A Journey For A Noble

Missions:

The Hyuuga woke up, ready for the day ahead. However, it felt strange. For once in a long time, he didn’t know what to expect from the day ahead of him. Earlier this year he would’ve gone straight to his day job. But he had quit that job. It had simply taken up too much time that he could instead be focusing on his shinobi career. And before his day job, he didn’t live in Hoshigakure. He had lived many miles away, in the rural areas of haven country. There, life was structured. Get up with the sun, work on the farm, and fall asleep with the sun. Now, Amikiri faced one of the few times in his life where he truly had options. If he wanted, he had already made enough money from his shinobi career that he could never work again. At that thought, the dark haired Hyuuga shook his head. No, that was not why he was doing this. Sure, treating himself was nice, but ultimately, he did this job for his family. He still sent a majority of his income to them. Amikiri knew that his family would be reluctant to accept it, but the Hyuuga knew that they would still appreciate his efforts and use it. The Hyuuga, after this brief reflection, decided to get up and look for any available missions. The downside of turning down his day job was its consistency. While yes, that consistency did make it incredibly boring, it also gave Amikiri a guaranteed source of income. However, the dark haired man now had to deal with the inconsistencies of shinobi life. Getting ready for the day ahead, Amikiri got dressed. It was time for him to head down to the missions office and see what he could pick up. Not knowing what he might need for the day ahead, he made sure he had everything ready. His armor, Steel Fortress, was hidden away in his small pocket dimension, but thanks to his Armory Seal he would be able to use it at a moment's notice. His Great Spear was tucked away in the seals of his sealing bands, both of which were stowed in the sleeves of his clothing. At that moment, Amikiri wore his typical clothing. Simple black pants with black boots. The dark haired Hyuuga made sure they were tied very securely, as he did not want to have any problems with loose footwear during a mission. Amikiri threw on a dark red t-shirt and put a deep brown flannel over it. Looking in the mirror, he was ready to go. His black hair appeared messy but was very well ordered. It was a bit of controlled chaos. His beard was actually growing in rather well. At the moment it seemed to have moved past its patchy phase and was now thickening. Amikiri headed out the door, ready to head down to the mission office. He took a nice relaxed walk through the streets of Hoshigakure. While Amikiri was working hard to make money, he sometimes liked to take life a bit slower. It reminded himself of the old country life he once knew. The Hyuuga missed that time. Even though it had been almost a year since Amikiri moved into the village, it felt like an eternity since his past life. The days when his only worry was how much work he could get done. Now, even with being only Genin, his responsibilities felt to be so much more. He felt the pressure to continue growing in strength, to get more powerful, to make more money, and to be the best. Interrupting that train of thought was the mission office. Amikiri headed inside, hoping to see what he could get. Clearly he shouldn’t have taken that walk as slowly as he did, because there weren’t many options left. He saw a couple A and S rank missions, but he wasn’t allowed to complete those as a mere Genin. One of the few left surprised Amikiri. Its rank seemed lower than it should’ve been. A member of Hoshigakure’s elite was missing and he was tasked to track them down. Fortunately they were known to be within the country, so Amikiri could see why this mission wasn’t of a much higher rank. Still, putting it in a mission tier like C seemed to be underselling the possible difficulty of it. The Hyuuga grabbed the paper from the wall and headed down to the registration desk. They looked through his part history of missions and were fine with him taking this mission. He headed out the door as they started putting some information into the paperwork system. Amikiri would have to make a couple of preparations for the mission ahead of him. The last known sighting of the noble was in the northern regions of Haven Country. While the dark haired Hyuuga wasn’t from that region, he knew of the dangers of that region. Dangerous animals, frequent storms, and roaming groups of bandits made it quite dangerous. Before he went on his mission, Amikiri would have to make a couple more preparations. Heading home, he grabbed a long, black cloak. It would be enough to cover the entirety of his body and keep him warm. Amikiri headed down to the gates. As the guards looked over his paperwork, he was cleared to go. The Hyuuga headed out to the borders, ready for his task. Once he was a suitable distance away from the gates and many weren’t watching, he would summon his armor, instantly wearing it under his robes. He withdrew his Great Spear from a seal, slinging it over his back. Now Amikiri would quickly be able to react to whatever things came his way. The Hyuuga chose not to wear his hood up. Even though his Byakugan allowed him to ignore any visual obstructions like that, he did not want to always have it active. The Byakugan had a relatively low strain on his chakra network, but it would add up over time. Amikiri moved along the road, making his way to the cold, snowy peak of the north. He didn’t have his Byakugan active at the moment due to the fact that he was not close to the reported