Start of a Great Adventure

Starting with Stealth
Painters Guilds Plus One
Pet Food Delivery
Why Dont we Dance (pt.1)


Day one of being an Academy student couldn’t go better than this, Jiraijin wakes up early in the morning to prepare himself, the light breaks through the gap in his curtains and assaults his eyes, the soft glow of the rising sun signals the start of the day. His eyes close for a moment, wishing that sleep could carry him for a few more hours before he moves on. His eyes scan the room, it’s sparsely decorated, with simple furniture - wooden walls. It was a step down from the ornate housing of his fathers business, that was for sure. With the window open, the sounds of chirping birds filled the air. ”I’m not going to get stronger lying in this bed all morning.” He speaks only to himself, by time the sun's warm embrace had moved a few inches across his desk he was already dressed.

At the dresser he sees the reflection of himself, his grey steel eyes determined and focused. A hint of excitement for the day that awaits him. He leaves the room, the door gently closes behind him. Jiri bows to the door, a sign of respect for the lodgings he had for the night. The hall is long, turns to the left to a communal kitchen, the scent of freshly brewed tea and rice leaks through the housing. The scent of salted fish has him darting down the hall, fish and a rice cake to prepare himself for the physical demands of today's training.

Stepping outside of his communal house he is met with the busy village, its streets filled with merchants, citizens, other students and Genin who were keeping the village looking full. The buildings, adorned with blue accents, stood high as monuments to the village's prowess. The housing that he lived in was dwarfed by the others, but stood slightly higher than the markets in the market square that his house was in. The noise was part of why it was so cheap, in the background a swirling vortex of water, wind and lightning.   ”Home…And long may it reign. Jiri spoke again to himself, he was fiercely proud of the village and it’s leadership.

With a deep breath, Jiraijin mentally prepared himself for the mission ahead, he walks through the town slowly but with purpose. Today he was to embark on stealth training exercises, something that Kirigakure had invaluable experience with. If he was to be successful here, he would have to be the best of them. It took 30 minutes of walking through tides of people before he managed to get to the training facility. It was busy as it always was with a new round of students entering the academy. Some practised with weapons, others were trying and failing to use the clone technique, there were some surprises who managed to complete it easily. He wasn’t one of them, he had yet to manage the technique properly. But it would come with time, he was sure. He lifted a jug of water in his hands, taking a large sip before placing the canteen on the floor.

The first exercise was for him to control his breathing, he knew that maintaining a calm and controlled breath was crucial in remaining undetected, and the busy environment would give him a natural challenge for him to try and accomplish the task. Jiri closed his eyes, taking a moment to drown out the noises surrounding him. His breathing began to be regulated; he inhaled deeply through his nose and exhaled through his mouth - taking care to be quiet. With each breath he visualised tension escaping his body and replaced it with a calm river, its waters drifting across his eyesight.

The next exercise was to secure his equipment and clothing to reduce any unnecessary noises that would echo from his movements, he checked everything was tightly fastened and properly sheathed. He adjusted straps on his leg and tightened buckles that kept his boots tight against his shins. Now he had completed this he could move on, which was using passive forms of motion. They were slow and deliberate, however practising these movements would soon add speed. They mimicked the stealthy movements of a shark, he focused on maintaining a low centre of gravity and with his equipment staying attached to him he was able to move with a fluid and silent vigour.

Ensuring he understood his bodily dimensions was important for effective concealment, especially in stealth operations when he wouldn’t be sure of his own surroundings. Jiraijin would have to understand if he could fit somewhere without taking an extra few moments to consider. He stood against a wall, noting the areas on the shadow that stood out. He adjusted his stance and posture to start to blend with his surroundings.

Finally he would need to focus on interacting with other objects, buildings and people whilst minimising noses. He approached a wooden training dummy, practising swings with his fists that had less noises from himself, as well as those that would stay close to his body to keep the movements restrained and not to break concealment. There was a perfect balance between efficiency and stealth that he knew he would spend his entire life trying to find and practice.

