Little Guy Guarding Big Gate [Kikuko] [M]

Thu Jul 22, 2021 7:50 pm

Spoiler:

Kirigakure, a village surrounded by storms and the center of a hurricane spotted all across Island country. A comforting place to live if you love the tropics even if it may have a bit of a harsh stance on crime.

And in a place with such a harsh stance on crime the role of the gate guard was a respected one. Even if it was a simple job to keep people safe, check the papers of anyone coming in, mind their luggage, and turn away the obvious.

Mitsu stood watch by the village gates, an older gatekeeper standing to his right and considerably dwarfing the young man. The keeper having an imposing stature and what seemed like a permanent scowl whenever the young ninja decided to check.

But even with the imposing senior guard the duty started off pretty easily. An elderly man with a full cart coming by, Mitsu looking over his papers and checking them to make sure every thing was in order. He also took the time to activate the byakugan peering into the chests and cases in the cart seeing they contained a considerable sum of Ryo as well as iron and coal. Mitsu waves him off into the village and the gate keeper doesnt seem to give any disagreement with the papers.

Seemed everything would be going pretty uneventfully too a few other returning residents and merchants that had gone far afield, some coming to kirigakure hoping to peddle their wears, some would come with expired papers and try and argue but more often than not it didnt escalate into much.

So Mitsu grew to relax on the shift a bit. Watching the bridge out towards the rest of the world with curiosity on who and what might come in next.

Thu Jul 22, 2021 8:25 pm

The salty tang of the sea and the cry of the gulls. A wind that promises rain, and a partially cloudy sky that sings of change on the horizon. Here in Kirigakure, this sight is one that is common on most days. And yet, despite that, Kikuko had never grow tired of it. How could she? It was the sight that greeted her each day, revitalizing her tired self and letting her face the dawn with an energy that yearned to explore the world and meet its inhabitants. To taste new foods, see new sights, meet new people. Through service to the village, she would grow and travel along the path to the understanding she so sought out.

And so it was that today she was taking care of what was considered by some to be a rather banal duty when compared to the other tasks set in front of the shinobi of Kirigakure- that being gate duty. It was something she had done several times in the past, back when she was a freshly minted Genin, but there was something nostalgic about sitting at the entrance to the village proper as the ships came in with civilians and shipments from the outside world. What would be brought in today? Perhaps if she spotted some spices she could buy them at the market later. Maybe she could even prepare some hot pot?

Adjusting her headband so that it was clearly visible in the sunlight, she would settle against one of the thick walls of the gate before observing those set in front of her. There was always a few shinobi here at the gate, more experienced guards who were assigned regularly often intermixed with newer ninja or those substituting for the ones out on other missions. Eventually her gaze would affix to the young man standing next to one of the more experienced gate guards- eyes lighting up. Now this was an unfamiliar face.

Raising a hand, she would wave gently from her current position. “Hey! Haven’t seen you around before. Are you a new face?” She would cock her head to the side, looking him up and down. Try as she might, she couldn’t remember seeing him before. Perhaps a new introduction to the force? Or was she simply worse at faces than she thought? Regardless, soon she would have the answer.

[393]

Thu Jul 22, 2021 8:42 pm

The young woman manages to grab his attention as he waves off a fish monger into the city. He perks up seeing the other shinobi here at the gate, waving back at her "Yeah actually! Recent graduate" He smiles as he says it, tapping the Kirigakure headband. He looked the new shinobi up and down, as he spoke. Didn't seem to be clan born? At least not visibly. No indication of any exceptional birth. Just a normal ninja? He sends the thoughts away, they shouldn't be the first things he thinks of on seeing someone new. "Just got promoted to Genin not long ago actually." He says it with a small bit of embarrassment. graduating from the academy at such an old age comparatively was a bit odd.

"Still though been trying to make the most of it, Haven't seen you before though" He wondered a bit about who she might be, couldn't have been much older than him ~~even if she was taller~~ but the clothes showed she was already a chunin. He wasn't sure whether to feel happy for her going fast or angry at himself for doing it so late and decided not to dwell on it.

