A couple of months ago.

7:20 AM

“Good morning fellow Shinobi of Konohagakure. I’m sorry for calling you up this early, although a problem has arose; one which must be dealt with immediately. Without further ado, let us begin the briefing. Two days ago, we’ve dispatched at the request of a wealthy villager, a squad that was meant to recover a lost family heirloom which belonged to our client. His house was placed against the ground, due to a recent earthquake; strange since there aren’t that many in this land. Therefore, the task was fairly simple and the squad should have returned last night from their assignment. As such, we’re going to dispatch another squad of three people to assess the situation, keep in mind that this will be only a recon mission and nothing more. Their destination was a nearby village, located just a few hours from Konohagakure.” were the words spoken by the mission appointer at the briefing on a rather sturdy tone.

In a small village between Konohagakure and The Docks.

10:38 AM

The sun which has just awoken from its slumber, was immediately covered up by a pair of grey clouds that were being carried by a ravenous wind. Cold and strange was the air around them; it looked as if it may begin to rain soon. After a few hours spent upon the road, the group has finally managed to arrive at the small village, although the imagery which they have expected was not equal to the one which was presented to them. Beneath their eyes, the whole land was consumed by a mantle of ice, and the inhabitants of this village were lingering in a statuesque posture; the whole place was like a museum.

“Who is capable of doing such an inhuman act...” were the words which escaped between Rintaro’s lips. Izakaya Rintaro was the jōnin that was assigned to lead the makeshift squad consisted of the chūnin named Kimura Suutei and the genin, Uchiha Tenzō. The young Uchiha’s jet-black eyes began to widen like saucers while his jaw almost kissed the ground; he was breathless. In spite of all of this, the mission still stood upon them; this uncharted land was needed to be explored and investigated. Finding the missing shinobi, or any clues that may shed some light upon this occurrence, will help the squad form a conclusion.

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407 Words

Several months ago

7:20 AM

“Good morning fellow Shinobi of Konohagakure. I’m sorry for calling you up this early, although a problem has arose; one which must be dealt with immediately. Without further ado, let us begin the briefing. Two days ago, we’ve dispatched at the request of a wealthy villager, a squad that was meant to recover a lost family heirloom which belonged to our client. His house was placed against the ground, due to a recent earthquake; strange since there aren’t that many in this land. Therefore, the task was fairly simple and the squad should have returned last night from their assignment. As such, we’re going to dispatch another squad of three people to assess the situation, keep in mind that this will be only a recon mission and nothing more. Their destination was a nearby village, located just a few hours from Konohagakure.” were the words spoken by the mission appointer at the briefing on a rather sturdy tone.

In a small village between Konohagakure and The Docks.

10:38 AM

The sun had just peaked over the horizon, and was immediately covered up by a pair of grey clouds carried by a frozen gust.  Cold and ominous a perfect way to describe this strangle climate, the clouds foretold a storm approaching.  After a few hours Suutei and his accomplices  stopped on the road, the group had finally reached their destination.  Only thing left was to complete the mission, and hopefully as soon as possible.  The storm would only cause delays in their travels.  At the small village, expectation fell to defeat against the harsh reality that was this wasteland. Gazing his crystal blue eyes across the plains, his black hair whipped by the razor chilling wind, and his nose red as an ember.  Suutei could see the whole land was consumed by a mantle of ice.  The villagers were watching stationary, as each of the three individuals from the Village Hidden in the Leaves approached.

Suutei dressed not casual, but certainly not accordingly to the circumstancces he faced.  A simple black shirt with a kevlar vest and an indigo shawl with white trim.  Draping similar to a poncho, he looked around surveying thought not much was seen.  “Who is capable of doing such an inhuman act...” Rintaro proclaimed as if he were not used to seeing death and despair, nor someones ability to strike fear into the heart of mem.  Izakaya Rintaro was the jōnin that was assigned to lead the makeshift team , consisting of Suutei and a genin, a Uchiha by the name of Tenzō.

This would prove to be a difficult assignment for Suutei to say the least, and the blistering cold made it hard for his concentration.  Suutei let out a soft sigh in the form of embers, a result from him channeling Katon chakra through his body. With no way of leading the missio due to his rank, and this Mission being one of the first tours as a shinobi would require some skill sharpening indeed.  Suutei came up with the idea of scouting the area, searching for anything that could be of use to their investigation.

"I can scout ahead with a jutsu of mine.  If anyone is within the area they still won't be able to see me.  I'll return as soon as I find something. Wind Style:  Tempest Glide"

After beginning his technique Suutei began levitatin a few inches off of the ground, and began floating higher.  Two stories or so in the air Suutei felt the bitter coldbiting his cheeks.  Shaking the weather conditions, he lowered his body like a board and began his flight.

