[Akira]

Checklists and clipboard in place, Hotarubi was checking the cargo. "That doesn't look like enough rice." Hotarubi would point out to the driver. "Not my job - it's just my wagon and horse." They were unconcerned enough about the fight it seemed, and Hotarubi was also ... not looking forward to the boring walk. But they were here to deliver food to an area that was suffering and he was awaiting a... Yuri. An odd name, considering it's sexual implication but apparently it also had some religious and cultural connotations? Either way, Hotarubi would shrug as he made a note next to the rice, by virtue of an asterisk.

At the edge of the fake Takigakure, out the way of the lines of people entering and exiting and through the noise of the people - the day was beautiful. Absolutely beautiful: but for the poor humans, it was piss cold. For the jungle, that was: it was humid and 'not warm' as opposed to 'scary hot' and Hotarubi was dressed for the part, in a simple shirt and trouser but didn't appear to be in anything over that.

The blue skies and the lack of cloud meant that everything was getting trapped through the rainforests: meaning that it was foggy, humid, and the humidity fogginess made it cold. So that meant that there was a possibility that someone might try to take advantage but the road was pretty much a clear shot north with some curves here and there? Unless the wagon itself got stuck or a wheel went missing, he was sure it would be a simple enough mission.

And frankly: with the things going on with him lately for once Hotarubi was happier to have an easier mission. Lately it had all been... consistent threat. Constant homework, constant work from dawn to dusk that was only limited by his chakra usage. So if Yuri didn't turn up in the next... half an hour, he was going to get straight off.

---

Mission

SPOILER: Click to show

A Fishy Tale
MISSION RANK: C
NPC REQUIREMENT: No
PARTICIPANTS: Open, Open
DESCRIPTION:
In the Azure town of SŌDAINABONCHI along Bonchi no Kuni's coastline - a famine is breaking out. The reefs are 'drying' up: nothing seems to be growing, and the fish are being found further and further out. Deliver supplies and maintain the peace for the hungry and needy.

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[Oborozuki Yuri]

Hotarubi would not have to wait long. Yuri is not too far along, enjoying half a smoke as she approaches the outskirts of fake Taki. Part of her was buzzing, being so close to her family. To Akari. But the mission was at hand, and she hadn't time to detour.

Still, her eyes are locked on the village's edge from afar before sweeping across the wagon, the driver, Hotarubi.

Though it was brief, she'd met him once or twice before. As a previous member of Genin Team 1, and she the newest member, they shared Midori in common. That alone did not offer her much though, and she may know him to be strong and independent, but Yuri knew squat about the guy - except for that he was recently promoted to Special Jounin, and she was prescribed a moment beneath his wing.

Despite the hazy, cold near-winter morning, Yuri only wears her blue school-style sailors sweater and a pair of tight, black training shorts. Her boots are black, scuffed and dirty, but otherwise she looks fresh. As she rounds the wagon, nodding to the driver, Yuri pops up from directly behind Hotarubi. "Hi."

Once she has his attention, she takes the butt of her cigarette and holds it to the side of her jaw, exhaling a billow of warm white into the chilly air. Her honey brown eyes roll from her temporary teammate to the cargo, peering in thoughtfully. "Doesn't look like enough rice."

---

Akira | 244
Post 2/15

[Akira]

The man would continue checking the cargo as he waited for his teammate.

The man would not be caught unaware - though he wouldn't know it was for him until she was in the final ten meters, he would turn around as he realized it was for him. "Yuri." Felt a bit strange saying but hey, wasn't his job to police her (it was). Hotarubi made a bunch of mini-judgements and remembered her face vaguely.

"That's what I was saying!" Hotarubi exclaimed. The driver looked toward them both, scoffed and then looked away. Hotarubi would throw the clipboard onto the back of the wagon since it had been checked twice and thrice. "We're off. Take the lead." Hotarubi would slap the back of the wood and it would creak under his touch. That didn't bode well.

