[Kyokujitsu Asahi]

{

}

The harsh desert landscape slowly gave way to grassy and even forested areas as the young man skirted the border of Wind and River Country. He had been given missions before, even these types of missions before, but the particulars made this one unique. In an effort to continue fostering relationships between villages Asahi had been tasked with working with a couple shinobi from Konoha to eliminate a group of bandits who were harassing travelers crossing the borders of Wind and Fire Country by way of River Country, and probably that convoluted fact alone is why Suna even got involved. No matter, Asahi hadn't gotten out of the country in a while and even though he wasn't going to get a chance to visit Konoha proper spending some time in a place that wasn't deathly hot would be a nice change of pace.

The missive had given them instructions to meet at a border town in the southwest of Fire Country and then start their investigation from there. It was the closest habitable spot to the border crossing which made it a perfect spot to meet up at and get their plans together before heading out. A few more hours of walking would see Asahi reaching his destination: a small town filled with travelers from all over either settling in or preparing for their next journey and after a bit of searching the chunin located the small tavern that was the designated meeting spot. He knew the names of the two genin he'd be leading on the mission but not much else. A part of him hoped that they'd be easy to get along with as Asahi had more than his hands full back in Suna with Zakku and Ayukawa, though perhaps seeing that other villages had rambunctious shinobi would offer a bit of solace.

The chunin himself would be pretty simple to spot as he was dressed in his usual village garb complete with the sun shielding wrap/drape on his head though it did feel a bit unnecessary away from the blazing sun of Wind Country.

Hatake Shinde Uchiha Miroru

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Uchiha Miroru]

Uchiha Miroru

Konohagakure No Sato

Genin

Kyokujitsu Asahi Hatake Shinde | 275 | notes

Uchiha-san:
We hope we don't need to remind you not to be indiscrete.
But we're going to anyway.
You are working with a shinobi from an allied village.
This does not mean they are privy to the secrets of our village.
You are more than capable of completing a bandit purge without relying on anything which would compromise the security of your position or the village as a whole.
Work hard, do well, and be on your best behavior.
Good luck.

Miroru sighed and tossed the assignment into her fireplace before she left home to journey to the designated meeting place at the border town. She wasn't traveling alone- she NEVER traveled alone, really- and today she was en route with the Hatake clan heir.

Shinde.

My, aren't you sullen today.

Lemme alone.

She's going to notice.

Let her notice!

Aren't you going to lecture her~?

No! Be quiet!

Surely you think she deserves a dressing down after what she did~

It doesn't matter! That's not my job! Why would she listen to me?

Externally, she was far quieter than she usually was. Where she was normally vocal and engaging, today, she was just... silent. Withdrawn. Offering monosyllabic responses to the girl. She was pretty reserved, and it showed.

Eventually, they arrived at the border town, and it was easy work to spot the Sunagakure nin waiting for them, leading Miroru to lift a hand and wave happily in his direction as they approached!

"Just don't give up on me! We can figure this out!"

Template by: Monkey

MISSIONS
D - 0 | C - 9c/3i | B - 0 | A - 0 | S - 0

[Hatake Shinde]

It was a wild thought as they made their way towards the land of wind. It was becoming more hot. Far more than what she was used to, and as she made her way, she didn't really know what exactly what turmoil was going on. As they made their way to the border, the grey haired girl made herself fully and well equipped for their mission. It wasn't hard to get to the border of fire and wind country, and in truth, it felt strange to not travel with Miroru. Though if she wanted to be alone? Who was she to complain? "...Bandits again eh?" Shinde knew never to underestimate anyone. Frankly. She knew that even a bandit could be dangerous. All it took was a well placed arrow, or a single slip up to be sliced apart. That was why they were trained.

They were soldiers. Shinobi. Making herself known, she looked at Miroru wave in the distance, before slowly approaching, shifting the blade along her waist, before giving a polite bow. Along her shoulders was a grey linen cloak that wrapped along her body, her headband firmly wrapped around her head. "We're sorry for keeping you waiting. Kyokujitsu-San." Bowing her head politely, she spoke regally and gracefully as she could. Giving a side glance to Miroru for a moment. "I would presume as this bandit issue is closer to your area, and as you're the highest rank amongst us, you'd take command." That said? She'd stand straight, then address herself.

