[Hiesin Mairusu]

TAKE ME TO VALHALLA WHERE MY BROTHERS WAIT FOR ME

A warm breath flowed into two rubbing hands as the boy tried his best to fight the chill that had gripped this place. Never had he more missed the temperate climate of Konoha than in this moment. Sure, it got cold there every now and then but this was on another level; how did people survive out here? Still, Mairusu wouldn't let the conditions damper his spirits too much as he was really excited for what was to come. He had gotten special permission to travel out to Kumo and perform a joint mission with one of their shinobi.

For all intents and purposes this was the first time the genin had ever left his home country aside from skirting the border on a previous mission, but he was truly some distance from home now and it definitely showed. Gone were the forest covered landscapes and greenery as far as the eye could see, now replaced by mountains jutting into the sky and surprisingly a large amount of bodies of water; not to mention the biting cold. The mission itself was just to scout the countryside and report back on anything out of the ordinary which to an outside like himself could have been any and everything but that was where Mairusu would lean on the knowledge of his mission partner.

"Yamamoto Shosuke, huh? Cool name." The boy muttered to himself as he idled about the village gates waiting for the other person to arrive. He hadn't gotten a chance to explore Kumo much in his brief time here but he made a mental note to definitely make a return trip in the future.

▲

WORDS ● Yamamoto Shosuke ● NOTES

deltra of gangnam style

[Yamamoto Shosuke]

If this kid thought that Kumogakure was cold, he was in for a harsh lesson if he ever went into one of the actual colder places in the world like Yukigakure or Amegakure.

The only thing that made Kumo cold at all was the moisture in the air, as the village was so far above sea-level. But what did you expect from a village so heavily associated with lightning?If you weren't high enough in the sky to be able to almost touch the storm, how were you supposed to connect with your namesake?

They weren't as lucky as Konoha who could just set a tree on fire if they wanted to connect with their namesake.

Sho, for his point, had often been glad for the atmosphere of the village. There was something about the way the air touched the skin, set one's hair on end and drove up goosebumps. Unless you did something stupid like streaking in public you were unlikely to get so much as a cold let alone hypothermia, but it was cold enough to remind one of one's presence in reality. To acknowledge one's presence in the moment. It was peaceful, tranquil, idyllic almost.

In other words, his perspective couldn't be any more different than the other Shinobi's.

Speaking about one's presence, Sho was a little bit late to the mission that morning. Ever since making Azarea wait the first time he had been trying to get better at timing, but there was often work that he just couldn't pull himself away from.

Whether that be training or giving medical treatment to one of his fellow villagers, sometimes life didn't work to give you a clear and easy schedule. Still, he was only a moment or two late so it was unlikely that the other Shinobi would be able to hold it against him.

When Sho arrived, he looked a little bit harried. His usually kempt hair fell loose around his face, errant strands sticking out almost like he had been touching a plasma ball. His glasses were a little fogged and muddied, and his labcoat looked like it hadn't seen an iron in a year.

It was clear just from looking at him that he had been working himself into a fever pitch - this was the sort of messiness that could only come from a busy schedule rather than bedhead.

"I'm sorry I'm late." He mumbled, taking a look at hi would-be partner for this little mission. Dark skin, black hair, maybe a year or two his younger. The boy looked promising, but he was clearly youthful and inexperienced. Though he supposed such was obvious - The boy was a Genin, this was probably part of his training to get promoted in a few years' time.

"You're...," he paused for a moment, his mind running over the records that he had been given about his partner. ", Hiesin Mairusu, right? I don't think I've heard that family name before - Is your family small or are you from a branch of one of the major clans?"

