[Hatake Shinde]

It was a bit of a contrast compared to when she invited Shigure to the marathon in which they trained. Because now, it seemed as if he invited her to her second ever mission. To be honest, she was hesitant at accepting at first, but she had come to reconsider. Their mission after all seemed to be a simple one, and it was one that she could put some of her training and skills to use. It sounded simple. Protect the caravans that transported timber to the coast, the caravans of timber of which were attacked by bandits, or some form of criminals at the least. Iruhi checked all of her equipment once over, and then twice, to make sure she felt confident she was ready. The young Konoha genin tied her headband firmly back against her head then as she thought about it.

She felt there was little risk comparatively. After all, Shigure had the Byakugan, which meant there would be no sneaking up on them. The young Iruhi also felt as if she wasn't so terrible that she couldn't defend herself from those that wished her harm. "Thank you for taking me out Shigure-San." She called out cheerfully, as they followed the wagon along its route. Iruhi was content with hopping from treetop to treetop, taking long leaping strides, entering crouch as she kept eye out on the road ahead. She didn't of course expect anything to strike immediately after leaving the village walls, but still. It was good to be diligent, and Iruhi was a diligent girl. "I really appreciate the chance to do well on a mission, and make my papa proud."

Her blue eyes radiated a small amount of kind, cheerful light from them as they made their way through the forests they called home. "I was wondering...Why did you want to bring me along though?" After all, Shigure seemed to be the kind of guy who could definitely take care of himself, especially considering the fact that he was a Chunin now. Iruhi on the other hand was still growing, and she was legitimately wondering why he might have wanted her as a tagalong out of all people. 

[Hyūga Shigure]

"resource gathering". "No matter how many people you may lose, you have no choice but to go on living." KOHAI Yet another mission, and Shigure couldn't really have enough of them. With everything that had been happening, especially during and after the Chuunin Exams, the Hidden Leaf Village definitely needed people to work as hard as they could. The young man was barely having free time to rest, let alone cook. In between his missions, academy work, training in the barrier corps and his regular training, he felt like time was flying by, but he was satisfied. His confidence has increased substantially and he was becoming more hopeful of a bright future, despite the current darkness that was lurking around his beloved country. This was supposed to be a not particularly dangerous mission, and knowing that Iruhi had only taken one mission thus far, and accompanied by Toshizou of all people, he felt like it was a good opportunity to get the girl to experience a more hands on experience with her shinobi life, while making sure she would be safe, for they were not expected to run into any shinobi during this mission. The duo were supposed to make sure oak was delivered to the port city, but the roads were becoming increasingly more dangerous, and bandits have been harassing the shipment. Their goal was to make sure the oak was safely delivered, and that the bandits were taken care of. That was why it was perfect that he was a Hyuuga, with his Byakugan making him a quite capable tracker, and his training with the interception team helping him develop the ability to properly and swiftly engage in combat and take care of a situation. It was yet another good opportunity to test himself and improve. At the early hours of the morning, he met up with Iruhi by the gates of the village and he greeted her with a wave and a friendly smile. "Iruhi-chan, good to see ya again!" he said, chuckling lightly. The girl seemed eager to prove herself and make her father proud, a feeling Shigure could in a way relate to, with the difference being that he never really made Urashi proud. "I'm sure you will do well. And I will be there to make sure everything works out fine." he reassured her. With that being said, he left the village, being followed by the young Hatake heiress. As they made their way to the rendezvous point, she asked him why he chose her. Shigure glanced back towards her with a kind smile on his face. "You could use a mission to test yourself, and I want to give you such an opportunity. I know how important it is to feel like we can actually do it, and it's my job as an instructor to help our my kohai." he said with a firm nod. "So what if it seems hopeless? If it were me, I still wouldn't give up. Embrace your dreams. And, whatever happens, protect your honour as a Shinobi, for the price of freedom is steep." C-Rank Mission On the way to the rendezvous point [Hatake Shinde] [467 words]

