A Sentence to be Carried Out #2: Manual Labor

Kasumi's sentence was three-fold.  If Kasumi did not comply, her punishment for wondering off would have been much worse than it was.  Not only was she detained for the time being, the Mizukage decreed she was to be debriefed, examined by a psychiatric specialist, and be submitted to a month of manual labor.  While the debriefing and examination had been placed on hold, the lord Kage wasted no time to put the young Hyuuga to work.  For weeks now she had been instructed to mine out stone in a local quarry.  It was back breaking work, to be sure – and the days were long, but Kasumi did manage to make the best of the situation.

What a lovely day, Kasumi thought as she stretched out her legs as she walked out of Kiri's government building.  Its a little chilly, but it beats being cramped in that room the Kage keeps me in.  And my blisters from the pickaxe have finally healed.

As per the drill, she was accompanied by two kiri chunin who lead and followed her wherever she went.  If Kasumi stepped out of her assigned quarters, for whatever reason, those two nins would follow with sober eyes.  One of them had spiky black hair and was quite tall.  The other had dull, brown hair that hid one of his eyes.  He was much shorter than the other and carried a large shuriken on his back.  At this point, Kasumi had grown accustomed to their presence.  Kasumi considered them to be apart of her attire.  Without them, she'd feel naked.

For weeks the routine was the same.  She woke up early and was given the blandest food imaginable.  Sure, it provided sustenance, but needed salt.  Badly.  It was always served cold, too.  Kasumi was pretty sure you could smoosh the food together until it was the consistency of paste, and use it cement.  Then the trio made the long journey, on foot, out of town to the quarry.  They traveled down several blocks until they reached the outskirts of town.  The salty sea air rolled into the surrounding countryside and the sound of seagulls flying overhead was a constant that sought to stimulate the senses.  By the time the trio reached the quarry, the rest of Kirigakure was still in the process of waking up.

Dedicated workers who worked at the quarry mostly consisted of men.  They were all much older than Kasumi and payed her little mind.  This was a blessing in disguise as the men constantly sought to give each other a hard time.  They were a rowdy bunch.  There were multiple occasions where Kasumi caught one of them staring at her.  There was nothing to be done about it, though.  It was probably a trial designed by the Kage himself – a test to determine one's control.  

Now that I think about it, none of these tasks in our agreement seem like a harsh punishment, Kasumi thought as she quarried out the next block with her pickaxe.  The more I think about it, the more I think that my sentence is a training program to get me back into the shinobi ranks.  I am to be subject to a debriefing – to test my recollection, manual labor – to keep my physically fit, and a psychiatric examination – to find my inner self.  Mind.  Body. Spirit.  Aloide works in mysterious ways.

Kasumi grinned as she continued to work.  With each swing from her pickaxe, the young Hyuuga got better at the craft.  She felt herself getting less tired than when she began.  She was able to work faster which increased her output.  Instead of two whole blocks carved out, kasumi was able to produce five.  And before long, it was time to call it a day.  The trio walked the countryside once more and made their way into the Island Village Hidden in the Mist.  

(WC = 642)
(Exit)
(Claiming = +6 stats, 527 words towards Tako puppet, 115 words towards Chompy puppet)[/color]

Approved