[Yuie Junichi]

Immediately after Junichi's return to active duty, a major crisis hit the world. A meteor, fallen in Hot-Springs Country, turning the country side into an apocalyptic vision, elemental chakra shredding everything apart into a nightmare. Like many others in Amegakure, Junichi was assigned to go out and join the task forces working to suppress the chaos.

He arrived at the assignment zone. There were hundreds of responders here, organizing and overseeing the activities of the shinobi going out into the field together. Bodies were needed everywhere, so people were being churned out onto whatever missions they could reasonably handle almost as fast as they arrived on the scene.

Junichi stepped up, showed off his ID identifying his rank, and was immediately assigned a team and a task. Enter the Raiton Zone and set up lightning rods and antistatic pads to help future explorers remain safe.

Outside the zone there were a series of lockboxes where shinobi were encouraged to store their weapons so they wouldn't be electrocuted within the zone. Junichi nervously locked up his staff and all other metal on his person. He felt vulnerable without them, half his skills locked away and inaccessible. But he guessed the organizes had told him he wasn't to engage in any combat on this mission if he could help it.

Marching quickly to the activation site, Junichi picked up the collection of rubber pads and the carefully insulated bag of metal lightning rods, and went to meet with his team.

"...Good morning," he greeted, as he approached the two shinobi he was assigned to join. One looked older, which put him more at ease. Maybe it'd be safe to enter the zone unarmed with a more experienced shinobi beside him. He bowed his head. "I'm Yuie Junichi. Please take care of me and I will do the same. Uhm, it looks like another team has already started the process, so I guess we should try to press slightly further than them..."

[Tateyama Yakitsukeru]

This was her... third venture into a zone, and it wasn't honestly starting to lose a lot of the novelty. She had been far more then curious when she had first arrived, but that had been about the end of it. Without clearance, or a path, deeper inside any of the zones Yaki had found herself working basic jobs and simply bidding her time for her own promotion which would hopefully given her the fake papers to show she could do more dangerous jobs. Having had to travel to the lockboxes, Yakitsukeru was forced to all but strip herself of her toolkit, the number of items on her person reduced to simply her clothes, not even daring to risk a bomb inside of an area with a high chance of electrical sparking. Disasters were oft avoided with foresight before anything else. Arriving to the distinguished meeting location Yaki would note that one of the companions was... well he looked very much like one of the young men from her chunin exam and it made her want to give him the cold shoulder instantly. However, that would go against her persona that she was crafting an image for, "Tatetama, I will do what isss needed of me, letsss jussst practice caution and try not to cause problemsss for each other. Who amongssst you two isss higher ranking, asss a wanderer I yield my right to leadership to you village shinobi." TAGGED | Here NOTES | Here MUSE | Sealing You In Sound

AI ♥

[Uchiha Jūkō]

Well, the one thing you couldn't say about his "promotion" was that it was an easy, cushy job. 

Almost immediately after winding up in the position of the Kyuudaime's right-hand man, things had seemed to change. There wasn't even a break to catch his breath or to give him the chance to adjust from the life of a glorified assassin to one where he protected lives instead of taking them. Instead, this situation with Yugakure needed a hands-on response for fear of risking their friendship with the village. That meant shinobi of all kinds being enlisted into helping solve the problem. 

All children of Konoha were Reiashi's responsibility, but it could not be ignored that this one was even moreso. One of the Sage apprentices, it was imperative she be kept safe, even as she chose to help out. Thus, the office of the Hokage had dispatched him to pitch in, even if he had to do it under false auspices. 

Though the mask may be significantly less literal than the one he had worn in the field as an ANBU operative, he was nonetheless maintaining the appearance of someone else. Since the dogs could be recognized just as easily as he could, they had had to stay at the compound, leaving him to assume the form of some average joe. Clanless, with a face that could be brushed over in a crowd without a seconds thought, there wasn't a thing out of place about him.

"Guess that makes me your senpai then - Name's Sawada, Sawada Nobuo, but let's not stand on ceremony here." The words slid out from between his lips as if they were the most natural thing in the world. In his line of work, this sort of lie was second nature, wearing the skin of another as simple as any other tunic or garb. 

Hosting his own packs from the pile, "Sawada" nodded in assent to the boy's suggestion. Of course, the fact couldn't be ignored that by going further than the first group, they were technically risking Yakitsukeru's safety, but he figured that she was strong enough to look after herself at least somewhat. 

