[hirana kizumi]

A HEART'S A HEAVY BURDEN

She’d been looking forward to this mission regardless, but Kizumi was nothing less than completely delighted when she found out Toshi-sensei was going to be the Konoha nin assisting her. It was maybe a bit excessive to send the elite jounin Hatake clan head over to Kaminari no Kuni for a fairly straightforward B-rank mission, but Kizumi did appreciate that it seemed like Konoha was taking their alliance quite seriously. Kizumi waited for Toshi to arrive by boat on the southeastern coast of Kaminari no Kuni, in their own small, had-seen-better-days Port City. It used to be a thriving, bustling place, but then, so had the rest of the country; the plague had taken a toll on the populace, and in the years since the quarantine was lifted the economy had never quite managed to recover. So many part of the country felt slow and sluggish—it was why she was so eager for this mission. Whatever she could do to help her homeland, she would. No armor or shield today—she didn’t think it would be necessary—but she wore her flak jacket under her cloak, loose, comfortable pants, and the rest of her gear was either on her person or tucked away in sealing tags. Though she carried the rest of her weaponry in the bracelets on her wrists, her unsealed weapon of choice today was her katana—obligatory, she felt, since she was working with the man who taught her everything she knew about the blade.

Hatake Toshizō -- 247

LAIKA OF THQ

[Hatake Toshizō]

"recovering supply lines". "A man who can't uphold his beliefs is pathetic, dead or alive." MEET AND GREET To put it simple, this mission was beneath his skill level, but Toshizou insisted on going anyways, and the Hokage authorised, much to his satisfaction. The Hatake was concerned with the distance between the Leaf and their major allies, the winds of war were looming over the ninja world, and as of now, the Leaf was in a more vulnerable position, surrounded by enemies from all sides, and with their allies growing thinner and more distant. That was part of the reason why he personally went to the Hidden Sand Village a while back, to deal with the incident between their shinobi and that Waterfall menace, and now he had been presented with the opportunity to aid the Land of Lightning. Moreover, the person the Hidden Cloud assigned for the mission was his student and good friend, Kizumi. He wanted their allies to know how valuable they were, and since he was one of the strongest shinobi in the village, the message would be loud and clear. The trip to the Land of Lightning was calm and eventless, and he arrived at their own Port City. When comparing it to the thriving city in the Land of Fire, this one had seen better days. The plague did a number in the country, and the aftermath of it still felt like a bleeding scar, one that needed to be tended to in order for them to prosper. Toshizou as dressing his normal shinobi clothing, a white shirt with two vests covering it, the first one black with white buttons, and the other more kimono like, blue in colour, with some white patterns to it. Covering all of it was a large black jacket with a high collar and a golden border on the fold. The interior part of the jacket was purple in colour. Both swords in his obi, with a brown leather belt on top. His shinobi sandals akin to boots, brown in colour and going up all the way to an inch below his knees. His gloves the same pattern as the blue kimono he sports. Although he didn't wear his forehead protector today, he had the Leaf symbol emblazoned in the back of his jacket, big enough so that people could see it from the distance. Not long after leaving the ship, his sharp, vermillion eyes found the form of the woman, and a subtle smirk made its way into his face. "Good to see you again, Kizumi. It has been a while since the last time I came to the Land of Lightning." he admitted, looking around the area with a slightly concerned look on his face. "How are things going around here?" he asked. "You can train a dog with food. You can buy a person with money. But there isn't a man alive that can put down the Will of Fire. Some things will never change. The Will of Fire will never be extinguished" B-Rank Mission Arriving in the Land of Lightning [hirana kizumi] [457 words]

[hirana kizumi]

