Reag awoke in darkness. Not that there was anything particularly unusual with that. The young wire user lived a mostly nocturnal life, and waking after the sun set was all part of a normal 'day'. Stretching in bed, the young ninja smiled to himself, glad to be following his sleeping patterns. Normally, his team sensei, the Hokage, wouldn’t let him sleep all day unless it was the weekend. However, upon returning from Suna, they where granted several weeks of 'self study'. As such, he was finally able to follow the sleep schedule he set himself in the academy. In short, life itself was good to the nocturnal shinobi. Of course, this meant that something was about to happen. Some would call Hikamaru cursed. Every time he had a day off, something would happen to pull him back to the shinobi world.

Not that Reag believed in curses, mind. No, he was going to spend this 'day' relaxing, reading, and possibly doing some light training. With a stretch and a yawn, the leaf Genin pulled himself out of bed, and began to prepare himself to the day ahead of him. Of course, he dressed himself in his armored clothing. Even if it was a day off, he lived in a shinobi village, where anything could go wrong at any moment. Plus, it was like, shinobi rule number seven, or something, along with his nindo. With a smile, he mumbled his creed under his breath. 'Be Polite, Be Professional, But have a Plan to kill everyone you meet'. Certainly, he lived up to that as far as preparation went. Scattered throughout his house where hidden weapons and explosive devices he was tinkering with, each designed specifically to take down a particular type of enemy ninja. Of course, most where still works in progress, and not nearly ready to see combat. Yet.

Finishing with his cloths, the young wire user moved onto grabbing the various weapons he had purchased for himself since becoming a Genin. Of course, he picked up his wire gloves first. It was the first form of weapon he had taught himself to use, and was still the young ninja's weapon of choice. With the right application of chakra, he could hang, slice, dice, bind, tear, or even decapitate, depending on the situation. It was devilishly versatile and maddeningly hard to predict. In short, it was everything he wanted to be as a ninja. Clipping the four spools of wire into place, and winding the chain around his fingers, he began to search the apartment for the rest of his armory. Only a fool and a dead man would have a single trick in their arsenal, and Reag had plenty more gadgets he wished to equip himself with.

Glancing to his left, a frown found its way onto the young ninja's face. It was his first attempt to diffuse the insane power many doujutsus had. Sadly, the flash-bang wasn’t ready yet, so he would have to leave it behind. Instead, he grabbed the object next to it. It was a long tube connected to a pressurized canister. With the help of a few leather straps, he affixed the device to his right arm. The young wire user was eager to use his 'pepper spray' in combat. Hopefully, his foes wouldn’t expect a blast of chili powder to the face when they dodged his blade. That could really ruin someones day. Next, he grabbed the leather gauntlet next to him, strapping it to his left hand. With a flick of his wrists, the long dagger popped out of the gauntlet, positioned perfectly to stab someone.

With a quick flick of his wrists, he moved the dagger into a reverse grip, perfect for blocking incoming attacks. With a smile, he returned the device back into its primed state. God he loved that thing. Finally, he picked up his newest addition to his arsenal. The Kopis. This forward facing machete was a brutal weapon, designed to slice and sever. Because of the curve and weight of the blade, should it hit, the body of the blade would follow through, cutting all the way. This bizarre machete was perfect for severing limbs or heads. Finally, Reag picked up the final part of his shinobi identity, a painted mask he kept on a dresser. Today would be a calm and peaceful one, so the ninja didnt feel the need to wear his emotionless face for all to see. Instead, he slipped the mask into a jacket pocket, leaving it resting above his heart.

After several hours of reading, a knock came at the door. Placing a book mark in 'On Site: A guide to surviving S ranked nukenin', the young leaf Genin moved to open the door. It was a messenger ninja, apparently with orders for him. This was most unusual, as he hadn’t accepted any missions from the main office. As the fourteen year old raised an eyebrow, the chuunin messenger held out a scroll for the young one to take. With slight trepidation, Reag reached out and grabbed the scroll. He nodded as the courier vanished in a puff of smoke, probably indicating a Shunshin. The curse he didn’t believe in had struck again. With a sign, he moved himself quickly to his reading area, breaking the official seal on the document. With expanding unease on his face, he read his orders.

