Visiting noble [C-Rank]

Located in the still damaged Sarutobi District, you could find Blaisa slouched in a chair at her broken, battered table playing a relaxing game of Shogi with her shadow clone.  In her free time, the young kunoichi occasionally enjoys taking out the Japanese chess styled board game and playing against herself in order to expand her mind as well as critical thinking skills.  Taking a second to ponder out her open window, she took a moment to enjoy the cool, windy breeze as well as the nice and bright weather that followed. 
 
“You’re move.”, the shadow clone eerily spoke in a low, tired voice.  Blaisa ignored her clones’ chatter and instead began to ponder about what she was actually doing with her life.  How she was spending all of her time.  Although it had been a few days since she had last gone out on her first mission, she knew there was still ways to improve.  More ways to push herself.  ‘All I did was save a dog…’, she began to think to herself in disappointment, ‘That was even MORE of my time wasted.’.  Her clone raised her head to analyze Blaisa’s emotion and became overwhelmed with an odd thrill of sudden motivation. 


The mood in the room had suddenly changed.
 
“I already know what you’re thinking!”, she yelled in a louder tone, slamming her fist on the table with a wide smile on her face.  This caught Blaisa’s attention off guard, as she slowly turned to her clone with a puzzled look of confusion.  Smirking, the clone closed her eyes and let out a sigh, leaning back in the old chair, causing it to let out a long croak.  “I’m you.  I know what you want,”, the clone began to say.  Before thinking about it herself for confirmation, the clone once again opened her eyes and quickly stood up in her chair, leaning over at Blaisa with a now solid, confident look on her face.  “And I want it too!”, she finished in a strong, sturdy voice.
 
Blaisa looked at her clone with a confused face before being overcome with a gigantic smile of happiness after hearing her speak.  Shortly afterwards, the young Sarutobi quickly raised out of her chair as well, slamming both of her hands on the table in return.  Without saying a word, Blaisa nodded her head in acknowledgement towards her counterpart before beginning to form the clone hand seal.  The clone returned a smile, before composing an annoyed expression.  “So go!  What are you waiting fo-!“, the clone spoke until Blaisa unsummoned the clone with a smile of her own, retaining her bright, re-motivated spirit.
 
Grabbing her vest and ninja pouch, Blaisa made her way out the door and into the streets of Konohagakure, on her way to the Mission Board.  ‘God I love myself’, she began to think, being thankful for her clones’ push of motivation, ‘But god damn I talk too much. It can be annoying sometimes.’, she finished. 
 
Arriving at the Mission Board located strangely next to the Academy, Blaisa began to approach the stand to see what mission she would be taking today.  Getting closer, she noticed another shinobi also standing at the board, most likely looking for a mission to take as well.  She analyzed him from head to toe, from the Konoha headband and mask, to the light blue attire that he wore.  Confusion struck her curiously as she began to look at his clothing more carefully.  She didn’t recognize it as attire that is usually worn here in the Leaf Village.
 
Thinking back at her time in the academy when Kirigakure had attacked the village, she remembered that the men who invaded her beloved classroom had worn colors similar.  Being overwhelmed with a sensation of sadness, she looked down at the ground, reminiscing the good times that she had with her mother and brother.  Realizing that she was letting her emotions get to her, Blaisa shook her head and regained a form of confidence before approaching the unknown shinobi.  To her, the leaf headband said enough.  She knew that we were all in this together, that we all have goals that we NEED to accomplish.  ‘For the Leaf.’, she thought to herself silently. 
 
Blaisa approached the ninja and stopped a few feet away, attempting to making eye contact with him before noticing his head slammed in the mission board itself, with what it seemed to be an expression of intense anger.  Blaisa ignored his anger and returned an expression of her own, spouting a wide, closed smile accompanied by a friendly attitude.  “Hey there!”, she began to speak, “Is uh-everything okay?”, asking with a confused, worried tone.   

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Another day another day another day was all he could think about. As he said it in his head over and over again. Today was no different to say the least as it was time to go back to work. Well that word did not come to mind when it came to what he did best. As it was a new day it was still the same ole same and that was bringing the leaf back to glory. Or at least that is what Solomon would have wanted. But now it was time to continue what he set out and started. The young warrior had a lot to live up to and he planned on doing just that. As he suited up for his day he would grab his sunglasses. Now as he put his head band on he would put his shades on as well. Heading out the door. 


