The Monster, The Village, And The Vault [Missions]

Mon Dec 05, 2022 3:12 pm

***SUCCESSFUL TRAVEL TO "WIND COUNTRY BORDERS" DONE HERE***

A-Rank Mission: Venatio:

A-Rank Mission: Weathering The Storm:

S-Rank Mission: The Vault Of The Kazekage:

Uchiha, Kaito could easily tell that yet another major sandstorm was beginning to brew in the Land of Wind.

It wasn't that hard to tell either, really. The constant sound of wind whooshing harshly echoed in the young man's ears, making it feel as though his eardrums would burst at any given moment. Dark clouds too loomed overhead in the skies, making for a truly ominous scene.

These storms were always a bad thing not only for the village of Sunagakure, but also for the Wind Country as a whole. While Sunagakure was protected by the protective dome of Chakra that surrounded it, these storms were more than powerful enough to completely decimate anything in their path. This would typically spell destruction and annihilation to the innumerable small villages that dotted the desert, and this particular storm would be no different. Most of the villages didn't even house any Shinobi of their own, or at least ones with formal training at Sunagakure's Ninja Academy, so there would be no way that they could protect themselves without the help of Sunagakure's ninja themselves.

All of this was important. So important, in fact, that Kaito, a mere Genin in Sunagakure's ranks, had been assigned to the protection of one of the outlying villages within the Land of Wind. Typically he would have been assigned to assist a Chūnin or Jounin with the mission, but as the village's shinobi forces were currently strained due to being useful elsewhere, the Genin had to take on the mission alone. This particular mission detailed the protection and preparation of a particularly small village in light of the major storm that was actively brewing. If nothing could be done about the reinforcing of the village's architecture in time, he would have to evacuate anyone and everyone from it within a reasonable timeframe before the storm would strike.

Kaito was worried about this, as it was perhaps the hardest mission that he had ever been assigned to, but he was more so worried about the other two missions he had also been assigned during his time outside of the village.

In the vicinity of the same village that he was assigned to protect from the massive sandstorm, a beast of sorts had also been causing issues as of late. One of the organizers of the Bloodworks, a man named Yarochi, had requested that the beast be captured alive and brought back to Sunagakure so that it could be used for sport in one of the Bloodsworks many fighting competitions. It was said in the mission dossier that the beast boasted amazing powers and a rather large reserve of Chakra, so the Uchiha would have to take the utmost caution when engaging it, should he even find it in the first place.

The third and final mission was perhaps the most important, especially in regard to Sunagakure's legacy. During one of the Land of Wind's previous sandstorms, an ancient and fantastically endowed tomb of sorts had been unearthed from underneath the sandy dunes. The tomb was emblazoned with the old gourd-like symbol of Old Sunagakure, and it is rumored and speculated that the place was one of Old Sunagakure's First Kazekage's vaults. This too was in the vicinity of the small village that Kaito was assigned with protecting from the up-and-coming storm, and it was a good thing too as some of the locals from that particular village had already gone missing thanks to the fact that they were snooping around the place.

Kaito gulped with worry and anticipation as he tried to wrap his head around the third and final mission, which bore the highest rank within the mission ranking system; S-Rank. It was for that reason and also the reason that the other two A-Rank missions he had been assigned, that he was assigned to the tutelage of Sebastian Mikaelson; one of the village's Jounin superiors and also a man that Kaito was somewhat familiar with. The two had worked together on one of the first-ever missions that Kaito had been assigned to, alongside his friends Yusuke Sarutobi and Sumiko Yoshido, and they had done a fantastic job of it. While Kaito thought that the man could be perhaps a bit belligerent, this stemming from his previous meeting, it didn't mean that he respected the man any less than his other superiors.

'If that tomb really is one of Old Sunagakure's fabled vaults, I can only wonder what kind of traps and ancient powers reside within it...'

It all seemed like a bit much to Kaito personally, but he knew that by completing these three missions, which were the hardest he had ever been assigned, he would surely make a good impression on his superiors.