Escort. Night Escort. Night Escort Now. B Ranked. He was going to be part of a team to escort a group of soldiers to a training ground near the border. He sighed, and attempted to look under neath the under neath. He didn’t have much to go on, but one thing did stick in his mind. Why send a green Genin on a B ranked covert ops. Mission? Something was off here. Still, he had a rendezvous point to get to. It took him less than five minutes to reach the meet up point. Already the soldiers where gathered around. He looked for his team leader, only to spot him off to the side.

“Uchiha-sensei?”


World Count: 1024/1500 (B Ranked Mission)

Things continued as they always did, there was war somewhere far away in the world, he was the leader of his own clan that he was having to learn how to lead properly, the only thing that had really changed was the fact that rumors had begun to circulate around the village. If he had ever believed rumors then he might be a little concerned about what he was hearing about. Although there were still people who were saying the usual stuff, about how he was evil and about how he was planning to betray the village at some unknown point in the future, but there were more interesting rumors that were beginning to circulate.

Rumors that Mitsuhide had his eyes on him, that he was planning to use Oshi in some sort of event. He'd also heard rumors that the man was considering giving him a very high up position in the village; He wasn't entirely sure how well  that would go with the amount of assholes that hated Uchiha simply because of what their ancestors did in the village, but it was one step closer to becoming the kage the way he saw it, so all he had to do was come through all of this victorious and then he would be able to get a good foothold on the position in the future. That damned daimyo couldn't ignore him if he was one of the sannin, he felt like he could control the village one day if he continued to impress the world in the way that he currently was. With that in mind, he decided to go even further out of his way to impress the kage, maybe butter him up for that position. They might not like one another, but as long as they could continue to be at least basically civil then this would all be happy in the end. At least, that was hopefully the way that it would pan out.

With his student back from Mitsu's visit to Sunagakure, he was able to get back onto training the boy, and he decided that he would link the two things that he needed to get done together. that meant that he was going to use one of his missions to train the boy. However, whilst he had a lot of faith in the boy's abilities, he was not a delusional fool and thus he was only going to do things that he had a feeling the boy would be able to do. As such, he had picked a mission that the village had seriously needed done recently. That mission, as it turned out, was being an escort to a group of troops to their training location.

They were going to be, in a single word, escorts. He had been a guide before, but the last time anyone had asked him to be an escort, he had slapped them senseless then gotten them arrested for sexual harrassment, the claim of which had actually fallen through because of some legal bullshit, though he expected it had something to do with the victim of said harrassment being a member of the Uchiha clan. This was the reason why he was going to take charge of the city guards the moment that he had the chance, if they continued being biased to people depending on their clan then they would be about as effective as a wet paper bag when other issues like this sprung up, which it most likely would now that there was a war going on in a different village. Wars always brought the worst out of people.

Now that he was here, standing in front of the men that he had agreed to shepherd to their location, he had to say that he was more than confident about this job. He knew he could do it, although unfortunately his invisibility technique only extended to himself, so he'd be unable to do anything about his allies. They would have to rely on good old fashioned stealth rather than any sneaky tricks. However, when his student called out to him, he turned his head to the direction of where Reag was coming from. “Uchiha-sensei?” He had not, in fact, mentioned that it was going to be him leading the mission, the boy had been told about this mission through the administration of the village, that he had simply been requested to do this mission with a higher ranked officer. he hoped the boy wouldn't see it as a disappointment that it was not the kage himself who was coming out here to see him. Giving him a warm smile, he spoke simply.

