D-Ranks make you C-Rank!

Spoiler:

A yawn fled from the mouth of a teenage boy, wrapped cozily in a swath of blankets atop a bed that appeared too large for the room it was in. Senju Yukio, Konoha shinobi extraordinaire (in his mind) rose, stretching out his body, several pops alighting down his back. He glanced at his alarm clock, which noted he still had seven minutes until his alarm went off. Reaching over to turn off the alarm, he quickly got up and began going through his morning routine. After a quick breakfast of warm oatmeal with cinnamon and raisons, he got dressed into his work attire and donned his new robes. They were excellent quality and hard armor surreptitiously sewn throughout them. What Yukio truly enjoyed, however, was that the long sleeves of these robes obscured his hands, which would make it more difficult to discern when he was forming hand seals. With the Culling Games fast approaching, every advantage would be needed. Once finished, he locked up his home and left for the day. His parents were already gone – his father was on a mission and his mother was at work in the Administration division of the Hokage Building, which was his first stop. He had a group of four missions he planned on doing today, as he needed some more funds and wanted to round out his mission log. It had been nearly one month since he was promoted to Genin and his progress was, in his estimation, quite good. Still, there was always work to be done. After receiving his mission work for the day, Yukio set off, the sun just starting to peak over the horizon. It would be another hour or two before it was visible over the towering trees that surrounded the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

The first mission was a short escort job – Yukio needed to escort the famous architect Jamil Proctor to his next project, which was taking place in a smaller village about a day’s travel from here. Jamil was, unfortunately, rather loud and obnoxious, which meant Yukio was almost certainly going to see combat on this mission, but it should only be bandits or maybe a single shinobi seeking to cause issues. He was confidant in his ability to keep the man safe. It was only a day, what could possibly go wrong? This escort mission conveniently lined up with a delivery of soil from that same village the next day, which was headed back toward Konoha, so Yukio would bring it with him and deliver it to where it needed to go. And finally, in that same day a festival was taking place in the evening. The travelling troupe Yukio had helped before were back in town, now working under the name “Elemental Entertainers,” apparently because his performance of elemental ninjutsu was quite popular. He was going to return for another performance, this time utilizing his Wood Release, which should certainly wow the crowd, and then he was going to attend the feast being held by the Akimichi clan that evening. Technically he was going to be working it, but he still got to enjoy some of their amazing food! So that was a bonus. All in all, it was going to be a busy few days for Yukio. The young man made his way toward the East gate, where he was due to meet Jamil Proctor and begin their travel.

Yukio arrived several minutes before the scheduled meeting time, wishing to make a good impression on his client. To this end, he formed the hand seals for Shadow Clone and spawned two clones of himself. The three Yukio’s nodded once, and then both clones formed the hand seals for the Transformation Technique, one turning into a female shinobi, and the other into a nondescript male shinobi. Having the two shadow clones would allow Yukio to provide ample coverage should, or rather when, they were attacked. Jamil arrived shortly, and after a brief introduction of Yukio and the two “other” shinobi, the group was off. Yukio himself stayed close by, with his female clone taking point and the male rear taking the rear. His hope was that this would incentivize a frontal attack, rather than an ambush from behind. Bandits were nearly universally sexist, and the sight of a young girl, even one that was a shinobi, should disarm them enough to allow Yukio to resolve the problem quickly. They traveled at a reasonable pace, given that it was set by a civilian, and for the first hour or two Jamil regaled him with stories of his wonderful creations. The Senju teenager had to admit, what he had seen of the man’s work was indeed impressive. If only his mouth didn’t cause so much trouble.

Speaking of trouble, it was about three hours into their travel when it struck. As he had expected, a group of bandits made themselves known. There were ten in total, with two on the left and right sides in an attempt to flank the group, poorly concealed within the trees. They would soon find this cover was…inadequate, against a Senju born. The six in front leered at the female clone Yukio had, excited at the prospect of a woman they could pass amongst themselves. Truly these vermin deserved only death.

