Challenge of Integrity

Mission:

Today, Nemui among many others was ordered to heed the call of a local news station requesting ninja for interviewing purposes. He wasn't thrilled about the prospect and couldn't imagine the type of person that would be. Unfortunately, it needed to be done and he was one of the "lucky" few chosen. As the first of the ninja scheduled for an interview, the boy made his way inside the radio station's building whereupon he'd be greeted by a chaperone. "Hi.. I'm here for an interview, my name's Nemui." The boy said with some hesitation. Meanwhile the chaperone, an elderly gentleman wearing a black suit and tie, listened before scanning through a booklet. "Ah yes, follow me." The man requested before walking down a hallway leading further into the building.

Nemui followed close behind until he was led to a distinctly different door from the others they'd passed while traversing the hallway. This door in particular appeared to have some kind of padding he hadn't seen before which would turn out to be soundproofing. The elderly man opened said door before taking a step inside and stating "The first of our guests has arrived." From inside the room Nemui would hear "Great, send them in." Waiting a few steps back from the door, he'd allow the chaperone to exit before walking inside, the door closing behind him. Inside the room were many devices Nemui had never seen before, although he'd heard of radio stations it was still mostly foreign to him as a boy that grew up in a remote fishing hamlet.

A large glass panel separated the room of devices from another which contained a large table with two comfortable looking chairs. On the table were also two more devices, this time ones that Nemui recognized as microphones. Two men in the room of devices looked over at him before signaling that he should walk through into the room with the table and chairs. Nemui obliged immediately, walking past them both and making his way inside before taking the furthest seat from the door. Then, seemingly timed with the moment he sat down, a man entered the room of devices which he'd observe talking with the other two men briefly. After a few seconds of waiting the new arrival made his way into the same room as Nemui before taking the other seat.

The seats were spaced apart by perhaps two meters while the rounded table allowed them to sit facing each other, still at an angle. Unsure of how things would proceed and not wanting to be rude, Nemui began to stand up with the intention of greeting the man. However, as soon as he did this the man jumped up, seemingly skittish. The boy stopped in his tracks before asking "Are you alright?" In response the man composed himself quickly before sitting back down. "Quite alright, let's get started then shall we?" Nemui, understanding now that he wouldn't be doing any small talk, nodded before sitting back into his chair. Expecting this interview to begin shortly he'd clear his throat while waiting for the man to sort through a stack of papers.

When he finally appeared satisfied, the man raised a hand with some kind of signal to the other men. He then abruptly turned to Nemui and began speaking, "Hello everyone, you're listening to The Voice of Kirigakure where today we're interviewing ninja. I'm here with our first guest, Nemui. Say hello to the people Nemui." Immediately feeling awkward under the pressure of the man beside him and however many people were listening, Nemui attempted to speak with confidence although his tone still carried some nervous energy. "Hi.. Nice to meet - I mean, be here." The man immediately continued "Fantastic; today we're going to be asking you some questions and I'd like if you did your best to answer them, is that alright?"

Nemui responded with uncertainty, "Sure, happy to.." Without a moment's hesitation the man continued, "Alright, the first thing I'd like to ask you and this is a highly requested inquiry from our viewers.. What are your thoughts about the rumors of war being on the horizon?" Taken aback, Nemui looked at the man with visible confusion before stating "Uh sorry, I haven't heard anything about that.. I'm sure if there was a possibility of war I'd know about it so.." The man, dissatisfied with this answer continued "So you don't know anything at all? Really?" Nemui shrugged before remembering he had to speak "That's right." A moment's pause separated his answer from the man's next question.

"Alright well perhaps you can answer this next one." The man continued snidely "What's your opinion of the current Mizukage?" To this Nemui immediately perked up, recalling his recent meeting with Akabayashi. "He's great! I met him for the first time only a few days ago and he's set me on a path I feel proud to walk." Nemui recalled the Mizukage encouraging him to pursue bounties and the motivation it stirred in him to further improve. Once again however, the man seemed unhappy with this answer and swiftly moved onto a different subject. "Well, what do you think of the village being kept in the dark about the most recent Kage Summit? We've got some external reports here saying quite disconcerting things you know.."

Nemui had no idea at this point what the man was talking about and answered thusly "Sorry to say but I only moved into the village proper about a year ago, I don't know anything about all that." The man let out an exasperated sigh while slapping the front piece of paper in his stack face-down onto the desk. Looking at the new front page he'd continue, "Are you even aware that Kirigakure is currently under Hoshigakure's thumb?" To this, Nemui recalled the man he and a few others fought not long ago and the same sentiments being shared by him. He carefully considered the question before answering "I'm not aware of whether that's true or false, but I do know that espousing such sentiments is harmful to the village's wellbeing."

