[Uchiha Hotaru]

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"Today, we’re setting out to hunt the "Troublesome Trio,” as they are referred to in the Bingo Book,” a prepubescent voice muffled behind a fox mask said standing in front of a chalkboard that had three pictures pinned to it. The boy dressed in ANBU attire stood shorter than any of the operatives he was addressing. Some accused the Uchiha Clan of throwing their weight around to get him into the position, although he’d shown otherwise multiple times already.

"Yamanaka Genkei, Nara Ichika, and Akimichi Botan. They are experienced chunin who’ve been working on the same team together since academy. Their sensei was found dead a month ago and the three of them have been spotted in Forest County. We don’t have any leads as to what their motivations are at this time. We do believe that neutralizing Ichika will be key to stopping their classically trained tactics.”

After he stopped giving details and the others departed the briefing room to prepare their equipment, Ashireiko approached Captain Shinku and bowed.

"I hope that was satisfactory, sir,” he said. The young Uchiha wasn’t used to public speaking, so giving a small briefing had caused him some anxiety. He was still very new to the team and trying to earn his keep.

[Hatake Toshizō]

"shinku & ashireiko". "A man who can't uphold his beliefs is pathetic, dead or alive." DEPARTURE The Troublesome Trio. Those shinobi were a real problem for the village. Being members of the Yamanaka and Akimichi clan, they not only had access to powerful Hijutsu from the Hidden Leaf, but were also members from clans that were known for their generational cooperation and teamwork. Even if they lacked raw power, working together made them a real threat to the village, one that needed to be taken care of as soon as possible. Still, this was a great opportunity to test the mettle of a young, promising member of the black ops, the Uchiha who went by the moniker of Ashireiko. Evidence suggested they were likely behind the death of their sensei, a capable shinobi from the Sarutobi clan. Of all of them, Ichika was by far the most dangerous as she was the brain of this team. This operation needed to be successful, and the man leaning against the wall in the corner of the room, with a demon mask over his face would make sure of it. Shinku remained silent the whole time, letting the young Uchiha lay out the briefing ot their operation and once he was done, the members of the corps started getting ready to depart. At this time, his hair was still pitch black and long, tied in a ponytail. The stress of the job had yet to catch up to him, but he was already a stern man. Finally moving, Shinku grabbed his blade and placed it on his back, adjusting it so it would be easy to draw. Once he was done, he noticed the boy next to him bowing and he nodded to him. "Nicely done, Ashireiko. Clear and straight to the point. Now, let's see if your actions are as good as your words." the man said. His tone was rather neutral, and the mask covered any facial expression, leaving only his scarlet eyes visible through its holes. "We depart immediately. We will spit the group in two, and we will try to sweep the area from both sides. Oumu, you lead through the West, and I will lead through the East." he then turned to the Uchiha boy and another woman whose moniker was Mira. "With me." that said, the man quickly departed, heading towards the Forest Country. With a decent pace, they should make it to the country in a couple days. "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" ANBU Mission ANBU Headquarters [Uchiha Hotaru] [400 words]

[Uchiha Hotaru]

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The boy nodded and pulled an aumber cloak over his body, hiding his form beyond the fox mask that rested on his face. The captain still wanted him nearby, which he understood because untested rookies were best left supervised directly. Beneath the sleeves armbands rested above his wrists filled with senbon needles. In his left hand he held two fans together, one black and one white.

Ashireiko moved alongside Shinku and Mira, able to keep pace while practicing silent killing. He didn’t have any trouble with keeping up as they traveled. He was nervous, this being his first time hunting nukenin. He may have the advantage against the Nara. He understood their signature trick and his projectiles could outpace their shadow. He was unsure about the Akimichi.

Evening fell when they first stopped somewhere on the fringes of Hi no Kuni. A fallen tree in a dense forest had overgrown moss and vine that created something of a makeshift shelter they stood under. No sleep to be had, simply rehydrating and taking soldier pills to keep them fresh. The chunin brought the food pill beneath his mask and nibbled on it. If one listened, they’d hear a gagging noise. He hated the things.

