It's Elementary [Mission]

Spoiler:

It was early in the morning when Howl heard a light knock on his Inn room door. Howl was awake and sitting at the only small table in the room when he peeked his head up at the sound. A visitor? He wasn’t expecting anyone, especially at his hotel room. Howl decided it must be house service or an attendance from the Inn and he arose from his seat and headed towards to door to find out. Howl opened the door to find the woman from the receptionist desk who had originally checked Howl into his room upon arrival in the village. “Sorry to bother you.” She said, looking down shily. She was much shorter than Howl and very uncomfortable that she had to be the one to relay the message. “There’s someone here to see you. They are waiting in the lobby.” Now that she had conveyed her message, her job was done her and she could return to the much more relaxing work of attending to customers behind the safety of her desk. The girl ran off and Howl closed his room door, wondering who would want to meet him? Howl finished changing out of his pajamas into his regular outfit of a white blouse and black pants. He had washed his clothes the night before after his adventures wading through the rice paddies with Asahi. Howl pulled on his shirt and was satisfied to find there were no stains and then slipped on his pants. Before leaving, he would fetch his black jacket that had a red diamond pattern on it and draped it over his shoulders, not fully putting it on.
 
Howl exited his room and the door locked automatically behind him. He now traversed the narrow halls of the inn, his eyes lazily following the light green carpeting which led to the lobby. Upon arriving, Howl would look towards the woman how had delivered the message, and she returned a nervous glance back, sticking her head out towards a man who was sitting eagerly at a table nearby, signaling to Howl that was the person who wished to meet with him. Howl nodded back to her, flashed a smile in her direction and then swept over to the stranger.
 
This person was a large, and round man with a red race that oddly resembled a pig. Although he was only an inch or two taller than Howl, it felt as though he towered over him. He grabbed Howl’s hand with a ginormous paw and began to shake his hand vigorously. “It is so nice to meet you, I’ve heard all about you. Please, please, take a seat.” He man was wearing a very tight fitting suit which caused Howl to wonder how he managed to get it buttoned. With a great effort, the man took a seat on the chair besides the coffee table and as his large body conformed to the shape of his chair, the furniture squeaked as though it were groaning under tremendous pressure. Howl pulled the chair out from the table and took a seat, crossing his legs. “So what can I do for you Mr?” Howl said, staring at the man precariously, his bright blue eyes fixated on a button on the man’s shirt that was struggling to hang on. The large man’s enthusiasm in the early morning swelled and his face seemed to grow redder which Howl thought wasn’t possible. “Ah yes, straight to business. My name is Ohta Matsumoto, but you may call me Mr. Matsumoto. I own a construction company and have been awarded a contract by this village to design a new training ground for the kids.” His muse seemed to fade for a moment, “But you see, my sister, she’s the artistic one in the family. She’s run off with some peasant blacksmith leaving me high and dry. I’ve not an artistic bone in my body, I handle the business side you see.” Howl shifted in his seat. “So what does this have to do with me?” Howl said- cutting off Mr Matsumoto off from his long and drawn-out explanation. “I’m getting to that part!” he said. “Anyways, I need to hire someone to handle the creative aspects of our project. We typically build buildings, not training grounds.” “I’m not an artist.” Howl said, confused. “It doesn’t matter if you’re an artist.” Mr. Matsumoto said. “I just need someone with some experience with-“ the mans face became screwed up and he was doing his best to figure out how to word the rest of his sentence. “I just mean that I need someone with experience- you know with training and stuff. You seem like a reputable fellow. Been a lot of talk about you since you’ve arrived. Giichi told me that you took care of one of those Zukumiki boys down at the pub. Bad for business they are.” Mr. Matsumoto was now rummaging through his briefcase which was stuffed with random papers. After struggling for a few moments, his large hand pulled out a stack of papers that were bound together with an orange rubber band. “Here, you’ll need these. It’s the blue prints for the training grounds. We’ve taken care of most of the clearing work, now we just need someone to tell us how we should finish the project. Scenery and stuff, you know?” Mr. Matsumoto had now thrusted the papers into Howl’s hand and with another great effort, stood up from his seat. The seat gave another sigh of relief and then the man patted Howl hard on the back- just as Giichi had done several times before. What was with everyone in this village slapping him on the back?
 