sightings of them. Amikiri decided to get off the road, as he couldn’t run as fast as he wanted when many civilians were watching. He went into the nearby woods which, while he had to avoid trees, allowed him to go faster. The dark haired man quickly ran through the trees, focusing his chakra into his feet to avoid falling off any tree trunks or branches and allowing him to optimize his path by not having to go through the underbrush below. The Hyuuga ran through the trees, continuing for a very long time. After many long hours of running through the forest, the tree line came to an abrupt halt. Amikiri’s incredible speed also came with incredible reaction time, which safely allowed him to stop before the danger in front of him. As the trees ended, so did the ground underneath him. The dark haired man rapidly ground to a halt as he saw the massive chasm in front of him, hundreds if not thousands of feet wide. The ground below him seemingly disappeared as it formed a cliff that fell at least a few hundred feet down. Large pointy, jagged stones rose up out of the ground, looking like they could easily pierce any man who met a fate unfortunate enough as to fall upon them. Amikiri carefully considered the options in front of him. He looked down the sides of this canyon and saw that there were no bridges or ramps to get down. The Hyuuga pondered for a moment. He recalled a map of the countryside he had looked over before heading out. This canyon was marked and it was very long. He internally cursed himself, reminding himself to route things better next time. Amikiri reluctantly decided to head down into the canyon. Channeling his chakra through his feet, he made his way down the sheer vertical cliff face. The Hyuuga had a couple scares here and there as loose rock caused him to lose his footing. However he continued to make his way down the canyon wall, eventually reaching the bottom. Wanting to make sure the way ahead would be safe, Amikiri switched his Byakugan to its long range form. He methodically sweeped the area in front of him. There was the occasional animal, but they were very few and far between and those that were there were small and of no harm to the Hyuuga. What Amikiri was more so concerned with was any bandit groups that decided the perfect location for a hideout was in the bottom of a massive, deadly canyon. Clearly though, no one decided to shelter themselves here as Amikiri saw no signs of any activity ahead of him. The Hyuuga still decided that he would not stay here long and he tried to move through the area as fast as he could. Running across the tops of the rocks and leaping from point to point, Amikiri navigated through the entire area relatively quickly and with no danger. The only real problem he had was the horrible wind. He had to constantly change his direction as the wind’s ever changing direction made it hard to keep his path straight. Eventually, the dark haired man made his way to the other side of the canyon. Channeling chakra into his feet as well as his hands, he scaled the wall. He could have just used his feet, but he did not want to take any risks with crumbling and collapsing rock. After a long ascent, the Hyuuga made it to the top. He collapsed on to the ground, sprawled out. The dark haired man thought himself to be pretty strong, but doing an activity of strength like rock climbing for a long duration was not his strong suit. Amikiri decided to sit there for a few minutes, taking in big, deep breaths. After a short break, the Hyuuga got to his feet and gathered himself. It was time to investigate this missing noble. However the Hyuuga did not want to move as fast now since he had to be carefully searching for the noble. This meant that it would likely be at least half a day’s journey to the mountains. Additionally, night was starting to set so the Hyuuga did not have much more time to journey today. Amikiri set out for about an hour or so of trekking through the wilderness. The trees grew more dense and the underbrush became very thick, making it extremely difficult to navigate. At times the dark haired man found himself having to use his Great Spear to cut through vegetation like a machete. As the sun grew precariously close to slipping beneath the horizon, Amikiri decided to make camp. He started by using the butt of one of his Universal Projectiles to create sparks against some flint and using nearby fallen wood to light a fire. Amikiri swore this mission must have been hand selected for him. All his time living in rural Haven Country caused him to be incredibly gifted in living outdoors. Fire starting, foraging, you name it, Amikiri was good at it.  Speaking of foraging, Amikiri searched the local area and put together quite a collection of natural herbs and plants. He even managed to find one of his favorite, wild onions. The dark haired shinobi quickly cut them up into small chunks, before continuing on his quest for dinner. The Hyuuga then used his Byakugan and weaponry abilities to rapidly hut down a couple of squirrels. The bearded man wasn’t the biggest fan of squirrels, but he knew it would be a rarity in the mountains so he decided to have some now. Using his practiced skills, he quickly cleaned, skinned, and dressed the animal. He used what little fat the squirrels had on it to fry the vegetables and while that was happening, he skewered the squirrels and put them over the fire. They wouldn’t take too long at all to roast due to their small size. Using some seasonings he took with them, he put together a sauce and applied it to the squirrels while they roasted.  