sheer sight of seeing Guren and Ibari disgusted him. All simply for the fact that these two men were shinobi.

Guren, a bit confused, called out to the operator. “Hey listen I’m not sure what vendetta you have against shinobi, but we’re customers here. We placed an order that needs to be filled. As simple as that.”

“Well that's too damn bad.” The man said as he briefly turned around to acknowledge Guren just so that he could put him down. To be honest, Guren was a bit disappointed by the man’s sharp and short response, yet he knew that the operator would eventually cave. It would just take some finesse. Guren wanted to be direct and simply force the man into a genjutsu and subsequently bend his will. But that would be too cruel. No there needed to be a better approach taken. Perhaps Ibari would have an idea. “Hey…any ideas on how to deal with this guy?” Guren whispered to his partner, quiet enough for only him to hear. Should Ibari have a plan of action, Guren would be willing to listen. In the meantime, Guren began thinking of some alternative ideas in the case where Ibari’s didn’t work.

(WC = 606. Total = 3962)

Hard work was something that the young Kaguya was accustomed to but extremely out of touch with. As he began to shovel the ore into the cart he slowly hunmed to himself the first song that came into his mind to expedite his work and energize him. While he had ordinarily just worked fast to get things over with, this ore business was serious and they needed the best of the best in order to get what they came for. Once the two were done, Ibari wiper some sweat from his brow and sat his shovel to his right as he looked at Guren who had the right idea about this.

So he began to push the cart into the shift elevator and up he went with his teammate to refine and hopefully get their jade. When they arrived up there however they were met with an opposition that cause his brow to furrow slightly," Oh so you're one of those type of people who hate shinobi for some ridiculous reason...or maybe because one wronged you and now you lump the rest with them," it wasn't a stretch to say that Ibari didn't like prejudice of any variety from anyone.

His browser began to furrow as he stepped forward as Guren spoke to him, his mind was set on changing this man's mind so that they could be done but this would need to be done differently. " You know this could go any amount of ways that don't end in your favor, but here we are trying to do this the proper way. The adult way. I don't know what has happened in your past but my friend here is correct. We are conducting a business transaction with you that was already agreed upon. For you to use a prejudice point of view to deny us business is not only childish, it is quite honestly rude. We have personally done nothing to you, but ask for your assistance in refining our jade. If you think telling us no is a good idea then think of this places future when you act like this. Word gets out that you are judgemental of other people? No one will want to do business with you on the sheer fact that you treat people like this. Is that what you want your fellow coworkers to go through?," Ibari would then rest his hands in his pockets as he waited for a response from the man.

The refinery operator would frown at the clear and objective reasoning that Guren and Ibari provided. Reluctant, he would hang his head slightly and sigh. "I suppose I have no choice..." he let out, clearly sulking in his verbal defeat. There wasn't much ground the operator had to stand on, as Guren and Ibari were right. They were paying customers and the reputation of himself and the mine would be on the line if he refused to supply product to arguably their most influential stakeholder. Upon admitting defeat, he would pull the lever adjacent to him and the cart would be swept off, dumped onto a conveyor belt, and its contents would head to the nearby machine for processing. "Just because I'm doing this doesn't mean I want to....but you both can leave now. Once this here ore is refined, it'll be packaged and shipped to Sunagakure. You can take small samples of your purchase on your way out of the mine's refinery. Now scram." the operator said with a slight hiss in his tone. 

Guren bowed his head and let out a short, "Thank you." He then turned to Ibari and spoke again, "Great job Ibari. Seems like we can leave now, not before collecting our finder's fee of course." Guren offered a pleasant smile to his comrade, as it would seem like the mission was a success and the two would each obtain a personal amount of the refined jade. Must have been company policy for every purchase. And it was, as the explanation behind the samples considered quality control. Should the processed order not meet the same standards that the samples had, a refund could be issued. But refunds were never issued as the mine upheld high standards in their products. 

Guren would turn and look towards the exit path which was clearly denoted by the big bold letters reading "EXIT", which were suspended several inches from the ceiling of a nearby cave. Walking towards it and taking the exit, Guren and Ibari would soon find themselves leaving the dark and cold environment of the mine. The bright light that could be at the end of the tunnel was a sign of the mission completion. Upon exiting the tunnel, the warm and bright rays of the sun would shine upon the shinobi of Sunagakure. To their left would be a massive stockpile of refined jade, waiting to be shipped. Near the pile a small sign read, "For each group, please feel free to take a single sample." 

Guren looked over at Ibari and motioned for him to collect his own. With a smile upon his face he said, "It only seems right for you to have the sample, Ibari. Without you we wouldn't have convinced that stingy operator to help us." 


(WC = 464. Total: 4426)

ibari chuckled for a moment as he looked at the man and shook his head," We all have a choice in the end sir. Its whether or not you use that choice to do good or bad that matters in the end. Like I said earlier I do not know your gripe with Shinobi and its probably well justified, but do not let a personal matter come between a business matter. That is a sure fire way to ruin a job for yourself and potential business for your boss," the young Kaguya wasn't trying to lecture the man, but instead give a little friendly advice that would hopefully help change the way his mindset was. As the man finished talking however, Ibari would give him a small thumbs up and turn on his heels to head to the elevator," By the way don't think i'm trying to lecture you. You're probably old enough to be my dad or something, but I hate to see someone being so swept up in hate that it clouds their sight to someone who could be a new ally or whatever to them. I don't hate ya or anything but it would be nice if you could be just a litttle nicer to shinobi. We aren't all bad alright?," and with that he would wait for Guren before heading on out through the exit tunnel. When the two got out he would take in a deep breath before looking over to Guren," That sure was a debacle....Man I almost thought we should have used a Genjutsu or something on him, but luckily the power of words won in the end."

Ibari picked up a piece of the jade and looked at it for a moment before setting it into the hands of Guren and started walking off," Nah you take the reward. I don't think it would do me any good, but maybe you can find a use for it Guren. Also I can't take all the credit for it. See ya," a small wave was given as he left, knowing that there would probably be something said, but he would let his partner walk away with this one.

[Exit]
Total Wc: 2,037

Using one of the 50% off coupons from the Aug event on https://www.narutoroleplaygame.com/t41444-assimilating-aura making the total 2500 So new total is 2,037/2500)
8000 Ryo
20 AP
2x Refined Jade
(Rewards would be doubled since the thread started during the Aug event which made mission rewards doubled)