The Full Shilling

Sun Aug 21, 2022 8:52 pm

Missions:

When Saturn Sentobi embarked on his journey into shinobihood, he was given his fair share of guidance by at least three mentors. One had taught him how to wield his sensory abilities. Another had taught him the values and principles that he was expected to abide by as a Kumon shinobi and continued to teach him more regularly. Finally, the third had simply handed him 12,000 ryo with a concise message that simply read, 'Get Stronger'. And get stronger he did - Not only did he improve upon his chakra control greatly, placing him in the top caliber in that category, but he was also in the cream of the crop when it came to sheer speed. Day in and day out, he put in the work. Although he was still a lowly Genin, he was on pace to receive the Bronze Medallion of Honor once he filed his latest mission reports for evaluation. But he was not yet satisfied. He hoped to aim higher, and achieve more within his lifetime.

The most straightforward path to glory, in Saturn's eyes, was to cross off missions one by one as they came. The Fortuneteller was on the verge of figuring out that he was but a character in a world governed by certain rules and regulations. Chance events were much too common, and certain impossibilities became true in front of his very eyes time and time again. Although he could not yet be sure, he was sure that completing missions carried a lot of incentive. Not only did it earn him monetary rewards and the ability to carry out more actions in battle, but it also allowed him to reflect and learn from his experiences to objectively get stronger by adding more techniques and skills to his arsenal. As he attained certain Milestones, there were specific perks that came with them. Ranking up to earn the right to learn and remember a wider array of jutsu was also only made possible by mission completion. Although Mikadzuki Beach served as an important source of these missions, the beach as they knew it would soon come to close. The clock was ticking.

Besides his Kumon compatriots, Saturn had made friends - foreigners - at the beach who would accompany him on his beach missions. However, as the beach would soon come to close, he would be in need of more shinobi to fill in their vacancies when he embarked on quests. He had been delegating some of his work to one certain Genin from Kumogakure, without compensation, but he had heard that the Nara clansman had been training and would not tolerate his exploitation for much longer. Thus, he had now elected to try a different strategy. He had marked two prospects. Both were Kumon Genin. One was a recent graduate that he heard about from alumni and staff at the academy that he himself had previously attended. He was a tenacious character whose body was reported to be hot to the touch. The other was an immigrant, much like Saturn himself, whom the older shinobi was sure would be in search of loyal friends and support just as he himself had been.

Guided by both the goodness in his heart and the swindling nature that he carried with him simultaneously, he arranged a rendezvous with the two promising candidates. Although specimen younger than 21 were often not allowed into the Drunken Kage Bar without having some serious redeeming qualities, Saturn had promised to arrange a good time for the bouncer who was his friend. He sat at his usual table, with two black duffel bags placed next to each other on top. He did not drink, as he wished to meet Jun Shibasaki and Suzumi Amano in a sober state of mind so as to not make a poor judgment about their character in their first encounter. Instead, he took the last drag from his cigarette that rested on his dark blue lip before stubbing it in the ashtray and sliding it aside. He was dressed in his signature cyan attire with stars printed on the fabric. A knit cap covered his golden blonde locks except for two thick strands that poked out in the front like horns. His fingers stayed interlocked while his elbows rested on the cedar table. His icy blue eyes stared at the ticking clock behind the counter and overhead as its hour hand struck twelve. It was early in the day by Kumon standards.

Saturn was going to try to strike a bargain with the two rookies. Ryo in exchange for a stronger commitment to their patriotic duties. Specifically, a commitment to make themselves available to Saturn himself to take on certain jobs when every now and then the national workforce gets understaffed. He had the details of his proposal at the tip of his tongue. But first, he wanted to test the two on their punctuality and brevity. He had instructed them to come to the bar at twelve noon, and he had told the bouncer not to let them in straight away. His tanned bronze face cracked a grin as he waited in anticipation for the chaos that could ensue.

WC: 916

Mon Aug 22, 2022 3:03 pm

Jun woke up that morning without much expectations about his day. The young man, who had just graduated from the Ninja Academy, had finally fulfilled his dream of becoming a Shinobi, but so far he had not carried out any missions. Yes, it was only a few days after his graduation from the academy, but Jun was looking forward to finally taking on the Ninja world. But after some dull and stale days as a shinobi, there was something different about that day: a more experienced Genin, Saturn, had invited him to meet at the Drunken Kage Bar. Jun had no idea of the reason behind that invitation.

Jun had already heard about Saturn at the ninja academy, but didn't know much about him, being the little information he had a product of gossip: people said he was an eccentric person, but also a very talented shinobi. People said he dressed funny, but also had a very strong personality. The place he had chosen for the meeting had also made Jun quite curious, as it is not a place where 15-year-olds go: a bar! All the mystery about the invitation and the ninja Saturn himself, in addition to sheer boredom, made Jun accept the invitation without thinking twice. "12 noon at the Drunken Kage Bar, don't be late" was written in the message.

