A Jaws-some Time at the Beach

The first few minutes were spend with him getting comfortable on the board and handling the waves as the came up to crash on the shore. Each time the water would start to pull out toward the ocean before building up into a swell that would push him back closer to the sandy shore. Ko got used to the process of positioning the board forward and laying out on it as the swells came over him. Each time he got more confident as he and the board would rise with the wave and he was consistently staying on top of the board even without the use of chakra to keep himself attached.

Ko had been out in the water for the better part of an hour and was just starting to attempt standing on the board when a siren started to go off on the beach nearby. Ko looked around and saw that people were starting to retreat away from the water and further inland as a group of serious looking and seasoned individuals were carrying a lot of equipment over to a nearby dock. The group appeared to be preparing a boat with what looked to be supplies and even weapons. Ko was in the process of wading back to shore as he recalled something he had heard being talked about earlier in the week. There had been reports of disappearances along the coastline and sightings of a massive shark that people believe was responsible for attacks on unsuspecting swimmers and seagoers.

While Ko had initially intended this to be a day for surfing practice and not work, it was obvious that people were in danger and this was something that he might be able to help with; he was a trained medical professional after all. He also wouldn't be able to get in any practice with peace of mind as long as the waters remained unsafe. And so resolved to help, Ko quickly returned to the rental shack to return the surfboard he had been using and stopped to pick up his flip flops on his way to the group loading up on the dock.

---

WC: 1156

This was a day Kota had carved out to start relaxing. The last couple of days of debauchery was taking a toll on his body. The archer wanted to find something tasty and relax. The last couple of days he spent remembering a dish his mom made for him at the beach. It was a delicious shark fin soup. The sand ninja was just sad that he had yet to come across a shark to feed himself with. The meat may have lacked a lot of seasoning but it was pretty. Not to mention this time Kota brought his own seasoning packs.

The archer was wearing his Mikadzuki beach uniform. Shirtless with gold and yellow shorts. The shorts showed off his knees and carefully sculpted legs. Not that his shirt covered much of his sun kissed body, this time he did not have the towel attached to him. The archer always looked like a snack. The beach air helped the flirt show off his assets well. Even his feet looked carefully sculpted and made to fit inside his expensive shoes. A few heads were turning to check him out as he walked. Too bad most of them were women and Kota was too tired for the men.

The Fit:

The sun was feeling so nice to him. He could be out in it all day and it would be a pleasant change. The sun was out in Sunagakure often. It was just never this hot and humid. The dome regulated the temperature and kept it constantly pleasant. Unless one wanted to leave the village it could be said that the beach here was a lot hotter. He walked all the way to a lifeguard station that looked nice. Various posters and such were posted all over them. He would have kept walking till he noticed one that said shark in big red bold letters. Shark was an important ingredient for the soup. When reading it over Kota could feel excitement in his veins. Not for the poor people that died. That had nothing to do with him and he could not resurrect the dead. On the other hand he was excited for the hunt. It was a chance to take down some big game and get some credit. The credit would be a bonus.

Kota went inside the lifeguard station and inquired about the post. It was pretty simple and anyone that wished to slay the shark could keep it. It was all the hunter needed to hear as he started planning in his mind. By the end of the night he would be dining on shark meat. A bit of salvia even built up in his mouth at the thought. Kota looked into going hunting with a group but changed and was not too thrilled. It would be easier for him to find someone he could bring along. The people present did not give him good vibes. Kota developed a habit of looking passively at chakra since the surfing incident. The people he looked into did not have a decent chakra level. It made him feel like they lacked too much to be brought along. The basic thing that Kota felt like he needed was for someone to know surface walking. What if they fell overboard it did not bode well if they became shark food instead. The hunter would not be thrilled about picking people's meat out of the shark. He didn’t think he wanted to be a cannibal.

A siren started to go off a bit of a way down the beach. It was a loud piercing sound that warned of danger. From the info Kota just read. It was the alarm for the shark being close by, it meant chances were that someone would be killed. Kota ran at full speed towards the pier. His sandaled feet kicked up sand making a mini sandstorm behind him. The sand did not slow his speed. It was a perk of living in a village full of the stuff. To him the sand was as solid as the ground. He quickly overtook a green haired guy that was heading to the same pier. The moment Kota ran past him he stopped and turned to look. From all the people around this was a person with a decent chakra potential. If everyone was a one on a scale of one to ten. This one was an eight. It made Kota think the man either is or could easily become a shinobi.