"Fine by me. Though, just a reminder - Neither of you two have any other metal on you, right? Don't overlook anything just cos its small, if you've got so much as ryo it could cause a problem."

396 words | @mission

SPOILER: Click to show

Jutsu Used
NAME: Henge no Jutsu [Transformation Technique]
RANK: E
CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low [Continuous]
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu [General]
ELEMENT: None
HANDSEALS: 3
DESCRIPTION: After performing the necessary hand seals, the user transforms their appearance to become that of another person, animal or even an inanimate object. This is considered one of the most advanced academy techniques, as it requires a constant emission of chakra as well as a constant mental focus to maintain the technique; suffering moderate pain or severe distractions will cause the technique to falter.

Shinobi are limited to transforming into objects roughly their size and their mass remains unaffected. Furthermore, this transformation is purely a shift in their physical appearance, conveying no specialized abilities of the person, animal, or object to the user upon their transformation. Transforming into a wolf does not grant a more keen nose nor would changing into a bear grant a sudden increase in strength.

[Yuie Junichi]

Sawada Nabuo and Tateyama. He didn't recognize the man at all, but the girl was vaguely familiar. Maybe they'd seen each other at the exams? If they had, it was a distant thought. She wasn't someone he had traveled with or fought against directly, so her performance had mostly been rinsed from his mind, washed away in a tidal wave of other stresses and stimuli. She was the last thing he was worried about at that time.

"I've packed up everything," Junichi assured. To make sure the older shinobi believed him, he turned out his pockets and showed off his empty pouches. The only thing he had with him was a single bar of soap, half-carved into the shape of a turtle, a project in progress. It was an art piece, though he could also use it as a weapon in a pinch if he totally had to.

Once he'd proven he was good to move, Junichi inched towards the edge of the zone plagued by electricity and storms. He could almost feel a tingle on his skin, the air completely charged. Little fly-aways in his hair stood up from the static electricity.

He looked back to his two teammates and gave them a nod, then started forward.

Junichi took the approach of moving to the nearest laid static pad, running to it and then planting his feet. A decent few meters away, a strike of lightning was called down from the sky, clear of the static pads, hitting a lightning rod. The sound made him jump. Watching electricity arc from the sky and strike the earth like that was really intimidating, making his heart race in his ears. He gripped the rubber squares in his arms tighter.

He repeated this pattern, moving from one square to the next and pausing for lightning strikes in between, until they'd reached the edge of the area the other team had already completed.

"Al-alright," Junichi breathed out, annoyed with himself for the way his voice rattled. "Do you two have, uh, a good idea of where to place the lightning rods?" He'd never dealt with anything like this before. He knew it was a good idea to keep them clear of the path they were going to lay with the antistatic pads, but maybe they'd have some greater knowledge that would prove helpful.

[Tateyama Yakitsukeru]

Yaki, may to, or maybe not to, Juko's surprise was not a person she recognized at all. Instead she assumed he was just a regular member of the village like any other random genin or chunin she could have been stationed with here in the Raiton-aligned zone. It didn't in the grand scheme matter even if his job was to keep her safe - unbeknownst to her, "I have nothing no. Thisss isss even my unarmored haori, asss I was not wanting to act like a lightning rod when out here. Asss for placing the rodsss, we should be looking at sssetting them roughly eight or nine pacesss from the path that we can reach. That way if lightning will ssstrike clossse by we can ssstill have the earth do itsss job before the ssstatic padsss need to absssorb from the earth." Yaki had only read the basic instructions for placing the rods before beginning this mission so there was no real telling if that advice was sound without trial, but if they would take her advice then they would have a good start. Taking the rubberized bag full of rods for the group onto her back and starting to walk forward, she would assume the boys would pick up the pads that they needed to take with them to the location that they were supposed to be extending the path from there. TAGGED | Here NOTES | Here MUSE | Sealing You In Sound

AI ♥

[Uchiha Jūkō]

Juko was about to protest that he didn't need to see the inside of the other person's pockets, that he believed them, but before he could it was already done. Just as the boy had said, there was nothing in there. Well, nothing beyond what appeared to be a small duck carved out of soap.

Nothing but the best thing that Juko had ever seen.