Making his way to the mission board area. He would be tired but still it was require of him. As Flow started to think about how his master was before his fame. Then again he was an out law as was the hokage. But as Solomon put it he did them a favor. Flow would look on as a few moments would pass as he made it to where he needed to be. He would look on to see the shark guy from way before and another person. It appeared as the new person was forcing han to hit himself. How sad was this one but it had to ne stopped. Flow would look on but he truly wanted to stay out of it. But as he looked on he could see that it was not as he first thought. Flow would see this as he made his way over. Not really saying anything but looking on the mission board for something more of a fight. This was going to be a good one. But the only thing he saw was to escort a noble. That was just weak to him. But he had no choice but to do it.

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A somber haze would cloud Azumi’s overall expression and demeanor as she stared back at herself in the mirror. It had almost felt as if she was staring at someone completely different than she had known. After all, in just a few weeks she had gone from being forced to completely reject the notion of shinobi to operating as a full genin and completing mission after mission. However, this felt like the first time that she had stopped to reflect on her current path. A soft pout formed as she continued to stare at herself. It was almost as if it wasn’t a reflection but another version of herself. Her hand rose softly to press against the glass, feeling how cold it had been. These were the times that she wished that she could completely change places with her reflection.

It seemed that she had remained idle for too long to the point where her existential questioning had returned to permeate her mind. Letting a sigh escape her lips, Azumi quickly headed towards the door, grabbing her purple cloak on her way out. The girl decided to do what she did best when she was being consumed by sadness or questions she didn’t have the answers to. Azumi did what she could actually control and would complete yet another mission. They were good at allowing her to focus on one thing until it was over and most times, she did not have enough space in her mind to focus on other things while in the thick of a mission. At the moment, she craved this distraction as being alone to her own devices for much longer would only plunge her lower into her own sadness.

Azumi couldn’t get to the mission boards quick enough. Landing on the top of a building directly across from it, she’d cross her arms at what seemed to be a group forming. It could have also been that they all arrived at the board at the same time but in any case, the area was much more crowded than she anticipated. The girl usually liked to get in and out with her mission and keep the small talk to a minimum. She hadn’t always been like this though. There was a time when had been the most enthusiastic of leaders in a conversation but so much in her life had changed since then. Rather than an excitement for communication, Azumi had grown anxious as the thought of making conversation.

Deciding to finally bite the bullet, Azumi finally dropped down to the ground level and began walking towards the Mission Board where the other shinobi had shown up. The girl attempted to keep a tunnel vision, keeping only the Board in her focus. However in the very corner of her peripheral, her eyes would scan over the faces of the Shinobi present. Most of their faces rang a nostalgic bell within her, bringing her back to much simpler times before...all of this. Focusing her attention back onto the mission board, her eye was caught by the only mission that hadn’t been completely ridiculous or pointless.

“Tch….a noble huh?” The girl said, voice riddled with irritation as she recalled her past experiences with nobles and how tedious they were capable of being.

[wc: 545]

Blaisa watched as the strange shinobi began to bring his attention to herself, becoming slightly intimidated, although beginning to get over it rather quickly.  Taking a closer inspection of him herself, she noticed that something on his face began to twitch under his mask.  Strangely, this brought back strange memories of her time back in the Academy, almost as if she had known this shinobi from somewhere previously.  Regardless, she was unsure of her first impression of him, but one thing she did know was that he did not seem to be hostile, just hazy and tired.  Listening to him speak about his missions and what a hard day it had been for him, she kept quiet and paid close attention with a smile, being able to resonate with someone that seems to work just as hard as she did which also brought her a comforting joy.
 
As the young Sarutobi continued to listen, the light blue colored shinobi brought up a mention of his old allies.  His friends.  Family and companionships that he had held close to him, only to be taken away, just like she had.  This brought an expression of immense sadness to overbear her face, wishing curses upon the ones who brought this horrible pain and suffering to her beloved village.  Everyone had suffered from the Kirigakure invasion, and it was only until this moment that she realized she did not have to bear this pain alone. 
 
