The Plan-B Citadel [Mission]

If there was one thing that Asahi tried to avoid, and often failed….it was real honest work.  It wasn’t that he was opposed to it, it just wasn’t the kind of thing an enterprising young man wished to toil away his days with.  There of course being so many other permissible past times available.  Gardening, poetry, painting, tea ceremonies, sake, the list just went on and on, and on, and yet his beloved cousin insisted again and again to send him on menial tasks.  Now however, a second absconder of joy had joined the fray and requested his attention.  He held the paper debating on if he should go or not, over a cup of tea.  Tipping back he finished the glass and gave the cup a swirl.  Looking in at the tea leaves he wondered what this archaic form of fortune telling was trying to say……..but unless it involved more tea he had no idea.  

With a heavy sigh he’d written back that he would be there at the appointed time to perform the appointed duties.  Hanzo would owe him, that was for sure.  Still it didn’t hurt to get out and about every now and then.  So he got dressed, hitched up his ninjato out of habit, and made his way out of town.  He was dressed simply in black jogger style pants, and a loose flowing kimono top bright yellow with floral patterns.  He’d disregarded the undergarment portion of the shirt and instead it hung loose and the sleeves covering his hands.  His torso was left exposed to the elements, if they hadn’t been wrapped in linen bandages.  He’d forgone the practice for some time since arriving in the rice country, but he’d felt it was time to return to the old ways.  His smooth pale skin would have ink marks where the bandages shifted and revealed the flesh beneath.  They wrapped around his abdomen and up to his left shoulder, spiraling down his sword arm though hidden by the jacket top.  The practice of writing kanji prayers in black ink on the fine white linen and then wrapping to keep the prayers close was one the spiritualists of the Yagami clan had practiced for some time.  Brandishing together samurai tenants with the word of the kami.

His hair was tied tight in a top knot of blonde, a black and white headband crossing his forehead.  His feet comfortably in his wooden clogs he made his way through the fields.  After some time he’d come across the entrance to the mines as well as Hanzo.  The greeting was shouted, and in kind Asahi greeted the man with a smile.  As he walked by he’d reach out squeezing Hanzo’s right bicep.  “Did you get stung by a wasp?  You are looking awfully swollen up.”  He’d say with a laugh.  The joke and gesture meant in good humor.  “Soooo what exactly are we doing?“. He’d ask elongating the first word, his hands moving up and resting behind his head.  

They’d wait there for the rest of their conspirators.  He was not sure who else Hanzo had invited, but he hoped they were as bulky as his newer friend.  Asahi was not the mining type, but he had to assume there was a reason he’d been invited.  His ability to feel and find, to seek out was what made him special.  Perhaps that was it, perhaps there was something along those lines he was needed for.  Or maybe Hanzo just didn’t know many people, honestly Asahi thought, it could go either way.  

As he waited for the others he walked to the foot of the cave almost walking into a man as he exited.  Soaked and surly he pointed backwards as he pushed pass both Asahi and Hanzo.  A gruff voice calling “it’s flooded in there!”  And then the man was gone.  Guess they wouldn’t be alone. 

TWC - 647

Hayato was surprised to receive a personal invitation from Hanzo to participate in a high ranking mission. He still felt as though he was a bit green to do something that could be so dangerous. Nevertheless, he agreed to accompany him and the rest of the participants for a number of reasons. One he would get a bit of metal for his work. He had been thinking for a while that he might need armor. A big hunk of titanium would be useful for reinforcing such a piece. Another reason was he was previously a blacksmith as well. He had heard of Hanzo's plan to create his own shop. He supported the idea so helping him get it off the ground seemed like something he could do. He also possessed some smiting skill to help in selected high quality metal or refining it if necessary. Finally, Hanzo said that there would be at least one member of chunin rank. He trusted that if things got dicey he could rely on a journeyman shinobi to keep them safe from harm. It wasn't like the mission involved any combat. They just need to mine and remove some metal right?