”By your leave, Jamil-sama, we will dispose of this trash so we may continue.” The true Yukio spoke to the architect, who merely nodded, somewhat apprehensive at the sight of these men seeking to do him harm. The leader of the bandits sneered in condescension, opening his mouth to speak. Unfortunately for him, the female clone had already completed the handseals for their opening technique, hidden as her hands were by the uniform robes they all wore. A few meters behind the group of bandits at the front a swamp began forming, as the Swamp of the Underworld technique took hold. It started as a one meter circle and quickly expanded out, ensnaring the six bandits in the damp, sucking mud and muck. These six began to sink into the swamp and were completely helpless to escape it. At the same time, the male shinobi in the rear completed his hand seals, and eight totem poles sprung from the earth, adorned with Foo Dog heads, guardians of ancient temples. These totems were arranged around the poorly concealed flanking bandits, three meters from them, both in front and behind them. The bandits appeared confused and alarmed at the sudden appearances, startled as they were by their companions’ shouts of alarm at the sudden swamp enveloping them. The four bandits thought they could ignore these wooden constructs and began to rush at Yukio and his group. With a slight shake of his head, Yukio watched as the Foo Dogs extended from the totem pools at the rate of a very fast shinobi, which meant these poor saps had no chance of escape. The jaws of the dogs opened wide and clamped down on the running bandits, two per bandit, who were immediately crushed to death quite violently. They did not even have time to scream as their bodies were ripped asunder by the wooden constructs. ”Shara, Niko, finish with this scum. Jamil-sama and I will continue toward our destination.” Yukio casually dismissed the six struggling bandits. Truly, he could leave them to die in the swamp, slowly suffocating to death over the next few minutes, but he did not wish to inconvenience any other travelers who may pass by on this road. The two clones nodded and pulled out kunai as Yukio and Jamil proceeded. Jamil was slightly shaken, the cold nature with which his shinobi bodyguard handled these ruffians. The architect made a point not to look behind him as the screaming started.

A little less than an hour later, the two clones rejoined Yukio and Jamil, looking as if nothing at all had happened. Yukio raised his eyebrow at them, wondering what had kept them. ”We interred the bodies within the earth, unmarked, and removed any traces of their having been a disturbance.” The true Yukio nodded in understanding, it was the best course of action. The group continued on in much the same way they had before, although he noticed that Jamil seemed to be a bit quieter than usual. Shrugging slightly, he paid it no mind. They still had about three hours to go until they arrived at their destination, no sense in worrying over it. The group continued on and encountered no others, arriving to the village just as dusk was setting in. Yukio escorted Jamil to the inn where he was staying and also rented a room. Jamil thanked the shinobi trio for their escort and left for a bar after dropping his luggage in the inn.  He had a group of civilian bodyguards for his time here, Yukio imagined he would be meeting with them shortly. The Senju teenager retired to his room and dismissed the clones before settling in. He had another long day tomorrow carting back all the soil.

---

Yukio rose before dawn, formed his shadow clones once more, and went down to eat a quick breakfast in the communal dinning area of the inn. He had heard Jamil return to the inn late last night, once again his loud and boisterous self. The shinobi was glad he was back in good spirits, even if he was probably causing problems for his current bodyguards. Finishing his meal, Yukio departed, thanking the staff for their hospitality. He made his way two streets over to the business that the soil was originating from. The order was for three bags of the stuff, which was convenient since there were three Yukio’s currently. Granted, the bags were 75 pounds each, but a little bit of chakra usage and it wouldn’t be a problem. He arrived at the business and entered, his two clones remaining outside. After a quick greeting with the shopkeeper, he submitted the order form and the employee disappeared into the back. He returned with a wheelbarrow loaded with the three bags. Yukio motioned out the front door and the two walked out, where his clones were waiting. The three Yukio’s hoisted the bags and ensured each one of them had a solid grip. Thanking the shopkeeper, the shinobi took off, running quickly out of the village. The trek here yesterday took nearly eight hours, due to the fact they were moving at a civilian’s pace. Running like he was, Yukio and his clones would return to the village in half that time. The trio ran without stopping, using the trees rather than the road to stay out of sight of other travelers. Civilians sometimes got nervous around shinobi, no reason to cause anyone alarm.

Reaching the village gates just after the sun started to peak over the trees, Yukio signed in with the gate guards before he and his clones split up. His clones had dismissed their transformation techniques once he was sufficiently beyond the previous village. As they traveled, evidence of the upcoming festival was everywhere. Many shops were closing their physical stores to operate small pop-up shops near the festival itself, and civilians were out and about in droves in preparation. His first shadow clone only had to make a quick stop, as the Yamanaka flower store was rather close to the Eastern gate. Walking inside the shop, he was greeted by a handsome young blonde with the classic Yamanaka features. This clone Yukio deposited the soil and stepped outside, forming the clone seal and dispelling. His second clone went to the Nara clan, who used the soil for growing very delicate plants in their greenhouses, mostly used for medicinal purposes or the production of poisons and toxins. They also worked with the Akimichi clan to produce soldier pills for the village shinobi. After the clone dropped off the soil, it too dispelled. Yukio himself took his soil to the Akimichi clan, who used it for growing all manner of spices, herbs, fruits, and vegetables. Akimichi restaurants were famous throughout the Village Hidden in the Leaves and this food went straight to them. Finished with this simple task, Yukio departed the Akimichi clan compound and left in search of the traveling troupe, the ‘Elemental Entertainers,’ as they had come to be called.