Hearing this, the man looked over to Nemui who at this point glared menacingly back. While he did his best to hide the fact, the man was clearly uncomfortable with him being in the same room now. The man continued speaking in a shaky voice "Well that's all we need from you Nemui, we'll be right back with our next guest." Another hand signal from the man seemed to end the interview as he stood up and practically ran out of the room, exiting then into the hallway and out of Nemui's sight. The boy sat confused for a moment until one of the other two men poked their head in, "Interview's over, please make your way out of the building's back door." Nemui stood up before trudging his way out of the building, unsure of whether or not he did a good job.


WC: 1162
MTWC: 1162/3000

Kouji was glad he got an assignment that didn't involve any combat today. Or at least... shouldn't involve any combat... He was on his way to the radio station to be interviewed by the local host. He wasn't nervous about public speaking and his father had taught him how to speak like a politician when necessary. However, he wasn't used to having the spotlight on him. The Masaki clan was a support for the village but typically in the shadows rather than the forefront. And this was definitely a forefront job.

When he arrived he checked in and let them know he was there for the interview. It wasn't long before he was escorted to a room with a multitude of electronic devices separated from another more normal looking room by a large pane of glass. As he walked to the more normal looking room he was grateful for his previous mission being an announcer for an arena match. Without that experience behind him, he would have been far more nervous on entering the room. Instead, he acted natural and took a seat farthest from the doors and ignored the people buzzing around in the other room doing a variety of technical tasks. After a few minutes, a handsome man entered, clearly older as he sported salt and pepper hair styled in a way that probably took far too much time for such a simple look. Kouji merely smiled and nodded at him, unsure of when they would begin recording and waited to take his cue from him.

The man sat down nodded at him and then began to speak in a voice perfectly suited for radio, "Hello everyone, you're listening to The Voice of Kirigakure where today we're interviewing ninja. I'm here with our second guest, Kouji. Say hello to the people Kouji."

Kouji resisted raising an eyebrow at the man. It seemed like they were skipping over any sort of pleasantries and going right into it. "Hello, people of the hidden mist! I'm excited to be here today and sharing with all of you."

The man continued but almost seemed... annoyed? Whatever emotion it was it was quickly covered up, "Fantastic; today we're going to be asking you some questions and I'd like if you did your best to answer them, is that alright?"

Kouji smiled at the man and did his best to keep his voice steady, "I'd be happy to. Just remember to take it easy on me please."

Yup, annoyed. That was definitely the word for it. The man was annoyed but Kouji wasn't really sure why. "Alright, the first thing I'd like to ask you and this is a highly requested inquiry from our viewers... What are your thoughts about the rumors of war being on the horizon?"

Kouji couldn't help it and flashed the man a confused look but then replied, "I'm... not sure what you're talking about. As a properly seasoned genin I feel like I would know if something so momentous was on the horizon. While I can't say defending the village isn't dangerous and that, yes, we have enemies out there but war isn't something that is currently a concern."

The man was now blatantly glaring at him from across the table, clearly dissatisfied with his answer, "So you're saying you don't know anything at all? You must not be as well informed as you think, eh?"

Bewildered was the only word Kouji had for what he felt. If he didn't know any better it would seem like he had been set up for a hatchet job, "I think I speak with some mild authority that this isn't a current concern, yes."

The host pressed on the offense, however, "Well perhaps you'll be more helpful with your next answer then, eh sport? I'm sure you have some knowledge that's relevant to our listeners."

Kouji didn't know what to say to that but luckily the man pressed on, "What's your opinion of the current Mizukage?"

Finally, an easy question! Though Kouji smelled a trap he replied steadily, "He's a solid leader and an excellent shinobi. The Masaki clan is honoured to serve under him. In fact, a short while ago he took time out of his schedule to train myself and a few other genin. The man is dedicated to every aspect of the village."

Smiling like a cat the host replied, "An interesting opinion to say the least. Isn't the Mizukage not even from Kirigakure? In fact, isn't he from Hoshigakure the village that's currently holding a proverbial knife to our village's throat?"

At this point Kouji was clenching his fists hard enough to almost draw blood, trying his best not to give in to his anger, "I-"

The host pressed on, "Ah, no worries there champ, not everyone can answer questions like these. Although perhaps there's a more sinister reason a cat's got your tongue?"

Anger turned to confusion as he tried to reply, "What are you t-"

His smile now an open sneer the man continued to glare down Kouji while cutting him off, "Perhaps if the Masaki clan so faithfully serves our current Mizukage they are just as under Hoshigakure's thumb as he is? Would you care to comment?"

"I-"

"Awe, saved by the bell it seems. That's all for our time here as we continue to discover more heinous village secrets. Don't miss our next episode here on the Voice of Kirigakure!"

And with that, the man stood up slowly and said, "And we're out."

Kouji could barely contain his anger he stood up and stepped angrily towards the man, "What the hell was that? What happened to unbiased news broadcasts? What is wrong with you?"