The archer slowed down to keep the forest haired one from being covered in sand. It was the least he could do as he hopped on the boat with relative ease. “Hi hi~ Looks like I made it.” He turned back around and held his hand out for the walking lawn. “Come on. You feel like you have the most potential out of everyone here.” Kota would say it politely as he held his hand out. He would take his hand back if it was not taken. If it was taken he would pull up and let him on the boat. Not really paying as much attention to the extras in the background. When the seaweed head would board, Kota would put his hands together and start making seals. He did not mind showing off his ninja status. He did not know the people on and doing so would lower the chance of him being attacked by the people present. The seals he performed were two simple ones. The dog and monkey. The quick hand movements summoned his quiver to his back, as well as the bow to his hand. He did not bother to put the seals on his armor. It was stored away in his spatial space. He could summon it if needed but thought it would be overkill. Not like he was trying to hunt one of those mythical beasts. This was a simple shark.

Checking the tightness of his drawstring, Kota would look back at the green haired man. “So. What brings you here on this possibly deadly hunt? My name is Kota by the way. Kota Apollon. Ninja from the village hidden in the sand. Smithing extraordinaire.” He put a smile on his face as he checked him out. Admittedly Kota was looking at a very handsome face. The guy was as tall as him but did not look as lean. The hairpin got his attention. It was feminine looking and made him wonder. The hunter thought it would not hurt to check the guy out. “I mean a handsome face like yours surely could be doing something better.” The boat started to head away from the pier. Kota had his weapon and did not view any of the stuff the other sailors had as worth anything as well. A proud craftsman, Kota knew he could make better stuff with one arm and running to the toilet from food poisoning.

---

WC: 1154

Techniques:
— Armoury Seal

Kosuke was walking with purpose but not in a rush over to the still docked boat. There was certainly an element of urgency to the situation at hand, but the crew of apparent shark hunters were still busy loading a variety of weapons ranging from harpoons and nets to bombs of some kind and didn't appear that they would be shoving off imminently. In addition, Ko was still working through how he would convince the crew to bring him along if they refused him outright. In fairness, he didn't have any experience hunting sharks or even being at sea for that matter. What he did have though was medical and shinobi training as well as a desire to help protect people that was proving to make this beach excursion less of a vacation than he initially thought it would be.

Just as Ko was nearing the boat he was passed by a man that seemed to be in as big of a hurry as anyone he had ever seen in his life. What amazed Ko was how well the individual was able to run along the sand as if he was simply running down a road he had traveled since he was able to walk. A miniature whirlwind of sand whipped up by the running caused Ko to avert his eyes reactively before he was able to get a good look at the person. “Hi hi~ Looks like I made it.” An outstretched hand met Kosuke's gaze as he regained control of his faculties.

The hand and voice belonged to a man with features that Kosuke would only have imagined if someone had asked him to describe the most objectively beautiful person he could think of. The dark brown hair did nothing to hide his natural features and enticingly tanned skin and was a great complement to his chiseled physique. The final pieces of the puzzle were his disarmingly rapturous eyes and dazzling smile. The cherry on top was the man's undeniable charisma which caused Kosuke to instinctively take the proffered hand and be pulled up onto the ship that had been his objective.

Before Ko was able to completely process everything and offer a response or thanks the man quickly went into performing handseals. It was apparent that the man was not a typical sailor and did not appear to be a member of this crew and seeing the handseals caused the gears to start clicking for Ko. The most reasonable conclusion was that this individual was a shinobi that like himself was aware of the shark threat and was trying to make their services available.

The crew of 4 men were steadily working with the 3 youngest moving equipment onto the boat and performing some inspections. A fourth man appeared to be more seasoned and was inside of the enclosed section at the middle of the boat looking over some documents on a table. The shinobi pair had not gone unnoticed as they boarded the boat uninvited but any attempts at protest were stopped short as Kota summoned a quiver and bow out of apparent nothingness and onto his back and hand respectively.

The sight caused Ko's brain to shift gears once more. He had found himself ill-equipped at multiple times since arriving on the beach and had been unsure how best to rectify that situation without patrolling the beach armed to the teeth. Then comes along this jovial and unassuming individual who seems to have things way more figured out that Kosuke, though that last fact was something that Ko had been getting accustomed too over the past weeks.