A HEART'S A HEAVY BURDEN

Kizumi bounced on the balls of her feet as the ship came into view, and it wasn’t long before it was docked, anchored, and its passengers disembarked. Not many of those, though, and Toshi was obvious amongst their number, his bright white hair and vibrant red eyes making him an obvious standout amongst the Hi no Kuni contractors following in his wake. Half a dozen men and women, all roughly middle-aged, which Kizumi took as a good sign; they’d be experienced, able to work quickly and take care of themselves once she and Toshi got them established. "You too, Toshi-sensei,” Kizumi said as he approached. "It’s—yeah. Makes sense you haven’t been through, honestly, we’ve seen better days. I’m glad you’re all here.” She addressed the contractors as a group, lifting a hand in greeting and beckoning them all over. She was happy to see Toshi, of course, but also eager to get down to business. Kizumi co-opted a nearby crate, on which she laid out a map of Kaminari no Kuni. Kumogakure itself wasn’t marked on the map, of course, so she felt comfortable enough beckoning the contractors over to give them all an overview of the game plan. "If you have any alternate ideas, please let me know,” Kizumi said to Toshi, before tapping on their location with her forefinger. "We’re here, on the southeastern coast. We’re going to be traveling along this river—” she dragged her finger up the map, following the line in question, " —and stopping at the three waystations along the way to Sancho. We’ll be dropping two contractors off at each waystation, as the necessary repairs will be intensive—it’s a monthlong contract for you all, correct?—and once the route is back in working order you’ll be able to take the river journey back here to board a ship home. Toshizou-san and I will be escorting you all the entire way, and will remain at each waystation for a full day to ensure your safety before moving onto the next location. Any questions?” None from the contractors, so Kizumi looked to Toshi instead. The ship’s crew was almost done unloading their supply carts, so once the preliminary discussion was done, they could get a move on.

Hatake Toshizō -- 371

LAIKA OF THQ

[Hatake Toshizō]

"recovering supply lines". "A man who can't uphold his beliefs is pathetic, dead or alive." PAKKUN Indeed, the Land of Lightning had seen better days, and it was terrible to see an allied nation in such a state, but alas, that was the reason he was there with the contractors; they were going to help their allied nation to go back to its former glory, even if it took a few years, and with those actions, they would seek to strengthen the bond between their nations, so they could become more than just military allies. Indeed, Toshizou wanted the Cloud and the Leaf to become close allies, and this was but the first step he was willing to take to achieve that go, and once Root had been properly established and their numbers increased, he would be able to do even more. "Don't worry, Kizumi. The Leaf will not forfeit the Cloud, and Fire and Lightning will rejoice as both our nations prosper. I will personally see to it, hence why I'm here." he reassured his former student, with a confident yet subtle smile on his face. It was time to get down to business and Kizumi used a crate nearby to lay out her map and Toshizou approached, analysing it with his sharp eyes. He carefully listened to her words and nodded in agreement, he had nothing to add or change from that plan. If anything, he was rather proud of the shinobi she had become, and he was sure she would be of utmost importance in the development of her nation and Hidden Village. "Everything is clear, we should be ready to move in a bit." he paused, looking at the contractors who had just finished unloading the ships and were already moving the supplies to the wagon they would be taking. Toshizou then turned around and bit his thumb, drawing some blood. After a short set of hand seals, he slammed his hand on the ground. "Kuchyose no Jutsu!" he exclaimed, and from the poof of smoke, a miniature pug with a Leaf headband and a blue vest with a Henohenomoheji symbol on it appeared. Kizumi already knew him, he was the leader of the Ninkens of the Hatake clan, and an amazing tracker, Pakkun. The dog looked at Toshi, and then at Kizumi and cracked a smile. "Kizumi-chan, it's good to see you again. Now, this is the Land of Lightning, uh? This place has seen better days." he mentioned, shaking his head. "That's why we are here, Pakkun. Check this map here." he asked, and the pug jumped on top of the crate and looked at it, as Toshi ran his finger similarly to how Kizumi did before. "This is our route. We will be dropping two workers at each station and assessing the area for a day before moving forward. What I want you to do is to move ahead of us as fast as you can, cover the whole route and report back to me. I will keep my Mind's Eye open so I can check on you. If anything worth notice happens, flare your chakra and I will summon you back." and Pakkun nodded. The pug leaped from the crate and looked back at them. "I will be going then, Toshi-kun. See you later." and Toshizou nodded to the dog as it departed ahead of them, at an speed that could match a trained Jounin. "You can train a dog with food. You can buy a person with money. But there isn't a man alive that can put down the Will of Fire. Some things will never change. The Will of Fire will never be extinguished" B-Rank Mission Summon Pakkun, sent him ahead as a scout [hirana kizumi] [566 words]

