A Minor Photoshoot

Mission:

Ishii groaned under the weight of the hefty camera equipment that had been placed upon his back. He had woken up early in the morning to assist a photographer in their endeavors to photograph some of the farms in northern Hoshigakure. He was supposed to be one of the best, and his photos were supposed to be a worth a lot of money. While the photographer normally specialized in photographing models and the like, he was planning to branch out into other fields of work, particularly nature photography. As strange as this change in career was, what was even stranger was the fact that something had possessed him to hire a shinobi to assist him in his work, and for a decent amount of time as well. He was a man with a short temper, and a cruel demeanor, intending to work Ishii to the bone. The worst part of the mission however was the fact that the photographer couldn't be bothered to carry their own equipment, and as a result, Ishii's back was beginning to hurt from the pressure. "It's already starting to hurt. I wonder how long it will be before my back will break." The photographer turned around with a stern look on his face, scowling and scoffing at Ishii's inability to carry the equipment. "Quit complaining! I thought you shinobi were supposed to be strong, but you're bellyaching not even 30 minutes in! Well buddy, I'd stay quiet if I were you, cause I have you for another 3 hours and 30 minutes. So just quit yapping and follow along." Ishii's eyes narrowed at that, and he fantasized for a moment about dropping the equipment on the ground where he stood. It would be so easy for him to do, but unfortunately he wouldn't be paid for his mission if he intentionally sabotaged it. Not to mention that he would likely have to pay for a replacement camera for the man. Truly, it was a real shame for Ishii. "So that's how it is, is it? I didn't expect to run into someone so careless and heartless so early in my ninja career. Maybe I'll just have to learn a clone jutsu of some kind so that I never have to deal with someone like this again..." The photographer grumbled, but didn't respond to Ishii this time, instead choosing to continue forward along the path to the northern farms that the two individuals had been following. Ishii gave a sigh and continued forward, trying his best to ignore just how oppressive the force on his back seemed to be.

It was another 30 minutes before the photographer found a place that he wanted to stop and perform photography at, and another 30 after that to set up the equipment to his liking. It was rather irritating having to skirt around the demands of the photographer, but Ishii was just glad to get the equipment off of his back. "Well then, you're all set up. I suppose that there's nothing left for me to do then?" The photographer gave a short, mocking laugh in response to that, and shook his head. "Not quite you slacker. Your job setting up the equipment might be done, but I need you to get a couple of animals in the shot. Go ahead and round them up for me so I can get a good photo, won't you?" Ishii sighed once again. "Of course I need to gather the animals. Did you at least get the permission of the farmer to corral his animals like that?" The photographer gave Ishii a sleazy grin as he continued setting up his camera, ensuring that it had the shot of the landscape that he wanted. "Nope! You're going to have to take care of that as well. Do your best to be charming alright? I'm sure that that's a foreign concept to you, but they won't give you permission if you act like you were on the trail, so don't be your usual gloomy self, okay?" Ishii wasn't easily provoked to anger, but the man was beginning to get on his nerves. Without another word Ishii turned around towards the farm to find the farmer.

Eventually Ishii did find him, although it had certainly taken a while. The man was tending to his crops when Ishii had approached and explained the situation. The man spat on the ground and looked Ishii from head to toe, chewing tobacco in his mouth as he did. "Why would I let you mess with my animals like that? How do I know you ain't about to rustle them up?" Ishii gave a polite smile, and pointed over to the area where the photographer was set up to take pictures. "Because the one asking is a rather prominent photographer. He wouldn't risk his career on stealing a couple of farm animals." The man didn't seem convinced, and paused for a moment as he continued chewing his tobacco. "Even if that were the case, and I'm not saying it is, I wouldn't exactly do nothin like that for free. I got work to do, and rustling up all the animals like that ain't easy. It's hard, and time consuming. Sorry, but you're gonna have to look elsewhere." Ishii continued to smile. "I must've forgotten to mention that my client will pay for it. He has a pretty big pocketbook, so it would be no trouble to compensate you for your services." After that, the farmers disposition changed rather drastically. Ishii snickered to himself when he imagined that rude photographer's reaction to having to pay for his precious photos. As much as he wanted to, Ishii didn't exactly feel that it was appropriate to stick around waiting for such a moment.

It wasn't an exciting time for the most part. The photographer was constantly yelling at Ishii to go back and forth between the farmer and him, trying to find the perfect angle for his shot. He took a couple that even Ishii had to admit were good, but they were nowhere near worth coming all the way out here in Ishii's opinion. Eventually, their time together came to a close, and Ishii's shift came to an end. The photographer ran his hands through his hair and gave a sigh, clearly not content with the work they did. "Well, it wasn't exactly what I wanted, but it'll have to do. At least a couple of these shots are worth something. Come on buddy, pick up the equipment and lets go, chop chop." He took his camera off of the post that he had put it on and tossed it lightly to Ishii, expecting him to catch it. Ishii simply moved out of the way, and it clattered into several pieces on the ground below. Anger filled the photographers eyes, and he began to swell up like a big red balloon. "What the hell was that for?! You got something wrong with you buddy?! You're gonna be paying for a new one of those, I hope you know that!" A slight sinister grin spread across Ishii's face, and he leaned in close to the man so he could ensure that he heard him. "Unfortunately I'll do no such thing. You threw a camera at me, and I simply dodged out of the way. It's your fault that it broke. Oh, and just be aware that you can carry your own equipment back. My shift is over now, I'm under no obligation to do any more work for you. Also, just so you're aware, the farmer is charging you quite a bit of money for his help moving the animals, so I hope these photos of yours are worth it." The color drained from the photographers face, and Ishii began to walk away, laughing quietly to himself. As he left, he could hear the sound of an increasingly desperate photographer trying to give excuses to an angry farmer as to why he didn't have the money he promised.

Word Count - 1335

Exit Claims:

approved