"You know, Reag, a normal person says hello when they start a conversation.". Giving the lecturing way that he had spoken to the boy the last time they had met, perhaps this was not the best way to begin their next meeting. "Before you ask, yes I'm your superior officer on this mission, and yes, I asked for you personally. You see, my own students are very skilled, they're very capable at fighting and doing all of this stuff, but they haven't got a stealthy bone in their body, despite being ninja. You, on the other hand, are a hangman, an assassin. It's your job to be stealthy, so I know that any faith I put in you for this mission will be well founded. Now, come on. We don't have all night to do this mission." he said, giving a quick smile, before calling out to the troupe as a whole

"Alright gentlemen, go behind me and stay tight... I mean..." his face lit up in a blush as he realized he had accidentally made a sex joke in front of a kid, but Reag seemed innocent enough not to get it. "Anyway, follow behind me and try not to get detected. We're moving out now" With that, he turned on the ball of his foot and began the walk towards the area.

1001/1500 (B-rank Mission)

Reag stood there, looking confused for the entire world to see. This turn of events was most unexpected for the miniature hangman, as he had expected a faceless jounin to be his commanding officer for this sensitive mission. Instead, Uchiha Oshiki, his mentor, was in command. His previous pondering on looking underneath the underneath finally made sense. He had been requested specially by the leader of the Uchiha clan, most likely to give him a taste of real shinobi work. That was good. Everything he had learned over the course of the past few months had lead to a singular conclusion: He was on the fast track to a field promotion. Perhaps it might even happen tonight, assuming his performance was exemplary, though that would not be a problem. Once he put on his mask, he would be sure to complete his mission perfectly, allowing his foes no chance to get even a glimmer of his presence. He would be the perfect shadow.

Oshiki finally turned towards the young wire user, and acknowledged his confusion. "You know, Reag, a normal person says hello when they start a conversation." The Genin had to stop himself from frowning. His mentor was in lecture mode, as usual. It had taken him a few meetings, but now he realized it was just his sensei's method of communication, and not a direct attack at his character or failings. Recognizing this had allowed there relationship to remain civil, though Reag still hated Oshiki's eyes. He still longed to possess the sharingan, with its amazing powers of deception. Though, admittedly, the young one was jealous of all the Kekkei Genkai clans, having no special powers of his own. What the kid wouldn’t give to be able to have something truly special he could call his own. Perhaps his own eye that caused madness in all who looked into it. Or the ability to create glass from his fingers.

His mentor continued to speak, in an attempt to clear up the goals of the mission. "Before you ask, yes I'm your superior officer on this mission, and yes, I asked for you personally.” That made the young Genin smile, happily. It was good to feel wanted, even if you held a mild dislike for the person himself. “You see, my own students are very skilled, they're very capable at fighting and doing all of this stuff, but they haven't got a stealthy bone in their body, despite being ninja.” Reag nodded. He knew the type: Far to concerned about flashy attacks and winning by brute strength. Ninja combat was not arm wrestling. It was Go. “You, on the other hand, are a hangman, an assassin. It's your job to be stealthy, so I know that any faith I put in you for this mission will be well founded. Now, come on. We don't have all night to do this mission."

Reag nodded and bowed, thankful for a chance to prove his worth. Despite his mild dislike for the Uchiha, he was a pragmatist. The young hangman knew, for a fact, that he had plenty to learn from his mentor. Perhaps, in the far future, he could convince his sensei to teach him how he did that invisibility trick. If that happened, he had plans for that particular skill. Oshiki's version was flashy and confusing, perfect for use in the middle of a battle. Reag was already planning on how to turn that into a true invisibility skill, so he could end his foes before they even knew he existed. After all, why risk injury just to fight fairly? Noticing that Oshiki was turning to address the group they would escort, Reag reached inside of his jacket. Fumbling around in his inner pocket, he pulled out his mask, and affixed it to his face. He would get that field promotion.