Barely even looking concerned the man lit a cigarette and gave him a side eyed look, "If you can't handle the heat you shouldn't have come on to the radio. Don't blame me for wasting your chance to capitalize on the platform. I certainly didn't waste mine."

Kouji glared at the man, "That wasn't not capitalizing on an opportunity that was a hatchet job pure and simple. What kind of show are you running here?"

Before he knew it he had raised one of his fists as if to hit the man.

"Ah, ah, ah. Hitting me at this point is just going to further sully your name after a show like that. I'd also worry about our two technicians over there, they're shinobi as well." With that, the host gestured towards the pane of glass. As Kouji lowered his arm and looked he could see they had stopped what they were doing with one holding a kunai and looking ready to leap through the pane to get to them. The other had his hands positioned in a ram hand seal half ready to cast some sort of jutsu.

As he tried to assess the threat level being presented he heard a voice at his back. "Interview's over, all you can do is leave. Please make your way out of the building's back door."

Kouji gave the host one last baleful glare before marching out of the room. Just before slamming the door he heard, "Thanks for your time! Let us know if you want to go on air again!" Then nothing but laughter before the doors slam cut them off. As he made his way out of the building he began planning some payback. Even if it meant he had to go to his least favorite person, his father...

WC: 1,250
TWC: 1,250
MTWC: 2,412/3,000

Heibon'na wandered the village for a bit after some long days of missions including recovery after the latest batch. She had signed up for another mission once she felt up for it which was about an interview about some more recent village affairs of the village for some local news. Thinking not much of it, she signed up after seeing that Nemui and another genin had put down their names. It was a surprise for sure to see but she happily took it as a sign of a slow-paced but community-driven mission. With designated time slots, Heibon'na eventually made her way to the station to be prepared for the interview.

When her time came up, she observed a variety of confusing pieces of information being presented to her. There seemed to be an air of disdain and dissatisfaction with the state of affairs as staff were cordial and not friendly. The waiting room seemed to have multiple clippings and headlines seemingly aligned against the current Mizukage Akabayoshi Terumi. It was interesting that the interview would occur with the degree of dissatisfaction being showcased. She wondered if the others had gotten similar vibes or not before they were brought into the studio to be interviewed. Eventually, a well-dressed man showed up and brought her into the studio where he gestured towards a chair for her to sit in with a headset for her to use.

The man seemed eager to proceed but was unpleased so far with something as best as Heibon'na could determine from the way he moved and sat before giving a quick hand gesture toward a glass panel where two sketchy individuals were operating the technology being presented to take care of various recordings. Before any warning could be given to the teenage genin, his voice boomed into his microphone and into her ears as she was startled by the suddenness of the man and his brashness, "Aaaand we're back with The Voice of Kirigakure where we will be interviewing another shinobi of the Hidden Mist. I'm here with our third guest, Heibon'na Ogawa! Say hello to our listeners."

A bit disturbed by the suddenness, his speaking mannerisms gave Heibon'na the impression of a horrid fishmonger who was selling day-old trout for half off to make room for more horrible products. Her face and composure remained as she promptly answered without skipping a beat, "Hello cousins, it's a pleasure to be here." She said giving a startle to the broadcaster as he was not as prepared.

"Great to hear... Cousin..." He said hesitantly as the two men in the booth shrugged at him before he continued trying his best to regain the dominant seat in the interview process, "Today we'll go over a few questions and I am sure the denizens of Kirigakure No Sato would love to hear your thoughts." He went forth before waiting for another answer.

"It would be my pleasure." She said giving a light bow to the man across from her, with her hair falling low hiding her eyes as she kept her hair present there while she studied the man unsure of his true intentions at this point in time.

"Great, great, firstly do you have any concerns about the rising discontent and war?" He projected loading the question heavily as if the occurrence of such affairs were present.

"The only discontent I recognize is fishmongers being stingier by the day and I'm not privy to such external or internal affairs involving warfare either." She said without providing any further grounds to extrapolate upon.

Disgruntled by the answer, the broadcaster answered, "Aren't you worried about going to war at such a young age?" He pressed hoping to pressure the school-looking girl before him.

"Death is a natural occurrence and if war is the way I die, it would be no different than if I was back home in my fishing hamlet as compared to fighting it for Kirigakure no Sato's sake." She answered almost as if trained but there was a tinge of dissatisfaction with the question from her this go around as the man before her was puzzled but decided best to proceed to another prompt.

"Glad to hear our great shinobi of the Hidden Mist are well and willing to protect the village but what about the Mizukage? Thoughts on the puppet of Hoshigakure no Sato?" The radio lead vocalized attempting to provoke the young and impressionable kunoichi before him.