There was a moment where the older shinobi just stood there, looking at it, a look of confusion and wonderment placed upon his face. There was a part of him that was amazed that someone who worked in the same industry as him, someone who surely had had to dirty their hands with blood already even at their young age, still had the innocence and artistic capability to do something like this. The other part was merely quietly jealous that, in disguise as he was, he couldn't ask for one himself.

Whatever happened with this Yugakure situation, the boy had a future outside the military industry, were he but so inclined to follow it.

"Right. I'm older and probably faster than either of you two," 'Sabuo' said, with an air of confidence. ", I'll be the one to do the planting. You two, focus on keeping me supplied with pylons."

Of course, when it came to lightning, one could be the fastest of shinobi and still struggle to dodge in time. Lightning moved at moved at almost 300,000 miles per hour, so the meagre distance even a legendary ninja could move would be irrelevant. He would, however, be better at taking a hit should such a thing crop up. Plus, he had a secret weapon - his sense of smell. It may not be as great as some other Inuzuka, but it was good enough to get a good whiff of Ozone before such a thing became a proper threat. He figured it should work as early warning.

Keeping to his word, the shinobi moved out with his first lightning rod, getting about ten paces out before planting it into the earth. Having worked with his fists for years, digging this into the ground was simplicity itself, and the rods seemed to be able to support their own weight. The second soon followed the first, and then a third.

363 words | @mission

SPOILER: Click to show

Jutsus Used: See Last Post

[Yuie Junichi]

Tateyama gave her idea of placing the lightning rods relatively close to the path, but still comfortably close enough for them to reach without danger. Then, Sabuo went on to offer to take care of this task himself, expecting Junichi and Tateyama only to act as suppliers of the lightning rods.

He was guilty to admit it, but he was a little relieved by the offer. He was still fresh off a break from shinobi work and the idea of dashing out into danger was uncomfortable to him. Even if he could build a layer of soapy armor, he's not sure it would protect from such a powerful direct lightning strike. Having an older shinobi offer to take care of the most dangerous job was comforting. Part of him felt odd that he was so grateful for the actions of shinobi from another nation - that wasn't very patriotic, was it? - but he couldn't help it.

Junichi nodded his agreement to the other shinobi's plans and soon enough, Sabuo was off, planting the lightning rods in the ground.

Within a few rounds of this, Junichi became a very efficient machine at handing out lightning rods. He was used to working with a staff, so maybe this kind of dexterity came naturally. As he handed off the lightning rod, he made sure the part that Sabuo was grasping was covered in a thin shell of hardened soap. It would hopefully provide mild insulation against electricity should the worst happen, but was also fragile enough that it would break apart when Sabuo plunged it into the earth.

"We're making really quick work," Junichi said, relieved, as his bag emptied. He placed another anti static pad on the ground, then jumped again as another lightning bolt struck uncomfortably close by. At least he was getting more used to it over time... "I've only got a few left."

[Tateyama Yakitsukeru]

It was interesting to see all the things that these Amegakure shinobi were capable of. Junichi here was making soap from... nothing? It was a little ridiculous all things considered, but that was to be expected. Paper, soap, and demonic strength nothing she knew about Ame's clans were normal in any way shape or form, so she decided she just didn't need to care about any of it. It wasn't like she was suddenly about to learn how to use any of it anyways. As they traversed the path it was Juko who was doing the relay of the spikes as they moved, their work already getting close to finished sheerly from the efficiency in which they were moving. Had there been another bag of lightning rods? Or was Yakitsukeru misremembering that? Just in case she reached out a hand to Junichi, "Here hand me the bag of ssspikesss, I will continue to run thessse with Sssawada-Sssan. You should return to the ssstart and check for more of thessse bagsss. If there are none, by the time you return there should be none left from oursss combined." Yaki would state all of this in a blunt tone that didn't really leave a lot of room for argument, less like an offer and more like a command. A soft command, but one all the same as she would, assuming Junichi took her offer, begin handing the last few rods over to Juko to place in the earth. By the time Junichi returned the two would almost certainly be done given how fast Juko was moving. TAGGED | Here NOTES | Here MUSE | Sealing You In Sound

AI ♥

[Uchiha Jūkō]

If Juko but knew about what Junichi was feeling... well, he probably wouldn't do anything about it - the boy might be young, but he was an Amegakure shinobi, someone who was supposedly "the enemy". He couldn't be seen to be too close to anyone from the other side of the alliance, it would risk bringing questions about Lord Reiashi.