His mentor said some token words, and then they where on the move. Reag spend a few moments getting himself familiar with the general feeling of the group. The people around him where definitely not ninja, and thus, where most likely samurai of some sort, though they lacked the finesse he had seen with the Daimyo's guards. Briefly, the young one wondered if the people around him where still in the early stages of training. It would definitely make sense. It dawned on him that this mission was as much a training and preparation for them as it was for himself. This collection of around twenty armed men where likely learning how to deal with stealthy operations or to work in tandem with ninja. It was an interesting thought, and he could see how such an arrangement between the local soldiers and the normally insular shinobi village could be very beneficial to all parties involved. He wondered who had thought it up.

This march continued for another few hours, before daylight began to peak out from over the tree line. They had been marching all night long. While the wire user himself felt fine, the sudo samurai around him looked a lot worse for wear. It would appear they where not use to waking up at odd hours of the night, then marching as a rapid pace for several hours straight. The Genin smiled to himself, glad of his training as an elite combatant. They would make camp here for the night. The group around him was bustling, eager to get a nights sleep. The Genin himself turned towards his mentor, and spoke.

“What do you think, Uchiha-sensei? We're still a day's away from where the scouts where reported. Do you think it's safe to start a fire?” He paused for a second, before continuing. “I was also wondering, I know we have to keep an eye out for scouts, but im worried about some report's I was reading before we left. One of the Jounin substitute team leaders mentioned that there might me a nukenin or two in this area. What are your orders for us should the unexpected occur?”


Word Count: 1006 (1500/1500 B ranked Mission. 530/1500 B ranked Mission 2: Electric Boogaloo)

The journey itself wasn't especially interesting, there were very few slip ups or unexpected events whatsoever. The three most interesting things that had happened were as follows; 1) someone had fallen and twisted their ankle, and was now being carried by another one of their squad-mates. 2) Someone had almost gotten themselves found out before they had used Kawarimi no jutsu to dodge away, and 3) Oshiki and Reag still hadn't had time to properly talk. But, that should be expected, they weren't here to have conversations they were here to have a job. If they were to get distracted in the minutia of conversation they could put the entire mission at risk by not paying enough attention, but that was soon to change. They were able to make a camp for the night, and from there they were going to be able to deal with one another properly. That meant that they were going to need several things; Water for the troops to drink, something to eat and a fire. Of course, none of those things were exactly mandatory, and if they had to go without one or more of them then that would be fine, but just looking at these soldiers he could tell that they didn't think it was fine.

These people had not been trained properly and in their current state they were more of a threat to the village than a serious fighting force. He wondered exactly how long it would take to break these idiots in to being a serious threat to interlopers. This was why he disliked the daimyo, because he brought around militia like this and claimed that they were an army. Sure, he could bring them to where they needed to be to get trained but it wouldn't just take a week, nor a month to train these hopeless idiots. That was why the academy catered to children, because it was easier to train people before they had bad ideas ingrained into their psyche. They looked like they thought they were an army, most likely because the daimyo told them they were, and that meant they were going to be arrogant, unwilling to change, and that was the kind of people that he disliked the most; The people who just couldn't understand when they were useless and made other people out to be bad because they were expecting then to be useful.

“What do you think, Uchiha-sensei? We're still a day's away from where the scouts were reported. Do you think it's safe to start a fire?” Oshi was never the type to out-right lie to his students, and so he decided that no matter how bleak it looked that he had to tell Reag the truth "Being honest... I think it'd be more dangerous not to have a fire right now. Sure, there's a chance that we might be discovered, but we can kill those who would discover us, but look at the "troops"" He was keeping his voice quieter than usual to avoid them hearing what he was saying about them, but even with the lower volume there was no less sarcasm on the word "troops".

"One of them fell into a rabbit hole and twisted their ankle today. That's a mistake a fucking six year old makes, not a grown man. Imagine if we left them alone without a source of light all night. In the morning we'd wake up and they'd all have broken open heads from falling over their own shoes somehow. So, yes, I think it's best that we get a fire going." he said, his tone almost acidic in the way that he spoke. It was rare, even when Reag had pissed him off the first time they'd met he'd never acted like this, now... he was angry, he was clearly pissed, and for some reason that was terrifying. If he had done this to a lesser man he might have pissed his pants, but Reag wasn't exactly a lesser man.

