Issei exercised in his home, a small apartment near the center of Kirigakure no Sato that he managed to rent using his savings from his years travelling and his earnings as a shinobi. He liked to work out at least 4 times a week, with alternations between strength training, weight lifting, and cardio. It was almost relaxing for him, because he always felt good afterwards, although sore at times. That night, he was on schedule to work guard duty for the village gates, which was a bigger mission than he had ever taken in the past, even if it was still only C-Rank. He would have a team of other ninja to support him, but he was to be leader of the group and combat any potential threats head-on. The punching bag hanging in the corner of his room took some punishment that afternoon before he went out for a walk, got some fresh air, and had lunch at a nearby restaurant.

Wearing his full combat gear underneath a borrowed Kirigakure flak jacket, Issei made his way to the village gate to report for his shift. The two other ninja who would be supporting him were an unsightly bunch; a shorter male with brown hair that covered his eyes who seemed awfully shy, and a female with long, red hair that avoided eye contact and had a consistent smirk on her face. He didn't show any outward response to either of them aside from a silent wave, and he moved toward the front of the gate, taking the left side. The night began slow, but Issei was a practical professional at standing in the same place for a while without getting tired. He kept his hands at his sides and stood with excellent posture, his cold eyes looking out toward the bridge in the distance. Every so often he could hear the red-haired girl talking to the shy boy, but never receiving a reply of any sort, at least not what that Issei could hear.

Time passed slowly and Issei looked down to his watch periodically to watch the minutes crawl by. He wondered if this was always how it was, doing guard duty. The village didn't have too many threats, and the threats it did have wouldn't be bold enough to try and invade the village directly through the gates...so did shinobi spend night after night just sitting here, tired, doing nothing? It seemed like a lackluster job to have, but really easy. Just past midnight, a howl could be heard just within earshot, echoing through the night. The red haired girl rose to her feet, since she had apparently been sitting, and reached to touch Issei to get his attention. Issei felt her presence before her hand could reach his shoulder and he dodged her touch, lifting a hand up toward her. "Please don't touch me. What is it?"

The girl, confused by Issei's inclination not to be touched, gestured toward the bridge. "There are wolves coming. My sensory jutsu registers two, so it's not a full pack, but be careful. They'll be here within minutes." Surely enough, the growls and snarls of rapid creatures became progressively louder until the wolves were in sight, running toward the village gates. Issei couldn't help but feel that they could've possibly been summons instead of wild wolves, but either way, they had to be stopped. The muscles in his hand tensed and he created an open fist before charging toward the first wolf. It jumped in an attempt to bite his neck, but he dodged the attack expertly and retaliated with a punch in the torso. The wolf was knocked back far enough away to give Issei time to switch stances into a handstand, using his left hand to hold himself up as the next wolf approached fast. Using the momentum of his lower body being in air, he caught himself with his right hand and spun in a circle, kicking the wolf with substantial force. His movements flowed together like a dance and with a front flip he landed back on his feet, squatting and facing the two wolves.

They charged again, with crazed looks in their eyes and foam dripping from their mouths. Issei reached for his pouch and drew two shuriken, throwing them from the sides and letting their spins guide their trajectories into the torsos of the wolves. One of the wolves doubled over in pain but the second one was still coming toward him fast, preparing to try another bite. Issei grabbed it by the neck and, using all his strength, crushed its windpipe, effectively asphyxiated it. He dropped its limp corpse and walked over to the other wolf that was still in pain, watching it apathetically. Despite its suffering, it still convulsed violently and tried to bite Issei's legs, so Issei stomped on its neck and broke it.

After the deed was done, Issei headed back to the gates. "They're taken care of." he said, solemnly. The shy boy nodded and the red haired girl went back to sitting nonchalantly. Issei went on to check his body for scratches or bitemarks to make sure he wasn't at risk for rabies. His fist had some blood on it, but he couldn't find any and he wasn't in any pain either so he figured it was from one of the wolves and so he would be fine. Crickets began to chirp off and on and a heavy wind picked up. Dark clouds overhead signaled rain soon, and 2 hours left on the shift before the next shinobi on guard duty would arrive and Issei's mission would be complete. The three spent the rest of their shift anticipating a threat to come, but nothing ever came. They stood there in the rain standing guard, and Kirigakure no Sato was safe and sound. Issei returned home that night exhausted and cold, but glad that he could be of assistance; he would go to collect his reward the following morning.

[ Mission Complete, Exit Thread ]

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