508 words | Hiesin Mairusu

SPOILER: Click to show

C-Rank Mission 2/15
Jutsus Used: None

[Hiesin Mairusu]

TAKE ME TO VALHALLA WHERE MY BROTHERS WAIT FOR ME

Thankfully there wasn't too long of a wait before his mission partner showed up and by the looks of it the boy seemed to be in a bit of a rush getting here. Hair everywhere, lab coat (lab coat?) looking a mess. Was he late waking up or just didn't sleep at all due to some other stuff? Call it youthful over preparedness or whatever but Mairusu was damn near stagnant when it came time to prepare for a mission. He tried to use as little energy as possible in the day or so leading up to it and was sure to get as much rest as possible so he wouldn't oversleep or show up looking like... this guy in front of him. Oh well, he was here and that's what mattered.

"Not a problem. Nice to meet you." Introductions were sometimes awkward, especially when one party pushed a particular button about being from a clan that Mairusu loathed. Why did everyone care about clans and family names so much? "Nah I'm not from a clan. Just me and my folks." He'd add while internally talking himself off of the soapbox of genetic pedestals. Prior to the missions with Shigure and Asuka he would have been liable to fly off the rail when asked that question but it was becoming more of an annoyance now than something the boy got genuinely upset about. Growth.

"Well since this is your home country Shosuke I'll follow your lead on where you want to start. Yall got anything wild calling Lightning Country home?" The genin would inquire. Every place had its assortment of critters, varmin and predators but perhaps there was something specific to the Lightning Country that he needed to watch out for, whether it be animal or human in nature.

▲

WORDS ● Yamamoto Shosuke ● NOTES

deltra of gangnam style

[Yamamoto Shosuke]

If Hiesin knew anything about the guy that he was working with, he would have understood exactly why Shosuke cared so much about clans and families. It wasn't clout chasing, it was medically imperative. A regular shinobi or even most Shinobi wouldn't be an issue to take care of should the worst happen, but if he tried to apply such tactics to an Aburame or a Hyuga? He was liable of causing just as much damage as he was healing. Kekkei Genkai complicated a lot of things when it came to medical treatment and all.

Besides, as a future clan leader, it probably wouldn't hurt to make allies with other clan leaders.

Still, if the kid was just a normal Shinobi, he wasn't about to make a fuss about anything. If anything, it made it all the more simple, they were able to be themselves around each other and there was no need to ask probing questions about bodily mutations caused by, for instance, being filled with thousands of insects.

"Rightio, that's completely fine. Just gotta clear these things up before we go any further. Though, if you have anything I should be aware of, do let me know. Warn me before you pull some colossal puppet out of nowhere, okay?"

He did indeed seem pretty chill about the entire thing, he was as calm as the surface of the ocean as he was rebuffed. It seemed he really didn't care all that much.

Probably a good thing too, as the two would be spending quite some time together. This "super patrol" that he had been requested to do, it basically amounted to just wandering around until they found something suspicious and going to fight it as far as he could tell.

There was no way that they would send Genin out against any actual threats, so this was basically just screwing around until they somehow contributed to the village's safety.

"Right. Well, I suppose the logical first step would be checking around the village first before going to check outside of it. No point risking getting lost in the mountains if we can pitch in closer to home, you know?"

It seemed he genuinely was trying to get off on the right foot with this kid. He wasn't the most social at the best of times but it seemed he was actively trying to make the best of it.

As Shosuke had said, the village was quite the impressive thing. It was about the same size as Konoha, but it seemed a little less populated. That brought about a tranquil sort of peace within the village, one that seemed to permeate the very air itself. As Shosuke beckoned for the younger Genin to follow him, Sho would lead him through a few streets, letting him get familiarised to some degree with the layout of the village.

"Hmm... Anything wild? Well, we've got a couple of bears around the village and a few mountain boars as well. There's also quite a few beavers and Caribou, but those are very unlikely to cause any issues...." he paused for a second, as if only just realising something. "... That was slang, wasn't it? You weren't actually asking about wild animals?"