Hayato lived close by the location they were going to mine in. His home wasn't with in the village's safe walls, but just beyond in the rice paddies. At least that was the case for now. He had been doing more and more jobs as a shinobi. Soon he would be able to support his mother giving up her life as a farm hand and join the newly bustling little village. He wanted to move closer to work and his mother was starting to get a bit old for that kind of labor. Perhaps she could take up a roll weaving baskets with rice stalks? She was always more skilled in the textile field. Yeah that'll be nice... He thought, pulling himself up from his morning meditation. He took a deep breathe. He felt the crisp, fresh air fill his lungs and finally took up his katana. He tied his light blue obi around his waste and tucked his blade into his side. He slide on his cedar wood clogs and attached his weapon pouches to his side. He doubted todays mission would need anything within, but it was better to be prepared. Lastly, he firmly attached his headband to his forehead head making sure t o pull the hair out from under it. The headband had felt heavy before much like his katana, but, as he trained and met more reliable comrades, the weight had started to feel much lighter. He shuffled down from the porch and looked back at his small empty farm house. Guess I'm off then...

Hayato arrived to the sight of a man running from an open carven passing him and shouting about a flood. M-maybe this wasn't as safe as I thought it might be...  

He walked up next to the two men standing at the cave's entrance. Hello Hanzo-san, Asahi san, looks like this won't be as simple as I'd thought...I hope everyone is alright... His face and words were bereft of expression, but they felt genuine. Hayato noticed the Hanzo was looking...bigger? Something about the his body was starting to  look unproportionate in his eyes. He noticed Asahi touching his arm on approach. Maybe hearing something about wasp?

Hanzo-san if your arms are hurting I will do your share of the lifting... He had a slight look of concern, but it faded quickly. who's our last member for this endeavor? Hayato held his hand up to his brow to block out the sun's rays and look off in the distance behind them facing away from the cave's mouth.

---

[WC:626]

Kato probably felt more glee at receiving an invite to do an A Ranked Mission than he probably should have. It was mostly because it had come from someone who he had actually enjoyed. He had already done a B Rank Mission with Hanzo and while it had turned out to be quite a boring mission, the fact that the strong man was considering Kato for an A Rank meant that he must have made some sort of impression on him. The last time they had met Kato had been still young in his Ninja journey, and well.... he still was young in his Ninja journey but he was feeling more and more confident in his abilities with every day that passed. He had since fully mastered his one tomoe Sharingan and had also unlocked the second tomoe. His prowess with his eyes was growing stronger with every passing day and the confidence that his fellow ninja provided him was key to his success.

As he made his way to the training ground he thought back to the first day he had met Hanzo and how casually he had dressed. Kato today had taken a different approach than his first time. He still wore his Katana, but this time, he was wearing a similar straw hat to what Hanzo was wearing last time. He was also dressed significantly more casually. He was wearing a short sleeve shirt, some shorts, his headband on his left shoulder, and a big straw hat that was a little too big for his head. He was trying to be a bit more casual with his attire and was hoping that maybe he could get a laugh from Hanzo and the others who would be joining them on the mission. He doubted, if anything went wrong, that his outfit would be a detriment as most of his skills were through Ninjutsu, his eyes, or his Katana. Plus, most of the ninja in Tanbo knew he was a support person so they would let him stand back and they would let Hanzo do all of the heavy fighting if it came to that. 

Appearing in front of the other three in his admittedly ridiculous outfit, Kato felt ridiculous, but he tried to play it off. Hayato was there and so was Hanzo, who was looking buffer than the last time he had seen him, and a third person he did not recognize. He waved at the three of them and then laughed as he threw his arms out presenting his outfit. "Figured I would go a little more casual today," Kato said feeling a bit ridiculous but trying to own the situation as best as he could. "Hey Hayato!" Kato said excitedly and ran over to stand by him. Hayato was a person who Kato felt a bit comfortable around. They were at the similar points in their journey and he felt like he could trust the Yuki clan member and that they seemingly worked well together. 

"So, doing some heavy lifting today are we?" Kato was not the strongest person in the village but he was also no slouch when it came to lifting things. He was definitely nowhere near as strong as Hanzo but he figured he would be able to pull his weight in his own way. Kato turned to the third person he did not know and then felt embarrassed he had not introduced himself. "I am Kato, nice to meet you." He ignored the fact that he had accidentally passed over him in his introductions and hoped that the shinobi would not be too upset at him. 