---

He found them a short while later, setting up their main stage in preparation for the festival. They had a acquired a rather excellent locale, right on one of the main thoroughfares of the village. As he approached, Yukio was recognized by the leader of the troupe, one Yamichi Takehado.

”Ah, Yukio-san! I had hoped we would get to see you again. Your use of simple elemental jutsu as a form of entertainment was brilliant! We’ve adapted the entire troupe around it, many of us have some simple skill with chakra, enough to do this at least. Would you be interested in joining us for a performance?” The man was just as outgoing and flamboyant as Yukio remembered, his attire adorned with sequins, tassels and looked as if the man had walked through a rainbow. Yukio himself was dressed in his mottled green and brown robes, looking very much like a sage of the forest, if not for his youthful face and demeanor.

”Takehado-sama,” Yukio bowed in greeting, ”It would by my great honor to join you once again. I have progressed greatly since we last worked together, I hope my technique will enthrall you, just as it does those who watch us.” The troubadour laughed boisterously, his hands on his belly as he leaned back and projected into the air for all around to hear.

”So formal! No need for that Yukio my friend, please call me Yamichi. I look forward to seeing how you perform! We’ll have you on as our final act, so make sure we go out with a bang!” With that instruction, Yamichi clapped the young shinobi on the back and returned to his work, organizing and leading the troupe to success. Yukio stepped away to contemplate his routine, although he had a fairly good idea of what he would do. Recollecting his recent mission to clean up the cemetery and monuments, he thought about the founding of the village and the strength of those first clans – the Uchiha, the Hyuuga, and the Senju. His performance would focus on the Senju, of course, and he had a pretty good idea of some fantastic wood release techniques he could use to wow the crowd. First though, he went and spoke with the police force. He didn’t want to cause a huge disturbance, so he wanted to make sure everyone was alerted that some fairly large jutsu may be released during the performance. After confirming with the police force that he was clear to use jutsu so long as it didn’t damage any property, Yukio returned to the troupe to begin practicing for his routine. He wrote down a quick outline and fleshed out the speaking bits he wanted to discuss. Soon enough he was ready, and just in time, as the evening sun painted the sky in purples and oranges, the troupe lit torches which bathed their stage in flickering fire and their performances began. The first performance was introductory, explaining the process of chakra and how all living things have it, but only a few can actively manipulate it. It showcased some basic chakra manipulation and produced a few floating lights and neat tricks. The second performance was very similar to the one he put on originally those many weeks ago. This involved solid use of elemental chakra and showcased many different performers using all 5 elements. The flashier elements of Fire and Lightning received the most “oohs” and “ahhs,” of course. Finally, it was Yukio’s turn.

He came out onto the stage, dressed in his dark green and brown robes, the flickering firelight lighting the stage cast mysterious shadows over him. He adopted a deeper register and began to tell his story. ”In the beginning, before the Great Calamity, there were two clans – The Uchiha and the Senju. Our story this evening is of the Senju, the clan I hail from. These two clans were fierce adversaries and bitter enemies. They warred against one another constantly. Until two men, Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama, decided to end the bloodshed and form a truce. Together, they created the Village Hidden in the Leaves, along with a third powerful clan, the Hyuuga. Hashirama was famous for his use of Wood Release – or wood natured chakra. This was a combination of Earth,” with a dramatic pause, Yukio summoned forth a wall of Earth on his left, ”and Water.” Yukio formed a pillar of water on his right. He began to bring both elements together, mixing them in front of him. ”Together, these two elements formed Mokuton, Wood Nature chakra, and from it came life.” Where he mixed the two elements, he released the jutsu and with a single handseal formed a small tree, only around three meters tall, with beautiful green leaves and springy, vibrant branches. The crowd ooh’d and ahh’d as they watched a tree grow in front of their very eyes.

