Uphill Battle

Missions:

Sometime after recovering from the injuries associated with his apartment exploding and the fight thereafter, Nemui found himself sleeping under a roof to call his own once more. This time opting for a house rather than an apartment, he acquired a small property overlooking the lake of Kirigakure. The home only had one bedroom and one bathroom but it was still a lot more comfortable than the previously mentioned apartment. With the sun rising on a new day he'd begin to stir, gradually feeling the urge to get up and get on with the day ahead. Stumbling over to his front door, Nemui would lean over to pick up an envelope delivered through the mail slot. Looking it over briefly before opening it, he'd read the letter inside which contained instructions for a series of missions.

After reading through the contents a few times, combing it for any potential secret messages, he'd rip the letter to pieces before discarding the remnants into his fireplace. The orders within informed him that he'd be acting as a squad leader in command of three fairly inexperienced Genin. This wasn't troubling by itself but for the fact that the missions they'd be going on were ranked quite high, and on the face of things were quite dangerous. Nemui quickly got clean and equipped for the day ahead, wearing his usual patchwork clothing and allowing his hair to flow freely. Satisfied with his preparedness, he'd make his way out and begin the short journey to the mission's meeting place. This time around it was a takoyaki stall operated by a pair of undercover village ninja, although the latter knowledge was not disclosed to the Genin.

Upon arrival at the stall Nemui would give the pair a nod and order a single serve box of takoyaki while waiting for the Genin to arrive. The time was six in the morning, the weather was quite clear and the streets were mostly vacant. The majority of the civilian populace were gathered elsewhere, no doubt.


WC: 336
TMWC: 336/11,000

Rudra has been training hard in order to perfect his Sharingan, but still lacked in learning some techniques that were also crucial. Today he wanted to go out and train some techniques that were combat oriented. He adorned his casual black long sleeve tshirt, black pants that was held by his belt. The white haired boy then came down from his room, "Headed off for a mission ?" his father would laugh. "Nope, I'm going to do some training, dad" Rudra replied. The young Uchiha had no intentions of doing a mission as he was focused on doing some technique training. Just as he opened the door, he found an envelope on the floor with the seal of his village. The curious Uchiha would then open the envelope that required him to participate in a series of missions with 2 other Genins and a Squad Leader. "Damn! Just when I want to do some training" he said out loud. "Enjoy the missions and make the Uchiha proud" his father would casually laugh as he read his morning papers.

Appearance:

The Uchiha proceeded to walk to the meeting place, which was a food stall. Rudra didn't understand why a food stall would be the meeting place, but since he was hungry, it was a good deal for him. Just as he was 15 meters from the stall, he could see that it was operated by two people, in front of them was a shinobi sitting towards them having their breakfast. The shinobi seemed to be short in height, Rudra was unsure if that was a Genin or the squad leader. Since Rudra is an analytical person, he could see that this person was strong. The shinobi had a different vibe about him, like a wolf in sheep's clothing, hiding his powers. Not wanting to be rude, he approached the shinobi at 2 meters and in a calm manner, "Hi, I'm Rudra Uchiha. I'm here for the missions. I think you are too right ?" he would ask politely. After the introduction completed, the young Uchiha would order a small box of takoyaki for himself.

Early morning was prime time to get some good training in, the body would be well-rested from the sleep and others did not like to get up at that time either, it was easier to travel through the Village of Kirigakure without coming across large groups of people, stalls were just setting up and the training facilities were largely empty. ”Thank you pal” one particular training zone was open earlier than others, not like those 24 hours which would always struggle with downtime to act on repairs. This was his biggest expense and those Academy missions wouldn’t pay enough for him to continue his membership.

When he returned, Jiraijin filled a glass with some mountain spring water, the flavour burst in his mouth and it was his favourite way to stay hydrated. As a Hozuki it was a requirement, to a bigger extend than drinking a few litres a day, though he was unable to use the Hydrification technique as of yet, passive Hozuki would utilise there water release speciality which would require them to keep this maintained.