WC: 605/1500

“Turning Pythons to cobras!”  Asahi would say as he laughed.  He’d have let go of Hanzo and watched the man flex . In a mirror image he brought his own arms up, first with his knuckles pointed towards his head, then turning his hands to point away.  “A power pose for sure.”  He would say smiling, his laughter still chiming over the air.  The workers proclamation of a flood had done little to dissuade his good humor.  As if the start of a manga others started to arrive to form out the party.  He would greet Hayato pleasantly, remembering the lad from their training.  The last individual he did not recognize, and thankfully it seemed he did not recognize Asahi either.  Asahi had a problem off meeting many people but remembering only a few, it was pleasant to not have made such a mistake.  

It would seem Hanzo was the most well known of the foursome, which made sense having put the mission together.  In truth Asahi had his own ideas that the biggest reason for his invitation was his rank.  Which he was fine with, Hanzo could likely carry more than his share.  If his rank, and his eyes where what was needed, then he’d provide them.  The final arrival seemed to bring some change to the man’s face.  A look of familiarity and confusion.  “It’s pleasant to make your acquaintance.”  He would say reaching out to shake Kati’s hand.  “Asahi, ummm aren’t you cold?”  He’d ask the newcomer.  

Before much else could happen however Hanzo took charge of the group.  Another blessing as far as Asahi was concerned.  This was of course followed up with a frown as he was given the job of taking point.  “I swear, you get made chunon or whatever and they just keep expecting more work.”  The mispronunciation of the title he held had not been on purpose.  Rather, not being a shinobi he had barely bothered to learn what ranks the village had.  He’d been at the ceremony and what not, but there had been a pretty brunette that had occupied his time more than some words of merit.  Sadly he’d lost his entire bonus in that pretty thing, alas was the sins of masculinity, though a worthy fee.  

“That’s fine though.  I won’t lie to you all, Manual labor isn’t usually my thing.  Though, I’ll keep us on the right path.”  He’d smile, and start forming handseals.  They weren’t the traditional shinobi seals, but rather motions with one hand.  A way to concentrate his spiritual vigor, bubbling it to the surface until he could see the world in a new way.  Opening his third eye, the minds eye, the world fell away and refocused in greater clarity.  He could see the energies of those within the mine as they made their way into the dark.  His steps more sure footed than they should have been, dodging obstacles with careless ease.  A samurai, a spiritualist, and a sensory type each aided his foot falls.  He did not look back to see how the trio handled the difficult walk through the mines.  

They’d Pass many workers, thrice starting their duty just to be dislodged.  He’d do his best to keep tensions calm though more than one miner had seen fit to try and provoke them.  Soon they’d make their way into an opening, and stand on the precipice of what looked like a lake.  Making more of the one handed seals 3 eyes of fire would appear around the group.  One in the air, and two in the water.  They would ignite into light before a blue iris spawned within the flames.  A faint sizzle and bubbling from the eyes in the water.  “Well, I’ve got good news and bad news…..”. He would say turning to the group.  “The good news is, I found some easy to grab titanium already mined and in carts.  The bad news…..well I bet you can guess.”  He’d thumb over his shoulder at the water.  Plenty had been mined, they just needed to figure out how to get it out of the water.  

TWC - 1332 / 1500

Hayato was happy to see Kato. He was someone he’d met perhaps the most now. He had learned from him and from him in a way. They were similar in many ways. Both from clans with a long history, both young shinobi in Tanbo, and both still finding their place in this world. At this pace they would become friends. Greetings Kato… He bowed and if you paid close attention a slight smile would cross his face before it returned to its cold, dull, natural state.

I don’t see a problem with Kato’s choice of dress. It's quite nice out and less clothes are easier for swimming…. He looked down at his simple Kimono and hakama. He might get heavy in the water with his gear and all. Hopefully there wouldn’t be any swimming.

He listened as Hanzo gave them the rundown of the plan. Avoid the workers, got it! He would comment. It seemed rather simple except for the flooding. That was the only wrench in the plan. Fortunately Hayato ran a bit colder than most and he was a fast swimmer. He didn’t really want to dive into icy cold water but he figured he could do it with the least discomfort.