”The mighty Hashirama used his powers to create an unbelievably massive forest, filled with towering trees the likes of which the rest of the world had never seen. Within this dense forest he and Uchiha Madara built the Village Hidden in the Leaves.” Yukio built a small, makeshift village on the stage, tiny houses popping up all around his feet. ”With this verdant landscape and plentiful building materials, the Village Hidden in the Leaves prospered.” Here, Yukio grew the small tree into a beautiful Sakura Tree, filled with cherry blossoms. The crowd gasped in shock. ”Since then, under the leadership of the Hokage, the Senju clan and all the other shinobi, both clanned and not, have striven to bring peace and prosperity to our great village. Together, we are the greatest Hidden Village in all the Elemental Nations!” From the Sakura Tree, Yukio summoned forth a mighty Wood Dragon, consuming the tree as it flew into the sky with a roar. The crowd screamed and cheered in delight as the Dragon circled over the crowd once, twice, and then with a handseal, Yukio dismissed the jutsu and the dragon faded into a large fluttering of cherry blossoms, falling amongst the crowd.

They rose into a standing ovation, cheering and shouting their praise for the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Yukio was very satisfied with his performance, as was Yamichi, who was right at the entrance of the area with a donation plate ready to collect from these patriotic people. Yukio slipped out the back silently, as he still needed to assist the Akimichi with the feast that would end the festival.

---

Yukio approached the Akimichi clan compound five minutes before he was scheduled to. He was quickly ushered inside and pointed to a massive building near the center of the compound which had eight chimneys belching smoke into the quickly dimming evening sky. Throughout the village, electric lamps, streetlights, and torches were being lit to continue the festival and an air of joviality persisted throughout the people in the streets. As he entered into the large building, he realized with dawning awe that it was, in fact, a kitchen. Inside this mammoth cookery were at least 200 shinobi, rushing about in a quick but organized fashion. Everyone knew what they were doing and what needed to be done, and the smells of an uncountable assortment of food assaulted his nose. His mouth instantly set to watering as his stomach loudly grumbled in protest of not getting to eat all that it could surveil. Luckily, someone saw him standing there, dumbfounded and drooling, and quickly ushered him to where the volunteers were gathering to receive their assignments.

”Alright, none of you know your way around an Akimichi kitchen, so none of you will be working in this building. You’ll just get in the way and cause an accident, or worse, waste food.” The man addressing them was an absolute giant. He was easily over one and a half meters tall, probably two. His build was, to be blunt, rotund, but he moved as if he knew exactly how to utilize that bulk to crush you if you got in his way. His hair was a wild mane of long brown hair, flowing behind him. And his face was the kindest you’ve ever seen, with eyes that sparkled when he spoke; except for when he mentioned wasting food. At that statement, his glare could have shattered stone just as easily as his fists.
”Follow me, you’ll be working in the preparatory building behind this one.” He walked out of the side door into another large, but smaller than the previous, building. Inside was another flurry of activity, but here were people outside of the clan, like him. They were peeling potatoes, slicing carrots, dicing onions, mincing garlic. Grinding fresh herbs into powdered spices or seasoning vast quantities of meat. Most impressive, was all of this was taking place at shinobi speeds. Knives were blurring faster than the eyes could blink, and scraps were thrown with unerring accuracy into disposal bins. There were no wasted movements. ”Alright, all of you trained in Taijutsu or Bokijutsu, head to those prep stations there,” Their Akimichi guide pointed to the stations chopping vegetables. ”Any Hyuuga?” A few of the gathered shinobi raised their hands. ”Good, over to the rendering stations – the Byakugan is excellent for maintaining proper heat control over multiple cook stations.” The rest of the shinobi were divided amongst the various duties until only Yukio remained, feeling slightly confused as to why he hadn’t been given any duties. The Akimichi man, who had never introduced himself, Yukio realized, looked down at him and nodded. ”You’re a Senju, ain’tcha? You lot always smell like the forest.” The man tapped his nose with a smile, and Yukio nodded in the affirmative. ”Perfect, follow me.” The two walked out of the back of the building into a relatively small field that held a wood-chopping station. Yukio sighed as he realized what he was going to have to do. The Akimichi laughed a short, loud belly laugh. ”That’s right kiddo. Senju wood makes some of the best cooking fires, cause your wood burns long and hot at consistent temperatures, and the chakra within it gives great seasoning when used for smoking. Normally all the Senju are nabbed up to help put up the pavilions for the festival, but I’m really glad you showed up here. We’ve been running low on wood and I thought we’d have to make a supply run for it here soon. Let me show you the best way to do this.” The Akimichi man gestured Yukio over to a large tree stump that he could immediately tell was a former Senju clan tree, with an axe embedded into the center of it. The Akimichi lifted the axe from the stump as if it weighed nothing and handed it to Yukio. ”You’ll use your wood release on this here stump, I recommend growing a small log, not larger than six inches around and a foot and a half tall. Use the axe to split it right as it finished growing and the momentum will throw it into these collection bins. I’ll have guys running back and forth taking the wood, so you don’t need to do anything but grow and chop. You help us with this, I’ll make sure our clan head cooks your meal personally. That sound like a plan?” The Akimichi smiled knowingly at Yukio because he knew a meal cooked by the head of their clan was not one to be turned down. Yukio bowed and hefted the axe.