[Hatake Shinde]

"It's nice to see you too~ I suppose I need to thank you then Sen-pai!"" Traveling with Shigure seemed simple, and she followed closely behind Shigure in question. "Do you find it strange that bandits are raiding for wood of all things?" It seemed strange to her for bandits to go after such a thing in her mind. She wondered what they did with the timber. Sold it to the very same port? She wondered if perhaps these bandits were perhaps hired and under employ of rival shipping companies. She would confess. She was excited. For this would be the fkrst time she would ever see the coast. The ocean. She heard it was salty, and vibrantly beautiful. Child like wonder was real. As she leaped from tree to tree, she grasp a branch, flipping onto it as she leaped forward another time. Thunk. Thunk. Thunk. The scenery began to feel very much the same. 

She came to realize that despite their training, even a bandit could be fairly dangerous. Especially in numbers. All it took was a lucky shot from a bow. All it took was a single lucky strike. The young Iruhi kept mainly quiet on the mission. She couldn't think of any good small talk topics at the moment. Maybe she was lacking questions, or maybe she was too invested into the mission.

[Hyūga Shigure]

"resource gathering". "No matter how many people you may lose, you have no choice but to go on living." TRAILS Her enthusiasm was welcomed, and Shigure was happy about that. As they continued their path through the woods of the Land of Fire, they continued to talk about the mission. "It can be for a plethora of different reasons. On a mission not too long ago we liberated a town from some bandits, and they had built watch towers nearby. They could be very well be stealing in order to build something, oak is an expensive, coveted timber. They could also be selling it to a foreign nation for a better price. We can't know for sure until we find them, but no matter their reasoning, we need to put a stop to it." he explained, trying to imagine different motivations for those bandits to be risking the ire of the Hidden Leaf Village and their due retribution. As they progressed deeper into the forest of their home country, the veins on the side of Shigure's face bulged with the activation of his Byakugan, which now had the range of two kilometres. Shigure quickly analysed the environment, for they were supposed to find the merchants on their way to the east, and although he hadn't seen them even with his Doujutsu, he found some tracks to the northeast, starting near the limits of his range. With his infrared vision, he could more easily spot the trail, and it seemed fairly recent. "I think I found our clients. One thousand, nine hundred and sixty two metres to the northeast of here, I found some heat markings on the ground that look like footprints. Near them I saw some wheel trails as well, so they must be going that way. Let's increase our speed and try to catch, alright, Iruhi-chan?" he warned her before he increased his pace. Not to the point he had displayed during the marathon, but fast enough so that the girl would have to make an effort to keep up with him. "So what if it seems hopeless? If it were me, I still wouldn't give up. Embrace your dreams. And, whatever happens, protect your honour as a Shinobi, for the price of freedom is steep." C-Rank Mission Picking up a trail [Hatake Shinde] [326 words]

[Hatake Shinde]

A town taken over by bandits? That sounded like something she never considered before. She traveled swiftly to keep up with Shigure, as best as she could. However, she found herself curious on something. "H-How are you able to judge the distance so well? Also, you can see that far away? Your Byakugan is crazy..." She knew they could see things she couldn't, but she never knew they could see that far. Now Iruhi could see why some might say the Hyuuga Clan was the strongest in the Leaf. She made leap after leap, and as she continued their path, she spring boarded from branch to branch. She paused then.

"I've never fought bandits before...or really anyone seriously before. What was your first time like?" She imagined archers, and men with swords, and clubs, and gruff appearances. She imagined those scary sorts of thugs you might see in movies in the theater, or the gruff thugs that you might have imagined from stories. "Rather...Do you think I should be worried at all?" She'd come to terms that she'd never actually killed anyone before, now that she thought of it, and she'd come to question what that might be like. Hell, she never thought about how her jutsu might actually work on someone. For some reason, this seemed to bother her. Disturb her to an extent. After all, she didn't exactly relish in the idea of ending someone.