"I am Hatake Shinde. I have skills in both close to long range combat, and am a capable tracker. I'm pleased to meet you. Please guide me well." Pleased with the prospect of helping, she felt awkward about the whole situation. It was the first time she was out doing a real mission with complete strangers, as well as a fellow Kunoichi her age. Her previous missions having been done with Shigure and her father.

[Kyokujitsu Asahi]

{

}

As two figures would approach Asahi would turn his attention to the two young women who called him by name and it was then that he knew these would be his mission partners. They were young, probably genin, but didn't look to be fresh out of the academy which was a blessing. The silver haired one would introduce herself as Hatake Shinde which meant that the more quiet of the two was Uchiha Miroru. She looked a little sad, hopefully it was just a case of the nerves and nothing that would become an issue down the line.

"A pleasure to meet you two as well but no need for all the honorifics, you can just call me Asahi. Let's get moving so we can put those skills to use, shall we?" Asahi replied as he began to lead the group out of the tavern and towards their destination which was the three country border between Fire, Storm, and River country. The bridges that ran across them were extremely valuable as they facilitated travel between multiple countries and were also the easiest route from Wind Country to Fire Country which explained why Suna was more than willing to send shinobi out to help. With so much traffic, both casual and merchant, running through the area it was ripe for bandit activity and there was no shortage of people looking to make a quick buck pilfering some unsuspecting merchants of their wares.

"You mentioned tracking earlier Shinde, is that through sensory techniques? And what about you, Miroru, anything we should know strategy wise?" It would be cool to come across someone else who was a sensor as Asahi didn't know very many back in Suna, and while he was genuinely interested in the answer part of his questioning was to try and get the red head locked in for the mission ahead.

Uchiha Miroru Hatake Shinde

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Uchiha Miroru]

Uchiha Miroru

Konohagakure No Sato

Genin

Hatake Shinde Kyokujitsu Asahi | 212 | notes

Miroru sure wasn't expecting to be leading their little group herself, so she simply nodded as Shinde assumed they'd be taking their lead from Kyokujitsu-san, She added, "We're in your care," to the end of Shinde's introduction, bowing politely as well.

"Asahi, it is. I'm Uchiha Miroru, and Miroru's just fine for me, too." She followed their Chuunin guest leader (or were they the guests, technically? Hm. It bore consideration- but later!) off towards the border intersection. "Well, that's the thing. I do a bit of everything. I know lots of ninjutsu, I've got some taijutsu and bukijutsu under my hat, a bit of genjutsu, I can summon- pretty much, I'm great at filling gaps in team duties. If we need more front-line action, I've got you covered; if not, I can hang back and offer firepower and interference at ranged; whatever the team requires, I've got it handled!"

She patted her chest proudly, then tilted her head as they traveled. "What can we expect from you, Asahi? Anything we should know to work well with your personal talents and style?"

"Just don't give up on me! We can figure this out!"

Template by: Monkey

MISSIONS
D - 0 | C - 9c/3i | B - 0 | A - 0 | S - 0

[Hatake Shinde]

The man was down to get to business. She could respect that. "Alright Asahi. I can summon ninja dogs. They're well versed in tracking, so long as we have something to work off of." Thinking about the location in question, the border between three countries and a vital lane of trade? "I can also make clones that can relay us information as well, and act as an advance scout." With the general introduction and Miroru's own skill set? The Hatake girl seemed to take a bit into consideration on the affair. "It seems that out of all of us?" Of course, not knowing that Asahi here was a sensor. After all. It was a rare ability. One her father had, and she did not.

"I'm the best tracker I'd imagine. If that's the case. Maybe I should be the rear or center. I can relay us information if I find anything. Miroru, I know you're quite skilled with that staff of yours, so you might be more ideal as the vanguard. Frontline?" She threw in her two sense. They'd have time to work out everything as they made their way towards their target. It seemed pretty simple overall. Not that Shinde couldn't handle herself in the front. Her sword skills weren't just for show after all. Though, she did find herself reserving judgement. She wasn't the team leader after all. Asahi was. Following after the group, she found herself musing about how much she'd grown in such a seemingly short amount of time.

