Tax Dollars at Work

Tax Dollars at Work:

Ryō yawned and rubbed one eye as he walked towards the station where he would pick up any jobs that had been assigned to him that day. He hadn't slept well at all the night before, constantly woke by the howling wind the night before. Along the streets, he could see in places where stalls had been turned over or unsecured pieces of furniture had been flung about. It had certainly been one of the harder storms to blow through in the recent months, and most had not prepared at all for such a storm.

As he stepped up to the station, Ryō gave a reluctant sigh as he was indeed handed a slip of paper, indicating that he had been assigned a job and would not be free to pursue his own training until it was done. Picking the paper up and giving it a glance, the Senju boy was pleasantly surprised to find the colored seal of a C-Rank mission staring up at him, although his features fell when he fully read what the mission was; a power line had fallen from the storm and would need to be cleared before a new line could be run.

Doing his best to not feel too dejected or put out by the task, Ryō turned and started off towards the shinobi station closest to the job; they would give him further directions to find the line he'd need to clear out once he got there. With any luck, he'd be in and out before lunch and could then get back to his training. 

-----

WC: 263

Walking through the streets, Ryō looked on as residents and shopkeeps began to stir and assess their damages. Some had been up since before dawn, kept awake by the storm or already forced awake by the battering winds. Theirs were the shops with the most damage, but even so, their number were few and the damages weren't too awful. Many had received only minor damages, primarily lost bits of roof and window covers that had been ripped off their hinges. Many of the residents grouped together into clusters, commiserating and offering help to one another. It was a heartening display of solidarity, something only bolstered by the recent freedom of the village from its tax burden to another.

At one store, just before the Senju reached his next station, Ryō spotted a whole section of the wall that had collapsed from the strain of the storm. The owners, a pair of elderly citizens, were looking on with grim stoicism as they spoke with neighbors over what they could afford. The old woman began to weep as her husband sifted through their belongings as best he could. It was a terrible loss and not something that Ryō could stand to bear.

Knowing he didn't have too much time to spare, he quickly introduced himself and offered to give them some help. Although he cautioned them of his relative inexperience with the technique and low stature within the Leaf shinobi, his granted efforts were treated with considerable goodwill and praise. It was enough for them to be seen and any offer of help given. If he could give them anything, even a mere wall, he would have their gratitude. 

Of course, Ryō intended to give them more. 

-----

WC: 285
TWC: 548

It took him a bit more time than he would have liked, but as Ryō stood there and surveyed his handiwork, it didn't look bad at all. Although more than half of their home now seemed to be unpainted wood, the older couple could not have been happier with him than they were at that moment. It had taken a bit of work to clear certain areas of the interior and there was a small pile of debris that would need to be carted off sooner rather than later, but with the clearing done Ryō was free to put his plan to action.

It wasn't an instant, effortless process like he knew some were capable of, but Ryō had spent his time weaving freshly-grown wood into a suitable frame to match the rest of the house. Working with wood like this was still a novel experience for him, and a few times Ryō had needed to redouble his focus and carefully thread the wood together to make sure it would hold properly. Once that was done, he began remixing his chakra with only earth nature to raise walls for the exterior of the house and affixed them to the wooden frame. 

It wasn't perfect work; there was a fairly clear seam between the old house and his patchwork, and of course, none of his work was painted the right colors. But the house was fixed, if only for the short-term. It was enough for the couple; with his work, they'd have proper housing again and would be able to properly assess the damages and their finances in order to enact long-term repairs without any additional burdens or pressures to force them to act too quickly. He insisted they didn't need to pay him, but he couldn't say no to a fresh sweet bun as he turned and hurried on towards his station. Hopefully, they wouldn't be too mad at him for his unscheduled pitstop and home-building excursion. 

-----

WC: 327
TWC: 750

"You're late."

The words stung Ryō's ears as he stepped into the station and approached a desk that was currently being overseen by a chunin. He at least had the good sense to look embarrassed, but Ryō didn't falter entirely. "I had to stop and help an old couple with their house after the storm." As much as he tried, Ryō couldn't quite keep a flash of petulance flare in his words as he defended himself.

The chunin stared flatly at him for a few moments, his black eyes boring deeply into the Senju's own before he sighed and pulled himself to his feet. "Yeah, alright. Let's go. I've got another three jobs started that I need to check in on. So hurry up." And with that, the boy vanished.

Ryō was a bit alarmed, having thought to have a little more warning that they were going to depart; he still needed to grab some supplies for the job, and he hadn't even had breakfast yet. Determined to not be left behind, Ryō mustered himself and ran after the other shinobi. He only just managed to keep the green of the chunin's flak jacket in his sights as he dashed out of the building and up onto the roofs. From that higher vantage point, Ryō could clearly see where he was being led. 