Something to think about she supposed on the trip. All the while, she moved faster, and faster, to keep up with Shigure's pace.

[Hyūga Shigure]

"resource gathering". "No matter how many people you may lose, you have no choice but to go on living." BURDEN OF TAKING A LIFE Iruhi asked him how could Shigure judge distance so well and he responded without looking at her, for he could see her anyways. "The Byakugan allows me to scope into any direction within my range, which is currently two kilometres. But honestly? My Byakugan is far from fully mature. My father has a range of ten kilometres, for example." he added. Of course he wasn't going to delve into deeper details, but as shinobi from the same village, it was important for her to be at least mildly aware of what he was capable of, so that their cooperation and teamwork would be better. The subject then went from the Byakugan to the bandits they were going to face, and since this was her first time, she reasonably wanted to know how was it for Shigure. "Gosh, this brings back memories..." he thought to himself, remembering his time in the Team with Kaito and Natsuki. "To be fair, I was afraid... That was also the first time I killed a person. A kunai to the heart, and I was shaky. But sometimes it's a situation where you either kill or get killed, it's the harsh reality of our world." he explained, his smile giving its place to a more serious expression. "If you should be worried? Not necessarily. Concerned? It's healthy to a degree. Lack of fear leads to recklessness and that can be very dangerous. Caution is something a shinobi must always keep in mind." he added. They continued to approach their destination at a decent speed, but there was a few more things he wanted to add. "I don't enjoy taking a life, and I will avoid it if I can. But ultimately, Iruhi-chan, we are left with no choice. So... If that comes to be, try to steel your resolve and do what you must. In any case, I will protect you. That's my duty as the captain of this mission." he hoped his words were reassuring to the girl. "So what if it seems hopeless? If it were me, I still wouldn't give up. Embrace your dreams. And, whatever happens, protect your honour as a Shinobi, for the price of freedom is steep." C-Rank Mission Approaching the trails [Hatake Shinde] [338 words]

[Hatake Shinde]

Iruhi did a little bit of mental math to figure that ten kilometers was ultimately a ridiculous distance. He thought about his description. A kunai to the heart. For an essential dagger, she couldn't imagine it was a clean way to go. "I'll try not to hold you back." She said at the end of his speech. After all, she already had done that once before. Though, she proceeded to speak in honest truth as they continued their march, heading on forward then. "Honestly...I figured I'd have to take a life at some point in this job. Just..." She didn't know how to put it. The way her mother had her prepare for it was a fairly innocent way. She gave her a pet. A grey rabbit, as grey as ashes, and eventually, when it got fat, it was time to eat it. It was terrible, but it was a good way.

She hated her mother for a little while, but ultimately? You kill what you love, and you eat what you love. Iruhi was shamed to confess that it was one of the best tasting rabbits that she ever had. Maybe it was because when it died, it didn't fear her, or never saw death coming. She wound up hopping with him, and she didn't seem to mind the fast pace as they traveled post haste. Until eventually, they would find themselves meeting the caravan of merchants delivering their timber to the coast. A niggardly old man who stated that their services were often so expensive, and how it was always when he paid them to travel and violence never broke out on his ventures. He sounded sour, and crusty, and talked about how the mission prices were also so expensive!

He talked about how back in the "good old days" a mission might cost this, or that, not counting for inflation of course over the many years the old man's been alive. Though still, they were contracted to do a job, and Iruhi was keen on seeing it through. She found herself stretching her legs as she looked out into the surroundings, keeping eyes open on any would be attacks or attackers, and it was there that she found herself standing by Shigure, often waiting for his guidance or wisdom. She knew that nobody would be able to sneak up on them. That was for absolute certainty, and she couldn't ask for much more than that.  "How do you feel when killing people now?" 