537 words | Hiesin Mairusu

SPOILER: Click to show

C-Rank Mission 4/15
Jutsus Used: None

[Hiesin Mairusu]

TAKE ME TO VALHALLA WHERE MY BROTHERS WAIT FOR ME

He understood why it was important to know your teammates abilities --at least to some degree-- before venturing out on any kind of assignment but man it just sounded weird coming out of that kids mouth. The only thing Mairusu could think of to fill the boy in on was his sage stuff but he had no plans of breaking any of that out. He could just feel a million and one questions coming and besides it wasn't like he could do too much with it at his current level anyway. "I got you." The genin would reply with a nod.

A brow raised in slight confusion upon hearing that they'd be taking a jaunt around Kumo first. Wasn't the whole point of the mission supposed to be surveying the countryside? Oh well, the boy had wanted to take a look around anyway and if it was in the vein of a mission there was a chance he'd be able to see some cool stuff that outsiders may not have normally been privy too. "Yeah that makes sense, gotta make sure home is good first."

"Not at all, but that's good info to know anyway." Mairusu replied laughing. "I meant people wise. Buncha rogues running around or like cults and stuff. Heard some countries have nomadic clans that can get a little rowdy, didn't know if yall had some stuff like that out here." He'd add. His home was no stranger to the weird considering how big it was. There was plenty of space for people to get into all kinds of strange things and rope other people into their shenanigans which for the most part wasn't too much an issue so long as they stayed out of the way, but every once in a while one too many travelers would be accosted or worse and the village had to step in.

It was hard to tell if Shosuke was just super by-the-book or didn't get out much but this was going to be an interesting mission to say the least.

▲

WORDS ● Yamamoto Shosuke ● NOTES

deltra of gangnam style

[Yamamoto Shosuke]

Hmph, well, that was difficult. Sho had been hoping that this guy had been more of a talker - One of the major reasons he liked Azarea so much was that she was someone who he could discuss things with, he didn't have to rely on his underdeveloped social skills and interpersonal examination to allow him to see through their veil of neutrality and hidden emotions. Instead, this guy seemed clammed up tighter than an oyster.

There might have been a time when he would have been glad to not have to speak to another. That had been one of the few things about being a Doctor that he had struggled with, having to maintain a good bedside manner. You could be as good with a scalpel and have fingers more dexterous than those of a clockmaker's but if you couldn't hold a conversation with a patient whilst they were recovering you weren't up to snuff. But now? He almost longed for someone he could speak to properly.

Regardless, Sho seemed to be serving admirably as a tour guide through the village. This place had been his home since he was born so he knew every road and alley, every nook and cranny, every inch of this place was as familiar to him as the back of his hand.

"Anyone wild within the village, huh? Well, that's kind of a nuanced question - Yeah, there's a couple of people here and there who do crimes. You know, dine and dashes, pickpocketing, that kinda thing. But major crimes? No, not really. At least, not within the village. The countryside around us is a different story but Kumo's pretty safe.

I mean, I'm not sure if you know about this all the way in the Land of Fire, but we had an awful plague about a decade ago. As horrible as it was, as many live as it took, it ironically wound up with the village being a far tighter, more connected place. Something about shared suffering, I guess.

Plus, I mean, Old Lady Kizumi herself would probably kick the crap out of anyone dumb enough to try and besmirch Kumo's good name in the middle of her village. She's pretty hands on for a Kage."

It was true, or at least it was as far as Sho had seen. The village wasn't the richest in the world, even with the last few kages' economic plans to keep trade lively, but it was a pretty nice place to live all things considered.

The countryside around it though... well, that was a different story. The Daimyo had a wealth-hoarding problem, hadn't been investing his finances into the country as he should, leaving people to prey on each other in order to survive.

Even Sho hadn't managed to avoid being affected by banditry himself, having to go against that gang out in the mountains.

"If you want, we could skip the village and go somewhere more guaranteed to cause issues. It's not really within the confines of our assignment, but it might get us our quota done a little faster."