The buildings up ahead were significantly more damaged than the vast majority of the ones he had passed earlier in the morning. Many were missing whole chunks of house and hall; a handful had collapsed either partially or in full. It seemed as though something hadn't been secured in the night and had caused a series of explosions and fires. He could make out several other groups, some civilian while others were obviously shinobi, already hard at work. 

-----

WC: 300
TWC: 1,050

The damage to the area was extensive, and as Ryō climbed poles to help run a new powerline he got a birds-eye view of it. There would be people at this for at least a full week if not two. He was certain he'd be running around to help with the power lines a fair bit, as he could help create a new pole to affix the powerlines to as well as manipulate the ground to capture and ground live lines that had been knocked down from the storm. It was grueling work, if not overly complex. However, there was something to be said for repetitions of jutsu use; it helped him solidify his form and his chakra balance as he used the same jutsu over and over again.

As odd as it was to think about, in some ways Ryō was glad that this storm had struck. It gave people something to do and brought them together in solidarity. It also illustrated just how much the village was beginning to recover from its subjugation. Finally freed from the tax burden set by Kirigakure, the villager's coin purses were beginning to swell for the first time in years. What was once a coveted thing, held back for special occasions or rare times of plenty, was growing to become, if not outright common, then certainly enjoyable on a more regular basis. As well, the damage to the village might have at once been a source of genuine concern for the people; now they moved about, spreading their wealth about as they pooled funds for repairs of each other's homes and stalls. 

Ryō sighed happily when the call for break sounded and happily dropped to the ground from atop his erected power pole. It wasn't going to fix the problem by itself, just like he wouldn't, but by being a part of a group, they were each helping the village recover in their own personal way.

-----

WC: 325
TWC: 1,375

It was several days after the start of his work that the first real complication struck Ryō. He had become accustomed to raising poles and using the earth to secure live power lines for repair or removal, so when a tree fell after a desperate yet doomed effort to remain standing after the storm had blown through he was the one called upon to handle the situation. The Senju arrived at the location of the incident to see a rather large tree spread across the road with several power lines curled up in its fallen branches. 

Power had been taken from the whole neighborhood, resulting in people standing about on the street and watching listlessly for when the matter might be taken care of. A few gave him an impatient, moody stare, but most were just happy to see someone arriving to take care of the matter so that they could get their power back. The kids looked the most affected, denied a chance to play while the power lines were down.

Bringing his hands together, the first thing Ryō did was sever the rest of the lines from the power poles by firing several barrages of sharpened stone from his mouth. With that taken care of, he turned to the tree. It seemed a waste to just break it apart carelessly, and so instead he decided to try a different approach. With a clap and a stomp, he raised a pair of earth columns to hold the tree off the rest of the ground. In fact, as he stopped and stared at his improvised solution to clear the street, Ryō realized the potential of what he had done.

With a grin, he leaped up into the tree and began to hack off the smaller branches with a kunai. It wasn't quick or clean, but it was just the first stage. After some time, he jumped back down and surveyed his work. Although still clearly a fallen tree held up by two earth pillars, with several large branches still sticking out from the trunk of the tree, there was an undeniable gate aesthetic to be found. With a little extra work carving and sculpting, the neighborhood had a new gate to mark its presence. Already, as Ryō began to tidy up around the power poles, there were those who were taking measurements to make the gate a more permanent fixture to the neighborhood while discussing the aesthetic and what it might become. 

-----

WC: 400
TWC: 1,725

"It took you a bit longer than it should have..." Ryō groaned as he sat in the station after submitting the paperwork for his completed work. The chūnin across from him was busy flipping through several reports while typing at a computer, thoroughly disinterested and unimpressed with the Senju's work. "A few downed power lines should have been the work of a few hours, a day at most. It took you three days before you finished."

Ryō started to protest the unfair description of his work before the chūnin held up a hand. "Then again, the job originally called for you only clearing a few power lines. It seems you took some liberties in the job description and pitched into other efforts to repair and rebuild after the storm." The cigarette burned in one corner of the chūnin's lips, somehow holding fast despite the conversation taking place. "Normally taking this long to complete a job this simple would be grounds for reprimand, but given the spirit in which your actions were taken, I think we can give you a pass... this time."

Taking his pay and leaving the station, Ryō did his best to not be too discouraged. He had known of course that he was taking a bit of a stretch with his work, but seeing even part of the village suffer wasn't something he could let himself ignore. He wondered about the possible consequences of his actions when a little girl came running up to him. He recognized her as one of the children of a couple he had helped with their house repairs. She smiled brightly at him and held out a small pasty in gratitude. Taking it with a smile, he began walking back home with a buoyed sense of pride. Maybe it was all for the best. The pastry was pretty good too.

----

WC: 300
TWC: 2,025

Claims:
- 4,000 ryo
- 20 AP
- 2k WC to unlearn 20 Vigor
- 250 WC to learn Water Release: Fish Spit
- 1,750 WC to learn Dark River Breaking Seal

Exit Claims Approved!