Howl now held the papers in his hand, not having accepted Mr. Matsumoto’s request. “Feel free to find some others to help you if needed. Money is not an issue. We just need this project to be successful, it will help us with future business. What do you say?” Howl thought this was more of a rhetorical question than any as he would of felt guilty to refuse. “Okay, I’ll do it.” Howl said. The large man took Howl’s hand again with both of his large hands this time and shook it vigorously again. “Oh thank you! I knew I could trust Giichi when he told me you’d be our guy. Thank you again. Here is my address, swing by once you are done and I’ll come by for a final inspection. My labor crew is already on site waiting for your arrival and instruction.” The man then turned to the exit and exited, barely fitting through the narrow entrance of the Inn.
 
The large man’s voice had been loud enough for the entire Inn to hear his request and once he had exited, Howl turned his attention towards the girl at the receptionist desk whose face was beet red with embarrassment. “No more visitors, okay?” Howl would say, now tucking the paperwork into his armpit under his arm. “Just kidding.” And Howl set for the exit, flashing the girl one last smile before leaving.
 
Howl read through the paperwork on his walk to the purposed training grounds and upon arrival, Howl would find Mr. Matsumoto’s labor crew- as he said. There were a group of 5 men, ranging in ages, and already to work. After introductions, Howl headed to the field to examine the work that had already been completed. Howl frowned as he neared the training grounds. It was essentially a 100M by 50M rectangle of dirt and barely any grass. The laborer who had led Howl to the site spoke, “Had to clear out a bunch of trees. Not sure where to go from here, Ms. Matsumoto usually takes over from here and tells us what to do so let us know when you’re ready boss.” The laborer then walked away, leaving Howl to figure out what to do next. If only Asahi was here… Howl thought to himself. He was sure that he would have a good idea of where to begin. Howl surveyed the dirt plot, wondering what changes could be made to make this a suitable training grounds for new students. Its current state would surely not inspire the next generation to learn and train and needed a serious overhaul. For starters- they would need grass. Howl stood gawking at the dirt path in deep thought, wondering what else would need to be done to make this an appropriate place to train.
Howl headed towards the group of laborers standing around waiting to be instructed. “Hey-“ Howl would say addressing them as a group, his attention primarily focused towards the one who he had just spoken with. “The training ground needs grass- real grass. We can’t expect the students to practice in a pit of mud.” The laborer who had helped Howl, stood up. “Name’s Ohta. We’ll head over to the boss’s shop and pick up some reels of grass. Once back, well roll it out over the dirt and it will merge with the ground overtime.” “Okay great!” Howl said, thinking about how easy it was being the boss. The laborers took off from the camp site, leaving Howl alone again. Feeling lonely, Howl would decide that he would go to Asahi and see if he was available to help him.
 
Howl left the project site and traveled up to the castle where Howl hoped he would be. Giichi was outside and Howl seemed to catch his just as he was leaving. “Hey Giichi!” Howl called to him, walking over quickly. “Do you know is Asahi is available? I need his help.” Giichi went back into the castle to check is Asahi was free and if Asahi returned, Howl would debrief him on his current situation. Howl started at the beginning, sparing no minor detail. Even telling him how the Inn attendant had seen him in his pajamas. He told him about Mr. Matsumoto and the job he had been given to complete. “So you see, since it’s a project for the village- I figured I’d better ask you for some help!” Howl would say, hoping that he would agree to join him in completing the design for the new training grounds.
 
WC: 1700
 
Mid topic claim for stats
 
17 stats towards Vigor. 134 new total

At long last, the plan could finally be set into motion. After 10 long years of constant moving and traveling, scheming and planning, every piece of the puzzle was starting to set into place. Each one falling down from the sky, mutating perfectly to fit in with the next; merging together seamlessly. Without a flaw, at least one that could be seen. Without any physical obstacle obscuring or otherwise diluting them from going into their specific piece. There was no overlay within one another. Not a single one out of alignment. Now, you may be wondering, what exactly was this plan?