514 words | Hiesin Mairusu

SPOILER: Click to show

C-Rank Mission 6/15
Jutsus Used: None

[Hiesin Mairusu]

TAKE ME TO VALHALLA WHERE MY BROTHERS WAIT FOR ME

From the boy's words it sounded like Kumo had a similar way of life to Konoha, not too much trouble in the village but once you left the confines of the gates it was a different animal. He was surprised to hear about the plague and had only heard bits and pieces growing up from his instructors in the academy but this was the first time Mairusu had heard any first hand accounts and while it did look a bit sparsely populated compared to his home village things seemed pretty normal.

"Ah man that's terrible. I heard a little about it in passing during my academy years but that's about it. Good to hear that y'all have bounced back from it." Mairusu would reply. He couldn't imagine something like that taking place at home, having to worry about his friends and family getting sick and possibly dying as sickness just ran through Konoha and he honestly had no idea how a place could recover from such an event but it seemed that Kumo was as resilient as Shosuke said they were.

The duo's trek through the village was a really interesting one. The architecture alone was vastly different than the mostly wooden buildings that he was used to. How had they even come up with the idea to construct buildings out of the mountains? On a similar note everything was also so vertical and seemed to just reach way into the sky and it was at that moment something clicked. "I see how the village got its name. All the buildings just stretching into the sky like that, kinda crazy." The genin commented with a bit of wonder in his voice.

Shosuke would then ask if Mairusu was interested in hitting up somewhere that had the potential for more action, and the adventurous nature in the boy perked up. "Yeah let's give it a shot. Everything here seems pretty safe so I'm sure the higher ups want to know what's going on outside the walls." He'd reply. There was no telling what they would come across out in the wilderness, well, at least Mairusu had no idea. Places could only be but so different but sometimes those differences were pretty substantial and chances were they'd run across something that the boy had never seen living in Fire Country. "I think having something interesting on the mission report can only help, too."

▲

WORDS ● Yamamoto Shosuke ● NOTES

deltra of gangnam style

[Yamamoto Shosuke]

It made sense to Sho that the boy hadn't heard a lot of the details of the Kumo plague over in Konoha. Whilst it was true that Konoha was an allied village, the fact remained that the inter-village system encouraged subterfuge and secrecy towards everyone on the outside. There was no doubt that Konoha had information that they were keeping secret, and it was undeniable that the plague revealed a lot of the operational weaknesses of the village.

Honestly, it was pretty lucky in retrospect that none of the other villages had decided to invade and try and take advantage of Kumo's weakened state during those years. Though, maybe they were just scared of catching the plague themselves.

"Huh... Bounce back?" Sho said, as if weighing those words over on his tongue, testing them inquisitively before rejecting them.

"We haven't. At least, not really.

Sure the plague's not killing people any more, we've recovered in that way, but there are certain things you just can't bounce back from. Everyone lost someone and that echoes throughout society.

Parentless children who had to grow up alone, jobs that still haven't been refilled after their last bearer died in the hospital wing, and don't get me started on how people respond if someone starts coughing publicly.

The shadow of the plague still hangs pretty heavily over here. It just has some benefits, that's all."

---

As the boy agreed to walk away from their duties to actively pursue a threat, Sho nodded curtly.

There was something in him that felt that it was wrong for them to do this; in the hospital wing, if you ignored a duty or skipped a step in a process then you were endangering the life of a patient. Still, he supposed that would require the patient being in danger in the first place.

The village was clearly not, it had people far stronger, smarter and more experienced than the pair of them put together looking after it.

"Alright - If you're sure that's what you want, follow me. I've got something in mind..."

With that, Sho turned on a pin, turning away from their original direction to start heading towards the village gates.

It was far from the first time that he had left the village so the village guards didn't blink an eye at him stepping out of the confines of the village. However, there was clearly a moment where they were considering whether they should inquire about the Konoha-nin following him. They didn't in the end, letting him pass, but it seemed obvious that they were giving him the benefit of the doubt because a villager was with them.

"I hope you don't object to a bit of a walk; The distance from the village is pretty important for these guys. They attack people on the road because they don't think the village will stop them.