[616]

“Seems like they were all frozen. I’ll head over and search the buildings for any kind of survivors and clues, and I’ll yell if I manage to find anything concrete.” Tenzō uttered on a somber tone once Suutei had taken flight in order to search from the above. With his keen view, the chūnin might catch a glimpse on the outer edge of the village, and spot the injured shinobi from the first team that was dispatched. The lower half of his body was frozen, and there was a deep wound located on his left shoulder; it was a miracle that he was still breathing, but for how long was the question in mind. Deducing that this was the work of an Aisu was nothing extraordinary, although more information was needed before they could reach a conclusion; information which was probably held by that shinobi.

Without further ado, Tenzō began to scurry inside the first building which stood beneath his eyes. Although, he already knew what to expect regarding the villages; the fact there were no survivors only added further to his disappointment, proving himself right in this case was a thing which did not please him. The Uchiha began to shiver once he entered those buildings, as the young lad barely had any clothes on him; the silk and red robe which he wore was only for the looks, and beneath it he only had a shirt on. Once he made his way inside the inn, Tenzō realized that his search was not in vain; a body was found that was not encased within ice. The man was somewhere around his twenties, although he was completely dressed in some kind of uniform ; a black garment which had a few purple lines on it.

A hefty breath was taken by the genin before he began dragging the corpse outside the building, and once he reached the exit, the jōnin waltzed towards him in order to help and take a closer look on the corpse. “Hmm... it’s a bit odd that this is the only person who hasn’t been turned into an icicle like the rest of them.” Rintaro spoke on a rather worried tone while searching the body for any kind of clues. There wasn’t a need for two shinobi in order to check the dead body, therefore Tenzō arose and immediately began searching within the remaining buildings; those that did not had their doors locked.

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413 Words

Total Words ~ 820

Suutei kept his eye out for the survivor's of the attack, and was swift about it.  Coming up on an overpass, he'd realized he may have gotten a good distance away from his party.  Stopping high above the glass like ground he could feel a faint chakra signature.  Suutei landed onto the ground and trucked through the snow for the reading he'd felt, and hoped that it was not too late.  Channeling more of his chakra through his body like a wood burning stove, he came across something or someone...

"Is anybody out there!  Say something...

Suutei could see movement or atleast he thought, as the storm began to pick up obsuring his view.  With only faith on his side he moved in the direction of the figure, and readied himself for an ambush encase it was a trap.  Suutei got closer and spotted his target; a male with ash grey hair, and stern looks of a drill sergant wearing the traditional Jounin field uniform, and his Konohagakure forehead protector.  This was his last and Suutei could tell he was too late to save a fallen comrade.  The Jounin began to speak to Suutei straining and struggling to move his lips.

"A rogue shinobi did this...
They...They murdered my squad...
I barely...barely escaped...
They were...were Aisu...
We completed our mission...
Please...please deliver this..."

Face covered in frost and lips as blue as Suutei's eyes it was too late, and the Jounin breathed his final breath.  Dedicated to fulfilling the mission like a true shinobi fool.  Suutei laid pity on the man as he lowered his eyelids and laid him down on the ground.  Taking one last look at the fallen shinobi he grabbed the so called heirloom.  Which looked to be nothing but a simple trinket, scolding the man again he shook his head.  Thinking of his own death...When would it come?  How would he die?  Will he be remembered?  

Suutei reactivated Tempest Glide and began hovering a few inches off of the ground.  Thoughts of death now lingering through his mind, and haunting his imagination.  Suutei didn't take long to regroup with his partners as he came to a halt, and his feet touching the ground behind Rintaro.

"So this is the price of a Shinobi's life...A mere worthless trinket with no real value, but sweet sentiment."

Suutei turned around as he watched Tenzo drag out body after body from the buildings.  Tucking the so called heirloom in his inner jacket he was finished with his job.  Turning his back on Rintaro after hearing his clause, and slightly depressed from it.  Suutei felt an unbearable pain in his right shoulder causing him to fall onto all fours.  The cold ground starting to burn his fingers while down he tried to recover, and reached over his shoulder feeling the hilt of some sort of object.  Turning around hoping for the assailant to be in view, but as quickly as he turned his back he was knocked forward.  Caught off guard he tumbled a few meters, and Suutei caught a glimpse of the attacker.