After doing his household chores that morning, Jun dressed as usual, wearing his baggy black sweatshirt, with the Shibasaki clan symbol (The Shibasaki Sun) printed in the back area, in addition to his black cargo pants and gray sneakers. Jun then took his newly acquired headband from Kumo, and tied it proudly to his arm. Ever since he had won the headband, the symbol that he was finally a shinobi, Jun hadn't for a second let go of it, wearing it in the most varied ways: on the arm, on the head, on the neck. Jun then said goodbye to his mother, and headed towards the bar to meet up with Saturn. It was 11:30 AM and Jun lived relatively close to the bar, so the chances of him being late were slim, and that was a good thing because Jun absolutely hate being late. Jun walked calmly through the village streets, hands in his pockets as he whistled to the rhythm of a song he had heard the day before, but which Jun had no idea what it was called.

After a few minutes of walking, Jun was finally approaching the bar, which made him a little anxious, after all, Jun was never even inside a bar before. Would they let him in there, being a mere 15 years old? Would people look strange at such a young shinobi being there? Would people think he was a potential alcoholic for being at the bar at such a young age? Jun actually worried about all of that, but his boredom and curiosity were far greater than other people's opinion of him being there. Jun then spotted the door of the Drunken Kage Bar, being guarded by a bouncer that was twice Jun's size, a really large fella with his arms crossed and a very serious expression. “I’m screwed” – thought Jun. He then approached the door without making eye contact with the bouncer, hoping to go unnoticed by him and enter the bar without problems.

As soon as he tried to push the door open, the bouncer placed his huge arm between Jun and the door, blocking the young shinobi's passage without any difficulty.

- Aren't you too young to be here, boy? – Said the bouncer, while keeping his seriousness.

- I didn’t come here to drink or to party, I’m here to meet my fellow shinobi, Saturn. Is he here already, good sir? – replied Jun.

- I don’t care why you’re here, boy. You’re not old enough, piss off – the bouncer said.

The big man then proceeded to place himself between Jun and the door, effectively blocking any physical possibility of him getting inside. This made Jun furious, but he couldn’t just beat the bouncer as he was not only too big, but he was also only doing his job. “Brain over muscles” thought Jun, being that his motto. Jun knew that only by using his brain he could get past that brute.

- Excuse me, sir, but do you have any idea of why I’m here? – said Jun, while approaching the door again.

- Don’t know and don’t care – replied the bouncer.

- My name is Jun Shibasaki, I’m a Kumogakure Shinobi and I’m currently in an official mission on behalf of the Deputy Kage himself. As part of my mission, I have to meet here in the bar with the shinobi known as Saturn in order to gather intel for a top secret mission, with the security of the village being at stake, so unless you want to harm your own village and really upset the Kage by interfering in official business of the Kumogakure Shinobi…you will let me in! - said Jun firmly, as he untied his headband from his arm and tied it on his forehead, hoping to demonstrate to the bouncer that he was indeed a real Shinobi.

The bouncer looked Jun from head to toe, and after a few moments, let out a laugh out of the corner of his mouth, as he pushed his huge body out of the way.

- Go on Mr. Big Time, I will not disturb you in such dangerous and important mission – said the bouncer while laughing.

Jun found the brute's reaction curious, and wondered if his little speech had worked all, or if the guard thought it was really funny such a young boy trying to show himself so important. Upon finally entering, Jun started looking around the bar trying to find the
Genin who had invited him to be there and in a few moments, as the bar was almost empty being too early in the day, he located a blond guy, with strange blue lips and who was wearing an odd attire with stars printed on the fabric. “That looks eccentric enough” Jun thought, being sure that this was indeed Saturn. Jun then approached the shinobi, sitting at the same table he was at. He nodded and greeted Saturn:

- Hello there, I’m Jun Shibasaki…you’re Saturn, right? – asked Jun, while looking straight at the blue eyes of the fellow shinobi, waiting for what he had to say.

WC: 1083

Mon Aug 22, 2022 8:21 pm

The invitation Suzumi received was unexpected. She had never gone to a place such as the Drunken Kage Bar. “Would it be so naive if I actually went? Ignoring the note is always an option,” she asked up in her head. However, Suzumi figured she’d risk it if it meant building connections here in Kumogakure and settling in better. Yet, Suzumi gave it some more thought, “What do people even do at bars? How would I manage to to get in when I’m not of age?”

Clearly, there was quite a few obstacles for this meetup to happen. Suzumi was curious about it though, mainly for the thrill of entering a bar without having the legal clearance. Before getting to that, she wanted to know more about what bar culture is like. So, she went to Thunderpeak Campus to find some information.