If we remain too close to the village they'll be intimidated by the chance of being caught by a patrol or a random nearby Shinobi."

509 words | Hiesin Mairusu

SPOILER: Click to show

C-rank Mission 8/15
Jutsus Used: None

[Hiesin Mairusu]

TAKE ME TO VALHALLA WHERE MY BROTHERS WAIT FOR ME

Call it lack of looking at the big picture or just being ignorant of what life looked like in Kumo prior to the plague but it didn't hit Mairusu that his words made it sound like everything was peachy when in reality people were simply making the best of their new normal. "Ah yeah that... makes sense. Didn't think about it that way. My bad." The boy replied knowing he'd have to do better about choosing his words from now on, not just here but life in general.

Village jaunts were fun and all but there was nothing like a bit of action to really get the blood pumping while at the same time alerting the higher ups of any potential threats and other going ons in the countryside. It didn't seem like Sho was completely on board but he was willing to go along with it for the time being and that was good enough for the genin. "There we go, let's really see what Lightning Country has to offer." A sense of adventure was welling up within the kid and he was ready to get into some fun stuff. Strengthening village relations and all that was whatever, but what was the point of traveling all the way out here if he didn't have a cool story or two to bring back home?

Passing through the gates was an oddly familiar feeling and he had even offered a wave to the same guards who had checked him in when he arrived though it was clear they were a bit confused as to why he was leaving. As Sho spoke up about who they were going to find it became clear that less than cool people could be found the world over as they were on the lookout for a group of people who were attacking travelers. Cowards through and through, but just smart enough to know that they had to that kind of stuff far enough away from the village to avoid being caught.

"Sounds like the same problem we have back home. I did a mission not too long ago where we had to stop a group of bandits who were harassing travelers trying to cross the border between Fire and River country. Some people really can't help but be terrible to others." He'd reply. The journey from Konoha to Kumo had been a long one so bit more walking wouldn't be a problem if it meant getting more bad guys off the streets.

▲

WORDS ● Yamamoto Shosuke ● NOTES

deltra of gangnam style

[Yamamoto Shosuke]

Honestly, Sho didn't hold Hiesin's careless words against him. He didn't know what it was like to live with something that impactful, and Sho hoped that Konoha never had to suffer through anything of the kind. There were just certain natural evils in the world that one had to learn to deal with, even if it never truly left you.

That said, it would be nice if the conversation became a bit lighter from here on out.

It seemed that Hiesin agreed, as the look on his face seemed to speak of excitement and wonder. The Land of Lightning, as Hiesin would no doubt have learned during his travel over here, was a truly beautiful and serene place for the most part.

Consisting of rolling hills and stiff peaks, the place was almost more vertical than it was horizontal. They were in a relatively alpine region, something that not only didn't stop the area from being beautiful but reinforced the purity and natural relaxation of the landscape.

There was a reason why many monks and other religious figures took pilgrimages to the Land of Lightning.

"Well, not to be devil's advocate, but some people just can't survive without preying on others." Sho said, his tone quiet and contemplative as they continued down the path, making sure to be careful due to the change in elevation.

It wasn't particularly steep but it was always worth being careful around the countryside, the further one went the more dilapidated the roads became.

"Think of it like a hospital, right? You've got people who are dying of organ failure, and you have people who have organs. Without hope, without a way out, the people dying will not think twice about trying to kill the others to take whatever they have that can sustain them and keep them alive. It's how we evolved, it's human nature to survive at any cost.

As long as there is economic injustice and disparity, some people are going to have to steal to eat. That said? Not every bandit is actually poor, and not every cause is actually just. Sometimes, people just find it easier to leech off others than to work."

Sho spoke as if this was something that he had carefully considered, as if this was some sort of thesis statement. Of course, it wasn't exactly the light hearted brevity that he had been hoping for in the conversation, but it served its purpose.