Before he stood up he could feel his hair being pulled, and took his body upwards eye-level with something.  A large brutish male wearing a dome helmet glowing a bright turqouise hexagonal pattern.  The target wore an obsidian metal chest plate greaves, and gauntlets. Suutei looked down, noticing he was wearing some sort of mark or cape hanging from his waist.  Suutei could not see through his helmet, but right now was not concerned as he inhaled.  Inhaling quickly he was cut off by the enemies hand grabbing his throat cutting off his circulation.  Suutei struggled too break free of the assailant's grip all while trying to breath.  Suutei needed help and soon or it would be his last mission as a Shinobi of the Leaf.

[1269]

The scuffle outside forced Tenzō to end his search quite quicker than he had anticipated, as such his eyes were immediately darted against the brute who threatened the life of his comrade. Without much thought invested, the young Uchiha began sliding his way towards the group while reaching inside his pouch for a shuriken, which he hurled against the large target. In spite of his effort, the projectile had bounced off rather easily once it flew above Suuite’s head and landed against the man’s chest; that obsidian armor was sturdy enough to block it, not even a single scratch remained behind from that flimsy attack. The pattern on the brute’s helmet was quite interesting, although the admiration of such an object shall be done once the ruckus has ended.

Unlike the Uchiha, Rintaro knew what do in situation like this, and due to his location being closer towards the unknown individual, the jōnin began to take action. A couple of hand seals were consecutively formed before the leader of this squad decided to slam both of his opened hands upon the ice floor which stood beneath him. In the blink of an eye, the glass underneath the brute began to show small cracks, the noise was probably caught on by Suutei as well and warned him about what was about to occur. The cracking noise suddenly got intense once the icy floor shattered completely in order to make way for a couple of earth spikes. With their razor-sharp edge and circular shape, the spikes arose from ground and immediately threaten to injure the brute if he would not release Suutei and move out of their path.

However, if the brute would decide to evade them by leaping away from the ground, that may give Suutei a chance to catch him up by surprise and hopefully end his life rather quickly. As with the amulet found by the chūnin, the mission was more than successful. The group had managed to learn the cause which made the previous group not return and also retrieve the amulet which Konohagakure was supposed to do so, therefore the village image had not suffered at all, and in the future there might be more customers who would appeal for the services offered by this village.

The young Uchiha tangled his five fingers carefully around the handle of a kunai before dashing towards the group in order for him to regroup with them. With the intention of aiding Suutei in mind, Tenzō increased up his pace and tighten upon the grip even further. However, he was still far away in order for him to react quickly, and using any kind of jutsu was difficult since he did not want to risk it and accidently injure his comrade.

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466 Words

Total Words ~ 1286

Suutei struggled more and more as the freezing cold grip of the figure held his throat.  Watching the digital gridded helmet of his attacker begin to minimize, like the vignette of a picture.  The ground began to shake and broke his grip from Suutei's windpipe.  He fell to the cold slick white ground below attempting to breathe what air he could.  It burned more each inhale he took it was worse than his Katon techniques, and he tried twice again his throat sore.  Suutei felt the ground tremor as each pillar rose from the ground with intentions set on sending the man into the stars.  Suutei struggled to his feet as he watched their attacker, and it appeared he'd stopped moving.  Briefly it appeared that they'd finished their job, and then the man began propelling downwards.  Both hands above his head with intentions to slam into the ground, and was shrouded by a blue aura.

Suutei recovering slowly began backpedaling in his mind reevaluating the situation at hand, and all at the same time wondering what happened to Tenzo.  It would be his responsibilty to make sure his comrade was safe, and Suutei stopped backing away sliding briefly.  The man had hit slammed both fists into the ground sending a shockwave through the ground, and some kind of electric current following the tremors.  Suutei stumbled backwards and saw a electric bolt, but before a move could be made he was struck sent flying through the window of a withered building.  Two other bolts were headed in the direction of both Rintaro, and Tenzo.

Within the building Suutei struggled to catch his breath, he shuddered while trying to bring himself to his feet.  This was a stronger enemy than he presumed, and they would surely be in grave danger.  Taking a deep breath he was afraid, and this man could possibly kill him and he could not stop him.  Regaining his strength he rushed out of the building, and searched for Tenzo as Rintaro wasn't his biggest concern as his leader.  "I won't let him kill me.  I won't lose a fellow comrade.  Not while I am still breathing."

Suutei ran out of the building at full sprint with Rintaro leading the charge.  Somehow he managed to avoid the lightning bolt unscathed.  Suutei leaped preparing to strike the man in his head with a spin kick.  Rintaro went low with some sort of Doton technique turning his entire arim into solid rock.  Rintaro connected with the man's gut causing him to buckle, and Suutei changed his position swinging his foot as if the man's head was kickball.  Where is Tenzo...I hope he is okay...