It was easy for her to gather the right sources, libraries that are managed well will have the organization for it to be so. Suzumi checked a clock to determine how much time she could spend reading without being late. “5 hours,” she noted. With that, Suzumi read about bar etiquette, traditions, names of drinks, some history about the Drunken Kage Bar, as well as some safety related tips. She was so absorbed in the information that she didn’t notice the activity within the library around her.

Eventually she’d snap out of it. With a sudden sense of alarm, Suzumi grounded herself. “I’m at the library, I see books all around, I can hear the shuffling of people searching through them, and there’s that new book smell faintly lingering in the air.” It all checks out. Then she realized she hadn’t checked the time in a while. “2 hours ‘till,” Suzumi sighed. Plenty of time to get over there, and manage a way to get in. She wanted to check the surrounding area, as she was still fairly new to it, anyways.

Suzumi observed the renovated building which hosted the Drunken Kage. From afar, she watched as a few people entered and leave. The bouncer at the door seemed to take his job seriously. From what she noticed, no means no. There also weren’t that many patrons yet, and Suzumi began to lose a bit of faith in her plan.

Soon, Suzumi caught a blip in his routine. While he’d check every person who was by themselves or with one other person, yet he skipped this process when larger groups went in. By some miracle, a group of 8 shinobi returning for what she assumed was an overnight mission came by. The bouncer waved them in, holding the door with a warm welcome. “They must be regulars, no way I’d be able to casually join in their entrance without question,” Suzumi concluded.

Approaching the Drunken Kage, Suzumi perched atop a branch nearby to wait for another opportunity. That’s when she realized the fallacy of her plan. “What if there’s no group big enough for this guy to skip checking them again before noon?” While she kept put, hoping it could still happen, Suzumi formulated a new strategy to show for the meetup. Originally, her goal was to avoid interacting with the bouncer. Under these circumstances, she might just have to, though.

Perhaps she could just go up to him, and asked if he knew of anyone named Saturn was there? Suzumi scoffed at herself for even coming up with that one. Just like anyone else without an ID or was already too intoxicated, the answer would be a firm “No”. So what else?

Would the guy take a break? Maybe an open window was available? How about entering through the back? It’d probably be locked, but why not give it a try?

Suzumi leapt down from the tree, and headed towards a door which had a dumpster placed next to it. A blonde shinobi, who couldn’t have been older than her, began talking to the bouncer. Suzumi took this moment to get to the back door without notice. Assuming he also was underage, the bouncer could be distracted for long enough to get around back.

As she was about to put her hand on the knob, it swung open. Suzumi quickly hid behind it, startled if she was caught already. “This is it, I’m already done for. I’ll go to prison, without ever making this life my own. Well, maybe I wouldn’t live it again but it had it’s moments. It could’ve been -“ Suzumi’s thoughts were cut off. The person who had busted out, foot stomping the ground once they were through the doorway, carried a heaping load of trash. There was a struggle to get it all through the doorway, but after an all-mighty push they managed to get it all through.

While they were busy getting multiple loads into the dumpster, Suzumi snuck in. “That turned out for the better,” she dropped the tension in her shoulders. She swiftly stepped toward the area where patrons would gather, noticing in the far corner the same shinobi in a group she watched come in, as well as the blond boy who was talking to the bouncer approaching another shinobi. Suzumi took out the invitation, reading it over again. Considering there was no one else occupying the room, Suzumi assumed one of them had sent it.

Unsure if it was the right table, Suzumi stepped beside the blond boy holding up her invitation. “Uh-ummm, is this from you guys? Is someone here Saturn?” she squeaked, just after the blond boy introduced himself.

(WC: 924)

Tue Aug 23, 2022 1:08 am

A brief moment of silence followed Suzumi's inquiry [1], before Saturn unclasped his interlocked fingers and started to clap. He clapped slowly at first - Clap... Clap... Clap... - , and then faster and louder - *CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP* -. an unbridled grin stretched from ear to ear on his tanned face before he burst into a loud and hearty uninhibited laughter. "HAHAHAHHAHAA!" He stood up to formally receive the two esteemed Genin whom he had called upon to attend the impromptu meeting. "Jun Shibasaki." He repeated the blonde boy's name as his laughter and clapping tapered out. The male specimen had features that closely resembled those of Saturn himself - they both had blonde hair and light blue eyes of similar hue although Jun seemed more radiant like the Sun whereas Saturn was decidedly pale even with his tan. While Jun's eyes had a hint of indifference, Saturn's seemed more devious and sinister. Maintaining the same smirky grin on his face that flashed some of his pointy teeth which made his smile look a little conspicuous but not entirely hostile, he turned his head towards the dark haired kunoichi, "And you must be Suzumi Amano," His wide grin narrowed into a less intense warm and genuine smile as he looked back and forth between the two Genin. "That's right, I'm Saturn Sentobi. I am the one who called you both here for a reason," He claimed as he gestured at the two wooden chairs across from him on the other side of the table, "Please, have a seat, both of you." He sat back down in his chair and moved the two black duffel bags to the side to get a view of where both the Genin would sit if they chose to sit and entertain the Fortuneteller. Gesturing at a waiter, he beckoned her to come close before placing an order on behalf of his guests. "Two sodas, please. For my friends here." He did not trust either of them well enough yet to order any kind of alcohol for them and take responsibility, even if they were the type of rebellious teenager to indulge.