"We're expected to take most of the day to arrive at the pace we're going - they won't be getting fed till sun down." There was a sort of crassness to his voice like he couldn't believe he was helping feed the village on the coast. Why couldn't they fish? It just smelled of laziness to him. And truthfully unless there were beasts on the road for them to clear out he didn't anticipate any danger either till at least being on the outskirts of Sodainabonchi.

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[Oborozuki Yuri]

"Hotarubi-sama," Yuri had said in response to her own name being spoken. There was a touch of something on his tongue and Yuri just knew it had something to do with him linking her name to the shoujo manga novels girls liked to read about girls falling in love. Ugh, she'd always think when someone mistook her name's meaning. It's the kanji for lily, dammit...

Everything set, it seemed the last ingredient to the mission soup was Yuri's presence. She takes a long drag off her cigarette, watching Hotarubi's body language compared to the almost annoyed inflection of his voice.

Watching the wagon begin rolling onward at a leisure pace, Yuri wonders why they can't ride with the cargo.

"They've waited this long, they can wait a little longer..." Exhaling plumes of white into her blasé voice, Yuri's complexion dotes on expressionless, even with her red nose and cheeks. The imitation Takigakure behind them slowly grows smaller and smaller as they move steadily down the rocky road. Yuri takes care to survey the area, even though she doesn't expect to be under too much threat out here. Still, she wanted to be prepared, she wanted to try at least, and maybe looking busy in front of the special jounin took her mind off the fact she was partnered up with someone of such high rank. High compared to she, anyway. Was this a mission meant for her, or for him? Or were they simply just the only two ninja available?

Yuri shakes her head a little, freeing herself from the spiral. At any rate, a mission success would look good on both their belts.

Only a few minutes into the excursion, Yuri breaks the silence. Pulling the last drag from her cigarette, she speaks clouds of smoke, staring idly at the cherry she squeezes from the tube so that she can pocket the snuffed butt. "So, like. You think we'll be facing any bad guys?"

---

Akira | 325
4/15

[Akira]

Hotarubi appreciated the use of the Sama suffix not because he found gratification in it: but its deference. To him, that was golden thread and he was bound to loom it for later. He nodded at her, recognition of her deference. Fine. "Set it off." Hotarubi spoke to the lead whip (driver) as they would not hesitate and their crawl would begin. It was a decent enough pace that they would have at least to keep a consistent footing, but not so much that a little jog wouldn't put them ahead of it in no time. Their immediate scenery would start to change no more than five minutes: the road was well traveled, and between passing waterfalls and trees or bamboo groves and swamp would replace the scenery of the living.

Yuri's question would have him only twist his head to look at her once and carried on walking as he responded.

"No. Not before getting there." Hotarubi was honest in his assessment, because the road was long and boring and because if there were going to be anyone, it would be on the latter end of the mission. "We might see something before reaching the village, though that's a generous name to give shit on sticks." Hotarubi had passed through the village only once: and it hadn't been great that time either. He'd been through it in all of about ten minutes. "Are you a close range or long range fighter?" Did it matter? Hotarubi wouldn't have any trouble putting them all down himself, he guessed. Unless there were bandits or actual threats, civilians would be...

Simple.

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[Oborozuki Yuri]

Part of her is relieved at Hotarubi's words, but a small part of her forever yearns for danger. A step out of the norm, a chance to really feel her heart pump. Though she wasn't attending the approaching exams, she knew her time would come eventually. What if she was not prepared? She'd heard many stories of previous exams, tales of violence and loss and all things awful - but with it came stories of victory and triumph, of making unusual allies and coming across loads of different experiences. Also she'd have to fight another kid, wouldn't she? She barely held up against Midori, and she had been sure her teammate was going easy on her; how would she fair in an all out match against someone that wanted her throat?

The walk is slow and leaves plenty of room for her mind to wander, but Hotarubi keeps the conversation going, even if only business-like about it. It helped keep her out of her head. "Close range," she admits. The truth was that she was not so built for fighting, and she had very little strategy. "Mostly just use my hands or this thing," she shrugs, drawing attention to the baseball bat fixed to her back.