As he drunk from his glass there was the noise of paperwork ruffling through his door, he sipped the water and walked over. ”Odd.” he wondered if it was his family, it wasn’t. A mission dossier collated a number of missions that may have a similar purpose, perhaps raised by different sources. Jiraijin wondered who else would be on the team, as it noted they would be working as a cell.

It would be his first attempt at a larger mission where the stakes were much higher, potentially there was real fighting. This wasnt cleaning and mopping a statue or escaping a maze, he only hoped that the others were experienced in these affairs, someone was would have to keep them cool and collected in the face of danger. But he supposed this was why they had so much training, to be prepared for this. The mission document didn’t detail who he was going with, so he used his Misty Origin to wet the paper until it was easily turned into a paper mache ball of slimy pulp.

Jiraijin got changed out of his training uniform, putting on a Kirigakure jumpsuit, attached replacement satchels and pockets to his belts and pulled a cloak over it, tied by a small connecting strip and golden buttons at the neck. He made his way to the muster point, noticing two young Shinobi, one of them he noticed from another mission he had completed. ”Rudra. A pleasure.” Jiraijin smiled warmly, before looking at Nemui. ”The name is Jiraijin Hozuki.” he introduced himself, though did not order food, he had eaten already on the way back from training.





WC: 451
TWC: 451
TMWC: 1137

As usual Kai had woken some time during the night and had spent a few hours wandering the village and meditating. He had been getting to grips with his newfound extension to his senses now that he had learned to use Chakra Sensory and had chosen to learn sensory techniques as one of his focuses. He almost lamented the fact that training was refused to students until they passed and he had no doubt the lessons since with his sensory instructor would likely have allowed him to pass the exam at least a few years earlier. The combination of passively sensing chakra on top of his own adapted senses provided a plethora of new information for which to build up his internal imagery of his surroundings, he was pleasantly surprised to discover that his improvement using sensory techniques had also helped him to extend the range that his alternative senses and he could detect even more objects and people around him.

He was still getting used to the ability to sense the chakra around him in people as well and he had gotten into the habit of actively using his senses to detect hidden chakra and was described to discover how many people in the village must be ninja that hide themselves. Kai had thought he could rely on his regular senses to detect ninja but this was clearly not the case. With his new found abilities it would be harder for people to hide what they could do but it was at a much reduced range.

Kai returned home and checked the table wear he kept his equipment and found a letter instead. He passed it under his nose and detected no scents but paper, curiously it did not have an ink smell either. He felt the edges carefully with his fingers, trying to feel if there were any additional substances or hidden items inside. He also used chakra sensory for good measure to ensure there were no hidden techniques or seals that could be activated whilst opening the letter. After his checks were complete he opened the message and glided his hands crossed the raised letters that seemed to have been pressed through the thicker than usual paper to give it a stronger tactile feel. It was not really required for Kai but he silently appreciated the effort and thought. The message was cryptic and clear, head to a Takoyaki stand and meet up with an instructor who will lead a team on some higher ranked missions.

Kai changed into his hakama, kendogi he had newly purchased as well as his signature haori of bright pink material and covered in embroidered flowers. He had washed it recently and it carried the very slight scent of plum blossom oil that would be detectable to those with enhanced senses but otherwise was very muted. The smell brought Kai personal comfort however. He dashed across the rooftops, relying on his mental layout of the village to locate the correct stand. As he moved he kept both hands tucked into the opposing oversized sleeves of the haori, holding the seal of confrontation hidden from view and expanding his active sense of chakra. He let himself drop to the ground just across the street from the stand and could detect five people. As he drew a few steps closer he recognised the Jiraijin’s personal chakra signature instantly. After another step or two he also felt the muted chakra from the sellers of the Takoyaki stand, indicating that they were suing some kind of chakra suppression that would be almost impossible to detect without Kai’s recent training.