"You have both passed. You've come right on time - no sooner nor later - and you've both managed to come into the bar even though I've told the bouncers not to let you in. And so, these bags are yours." He declared, slapping the two heavy bags on the table, "Inside each of these bags is 25,000 ryo. You're each free to take one bag. And you may leave with it. Use it for anything you may like. No strings attached. It isn't much, but it should be enough to cover at least some of your expenses. Think of it like a little welcome gift from me personally, and as a token of friendship from your fellow Kumon compatriot. And you may carry on with your lives as though you never met me, and do as you please for the rest of your stay in Kumogakure." He glanced at the fellow immigrant Suzumi as he said the word 'Kumon' and blew a large bubble from the strawberry mochi flavored chewing gum in his mouth before causing it to go 'POP'. He would then wait briefly to see if his deliberate actions meant to cause slight annoyances to the two Genin would cause them to leave as quickly as possible with the money. He was testing their patience and willpower, to see if they were worthy in his eyes of being guided towards what he considered to be the light and the way forward. "Very well. What I just described to you is what's called The Blue Pill..." Saturn would follow up if at least one of the two Genin remained in the room with him, "Now what that means is not important.. What's important is that you understand what your options are." He looked back and forth between the Genin, trying to see if he was talking sense out of his own mouth. "We live in a world with rules and incentives. For example, have you ever wondered why if you ever use a technique, most of the time you will not be able to use the same technique a second time again immediately afterwards even if you have mastered it twice over? That is because of something I call a 'cooldown'. We live in a world where only the strong and capable wield the power to dictate what kind of life they may lead, and that applies no matter what your ambitions may be." He cleared his throat and checked again if his unofficial disciples were following.

"The only way you will ever become more capable, and in turn accomplish what you really want out of your life, is to simply do more." He continued his improvised sermon, "You will both come to learn that completing missions is the only real way forward, if you wish to grow." He paused as the waiter brought two sodas to the table. "I'll let you in on a neat trick. You see, when you do more, it becomes easier to complete missions. Jun, you spent some time talking to the bouncer to convince him to let you in - and Suzumi, you waited patiently and took some time to assess the best way to sneak in from the back door. As a result of your actions, for reasons I can't yet explain, you will find that completing missions shortly after will require less effort from each of you. And you always want to work in groups rather than alone to get the most out of your time." He took out a file from his bag and placed it on the table, sliding it over to Jun and Suzumi, inviting them to open it and take a look. Inside, were a compilation of missions that were assigned to Saturn for the day.

Saturn's File:

"Since we're here together, if one of us completes any one of these missions, all three of us would get the rewards that come with it." He grinned again, "Now do you see why I've brought you here?" Outside, a bloodcurdling scream was heard.

"FIRE! HELP!! Somebody! We need help!!"

"Good grief. Anyway, the 'restaurant' is an extension of the Drunken Kage Bar, there are construction workers on their way as we speak - They should be here any minute now. They have to get rid of that Troublesome Tree to begin their work. Oh, and the group of civilians looking for their personal trainer will be here shortly as well. I'll trust you two to take care of business over here." He spoke rather calmly, before allowing his smug face to morph into a solemn expression before forming the Ram hand seal[2], "I'll call the Fire Brigade! Oh, and pay for your sodas."

With those words, after hogging all that screen time, he vanished into a cloud of smoke.

Info:

WC: 1151
TWC: 2066

Tue Aug 23, 2022 2:27 pm

As Jun sat down and asked Saturn his question, Jun noticed the arrival of a young kunoichi, who shyly approached the table. She had dark hair with blue streaks, arms full of tattoos and despite being short, she was also quite buffed. "She can definitely kick my ass if she wants to" Jun thought to himself.
Even with the young woman showing the invitation and asking for Saturn, as he had done himself, Jun didn't stop for a second looking into Saturn's blue eyes, maintaining his best poker face. "So he invited another Genin...what other surprises are you going to show us, Saturn?" thought Jun again. Even though he was already expecting something unusual, what came next surely shocked young Shibasaki.

The flamboyant shinobi started to clap out of nowhere. It first started slowly, but it got faster and louder. Then he began to laugh loudly, as if someone had told him a very funny joke. All that Jun could do was to look in awe while Saturn clapped and laughed. He then finally stopped and introduced himself, ordering a soda from the waitress for Jun and Suzumi, while explaining why he had invited Kumo's two new genin to that place. He then finally stopped behaving strangely and introduced himself, ordering a soda from the waitress for both Jun and Suzumi, while explaining why he invited Kumo's two new genin to that place. This was all very weird for the young Shibasaki, who couldn't say a word as he listened to Saturn speak. The eccentric ninja then placed on the table two heavy bags that supposedly contained an unbelievable amount 25,000 ryo.

