Busy Hands Help Neighbors

Mission: Tending the Grove

It had been some time since Isuru had left home. After seeing the spirits of his friends again, Isuru had a lot to process and consider. He had spent his days shut in his home talking with family members about what his next steps could be. Many suggested that he could simply return to being a ninja and honor their memory. Others told him to hold a memorial in their honor and let them finally rest in peace. His parents suggested that he accept that many of his friends and allies would pass due to the danger that inherently came with being a ninja. Going on like this was natural just felt insulting, even if he did honor their memory. He also knew his friends would have probably laughed at him if they saw him holding a memorial for them. It just wasn't their style.

"Maybe you should carry a piece of them with you wherever you go?" were the words of advice Silvia's father gave him. Isuru sat in one of the chairs in front of Silvia's home. He had stopped by here more times than he could count just to feel like he could think straight. Being close to where she had been helped him to process what had happened and he eventually got into the habit of asking Silvia's father for his thoughts. "You still have that ribbon that Silvia gave you as a gift for when you three became ninjas. Didn't you also get something from More? That initiation gift or something she was always mentioning?"

He was right. Isuru looked down at his kusarigama to see the small ribbon wrapped around the top of his hilt and the cover over each blade. The memories flooded in as he imagined the three of them grinning like idiots right after the graduation ceremony. He had given Morei a cool kunai he had found when they were kids and he wasn't sure what to get Silvia. Out of desperation, he kissed her on the lips and declared it his gift. Right before she punched him square in the face. She refused to say anything but threw a red ribbon at him before stomping off in frustration. Morei had a laughing fit at the whole scene before giving Isuru a blade cover for his kusarigama which let him also coat them in poison. The two had thought the idea was super cool until they realized that the cover only coated the tip of the blade. They figured they could find a workaround in the future.

He smiled and gave a small nod, saying softly to the man, "True. I can still carry them with me." He took a deep breath, resolving to carry the weight of their memory. He knew that if they were there, they would want to go out and start running missions together. Silvia would want to get more experience and practice with her skills and Morei would want to keep improving their name in any way they could. He gave another small nod to their memories, quietly being regarded by Silvia's father before he headed into the house. Isuru headed out and made his way down to the mission center.

As he was out of practice, many of the ninjas at the center suggested he start small and handle something simple. The first mission most suggested was simply caring for the grove located at the center of the village. With a soft sigh, Isuru accepted that he would need to start from the bottom and work his way back up before he was ready to take on anything bigger. As he left the center, he looked up the main road nearby. The grove stood out with its greenery like an oasis in the middle of the sandstone village.

Memories flickered through his mind as he made his way up the street. He remembered when the three of them had purchased snacks together, picked up their weapons together, and the time they had learned their first jutsu. Each side street or store he passed held another memory that he enjoyed before finally arriving at the grove.

"Well, better put my best foot forward, as Silvia was always saying," he said softly to himself. He spent the day cleaning off weeds and cutting dead branches off the trees. He let his memories softly sow together into a tapestry of fond stories. Having a task to keep him busy let his mind process all that had happened between the three of them which he had struggled to accept. By the time his work was done, he felt like he was in a much better place.

After dropping off the mission and collecting his reward, he headed back home. Many of his family members saw him smiling as he returned and thought their suggestions may have played a part. In the end, none of them truly understood the bond he had held with his friends.

{Exit}
Reward: 1000 Ryo + 5 AP
TWC = 826
Stats +8 speed

Jutsu learned:
1325/1750 - B Rank - Temple Style: Bark (825 added to the 500/1750 from What we Leave Behind and When We Are Left Behind)