Brown eyes loom over a passing waterfall, one that seeps into a creeky swamp. Some frozen water tapers across one side to the other of the road, but it seems to go unnoticed by the horse's hooves and wagon's wheels. A moment of silence before her dead voice rises once again. "What about you? How do you fight...?" Not only did she want to stretch her legs in real combat, she wanted to see how Hotarubi handled foes - he seemed strong, both in mind and body. She knew there was plenty she could learn from him, if only through watching how he operates.

---

Akira | 308
Post 6/15

[Akira]

So that he could continue to evaluate her the questions were necessary, and as a Yamakira he was always looking at it through the lens the threat she posed to him, and for right now he judged that to be... very slim.

Then his eyes grazed over the bat. "Oh." He would see the bat and it was like Touwa all over again, flashing the idea of pointless and useless items. "I hope you know how to use that." It deflated him a little bit. The thought of being hit with a bat might've hurt if he was human, but alas... The yellow orbed man could already picture Nageku sitting atop the cart, looking down on the two of them while announcing how bats were an inferior weapon to use.

Hotarubi wouldn't even offer an answer verbally as his arm raised out and the hand would turn from a hand into a claw, a hook, then created a stupid little house... on the end of his hand. Hotarubi had been playing with his control enough to learn how to create more complex shapes using his earth - because if he could create a house, why couldn't he create a series of weapon based attacks? The sky was the limit, as creativity went.

And he carried on walking whilst he did it. "With power." Was the cryptic thing he would offer. He who was running with wolves. The Yamakira would keep up his own pace. "Will you manage your stamina or do you need to sit on the wagon?" Hotarubi asked.

It would have sounded like Hotarubi was thinking about her: this was false. He was thinking about himself and not having a burden to look after if, after a several hour prolonged exercise that they ended up having a fight at the other end. Theoretically, ninja were already peak physical form, so it shouldn't have been an issue, right?

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[Oborozuki Yuri]

"I hope you know how to use that." Oh, she knew how to swing it. She knew how to hit things. Hard. But honestly, her proficiency with the bludgeoning weapon, or any weapon for that matter, was lacking. Still, if push came to shove, a crack to the skull with her bat would suffice.

Looking to the man towering over her by nearly half her own height, Yuri blinks as his hand morphs into a number of things - a claw, a hook, a stupid little house. His cryptic, short answer fills Yuri with a swell of blended emotion. There was admiration; Hotarubi was looking like the kind of person she could look up to. Calm, mysterious, all dark but sorta friendly and definitely hiding an ass kicking beneath a nice smile. She wouldn't admit it, but he was the kind of person she wanted to be. But with admiration also came frustration - though for what reason, she did not know.

But that's gross, and she's not one to idolize people, so she lets the notion pass.

"Nah," she responds, though the lazy side of her wanted to take him up on the offer. But she didn't need to sit on the wagon - she was fully capable of making a day's walk without dropping levels. Especially at the crawl they were going. "Believe it or not, the chronically smoking teenager will be fine."

How long had they been walking? Not long. How much further did they have to go? Checking the position of the sun, calculating its distance from the horizon compared to where it stood at the beginning of their journey-... ah, who was she kidding? She had no idea.

"As far as missions go, this is kind of tits..." Her sideways voice trails off as she produces a pack of smokes, pulling one out with her teeth. Lighting it, replacing her items in the pocket of her sweater, Yuri commits to the walk.

---

Akira | 324
Post 8/15

[Akira]

"Yuhhuh." Hotarubi would flatly respond. She had her vice, if she failed it would have been his fault so he had to take an interest in it... she had best been able to back it up. Some more time would pass for the three of them plus horse as they walked, and eventually coming up to a change in scenery as the north side of Bonchi no Kuni became less hilly: less waterfall like and more everglades style with branching trees and separates canopies between boggy waters, islands separated by water and wooden bridges.