[Hyūga Shigure]

"resource gathering". "No matter how many people you may lose, you have no choice but to go on living." REST It was indeed a sad reality of the ninja world, the need to take a life. It is something that gets easier with time, but it's never any pleasant or satisfying, even when you truly hate your enemy, at least not for someone like Shigure. With their conversation concluded for the time being, the two dashed towards the place where the caravan of oak merchants was. It didn't take very long to reach them as they didn't move very fast. Once they arrived, Shigure went on to talk to their employer, a niggardly old man, who seemed a bit bitter for spending money on shinobi protection, thinking that - with all of his luck - he wouldn't even be attacked this time, but Shigure reassured him that they would catch them for good. "Don't worry, Oo-san. We are not only here to make sure you will arrive at your destination safe and sound, we are also here to capture those criminals." he added. It seemed to have appeased the man a bit, but he was still sour about the current price of missions, but to that, there was nothing to be said. The caravan would continue their path with Shigure and Iruhi tagging along on the tree lines. Shigure's Byakugan was ever watchful, looking for any signs of life in the area around them, but for the time being, things were relatively safe, to the point the two shinobi could engage in some more conversation. "It can't be helped. I feel a bit of sadness for taking a life, but I don't think about it too much. It is what it is. Our world is still one built by blood." he sighed, shaking his head. For half a day they would continue to go, until the caravan decided to call it a day and set up camp. Shigure would then approach the old man, discuss some details and then return to Iruhi. "We will stay here and rest until dawn. Make sure to eat and get some shut eye. We can take turns in the watch once night falls, alright?" he told the girl. "So what if it seems hopeless? If it were me, I still wouldn't give up. Embrace your dreams. And, whatever happens, protect your honour as a Shinobi, for the price of freedom is steep." C-Rank Mission Setting up camp [Hatake Shinde] [353 words]

[Hatake Shinde]

She took in the mind to consider what Shigure had just promised. That they would take in the criminals as well. That seemed a bit up their alley. Though she didn't mind the potential challenge. Looking out across the area, she let Shigure lead the conversation. "It better had been worth it." As the two settled down and moved on, she had found herself looking out, crouched from atop a tree branch as she takes a deep breath. "I'll try my best not to feel sad or get caught up in the moment. It was bound to happen at some point or another." She had a serious look on her face, before she tilts her gaze. Iruhi had solidified her resolve after all.

"Hai. Taicho." With that said, she found herself making a small flame, cupping it within her hands as she placed her tinder down for a fire. Prepared to warm up their meals. For Iruhi, a cupped noodle would do just fine. Meanwhile, she considered her training thus far and the potential prospect of danger. "Shigure-San. If you could periodically check with your Byakugan. I'd appreciate it." She was going to have to keep her eyes sharp and figure out the rest herself for the most part. "In the meantime...If we're settling for camp..." She rose, and around the perimeter, she began leaving lengths of wire, tied lightly to small budding branches or along the ground.

Basic scouting number one. Prepare for possible assault before it arrived. She'd offer a cup noodle to Shigure as well if he'd like, with fishcake and bamboo shoots. As she prepared to set her traps, and as she traveled, she eventually found herself blitzing back to camp, hopping up along a tree and its underside as she flips to the front and back to Shigure. "I took a look. This path's traveled on quite a bit. The road's worn, and what's more. There's signs of disturbance in the foliage. Moving forward, or remaining where we are, we need to remain vigilant." The young Hatake girl had a bad feeling, and she had to swallow and digest the situation. 