Kaito continued running through the sand dunes for a little while alongside Sebastian, the pair having left Sunagakure at a quarter after eight that morning. By the placement of the sun as it hung behind the brewing storm clouds, it was easy to ascertain that it was roughly eleven o'clock, so the two of them had been running non-stop for a little over two-and-a-half hours by this point.

"Why don't we take a quick break, Sensei?" Kaito asked Sebastian, wheezing a bit from all of the physical exertion he had been put through thus far. Without bothering to wait for a response, Kaito slowed to a stop in the valley they had been navigating through and withdrew a bottle of water from the backpack slung around his shoulders. He drank from it for a moment, thinking to himself all the while.

'I wonder how much further it is to the village...'

After finishing his water, he would secure the lid tightly back upon the bottle and place it back into the pack, withdrawing from it afterward a map. It detailed all of the known small, non-shinobi villages that were located within the Land of Wind. It would not include Sunagakure itself, and for good reason too in case the map itself was to fall into unfamiliar hands, but Kaito was able to find the location of the valley he was in. Placing his finger on the parchment, and then pointing it out into the open space around him, he made an "ah" sound and clicked his teeth.

"Alright! Not much further now, then, Sensei." He exclaimed with a hint of excitement. "We should be arriving to th-"

As the young Uchiha attempted to complete his sentence, a strong gust of wind tore through the valley. It buffeted him hard, and he dug his feet into the sand to keep his balance. The wind was so strong, however, that it ripped the map right out of Kaito's hands. With a shocked expression, Kaito tried to jump into the air to retrieve it, but was unable to unearth his feet in time to do so. It was useless, and the wind just seemed to play tricks on him.

"Get back here, damn it!" Kaito cursed, trying his best to get the map back. But the wind didn't care, and after a few more seconds of playing around with Kaito, the wind carried the map precariously out into the open skies aimlessly and allowed it to flutter away until it was completely out of sight.

"Gah! Just my luck."

He let out a sigh, not doing anything at all to hide the amount of annoyance he felt within himself. He looked over at Sebastian and shrugged his shoulders with a sigh.

"My apologies, Sensei." He said simply.

From what Kaito did know of Sebastian, which wasn't all that much as the two of them had only met once or twice during the early stages of Kaito's Shinobi career, the Uchiha knew that the man would not go easy on him nor hold back any disgust for his carelessness.

Kaito was ready to accept this disapproval.

'Maybe it was too early for me to take on tasks as big as these ones...' He thought to himself, beating himself inside up for his carelessness. 'Am I really even cut out for tasks of this magnitude yet?'

WC (POST) = 1,349 WC
WC (TOTAL) = 1,349 WC

AP Utilized:

Items Utilized:

Mon Dec 19, 2022 6:28 pm

Stat page:

Letting out a big yawn, he never was much of a morning person, Sunagakure's favorite Berserker continued following along, making sure to keep an eye on the Genin he was somewhat familiar with. Although the missions they previously completed together weren't exactly the most challenging ones, they still allowed him to get a rough idea on those taking part. And similar to then, Sebastian gave Kaito a chance to take the lead. The environment the two of them were currently in couldn't be any more different than what they were used to back in the village, the dome surrounding Sunagakure protecting its inhabitants from the harsh circumstances caused by many a sandstorm.

For those not used to being out of the village, the current atmosphere would be one hard to deal with, difficult to adjust especially when you spent years safely hidden away from any of the potential dangers lurking in the dark, or in this instance, the desert. As a former mercenary it wasn't Sebastian's first time being confronted with situations like that, more often than not did the young Tau had to sleep outside in the cold, an empty stomach after having barely eaten anything for a couple of days straight. The world was a dangerous place, particularly for people who never set a foot outside of their home before. But alas, those hoping and wishing to become a proud shinobi would eventually have to prove themselves capable of dealing with even the worst situations one could imagine.