As they talked, they wandered further and further into the wilderness. Unlike the deep forest that surrounded Konoha, this area was far more open and thus there was no real risk of getting lost.

Even so, one could see from the changing landscape the sheer difference in the lifestyles of people who lived here. Villages they passed were delapidated and old, and would almost have seemed abandoned were it not for the people visible through the windows.

"It should take us about an hour or so more to get to the most vulnerable areas. Before we get there, we should remove any gear that identifies us as Shinobi.

Even the Ryujin aren't stupid enough to try and attack someone with ties to the village."

531 words | Hiesin Mairusu

SPOILER: Click to show

C-rank Mission 10/15

Jutsus Used: None

[Hiesin Mairusu]

TAKE ME TO VALHALLA WHERE MY BROTHERS WAIT FOR ME

The analogy was oddly specific but Mairusu was able to follow the line of thinking. If people were put in a position where the only way out was thievery and banditry then that was what they'd do to survive. Dying because of a lack of resources didn't bring with it any moral victories so it was take what you need or keep taking until someone stopped you, which was usually where shinobi came in. Furthermore, as the Kumo genin pointed out some people just found it easier to take than earn stuff with their own hard work. All in all there were any number of reasons people resorted to banditry and trying to figure out all of the reasons was an impossible task.

"Yeah that makes sense. People are gonna do whatever they need to do to make it to the next day if they're desperate enough. Sucks that we can't help 'em all to prevent that kinda stuff." It was a stern reminder that the world was not balanced in the slightest but they were tasked none the less to help those they could.

The two would continue to walk further and further from Kumo and it became clear that Mairusu was nowhere near home. Greenery as far as the eye could see was replaced by vast open expanses that provided a cool view, but maybe a few trees here and there wouldn't hurt. Out here away from the plentiful resources of the village people seemed to be just scraping by in run down houses that looked like a stiff breeze would topple them over. "I wonder why these people stay out here. We're not too far from the village so they'd probably be better off there, yeah?" The genin pondered aloud. It was one thing if they were in some remote location but a decent few hours walk surely would have them living better than they were now.

Shosuke's instructions were curious but Mairusu had done something similar before on a mission with Shigure. People were wary of shinobi and wouldn't openly commit bad behavior in front of 'em, especially a clan who probably knew first hand the punishment that could come from up above. "Good idea, I'm sure they'll be on their best behavior if they see the sun shining off these headbands." Mairusu replied as he tucked his hitae-ate into his pocket, now he just looked like some random kid bumbling about the wilderness.

▲

WORDS ● Yamamoto Shosuke ● NOTES

deltra of gangnam style

[Yamamoto Shosuke]

Sho shrugged as Hiesin mentioned that it was a shame that there wasn't anything they could do to help the people who had to steal and struggle to survive.

"Well, we can offer help, that's the best we can do. Make sure they have the option to walk away from the life of thievery, give them an honest chance - whether that's working for the village or being brought into a local hamlet"

The sad truth of the matter was that there simply wasn't enough money in the world to give everyone the support they needed. Especially not when people like the Daimyo hoarded wealth and resources like a dragon sitting on their horde.

Even with people like Sho and the rest of the village's medical system doing their best in outreach and treatment, they simply didn't have enough to get things to work fully.

"The village can't incorporate everyone. You might have noticed, but Kumo isn't the biggest village of the main five. Even if it was, there's plenty of reasons people would choose to live outside it.

Some people object to the violence inherent in the system and want to keep their families out of it. There's also the fact that people have lived here for decades, if not generations. They've built lives here, it's their home. No matter how decrepit, there are people who would choose that over having to make a new life somewhere else.

Even so, with every passing generation, more and more people move to Kumogakure. My 'grandpa' tells me that when he was a kid, these outlier communities were big and bustling and had hundreds, if not thousands, of people. Now they're lucky if a single hamlet is pushing double digits."

