Unglamorous Beginnings

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Summer was truly in full swing, the sun blazed high in the sky, casting it's golden glow over the islands that made up the lands of Kirigakure. The air was hot and humid, though stemmed by the cool ocean breeze that the landscape provided. People flocked to the beaches, the cool ocean waves providing a welcome respite from the heat, while others sought shade under sprawling trees. Summer was supposed to be a time of fun, relaxation, and the majority of the islands residents were currently partaking in exactly that. There was an air of lazy enjoyment around the village, the people content on enjoying the summer sun while it lasted.

Yet today there was one outlier, one lone person who was not out in the sun for enjoyment's sake. It seemed having famed family members did not grant one leave to not actively take part in missions. Officially this was deemed a field exercise from the Academy, a 'taster' of what one would expect to bet asked with when officially an shinobi. Now, that part wasn't the issue-the assignment was simple enough-yet for this person in particular, it felt like a targeted joke at their expense.

'The statue of Xyxer Gyojin, the First Mizukage, stands proudly by the ocean, a sign of our village's great history. This statue is a tribute to the legendary founder of this Kirigakure, its intricate details and glorious presence are a testament to the skill and dedication of the artisans who were tasked with crafting it. Today, your task is to restore the monument to its former glory, ensuring that the legacy of Xyxer Gyojin remained untarnished.'

"What a load of shit." Akihito crumpled the paper with the assignment in his hand and tossed it in the trash. Why him of all people? This seemed like some sort of joke, the youth thought to himself as he stared up at the statue of his dearest uncle. His father had once said it had been created to compensate, or to match the size of the man's ego, maybe even both. Akihito had found it funny at the time, but now that he stood before it tasked with cleaning this monstrosity he didn't see the funny side.

Akihito had been here many times during his childhood, though as of late had made a point of steering clear of the monument. He dropped the tools that had been so graciously provided for this task at the foot, literally, of the statue. The good thing was that the sheer size of the statue provided amble shade from the blistering sun.

Alright complaining isn't going to get this done, Akihito thought. He tightened his grip on the broom handle and set out to get it over with. The base of the statue was surprisingly devoid of litter, it was mostly sand blown in from the beaches that had to be swept away. Akihito started his work, the sound of the broom sweeping against the ground providing a steady, if monotonous, backdrop to his thoughts. He wanted to get things over with quickly, the knowledge that this was not the only task today playing out in his mind.

This broom is going to be with me for awhile, he mused. Summertime brought out the worst in people's work ethic. That coupled with an increase in foot traffic on the beaches meant that Akihito wouldn't just be cleaning sand from the statue today.

It only took half an hour to finish cleaning the base of the statue. With that done the hard part was about to start. Apparently Akihito was expected to deal with the birds, who seemed to have taken a liking to his favourite uncle's features.

Things went well until a seagull decided Akihito's head was a good landing site. Now, surprisingly, climbing one-handed while fending off a rogue seagull that was trying to peck your eyes out is quite difficult. It was quite the miracle then that the blonde-haired teen managed to make his way to the shoulders of the giant statue relatively unscathed.

After only a few more epic duels with birds, Akihito was finally free to get to cleaning. Unsurprisingly, scrubbing a statue of your uncle in the blistering heat was not exactly a fun time, but at least it didn't take as long as he originally thought. In fact it was a relatively quick affair, it seemed that it was a regular occurrence for the statue to be cleaned. A blessing for Akihito, since it meant that there was little grime to actually get rid of.

Akihito dipped his brush into a bucket of soapy water, scrubbing away at the bird droppings and accumulated grime that had built up on the statue's shoulders. No longer in the shade, he could feel the scorching heat as he toiled away.  He paused for a moment, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand, and looked out at the ocean. It was a fantastic view admittedly, if you ignored the storm that sat far out in the distance. Such a sight would send all the beach-goers rushing inside in any normal place. Alas Kirigakure was hardly normal, and the artificial storm that circled the isles was relegated to just a strange backdrop in the distant horizon.