[hirana kizumi]

A HEART'S A HEAVY BURDEN

It was deeply reassuring, knowing that Toshi was so invested in the mission without a whiff of hesitance. Doubly reassuring to know that he wasn’t here just for her—which would be insane, frankly—but out of devotion to his village, and a desire to nurture their alliance. Toshi signed off on the plan, then turned to complete a summoning jutsu, bringing forth—”Pakkun!” she said, grinning. It was a hard-won fight to avoid the temptation to scritch his ears, but out of respect for the mission and also the pug’s autonomy, she resisted. "Thank you for your contribution,” she went on, wrinkling her nose—it was fine when she said Kaminari no Kuni had seen better days, but when it came from someone else, it rankled her pride. Just a touch, though; she could never be mad at Pakkun. Toshi relayed the plan and the pug took off, dashing at a speed that she knew from experience rivaled her own. "That’s great, thank you,” she said. "He’ll be a big help. We’re going to be moving much slower since we have to stay on pace with the civilians, but it shouldn’t be too bad—if the roads are quiet, we could split up to clear the path ahead, secure a supply of food and water and follow up on anything Pakkun finds.” She rolled up her map and tucked it away, then turned back to the contractors who had just finished loading up the wagons. "Alright, everyone,” she called, clapping her hands together. "Let’s roll out!” It would be a journey to the first waypoint; it would be negligible for Pakkun, and would have been quick enough for just Toshi and Kizumi, but on foot and with a small caravan it was at least half a day’s worth of travel, accounting for breaks and any potential hiccups in the road. The first several hours of their journey would be relatively quiet—the roads were in need of upkeep, a mental note Kizumi made for later, but the river they walked alongside was running noisy and clear, no lurking fauna or obstacles of flora to bar the path of the smaller trading boats that would, someday, return to make use of the broad roaring waters.

Hatake Toshizō -- 374

LAIKA OF THQ

[Hatake Toshizō]

"recovering supply lines". "A man who can't uphold his beliefs is pathetic, dead or alive." START OF THE JOURNEY Pakkun was happy to see her and before leaving he turned to Kizumi one last time, lifting his paw, his pads still pink like those of a puppy. "Don't worry, Kizumi-chan, I will let you touch my pads once I'm back. You are one of the few I like." the pug said before darting away. Toshizou shook his head and slapped his hand on his forehead. "He will never change..." he said, sighing deeply. Once he left, Kizumi suggested them potentially splitting up and getting some food for the road. Toshizou looked at the woman and smirked. "Don't worry about supplies, once we are on the way, I will send Akino and Guruko to hunt for us, so we can focus on the road. With the speed in which we will be moving, this mission will take enough time as it is without us wasting our time fetching food." he added. The Ninken were not fit for intense battles, but their support capabilities was indeed incredible. With their sharp nose and ability to manipulate chakra, they could hunt better than large wolves. With that being said, they were ready to go, and the group hit the road at the pace of the wagons. The roads were not great, they needed some maintenance, but it wasn't so bad as to hinder their progress, so he didn't say anything about it, but he did take a mental note of that. How much had the Leaf neglected the Cloud? No wonder they were still only military allies, and that bothered him. "I give you my word that I will do everything in my power to bring this land back to its former glory." he commented, with a rather serious expression on his face. After a few more hours, they would have completed half the trip, when the man asked for a moment to rest. It was reasonable, after all, they were civilians. Toshi would nod in agreement and then turn to Kizumi. "Feeling hungry yet?" he asked. "You can train a dog with food. You can buy a person with money. But there isn't a man alive that can put down the Will of Fire. Some things will never change. The Will of Fire will never be extinguished" B-Rank Mission First stop [hirana kizumi] [340 words]

[hirana kizumi]