[1721]

Tenzō’s milky white cheeks were starting to turn red, due to the cold climate that stood around his vicinity. Even though The Land of Fire was known for its warm and fair environment, the Aisu managed to turn this place around, leaving behind the impression as if they were now within The Land of Iron. As he ran towards his comrade, Suutei, the young Uchiha was huffing and puffing, releasing each time a small clouds of steam between those numb lips of his. However, he was still located far away from the group, on almost the opposite side of this small town. Therefore, the jonin, Rintaro acted quickly once more by performing a couple of consecutive hand seals. In just a few seconds, a few words were muttered by this skillful person whilst using the same technique from before, impaling all of those spikes within the brute’s chest, making sure that he was no longer breathing and dead.

A few coughs of blood were immediately spewed from the brute’s mouth before his eyelids slowly began to quiver. “You will all... pay dearly for this.” were the man’s last words, spoken on harsh and cold tone before that last breath of his was given. With his life now gone, there was nothing more than bag of flesh left behind; although, if someone were to inspect his clothes and armor, there might be some piece of information lingering inside of them. Something, which may help towards the investigation that was being conducted by this makeshift group.

Just a couple of seconds later, Tenzō had managed to make his way back towards his squad, halting right against them before resting both of his paws against his knees, breathing quite rapidly. “Are you both alright?” the raven-haired lad inquired while both of those thin eyebrows arched themselves further up his forehead. Deep inside, the young Uchiha was indeed worried about his teammates, and during this whole  encountered he realized that he was nothing more than useless. However, a conclusion such as this will only push him further, to surpass the current state in which his body lingered. Working with such skilled individuals such as Suutei and Rintaro, only offered a good environment from which he could learn more.

After checking up on them, Tenzō would reveal the information that he found a body within a building, a person who resembled a shinobi; however, there were no signs on him that indicated from which village he belonged to. It was indeed odd, that this village would be attacked by such a fierce group of individuals, although the reason which stood behind the whole act was yet to be unfolded, since this particular group or organization was not after the amulet. If they were, then it would surely not be lingering with that shinobi which had a few more breaths to expel before that life of his ended. Maybe this was a good time for the team to regroup and share their knowledge before heading back to Konohagakure and write a full report regarding the whole events which had occurred within this small town.

“This doesn’t really seem right, and the longer we stay here, the more trouble may come upon us. We need to head back towards the village, and report all of this. Running into more people like him, or worse... running into the person who actually caused this cruel act, is not something that I wish.” were the words spoken by Rintaro on a very worried tone. Both of his eyes were narrowed while he gazed at each member of the squad in which he was placed in charge. Tenzō gave a small nod which assured the jonin the he was ready to depart, thus, Rintaro shifted his attention towards Suutei, awaiting on his answer. Most likely Konohagakure was going to investigate further upon this tragedy, despite the size of this village it still belonged towards The Lad of Fire, and it was still under the leaf’s protection.

An hour or so later...

As soon as the mission objectives were completed, the makeshift group had finally arrived back towards Konohagakure. Even though, Tenzō and Rintaro had their own fair of contribution regarding this particular assignment, Suutei was actually the one who had managed to learn key information regarding the missing group which was dispatched prior to this one, and the family heirloom that they were in charge of retrieving. Things went much more better then it was actually expected, since this group only had the simple mission of assessing the situation and finding the lost group of shinobi, it was basically a recon type of mission. Before heading towards the hospital in order to attends towards their own wounds, the makeshift squad had to report the things which had just occurred on their arrival within that small and god forsaken village, and afterwards, Rintaro would remain behind since he was appointed as the leader of the squad in order to fulfill any kind of necessary paperwork.

“Congratulations on completing your mission and on retrieving the heirloom which was requested by our client. With your efforts, Konohagakure would have its reputation unstained, and they will always remember that that services which we offer are most likely done properly and fulfilled, despite whatever obstacles we might encounter in our journey. Our military prowess is going gradually every day, and you here represent the fructification of our work. Without further ado, I would kindly ask you, Rintaro, to remain behind and complete a written report which explains everything that you have told me so far in a much more detailed perspective. The ones who are responsible for this act, would not remain unpunished. With that being said, the shinobi of Hidden Leaf Village will investigate this case further on. The rest of you, are dismissed, so that you may head over towards the hospital and attend to your own wounds.” was the small speech given by the mission instructor, spoken on a coherent and stern tone whilst a worrying expression was kept most of the time, due to the unsettling things that reached upon those ears of his.