As they continued walking, Sho began to untie his headband from his arm where it usually rested, pulling the forehead protector off and slipping it into his bag. Along with it, he pulled his labcoat off, likewise folding it and putting it into his bag. Stooping down for a second to grab some dirt off the ground, he began powdering his hands with it before rubbing his hands on his face and through his hair.

It might at first seem strange, especially as he hadn't explained himself first, but the more Hiesin looked at the surrounding countryside and the few people who lived out here, it was clear what Sho was doing. He was blending in, making himself look more like the people they were passing.

"I'd advise you..." Sho began, before he cut himself off early. He could hear something in the distance, the sound of what seemed to be two people arguing. Though it could just be innocent, Sho paused nonetheless, putting a finger up to his lip to gesture for Hiesin to remain quiet.

"Hey, dumbass! The fuck you staring at? You wanna lose your head or something, cos I ain't fucking around!" Well, it seemed that was easier than expected...

490 words | Hiesin Mairusu

SPOILER: Click to show

C-rank Mission 12/15
Jutsus Used: None

[Hiesin Mairusu]

TAKE ME TO VALHALLA WHERE MY BROTHERS WAIT FOR ME

Help best they could. It was idealistic and maybe the boy would have believed it had the few missions he had been sent on not ended with the people either dead or severely wounded. There really wasn't much of an option for second chances when the boat you were on was blown to pieces or you had a Hyuga jabbing your insides a few dozen times. Granted, the people and industries they had helped were thankful, of course, and there was good work being done, but in all these years there were always more bandits popping up to replace the one's others before him had taken care of, so was it really working?

Shosuke's point about there simply not being enough space in a village for everyone was a good one, in addition to the fact that some people just didn't want to move from where they were no matter what their current dwellings looked like. Generations had lived and died there, hundreds of years of memories made and most of all familiarity. Growing up solely in a village definitely gave the genin a skewed view of things which made joint ventures to lands outside of Konoha all the more valuable. There was also the reality that not everyone agreed with the ideals of a hidden village, or more specifically its military. Great as these places looked from the inside they were at the end of the day giant militia factories meant to protect the country and its interests, which usually came by way of battles and wars; though young Mairusu wasn't completely ignorant to how some of the world worked.

"Hmm yeah I guess it'd be the same as someone trying to get me to move away from Konoha if it's the only thing I've known. World definitely looks different once you get past the sheen of the village gates." The genin replied with a hum. Shosuke had definitely given him some things to think about in regards to how he perceived the world while out and about.

The need to blend in was not lost on Mairusu and he felt that removing his headband would go a long way towards that. Granted given his clothing and being wholly unfamiliar with the area there was a chance he'd still stick out but that was a risk he'd have to take. What the boy didn't account for, however, was watching his mission partner begin to dirty himself up. Eyes squinted at the sight and for a moment the boy wondered if Shosuke was trying to hide himself from some heat seeking predator but it eventually dawned on him that if they were going to pass themselves off as people from the sticks then walking around completely clean looking wouldn't help their case much. Before the Kumo genin could confirm Mairusu's hunch a bout of yelling would echo through the area catching the duo's attention.

Around a nearby bend stood a group of people, five in total with four dressed vaguely similar with all their clothing sporting the symbol of the Ryujin clan. They had surrounded a lone merchant with an oxen-driven wagon and it was clear that the older fellow was in no position to fend off the group. "N-Nothing. I promise I wasn't staring, I'm just passing by." The merchant shakily replied. "Staring at nothing, eh? Sure didn't look like you were staring at nothing ta me. What you got back there, anyway? Stuff you looking to sell up at the village? Well fuck 'em, how bout you let us take a look instead? I'm sure we can make much better use of whatever you were gonna give that damned village anyway." One of the Ryujin would reply. It was clear that they were not going to let the man pass without paying some kind of toll.