"We're nearly there." It had been a long while but the actual 'mission' portion was going to begin. It seemed the driver had a lot more experience in being quiet for long periods of time, perhaps it was one of the hazards that came with the job?

"Might be nothing but there's a concentration of people 300 meters out... on the left side of the wagon on the trail." As he continued walking, he offered more information. "Poorly fitted behind some plantlife." It looked like there would be some action, and that wouldn't be the half of it given that this was an area deprived of food.

"It's probably starving people who are trying to resort to highway banditry. We're going to kill them." Hotarubi gave his orders and adjudication. "If they do anything." He quickly tacked on. Just for his own sake. It wasn't like his mind was completely made up but in a utilitarian way, hey could absolutely try to prevent a village from being fed for their own selfish gain, but they would not have the power to do it with Hotarubi and Yuri there. For that, they would pay with their lives.

It was an opportunity to allow Yuri to fight in battle against a group, and at this point he was highly doubting that they were Shinobi.

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[Oborozuki Yuri]

Yuri has made it through the whole of her smoke by the time Hotarubi speaks again, making promise that they would be there soon. The genin nods, pulls from her cigarette one last time and exhales white as she snuffs and pockets the butt. So far, easy enough-

"Might be nothing but there's a concentration of people 300 meters out... on the left side of the wagon on the trail. Poorly fitted behind some plantlife."

Oh, okay. Well, that wasn't so bad. Bandits or otherwise, they were no match for two Takigakure shinobi - surely they could reason with them, or knock a few heads together to scare them off-

"It's probably starving people who are trying to resort to highway banditry. We're going to kill them. If they do anything."

Huh?

Yuri's eyes flutter and milky brown orbs dart to Hotarubi, to the driver ahead of them, to the wagon, to Hotarubi again. There are a thousand things she wants to say, but instead of stammering on all of them she only stares ahead, taking his word and making peace with it. If she said anything now, he might think her to be weak; which was something she'd like to prove she was not. But killing them? For the crime of being hungry? It was a lot to wrestle with, and after a long time Yuri only says one thing.

"Okay."

The whole time they're approaching, crossing the distance one step at a time, Yuri is bracing herself, counting the meters as they pass judged by the number of steps they took; around fifty steps, she counted one-hundred meters. Another seventy-five steps, she looks to Hotarubi for guidance. Do they announce themselves to the ones attempting an ambush? Or let them file out for action?

Yuri reaches over her shoulder to produce her bat, attempting to look casual about it as she rests it on her shoulder.

She could do this. She could kill if she had to. She is a shinobi.

She could do this.

---

Akira | 336
Post 10/15

[Akira]

And for the space between the three hundred meters and there Hotarubi kept a faint eye on Yuri as he slowed down from his position on the right hand side of the wagon, to come to the left hand side, and then keeping pace with her. This was somewhat of a test- but she had to be ready if they were going to make the plunge.

There was a rustle: they were about to move. Before any of them could actually stand up as the wagon began to pass, Hotarubi called out to them.

"If you come out from your hiding place you'll die." Hotarubi called out. Hotarubi released what he called 'his presence' and to the civilians it was likely one of the more oppressive feelings they would have had in their lives. Even for Yuri, it might've had an effect but less effective.

There was an almost lilt to Hotarubi's voice that made it come across as a bit sing-songy. In response: nothing happened. There was some rustling but instead the world grew quiet and Yuri would have been able to see the colors of clothing through the various spaces - and Hotarubi would be walking on the left hand side, hands in his pockets. But, they were harmless civilians. Nothing more than a few hungry people - but ones who were willing to throw away their humanity in order to get their own selfish needs.

"Thank fuck for that." The driver said, breaking through the tension.

As they passed, and they eventually came out of sight. Hotarubi did have a word to say. "They have the opportunity to do the right thing or the wrong thing. My job is to make sure this is delivered. I wouldn't feel sorry for them. We're going to have the harder job because the moment we step in the people and people realize it's food they're going to mob around us. Get your shouting voice ready." The man immediately began to move into the next issue in their pack.

The pack mentality was much worse than the banditry.

