Guard Duty Intern

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"And that's all you need to do for those forms."

Ryō chuckled hesitantly and with no small amount of trepidation as he looked at the seeming mountain of forms that might be called upon for use at any moment. Bureaucracy was not something he had envisioned as being part of a shinobi's lifetime, yet he was faced with an unavoidable mess of it as he learned about the new protocols for gate guard duty with an experienced guardsman, a Chūnin. 

The older shinobi suddenly clapped one hand over his face in incredulity while laughing wildly. "Oh man, you should have seen your face. Oh... no, I'm just joking. This mountain is just old papers and forms that we have extras of." The mirth slowly drained from his features as he continued speaking. "After the war, they still tried to pretend nothing changed, and they printed so many of them... but more people wanted out of the village than wanted to come in..." The elder Leaf ninja seemed to slip into his own world as he trailed off, leaving Ryo to turn and survey the village.

Standing at what had once been the proud, shining gates into Konohagakure, Ryō was dismayed to see just how far the village had fallen from its previous glory and prosperity. He had of course been updated on the woes of the village prior to his departure, but he never expected the situation to be this grim. It was a stark and unpleasant reminder of not just how bad things were for the village, but also a reminder of just how long he had been removed from the village and its people.

It was eminently apparent that the village was in extremely poor times as almost no house or building could be found that did not bear some noteworthy degree of wear and damage. Paint jobs were often faded and cracking, many buildings had sections of wood or stone blown off and barely covered over to keep the weather out, and the streets were littered with dirt and other detritus. By all appearances, he had not just walked into one of the great ninja villages but a downtrodden village barely surviving. 

Ryō looked down at his headband, the cloth beginning to fade with age, and brushed a thumb against the symbol for the Hidden Leaf etched in the metal. Faintly he could feel a distant sense of pride, of when he had first graduated and become a genin and how elated he had felt at the success. He had had such aspirations back then, not understanding at all what was to come or the realities of the world. A part of him drank in the hopelessness of the village and quietly wondered if perhaps... maybe he should return to the Senju Clan's ancestral holdings. Perhaps it would be better to live a quiet life, focusing on clan matters and survival, and leave the village to his fate.

"Help! Someone, please help me!"

A cry shattered those dark thoughts that swam in his mind. Without hesitation, Ryō stuffed the headband in his pocket and leapt into the air. Even reacting as quickly as he did, Ryō was still second to land next to the older woman who stood just shy of the gate entrance, pale and trembling. The older ninja was already in the process of consoling her when he turned to Ryō and ordered, "Go alert the Jōnin's Office. Get some reinforcements." When Ryō hesitated for a heartbeat, the other man snapped at him. "Go!"

With that sharp reminder of his duty, Ryō turned and leapt into the air immediately. The urgency of the situation, combined with the stark evidence of his own ineptitude compared to the other guard, propelled him onward at incredible speed to the Jōnin's office. Given the observation posts that dotted the village, he never even made it to the office before one of them appeared in front of him and inquired as to the nature of Ryō's haste.

No sooner had the words left his lips than another of the elite shinobi appeared and a quick conversation took place in front of him, though he could only understand fragments from it. Before he could attempt to interrupt them, the other one vanished and he suddenly found himself back under the intense gaze of the first Jōnin. Ryō was concerned he was going to be told to go elsewhere, but he needn't have worried as his continued presence was requested and soon the pair had returned to the gate.

The woman seemed calmer now as she was sitting beside the other gate guard while she slowed sipped on some water while telling her story. She was cleared struggling with some part of it and so failed to notice the other two ninjas arrived. Ryō took the opportunity to study her some. She was clearly suffering as much as the village as her clothes were not clean or in good repair; long runs where fibers had split and torn could be seen and there was patchiness that came only with wear and use that spoke to the age of the material and how roughly it had been treated. 

While she was thin, perhaps a shade unhealthily so, Ryō was surprised to see a faint spark of life that had returned to her. Unfortunately, his part was seemingly over as the conversation was interrupted by the Jōnin who asked for details from him before taking her away."

"Is that all? Aren't we going to help her?" Ryō asked indignantly.

The other guard sighed and shrugged. "Not our job, Ryō. They'll get her story and if there's anything we can do to help her, we will. But like I said, that's not our job; we still have a guard shift to finish up." He walked back to their seats in their watch station and sat down with a sigh. "I'm sure they'll have some new job posted later today or tomorrow asking for help for her. Just come sit back down and let's talk about the threat classifications again." 

Ryō opened his mouth in protest before shutting it and sitting next to the older chūnin in sullen protest. It just didn't seem right to not do anything to help...

Hours later, after the guard shift ended without any further incidents, Ryō still found himself wondering about the woman and if she was getting the help she needed.

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WC: 1,061

Claiming mission rewards [1,000 ryo after Kiri tax, 10 AP], 5 stats into Chakra and 5 stats into Speed. As well, spending 1,000 WC on picking up Stone Pistol Jutsu and Basic Sealing Technique

approved