A HEART'S A HEAVY BURDEN

Kizumi pumped her fist, hissing yessss under her breath as Pakkun turned his back and left. Touching paw pads… truly the greatest honor a dog could bestow upon a person. She felt loved. Once she had composed herself, she turned back to Toshi. "Oh, fantastic,” she replied. "That’s amazing, they’ll be a huge help.” She cracked a grin, poking her tongue out from between her teeth. "What d’you need me for, Toshi-sensei?” she joked. "There’s nothing you and a few Ninken can’t handle.” They started off shortly after, and they weren’t walking long before Toshi apparently noted the same roughness to the roads that Kizumi had, and grew suddenly intense. It was… odd, she thought. Toshi was a dear friend, of course, but he was still a foreigner. "May I ask,” she began, her voice softer to encourage privacy even amongst their traveling party, "why do you feel so strongly about helping us recover? The Leaf’s better off than this, obviously, but—wouldn’t your passion be better dedicated to your own village?” Later, they would stop to rest. Kizumi couldn’t tamp down her own feelings of impatience over the break, but she did her best to conceal it regardless, and encouraged the civilians to drink some water. At Toshi’s question she nodded. "Sure, I could eat,” she said. She stamped her feet, rubbing her arm against a sudden brisk, chilly wind, and gave a glance over to the contractors. They were fairly well bundled, but it was still winter. "We shouldn’t stay in one place for too long, though. I don’t want any of them to catch cold, and the sooner we can get them settled for the day, the better.”

Hatake Toshizō -- 282

LAIKA OF THQ

[Hatake Toshizō]

"recovering supply lines". "A man who can't uphold his beliefs is pathetic, dead or alive." HUNTING Toshizou chuckled lightly and shook his head when Kizumi claimed they seemed to have everything handled already. "Don't sell yourself short, Kizumi. You still know the land better than all of us. We are counting on your intel to make sure everything proceeds the best way possible." and with those words, they departed towards their first destination. The roads were pretty rough, and that was not unnoticed by him. "The Land of Lightning is not in a good shape... Maybe we need more joint missions to help rebuild and strengthen it." he thought to himself. He was interrupted from his thoughts when Kizumi spoke to him again. Her tone was soft, a sign that this was supposed to be a private conversation. The man glanced over to her with the corner of his vermillion eyes. "The winds of war are starting to howl, Kizumi. This fake peace of ours will not endure. We can be strong, but alone we won't make it. Our lands need to unite in a real effort, boost our economies, our military and get ready. Right now your people need more our help than we need yours, but this is an everchanging reality. We need you strong in case we falter in the future. Otherwise..." he sighed. "Our enemies will crush us." he admitted, in a rather bitter tone. A while later they stopped to rest; the civillians couldn't keep up with their rhythm, so it was a good opportunity to get some food. "They will be quick, they can smell a pray for miles." he responded, showing he also didn't want to linger in a spot for too long. "Kuchyose no Jutsu!" he exclaimed as he slammed the hand on the ground, and from the poof of smoke, two dogs appeared. Akino had a very small pair of black sunglasses covering his eyes. His fur tan with a singular white strip of fur starting at the top of his head which stretches down to his muzzle. Guruko had tanned colored fur, a white snout, and dark brown droopy ears. His main trait, however was the noticeable prominent whiskers unlike the other Ninken. "We need you to hunt for us. Please be hasty." and with a firm nod, the Ninken dashed away into the wilderness, it wouldn't take them long to come back, Akino with a young deer, and Guruko with a large snow hare. "You can train a dog with food. You can buy a person with money. But there isn't a man alive that can put down the Will of Fire. Some things will never change. The Will of Fire will never be extinguished" B-Rank Mission Summoned Technique: Akino and Guruko. Sent them to hunt. [hirana kizumi] [412 words]

[hirana kizumi]