---

SA Mentioned:

SPOILER: Click to show

Subjugate the Weak!

Hotarubi is capable of releasing a heavy presence around him comprised of Doton chakra - unlike regular chakra, this moulded Doton chakra exertion bares some of the characteristic of chakra conductivity and has physical weight that slows individuals down some and covering their entire bodies in a weighted blanket type of feeling. While not actually effective enough to slow someone down or meaningfully effect them in a battle, this can induce physiological/psychological changes in someone that would be akin to 'obey' or 'fear' Hotarubi.

(OOC: From an IC perspective, while roleplayers can choose their characters not to be affected, can also manifest itself as being a form of 'killing intent' that might paralyze some vulnerable or lower ranked Shinobi.)

The actual benefit by doing this is that Hotarubi becomes a sensor jammer: passively disabling sensors from knowing his true location without other senses, or by clouding his allies chakra signatures as well. More importantly, the 'half-active' feature of this means that Hotarubi is not always at the 'centre' of the radius: rendering some logical deduction difficult to his exact whereabouts.

[Passive: 50m / Active: 100m]

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[Oborozuki Yuri]

Yuri did not think much about Hotarubi coming to stand on the left of the wagon with her - if anything, she took a faint comfort in it. Surely if some harm were to come over her, he would be there to cover her ass? Side-eyeing him for a moment, she wonders what kind of person he is. Would he help her should she fall? Or tell her to get off her ass on her own? Something told her he was more of the latter, but she hoped for the former.

In any case, she wouldn't allow herself to fall anyway. So really, it didn't matter.

Right?

Yuri's eye on Hotarubi extends to the civilians pressed behind wildlife poorly, immediately recognizing their crouched figures even before her comrade  calls out at them. Immediately, she feels a sinking weight in her chest; a sort of relentless pressure threatening to cave her legs in. Just as quickly as it'd come, it dissolves. Swallowing thickly, Yuri's eyes slide from those who chose to listen back to Hotarubi, then the driver as he hisses a praise.

As he attempts to explain himself, Yuri takes interested heed. He was not wrong; and she supposed everyone had the choice to do right or wrong - and maybe Yuri shouldn't feel bad for the consequences that befall those who know the risk.

Suddenly, she wonders if she has what it takes.

Instead of crumbling at the notion, she steels herself, a new determination smothering her expression. For once, the bored teen does not look so bored - her eyebrows are tight, her jaw set and eyes blazing. She was a fucking shinobi.

"Got it."

So when push comes to shove and they finally arrive to Sōdainabonchi, Yuri's fist around the grip of her bat is firm and her expression is hard. She readies herself for a hoard - before the gates are even in sight, there are already civilians peppering the road, asking for hand-outs. Yuri does not say anything, glaring at the individuals who try to stop her and raising her bat a few times. She looks to Hotarubi not for aid, but to gauge how he handles the situation.

As she is watching her teammate, a woman grabs at Yuri's sleeve and tugs at her from behind, throwing her off. Grunting, Yuri slams the top of her bat into the ground and leans into it for balance, shoving the woman off. "Everyone will get food," her raised voice hardly carries, so she tries again from the gut. This time, her voice is louder, sturdier. "Be patient!"

---

Akira | 428
Post 12/15

[Akira]

Hotarubi was caught between 'doing the job for himself well' and 'teaching mode' - that was, giving Yuri the capacity to be a badass Shinobi without the need of him to get involved. But, as expected there was a roar of noise as it caught up in only what Hotarubi could describe as momentum. In the span of two minutes, people were beginning to mob around the cart - only with Yuri at the back where the food was actually coming from there was a bit of breathing room and not a lot of opportunity for her to establish order.

"Start doin' somethin!" The driver insisted, watching Hotarubi do nothing at all while Yuri was being pleaded with, threatened, and all assortments of language. "ORDER." Hotarubi roared. Again: with full force, the weight in the entire area would be blanketed with this thick invisible smog of dirt, of chakra weighing them down in only a way that they would have experienced from the Lord of their military villalge.