Think of it this way. Sometimes in life, people are deemed an automatic outcast. A black sheep if you will. No matter how good they would be, or at least tried to be; no matter the effort in which they gave and showed others, some people were just automatically shunned from the whole of society. Whether it be over a small thing, such as how one acts and it being seen as weird by others. To something on a bit of a larger scale, something rooted more within the lines of bigotry rather than just a general dislike and disapproval. Out of fear. Fear given by past events or just speculation, it was all the same really. Well one person alone could only take so much of this. Too much, and just like everything else within the universe and it would start to overflow. Or worse, explode. Hiko was one of those very said people, and the reasoning given by most was the general trust or lack thereof rather, revolving around the identity of his clan. People have this deep-rooted fear of the Tau because they had the tendency to be violent, their very nature was also rooted within something that was beyond an average person’s comprehension. Hell, the Shimadan himself didn’t really even begin to grasp at how or what exactly was the cause of the black threads which bubbled and slithered around his body, awaiting to be commanded to strike.

The plan itself was started from this occurrence. It was basically Hiko’s way of saying fuck you to anyone who had ever scorned him within the past, present, or future. A way to be able to show the rest of the world what it was like to feel this way. Some would call it a letter marked with revenge. The methods of how to achieve his long term goal typically seen as unorthodox, chaotic, or otherwise outright cruel even. But where exactly, were those same people saying those things when the rest of the world was shoving the Tau around? Where were they as their clan got shut out? All of this formed the mindset of this simply being a fighting back with the same ways that were shown to them. Justice. For the generations upon generations of just overall hatred spewed their way like a snake’s venom when threatened. It was a way for him to get back at the world. However, there was a catch to all of this. Since it was something which could be considered extremely large scale, it would need resources and likeminded people to help assist in the matter.

Which brings us to the now. Currently, the boy had taken on a relatively simple and easy job with decent pay. It needed a special touch to things in which the shinobi could certainly bring to the table. Deciding it was best to dress to impress with this one, he’d put on his good; well, better clothes. Something along the lines of business casual, more so swaying a bit towards the casual outfit of it all. He would wear a plain black t shirt, with two large white stripes which started at the bottom right along the side of his hips. They would then reach upwards, slowly creeping straight up the sides until at about halfway up, they would start to curve inwards, wrapping past one another and onto the lapel area. The bottom half of the shirt was just any regular fabric, but from where the stripes had started to curve was consisted of a sheer fabric. As for pants, they too were black. Leather to be specific. The bottoms sprayed out with a zipper running along either sides near the ankles.

The way to the area in which was designated as the meeting place didn’t take too long to get to. About 5 or 10 minutes, maybe. Regardless of how long the walk over had taken, by the time that he arrived, others were already there hopping straight to it from the looks of things. There didn’t seem to be anyone of importance, nor did the workers appear to need any assistance with what they were currently doing. So, young Hiko would just look out over it all. The scenery of a training ground being built for Tanbogakure. Occasionally, he would look around to see if anyone of note would be heading in that direction. But until said moment would actually occur, he would just casually wait there for further instruction on the matter at hand.

WC: 856

Idling through several documents Asahi let his head fall into his hands.  How he missed the simplicity of the tea shop.  Taking orders, filling orders, done and done.  It wasn’t like this, where your work was set on timetables so far in advance it was possible you’d never even see them to fruition.  After an initial explosion of success, things had died down to that of what he assumed was the more normal day to day.  Increase trade, increase tourism, increase his will to live.  Well that last one was still very much a work in progress.  Scribbling down some notes, he continues a trade deal that he hoped would bring in some business from the land of boiling water.  A nearby country.  Nothing big, and it was small rice balls, but it was better than nothing.  He was starting to feel a breath at the back of his neck to deliver upon something.  He may hold the rank of Kage for what it was worth, but he wasn’t really in charge.  He was just another piece in the cogwheel that made everything work, and currently he was very much feeling like one of the tiny pieces being smashed about.  

It was with this rather sour thoughts, that a welcome distraction was provided.  A blistering of an entrance a quick few words, and Asahi found himself outside with a familiar face.  “Well we really are becoming quite acquainted aren’t we?”  Asahi would say eyeing Howl.  With great restraint he kept himself from sharing any memories or stealing one.  He’d been practicing against the Okada castle aid, and it worked…..most of the time…..if he focused really hard.  “What can I do for you?”  He’d question.  Listening intently to the details he’d have Giichi run back inside for a folder.  Upon his return he dismissed the man to return to his guard duties.  Flipping the papers he’d find the permit that had been submitted.  “Seems simple enough, and I wouldn’t mind the stroll in the fresh air!”  He’d say cheerily.  With that unless there was further business to take place they’d set off, towards the construction site.