As he followed behind Asahi he made a mental count of all the heat signatures as they passed through his range. He wanted to make sure none of them were following and luckily none were. Even splitting his attention between the miners and Asahi’s footsteps, he was able to keep up with him and didn’t struggle with the obstacles that came with cave diving. They were lucky to have a guide that could lead them through.

As they go to the edge of what Hayato thought was an underground lake Asahi used a jutsu he hadn’t seen before to send eyes down into its depths. The news illuminated the situation. Hayato sighed quietly.

I can dive down and swim back up with as much as I can carry and we can start taking the yield back out…. Unfortunately I don’t have any jutsu that would help us retrieve it in a..less manual manor. Does anyone else? He would pause here in hope that someone had earth release that could handle it or maybe water release of an even more powerful fire release technique that could evaporate the pool anything that would make it easier. Hayato was more shinobi than he had been in the past few weeks, but he was still more of a swordsman, blacksmith, and farmer with few tricks. None of this would help much here. I am not much bothered by the cold, so if we don’t all need to get wet I will volunteer. The boy was earnestly trying to make the best decision with the information he had. He did learn from Mikaela that it was important to consider what his team members could do on a mission before jumping to conclusions.

If no one stopped him Hayato would dive into the cold depths of the artificial lake to find the Titanium and bring back up as much as he could carry.

---

[WC:523]
[TWC:1149]

Initially, the reaction to his outfit disheartened Kato. It was most likely obvious in his face as he felt his cheeks burning and his eyes instinctively going to the ground. He thought it was funny and he really thought Hanzo, of all people, would get a kick out of it. However, his disappointment was quickly perked back up when Hanzo whispered to him that he liked it. The smile on his face was made even more obvious by Hayato backing him up and all of the sudden his spirits were picked back up. That did not, however, change the fact that it was blistering cold and now they were going to have to go into the water. He wondered if Hayato would be bothered by the water given her clan. 

As they walked to the area where they were going to be retrieving the Titanium, Kato was wondering how he would be able to pull up the materials. The way it seemed it was going to be a slog to get multiple heavy items from underwater to the surface in a reasonable amount of time. This was going to be a physically taxing mission for sure. But, the pay was nice, and he was all about the Ryo. It was helping his father out quite a bit and he was able to purchase a few better weapons as well as more Kunai and Shuriken. Which, struck an idea, he had placed a lot of his items into a separate dimension thanks to one of his Jutsu. He bet he could fit a few different pieces of the Titanium in the separate dimension and then he would be able to haul a significant amount more to the surface. 

When they arrived Hayato had barely given them much of a speech before he had dove in headfirst. He did not, unfortunately, have any jutsu that would make getting the water out any easier so it did not make much of a difference. "No use wasting time I guess." Kato said with a smile and tossed his straw hat off and jumped in after Hayato. 

He immediately regretted it because as soon as he was submerged in the water his breath was nearly taken out of his lungs due to the cold. He felt a moment of panic wash over him but because he was around the other ninja he fought with every ounce of his being to not panic and just focus. He cleared his mind and activated his Sharingan. The chakra signals from Hayato helped to reorient him and also give him focus. He followed Hayato down to the designated area and then quickly went to work. The Storage Displacement Jutsu was not difficult, it was made a tiny bit harder considering he was under freezing cold water, but he had practiced it so many times it was like second nature. 

For each piece of Titanium he came across he would quickly make the hand seals and send the piece to storage. He was able to do this about 5 times before he began to run out of breath. Quickly, he resurfaced back to the top, and as he came back out of the water he was not met with warmth. If anything as he pulled himself out of the water he was even colder than before. Shivering he made the hand seals and popping seemingly out of thin air appeared the 5 pieces of Titanium. Kato stood over the pieces and felt a sense of pride and accomplishment like that company EA was trying to get through to players. "Hey, not bad." Kato said to no one in particular. 

The next part of the mission would go by in a blur for Kato as he continued to repeat these steps over and over again. Eventually, the coldness began to wash away, and it was replaced by dedication to the mission. Either that or his entire body was becoming hypothermic, he was not exactly sure. He wondered what would be said at his funeral if he died because he froze himself to death while trying to get Titanium. It was not exactly a heroic ending to a ninja but he was sure some people had died in worse ways. This was also the most difficult mission he had done so far as it required the most amount of work. Most of his missions had been escort missions, at best. He guessed technically this was as well because he was just escorting Titanium and not a regular person. 