This realization brought Blaisa a solidifying form of comfort, easing her mind once more and bringing a bright smile to her face.  “I know how you feel,”, she began to say in response to her acquaintance, “I’ve lost everything as well, and for the same reasons too…”, she finished speaking - changing her mood from an overbearingly happy one to a calm, normal toned facial expression.  After speaking, she looked towards the shinobi, witnessing him pull down his mask to reveal a peculiar set of gill slits that seemed to scale his neck – almost like the exotic fish that her and her father used to fish for. 
 
This took Blaisa in for a shock, as she had never seen or heard of anyone with this physical attribute before.  Attempting to avoid being rude or offensive, she simply stayed quiet and listened to what the shinobi had to say.  After being offered an invite to go on a mission with him as shark skinned shinobi held the mission slip, she was able to get a peek on what the mission details were before accepting or declining.  ‘Nobles, huh?’, she began to silently think to herself, ‘This is the most interesting and challenging mission that I’ve had yet!’, she finished. 
 
“Hmmm…”, she began to speak, pretending to think out loud while pondering with her right hand on her chin in a curious fashion, “I’ll take on this mission with you.  Give me the details on the way.  I am in this for the combat experience, not the ryo.  You can keep my split.”, she would go on to finish.  It was true.  She didn't need the ryo at all, only strength.  On the plus side, this would hopefully be more than enough to help out Hojiro with his rent issues that he had previously mentioned to her.  Before realizing that they had not even introduced themselves to each other, she would go on to finally hear her potential new friend’s name, Hojiro Hoshigaki of the Hoshigaki Clan.  This put Blaisa in an even better mood, as she was always bad at making friends even before their village was pillaged.  Even something as simple as receiving someone's name was a step in the right direction in relation to her social mentality.
 
Noticing his hand movements indicating a request for the same courteous gesture back, Blaisa could easily read what Hojiro was implying.  “Blaisa Sarutobi!”, she responded light heartedly while closing her eyes and spouting a widely ranged smile that ran across from cheek to cheek.  Shortly afterwards, Blaisa took notice that Hojiros’ attention had quickly gone elsewhere after receiving the information he asked for.  Shortly after noticing this, the young shinobi tracked her attention to match Hojiros’, taking sight of what seemed to be two shinobi whom were approaching the board intending to take on the same mission they had previously discussed relating to the nobles.  Although she did not know who the male shinobi was, she most definitely recognized the female who had approached.  ‘Hey… Isn’t that our old class president, Azumi Uchiha?’, Blaisa began to silently think to herself.  Upon further inspection, Blaisa was certain that she could not have mistaken that kunoichi for a second. 
 
After letting Hojiro ask the two if they were essentially willing to take on the mission with them as a squad, Blaisa slightly interrupted Hojiro calling out Azumi directly.  “Hey!  Azumi!”, she began to speak to Uchiha kunoichi in a slightly louder but ecstatic friendly tone, “Long time no see… Do you remember me at all?”, she finished off by asking in a hopeful, curious tone, “Regardless, I’m glad to see that you’re safe.”. 
 
Blaisa’s question would fade into the background as Hojiro began to explain the details of the mission to the squad, seemingly taking the position as the leader.  She was okay with this, as this was the first time the young shinobi would be working alongside others. She acknowledged that she still had much to learn.  As Hojiro continued by asking if the group had been familiar with tracking missions, Blaisa stayed silent but nodded her head in acknowledgement and confirmation.  This was indeed her first tracking mission, but it was something she had studied about during her time in the academy being a familiar topic.  Additionally, Blaisa was always hearing about the different kinds of missions that her brother used to go on when he was still a respected shinobi in the village.

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My oh my it seemed these three knew each other once upon a time. Flow remember thrm as well too. He was apart of there class room for like ten days before he and his family left the leaf in disgrace. How odd then as the names were being called out. He would here Hojiro call out to the uchiha by him. But before that he would see the Konichi next to him. She said her last name was Saurtobi. How odd as Solomon gave Glow his last name of Sarutobi. But he was not part of that clan. But he was apart of the Uchiha clan and on top of that. Hojiro knows him as such. Flow would then pull out his note pad to look over it. As he was in quite the pickle here.  But then he remember what his master told him. If worse case comes to light then one mist fight back. Or was it a wide man once said nothing at all. But still how will he get out of such a thing? To be frank it did not matter at all but he could not help but think on it as he looked on. Seeing what the two was talking about he would join in. Although he was the silence type. " You all do realize we do not spilt the reward money. But we each get the sum it has stated. But Ms.Sarutobi if you do not want your sum of it I will gladly suggest what you said. Hojiro rent is due but if he do a C rank or higher that will not be the problem." Looking on he would give off a soft smile as he saw him lift up his mask somewhat. Looking on next to him he would.