Thu Jul 22, 2021 9:47 pm

A recent graduate? Well, that was a welcome sight. It had been a year and a half since she had graduated, if she remembered correctly. The nerves and excitement she felt that day were still fresh in her mind- the experience having seared itself into her memories as the day that she had passed from the world of civilians and into the world of true practitioners of ninjutsu. One day, hopefully, she would pass from that world as well and into the realm of pure Ninshu. She had a long ways to go until that point, however.

“Congratulations! It’s good to see fresh blood out and about doing missions.” Picking up a rock from the ground, she would absentmindedly throw it forwards before forming a set of two seals, the rock lazily sailing back into her hand. Releasing it, she would catch it again as she talked. Catch, release. Catch. Release. Okay, maybe she was showing off just a bit. But wasn’t that part of the duty of those in higher rank positions? To inspire wonder and encourage growth of their juniors? “I hope you’ve been enjoying it so far. I know that missions can be tough, especially when you’re still learning your way around the basics.”

She would pause upon his comment, nodding at his positive attitude. “Making the most of it as all we can do, really. Ah! I’m Kikuko. Kikuko Hayashi. Nice to meet you!” She would grin down at him, pearly whites showing her sincerity even as she kept a watch on the horizon, Who said that work and play couldn’t be mixed together?

=====

[661]

Thu Jul 22, 2021 10:30 pm

He couldn't help but feel a little bit spurred on by her display. "At the moment I'm trying to get through my log and figure out what it is I wanna do. Seeing the sights there is to see, the jobs there are, the people there are, all that. Hasn't been bad at least" The next time the rock would be in the air he'd form an open palm pointed towards it, a blur of space flitting out from his hand towards the rock to send it off course. Was it a little bit of a shithead move? Maybe but he wanted to show at least something in response to her

"Don't have too too much in the way of my own thing though still... figuring it all out kind of?" He shrugs as he makes conversation. "Still a bit scared to go too far from the village if I'm honest. Got told stories by my family about some of the stuff out beyond and while I wanna see other places they sound scary" He halfheartedly chuckles. He decides not to go into much detail about the stories of eye bandits or the other fantastical things his parents would warn him of.

Fri Jul 23, 2021 7:53 pm

A log, he said? She supposed that was one way to go about growth- running down a list of possible activities and then from there determining what worked and what didn’t. In some ways it could be likened to the methods a mechanic takes when determining the problems in a machine- doing system checks one by one until eventually the faulty mechanism revealed itself. It was an interesting thought, if she said so herself. “Yeah! I understand that. Exploring the village and getting to know the villagers is extremely important for us Shinobi.” Throwing up her rock again, she would be slightly surprised as a gust of air from his palm would knock it off course. Still, she would take it in stride as best as she could.

“Hah! Nice shot. Was that Wind Style?” She would scratch her head with a somewhat sheepish expression. “Regardless, you shouldn’t be worrying about leaving the village for a long time. You’re not allowed to leave these island unless you get explicit permission from the Mizukage at your rank- it’s too risky to send Genin out into the field otherwise. No, right now your job is to learn and develop yourself. The time for fighting can come later.” Of course, what she didn’t say was that at times danger would lurk within the village walls rather than beyond. But there was little point in saying such a thing at this point. Her job was to encourage, not instill fear.

“So don’t let it psyche you out, okay? You’ve got a long journey ahead of you, and you can afford to take it slow. There’s no pressure.”

[934]

Fri Jul 23, 2021 10:55 pm

"Gentle Fist actually, it's A family style" He smiles at the nice shot, a bit of praise and recognition felt nice even if it was only for a small thing. "And yeah I know I should take my time with this stuff it's just I'm a little bit antsy to go fast with it. Felt like I'm a bit behind. Not all the time you see an older Genin Id imagine. Feels pretty embarrassing" He rubs his neck in embarrassment as he talks about it.