A HEART'S A HEAVY BURDEN

Kizumi waved off Toshi’s counterpoint with a dismissive hand. She was a decent guide, sure, but she wasn’t an all-in-one walking powerhouse the way Toshi was. Could she have gotten it all done—maybe, sure. She had a bow to hunt with, a map, a steady temperament, survival training. If she didn’t know how to do something, she was usually good for figuring it out along the way. But Toshi was just so—competent. She was lucky to have him as a mentor. Later on, she matched his gaze, making a thoughtful noise as he explained his thought process. War… it seemed so unlikely. Kumogakure wasn’t in conflict with any of the major villages; things were tense with Kirigakure due to their conflict with Konoha, but Kumo themselves weren’t outright in animus with them. Things were more tense with the minor villages, as they were in conflict both with Yuki and Ame, but… did that really mean war? Kizumi wasn’t privy to council meetings, she was just a standard ops jounin, but she knew Toshi had access to more information than she did. If he thought war was on the horizon, it’d be best to take him seriously. She said nothing, however, instead turning inward to ruminate as they traveled. When Toshi sent Akino and Guruko out to hunt, Kizumi turned her attention to the civilians, doling out rations and making sure everyone was drinking water and feeling well. Everyone seemed to be doing okay, with spirits still high, and the prospect of some fresh meat when they arrived at the first settlement seemed to bring morale up even higher. Sure enough, when the ninken returned with a young deer and a large hare, there was noticeable excitement amongst the group. "Fantastic,” she said, and turned to the ninken. "Thank you very much for your help!” The carts were loaded up with supplies that Kizumi didn’t want to contaminate with fur and animal blood, and she didn’t have a scroll large enough to seal a deer inside, so instead she released her javelin from the bracelet around her wrist and set about hog-tying the deer to its length. Once it felt secure, she maneuvered the javelin across her shoulders, and stood up. She had to tie the legs pretty high up to make sure she wouldn’t trip with the mass of the deer’s carcass bouncing against the backs of her knees, given how short she was, but she made it work, and she was more than strong enough to carry the young animal without much effort. The hare, she passed to Toshi. "Okay!” she said brightly. "Hunting done, everyone’s fed and watered for the time being. Let’s finish out the day!”

Hatake Toshizō -- 454

LAIKA OF THQ

[Hatake Toshizō]

"recovering supply lines". "A man who can't uphold his beliefs is pathetic, dead or alive." FOOD AND REST Kizumi took his words in silence, but he knew her well enough to know she was likely pondering about the things he had said, so he left her to her own devices. As they progressed through the mission, and Toshizou sent his Ninken to hunt, Kizumi attended to the civilians, distributing the rations they had in the carts and making sure they were in a good condition and well-hydrated. This was very important, for the whole objective of this mission was based on the work they would be doing, and since she was already taking care of it, there was no point in him helping her out, so instead, he sit down atop of a rock and closed his eyes, while at the same time opening his Kagura Mind's Eye and scanning the area for chakra signatures. With an impressive range of 25 kilometres, Toshizou was quite the capable tracker, and not many people in the world were skilled enough to hide from that special technique. "No treats around here. Good." he thought to himself after a few minutes, opening his eyes and heading towards Kizumi, who was tending to the bounty brought in by the Ninken. She had the deer all over herself and it was a bit funny, and that made him smile and chuckle lightly. "I like your new scarf." he teased her before grabbing the hare. She informed him everything was done and he nodded. "I also scanned the area, no chakra signature other than ours for the next twenty-five kilometres or so. We are making good time." he reported. "I will start a fire so we can relax, and once we are ready to get some shut eye, I will get Bull to take care of the watch. Pakkun, already told him to sleep during the day so he can be up all night." he added. With everyone fed, including themselves, it was time to get some rest, and with the same seals she saw multiple times, he summoned the largest and physically strongest of the Ninken: Bull. "Toshizou-sama, long time no see." he said with a deep voice. "Indeed. Pakkun already briefed you on what you will be doing, correct?" and the dog nodded. With that, no further words were needed. Bull sit atop of the rock Toshizou had previously sit on, and stood there like a temple statue, immovable but aware. "You can train a dog with food. You can buy a person with money. But there isn't a man alive that can put down the Will of Fire. Some things will never change. The Will of Fire will never be extinguished" B-Rank Mission Summoned Bull to take the watch so they could rest [hirana kizumi] [411 words]

[hirana kizumi]