”I’m on it, Akimichi-san!” With that, Yukio began channeling his chakra into the wood and growing his first log as the Akimichi clan member laughed and stepped back into the prep building. As the log finished growing, Yukio hefted the axe and with two hands, brought it down directly into the center of the log, splitting it cleanly in one strike. Unfortunately, he did so before the log finished growing, so he ended up getting the axe stuck as the rest of the log hadn’t been split. Finishing and resetting, Yukio took to his task with vigor. He quickly formed a rhythm and after just about 15 minutes two young men came by with wheelbarrows and started chucking his cut logs into them. He kept chopping during this, and they left once their wheelbarrows were full and his collection bins were empty. In this manner, Yukio continued to produce wood, his chakra reserves barely feeling any of the use. He was very glad for his clan’s increased vigor during times like this, he knew of others who would have collapsed into exhaustion had they even tried to make something like that Wood Dragon he created earlier. Soon enough, he was ordered to stop, as they had enough wood and then some. The same Akimichi clan member, who introduced himself finally as Chizo, ushered him into what was obviously a large family home. The clan heads house, perhaps? Yukio was correct as he was taken into the kitchen and there, cooking over a stove (with a small pile of the wood he had just made) was the clan head of the Akimichi. He looked over and thanked Chizo before gesturing for Yukio to sit.

”Chizo tells me you were instrumental this evening, young Senju.” The clan head did not turn away from his cooking, his focus was visibly intense as he prepared the next steps just in time to be added to the dishes he was creating.

”Yes, Akimichi-dono, I helped supply Senju wood to the cook fires. I am told it makes excellent cooking wood.” The smells of the kitchen put Yukio into a dizzy haze, the food smelled absolutely divine. His mouth was watering and his stomach betrayed him with a loud rumble. The clan head chuckled, glancing back at Yukio. His eyes also sparkled when he smiled. Was that a natural trait of this clan?

”Don’t worry my boy, you’ll have food here in just a second.” Just a brief moment after he said this, the Akimichi was platting some of the most delicious looking food Yukio had ever seen. ”Bring that out with us, I want you sitting at the clan table tonight. You’ll enjoy food like the Akimichi do – I hope you’ve got the stomach for it!” He laughed as the two walked out, Yukio carrying two steaming plates heaped with food. The clan head sat him down near the end of the clan table, to be fair to his own family, and many around him thanked him for the wood he provided. Soon the feast was slated to begin and they all dug in, eating food that the divines themselves would surely be jealous of. As Yukio polished off his second and then third plates, the tables split up and began mingling amongst themselves. Soon the young Senju was in a food coma, listing dazedly around the festival as various Akimichi seemed to take joy at his condition, sticking more food into him as he spoke with them. Then wine began to flow, and the night devolved into a blur of smiling faces and laughter.

Not too bad an evening, all things considered.

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WC: 4,585

Mission Rewards: 8,500 Ryo; 42AP
25% max stats discount applied
375WC to Minus Field -> B rank
375 WC to Ninjutsu Amplifier -> B rank
375WC to Nativity of a Sea of Trees -> B rank
750WC to Temporary Paralysis -> B rank
1,125WC to Wood Locking Wall B Rank
1,396WC to finish Advent of a World of Flowering Trees – prior claim here
189WC to Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave - 189/1,125

Senju Yukio wrote:

Spoiler:

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WC: 4,585

Mission Rewards: 8,500 Ryo; 42AP
25% max stats discount applied
375WC to Minus Field -> B rank
375 WC to Ninjutsu Amplifier -> B rank
375WC to Nativity of a Sea of Trees -> B rank
750WC to Temporary Paralysis -> B rank
1,125WC to Wood Locking Wall B Rank
1,396WC to finish Advent of a World of Flowering Trees – prior claim here
189WC to Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave - 189/1,125

Approved!