[Kyokujitsu Asahi]

{

}

Well these genin were certainly filled with surprises and Asahi wished he could have been able to list off all the abilities that Shinde and Miroru did. Hell, he may not have been able to do that even now, and did he hear mention of Shinde having access to clones correctly? What were they feeding the kids in Konoha so that they had the acumen and stamina to utilize shadow clones? Just thinking about how taxing it was to create a single clone made the chunin break a sweat and here these kids were using them for scouting tactics. That said, it was definitely a boon to know what each of them brought to the table to make planning simpler.

"I'd say you two probably could have completed this mission by yourselves with all that talent." Asahi joked. "As for me I utilize Scorch style as well as fuinjutsu so being up close works a little better, but I also have sensory techniques to help keep track of what's around us." He replied before shifting his thoughts to what would be best for their formation. Shinde's suggestion of Miroru leading the front because of her skills with weapons was sound but Asahi would have preferred not keeping one of the genin under his care too far ahead. Still, they had enough tracking acumen to keep tabs on what was around them so shifting for support wouldn't be a problem.

"We can roll with that idea for now, Miroru leading and you guarding the rear, Shinde. We can shift as needed for support so try not to let too much space get between us." With that settled they'd now be able to get to the mission itself. "The bridge in question is large enough for multiple horse driven carts to pass at a time so it's importance goes without saying and with the volume of traffic and high value goods that cross these borders the bandit groups are said to be sizable and even possibly on horseback so prepare for spearman and maybe even archers. There weren't any reports of shinobi being involved but these guys have caused trouble for multiple villages so we need to take care of them completely and with as little damage to the bridge as possible."

The trio, even with access to clones and summons, would probably still be outnumbered and to be completely honest Asahi would have preferred as few bodies to keep track of as possible in this kind of engagement. "We've still got a bit of a walk before we arrive, if you have any questions now is the time to ask them."


Hatake Shinde Uchiha Miroru

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Uchiha Miroru]

Uchiha Miroru

Konohagakure No Sato

Genin

Hatake Shinde Kyokujitsu Asahi | 236 | notes

Miroru managed- barely- not to sniff derisively on behalf of the Fox clan when Shinde mentioned summoning the ninken. Sure, they had sharp noses, but they weren't nearly as cute as Miroru's adoptive fox family. She also managed to keep herself from bragging about clones herself. Shinde deserved to brag about her abilities without getting sniped and overshadowed, something Miroru was very sensitive to avoiding, thanks to the unfair advantage sleeping in her chest. "Mhm! I can totally handle the front line. I got lots of tricks to keep myself moving up front!"

The redhead widened her eyes in surprise and asked eagerly, "Scorch style? What's Scorch style? That sounds really cool! I've got lightning, but it's just normal ol' Raiton."

Inside, the old fox snorted.

Still selling yourself short, child? You're either clever, or deluded as to your own power. I wonder which it is.

It took Miroru a moment, a brief grimace, to push down that reply and continue. "I always liked the idea of developing sensory techniques. I'm garbage at chakra control, though. I can barely handle Shape Transformation."

She shook her head at the prompt for questions. "Nope, I'm pretty much ready to go! Time to dodge arrows and knock jerks off horses!"

"Just don't give up on me! We can figure this out!"

Template by: Monkey

MISSIONS
D - 0 | C - 9c/3i | B - 0 | A - 0 | S - 0

[Hatake Shinde]

Honestly. This was a wonderful little group that they gathered together thus far. "Then it's settled." Everyone seemed to agree with their roles, and with it, Shinde would act as their rear and support, including from long range. Which worked well with her. Miroru would lead the front line. Asahi in the middle. They had strengths and talents to play up together, and soon, they were on the travel. "Hrm...The last question I suppose we have is. What's the policy on prisoners?..." Shinde wasn't the most desperate to get kills, so she wasn't sure if there was any policy Asahi had in terms of imprisonment. Or if they'd have to ensure that nobody was walking away from this with their lives intact. Resting her hands by her side, it was a bit of a dark thought. 

She'd have asked about the Scorched Release, but luckily, there was no need to broach the question. Miroru ultimately would do so for her, allowing for her to listen in. Though she did know generally about Kekkei Genkai. Rare and unique genetic abilities that came from family to family. Clan to clan. 