[Hyūga Shigure]

"resource gathering". "No matter how many people you may lose, you have no choice but to go on living." THREATS DETECTED He nodded to Iruhi when she concluded that death would be crossing her path eventually, as it does to all who follow the path of the shinobi; it was a hard reality of this world. The resolute look on her face gave him some confidence she would be able to handle it without freezing, he knew that this was not her first mission, even though the details of her former missions were unknown to the Hyuuga. As they set up camp, the girl lit the campfire and warmed up their meals. Shigure had some food he had prepared, and since Iruhi had her noodles, he didn't offer her some. After mentioning the watches, she asked him to periodically check the area with his Byakugan and he nodded. "Don't worry, I will." he gave her a comforting smile; the Byakugan was amazing for preventing ambushes and tracking people, and he was confident they would be successful. Still, he needed some shuteye so it was good that Iruhi was creating traps around the perimetre; she didn't share his great perception. That being said, he let the girl take care of the first watch and once four hours had passed, he woke her up and took over the duties, activating his Doujutsu and checking the whole area around them. It was peaceful, for the most part, but close to the four hours mark, he noticed people approaching in the east. They were setting themselves atop a cliff near the Port City, where they most likely intended to ambush the merchants. Since they were going to wait for them, he let Iruhi sleep a bit longer, and once the four hours mark passed, he would wake up the girl. "I found them. They are fourteen hundred metres to the East, a top the cliff surrounding the path. They are setting up an ambush. We will intercept them by surprise. Let me just inform the merchants on how to proceed, and we can discuss the course of action in better detail, okay?" he said before turning around to go talk to their client. Shigure inform them to keep on moving as if nothing had happened, that way the bandits wouldn't grow suspicious, thinking their presence was still unknown to their targets. Meanwhile, Shigure and Iruhi would take care of intercepting the criminals, attacking by surprise. The Hyuuga would then come back to the young Hatake. "Alright, I told the to proceed as if everything is normal. So... For our course of action, let's split up, so we can take them on from both sides of the cliff. You go north, they only have two archers there. I will take care of the ones on the other side, they have some rock traps prepared, and they are six in total. Be careful, they do not have the ability to use chakra, but they look strong. Any questions, Iruhi-chan?" he asked her. "So what if it seems hopeless? If it were me, I still wouldn't give up. Embrace your dreams. And, whatever happens, protect your honour as a Shinobi, for the price of freedom is steep." C-Rank Mission Successfully tracked their location, proceeding with the plan discussion [Hatake Shinde] [493 words]

[Hatake Shinde]

When she took some rest, she felt comfortable with Shigure around. He seemed to be good, reliable, and he made her feel safe. Though as he took some rest, and as she set her basic traps, she found herself restless, as she looked out into the dipping horizon, and then into the night as she curled by their small flame. Her fingers dug into her hand at some point as she looked outwards. She fell into a light slumber, and by the time she was woken up, she rubbed her eyes. "Huh?..." Then she was filled in on the circumstances. So...There would be fighting afterall. Huh? She swallowed, shook the sleep from herself by lightly slapping her cheeks.

"No. I got this under control. I can take care of it." She wanted Shigure to feel confident in her, knowing that she wasn't going to be a burden. So, that said, when they began the plan of a counter ambush, Iruhi nodded fervently, and she split a different path, climbing the northern cliff face with the tree walking technique. She moved very fast, putting her training in speed and endurance to good use as she steeled herself for the coming conflict to come. Telling herself that her opponents were just bandits, enemies, and marauders? She found herself standing tall and firm. Her blue eyes focused on the path ahead of her.

The whole point of an "ambush" was the point of surprise, and attacking where it wouldn't be expected. So, taking advantage of her situation, she dashes forward, her sandaled feet tapping along the rocky edifice as she swiftly draws her long, blunted Jitte. Looking to take the jump on her enemies before they know she's there and might react, she reaches into her pouch as she dashes, flinging towards one of her enemies twin Kunai that she aims to sink straight into their back and kidney, before she leaps towards the other. Her Jitte clenched tightly in hand as she descends down, looking to slam the blunted sword straight into the side of the head with a practiced swing. Assuming she was successful, she doesn't say much else. Raising the Jitte over her head again and swinging it down for their head a second time for good measure.