At the end of each of these exercises he documented his progress, drawing diagrams where he struggled and taking notes of others as some had clearly had a similar mission to him. The report also documented where his strengths were, how he was able to accomplish the tasks and what he would do to improve the skill going forward.  ”Hey - I appreciate the help guys” he spoke to the other individuals who were in the training room, some who had helped him identify where he would need to progress and others where he could be heard despite his precautions.

Returning back to the Mission boards to hand in his assignment, there was an obvious backlog of missions, though he supposed it was more likely that others would have taken advantage of the new intake of students. One that took his fancy was covered in a fine mist of multicoloured paint. His eyes narrowed to look at it, the Painters guild needed someone to come in for some ad hoc tasks. So of course, he took the mission and made his way to the nearest branch. As the door opened, the front counter appeared to be surrounded with customers trying to get tickets to the exhibition that was happening at this time. He rolled his eyes, ”Great - a queue.”

He looked around at the various pieces of artwork that decorated the halls, some were of a swarming vortex of weather that seemed oddly reminiscent of the protective barrier that kept Neo-Kirigakure safe from the outside, a lone ship floated in the centre - standing up to the massive vortex or was it perhaps protected by it, Jiraijin appreciated that art meant something different to whoever had the pleasure of seeing it, though it’s lack of real definition bothered him. The swirls of purples, greens and blues though were pleasing.

He didn’t realise when he got to the front, until the man behind the counter coughed “Sir!”. Jiraijin turned his head, looking down to the sitting man. ”Oh, I’m here for the mission.” The man raised an eyebrow, “You’ll have to be more specific.”.

”This one, you are looking for people to come in and help?” he felt the sarcasm and anger rise to the surface, just let me do the job he would think to himself.

“Oh yes! we have a pressing task for you today," the officer said, his voice filled with authority. "Most of the painters' tools in our guild are in dire need of cleaning and a fresh coat of paint. Your mission is to clean and refurbish their brushes, buckets, trays, and ladders."

Jiraijin nodded, understanding the importance of maintaining the equipment for the guild themselves, though any random person could have done this. Did this need the expertise of a Shinobi-in-training? Well he supposed not. He looked back to the image of the boat and nodded, the tools were an extension of the painter's creativity, a well cared for tool would make all the difference.  Starting at the basics and working from there. That was fine. With the directions from the front desk, Jiraijin made his way to the storage area where the tools were kept. He opened the door, the odour of oil paints filled his nostrils, as well as the chemicals that would and could be used to clean them. There were rows of brushes, buckets, trays and even ladders in various states of usage. ”I didn’t expect that…” He released he had gotten the short end of the stick, taking a deep breath he prepared himself for the task at hand.

The ‘God of the Tides’ began by sorting the brushes according to the size and condition of each brush, he carefully inspected each one - he could have bunged them all together but any job worth doing was worth doing right, so he removed any dried paint or debris that the brushes had absorbed over time, the dried paint pushed bristles apart and made keeping a tip almost impossible for the brush. These would be useless for any smooth strokes or precise detailing. To his side was brush soap, a compound used to break down the oils in paints and could be used as a sort of conditioner for the brushes, each one he ran through this process until they were clean and restored to an acceptable glory.

He repeated this process for the buckets and trays, emptying them of leftover paint and scrubbing with a flat bladed tool and wire wool to remove stubborn remnants, soap and water were used to clean off anything wet. Jiraijin tried to imagine flecks of other projects being left in the artwork in the gallery, it would ruin them.

Last but least there were the ladders, each one wooden and carefully crafted to be both ergonomically designed and fitting with the themes of the gallery, there was little cleaning to be done, which was just taking off dry paint from each step, most of his work went to tightening screws and bolts, ensuring any supportive brackets were not rusting and replacing those that were, a reliable ladder was crucial for any handyman, he appreciated that.