“It is good to see a friendly face Jiraijin, or at least one I can trust.” Kai smiled his usual hollow smile but his tone suggested it was at least partially in jest. He looked to the other two figures, breathing in any scents or sounds to form a mental shape and combining it with their chakra signatures. He did not believe he had met either of them before and gave a slight bow, knowing one of them was likely to be their team leader but not knowing which one. He released the seal of confrontation and removed his hands from his sleeves, taking a moment to adjust the katana and wakizashi he wore on his hip. On the opposite leg his headband hung from his hip displaying the village insignia outwards but the cloth had been replaced with a pink one that matches his haori and hair.

“I am Kaikoss Blossom, a newly graduated Genin. I trained with Jiraijin at the academy but I do not know who either of you are or which of you is the leader for this team?”

WC: 786 TWC:786 TMWC: 1923

Now sitting with his takoyaki box in hand, Nemui looked up at the first of the Genin to arrive. The boy introduced himself as Rudra Uchiha and after being questioned on his business at this spot, Nemui thought for a moment about whether or not he should test the boy's investigative skills. However, believing the mission briefing these Genin received was likely different to his own and may have contained his name therein, he decided against it. Instead he'd go for the far simpler option and responded in a jovial manner while poking his takoyaki with a wooden skewer, "Hello, my name's Nemui and I'll be acting as your squad leader for the day." The short Chunin then picked up a takoyaki ball with the wooden skewer and began munching on the side of it while another Genin arrived.

This new arrival was very concise with his speech and after he'd introduced himself, Nemui with a mouthful gave a nod and spoke muffled through the octopus "Nemui." While the first Genin was happy to order some food, the second one didn't. Nemui wondered if that was because the second Genin realized the takoyaki stand was being operated by ninja, or for some other reason. His speculation was naturally wasted as the boy simply wasn't hungry. Around the time that Rudra would be receiving his Takoyaki, the third and final Genin arrived. Nemui immediately took notice of the scars that surely damaged or entirely removed the new arrival's eyesight although he made no comment about them. Instead, he followed the same routine of allowing the Genin to introduce himself first before responding, this time without a mouthful of food.

"My name's Nemui, I'm the team leader for you all today." Nemui reiterated, this time with all of the Genin assembled. Once the group finished their introductions he would place the takoyaki box down and clap his hands, interlocking his fingers together. Nemui leaned forward with his elbows pressing down against his knees before addressing the group. "Today we're going to be taking on some dangerous missions, so I want to hear from each of you what your strengths are, not only in combat but also in social situations." Taking a breath while assessing the initial reaction of each Genin, he'd continue "However, it would be rude of me to ask that much of you without first setting an example. I'm a member of the Hiyu clan, I specialize in Taijutsu and my ability to hand social situations is lackluster."

Nemui grinned before standing up and pointing to Rudra, "Since you were the first to arrive after me, let's start with you."


WC: 440
TWC: 776
TMWC: 2,363/11,000

After Rudra's introduction, the short blonde shinobi introduced himself as Nemui and that he'll be the one leading the squad for the day, while he was munching on his food. Just as they finished their introduction, along came Jiraijin, whom he have met previously in a mission. "Glad to see you Jiraijin" Rudra replied with a downward head nod, acknowledging the headband on him, signifying that he had become a Genin. The young Uchiha was delighted to see a fellow shinobi that he had previously worked with, even though their time spent was little, it was good.

The last person to arrive introduced himself as Kaikoss, a recently graduated Genin. He noticed the scars on him that showcased that he might have either fully lost his eyesight, or have damaged eyes. With Kaikoss immediately noticing Jiraijin and being able to pinpoint that there were two other people in front of him, he understood that the Genin might have specialized in Sensory techniques.