Although he hadn't been keeping track of time, the Black Guard Commander could tell they had been running for quite a while, the sandstorms not subsiding simply because minutes and hours passed. "Hm, we shall" he responded to Kaito's suggestion of taking a small break, allowing the men to catch their breath and perhaps even scout the area in case they weren't alone. "Never let your guard down, who knows what or who else is waiting for a moment to strike". In the shinobi world they were in, there was hardly any place for honor, most people looking for an opportunity even if it meant they had to fight dirty. It was a lesson Sebastian learned from a young age, even if he could no longer remember how old he was.

Instead of simply resting, the Berserker would take the time to go over everything, making sure Kaito knew what would be expected of him. "What can you tell me about today's missions? Don't leave anything out, mention as much details as you can. Assume I know nothing of the task ahead and you're supposed to fill me in". No matter how small or irrelevant something might seem, in the end it could always be of great importance, and perhaps even essential for the mission's success. If Kaito decided to answer, the Tau would listen to the Genin's answer, expecting him to be the type to read up on everything the night before even though the two of them didn't know each other all that well.

Whether or not a reply came, the two men were slowly getting ready to set out once more. However, as they prepared to leave, a sudden gust of wind surprised Kaito and swept the map straight out of his hands. The boy had lost his footing and their way to find the next location. "No need to dwell on your mistakes, just make sure you learn from them". Sure, his morning mood could have caused Sebastian to slap him around a bit but that only meant he would have to carry the Genin the entire way and that was only going to make him want to kill someone even more, so for now he decided to remain as calm as possible. After all, explaining to Guren how he got someone missing on a mission wasn't exactly how he wanted to finish the day.

Taking a moment to collect his thoughts Sebastian made sure Kaito was still with him, figuratively speaking. "Calm your mind, it's only a map. Use whatever you have learned up till now to find your way out". It was only a minor setback and one a shinobi had to be able to deal with. Soon, most likely after today, the Genin would come to learn that almost no mission went as planned.

(WC: 721)

Tue Jan 17, 2023 10:27 pm

Kaito nodded at Sebastian. The man was right, after all. He couldn't allow himself to dwell upon his mistakes. Should the situation have been a much direr one it could've cost him his life. Just as Kaito was about to stand back to his feet the sound of a hawk flying overhead caught his attention. The creature suddenly swooped down, landing between the two Sunagakure shinobi.

Kaito didn't know if he was the first to notice, it would most likely be the opposite, but he noticed a small scroll attached to the hawk's leg. Curious as to what it was he wasted no time in unattaching the scroll and unfurling it open, reading it with much intent. As he did, however, his eyes would widen with shock. He stood for a moment in place, absolutely shaken to his core.

Allowing himself to breathe and read, Kaito noticed that the letter detailed that the Third Kazekage had stepped down from his current position. The letter was especially addressed to both Kaito and Sebastian, and it said that the two of them were to report back to Sunagakure as quickly as possible; their missions to be abandoned for the time being if they were not already completed. A meeting was to take place at the Spire, and they were to take part in it.

'Why do they want me of all people at this meeting? And what does this mean for the village?' He thought to himself.

Kaito would turn his attention back to Sebastian and hand him the letter, motioning for the man to read it as well. In the meantime, Kaito would take the opportunity to activate his Mangekyou Sharingan, and once Sebastian was done reading the letter, the Uchiha would address the man.

"Allow me, Sensei, and we will be back at the Spire in less than a second." Kaito proceeded to place his hand upon Sebastian's shoulder and activated the Kamui ability in his right eye, which began to bleed profusely as a distortion in space and time began to swirl around Kaito and Sebastian from the focal point of his eye. Within a few seconds, the two of them would be completely engulfed in the distortion and faced with a new place entirely. The place was one of the many hallways of Sunagakure's Spire, where two guards stood outside of the formal meeting chamber of Sunagakure's high command.

[TOPIC EXIT - ABANDONING MISSIONS]

WC (POST) = 401 WC
WC (TOTAL) = 1,750 WC