After what seemed like forever, Kato finally decided it was time to take a break, and after collecting quite a large bit of the Titanium, he plopped himself on the ground, and the coldness really began to hit him. Shivering, he sat and waited for the others to finish whatever they were doing. He had passed them a few times but for the most part he had focused on trying to seal away as much of the Titanium as possible as quickly as possible. He would await them in the corner of the cave, sopping wet, and shivering from head to toe. He hoped that he had been helpful on the mission and he also hoped that they would not make fun of him very much for the outfit that he was wearing. However he could definitely see Hanzo giving him shit for a very long time after. 

WC: 904
TWC: 1509/1500

It was with a mixture of joy and chagrin he watched the lads dive into the water.  He was confident he was older than Kato and Hayato and more than happy to let them dive into the icy water without him.  He’d never pretended that the physical labor of the job was what he wanted to do.  Rather he felt that the majority of his inclusion had been completed.  Still, it was probably in bad taste to walk away at this point.  So he meandered about the shore where Hanzo had stayed.  His eyes both in his head and the ones he had formed watching them progression of the shinobi doing their work.  

They’d resurface and dump some of the titanium and it didn’t take a genius to realize they were likely half froze to death.  Sighing, he assumed that yet again it was in bad taste to do nothing else.  Drawing his ninjato he’d channel his spiritual energies through it.  The blade beginning to glow red.  The incomplete truth technique allowing him to channel his own affinities through the steel.  A glow of warmth began to immolate from the blade.  Not enough to scald or burn the skin, but enough to warm up for those chilled to the bone.  

Moving to where Kato had fallen in his break he’d plant the tip in the ground nearby.  So that the warmth might move out from the blade and warm the lad.  He’d lean against it maintain contact so not to break the ability.  Asahi was no tease after all……well at least when it came to duties like this.  “Did that titanium break your heart of something?”  He’d ask with a chiding tone towards Hanzo.  The man had ripped through the titanium with force that Asahi could not hope to match.  The chunks came flying and the work seemed all but done.  Hanzo had ripped his shirt in a display of toxic, all he it nicely viewed, masculinity and hauled off the lions share of the titanium.  Deciding that Kato had warned himself enough he’d pull the ninjato up, give it a swish to remove the dirt and return it to his hip in a flowing motion.  

Bending down he’d take a sizable enough chunk, and started to head towards the exit of the expanse that they had found themselves in.  “Well lads, I suppose it’s best if we make our exit as well.  Chop chop.”  He’d move following towards the rushed exit that Hanzo had made.  Though he waited for the other two.  He was in no rush after all.  Plus he hated to admit it but the stone he carried was rather heavy.  

“You know boys you are welcome at the tea shop as well.  I work there, doing a shift later this evening.  Come on by and you can get a glass then have a nice soak in the public bath.  It’s to die for.”  He’d say with a smile as they presumably made their way out.  Asahi was free with information on himself and getting to know the other two comrades with anything they were willing to share.  Once they made it to the exit of the mine however he found a worker who he paid a decent amount of ryo to so he wouldn’t have to carry the titanium and made his exit.  

The remainders of the day would pass quickly and smoothly.  He’d collect his titanium at his apartment and place it next to the jade and tungsten that he’d also collected over the holiday season.  Looking over the materials he began to consider what it was he could use them for.  Hanzo had been kind enough to offer up his shop, perhaps it was time to visit and make something of the goods.  Pulling out his ninjato he placed it by the materials.  It was a fine blade, well crafted within the ninja shop in town.  Nothing wrong it it of course, but still there was no doubt there was room for improvement.  These thoughts wandered through his mind until it was time for work; a quick wardrobe change and he was back at the tea shop the thoughts of swords still swinging through his mind.

Exit
TWC - 2033 / 1500

Claims:

8k ryo
40ap
Titanium x 1

Memorizing Hayato Yuki and Kato’s chakra signatures

20 chakra 
2000 towards Spiritual Affinity