Coming from an exiled clan who had lost all their possessions back in Funkagakure and who roamed the shinobi world fighting to stay alive, this was perhaps the most money Jun had ever seen with his own eyes. Despite being impressed by that, money was far from being the most important thing to Jun. His main goal was to become a powerful Shinobi, master the secrets behind the Shibasaki clan's Kekkei Genkai and to rebuild his clan to its former glory. “Money may help with the latter” he thought, while Saturn explained about the ninja world, getting stronger, and missions in general. “I could do some missions…” said Jun to himself in his thoughts. The blue-lipped ninja then placed a folder on the table, which he invited the two new genin to open and look at its contents: the folder contained some missions, assigned to Saturn, being all of D Rank and that involved cutting a large tree, helping with the renovation of the restaurant attached to the Drunken Kage Bar and giving fitness lessons to the local folk. “Well, those are not Ninja jobs, but It’s better than noth…” just before Jun could finish his thoughts, he read the 4^th mission page in the file , that had a C rank mission: “A fire has broken out! You and any teammates are the first to respond - rescue anybody threatened by the fire, ensure it does not spread and cause further damage, and either extinguish the flames or keep them under control until backup arrives.”. “Wait…fire? Where?” the young shinobi wondered. And as he did, he heard screams:

"FIRE! HELP!! Somebody! We need help!!"

Just as the scream was heard from inside the bar, Saturn finished his little sermon and vanished in a cloud of smoke, telling the two young genins to pay for their own soda and finish those assignments in the file. The sequence of events left Jun a little shocked, but he soon let out a small, muffled laugh as he finally realized Saturn's ingenuity. “That bastard just hired us to do his missions...”.

- Yo, Suzumi…I think that helping out with that fire while the fire brigade is coming is perhaps the most pressing issue at the moment, we can deal with the rest later. As Saturn said, if we do it together, our chances of succeeding are higher. That guy may be a bit weird, but he's right about that. - Said Jun calmly, as he finished his soda. He then took the bag containing the money given by Saturn and put it on his pocket.

- So…shall we? – Jun asked to Suzumi.

The young ninja than placed a 10 ryo coin on the table (for the soda) and sprinted from the bar, going towards the direction of the screams, running at full speed while he thought “Finally, some REAL ninja work. Let’s go!”

Info::

WC: 752
TWC: 1835

Sun Aug 28, 2022 10:07 am

When Saturn started to clap, Suzumi scrunched her face in confusion. “What have I gotten myself into?” she almost said aloud, but became a sharp inhale - almost a gasp, as Saturn’s claps became more intense and his laughter filled the room.

Things became a little bit easier to comprehend once he finally introduced himself. Suzumi sat down, and nodded with a smile to the waitress that took the order. Once Saturn brought out the ryo, Suzumi stared in astonishment. “That’s more than my net worth back home!” she thought, mouth agape. As Saturn proceeding to explain his clause, Suzumi considered grabbing a bag and booking it right then and there. The only thing that stopped her was realizing how that would look once she made it outside. A young girl…with a stuffed duffel bag…sprinting out from a bar. That’d go over well. So, Suzumi remained seated.

As Saturn continued, the thought kept in the back of her head. Particularly when he mentioned about options. His disclaimer didn’t stop her from wondering what he meant by “blue pill,” but she didn’t bother to interrupt. As he suggested she should do more to become successful, Suzumi dazed off for a moment remembering how she spent half the day reading about bar culture. She interpreted his suggestion that she should get a job as a bartender, despite that not even being the point of his speech.

The person screaming snapped her back into reality. Then, Saturn disappeared. Suzumi wasn’t fully aware of what was going on, but to her understanding she got 25k ryo as a welcome to Kumo, and now is being offered some missions. Jun spoke to her, suggestion to work together - which she agreed to. “Yes we shall.”

She would have complained about paying for the soda that was unexpectedly ordered for her, but what would 10 ryo do to 25k ryo? Especially when she already had enough to cover it in the first place. Suzumi also threw in a tip of 5 ryo, because that was a very strange situation to host.

One thing she did have to wonder about was how Saturn’s file knew about a fire. If it had been burning, wouldn’t there have been a team already to deal with it? Something didn’t add up about this, but Suzumi plunged out of the bar after Jun anyways. Today sure had been an interesting day, and she was curious where the completion of these missions would take her. It sure did make settling into Kumo a lot easier, especially with not having to seek out her own missions for the moment. There was enough on her hands now, perhaps almost too much…but, that was the point that Saturn was trying to make.