Having been in the office Asahi was in a bit more of a subdued set of clothes.  Hair vanished tied in a top knot under a rather large brimmed hat with the Tanbogakure kanji on it, orange and white robes, though he kept his wooden clogs.  Not wishing to give them up, the sound of them clipping away had always made him happy, plus it was nice to kick them off at any moment he desired.  

Arriving they’d see the workers digging and working away to iron out the location.  Tapping his chin he’d think in what would make it the best.  “You know…..what about an obstacle course?”  He’d say to Howl his arm outstretched.  “You start there, and make your way across…….maybe some of your ninja magic for them to work against.  Raising some earth, shooting some fire, you know real flashy stuff. If he’s trying to get people excited, I’d imagine that would do it versus some weights or just plain old sparring grounds, besides we already have plenty of that at the Advanced Training Facility.  Make it unique!”  He’d add clapping.  Reaching into a sleeve he’d remove a rather long Kiseru, while he did his other hand would form some signs causing a rather demonic looking lantern to form in front of him.  Using the thing to light his pipe he’d begin puffing, sending a purple haze of smoke that smelled of lilacs and bliss.  

“But over dressed for a laborer aren’t you?”  He’d ask at a passing man.  Of course this was Hiko who he did not know.  The man was in a more business casual attire than the cut away and dirty clothes of regular laborers.  This time however, call it the smoke or not focusing he wasn’t able to control his ability.  The Ninshu would activate on Hiko causing Asahi to gain a glimpse of a fragmented memory,  and also a feel for the man’s spirit.  As for Hiko, he would see Asahi sitting before a large demon who spoke in a small woman’s voice, playing a game of go, the feeling of dread washed through the-memory.  

TWC - 708

(Using Ninshu on Hiko)

Howl waited patiently for Giichi to return with news of his request, but he did not. Instead, Asahi had emerged from the castle wearing attire which was much more formal than he had seen him wear before. Howl glossed over the formal cap that rested upon his head bearing the Tanbo insignia. It had reminded him of his own hat that he had once worn when he was the Hokage, although Itwo had always preferred the wear the formal kage attire over him. “Wonderful!” Howl exclaimed, upon Asahi’s arrival. For the first time since they had met, there had not been a strange occurrence of memories or visions flashing through his mind. Howl seemed rather displeased at the fact, although he was still very curious.
 
There wasn’t much conversation during their travels from the castle to the project site and as they walked, Howl focused on the clicking sound Asahi’s wooden sandals made with each step against the soft earth. Upon arrival, Asahi surveyed the work that had already been done and was now making suggestions to Howl on where to begin, which Howl was thankful for. Under Asahi’s guidance, Howl knew that he would not mess up and provide a result that was satisfactory to both Asahi and Mr. Matsumoto. Before he would begin, Howl would turn his attention to a man who was not one of the laborers who had been present before. He was also dressed a bit better than the laborers had been. “Are you one of Mr. Matsumoto’s men?” Howl inquired in an unconcerned manner. Howl figured the more people helping him with the project, the better.
 
“Alright, I’ll start with making some rock formations on this side.” By the time Asahi and Howl had arrived at the project site, the laborers had already returned and were almost finished with rolling out the reels of fresh grass across the previous dirt landscape. “Much better!” Howl said excitedly to the initial laborer he had spoken with earlier. Now that the grass had been laid, Howl would position himself in the area that he planned to create the obstacle course and begin performing a string of hand seals. Upon completion, the ground would begin to shift, and the earth would begin to sprout. Howl utilized his Earth release technique, Earth Flow Spears, to create an obstacle of sorts, with stalagmites forming out of the ground at multiple angles, creating cover and tricky travel ways for aspiring students to practice their techniques. Afterwards, Howl would move to another area of the training grounds, and begin to utilize the same jutsu he had before, this time setting the stalagmites up straight as opposed to an angle, to be used for things like shuriken practice or sword practice. Howl felt slightly dissatisfied in his arsenal of elemental jutsu and knew that his fire techniques would prove to be more of an issue, than a solution. Howl made a mental note to learn more earth style jutsu and then departed from his assigned area feeling rather confident in his work.
 