A HEART'S A HEAVY BURDEN

"Thank you,” she replied lightly, stroking the blood-matted fur of the deer about her shoulders. "I’m at the forefront of fashion trends, you know. Give it three months, young bucks will be all the rage.” Back to business, though—again Kizumi was astounded by Toshi’s overwhelming competence. Sensory nin were already impressive to her—that kind of chakra control was beyond her ken—but whatever the hell Toshi had going on seemed even beyond that. Twenty-five kilometers was no small feat. Rather than gushing further, however, she just nodded in appreciation. "Sounds good,” she said brightly. A short while later she had skinned and butchered the deer, and with the help of a couple of the civilians she had put together a fairly decent meal with the fire-roasted meat and some wild herbs she took a moment to gather. Everyone was well-fed, Bull was summoned, and they were able to lay down to rest. Night gathered, and Kizumi lay down as well, thoughts of a looming war troubling her mind even as she drifted off to sleep. She awoke early the next morning—unusual for her, but then, she was always on her best behavior when it was mission time. She busied herself with cleaning up the camp, burying the deer bones and kicking dirt over their fire, as the rest of the camp slowly got up and got ready for the day. "We’ll likely make it by late morning, I think,” she said to Toshi, looking over her map again as they prepared to carry on. "Bull, anything to report?”

Hatake Toshizō -- 257

LAIKA OF THQ

[Hatake Toshizō]

"recovering supply lines". "A man who can't uphold his beliefs is pathetic, dead or alive." THE NEXT DAY After a good night of rest, they were up and ready to get going. Kizumi was already taking care of the camp, but Toshizou doubled down on that, trying to make it seem like they never set camp to begin with. They were not being followed, that was true, but he was overzealous, especially considering the importance of this mission for the betterment of the Land of Lightning, a very important ally to the Land of Fire, and one Toshizou had a more personal attachment to. "Well, let's move on." he said once the place was cleared. Kizumi approached Bull and asked if he had anything to report and the dog pondered for a bit and then shook his head. "It was a peaceful night. I didn't detect anything, but the wind was not blowing on a favourable direction." the dog was also quite serious about his duties, and he didn't want to assure them there was absolutely no trouble when there was a margin for error, albeit a small one. Once his report was done, Bull disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving them behind, so that Toshizou could once again summon Pakkun and send him scouting up ahead. With that being said, they continued towards their next stop, and Toshizou opened his Mind's Eye, and that was when he made a sign for Kizumi to stop. He felt some chakra up ahead, dangerously close to their next stop and that made him glance towards the woman, not wanting to alarm anyone. "So, Kizumi... I feel like the weather won't be as nice down this road. Say... In maybe an hour or so. I feel some harsh winds coming from the northwest." it was a bit vague, but he was hoping she would pick up on that. "Do you know of any unusual weather in these parts?" he asked, and luckily, none of the workers seemed too alarmed by what he was saying. "You can train a dog with food. You can buy a person with money. But there isn't a man alive that can put down the Will of Fire. Some things will never change. The Will of Fire will never be extinguished" B-Rank Mission Sent Pakkun to scout ahead, sensed some chakra 17 km from their current location [hirana kizumi] [341 words]

[hirana kizumi]

A HEART'S A HEAVY BURDEN

Toshi took extra care with the camp cleanup, poring over their site with a studious eye and covering up all the tracks and evidence of life that Kizumi had missed. If it had been truly anyone else going over her work, it might have been a blow to her pride, but with Toshi it simply felt like business as usual; there was no offense intended, no implication of incompetence, just an overabundance of caution, and Kizumi deeply appreciate the care with which Toshi was handling the task at hand. Bull didn’t have anything to report, but she heeded his omen with a solemn nod. Before long, the camp was ready to move out. She paused next to Toshi as he held up his hand, her mouth pursing into a small frown. "The weather?” She glanced up—there was a storm looming on the horizon, lightning ripping through the sky over the mountains to the east, but things were clear enough in their area. "I don’t—oh.” Well, she always had been a little slow to wake up. Thinking back to her mental image of the map, she tried to think of what was northwest of the caravan—Akazaya was the nearest town in that direction, but that was still half a day’s journey ahead of where they were. It wasn’t implausible to think that shinobi stationed in Akazaya would be out scouting, especially considering its strong position on the road to Sancho… but she wasn’t about to dismiss Toshi’s instincts. She wasn’t aware of any nuke-nin in the vicinity either, but then, Chuya-sensei was the one who held the bingo book, not Kizumi. She shook her head, her lips pursing into a small frown. "Clear skies, more or less,” she said, gamely trying to match his vague, metaphorical verbiage. "Storms roll through here and there, but rarely anything, uh…heavy. Could be a, um, light, friendly rain? Could be a bit of thunder. Hard to say.” Did any of that make sense? She felt like she was speaking nonsense. Kizumi huffed a soft laugh, shaking her head, and drew her cloak closer around her shoulders. "How far off? I can go take a look.”