It took around five minutes for them to pick up enough sticks for a proper fire to be started, and thankfully they didn't even need to rub sticks together to get a spark. In fact, Oshi built up his chakra through his body and projected it through his mouth, sending a large fireball into the middle of the sticks. If someone was there it would have given them second degree burns, and it was more than hot enough to set the twigs on fire. "All we need is to keep adding to it all night, That means we're going to need to have a look out if we're having this for any major amount of time. Reag, I'm choosing you. Can you check out the perimeter for the next four hours? I'll wake up after that and take your slot." He was asking, but at the same time it was almost an order. He was the man's superior officer after all. Still.... despite that, there was something clear in his eyes, a sad resignation to the fact that they'd be more likely to get caught if any of these useless cretins were given perimeter duty.

As the boy would move away from the group, he went back to walking and talking with him, trying to get the facts of the matter that they were pushing through, and it was unpleasant "Those bandits that are roaming the area are to be killed the moment we're finished with. If it was just me and you, I'd tell you that we'd go hunting them tonight, but you and I both know how I feel about these soldiers we're guarding. they'd let the bastards get away with sheer ineptitude, so we can't include them. maybe if you're lucky we'll get to do it if we can find someone even remotely useful among them to act as a guard instead of me during the second shift, but considering how unlikely that is, I wouldn't get your hopes up. Understand?"

1500 / 1500 B rank Mission
502 / 1500 B rank Mission II: Mission Harder

Reag awaited his mentors reply. Soon enough, the Uchiha responded to his question with a definite answer, though the extreme hostility of his tone took the young Genin by surprise. "Being honest... I think it'd be more dangerous not to have a fire right now. Sure, there's a chance that we might be discovered, but we can kill those who would discover us, but look at the 'troops'" Reag nodded in agreement. The troops they where escorting where hopeless. At first, the wire user just thought that the collection of twenty armed 'samurai' where just rowdy because their leave was ended. That notion quickly dispersed itself as there trek through the wilderness of the Fire Country continued. Numerous times he had to gently 'remind' the militia that this was intended to be an exercise in stealth. Honestly, who brags about how many ninja they where going to kill in front of a ninja.

In short, the trek had been nothing but an exercise in frustration and close calls. The fact that his mentor had to personally intervene for them to avoid detection by a non combatant only added to the annoyance both of the ninja's where feeling. In short, this mission was going to end badly, and they both knew it. However, Oshiki wasn't done with his very quiet rant. "One of them fell into a rabbit hole and twisted their ankle today. That's a mistake a fucking six year old makes, not a grown man. Imagine if we left them alone without a source of light all night. In the morning we'd wake up and they'd all have broken open heads from falling over their own shoes somehow. So, yes, I think it's best that we get a fire going." The young Genin nodded, ignoring the severe killing intent his mentor was releasing. Thankfully it wasn’t directed at him, or the young wire user would have probably collapsed under the pressure.

“By your order's, Captain.” With a quick bow, Reag began to search the immediate area for bits of kindling they could use. It was a quick search in itself, lasting barely five minutes. A quick application of Katon Chakra later, and a roaring fire was going in the middle of their temporary camp. The young Genin made a mental note to learn some very basic fire techniques. They where hell of an impressive. A few moments later, Oshiki was beside him once again, preparing to give the young wire user new orders. "All we need is to keep adding to it all night, That means we're going to need to have a look out if we're having this for any major amount of time. Reag, I'm choosing you. Can you check out the perimeter for the next four hours? I'll wake up after that and take your slot."