He sighed, returning to his task. As he continued to scrub, Akihito's mind wandered. He couldn't help but question his decision, and not just because he was currently wiping away bird shite. Was this the right path to choose? Another sigh, there was only one way to find that out he guessed.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the statue was clean. Akihito stepped back to admire his work, and promptly slipped. Finding his balance quickly he decided it would be best to save the admirations when safely on the ground. It was a very slow and careful climb back down, his head on the swivel constantly in case that seagull decided it was time for round two.

It was during this descent back down that the blonde remembered that he had been provided with a ladder. A lesson on double checking your tools for the future then.

As much as Akihito would like to go spend the rest of the day on the beach, it was not a luxury he was afforded right now. That was only the first of his jobs for today, though probably the most dangerous of the bunch by far. First things first, deal with all this sand. An actual legitimate mission supposedly.

"Sweeping sand, yep, sure." He mumbled to himself. Returning the rest of the cleaning supplies, but keeping the broom, the blonde set out to complete this very super important mission. So he headed back up the path and toward the markets, broom in hand. It was busy, as expected on a day like this, filled with far too many people for this sort of task. "This is going to be impossible isn't it?" Someone was definitely messing with him.

He approached the first shop on his little list of people who were stupid enough to build a shop by a beach. The shopkeeper was an elderly woman, with a short stature and stern expression. She seemed like a delight to interact with, so Akihito was not dreading it in the slightest of course. "Finally, someone’s here to do something about this mess,” she said, pointing to the sand scattered around her shop’s entrance. “It’s been driving away customers.”

Yes, I'm sure that's the reason, Akihito thought to himself but simply nodded in response. "I'll get started then." And with that said he began to sweep once more.

Going through the market from one store to another, Akihito swept his way across the area. The sand was, shockingly, everywhere. At what point do you just except that this has become part of the beach itself and just save yourself the trouble? Maybe he'd bring it up when he got back, save the next poor soul who would get stuck with this job. Akihito moved from one end of the market to the other, clearing the sand from pathways and shop entrances. His arms ached from the repetitive sweeping motion, but he pressed on, knowing that at the very least he was getting paid for this.

As the morning turned to noon, Akihito finally reached the last stretch of pathway. His clothes were covered in sand, his hair matted with sweat, but he was practically done. The market did look marginally better, so he considered it a job well done. Sadly he knew it wouldn't last, the sand would be all over the place again soon, perhaps even by the end of the day.

Akihito took a moment to rest. He found a shaded spot near a fountain, washing the sand off his hands and face. One of the shopkeepers had so generously offered him a cold drink which he now indulged in during his short break. Alas it would only be brief, as he still had several more things to do today.

He walked through the streets, the salty sea breeze tickling his senses as he approached the chemist's shop. The shop was an unassuming building, tucked between a teahouse and a fishmonger, with a simple sign that read "Kirigakure Saltworks." Straight to the point. Apparently salt was a popular export, and a large order was due. Which is why this fresh academy student was tasked with even more manual labour to help out.

The door creaked open as he stepped inside, greeted by the sight of shelves lined with glass jars and bottles of various sizes. At the back of the shop, a flurry of activity caught his eye. The chemist, an older man who wouldn't hadn't seemed to have slept in days, was bustling around, checking measurements and sealing bottles.

"Uh..hello?" Akihito called out to the man to catch his attention.

"Hm? Ah, you must be Akihito," The chemist said, looking up from his work. "Thank you for coming. We have a large order to fill, and I could use all the help I can get. We're behind schedule, so let's get to work!"

"Of course," Akihito replied, rolling up his sleeves. "What do you need me to do?"

The chemist tossed him a pair of gloves and pointed to a large sack of salt in the corner. "Start filling jars."

They worked in silence for awhile, the chemist skittering about the place like a headless chicken while Akihito got on with his task. Finally the blonde broke the silence as the boredom got the better of him. "How long have you been doing this?" Akihito asked, trying to make conversation as he filled another jar.