Hours seemed to turn themselves into minutes once he immersed himself in the task, he found solace in both the rest from training and the repetitive motions. Those first brushes took the longest time but as he perfected the technique they started to fall into a pattern. He found satisfaction too, each tool would be used to make another masterpiece. Regardless if he wouldn’t come here to do this mission again, he would ensure that he would visit the artwork once again, technically he was now part of the art and would have a hand in their success.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Jiraijin was able to stand back and admire his own work. Brushes were conditioned back to a point, buckets and trays dried and stacked ready for their next usage. The dirtiest thing in that room was now his own clothing, though they had given him overalls to wear. He walked out of the room and down the hall, guests looked at him like he was a work of art himself.

Leaving the building he noted the sun was low in the sky, the sunset in the distance was beginning to take shape. Jiraijin remembered the early morning where he had seen the sun start to grow against the skyline. A perfect day. Jiraijin thought back to the mission, smiling, he realised that the smallest details played a significant role in the success of the guild and the painters working there, a practice he could attribute his own training to. He was a small cog in a big world.

From there he would make his way to the village market, he had a hunger for fish once again and to refill his water bottle. The village market was always bustling with activity and he looked forward to exploring the hidden gems that it always had in the early evenings, he took on the sights and sound on the way, the smell of freshy cooked fish wafted towards him and like a shark he was drawn to the stools He chose a grilled fish with rice, eating it quicker than anyone would expect, practically swallowing it. Lemon and Thyme were used in the cooking, and that was his favourite. A blend of spices was used for the rice, completing the meal.

He also refilled his water skin, drinking most of it before filling it once again. He regretted only having the single water skin, once he was paid he would make an effort to purchase a second.

Jiri made his way to the village market, taking in the sights and sounds along the way. As he arrived, the aroma of freshly cooked fish wafted through the air, drawing him towards the food stalls. He found a stall that specialized in grilled fish and ordered a delicious meal. Jiri savored the flavors, appreciating the tender fish and the blend of spices that enhanced its taste. On his way out of the market he overheard one of the meat vendors talking to his assistant.

“Go post a mission, it’s to busy for us to leave the stall with only one person, but if we dont get this delivered to the Maximum Penitentiary and Intelligence Agency then we’ll likely end up there ourselves, it’s that or we close down for the evening.” It was a burly man, covered in smudges of blood from his work station. Jiraijin walked straight over, showing them both the two mission dossiers he had already completed. ”I don’t mean to intrude, but I can do that delivery myself. Saves you the trip and it will get it done far quicker, I’m on a roll today” He was confident, had a smile on his face, looked old enough to not be easy pickings for some street urchins. The man nodded, pointing to a crate that was sealed with paper, wax and string. “Yur gotta go to the-” the man started ”Maximum Penitentiary and Intellegence Agency. I got it” He nodded, taking the crate.

With the crate in hand he headed out of the market, overhearing other requests for help. “We dont-a have-a Ares today! He call in Sick. Probably ate to much yesterday. What-a do we do-a” The man looked stressed, but not wanting to bite off more than he could chew he walked past and took a note of the appearance, maybe they would be here later.

He took the short route to his destination, once the crowds of people were dispersed from the market it was a clear journey to Agency, nobody wanted to be there anyway. When he got closer he was stopped by one of the guards, who took him aside and checked his paperwork. He noted it wasn’t a legitimate mission, though Jiraijin was able to convince them that he was from the market and the paperwork could be completed afterwards. He handed the meat over, gave his name, address and then left back towards home. No need to stick around this building.  

Heading back towards home he felt content that he did what he could today, the diverse tasks gave him a better appreciation for just being a student, learning the ropes and getting the basics down. He helped people in the village, like this he would make a name for himself. Deep in thought he almost didn’t see the troupe from earlier in the evening practically filling the street, they didnt see him - probably because of his earlier training in being silent and he was knocked into. His stern form pushed the boy back, who fell to the ground. “Sorry mister I didn’t see ya!” He said, eager to apologise. Jiraijin shook his hand and his head, ”No need. I should have seen you guys too” The boy seemed to appreciate being let off easy.