WC: 457

25k received from Saturn
10 ryo spent at the Drunken Kage

New Balance: 25,490 ryo

Sun Aug 28, 2022 3:18 pm

The events that followed the outbreak of fire unfolded at a rapid pace. There had been a gas leak in a nearby kitchen that was used by different outlets as a cooking station to deliver meals to the doors of Kumon citizens. Managers of the local KuMcDonalds and Kumo Fried Chicken were stood arguing with each other about ten meters away from the burning building, blaming each other's employees for wrecking one of their bases from which they undertook their independent delivery services on different shifts. Chefs were being escorted out one by one from the fuming building as they coughed and choked. Saturn had already alerted the fire brigade - on his way to the site, he had stopped at a pay phone to make the call. The peculiar case of how the mission was already in Saturn's file was one of the many oddities about his world that made him believe that he was in some kind of a simulation where certain things ran like clockwork. A fire was expected around that time and just as it was predicted, it had broken out. Most would simply leave it at that and focus on things within their control and Saturn was one to take that approach when lives were in danger, although he was one to reflect on such oddities to seek 'the real truth', though it always seemed just out of the esper's reach.

The Genin's hands rested on his hips as he monitored the situation, looking on as the Suiton users employed by the fire brigade shot streams of water techniques into the flames to put it out. One of the employee's dogs panted heavily near Saturn and barked at the flames as they were extinguished. Her owner was still trapped in the building and had not yet been escorted out by the firefighters. Leaning over, he patted the ashy poodle. "Are you alright, little buddy? It's going to be okay."

As Jun and Suzumi arrived at the scene, Saturn looked over before putting his hand across his face. "Good grief..." He had instructed the two to take care of business at the bar - to chop down the troublesome tree, help the construction workers out with their renovation of the little restaurant offshoot from the Drunken Kage Bar, and drill the group of civilians who were supposed to report to the bar. Perhaps, he thought, he hadn't paid either of them enough to be lumbers, builders and personal trainers in the same shift after all. Glancing over at the rescued, asphyxiated chefs who were attended to by a small medical crew, he pointed at them. "Shibasaki, Amano, would you please check on the rescued chefs and see if the medical team requires any assistance from you both?" Saturn asked politely, before sizing up to the fuming building. The fire brigade was doing a good job at extinguishing the flame but Saturn wanted to show off to his new informal 'subordinates' that he had slyly hired.

He beelined straight for the entrance and barged into the smoky wreck. The lack of flames made it easy for him to navigate the charred interior. Much to his relief, he found that the missing chef was still alive and mostly unscarred with only mild burns on his exposed arms. He was breathing heavy. Quickly, he dragged the man back out into the open and laid him flat on the floor in front of his poodle before dusting his hands.

"Alright. Looks like the Fire Brigade and the medics here have this situation under control." Saturn would say upon returning, "Um, anybody here know CPR?" He looked around as the man below was fainted. "Anyway, he'll be fine. The clients will be at the bar any minute now and I don't think either of you had the time to deal with the other missions yet... Follow me.... (he pleaded) Let's go, go, go!" Saturn ran ahead of his peers, hoping they would follow. First, he arrived at the notorious tree behind the Drunken Kage Bar that had to be taken down. A lone worker was waiting in its shade, for a shinobi to show up. What a lazy bloke.. Saturn cussed, but in his mind he knew it was people like him who became complacent and delegated their work to shinobi that was ultimately putting food in his plate. "Well hello, you must be here for-" The worked got up to greet Saturn when he approached, almost like he was preprogrammed. "Yeah, yeah, that's me, give me that. You can go home now. I'll file your payment in the mission report, or whatever, yeah, go on, go!" He grabbed the NPC's axe before he shooed him away. He took out a piece of paper and tossed it in the air before he winded his arm back, and took a hard swing at the tree with the axe to wedge its sharp blade into the thick trunk with a note attached in between. The note read as follows:

To Suzumi Amano and Jun Shibasaki:

Please take this tree down immediately.

-Saturn

Saturn rushed ahead of his peers before they could arrive, landing a few blocks away next at the site where aid was needed in renovating the little restaurant extension of the Drunken Kage Bar. There were boxes of decor stacked on top of each other, and workers there were stuffing them with more and more equipment meant to be used to renovate the restaurant. Bricks upon bricks lay in sacks and on the floor, waiting to be transported. "What the fuck kind of renovation is this?" Saturn scratched his head, cussing freely in the absence of the younger shinobi although that didn't always stop him. "Hey, you must be here fo- Saturn had previously thought that the work to be done would be at the site itself, and then it clicked. "Of course, the tree!" Saturn cut off the contractor, taking out a piece of paper to write down another note:

Move bags to where tree used to be.