▲

WORDS ● Yamamoto Shosuke ● NOTES

deltra of gangnam style

[Yamamoto Shosuke]

Was "doing the best one can" working? No. God no. But it was slowing the bleed, and that was all that little people like Sho and Hiesin were able to do. Even if Shosuke gained complete control over the Yamamoto, they were one family amongst hundreds within the village system, and far more were playing selfish games for their own short-term gains than were trying to help others.

Hiesin was right, even if he hadn't said it out loud. Every year, more people turned to banditry or criminality because they had to, because more and more money that should be given to the people was taken by the rich. The world was rotting and falling apart, but there were still things that people could do to help others.

If believing that one could still help even in the modern world was idealism? Well, call Sho an idealist.

That said, that idealism and desire to help others was being tested here, as he turned the corner and looked at the mass of people bullying the smaller, more fragile-looking one. Even though he had never seen it directly before, he still recognised the Ryujin symbol from the warnings that he had been given by his family.

Medical caravans ransacked, doctors assaulted, supplies stolen, and all for the benefit of this one family. Now, standing before him, they were bullying someone who just wanted to sell their wares to the village? Sho wanted to throw himself head first at them, but he worried that doing so might get the person they were harassing caught in the crossfire. God knows that none of his techniques were particularly discerning.

Still, that didn't mean that standing back and letting it happen was acceptable. Instead, more mundane methods were called for in this instance. Taking a second to look around, Sho found what he was looking for - a small, sizeable rock, laying on the side of the road. It looked like it had once been part of a boundary wall or some other construction but had long since been left behind or fallen off of a cart.

Picking it up and taking a moment to test its heft for himself in his hand, he then turned around without warning and used the best of his strength to throw it, hard, at the back of one of the Ryujin's heads. Not hard enough to crack the bone or kill the man, but definitely hard enough to hurt, like a softball cracking into the back of their cranium.

"Hey, dumbasses! The fuck you think you're playing at? Leave the kid alone or I'll rip your throats out with my teeth!"

Sho's voice had drastically changed from the way that he had sounded earlier, speaking with Hiesin. The intellectual, scholarly tone was dropped, and instead it was an approximation of a thug's. Rough, coarse, deep, with a believable, threatening sneer in it. It was hard to believe in that moment that this guy was a doctor or had been speaking so feverishly about the need to help others, it was more believable that he was some sort of lowlife.

"Unless you wanna make a fight out of it, ya dumb bastards."

Sorry Hiesin, it seemed he didn't take the time to pen out their approach.

545 words | Hiesin Mairusu

SPOILER: Click to show

C-rank Mission 14/15

Jutsus Used: None

[Hiesin Mairusu]

TAKE ME TO VALHALLA WHERE MY BROTHERS WAIT FOR ME

Mairusu wasn't exactly sure what the plan was for this situation. The goal of the mission was to simply report anything of interest to the people in charge and while they could do it by the time the two of them returned to the village and got someone to come out the merchant would have been long robbed by then and his assailants ducked off into the wilderness. They couldn't just sit here and let that happen, right? But what exactly where they supposed to do against four adults when they were supposed to be as incognito as possible?

Before he could even ask Shosuke what the plan was the sight of a rock whizzing through the air caught the boy off guard and even more surprising were the nasty words coming out of the Kumo's genins mouth. Up to this point he had been a bastion of etiquette and levelheadedness but now... he could have passed as one of these bums kids. "Ow what the f--" Exclaimed the man who had been struck by the rock prompting him to turn around and see the two kids, one of which was talking big shit. "Damn brats. Get the hell outta here, this is business between adults." Another would call out before a hand would appear on his chest stopping him.

"No no, they want to act like big boys then I say we let 'em. What if we do want to fight? You two gonna oblige us?" A third would inquire as the group turned their attention fully to the two genin. "Aye man what the hell are you doin? You got a plan for dealing with these guys?" Mairusu would whisper to Shosuke hoping that the boy had some kind of something up his sleeve otherwise they were about to be in a world of hurt.

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WORDS ● Yamamoto Shosuke ● NOTES

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