Another visitor comes by, a wagon full of luggage which gets the gate keeper to nudges Mitsu. He takes the hint, activating his byakugan and peering into the bags and parcels of the person coming in. The gatekeeper checking them physically as he normally did. Mitsu talks with Kikuko all the while "How have you been liking it then? Assuming youve been at this for a good while now." Learn and develop himself, he was still debating the path he'd go. Taijutsu was what his family had the most experience in but being like them was the least of his priorities right now. Ninjutsu maybe, Weaponry felt nice in his hands, seals, summoning, medicine, even puppetry was an option. Too many choices much too many. But he'd have to eventually choose something to go for.

[911]

Sat Jul 24, 2021 6:55 pm

Gentle fist? Quite frankly, she had never heard the term before in her life. At a wild guess, she had to assume that it was a taijutsu based technique- which implied that the blast of air that had knocked the stone from its set path was emitted purely through physical strength. What sort of monster was able to emit that through only casual effort? Well, shinobi, to be frank. And it wasn’t that strong of a wind, if she was being honest. Still, it was a gentle reminder that ninjutsu took all shapes and forms in this world. Something to keep in mind for the future.

“Hey, don’t feel bad about your age! It’s much more common than you’d think.” She would wag a finger at him conspiratorially. “I know a lot of genin who graduated in their late teens. I’m one of them, actually- I got out of the academy when I was about fifteen or so. It’s not good to be so hard on yourself.” Turning her gaze to the cart, she would note the methodical search from both the gatekeeper and the ninja that she was speaking to before continuing onwards.

“Well, it’s been a lot. Certainly I’ve had my ups and downs, but who hasn’t? The important thing is that I’ve learned and grown along the way. Otherwise it’s just a job, and from a job to busywork.” Spinning a lock of hair around her finger, she would release it after a moment.

“The important thing is to not lose sight of whatever it was that drove you to become a ninja. What is it that you wanted to learn? What do you want to achieve? Keep a goal in your heart and your eyes to the horizon. That, and train hard.” She would grin. “Do that, and surely you’ll get somewhere.”

Ah, but the time was going fast. The sun was over the horizon, and that meant that she would need to be moving to one of the other gates for relief duty. Best for her to cut the conversation short before she could let herself get overly involved. “Ah, but it looks like I’m out of time for today. I’ll see you around sometime, okay? Maybe I’ll even teach you a couple things myself.” Spinning to leave the gate, she would pause before turning one last time. “See you, Mitsu!”

And with that, she would be off. A moment in her life, and a new person met. It looked like today was going to be a good day after all.

=======
[1360]

[exit]

Claiming:

-2250 ryo
-10AP

Largo [1125/1125]

Remaining words to Telepathy Seal [1263/2500]

Sat Jul 24, 2021 7:30 pm

"Right... right.. See you Kikuko!" He muddled over her words, the phrases still ringing in his mind. "What it is you want to achieve" "Why did you become a ninja" He... couldn't find much of an answer. He wanted to be a ninja because it's what he was meant to do. He wasn't sure what else there was there. He wanted to be better than his family but he didn't know how. He does resolve one thing though, he didn't want his life lived for him. Not longer. He smiles at the little realization. Though he pushes the rest back to the edge of his mind. Right now was not the time. He would have to think on these things and decide on them eventually but he could handle these questions another time.

His stomach growls. Another time when he wasn't hungry. The gatekeeper on hearing him waves him off the shift, saying something about growing boys needing to eat. Mitsu doesn't exactly feel like pointing out he wasn't a growing boy. He heads off back into kirigakure, looking for a particular grilled fish shop he had heard one of the visitors mention. Still smiling just a bit about Kikuko's words. He'd hope to meet her again.

Exit Claims:

Sat Jul 24, 2021 9:00 pm

Little Guy Guarding Big Gate [Kikuko] [M]

Little Guy Guarding Big Gate [Kikuko] [M]

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