The man was checking his equipment, confident, as he introduced himself to Kosuke. This was a walk in the park for him. There wasn't a hint of fear to be found, in fact there the only thing Ko could sense was was enthusiasm and nonchalance. Kosuke should perhaps have felt a bit uncomfortable as Kota eyed him over but it all felt so natural from him that Ko thought nothing of it but his cheeks did begin to get somewhat flush as the man called him 'handsome' with ease.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Kota. My name is Kosuke Sashihara, a traveling medical practitioner at the moment I suppose and I imagine that I am here for a reason similar to yourself. There appears to be a crisis and I feel like there is something I can do to help ensure the safety of the people here."

"What in the hells are the two of you doing on my boat!? We are about to go after this shark and don't have time to be babysitting." A gruff voice blasted in their direction. The captain had noticed the pair and stepped out with none of the timidity his crew had shown. "I'm sorry for the intrusion but we are trained shinobi and here to help in any capacity that we are able." The man groaned as he looked over the pair expressing more interest in Kota than Kosuke before eventually turning to climb up the short ladder to the nest of the boat that housed the wheel. "Fine, your friend with the bow looks useful enough. Just make sure you don't get in the way of my crew. If anything happens it's your ass out there."

Boat:

The rest of the crew finished the preparations in short order and soon the boat was pushing away from the pier. The captain had an apparent idea of the area the shark had been spotted and indicated they would be there in a few minutes but for everyone to keep their eyes peeled and to stay alert. Ko took the opportunity to chat with Kota some while they still had some time. "I heard you mention you are from the village in the sand. That's Sunagakure isn't it? I have lived most of my life in the Rice Country and don't actually know that much about the wind. Are all the ninja of the sand trained in craftsmanship?"

Ko would try to pass the time with idle conversation while staying vigilant until they happened upon their quarry. In fact Ko had a suspicion that Kota would likely be the first one to spot signs of the shark out of the whole group.

---

WC: 1051
TWC: 2207

Kota’s body was having a weird reaction. His heart lurched when he saw the light flush in Kosuke’s cheeks. The archer had a thought that maybe he was developing an arrhythmia. He was a healthy specimen but he was no doctor. For all the poor lad knew he could secretly be dying faster than anyone else. He made a mental note to head to the doctor when he got back. This was the third time he felt that strange heartbeat.

The archer felt that he was rudely interrupted by the so-called ‘Captain’ of the ship. Kota merely gave the guy a glance over. Kota was looking at a bear of a man, hairy and bulky. Kota felt the slight desire to shoot him for bear meat, it was only stifled by the fact that there was doubt he tasted like bear. The archers' ears perked up at hearing his new found friend admitting to being a shinobi as well. Kota preferred the type. Yeah, it increased his odds of being murdered in his sleep, at least another shinobi can accompany him on hunts and be less prey, and more hunter. The captain was lucky he probably did not taste good, and could recognize talent when he spotted it. It was one among the few reasons that kept the man from becoming a porcupine.

“Sungakure is my village.” Kota scratched his chin before continuing. “I am more trained in craftsmanship than most. Growing up I traveled a lot, as I come from a family of hunters, not shinobi. So my primary means of survival was to take form the land, use it to survive, and move on. When my mom got sick I came to the village with my mom. The medical facilities could be considered top notch and it was closest. I needed money so I transferred my skills.” Kota spoke lightly of his past. He did not want it to seem like he felt unfortunate. It was his lot in life and he was cool with it. Times were hard but he met some cool people in his village. Not to mention his strength increased in leaps and bounds.

Kota started to make some more hand signs this time with one hand. If he wanted the shark body he had to put in the effort. “What about your story? Rice Country is a beautiful place. I visited so I am unsure how you ended up a traveler. Do you enjoy it?” Kota finished the hand signs with his sentence. His senses expanded and he felt a little bit sick. It started to show on his face as well. Expanding his senses was always useful. Except being so close to so many unwashed sailors did not help how he was feeling.

The hunter would listen to the traveling doctor's words. It was on him to continue the conversation by responding when needed. They were not out long when Kota was able to see a fin in the distance. “Give me a moment to finish this.” Kota jumped off the boat and hit the water. He started running towards the beast, knocking an arrow. His actions left some of the sailors in the boat looking flabbergasted. It was not his fault he moved faster under his own feet than the thing that they called a boat. The arrow flew through the air and managed to hit the shark in the tail fin.