The Genin nodded and bowed, accepting his orders. After short conversation with his mentor, the leaf wire user moved to the edge of the encampment, preparing himself to stand guard for the next four hours. Thankfully, this was the type of operation he specialized in. The leaf shinobi looked around for a suitable spot to over-watch the camp, paying special attention to trying to find an elevated position. Eventually, he settled on a tree with a very nice view of the surrounding area. With a quick flip of his jacket's hood, the fourteen year old was all but invisible in the night. Now came the hard part of his job; the waiting. He had four hours to kill, all of which he would have to stay at full attention for. It would not be an easy task for any Genin to pull off effectively.

With a silent sigh, the wire user began to plot contingency plans, in case something disturbed the camp. Should the attack approach unaware of him, he would channel chakra into his wires and hang them from a nearby tree. No sound would be made, no alarm would be raised, and no commotion would occur. When Oshiki would wake, he would have a moment to marvel at the quiet efficiency of his pupil before continuing onto his watch. Should the scouts approach aware of his position, he would mask himself with several Genjutsu's before retreating to awake his mentor. Chances are the commotion would wake their charges, leading to a fairly loud scuffle. It would not be an ideal situation for a stealth mission.

A quiet rustling to the north west alerted Konoha's hang man. From his elevated position, the young Genin had a perfect view of the cause. A scout was approaching, obviously drawn to the glowing light in the dark night. This would be a problem. The intel he had received stated there would be very little chance of encountering a scout this deep in the fire country. Hell, they where far enough away from the boarder that it could cause a diplomatic incident. Quietly rubbing his temples, Reag examined his target. The scout was obviously not trained as a ninja, though their stealth capabilities where not half bad. Smirking, the Genin noted that the approaching intruder had not noticed him yet. It was go time.

Channeling chakra into his wires, the young Genin waited for his target to get close enough for him to strike. His wires where sharp and under control, while his foe's neck was exposed. Ten seconds later, the young Ninja was ready to strike. Creating an anchor point on the tree branch he was perched on, the wire user sent a single loop of ninja wire at the unaware foe. As soon as the loop closed around his foes neck, Reag jumped off his tree, pulling the slipknot tight. Attaching his single cord of ninja wire to the ground, the Genin looked up at his handy work. The scout was silently struggling against the wire, as he life's blood left him. His sharpened wires had cut his neck wide open.

Reag checked his watch and nodded. Four hours where up. Time to wake Oshiki. Silently, he approached his mentor's tent. Without actually entering, he spoke. “Uchiha-sensei, It's time for your watch. Please dont mind the package I strung up. I felt that our charges could do with a reminder of how serious this mission is...”


Word Count: 1047 (1500/1500 B ranked Mission 2. 77/1500 B ranked Jutsu)

“Uchiha-sensei, It's time for your watch. Please don't mind the package I strung up. I felt that our charges could do with a reminder of how serious this mission is...”

If Reag had tried that shit with anyone else in Konoha, he would have probably been completely ignored. Not through choice it should be said, but more out of the sheer fact that with the amount of work people had to do they inevitably ended up being heavy sleepers. That was why night missions could be so dangerous for members of the ninja creed, because they spent so much of their alive awake and busy that they needed as much sleep as possible. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, Oshi was not like every other member of Konoha, in the sheer fact that he rarely got sleep. When he did, it was usually extremely light, the kind that could be stopped from hearing someone calling him or from having someone walk into his room or tent at the wrong moment.

It was what came from having an unpleasant past, the amount that he woke up with a phantom pain in his chest or from a nightmare that seemed all too real was much too common for anyone to retain their sanity. The fact that Oshi had somehow managed to continue being a completely functual member of society with all of the night-terrors and night-pains that he had had to deal with in his life was... well, it was hard to understand. A lesser man would have gone insane after the first month, but he'd been dealing with it for several years, and yet he was completely [or at least mostly] sane. Still, no time to address that thought as he got out of bed, sticking his head out of the tent. So, he had had trouble in the night with someone? Sighing, he stood up, pulled on some clothes and walked outside. His face was one of tiredness, it was clear that he hadn't slept very well in the four hours that he had had to try and get the minimum amount of rest. It wasn't so much he'd squandered it, but... oh never mind.