That said, had Juichi been one of the shinobi under his command and Juko have known about what he was thinking, he would have definitely called him out for such a foolish idea. Not wanting to get hurt wasn't "unpatriotic", it was a natural human reaction. Nobody, or at least next to nobody, wanted to get hurt. It was an accepted reality, but it wasn't a reality anyone looked forward to.

There was a difference between something you wanted to happen and something that you had to accept the chance of, after all.

Focusing on the task at hand instead, he showed just why he was the one out in the field. One after another, each rod slid into the ground with little resistance. Once or twice, his nose picked up that little telltale smell and he had but a moment or two to dive away from the lightning rod in his hands before it served its purpose and was hit with a thousand volts.

Fortunately, everywhere that needed to be held was covered in heat resistant material, so even once it had been struck it was little bother to go back, pick it up, and slide it back into the earth. Unless anything should pop up, he would have the job finished very shortly, and then he could focus on the person of the hour - Tatetama herself.

287 words | @open

SPOILER: Click to show

Jutsus Used: None

[Yuie Junichi]

Tateyama requested the last few spikes from him, wanting him to go back and confirm that there were no more for them to lay out. Junichi nodded, handing over his emptying bag of lightning rods.

"I'll go look and see." He left his last antistatic pad behind as well, so the two of them could lay it out and truly call their job done.

He ran back towards the base camp, traveling between antistatic pads just to reduce the changes that he would be electrocuted by some rogue jolt of lightning. Having something grounding beneath his feet made him feel more secure, made him feel less like lightning was going to chain through the air and straight through him.

After a few minutes, he made it back to their starting location, and went around to search for materials. When he couldn't find any more, he even stopped an organizer to ask them if they knew of any more. The organizer told him that two other groups had been assigned to lay out materials as well and that they'd probably grabbed the last of them. Until more was delivered down from Yugakure, everything had been used up.

So back Junichi went along the marathon of antistatic pads, until he rejoined his team.

"That was everything. We should report back that we've finished and see what our next assignment is," Junichi said. It was a simple task they'd completed, but a very essential one. Hopefully all this work would make things easier for the later responders!

[Tateyama Yakitsukeru]

Yakitsukeru was more then relieved to hear that Junichi returned with no more work. It was getting tiring to get set out constantly. His words however, contradicted that thought and she let out an audible single laugh, "Next asssignment you sssay. No thank you, not at thisss moment. Thisss isssn't hard work, but I've sssince completed multiple jobsss here, and I am uncertain if I will be doing more for a few daysss. Essspecially asss I am not here on anyone'sss ordersss. You are right about usss reporting back, Sssawada-Sssan should be able to take the lead on that particular topic though once we're there." Yaki would state before beginning the journey back towards their base of operations. It had been day after day of tasks since she got here, and she was more then ready to take a few days for herself. That way she could work on a few things she had been looking into. With her successful testing for Hiraishin she needed to work on correcting her inventory for the future tasks that she was going to be facing. Including finding a better alternative to all of these damn bombs that she was currently carrying around still. She loved the explosive weaponry, but it really just wasn't cutting it to only have explosive tags. She needed variety. TAGGED | Here NOTES | Here MUSE | Sealing You In Sound

AI ♥

[Uchiha Jūkō]

Almost as soon as the job had started, it seemed they were already done. The work was incomplete overall, it would still be useful if one more group were able to come out and do this, but as far as they were concerned? They had held up their side of the bargain, all of the rods they were expected to plant were done, and with it so was their side of the gig.

"Don't worry about it, I can get the reports written up and make sure that all the t's are crossed and i's are dotted. You don't get to be my age in this job without knowing how to file paperwork. That said,"

Almost instinctively, Juko's hand shot out, patting the young Sage apprentice on the head. It was a somewhat innocuous gesture, but for one who knew more about Juko and his loyalties it was a more sincere, serious gesture. A sign of thanks and good job from the village, rather than just the senility of an older man.

", good work with this job, you two. Let us real grownups handle the rest from here, and try not to get too exhausted by all this. We'll get it sorted out sooner rather than later."

207 words | @open

SPOILER: Click to show

Jutsus Used: See last post