"In the meantime. I want to let you know, that I'm glad that we're on the same side. That we have this opportunity to grow alongside one another and help each other out. It's my first time working with someone from outside of the village, and it's the first time I've traveled so far. So I want to know. What's it like in Suna?"

[Kyokujitsu Asahi]

{

}

It didn't dawn on him until Miroru had asked that Asahi was around those who weren't familiar with his family or their abilities. He was used to being with at least one person with knowledge of Shakuton either because they had seen it or were just knowledgeable of the Kyokujitsu in general but that wasn't the case today. "Ah, sorry, it's an ability passed down through my family. I guess the easiest way to explain it is super heated jutsu that excel in evaporating all moisture, living or otherwise." He replied. Explaining his abilities had always been awkward considering how gruesome the outcome sounded but there was little room to beat around the bush when it came to Shakuton.

"Everybody's got their strengths and areas of improvement. The only reason I started learning about sensory stuff was because of how much training I had to do to utilize what chakra I had. Same with fuinjutsu." The chunin hadn't been blessed with large chakra reserves so every technique he used had to be that much more precise.

With the trio making their way towards the bridge Shinde would bring up an interesting question about captives. The closest place to drop anyone off was the border town they had just left but if the reports of these bandits having large numbers and being on horseback were true then it would just be a huge pain in the ass to round them up and travel back. "I'm not planning on there being any." Asahi replied plainly. "These guys have caused problems for multiple countries and our villages want them taken care of, so the goal is to do just that. Mission aside, you two are my priority so I'm going to do what's necessary to ensure you both make it back to Konoha." If there was a more joyous way to say that only three people would be walking away from this Asahi didn't know it and while there was the overarching niceties of villages working together and strengthening their bonds they were shinobi first and death was a large part of their way of life.

On a brighter note, the silver haired girl had begun to express her happiness with being able to work with an ally of the village but was also curious as to what life was like in Suna. "Glad to hear it, I'm excited for the opportunity as well. I was teamed up with someone from Konoha during my chunin exams but that's my only time working with someone outside of Suna. As for what it's like living there? Really really hot, it's like the sun is always right in your face, but the nights get chilly which is crazy. Other than that it's like any other desert, a bunch of sand in every direction though there are a couple oasis that we visit to get a break from the heat."

Asahi had conveniently left out the part about the rabid jackals that also called the village home named Zakku, Ayukawa and, er, he wouldn't even think the last name because she'd probably know. She always knew.

------

In time the trio would be able to see the bridge coming up in the distance, its size living up to the information given in the mission details and it was truly an engineering marvel while being clear to see why the villages were so keen on keeping it bandit free. It sat across a wide gap overlooking a rushing river many, many feet below with plenty of greenery and trees on either side and rolling hills on the far side of the bridge. Where there should have been plenty of cart and foot traffic it was virtually empty, a result of the increased bandit activity no doubt. "Looks like we're here. Doesn't seem to be any activity so take this time to scout around. Large number of tracks or footprints, anything like that. If we can figure out where these bandits are coming from we'll have a better idea of where to set our defenses."

Fighting and loosing fancy jutsu may have been the best part of being a shinobi, but investigation and tracking where essential skills as well.

Uchiha Miroru Hatake Shinde

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Uchiha Miroru]

Uchiha Miroru

Konohagakure No Sato

Genin

Kyokujitsu Asahi Hatake Shinde | 444 | notes

"Well, if they have any prisoners, I figure we should probably get them ho- ohhhhh, you meant like. About US taking prisoners. Yeah, that's- that's a much more reasonable question..." Miroru coughed to clear her throat and hide her embarrassment at the misunderstanding. She also added a thumbs up to Shinde's gratitude for his presence and cooperation!

"Ahhhh." Miroru's face fell a bit. "Yeah, family abilities are... they're cool. I, uh." She glanced away. "Didn't get mine. But. Y'know. That's okay! I'm proving I'm awesome in other ways." She nodded firmly. More convincing herself than anyone else.

"Aw, nice! I've got the opposite problem. I've got a lot of it, and it makes precision stuff like sensing other people or medical treatments impossible. You can't water paint with a garden hose, you know?" Miroru sympathized from the other side of the coin.