Amikiri’s mother made sure to teach the Hyuuga many cooking skills. As he wasn’t the oldest in the family, there was no massive effort to marry him off quickly. For that reason, his mother saw it as important to teach him the skills that a potential wife might be expected to perform. Before moving to Hoshigakure his mother had given him a copy of a family recipe book that Amikiri used from time to time. In fact, the sauce he used for the meat tonight was based on one of his mother’s recipes. Amikiri had to turn the chickens from time to time, but it wasn’t much effort. The Hyuuga laid down on the ground and looked at the stars overhead as they moved slowly across the endless expanse. The pitch black canvas of the night sky was a beautiful sight to see. A large belt of various blues and some purples were plastered across the sky, shocking the Hyuuga with the size and scale of the world. He hadn’t seen this sight in almost a year, as the constant lights in the village of Hoshigakure made it difficult to see the sky properly at night. The most obvious object in the sky was the moon ahead. It was a complete circle, probably going to achieve its full state in a couple of days. It glowed bright, giving the dark haired man’s campsite a faint glow. After that brief stint of stargazing, the Hyuuga turned to his meal. The squirrel would be done soon so he started eating his vegetable mix. Amikiri found a tree to sit against as he ate. He could taste the squirrel fat that had been used in the cooking process and it turned this dish from a pile of greens to something spectacular. He decided to hold the plate of vegetables under the roasting squirrel and, much to Amikiri’s delight, drippings from the squirrel landed on the plate. The dark haired man did all he could to stop himself from devouring the plate of vegetables in an instant. He sat against the trunk of the tree for a couple more minutes before he noticed that his squirrel was done. The powers of the Byakugan allowed him to cook it to the perfect temperature, as he could see the color of the meat on the interior and bring it to the desired color. Amikiri took the squirrel off the skewers and put it down on his plate. He decided to let the meat rest for a bit, that way when he cut it all the tasty juices wouldn’t come spilling out. In the time he was waiting, he decided to make sure the area was safe. The Hyuuga sat down on the ground criss-cross applesauce and used the long range version of his Byakugan to secure the surrounding area. He methodically scanned the area within a mile radius of himself, making sure there was nothing that could threaten him. And, much to his happiness, there was nothing there. He could eat easily and hopefully sleep easy as well. The methodical sweeping of the area with his Byakugan had taken quite some time so now the meat was rested enough that the Hyuuga could cut into it. Amikiri took a chef’s knife and quickly cut the squirrel into a set of medallions. One might’ve suggested he use his weaponry, since that was more durable and maintained a sharper edge for longer. However, the Hyuuga thought that his weapons were purposed for combat and a chef’s knife was purposed for, well quite simply, a chef. Amikiri’s time growing up in the countryside made him realize that, while yes he could make do with other things, it was best to use things for what they were designed for. He started to eat the squirrel he prepared. Despite being so lean, the meat was wonderfully tender and thanks to the sauce he created, was very juicy and flavorful. Amikiri spent several minutes slowly eating the meat, relishing each bite and observing the world around him. He quickly cleaned his plate and then drifted off to sleep, using the cape of his armor as a makeshift blanket. Amikiri's eyes fluttered open as the light of a new day cast through the trees. He had had a bit of a chill last night, but thankfully the night hadn't gotten too cold. However, the slight dip in temperature was not helped in any way by the several pounds of steel that covered the Hyuuga's body. His hair was in a bit of disarray, so the dark haired man brushed his hands against the grass, gathering the morning dew and using that as a means to keep his hair in check. However, the looks of his hair wouldn't be too important as he would then slide the helmet of his Steel Fortress over it. Not to toot his own horn, but Amikiri was very proud of the design of his armor, specifically the helmet. It provided him excellent protection without any major obstructions to his vision. It also did a handy job at air flow, as the water from his breath never condensed within the helmet or armor. The Hyuuga checked around his campsite, looking for any debris he left behind. Taking a bit of time to fluff the grass where he last slept, the average person would just see the charred remains of a small fire. After that, he activated his Byakugan to sweep the area in front of him, making sure there was nothing in his path. He debated taking a cloak out of Storage Displacement due to the slight chill the Hyuuga felt, but he remembered his mentor's words. Hike cold, hike bold. Movement will heat you up and so Amikiri got moving. He made his way through the woods, not exactly running but not exactly walking. With the colder weather of the mountains he was approaching, an unprepared noble might find themselves becoming dangerously cold dangerously fast, creating a necessity for haste on Amikiri's part. But he couldn't move so fast that he wouldn't be able to sweep the area. His Byakugan, especially its longer range form, provided him excellent insight, but its limited size meant he had to take time to properly scan his entire surroundings. Amikiri