Without further ado, the young Uchiha took a bow against all of those who were located within his vicinity before waltzing at a considerable speed towards the hospital. Despite being tiered, Tenzō wished to finish up this particular task as soon as possible, since the whole thought of staying at the hospital frightened him. Due to those frequent visits that were necessary after he usually trained against his own sister, the raven-haired lad had some terrible experiences with doctors, with other words he was neither a fan of them, nor of needles. However, those wounds of his weren’t really that grave and hay may only receive a quick mend alongside a few pills that may calm down the pain. That family of his was most likely worried, since he was supposed to arrive much more earlier back home, and due to their loving personality, the Uchiha might have to explain the reason which kept him away from home. He wasn’t really the most responsible person on this planet, and both of his parents were well aware of that reckless behavior which pretty much defined him during his early childhood.

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1221 Words

Total Words ~ 2507

Exit thread.

A few coughs of blood were immediately spewed from the brute’s mouth before his eyelids slowly began to quiver. “You will all... pay dearly for this.” were the man’s last words, spoken on harsh and cold tone before that last breath of his was given. Suutei began to search and loot the armor and clothing of the Brute.  Search for any kind of relevant information to assist cause for further investigation.  Only to see that the man was empty handed, and had nothing of use to them at all.  Suutei stood up and straight now, and stared down at the lifeless body giving no sign of pity for this person.  Monster...

Suutei exhaled embers, and was relieved that this dispute was finally over.  The attacker dead.  The heirloom retrieved and all that was left was to summarize their mission.  Suutei now able to brief correctly looked around, and saw that Tenzo was able to catch up to them.  Still weak he was a bit knobby kneed, and fought through the pain the best he could.  Though he could not help, but remain troubled about all of this and would not be surprised that Rintaro felt the same.  "Finally it is over.  I can't believe I am shaking.  Rintaro you look like your okay, and Tenzo you as well."

“This doesn’t really seem right, and the longer we stay here, the more trouble may come upon us. We need to head back towards the village, and report all of this. Running into more people like him, or worse... running into the person who actually caused this cruel act, is not something that I wish.” said Rintaro obviously worried. Both of his eyes were narrowed while he gazed at each member of the squad in which he was placed in charge. Tenzō gave a small nod which assured the jonin he was ready to depart, then, Rintaro shifted his attention towards Suutei, awaiting on his answer. Most likely Konohagakure was going to investigate further upon this tragedy, despite the size of this village it still belonged towards The Lad of Fire, and it was still under the leaf’s protection.  "I will inform you both on my findings during our trek back to the village...Let's go..."  Suutei stuck his hands in his pocket and proceeded forward.

An hour or so later...

As soon as the mission objectives were completed, the makeshift group had finally arrived back towards Konohagakure. Even though, Tenzō and Rintaro had their own fair of contribution regarding this particular assignment, Suutei was actually the one who had managed to learn key information regarding the missing group which was dispatched prior to this one, and the family heirloom that they were in charge of retrieving. Things went much more better then it was actually expected, since this group only had the simple mission of assessing the situation and finding the lost group of shinobi, it was basically a recon type of mission. Before heading towards the hospital in order to attends towards their own wounds, the makeshift squad had to report the things which had just occurred on their arrival within that small and god forsaken village, and afterwards, Rintaro would remain behind since he was appointed as the leader of the squad in order to fulfill any kind of necessary paperwork.

“Congratulations on completing your mission and on retrieving the heirloom which was requested by our client. With your efforts, Konohagakure would have its reputation unstained, and they will always remember that that services which we offer are most likely done properly and fulfilled, despite whatever obstacles we might encounter in our journey. Our military prowess is going gradually every day, and you here represent the fructification of our work. Without further ado, I would kindly ask you, Rintaro, to remain behind and complete a written report which explains everything that you have told me so far in a much more detailed perspective. The ones who are responsible for this act, would not remain unpunished. With that being said, the shinobi of Hidden Leaf Village will investigate this case further on. The rest of you, are dismissed, so that you may head over towards the hospital and attend to your own wounds.” The small speech given by the mission instructor, spoken on a coherent and stern tone whilst a worrying expression was kept most of the time, due to the unsettling things that processed within Suutei's mind.

Suutei wasn't the hospital type and rather just eat the pain away.  Suutei went onwards to his home, but thoughts lingered within his mind from that mission.  Who was after them and why did the brute attacked them?  I need to train more I can not just sit by, and get treated like a ragdoll...I think I need to find a teacher...I can only do so much on my own...I should go to Iwagakure I have seen other Iwa nin...

2600
[Exit Thread]

Sorry for this late post, but posting here just because a lot of time passed and I'm going to train.

2507 Total Words

Training Reaction Time from B0 To B3 = 2400

2507 - 2400 = 107 WC Left

(Training was denied, due to it being a Flashback)