"Yeah, like... here's the thing, Shinde," Miroru offered. "When it comes to jobs like this, you gotta make a real nuisance of yourself to get a village contract set out on you. So we're not talking some down on their luck muggers who skim lunch money off travelers now and then. That's not a village-level contract. This is a coordinated band of thieves who have used violence to hurt people, probably kill people, and take what's not theirs. They've made the choice to use their lives making everybody else's lives worse. There's a point where it's reasonable to expect someone to surrender and improve their lives."

She grimaced to herself. Remembered the sight of Azarea's flesh cooking because a bandit had managed to trick Miroru herself with a genjutsu. Remembered the SMELL. It took her a moment to shove the thought aside.

"By the time we hit the scene, that point is usually well and truly passed."

Miroru nodded to Asahi, and looked to Shinde. "Want to call in some dogs to search this side of the river? I can take a look on the other side." She put her hands together and stated simply, "Be right back!" before executing a few hand seals in very rapid pace- and exploding into smoke, clearing to show a small swift, a native bird with a high flight speed. Chirping, Miroru took flight and whipped across the river to the trees on the other side, hopping around on the branch and generally making like a simple bird before flitting to a new location, making a cautious circuit before coming back to report.

"Just don't give up on me! We can figure this out!"

Template by: Monkey

MISSIONS
D - 0 | C - 9c/3i | B - 0 | A - 0 | S - 0

[Hatake Shinde]

The following words made a lot more sense than what Iruhi would have liked. That there wouldn't be any. "Understood." She had already steeled herself for the possibility, though she really hoped that there wouldn't be any that begged. She hated it when they begged. She remembered when she first went out with Shigure. How when she beat one with her Jitte, they screamed and cried so hard. Raised their arms over their head before she brought it down. It was nasty. It was gross. Her eyes looked to the floor momentarily as she listened to Miroru speak next.

"You don't need to be born with something to be awesome. It doesn't make you that. It takes you being awesome to be awesome. And Miroru? You are." Cheering her up, she found herself stopping. When listening to the explanations. She found herself nodding her head, and as they walked? She found herself slowly speaking quietly as they moved forward. "I just hate it when they beg me." Who wouldn't? A man lying down on his back, begging and crying for his life. That they'd change. Be better. Do better. Before you watch that life fade out of their eyes. Knowing you caused that to an extent. She knew it needed to be done, and she could sleep at night knowing she did the right thing. That in particular just didn't feel good.

Shinde tilted her head, before she looked out to the tracks, or rather, lack thereof as she look in the scenery. "...Summon some dogs huh? Well. I suppose it couldn't hurt." Taking her thumb's tip into her mouth, she bites it in just the right way to get the slightest bit of blood to spurt from the tip, before she performs a few handseals. Crouching, she slams her palm onto the ground. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu." She calls out coolly, and with it, as she feels the exertion of chakra, there resting along the ground is a very tired, somewhat exasperated looking pug. "...Seems like we've got some work to do. I didn't think you'd be calling me so soon Shinde." To where she slowly rises and shrugs her shoulders.

"What can I say? You're the best at what you do Pakkun. I'm looking for the scent of other people. A lot of people. If you could guide us in a direction. I'd appreciate it."

SPOILER: Click to show

Pakkun Information

NAME: Kuchiyose no Jutsu [Summoning Technique]
RANK: C
CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low - Very High depending on summon.
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu [General]
ELEMENT: None
HANDSEALS: 5
DESCRIPTION:
One of the most common and beneficial techniques in the known shinobi world. Simply drawing blood and releasing a mass of chakra from one's extended hand is capable of calling an animal or otherwise to one's location. As a Space-Time Ninjutsu, this technique is capable of instantly displacing an intended summon from wherever they may be to the requested location, though there are obstacles that can prevent this. To use this jutsu, one must first make a contract with whatever they are summoning, living creature or not. Both the size and the stamina of what a shinobi calls upon increases the demand of chakra they must spend to perform the jutsu.

[Kyokujitsu Asahi]

{

}

Genetics and chakra were always a tricky mixture and sometimes no matter the lineage the abilities that could result sometimes just skipped right over a person as it seemed that was the case for Miroru. Asahi wasn't all that familiar with the Uchiha other than that they were a well known clan and had some crazy eye stuff but it sounded like any other clan with abilities where simply being born into it didn't always guarantee them. The chunin's situation had been reversed in that neither of his parents were able to use Shakuton but the boy had been blessed by Amaterasu herself.