Howl took his place by Asahi’s side and the new gentleman he had just met. “Everything looks to be coming along nicely, we should be done soon. Do you have any further suggestions Asahi?” Howl would say, now turning to him and looking for his final approval. If he had any suggestions, Howl would do whatever he could within his power to make it happen and once the Komekage was satisfied with the new training facility, he would head off to report to Mr. Matsumoto that the job had been completed.  


[Exit/Mission Completed]

WC: 600
TWC: 2300

18K Ryo (Beloved Presence) + 4K MN Bonus (B Power Rank) = 22K Ryo
22K + 27450 = 49450 new ryo total
+30 Mission AP. New Mission AP Total 147

+6 Stats to Speed. New Speed total 31. (Already claimed 17 stats to Vigor in first post)

1500/1500 False Surroundings

Discarding remaining wc

Hands down by his sides, resting deep within the pockets of his pants and casually leaning back against a piece of plywood which was sitting upright, Hiko would notice that two new men were coming this way. Neither seemed to be just average construction workers, and the one appeared to be a rather important looking fellow. Scanning the two real quick, it had become apparent to the man that they were also headed to the work site. As they were coming this way, the shinobi would promptly switch his stance, going into an upright position; but not that of standing at attention or anything which would convey a similar formality. Merely doing so to simply make an acknowledgement of their arrival.

The first one to comment was the more important looking guy, seeming to be some form of village official or the sorts. Either way, the Tau still hadn’t met the man previously, but upon him speaking the auburn haired delinquent had gotten a glimpse flash of something else which overtook his vision. A memory almost, or something of the sorts. It was brief, but he knew what he had seen; the same man almost in a deal of sorts with an oni, the land they were in unfamiliar to himself. As quickly as this surge had hit him, it had disappeared. Unbeknownst to Hiko, this man, Asahi, would also receive a vision of the past. He’d get a glimpse of how the teen obtained the scar running along his face. Snow was falling down within this vision, a girl of about the same age standing in front of him with a kunai in hand; these two would exchange some words before said kunai ran down the side of the boy’s face with black strings emerging forth from the wound, stitching it back together. Shaking this off though and snapping back to reality, he’d only respond to what was said and not make any note in what he saw. ”On the contrary, these laborers seem a bit underdressed. An occasion such as the construction of such a site would require at least one person to look the part after all, and who ever thought of the day that said someone would be me?”

As for the other guy who was accompanying the unknown lad, they seemed a bit more of the traveling type. Their outfit not really matching that of most of the citizens who resided here, but then again who was he to say that a place had a certain way in which one would need to look? It was still something about him though that caught the attention of Hiko. What said thing was, was unknown within this current moment. Maybe he had caught a glimpse of this guy before, but regardless of what it was, the Shimadan boy would offer a light smile to him as well before saying ”If you’re talking about Mr. Oink, then in a sense, yes. The name’s Hiko by the way, and it’s a pleasure to meet you both.” The initial comment made wasn’t being said out of malice, more so of a joke which represented his sense of humor; the latter being directed to both of the newcomers. However, before much else could be said though, the one guy, Howl, would immediately set to work.

Seeing this, it looks like it was time to also start actually helping with building. Noticing how the one lad was using earth release techniques to help shape the field, this made him remember a comment in which he overheard as the two men walked over. The official had said something along the lines of ‘raising some earth’, which was something that Hiko could certainly do in the literal sense. After it was certainly clear that the conversation amongst the three had ended, the black sheep would casually move towards the center of the site. Peering around, he would then shout out a comment ”Everyone, stand clear from this 10 by 10 meter area please, unless you’d like to go for a ride.” Seeing as how the workers would then proceed to make sure they were out of the said plot of land, his hands would then weave a various form of signs before plunging downward and planting his palm firmly upon the ground completing Earth Moving Core. Then, in an instant, this 10x10 space would rise upwards from the ground until reaching approximately 10 meters from where it was.