Thunks along the ground as she turns and swings for the one her blades may have sank into previously. With a few thuds, even if she didn't kill the people before her, she'd likely done...lasting brain damage. What's more, was that she didn't think about it. Her breathing heavy as she raised her Jitte overhead, one last time to swing it straight down on a bandit's head with another thud. 

[Hyūga Shigure]

"resource gathering". "No matter how many people you may lose, you have no choice but to go on living." 128 PALMS With the two splitting up, they headed towards the cliff area, with the goal of intercepting the bandits before they could have an opportunity to harass the oak merchants. Shigure moved swiftly through the woods, reducing his speed once he got close enough in favour of stealth. The oak merchants, listening to his advice, continued their path as usual, thus making the bandits believe everything was proceeding according to their plan. As the Hyuuga sneaked around the bushes and trees, he noticed the two large rocks near the cliff. They would likely use them to block the path once the caravan was within reach. "I will take care of the rocks later, in case they fall. Don't want it to end up causing an accident or anything..." he took a mental note of that. Then, Shigure leaped from his hiding spot, landing near the bandits, making a thud as he landed, alerting the people, who turned around to face him. "W-who the hell?! Do you want to die?!" one of the bandits, a large, muscular man with a body covered in scars said, grabbing a kanabo. The man circled him quickly, but Shigure didn't seem fazed about it. "This is over, you are within range." the Hyuuga said, cracking a smirk with the corner of his mouth. "Uh? Are you dumb? We have you surrounded, brat! Let's kill him!" the man - apparently their leader - shouted as they charged against him. Unknown to the bandits, Shigure had already envisioned the area of his Eight Trigrams. "Six... Twenty one strikes each..." opening his arms, seemingly vulnerable by that, lured the man into a sense of confidence, but before they could land a hit, his body moved at an uncanny speed. "Hakke Hyakunijuuhasshou!" he exclaimed. It didn't matter that they had him surrounded, the speed of his palms strikes was too much for them to handle, and he was shifting from one target to the other as he hit their internal organs with his savage assault. "Ni shou! Yon shou! Hasshou! Juuroku shou! Sanjuuni shou! Rokujuuyon shou! Hyakunijuuha shou!!" with every set, his speed increased and the bandits were pushed back, until he hit each of them twenty-one times. All bandits crashed on the floor, not dead, but gravely injured, most of them were unconscious, except the leader, who struggled to keep himself awake. "W-what... H-how..." he stuttered as the Hyuuga approached him, and without any words, he kicked his head, putting him to sleep. With his Byakugan, he noticed that Iruhi had also done her part and taken care of the archers. The bandits were taken care of. "Now for the rocks." he thought as he walked towards the rocks. "So what if it seems hopeless? If it were me, I still wouldn't give up. Embrace your dreams. And, whatever happens, protect your honour as a Shinobi, for the price of freedom is steep." C-Rank Mission Used 128 palms to knock out the six bandits, kicked the leader to put him to sleep. [Hatake Shinde] [464 words]

[Hatake Shinde]

Honestly?...Beating up men with a long and blunted sword was a lot easier than Shinde would have thought. Especially when you came up to them from a direction they didn't really expect. As Shigure blasted his foes with martial arts, locking their nervous points and systems, Iruhi swung down upon them interchangeable between targets as she got into a rhythm. Cracking bones were as effective as locking nerves. That was something that likely nobody was going to contest, even if the young genin's swordplay was a bit sloppy. Still. As she looked down at the fallen before her, and her Jitte, she took a deep breath, contemplating what she'd done. Her mission didn't detail for her to become a murderer.

"Gomenasai." She said. She knew that it must have probably hurt tremendously. She proceeded to swiftly leave to rendezvous with Shigure to deal with the rock trap, and when she came, he might have seen her wave to him, a small one from across the way as she looked down at the contraption. "It's a collapsing trap. Meant to stop their advance." A simple but effective trap for any would be caravans coming that way. "We might as well activate it early." Leaving it to her Kouhai for a moment, she looks at the bandits, and proceeds to search through them for any items of interest. Weapons. Gear. Something that might be of some worth to her as a budding Kunoichi who wouldn't mind saving some ryo on some of the more common goods.