"Why do you think they did it?” Hotaru asked his captain. He knew he should avoid speaking while they traveled, but curiosity got the best of him.

[Hatake Toshizō]

"shinku & ashireiko". "A man who can't uphold his beliefs is pathetic, dead or alive." MOTIVATION The trio continued to move ahead at a fast pace, trying to make good time so they could reach the known location of their targets before the lost their window of opportunity. It should work out well, the boy did a good job with the assessment of this mission, and he was living up to the responsibility of his role despite his young age. Shinku, even at this point, was very seasoned in the matter of hunting nukenin, and he was usually assigned this type of missions. They progressed well until evening fell and they decided to stop on the fringes of the Land of Fire, by a fallen tree they could use for shelter. Shinku ate one of his food pills and sit, leaning against a tree, holding his sword in between his arms. The silence of the night was finally broken when the young Uchiha boy asked him a question. The captain turned to face the boy, his scarlet eyes locked on him as he remained silent for a few more seconds before exhaling sharply and gazing away. "The reason shouldn't matter. We are members of the ANBU, and all we need to concern ourselves is with the completion of our mission." he started, with a cold tone in his voice. But after a short pause, he continued. "Personally, I believe they were dissatisfied with something with the village, and that lead to a disagreement with their sensei, which escalated. Now, they could've been running because it blew out of proportion and they didn't want to take responsibility for it, or that was just the first step into leaving their home behind." he said, shaking his head. The man grabbed a bottle of water and drank a bit before continuing. "There are many reasons people leave the village. Most of them deserve to be eliminated immediately. However, I like to know their motivations as well. Some can be saved, some can be compromised with. All for the sake of our village in the end." he added, making it clear where he stood on the matter. "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" ANBU Mission Camping in the woods [Uchiha Hotaru] [351 words]

[Uchiha Hotaru]

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[attr="class","tearText13"]Hotaru nodded as he listened to his sensei’s words. The chunin responded, "Of course, sensei. That makes sense. I’ll leave those things to you, I’m not sure I’m ready to make those kinds of decisions yet.”

At this point in his life he’d already fallen out of love with being a shinobi. Aside from being without a sharingan, he had surpassed his father’s expectations, but being forced to take a life in the exams had left him questioning. The Captain’s response gave him the idea that it might arouse suspicion about his loyalty if he took too much curiosity.

"I know of Botan, he’s very brash but a lot of the chunin say he is one of the strongest taijutsu users in our grade,” he said. "Going toe to toe with him might be difficult for some jounin. I was thinking that he might be an easy target to pick off with poison, because of how large he tends to make himself. I just hope I have enough paralyzing poison to put him down. Unless you think I should try to target one of the others? I know that the Nara is usually the centerpiece of the strategy they use."

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[Hatake Toshizō]

"shinku & ashireiko". "A man who can't uphold his beliefs is pathetic, dead or alive." FIRST TARGET Shinku nodded; it was far too soon for the boy to be burdened with the weight of such choices. When you bring death to a person, there's no way to revert it, there's no way to make up for it. It's final, and that will mark you forever. There was a weight for those who swung the sword, but that weight was heavier on those who had to make the decision and swing the blade at the same time. "Indeed." his voice was cold and emotionless as it usually was when he was out on missions. Ashireiko mentioned that he knew the Akimichi, and that he was quite capable with taijutsu, to the point he could fight jounins on even grounds. The boy suggested poison, and Shinku nodded. "That's a good strategy." he said. "I agree that he should be taken care of first, he could be problematic if guided by the Nara and the Yamanaka. I will distract him, engaging him in direct combat, and you will use that opportunity to poison him. Mira." he paused, looking at the masked woman who was the third member of their squad. "Stay put and aid Ashireiko if Botan notices you. I'm counting on your barrier technique to keep both of you safe." he said and she nodded. "Roger that." Mira responded. "If we can ambush him alone, let's try to extract information from him. Especially their motivation." he added. "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" ANBY Mission Discussing strategy [Uchiha Hotaru] [241 words]