“Thanks mister, we were waiting around for someone to take on our mission we posted. We need some help, one of our caravan masters has gotten sick - we needed someone with an eye for detail to see what he common man would appreciate from our show. ”I’l do it” He was keen, the boy raised an eyebrow. They had walked into each other, it wasn’t as if Jiraijin gave a sense of being aware of his surroundings.

“Yeah.. alright then, you can’t be worse than nothing.” He turned and shouted for his father. This mission was unique, it would give him a chance to immerse himself in something different. Many forms or stances in combat were rooted in showmanship, perhaps he could reverse engineer this himself to improve his own forms.

The group led him to the rehearsal space, they were all excitable, he wondered how they did not seem tired. Apparently they had played almost every night around Kirigakure and its villages, some were dancing, some were juggling. There were some telling stories through movement or puppets. Even some sword swallowers and a retired shinobi or two, he wondered if they were more akin to vagabonds. The energy here was captivating, everyone so engrossed in their chosen arts. He almost felt uplifted by everything that was happening here.

As a temporary assistant, his job was to observe each performance carefully, taking notes as if he was a pundit to see if any of the ‘magic’ hadnt converted over just how they expected, he was in a unique position as an unaligned party to offer advice. Hopefully he would have some constructive feedback to provide them. First he approached the group of dancers, each were in the colours of Kirigakure and would tell the history of the village through dance. ”You have amazing fluidity and synchronisation, however some of it had some bad timing, one taking a step just before the rest. I would suggest that he takes a break and she slows down.” They looked confused, but started again to see if they could make the recommended changes.

Next there were singers, they sang of dramatic battles, heroes of the villages of the past. Each of them had perfect breath control, accuracy and projection - however they could play with the acoustics of the room they were performing in for a better auditory experience.
The storytellers were very much the same, they had fantastic storytelling abilities however they would need to take a lesson from the singers into how they can project their voices. Those at the front of the show would be greeted with them shouting at them, but those at the back would hardly hear.

The group were clearly surprised by his indepth notes, each had a page of a scroll dedicated to them. He had listened and taken names, but he realised the day was late and his arms ached. ”Look your fantastic, I would love this show. I might even come see it myself!” He smiled, the mission was complete and with it his day was over. The group thanked him for his help, providing him a bonus payment of a ticket for him and a few others to attend the show the day after. ”I wouldn’t want to miss it!”

[End]



WC: 3250
Mission Rewards:
3 Standard E Rank: 3000 Ryo: 15 AP
1 Arc E Rank: 1250 Ryo: 6 AP
Total: 4250 Ryo
21 AP

WC Stats
+16 Speed
+16 Vigor

WC Claims
Transformation Technique 250/250
Mist Servant Technique 500/500
Genjutsu Release + Mastery Hand Seals 500/500
Tree Climing/Surface Walking 250/250
Substitution Technique 250/250
Clone Technique 250/250
Water Release: Shuriken 1050/1050
Water Release: Bouncy Wall 200/500

Jiraijin Hōzuki wrote:

[End]

WC: 3250
Mission Rewards:
3 Standard E Rank: 3000 Ryo: 15 AP
1 Arc E Rank: 1250 Ryo: 6 AP
Total: 4250 Ryo
21 AP

WC Stats
+16 Speed
+16 Vigor

WC Claims
Transformation Technique 250/250
Mist Servant Technique 500/500
Genjutsu Release + Mastery Hand Seals 500/500
Tree Climing/Surface Walking 250/250
Substitution Technique 250/250
Clone Technique 250/250
Water Release: Shuriken 1050/1050
Water Release: Bouncy Wall 200/500

Approved