"What are we going to do with these guys? I don't know if we'll be able to get any meaningful authorities here in time, and if we let them go, they might go and cause trouble again." 

[Hyūga Shigure]

"resource gathering". "No matter how many people you may lose, you have no choice but to go on living." ARREST Shigure nodded at Iruhi's statement regarding the trap. It wasn't too problematic for them since it had not been released. The solution to just activate it and then clear up the broken rocks from the road was probably the easiest and so he nodded, moving to activate it, which did halt the oak merchants for a bit, but since they were safe, they were not too worried about it. "I see you guys were worth the investment! These scumbags would rip us clean!" the head-merchant said, to which Shigure nodded from up the cliff. "We should be safe from here on, but worry not, we will be with you until you arrive at your destination." he said, with a confident smile. Turning back to Iruhi as she grabbed some items of interest, he started tying up the hands and feet of the thieves so they wouldn't be able to move even after waking up. The girl wondered what they were going to do with their captives since she didn't know about the authorities nearby. Shigure shook his head, keeping the smile on his face. "There's a garrison not far from here. I will send one of my shadow clones to fetch them, and once they are here, we can move on." he explained and then waved the single hand seal needed for his technique. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" and in a poof of smoke, a perfect copy of Shigure appeared. The clone and the original glanced at each other and the clone dashed full speed towards the garrison located to the southwest of where they were. About half an hour passed before the clone came back with the garrison men, they were members of the country's law enforcement. Once they arrived, the clone disappear in another poof of smoke. "Thank you for your service." Shigure said with a respectful bow, which was returned by the men. "Thank you two for making this arrest easy for us, they have been evading us for quite some time." one of them said and Shigure nodded, finally turning back to Iruhi and the clients. "Alright, we are good to go." he said, moving ahead of the group to continue to scout the path ahead, making sure they were indeed safe. "So what if it seems hopeless? If it were me, I still wouldn't give up. Embrace your dreams. And, whatever happens, protect your honour as a Shinobi, for the price of freedom is steep." C-Rank Mission Took care of traps, tied the bandits, sent a Shadow Clone to a Land of Fire military garrison nearby and got them to take custody of the criminals. Continued towards their destination with no further issues. [Hatake Shinde ] [410 words]

[Hatake Shinde]

It seemed relatively easy. Yet, Iruhi looked down at their fallen enemies as they waited for that aid. For that easy arrest. "That's a really cool jutsu you have there Shigure-San." She stated somewhat halfmindedly, as she turned again to their bound quarry. Before long, Shigure and Iruhi were off at it again, taking their charges to be dropped off and their cargo at the nearby coastal ports. All in all, Iruhi mighr even daresay that this was the easiest paycheck she had ever received. That was saying something. Iruhi supposed she could consider this as her first ever proper mission complete. "I wanted to thank you for this chance to work with you. One on one."

She didn't know where those words came from out of the blue, but she'd add. "I've been looking for people to work with, grow alongside, and I've been nervous about a lot of things. My training. My future. All that sort of stuff. You know?" She didn't mean to give the Hyuuga any idea that there was a lot of personal baggage or anything along that line, but she felt as if it were true. After all, she was growing up, and a ton had changed in her life in some ways. It was because of those changes she felt as if she had to go through some rapid metamorphosis, or change more than the path she was already walking down. Maybe she did. Maybe she didn't.

"When we get back home, let's go celebrate with a nice meal. I'll buy us some barbecue. On me." Giving a small and cheerful little smile, she figured that the Hyuuga might appreciate a nice juicy amount of meat. Dashing, making her leap to leap across the trees, she found herself speeding, wondering about a certain someone in her life right about now.