The note that he had left behind for Jun and Suzumi was brief and to the point. Looking at the bag with some glass panels inside, he wrote another note that simply read 'Fragile' and placed it atop the bag. Clapping his hands to dust them off once again, he spoke to the confused man in the room who had been waiting for him, "My friends will be here in a moment." He vanished once again, moving back to the entrance of the bar where he expected a group of civilians to show up. Just as he had expected, a group of fifteen men and women of all ages and sizes were lined up waiting for him. Most of them seemed out of shape to either side of the spectrum, though a couple seemed relatively fit. "Very well. Welcome one and all. I am Saturn, I will be your instructor today, though my colleagues will also be here.... shortly." He spoke with poise, walking along the line with his hands behind his back, "For your first challenge in your fitness journey... You must jog to Etro's Shrine. Failing to report there on time... or reporting there dead last after everyone else, will come with.... severe repercussions the details of which I shall not share with you presently. You have one hour."

The crowd erupted in disgruntled wails and groans, fear and confusion eminent on their paled faces, before they took on a more panicked expression in anticipation of what Saturn's repercussions may be, though the improvising Genin himself had no idea thus far. One of them took for the hills, running in the direction of the mountains, and the others quickly followed, none wanting to be last.

Saturn Sentobi then let out a long sigh of relief, checked the time and looked around, seeing if the others had finished the rest of the missions for the group yet.

(tl;dr) The fire brigade handled the fire. Jun and Suzumi were asked to check on the rescued victims briefly, and then take after two of the remaining missions (troublesome tree, then restaurant renovation) together. Saturn would be waiting at the end of their journey having sent the civilians to the hills for their workout

WC: 1377
TWC: 3443

Claims
45 Beach Side Tickets
2x Mission Rewards with Beloved Presence; 20000 ryo, 100 AP
Net ryo change = +20,000 - 50,000 = -30,000 ryo
WC Claims:

1125 words towards Space Time Amplifier (B), max stats discount: https://www.narutoroleplaygame.com/t49219-space-time-amplifier

1125 words towards Space Time Art: Portals (B), max stats discount: https://www.narutoroleplaygame.com/t49006-space-time-art-portals

1125 words towards Space Time Art: Immaterial Tools (B), max stats discount: https://www.narutoroleplaygame.com/t47188-space-time-art-immaterial-tools-v7

46 words towards Summoning Art: Rashomon trained here and here : https://www.narutoroleplaygame.com/t50913-summoning-art-rashomon-v7-2

22 words to valhalla (burned for good luck)

Tue Aug 30, 2022 12:04 pm

Jun was finally excited about a mission he was given. Save people from an uncontrollable fire? That did look like work for a Ninja. Jun couldn't wait to finally play the hero. The young shinobi knew that his genetic characteristics, being a member of the Shibasaki clan, would be beneficial in this situation, as clan members have a greater resistance to heat given their natural affinity with the sun. "It's the ideal situation for me to show my worth to the Kage" - thought Jun as he ran towards the building on fire. As he got closer, it was already possible to see a large amount of smoke dissipating in the sky, with the distinct smell of burning already filling the air. Upon finally arriving at the scene of the fire, the young Shibasaki was again frustrated. The fire brigade had already arrived at the scene and had already controlled the fire in the small kitchen that was used by different outlets as a cooking station to deliver meals throughout the village. "Damn, how am I going to order my delicious fried chicken sandwich now that the kitchen of Kumo Fried Chicken has caught fire? This day is only getting worst" lamented Jun to himself.

Jun noted that Saturn was already there, including have entering the restaurant to rescue a chef who was trapped in the kitchen. Saturn then asked Jun and Suzumi to check in with the rescued chefs, something the young shinobi did without question. Aside from a cook who had passed out, probably because he was in shock over what had happened, everyone was safe and sound. The flamboyant shinobi then told Jun and Suzumi that they should focus on the other tasks he gave’em: cutting down the damn giant tree and helping with the renovation of the kitchen adjacent to the Drunken Kage Bar, as soon enough clients would start showing up and they didn’t manage to solve any of the problems regarding for the Bar’s renovations. “Great, more useless work…whatever, let’s just do this missions, claim our rewards and I’ll go home find a new place to order some fried chicken sandwich”.
So, they had two jobs to do and not a lot of time left, none of them involved anything dangerous or demanding, so the most logical thing would be to split the jobs in order to complete them on time. As soon as Saturn vanished again, Jun turned his head towards Suzumi and started explaining his plans:

- So, Suzumi… that fire was a fail hehe…I’m sorry I made you run here in such a hurry. So, we still have to cut that damn tree and to help with the restaurant’s renovations. You remember my speech about doing stuff together and etc.? Forget everything I said and let’s just split up so we can complete our missions on time: let me remove the tree, and you go help with the renovation, ok? I’m sorry if it looks I’m giving you orders, I’m not at all…It just seems logical that we split up on those easy missions…and my dad taught me how to cut a tree, so I think I can handle it properly. Shall we?