The beast thrashed and turned in the water. Kota could swear he could see murder in the eyes of the shark. It zipped towards him at a speed that gave Kota a shock. The archer made the smart move. He turned around and high tailed it back towards the ship. “I got its attention. May need yall to help out.” He shouted back at the ship. The shark was in its own territory, with Kota slowing a bit, needing to maintain his lightness skill technique it was able to catch up. It jumped out of the water and barreled into him. Kota could feel the water on his sensitive skin when it jumped. He put up a guard but it did not stop the beast from ramming into him. His arm was not bleeding but it was slightly fractured. When he made it on the ship he went for another arrow and the pain hit. The shark circled around the boat as the other sailors stepped up trying to throw various weapons. They were just as intent on taking it out.

“Hey. You said you were a doctor. Think you can heal my arm up a bit. They can’t aim and with the pain it will throw me off as well. I just need it healed enough to fire. I am sure I can take it out.” The self confidence could not hide the pain he was feeling. The entire venture of how this mission would end was down to the healing ability of his newfound friend. “Too bad you couldn’t distract it so I could get a better shot in as well.”

---

WC: 844
WC: 1998

Techniques:
— Lightness Skill
— Senses Beyond

Kota spoke with a lightness to his story that indicated that he wasn't letting it drag him down. It was a story of struggle and triumph, of misfortune and opportunity. Kota was living his life taking the cards he was dealt to make the best hand he could out of the situation. Kosuke could certainly empathize even if he hadn't had the same path. A small air of solemnity and melancholy had started to cloud over Ko. 

Am I really cut out to help people or is it really just a fantasy? There are so many people I have met here that have had to deal with such adversity and are much more capable.

Kota began making one-handed seals while continuing the conversation to inquire about Kosuke. Ever vigilant, even while making small talk. "Rice Country is quite beautiful indeed. The rice paddies and landscape to be sure, but the real beauty is the people. I'm from a small village of people that are amazing, but haven't known conflict. And unfortunately the lands around my home are becoming less safe everyday. Those people are why I'm on my journey. I'm hoping I can become strong enough to help and protect those that don't have the ability to do so themselves."

Ko realized he had been rambling somewhat just as he had finished speaking. Kota was looking a touch sick but before Ko could inquire as to his condition the man was off the boat and chasing down the shark at a speed Kosuke had never witnessed from another human before. Kota had already planted an arrow in the beast and was rushing back toward the boat before Kosuke had been able to get himself out into the water. It looked like Kota might get back to the ship in time but the creature quickly gained as his pace slowed somewhat. The shark slammed into Kota violently but Kosuke didn't catch sight of any blood dripping following the impact.

Ko helped Kota back on to the ship but as the man went to knock another arrow the consequences of the impact made themselves painfully clear. Ko focused his attention on his patient as chaos ensued with the crew chucking various harpoons at the shark to little effect. Ko quickly examined the finger wraps of his right hand. Tight enough to work. Ko softly pressed in spots along Kota's arm with his hand waiting for flashed of pain from the man. Kota was talking through it but expressive enough to give the info Ko needed. 

"You're right they can't aim for shit." Seems to be an ulnar fracture more like than not. Experience tells me the break was clean. "I'll get you taken care of don't worry." Ko smiled comfortingly at the man. Boar. Rat. Snake. The handseals formed between his hands and his hand began to glow before he place it onto the broken arm. Contact was solid but with no extraneous pressure exerted to prevent unnecessary pain for his companion. "I guess the shark didn't find me as handsome as you do." Kosuke joked with Kota as his chakra finished the process of setting and fusing the bone back together.

"Okay, you should be able to use your arm normally until we can get you back to the beach." The glow dissipated from Kosuke's hands as he finished talking. His melancholy from earlier was gone, it was clear that he could be helpful not to mention that it seemed impossible to stay in a mental funk around Kota. "But this time we are going to work together to take down this thing. I'm certainly not as fast as you but I can handle myself. I'll distract the beast and you get a clear shot to take it down." Kosuke thought back to his medical studies and recalled the anatomy of a shark from his texts. "You may already know this, but sharks have a  smaller brain compared to humans. However, you should be able to get enough penetration if you hit 2 inches behind its eyes at an angle from behind. Ultimately I leave it up to you though."

After confirming that Kota was ready Ko grabbed 2 of the harpoons on the boat and hopped out as the shark circled around once more. A quick harpoon toss from Ko glanced off of the creature as Ko created a bit more distance from the boat in an attempt to give Kota a clear shot.

---

WC: 744
TWC: 2951

Jutsu:

The hunter had to grit his teeth in pain. He honed his pain tolerance enough to keep from screaming. It still did not make it feel pleasant whenever medical based jutsu were used. The fact that being on the field lacked pain medicine did not help. When it was over Kota gave a smile.