At that moment, the Uchiha deduced that the ones who arrived after himself were all a Genin, meaning most likely the blonde shinobi was a Chunin. The Uchiha mentally acknowledged the difference in strength, as being a Chunin was a huge responsibility and the amount of trials and exams they have to pass before becoming one. Once the team has been assembled, Nemui begins briefing them that he'll be leading a series of dangerous missions and wants to know the strength of each of the team members present. The Chunin opted to start first and was informed that he was from the Hiyu Clan and that he specialized in Taijutsu.

Once he was picked to start the Genin team introduction, Rudra would stand up and bow out of courtesy towards everyone, stand straight up again and face everyone. "My name is Rudra and I'm from the Uchiha Clan. I specialize in basic ninjutsu techniques as I haven't been training that much and still in my early stages. I hope to learn from everyone here, thank you" he would say with a polite smile. If anyone were to ask if he had awakened the Sharingan, he would make a polite face and say no, lying to his own team. Rudra being a cautious person didn't want to give out any specifics even though they are in the same team. The young Uchiha had his own goals, that may or may not go along with their village in the future and couldn't risk the team knowing, especially a Chunin.

After he had been re-introduced to his comrade Rudra, who he was now of equal rank to - previously they had completed a mission together cleaning a monument, Rudra spoke about them meeting once he became a Genin, now likely was a nice time to do that. Once introductions were complete and they would find themselves on their way to whatever mission they aimed to compete today. Regardless, he was met with a familiar face. The scarred eyes didn’t bother him, especially as he knew the story behind how they became what they were. Jiraijin placed his hand on the shoulder of Kai. ”Ah man - If I knew you were coming I’d have dressed a bit smarter!” Jiraijin laughed, patting the man’s shoulder and then looking back to the group. ”I’m glad you're both here.” he spoke to the two he knew.

Jiraijin hadn’t ordered food, his diet was strict whilst he was trying to practise his hydrification technique, mostly water and with other ingredients that he could easily convert into a liquid form. It played havoc with his digestive system but it allowed him to concentrate fully on turning completely into water. As a master of Water Release itself, this would be the pinnacle of his Ninjutsu skills. If anyone was watching him closely, every few minutes he looked concentrated - one of his arms or his face would wobble as his chakra converted and transformed part of his face into an opaque water, but then pull tight back into his normal skin.

No longer than it took for introductions to be complete, the team leader spoke out. A younger shinobi, more likely Rudra’s age than Jiraijin or Kai’s. The name was Nemui and they would be the team leader for this mission, he looked both to the left and the right at his comrades to spot any immediate reaction to the revaluation but largely listed to the Chuunin. ”I specialise in Mist and Water Jutsu in combat. Throw me in the direction of the enemy and I’ll come out the other side through any means. And hey, I’m good with people - confidence can convince people of many things. I look like I belong.” often a stern talking to and an act of belonging meant he could get into areas in his missions that he had no reason to be in.

He had been working on the Hydrification technique for a while now. And knew he was on the cusp of completing it. Perhaps he could do something today to finally be able to use the Jutsu in combat scenarios, the combinations of water wall jutsu and shuriken he has currently wouldn’t fare too well if he would be faced with anything that directly countered his own abilities. He supposed that’s why he could always rely on his comrades to work with him, covering each others weaknesses.

WC: 480
TWC: 932
TMWC: 3263 / 11,000

Kai responded to Jirajin in an overly serious, sardonic tone of voice the uncharacteristic for Kai usually. “Next time I will be sure to give you notice ahead of any of my missions in case you feel the need to dress more appropriates in case of chance encounters.”

Kai did not turn his head but noted the voice of the smaller figure he could sense that introduced themselves as their Chunin squad leader for the mission. To Kai’s senses the figure seemed small but he knew never to underestimate someone based on appearances. The fact he was a chunin meant he had experience and had earned his rank. Kai kept his breath steady, attempting to filter the sounds of mastication whilst still listening to Nemui speak. It was a particularly disgusting habit that seemed to affect him more than regular people with his heighted senses. Indeed the voice sound almost childlike, fitting with the small stature of the form.