traveled through the woods for quite a while, having no success. However as he walked, he felt the road beneath him become steeper and steeper and the air become colder and colder. Eventually he took out a nice cloak from his Storage Displacement, as he felt that the cloak was necessary for him to stay warm. Eventually he moved past the tree line as he truly entered the mountains. It was an area of Haven Country Amikiri had never been to and he cursed himself for never taking the time to visit it before in his life. The sights were truly breathtaking. High mountain peaks soared to touch the sky, with their tops completely covered in snow, even in the hottest months of the summer. The gravel road ahead took a sharp turn to the left. Amikiri took out his map of the mountain area. He looked at the scenery around him and spotted a large, bean shaped lake about half of a mile to the south. The Hyuuga also noted a particularly tall mountain 3 miles to the north west. Using a pencil, he faintly traced two circles on his map, both of which represented his measured distance from his landmark. Once he found where the circles intersected, he had to pick between the second point. Using some basic orienteering skills, the dark haired man quickly deduced at which of the two points he was at and therefore where he was on the map. Looking at his location on the map, he could clearly see the road he had taken up to this point. Observing its path, he saw that it deviated heavily for a while, taking a sharp turn into a set of meadows. If he followed the road this way, it would add upward of half a day's time to his journey. However, there was a short cut he could take. It would only take an hour or two instead of eight to twelve hours, so Amikiri considered it. The noble was known to be taking this road, but he was distinctly described as being in the mountains. Additionally, from a high enough vantage point, the Hyuuga would be able to spot if there was anyone or anything moving along the road in the meadows due to the large and flat nature of the terrain. Using that as reasoning for the choice of the second route, the short cut, Amikiri surveyed the mountains in front of him. His path would have him climb up the sides a bit, then skirt the edges. Fortunately for the dark haired man, partially climbing up the mountain looked like it would give him enough of a vantage point to see out over the meadow. Now that the Hyuuga had evaluated his choices, he realized it was time to make a decision. He turned off the road and started heading up the side of the mountain. As he started his climb, his Byakugan indicated to him that there was a small hunting trail nearby. It wasn't very well traveled, but used enough that it would make Amikiri's journey a good bit easier. He quickly switched over to the trail, making his way along the prior trodden path. With the tree line well below him but not high enough yet for snow, the lightly bearded man found himself moving across massive stretches of rock and debris. In many parts, the rock was dangerous due to steep angles and uncertain edges. In other parts of the journey, the Hyuuga found the rocks wet and slippery due to snow melt from the mountains above. Amikiri made sure to take care and take the time to tread through these areas carefully. He still wasn't fully confident in his surface walking jutsu and did not want to take the risk in slipping and sliding, potentially facing a very dangerous fall off the steep mountain sides. Eventually the Hyuuga reached a large cliff. It was a steep drop off, with the next land below it being many large, pointy, sharp rocks which were hundreds of feet below him. Looking out across the land in front of him, the Hyuuga looked across the tops of trees. Unfortunately his Byakugan couldn't see far enough to observe what was inside the trees. Amikiri also scanned the meadow and he was able to make out patches of the road. Looking across the vast distance in front of him, he saw no signs of the noble or any other vehicles or caravans that might indicate his presence. Amikiri continued on his journey, moving alongside the edge of the mountain until he reached the road once again. The road started off as level, snaking along the edges of the mountains. However he quickly found himself gaining elevation rapidly. Amikiri's breath grew more and more labored as he climbed higher, feeling the effects of the high altitude. Additionally, as the Hyuuga came closer and closer to the tops of the mountains, he switched from stepping on gravel to stepping on snow. The snow gradually increased in depth until it became very difficult for Amikiri to make out where the road should be. However, there were markers sticking out of the snow, likely designed for this exact situation. The Hyuuga continued along the road, following marker after marker. As he felt the cold grow more and more intense, he felt concerned for the health of the missing noble. After continuing his journey, Amikiri found the noble. The noble was in a cabin on the side of the road. After a bit of conversation, Amikiri was told that the noble was concerned that someone was stalking him. Using his Byakugan, Amikiri proved the man’s ideas false. While it was a difficult journey, the two made their way back to the village.

[Exit]

WC: 4072/4000

Mission Claims:

Will make WC claims once power rank-up is approved (will make power rank up claim on stat page once this mission is approved)

80 Bonus AP (712 > 792)

69 WC to finish B-Rank Perfect Body (1312/1312) (past progress here)
1500 WC to Augmentation (1500/1500)
2503 WC to S-Rank Total Concentration Breathing (2503/3000)