The two genin were understanding in their own unique ways about the expected end result of their mission. Shinde almost seemed sullen while Miroru did her best to explain the gravitas of the situation and why it demanded such a response from the team. Truth be told Asahi couldn't tell if the world salad was her way of trying to cope with the decision or if she just talked that much and it kinda reminded the Suna-nin of Ayukawa; perhaps not as bubbly but there was definitely a motor on the girl. In truth there was no "right" way to feel about taking a life and it wouldn't have been wrong to say that sometimes shinobi were disconnected from it because their abilities allowed for less physical interaction. Asahi never felt when a shakuton orb drained all the moisture from a person and evaporated them from the inside out, he could see it, but never felt it and in a weird way that helped him get over such things.

With their arrival at the bridge and instructions given the boy would watch as Miroru transformed herself into a small bird and flew off to scout the area, while Shinde would summon a small mutt that... could speak? Well that was new. "Any help would be appreciated, even just a general direction and an estimate of numbers." Asahi would speak to the small dog. With the reported numbers priority would be catching them by surprise and dwindling their numbers as quickly as possible and between the three of them they had the skills to do so but quite a bit hinged on knowing where they would be coming from.

Uchiha Miroru Hatake Shinde

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Uchiha Miroru]

Uchiha Miroru

Konohagakure No Sato

Genin

Hatake Shinde Kyokujitsu Asahi | 244 | notes

From Miroru's perspective, things were at once clearer and less focused. The bird's eyes were sharp, but set on opposite sides of its narrow skull, meaning her vision was wide, but less suited to locking onto small details. That was okay. She moved fast, swirling through the trees, banking from branch to branch, hopping a little to give the impression of being less than focused on any one thing, then moved on- and abruptly found herself winging into a clearing.

Cutting her path and pivoting back into the trees was both a smart move and exactly what a bird surprised by unfamiliar presence would do. She lit on a branch and cocked her head, studying rapidly. Four. Three. Five? A dozen. Weapons, none too high quality but all servicably dangerous. She took note, then swung back the way she came, returning to the others before long.

Well under cover, she released her jutsu and shared what she'd seen. "Found their encampment, or at least one. There's a dozen bandits tucked a couple dozen meters off the main path, over there. At LEAST a dozen, anyway. I'm confident, but possible one or two might be patrolling or not in camp over there." She looked to the others. "Anything to worry about on this side?"

"Just don't give up on me! We can figure this out!"

Template by: Monkey

MISSIONS
D - 0 | C - 9c/3i | B - 0 | A - 0 | S - 0

[Hatake Shinde]

Pakkun came to investigate, sniffing the air and the ground, seeking for tracks or the scents of others. "Not that hard to find. I can smell it. They must be cooking lunch right about now." Smelling the air, Miroru would come back to mention there was a dozen or so men, bandits presumably a dozen meters off the main path. Pakkun would proceed to turn the opposite direction before the bridge passing. "There's some on our half too." Shinde tilted her head, as she nursed her somewhat bleeding thumb, before then nodding her head. "Any idea how many?" To which then after a few more sniffs, and a deeper one with an exhale. Pakkun calls forth.

"Maybe about the same as what the redhead said."

It made sense. Wait for a wagon to pass or meet along the middle of the bridge? Enter a pincer on either side. Intimidate and take, or kill if need be. A solid tactic. However, it was in those next moments that Shinde proceeded to take a deep breath. "Thank you Pakkun. If you could stay on standby, I'd appreciate it. Just in case any of them run." Clapping her hands in a bow, she looks towards both Asahi and Miroru in the next few moments, and with it, she rests her hands by her side. "We're going to need to tackle them on both ends. If possible?...I'd like for you to let me tackle the camp on this side, and I'd like for you two to tackle the camp on the opposite. If you'd allow. I'll have my clones. After all." Perhaps Shinde was overstepping boundaries here, but she felt confident in her skills.

"We need to hit both groups at the same time after all." A semi selfish and bold request, she found herself waiting for feedback from the other two.