Jun than rushed back to the restaurant, not as fast as he ran towards the fire, but still determined to finish his missions, as tedious as they were. As soon as he got back to the bar, Jun came across the gigantic tree, which had clearly grown too big and had to be removed as it was getting in the way of the restaurant's renovation. "How did I not notice this tree before? I think I'm going blind...whatever"
The young Shibasaki then noticed that there was an axe stuck in the tree with a note stuck between them. Jun, out of curiosity, removed the ax from the tree with some effort as ita was well stuck, just to read the note:

"To Suzumi Amano and Jun Shibasaki:
Please take this tree down immediately.
-Saturn"

"Alright...that won't be hard...I think" thought Jun, as he looked up, being impressed by the ridiculous size that the tree had reached. Yes, Jun had learned to cut trees from his father, but he had never even seen a tree so big and majestic. Jun took a few steps back and started swinging the axe hard, hitting the right angles to make the tree fall towards the street and not onto the roofs of the buildings, just as his father taught him years ago, being that lesson number one about cutting down trees: you have to make it fall in a safe place without causing harm or damage, and that tree was indeed gigantic and could cause some serious trouble. What the young shinobi didn't expect, however, was that the trunk of that huge tree was especially thick and tough, which made Jun completely wear out after just a few hits. "Damn I need to work on my cardio...I'm still too weak". The next swings came with less strength and intensity as Jun was getting more and more exhausted. “It’s not about strength, but about the technique, son…” remembered Jun about what his father taught him. “I know father…I know…but this tree is so big…”.
Jun then stopped to take a breath so he could continue on his attempt to cut down the tree. That situation of Jun failing to cut down a tree due to his lack of physical strength brought back some good memories for him.

FLASHBACK:

Surely remembering his father's teachings was something that made Jun very happy, after all he still missed his old man a lot. However, Jun knew that, while valuable, his father's lesson didn't fully apply to that immense tree. Yes, the technique would be very important to knock it down, but without the minimum force needed, the gigantic tree would remain standing. Jun had the technique, but lacked the necessary strength, which made him think of his motto once again: brain over muscles. “But how I’ll I find the strength to put this tree down?” just as Jun finished his thought, he spotted the bouncer that had prevented him from entering the Drunker Kage Bar at first, a large and apparently very strong man… and that gave him an idea.

- Yo, big guy! Do you want to help your country? – asked Jun as he approached the big fella.

- You again, Mr. Big Deal?

- On the orders of the Deputy Kage himself, we have to cut down this tree, it is critically important for the safety of the village!

- Cut the crap, boy! Besides, my job is to take care of the bar door and nothing else.

- Ok, I’ll cut the crap! I need to cut that giant tree because It is interfering with the renovations of the Drunken Kage’s Kitchen. You see, with the new kitchen, the bar will attract new customers. With more customers, the bar will make more money, as it sells not only drinks but also food now. With the bar making more money, employees are much more likely to receive a generous raise, especially those employees whose job it is to take care of the increased flow of people in and out of the bar, like you know…the bouncer and stuff. So big guy, if you want to buy your wife a special Christmas gift at the end of the year with your new and improved salary, it would be pretty smart to help me with this stupid tree!

The bouncer then stared at Jun's face as he processed all the information the young man had said and assessed whether it made any sense at all. He looked pretty confused, but soon replied:

- Well… my wife Nezuke would love a Ski trip at the end of the year, it’s her dream! Humpf…you better be right, boy! Let’s chop that tree!

- I am right! you will fulfill your wife's dream and be recognized as the best husband in all of Kumogakure!

Jun and the bouncer headed towards the giant tree, while the young Shinobi explained his game plan: he would use the axe to make the marks on the tree trunk where the Bouncer should strike with its brute force. Combining Jun's technique and knowledge with the brute's strength, the giant tree wouldn't be standing for long. And that's exactly what happened: Jun gently hit the positions and angles necessary to bring down the tree, just marking the spots where the Bouncer would later strike with violence, in a perfect synchrony between brain and muscle. A few blows later, and the big tree finally fell, not hitting any buildings or people, just as Jun had intended. Soon enough, some village staff showed up to take the tree away, which took the bouncer’s help once again as he was needed to help lift the tree and put it on the transport.

- Thanks, big guy. I hope you and Nezuke enjoy the snowy mountains! Here, for your trouble…- Jun then handed the
Bouncer 20 ryo as a “tip” for helping him out.

- I hope I get that raise soon, Mr. Important Shinobi…or I’ll kick your ass the next time you drop by here!

Jun then gave a nervous little laugh and said goodbye to the bouncer. “If think it will be wise for me if I avoid coming here to the bar for a while... that salary raise stuff… I have no idea if that will actually happen, poor bouncer and poor Nezuke…” thought Jun. The young shinobi then checked the time and saw that he had completed his mission on time. He then started to look in the direction of the restaurant, hoping to see if Suzumi Amano had finished helping with the restaurant's renovations, which would mean that all of that day's quests would finally be complete.

WC: 2015
TWC: 3850