"The Mizukage needs no protection from someone such as I and as far as puppeteering goes, the only puppet I see is you." She said nonchalantly turning the question back at the man who was leading the dialogue as the director to an orchestrated dissatisfaction campaign within the village.

His face began to boil with rage as before him sat a kunoichi who dared to try to wrangle his propaganda agenda against himself. He had to redirect this interview to be of any use to him before it became problematic. He eyed the two men who were equally perplexed about how this girl's composure was not breaking from the pressure he was giving with the phrasing of his questions. "Well, now that's a bold claim! Are you proposing that I am a puppet when it is common knowledge that the head seat of Kirigakure no Sato's military isn't from here unlike us natives of the Land of Water?" He smirked once more leading the discussion forward toward the end narrative he was looking to spin.

Heibon'na sat there silently before muttering something inaudibly picked up by the microphone, "If you're such a native perhaps salting you would be best." Her eyes pierced through the bangs that covered them deep into the pupils of the interviewer before blinking and adjusting herself to answer the prompt, "I'm not quite sure how one's birth is relevant to leadership. Lives are born and will die with or without those in power being present and one's birth is irrelevant to-"

Hearing the quietness as he had half a headset on to be able to hear beyond Heibon'na's words, his eyes widened in anger as he motioned for the two to begin wrapping up the interview as he interjected into the response, "Well look at the time! Thank you again Heibon'na for your time. Please don't come again." He declared omitting quietly on the air the second word before the live feed was cut and he pointed to the door.

"Out. Now." Before the men began to enter the space attempting to loom over Heibon'na. Aware that such events might occur, the young kunoichi quickly and swiftly produced the signature technique of the village hidden in the mist by unleashing her own mist within the space before darting out. As much as the interview was botched from the beginning, she completed it and knew that the task was done and dealt with. It was a wild surprise to see what occurred but was happy it was done and not too physically tiring. She let out a sigh as her mist slowly dissipated for the next interviewee to go into and face the gauntlet of propaganda against the village. She was curious if anyone would act our rashly against them. She knew it was inevitable that such people would get their medicine but a mission was a mission and doing the interview to completion was the task, not silencing anti-Kirigakure no Sato sentiment. Shrugging as she thought to herself, she ventured to get herself a quick snack.

WC: 1,250, TWC: 1,250 | TMWC: 3,662 / 3,000

[Exit]

Wordcount: 1,162

WC Claims: 25% off for max stats
https://www.narutoroleplaygame.com/t51008-discipline-v7#385927 0/188 > 188/188 (188)
https://www.narutoroleplaygame.com/t51005-one-thousand-years-of-death-v7#385924 0/188 > 188/188 (188)
https://www.narutoroleplaygame.com/t50233-talented#380749 1,298/3,750 > 2,084/3,750 (786)

Mission Rewards: Chunin Rank + 2,000 Ryo Per Mission
B: Fluff Piece 6,000 Ryo / 30 AP
Converting 30 AP to 1,500 Ryo
6,000 + 2,000 + 1,500 = 9,500 Ryo Rewarded
Old Ryo: 78,690
New Ryo: 88,190

Nemui wrote:[Exit]

Wordcount: 1,162

WC Claims: 25% off for max stats
https://www.narutoroleplaygame.com/t51008-discipline-v7#385927 0/188 > 188/188 (188)
https://www.narutoroleplaygame.com/t51005-one-thousand-years-of-death-v7#385924 0/188 > 188/188 (188)
https://www.narutoroleplaygame.com/t50233-talented#380749 1,298/3,750 > 2,084/3,750 (786)

Mission Rewards: Chunin Rank + 2,000 Ryo Per Mission
B: Fluff Piece 6,000 Ryo / 30 AP
Converting 30 AP to 1,500 Ryo
6,000 + 2,000 + 1,500 = 9,500 Ryo Rewarded
Old Ryo: 78,690
New Ryo: 88,190

Approved

[Exit]

WC: 1,250

2,266/3,750 Talented (the rest learned here)

Mission Rewards:
+ 6,000 ryo + 30 AP
AP:
Max stats:
12 x 2 = 24 bonus AP
24 + 30 = 54 total bonus AP (New total bonus AP: 557)

[Exit]

Claims wrote:

Mission Claims wrote:+6,000 Ryo, New Total of 137,750 Ryo
+30 AP, Total Bonus Ryo is 625 / 1,000

WC Claims: 1,250 wrote:1,125 WC towards Evening Elephant
125 Towards 1,125 WC Requirement for Airwalker, 125/1,125

Heibon'na Ogawa wrote:[Exit]

Claims wrote:

Mission Claims wrote:+6,000 Ryo, New Total of 137,750 Ryo
+30 AP, Total Bonus Ryo is 625 / 1,000

WC Claims: 1,250 wrote:1,125 WC towards Evening Elephant
125 Towards 1,125 WC Requirement for Airwalker, 125/1,125

Approved