"Try and get some rest, we've still got around a day's hike ahead of us before we can actually do anything important. Plus, with how useless our cohorts have been so far, I want to make sure every able bodied man is ready to fight should they actually manage to screw up. I'll see you in the morning. "

Brushing past him, he moved his way onto the perimeter of the camp. He was going to need to activate his Sharingan for something like this. After all, it was currently four in the morning in the middle of winter. It was pitch black and, quite frankly, he was just thankful that it wasn't snowing yet. If they could fall into an open rabbit hole in the middle of bright day light just from unbelievable levels of stupidity, he did not want to think about the kinds of mischief they would get into if snow began to fall. They'd probably stop marching and start making snow angels or some shit. He sighed as he moved to the spot that Reag had been staying at for the first part... before noticing the strung up corpse of a scout. So, this was what Reag was talking about when he said that he had strung a package up? Whilst he approved of the level of skill that it must have taken for something like this, he also didn't quite like the fact that the world had necessitated a fourteen year old be so cold and practical about taking another man's life.

---

Four hours had passed like they were in a stream, and now it was morning. Around 8 am in fact, and he was not looking forward to having to wake the men. If he did it too loudly, then he would end up attracting unwanted levels of attention. He decided to do something rather unpleasant to his men, knowing that it would attract their attention. Summoning up his chakra into his voice, he whistled out just loud enough for everyone in the camp to be able to hear it, giving them a morning alarm of a shit-tonne of pain. Reag would be able to recognize this, if he was smart, from the first time that it had happened back in their first meeting. However, everyone else ran out of their tents clutching their ears. This was the most efficient wake up alarm since it didn't draw outside attention but it made sure that everyone in the camp would be unable to keep asleep.

After three minutes the technique had cancelled out, and everyone in the camp was looking towards their leader with angry, sleep-filled eyes. They apparently didn't like the fact that they had had to suffer such a rude awakening. In fact, Oshi thought, it was sheer insubordination the way they were looking at him. He was their leader whether they liked it or not, and so they had no show their emotions unprofessionally at him like this. Growling slightly under his breath, he addressed them.

"You are the mass that the Daimyo dares to call an army, but he's wrong. The daimyo has been wrong about many things, but the thing that he is most wrong about is calling you an army. You're nothing but a group of people told how to hold a sword with bloated egos. My lieutenant here is fourteen years old and he could take you out with his hands tied behind his back with his own wire. So, how about you step up your game and learn how to fight like a real soldier of the fire nation, or just pack up and go home. Because the true sign of a good soldier isn't skill, it's a willingness to constantly improve. If anyone ever thinks that they're the perfect warrior, then they are just an egotist and an accident waiting to happen. Do I make myself completely clear?" he asked, to which the crowd was silent. Some were angry, some were annoyed, and some were ashamed that they had been talked to in that way by a superior officer. Whichever way it was, nobody left, and nobody questioned the authority of the man who could breathe fire out of his face.

1500/1500 B rank Mission II: Mission Harder
0069/1500 B rank Mission III: The color Octarine

Reag awoke to the sound of whistling. Immediately, the pain in his ears began. The young wire user recognized what was happening. Oshiki had decided to use a simple genjutsu to wake up the untrained militia. It was a smart plan, as it would both awaken their charges as well as get them fimiliar with some of the basic capabilities Shinobi possessed. That being said, the lesson itself would be very painful for those involved in it. Quickly, the leaf genin put his thumb into his mouth and bit down hard, shattering the illusion like a kunai through a sheet of glass. With a smile, he rose from his padded sleeping bag, stretching. Today was going to be an interesting day. Reaching to his side, the wire user picked up his dark jacket and slipped it over his head, before moving to leave his tent. It would seem Oshiki had already started lecturing the poor sods about their poor discipline.