From there, the youngin would then proceed to open the first inner gate to increase the power at which he would hit. After this was done, slowly and meticulously Hiko would work his way around the earthen structure, punching little divots and handholds into the sides of it to create a rock climbing wall of sorts. Here and there, he would also add extra accoutrements in the forms of ledges, rough surfaces to add a bit of difficulty when it came to scaling it, as well as also forming some extremely small crater sized holes to further make the terrain a bit more rockier in nature. The would-be genin would then go on to do the same thing to the regular landscape, but in a manner to where it looked neat and organized; the end result coming up as a 1 meter deep, 1 meter wide and 10 meter long trench like formation. This obviously took a bit of time to do all because he was only doing it with his hands. Even though this would seem to be like a painstaking task to actually finish all the way through, there wasn’t any semblance of such a feeling which read upon his fair skinned visage. When this was finished he’d say ”Someone can fill this up with some water then, form a small river of sorts.” Seeing that the workers would then hop to that task, it had looked as if Hiko’s work was finished. Before leaving, just to make sure that his assistance wasn’t needed any further, he’d confer this with the one man. ”If there’s nothing else in which you need me to do, I’m going to head out. Once again, it was good to meet you.” Had it been belayed back that there was nothing else which needed touch ups, the kid would bow his head once more before going along his way.

WC: 1061
TWC: 1917

Claims:

Mission-
9000 Ryo
30 AP
Thread Exit

Techs/Skills-
1000 words to Eight Inner Gates, completing it for the Gate of Pain
917 words to Earth Grudge Fear: Black Threads (917/1000 until A Rank)

Stats-
19 total
11 to Strength
4 to Vigor
4 to Chakra

"Well I can't argue with you there.  Dress for the job you want not the one you have aye?"  He would say towards the well dressed man.  The memory that flashed before his eyes made him internally wince, not from the imagery, but rather from his lack of control that had allowed it to happen.  After he had been practicing so hard too, only to slip up this easily.  Snow...he wondered where that could have been, and what happened after the events he saw.  The power was most annoying in that way, like getting a glimpse in a book but never being allowed to fully know how it ends.  All the same his suggestions seemed to be well received, and the real work soon began.  

Watching he got a sense for the skills of not only the laborers, but a continued sense of those around him.  Howl he was aware was quite skilled in seals, but now the man demonstrated an adeptive skill towards all the ninja magic he had hear and recently seen about.  He'd known of jutsu and the techniques, but it wasn't something he studied.  Preferring to stick to his own techniques, the idea of chakra was also foriegn....even if what he referred to as spiritual powers was roughly the same exact thing.  As for the man who had introduced himself with some sarcasm and a name of Hiko, he seemed to be more of a physical specimen.  The strength in which he moved as impressive, and it reminded Ashi of how fragile life really was.  So many individuals in this world could do extraordinary things, at times it was a marvel anyone did anything for the right reason rather than out of selfish ambition.  Though, he did not know either man well enough to figure this to be the case with them, it was still what he was willing to believe.  An optimist at heart after all.

Soon the job was nearly completed.  Sitting on a stray rock, sipping a tea that had been brought for he continued to watch idly.  His powers flowing in and out, catching glimpses of the laborers as they moved.  Nothing so as exciting as what he'd seen from Hiko, but what can you do....not everyone is destined for marvelous things by shinobi standards.  "A pleasure to meet you, do make sure you watch out for cold weather....it's quite biting wouldn't you say?"  Asahi would say to the boy as he passed by.  Continuing forward and not giving a chance for any retort.  He rarely commented on others past from what he glimpsed, but in this case he made an exception.  After all, the lad seemed the kind who could take it.  Moving up to Howl, he gave the area a final look through.  Utilizing the elemental detection technique, the minds eye, and even opening the kagura he did his best to give the entire area a deep inspection, of which nothing was found wanting.  "No I'd say a fine job, I think that's all I can do for you anyway!"  With that everyone would go their separate ways, a job well done.  


TWC - 1230

Claims

Asahi Yagami
+9k ryo for mission rewards  /  +15k ryo for being Kage

Princess Ivybluemoon

+30ap
+12 to speed
+1230 WC towards Toujinbo

Approved