Hatake Toshizō -- 366

LAIKA OF THQ

[Hatake Toshizō]

"recovering supply lines". "A man who can't uphold his beliefs is pathetic, dead or alive." RAIN OR STORM It didn't take Kizumi long to understand what he meant, and once she did she responded in kind, mentioning that they would find clear skies, more or less. She was good at catching up with the metaphor and responding to that in kind and he nodded when she mentioned it could be some friendly rain. "Friendly rain is always refreshing." he commented, but it was too far to determine, and with his Mind's Eye he could only feel chakra, and since they were all but unfamiliar to him, it was impossible to determine their intention. "About seventeen kilometres. Pakkun is on his way, but I told him to be careful, too much water can be bad for a miniature pug." he said in a rather casual tone. The idea of being vague and talking about the weather worked, as none of the people in the caravan seemed to be alarmed by that. Still, if Kizumi wanted to go join Pakkun up ahead, he wouldn't be opposed to it. "But if you do want to check on him, I can stay back. I will be following you too with my sensory from afar. If the weather turns bad, flare up your chakra and I will rush to offer you guys a hand. I will make sure the other ninken keep the caravan company if that's the case." he added, folding his arms in front of his chest. Maybe he was just being paranoid, but Toshizou was always overzealous about anything. And if he had to be honest, he always had a sort of soft spot for the Land of Lightning and the Hidden Cloud Village. If it was up to him, the Leaf and the Cloud would cooperate far more often. He wanted to help bring it back to its former glory, from before the plague. "You can train a dog with food. You can buy a person with money. But there isn't a man alive that can put down the Will of Fire. Some things will never change. The Will of Fire will never be extinguished" B-Rank Mission Continues the path with Pakkun ahead to scout [hirana kizumi] [316 words]

[hirana kizumi]

A HEART'S A HEAVY BURDEN

Seventeen kilometers—far, but not so far that she couldn’t make it there and back within a reasonable timeframe. Pakkun was a capable scout, but she didn’t want to leave the pug to drown, so to speak, if there was an issue. Quick follow-up would be better than waiting for him to come back with a report. "Alright, then, I’ll go,” she said. Cloak secured, javelin in hand—she was prepared for confrontation, but also moving quickly and quietly in Pakkun’s wake. "Settle everyone down for a break, it’s about time for lunch anyway. Shouldn’t be long.” She took off quietly, without much fanfare—she didn’t want to alert the workers to her absence and make anyone anxious. As she booked it the seventeen kilometers, however, her mind wandered back to that insane sensory ability that Toshi was able to do; the idea that he could sense a simple flare of her chakra from that far out seemed unbelievable to her. Her rapid footsteps were light, the sound muffled by the silencing properties of her cloak. Her destination was, in fact, the first stop on their journey: a ramshackle town on the riverbank that had historically acted as both a farming town and a pitstop for shipments moving to and from the capital. It was in dire need of repairs—and, apparently, now populated by a group of more unsavory types. Though she considered the idea, she held back on flaring her chakra for now, and instead quietly slipped up beside where Pakkun was laying flat on his tummy, sort-of hidden within a bush on a hillside overlooking the dilapidated small town. "What’s the verdict?” she asked quietly, laying down flat beside the pug. "Just bandits, or nuke-nin too?”

Hatake Toshizō -- 287

LAIKA OF THQ