See the Uchiha next to him. It can not be explained but an Uchiha would know there own and this one just happen to be his cousin. Who he did not see im years. Since the day he left the leaf and they called her class President. True to heart she was a leader. But he would have to play dumb at least for now. As it was safer that way to say the least. An uchiha who can not defend themselves are nothing more then a duck at hunting season. That is why one must never reveal thier eyes if they can not cast a Genjustu. Looking on at Hojiro he would ask if someone was good at tracking. " I am to say the least although I am still getting used to it. I am a student of the Hokage brother. The one who help him reclaim the leaf. May his soul rest in peace. But he showed me a fee tips and tricks. So if we all on the same page we can get moving and my name is....." He would pause for a second and say." It is Flow just call me Flow for now at least.

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Blaisa listened as the unbeknownst male shinobi explained to the group that everyone would be receiving ryo upon mission completion.  She had never done a mission with others before, so this was music to her ears.  Although the circumstances had changed, the young shinobi kept a note in her head mentally to speak with Hojiro after the mission had been completed to see if he still needed financial assistance.  Listening to the unknown shinobi and Hojiro interact, she began to eavesdrop on their conversation, taking note that the two had known each other from somewhere previously.  ‘Flow…’, she began to think as Hojiro revealed the once unknown shinobi’s identity out loud.  As they continued, she continued to listen – ‘Hokage?’, she thought, shocked that anyone in this group of shinobi knew the Hokage on a personal level.  Or at least enough to publicly ask for an audience with him with such ease.  Pretending to not have even heard it, Blaisa did not acknowledge this fact at all and simply continued to mind her own business. 
 
After inquiring to Azumi about their history, the silent Uchiha simply returned a small nod of acknowledgement before being seemingly distracted by the individual next to her.  ‘Seems just like her,’ Blaisa silently began to think to herself, ‘She hasn’t changed one bit.  Although, when this mission starts to pick up I expect her to be a lot more vocal...’, she finished.  The Sarutobi simply continued to keep a widened closed off smile on her face before bringing her attention back to Hojiro, who had asked if they had ever gone on a tracking mission before. 
 
As everyone finished giving off their responses to his question about mission experience, the young Sarutobi took notice that Azumi began to speak, seemingly to gather information about where the nobles in relation to the mission had gone.  'Now that's more like it....', Blaisa thought to herself, taking note of Azumi's natural leadership skills that seemingly started to kick in.  Not having a clue about the target’s whereabouts, she simply stayed silent and looked around at the faces of her leaf shinobi companions, waiting to see if any of them had any idea where the nobles may have gone.  A moment of silence came to pass as Hojiro was the first one to speak up afterwards. 
 
The Hoshigaki shinobi finished speaking, giving his two cents on the situation while asking the group about their opinion in response.  Gaining the courage to speak up and offer an idea of rebuttal, she replied to Hojiro’s deduction with “That may be true.  It would be impractical to count the idea of ambush out.”.  After taking a short second to ponder on the idea of where they could have gone, another idea began to fill within Blaisa’s mind.  “But let’s think about who and what a noble of the Land of Fire truly is,” she continued, “Most are greedy, selfish, and love to spend their free time gambling their riches, with not a care in the world about deadlines and where they’re supposed to be.”.  Taking a short breath before continuing to speak, a possible location spurted out of Blaisa’s mouth.
 
“Tanzaku Town.  The city of privilege.”, she uttered in a tone of vileness and disgust.  To think that highly praised nobles would be in a place that partook in such activity would not surprise the young shinobi in the slightest.  She closed her eyes and nodded her head to look down at the ground, gritting her teeth thinking about how little the nobles cared about their own village, especially with the current condition that it was in.  Opening her eyes with a reinstated sense of her true nature, she looked back at the group in order to address all of them at once, “What do you guys think?”, she asked in a non-overly friendly tone. 

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