Hotarubi had learned at some cases having the big voice, the loud voice. As he looked among the crowd he could see the poor, the famished: the dirty and those with the bare sack of bones. It had been hard on them.

Hotarubi did not feel sympathy for them as he stared down - from atop the cart, on their food, as he established it. A blade arm would form - a threat. That, combined with his voice, brought down the volume incredibly: it did not diminish it, but it certainly brought the discord down. Then - with expectation, yellow eyes would settle on Yuri to direct.

Teaching mode it was: but the intoxicating feeling would remain for as long as Hotarubi stood there atop the cart.

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[Oborozuki Yuri]

Things are getting out of control too quickly, and Yuri can barely keep up. Hotarubi takes to the top of the vessel, effectively leaving Yuri to deal with the masses as he watches on, calm and quiet. Yuri stresses a little, eyes widening as she looks from side to site, grip tensing around her bat.

Hands pile forward, reaching out, desperate for anything to fill them. Yuri is crowded into the back of the wagon. The cart's turtle pace is fully halted now as the hungry masses plead violently with the Taki ninja.

"ORDER."

Yuri's heart sinks, but this time she is familiar enough with the feeling; it does not drag her down like it had before, even if it still weighs on her. Regardless, a hush falls among the sea of heads. Suddenly, the spotlight is on Yuri.

"Pl-..." Her voice starts out small, so she takes a deep breath. Her expression shifts from unease to confidence - she was not scared of these people. With Hotarubi, they could sweep through each and every one of them. She thought so, unwavering. Yuri's voice climbs, her chest puffing out as she raises her bat. Attention on her, the hush still drawn, the genin booms over the silence. "Please by patient! We know you are hungry. We have plenty of food for everyone, nobody will be left out. Unless you cause a problem. Then you will fucking starve!"

A melody of uproar begins from one end of the crowd and makes its way to the other end, but Yuri lets out a long, sharp whistle that echoes off the clouds as she slams her bat into the ground. Another hush. She is unused to brandishing her voice, to taking control. Having impact. "If you cooperate, we will begin rationing supplies right here, right now. Or you can fight us - you will not win, we will turn around, and you will suffer the consequences of your foolish choice. We will put you down."

A beat. Her heart thumps in her chest, but Yuri keeps her expression steady, her stance wide and bold. Swinging her bat onto her shoulder and cocking her weight to one hip, she nods when there is no protest above a murmur. Some part of her wondered if they would have listened had Hotarubi not been her attack dog overseeing the situation; but she beamed nonetheless. "Good choice. Let's start."

---

Akira | 400
Post 14/15

[Akira]

Yuri's words were enough to calm the crowd enough for them to give the cart space, starting to form what was reminiscent of a line, even if only supported by the threat of violence with the large Shinobi standing watch. The cart itself was starting to creak under Hotarubi's weight, though it had been designed for heavy weight in mind.

Good for her, Hotarubi thought. It was control and experience talking: that was learning for her.

But, the break in the crowd meant other trouble- some were purer of heart and resolution that they could not be contained by words alone. That was okay. Three men broke through the crowd enough - and Hotarubi was simply quicker on reacting as he pushed forward onto the next box, a bit closer: breaking through the wood and the rice starting to spill from it as he punched the air.

Hotarubi's arm seemed to shrink as it extended forward - powered by the existing earth on his body as it moulded itself and pierced through one of the men's shoulders - but with enough precision as to not go back into the crowd after it. The other two, would be up to her to deal with: Hotarubi was more than capable, as he held a hand out - pointing two fingers at them, one each: knowing that at this range it would be a simple shot to bury into their bodies or through their eyes.

He stepped off the cart and with it raised his arm: a yelp of the larger man as they began to slide down the thickening pillar of earth and was helplessly lifted from the ground under Hotarubi's strength.

But: it was an opportunity for Yuri to do what she believed, and he would not stand in the way of it since he had made himself absolutely clear that he didn't care whether they lived or died.

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