"More years than I care to count," the chemist replied. "This shop was my father's, and his father's, and so on."

Akihito nodded, and the silence took over once more. It was broken up by small talk, though the pair kept working throughout. After awhile the jars were all filled, and the jobs switched. Akihito was put on label duty while the chemist operated a strange kit that sealed the jars shut.

Once all the jars were sealed and labelled, they moved on to packing. The chemist had a stack of sturdy wooden crates, each lined with straw to protect the jars during transit. Akihito carefully placed each jar into the crates, ensuring they were snug and secure. The chemist inspected each crate before nailing the lids shut, a final stamp of approval on their work.

With the last crate sealed the chemist patted him on the shoulder. "Thanks for your help today lad, couldn't have finished in time without it."

Akihito nodded, "You're welcome."

After receiving a free jar for his help, Akihito left the store. He looked to the sky, noting the time. It was around lunchtime, which meant that the butcher was likely finished with the order.

It was another one of his little odd jobs for the day, once again to do with his late uncle. His dogs, which Akihito had had the pleasure of meeting a few times, had been moved to a new home in Kirigakure's maximum security prison. Why there Akihito had no idea, but it wasn't his place to question it. His only job was to help move the crates of food to the docks they could be delivered on over there.

Lifting heavy boxes in the sun was not Akihito's idea of a good time. That coupled with the previous laborious tasks meant that the physical fatigue was starting to kick in. It had been awhile since the young man had undertaken such strenuous physical activity. Still, he had gotten this far and powered on through. The crates were delivered to the dockyards, and sent on the small boat across to one of the other islands that housed the prison.

Which left one final job for the day. It was the middle of the afternoon when Akihito finally arrived at the elderly couple's house. The couple greeted him warmly, their eyes sparkling with gratitude and anticipation. "Thank you so much for coming to help us," The woman said. "We've always loved decorating for the festivals, but it's become too much for us to handle on our own."

Her husband nodded in agreement. "We've won the best-decorated house competition in the past, and we’d love to give it another go this year. But even if we don't win, we just want to make our home a place for everyone to enjoy."

Akihito smiled, the couple's enthusiasm was winning him over despite his fatigue. "I'll do my best to help out." He promised. The couple led him to where the decorations were stored. There was a wide array of decorations available kept in many different boxes. All sorts of lights, lanterns and other ornaments were kept neatly packed away ready for use.

"You weren't kidding about having a lot of decorations," Akihito said lightly.

The wife chuckled, "We might have gone overboard in the past."

Her husband smiled, "It gives us plenty to work with at least."

Akihito nodded and got to work. Starting with the roof he set up the lights that the couple had chosen for him. He made sure they were fastened securely, not wanting to have to redo it later, and followed the instructions that were provided by the couple.

As the rest of the day wore on, Akihito continued to help decorate the couple's home. He strung fairy lights through the trees in the front yard, hung wind chimes that tinkled softly in the breeze, and placed glowing lanterns along the walkway leading to the front door. When he finally stepped back to admire his work, the sun was beginning to set.

The couple met him on the front lawn, providing a cold drink for his efforts, and looked at the house together. "It looks fantastic." The elderly woman commented.

Akihito nodded, "Glad to help, good luck with the competition." He exchanged goodbyes and left the couple soon afterward.

Drink in hand, Akihito finally found himself sat at the beach. The sun dipped below the horizon, lighting up the sky in an orange glow. He still held some regrets about his choice to go through with all of this. Though he couldn't help but feel as if he owed himself this, he needed to find the answers.

[Closed]

2564 wordcount

25 AP
5000 Ryo
15 Chakra
10 Speed
250/250 Transformation Technique
250/250 Clone Technique
250/250 Sensory Deprivation
250/250 Genjutsu Release
250/250 Genjutsu Release Mastery
500/500 Adjustment
500/500 Feint
314/500 Basic Sealing Technique