“Thanks for that. You should be glad. If the shark found you as handsome as I did. You would be devoured till there are no bones left.” Kota gave a wane smile. He tried moving his arm a bit. It felt perfectly fine except a bit of soreness that was present. “You do good work. This should be enough to hold me over.”

Getting back to the picture at hand. Kota was ready to follow through with the plan of action he had. It was time for him to put in maximum effort and start to work. Kota could see his companion trying to help. Doing his best to harpoon the nasty shark. It was cute when he did it. At least compared to all the other soldiers trying to take the shark done.

“Oh. I guess your harpooning is working. You’ve managed to gain its attention. I guess you could be considered a pro at pricking people.” Kota was making an innuendo as he drew one of his phoenix feather arrows, waggling his eyebrows at Kosuke. It would not be as effective with all the water present. It would be enough to cook the inside of the shark. “This is for messing up my arm you future dinner.”

The shark opened up its mouth as if to take a bite out of the boat. It was what Kota was waiting for. The moment the shark showed an opening, Kota let the arrow fly loose. It sailed right into the shark. The beast thrashed as flames ravaged its insides. You can smell the flesh cooking as well as see smoke coming from inside the beast. It was a terrible way to die but it did smell good.

“Seafood is on the menu tonight!” Kota yelled in triumph. Arms in the air in the joy of fresh kill. “You were a remarkable help. I wouldn’t mind stealing you back to my home. At the very least you can hang out with me on the beach. Not that it is too different from Suna.”

Kota would chuckle and go along with whatever answer Kosuke would give him. He was not one to be too pushy either way. If something was fated to be Kota had no doubt they would see each other again.

[Exit]

WC: 435
WC: 2,433

Beloved Presence double the AP and Ryo reward of this mission. Earning 16,000 Ryo (bringing current total up to 112,500), 80 AP,  1 Shark Fin, and 1 Pirate Cutlass.

Replacing Whistle Trigger with flowing arts for 2,000 WC.

Using 250 more to learn Swish and Flick

Approved

Kosuke found himself smiling back as Kota returned the flirty comment and was extremely pleased to see that even with his limited ability Ko was able to help the hunter get back in the fight. The plan was in motion with Ko out drawing the attention of the beast, fully confident that his companion would follow through, and Kota executed his half of the maneuver to perfection. Kota stood strong, resilient, and graceful as he nocked the arrow on his bowstring. He held back until the moment the beast came up with open jaw to attack the boat and the shot was straight and true, incinerating the shark in mere moments. Then it was over just as quickly as it had begun and the mood immediately became jovial.

The crew that had initially been skeptical of the duo was now generously offering their praise and admiration towards Kota as well as Ko to an understandably lesser extent, Kota was deservedly the hero of the day after all. Ko quickly returned to the boat and found a spot to let himself calm down a bit and recollect himself. Kota approached in notably more upbeat mood with his vengeance enacted and made a passing comment suggesting that he would like if Ko visited Suna. It was an idea that he certainly interested in, but there were some steps he needed to take in his journey before he would be able to travel. "I'm glad I could be of some help, and while I would love to visit your home there are some things I need to handle and confront for myself before I'll be able to travel as freely as I would like. However, I certainly would not be opposed to hanging out a bit more on the beach while the opportunity is present." Ko became more serious when talking about issues he needed to resolve for himself but tried to shift the tone as he let those thoughts depart from his mind for a bit longer. That could wait for now.

While they spoke the captain of the boat had been shouting various orders to his men and they appeared to have secured the shark's cooked carcass on a line to be hauled behind the boat back to shore, spoils from the expedition. The journey back was progressing smoothly but slowly with idle conversation and some songs being sung by the crew. The added weight of pulling the shark's body behind the ship was causing drag in addition to the weight, but in the glory of victory the group had let their level of alert drop. When a large splash of water erupted back behind them nobody had any idea what was going on. This was followed by a snapping of the line and subsequent jerking forward of the boat as the spoils of victory had suddenly been stolen from them, which turned out to be a little too close to the truth. With everyone now at full attention they observed this new arrival in all of its majesty. The creature they were now encountering was nearly a third more massive than the beast they had just worked to slay. 

Ko steeled himself as he looked over at Kota. It seemed that the relaxation they had hoped for on the beach would have to be put on hold for now...

{Exit}

---

WC: 559
TWC: 3510

WC and Mission Claims:

Approved