Kai nodded at the leaders introduction and his request that each member of the team set out their social skills, abilities and specialties. It made sense to share such information before a mission, especially when leading a team of genin that had either limited experience or had never worked with each other before. Though Kai had worked with Jiraijin he was not entirely familiar with his chosen skill set outside of having seen him defeat the maze. He had yet to directly see him use any techniques so it would be interesting to learn what his specialties were. Kai was not shocked when he announced his particular skill set and from what he knew of Hozuki almost all them had incredibly strong affinity to the water element. Kai was intrigued that his friend might know some mist techniques already and he was tempted to ask, only his strong self control preventing him and pushing the desire to the depths of his mind.

Kai was not particularly familiar with the Hiyu clan and made a note to investigate further once the mission had been completed. He announced he was a taijutsu user which was certainly helpful, Kai himself was not particularly skilled in close quarters fighting yet so it was comforting to know they had an experienced leader to cover close combat encounters. Kai was a little concerned that the chunin was apparently less than confident in social situations but then everyone had a weakness he supposed. Kai reflected that at least he was no longer talking with his mouth full of food. Kai made a note to ask their leader if he could teach him a few basic fighting techniques after the missions were completed. Kai worried that if he was disarmed then he would become very vulnerable and it seemed an unnecessary risk to take.

The Uchiha went next and introduced themselves as Rudra and advised that they specialised in Ninjutsu which filled another important slot within their team dynamic and could potentially multiple ranges of fighting or provide good control over the battlefield if required. Kai did not know much ninjutsu outside of the basics so was interested to see what someone from the same clan as his friend Ichikai was capable of. Rudra made no mention of his sharingan and Kai considered it was perhaps a sensitive subject. Judging by his conversation with Ichikai at the academy the Uchiha clan put a lot of pressure on each generation to awaken and master the sharingan at as young an age as was feasibly possible, thereby securing the future of the next generation. Kai imagined some branches of the family would be much worse for this kind of practice so he could understand why Rudra did not want to mention it if he had so far failed to awaken his.

Kai Spoke next in an efficient and matter of fact tone, reciting the information dispassionately with a wide ever present grin on his face. “I am Kaikoss Blossom. As you can tell I am blind but I am able to make use of my other senses to compensate and should not slow you all down. I specialise in weaponry and sensory techniques though I have not been training very long. My trained skills include chakra sensory, chakra infusion and one handed seals. I know a few basic weaponry techniques but I still have a great deal to learn.” Kai left a pause so the information could be processed before proceeding. “I feel I am capable in a variety of social situations and my blindness can be used to distract or disarm if required. Most people will help a blind man that stumbles and falls in front of them, especially if they believe they caused the accident. People that feel guilty are more likely to help in any way they can and often lowers their guard. In other cases they may simply be nice out of pity.”

Kai tilted his head slightly to the side, considering if he should say more. With a shrug he continued. “I can also place mark seals and I am capable of tracking them very accurately if required. If you wish I can apply a mark on each of the team in the event that someone is separated or captured. I would be able to lead the rest of the team or a later rescue mission to locate the person or at least their body if required. The mark is visible to chakra vision and other sensory techniques but even if the seal disappears we will know that our enemy has someone that can sense or see chakra as well as the ability to break them.”

Kai waited to see what their team leader would decide in regards to his use of mark seals. It could be an excellent tactic but he knew some people were oddly uncomfortable with sensory ninjas being able to track them. Kai couldn’t blame them, he had certainly placed mark seals on object and people without their knowledge so it was not an unfounded worry he supposed. He had always been taught t was easier to get forgiveness than permission and it was a small price to ensure he could locate important people or items if required.

WC: 1036 TWC: 1822  TMWC: 4299/11000