"You are the mass that the Daimyo dares to call an army, but he's wrong. The daimyo has been wrong about many things, but the thing that he is most wrong about is calling you an army. You're nothing but a group of people told how to hold a sword with bloated egos. My lieutenant here is fourteen years old and he could take you out with his hands tied behind his back with his own wire. So, how about you step up your game and learn how to fight like a real soldier of the fire nation, or just pack up and go home. Because the true sign of a good soldier isn't skill, it's a willingness to constantly improve. If anyone ever thinks that they're the perfect warrior, then they are just an egotist and an accident waiting to happen. Do I make myself completely clear?"

Reag decided right there and then that his mentor scared the shit out of him. His mentor continued his lengthy tirade while the young wire user looked around himself, trying to get a feel for the men they where escorting. The Konoha shinobi really hoped that Oshiki's little lecture would help drill into them the importance of their mission. After all, if he was able to ruthlessly kill an enemy scout, their foes could easily do the same to them. For a ninja, death was a constant companion, always looming over head. It was the movement in the shadows or the rustling of the wind. For the untrained men around him, death seemed to be something miles away, something out of mind and out of site. Quietly, Reag hoped that his mentor would take the company by the point where he started his watch at, so that their charges could get a good look at the reality of the situation.


To Reag's mild amusement, they did in fact walk by his little package. He could hear the troops around him muttering about how 'cold' and 'impersonal' the scout's death was. Not one of them seemed to notice the fact that they had slept through the night undisturbed or that they where still alive. The Genin rubbed the side of his head, sighing. It seemed that any attempt to get this force to be a little more serious where doomed to failure. As such, the fate of most of the members of this squad where already sealed. Perhaps some of the better ones would actually manage to scrape out a honest living, but the rest where doomed to a life of banditry when times became tough. They would abandon their posts in search of riches. It was how almost all the bandits in Konoha came about.

That would be something he would have to help deal with later. He was almost his sixth month of being a Genin, and the eventual 'defeat the bandit' mission would head his way soon enough. It was a rite of passage for most of his fellow shinobi. After spending a few months training, most rookie Genin where send out in late winter to kill a group of bandits. The reasons where two fold: First, it was the time where such lowlifes where the most active in there search for prey. Secondly, it was to get the mini ninja's used to the idea of ending a life. A small smirk touched the features beneath Reag's mask. He had taken care of that months ago, when he had killed a drug dealer in Suna. It had taken him a few weeks to get over the trauma and reoccurring nightmares about bloody eyes. It had lead to some very unusual habits forming in the nina.

For example: His mask. As long as he wore it, he felt like a true shinobi, ready to cut down his foes with extreme prejudice. Without it, he felt like a fourteen year old child. Thus, when it was time to start the killing, he made sure his mask was firmly affixed to his face. Other than this unusual habit, the psychiatrists back in Konoha had remarked quite positively on his mental health. They had put him down as beginning to develop a few quirks, but other wise stable. It was almost a badge of pride for him, really. All the great shinobi's he was aware of had something quirky about them. If his was something as mild as liking masks, the young wire user would take it. It seemed a noticeable step upward from several other odd behaviors he had noticed from the ninjas around himself. The young wire user conveniently forgot his more sadistic pranking streak or nocturnal habits. The idea that he might have always been a tad insane never even crossed the Genin's mind.

As they continued to trek through the Hi country side, Reag made sure to keep himself on full alert. They where approaching the area where the enemies scouts where considered to be the most active. The rag tag group would have to slow itself down to allow the inexperienced militia the ability to move undetected. Reag noted that his mentor had vanished several times during their march, though never for more than five or six minutes at a time. He assumed that his mentor was dealing with any scouts that they had alerted, even if he couldn’t sense them. After a few hours of this, they had eventually arrived at the rendezvous point, and could be rid of the idiotic 'samurai' they had escorted. One of the commanding officers at the temporary camp had greeted them respectfully, and had sent the group of militia men to various locations around the area. With that, they had completed the first task assigned to them by the Hokage. Now they would await further orders.


Word Count: 1137 (Training Fuuton - Spiral Wind Defense 1200/1200, -20% from Gifted Trait)