Amid the sand and dust, the blinding sun and the scorching wind, stood a single figure who walked with conviction. Her footsteps fell lightly yet with self-assurance, a firm point amid the shifting dunes and sliding shadows. Atop her head she wore a wide brimmed hat. Some theorized that it had a life of its own, that its watchful gaze surveyed her path as it lay out before her. The ninja's deep brown eyes narrowed slightly with concentration, the prospect of her first real mission that involved danger fully settling into her mind.

Sumiko visited the mission center on a nearly daily basis, incorperating it into her morning schedule over time. She had expected another odd job, not that she minded performing various tasks around town that required a bit more skill than an ordinary villager could muster. The mission listing handed to her that day, however, stood out from the others she had taken so far. The faded page had clearly seen better days, the thick lettering stood out against the yellowed parchment's title: "Ahh! Giant Scorpion".

She paused for a moment, her arms coming to rest at her sides as she shifted her weight from one foot to another. Based on the discription, the scorpion in question was not one of the kind she had encountered on occasion, the small, two or three inch veriety that caused housewives to shrink away in fear and call out to their respective husbands. No, this was a deep desert scorpion, the kind that grew to such huge sizes that any of the before-mentioned husbands would likely call out to their own mothers upon simply coming across one. While not particularly aggressive, they could cause considerable harm to anyone that happened upon one unprepared.

This singular focus took up all of Sumiko's considerable attention, causing her eyes to slightly yet noticably narrow while crossing the short distance between the village proper and a small cluster of houses by the outskirts. Most, if not all, of the inhabitants had already been informed of the situation and had evacuated, but she still had to be careful not to cause wanton destruction. These were still other people's houses and property, after all. She approached the group of houses with a reasonable amount of caution, keeping her senses tuned to any movement.

wc: 392

The group of houses remained still and silent, the only sound in the air being the slight and distant whistle of the wind against the rocks. She stepped closer, peering around a corner before shrinking back almost immediately, having spotted something large and brown from the corner of her eye. She slowly slipped her feet closer to the corner then peeked out once again, her eyes narrowing slightly as she surveyed her target.

Giant desert scorpions certainly earned the title, as the massive invertibrate's body barely fit in the narrow alleyway between the two houses. Its thick, armored legs pressed into the sand, bearing up its weight as its wide pinchers tapped together, its cold, expressionless eyes staring directly at her. Its knobby legs moved one at a time, standing in place while turning toward her slowly, its threatening tail standing at the ready. It didn't move at first, perhaps unsure if it was fast enough to catch such nimble prey.

Sumiko slowly drew in a deep breath, calming herself and reminding herself of her training, of the skills she had honed for just such a moment as this that would act as the ultimate test of her abilities. She had agreed to this mission despite having few offensive techniques to speak of. If she couldn't take down such a dangerous (albeit non-ninja) opponent... She refused to even consider the possibility. That giant desert pest was going down!

She drew her kunai with one hand, holding a single shuriken with the other as she stepped out into the alleyway, blade held at the ready across her body. She focused for a moment as the giant creature continued to survey her, aiming directly at one of its main eyes. She swung her hand and flicked her wrist, throwing the shuriken straight and true, striking her target squarely and earning her a pained screech.

Immediately the scorpion rushed toward Sumiko, prompting her to flee. She dodged to the right, ducking behind the other corner of the alleyway as the scorpion's pinchers swung at thin air, missing by a good few inches. Sumiko dashed alongside the house at full speed, her heart racing as she glanced over her shoulder. A gust of wind slipped right past her back as the scorpion's tail missed her by mere inches, causing her to let out a surprised cry. She waved her arms in the air and jumped, aiming carefully as she threw both her remaining shuriken at the scorpion's eyes. Each one struck true, causing the creature to abruptly cut off its rush and screech in pain, lashing out left and right at thin air in confusion.

Sumiko used its temporary pause to swiftly escape to one of the rooftops, hopping onto nearby crates and tall water jugs to make her way up. She stood on the edge, lookign down at it while she considered her options. Her remainign weapon, a kunai, would have a hard time breaking through its tough, armored hide. She needed something else, something with more force or cutting strength behind it. She looked about then gradually formed her plan...

WC: 392 + 525 = 917

The kunoichi waited patiently, only the toad-like eyes atop her hat peeking out from the edge of the rooftop. She could hear the scorpion's movement below, scuttling about slowly, painfully due to the wounds she had already inflicted. She drew in her breath slowly then released it, the air passing through her lips brushing across the stone rooftop and forming a thin cloud of dust as she lay prone across its surface. She scooted herself over slightly, her hands reaching up before pushing herself up into a seated position. Pulling her hands back, she struck the wooden crate in front of her, the corner striking the edge of the roof and rotating as it fell toward the ground.

The scorpion noticed the movement and turned, the wooden crate crashing into the ground as the desert creature pounced on it almost instantly, its claws grasping its sides and its tail jutting forward, striking it with its pointed tip. As soon as it began to lash out, Sumiko dashed toward the edge of the roof, placing her feet on the slightly raised edge as she launched herself into the air, leaping upward while her eyes pointed down toward her target. She swirled in the air, the downward force of her weight adding to the impact as she thrust her right hand out, kunai glinting as the scorpion's attention became drawn upward. She shouted loudly as she landed atop it, using the gained force and speed to drive her kunai downward in a single, fluid thrust.

"Take this!" the tip of Sumiko's kunai struck a joint of its armor, penetrating between the plates and sinking in deep. A spurt of vile blood erupted from the wound, its legs and tail twitching for a moment before collapsing onto the ground. She sat atop it in a crouched position for some time, the beating of her heart pounding against her chest as she slowly relaxed her grip, releasing the handle with the blade still embedded into its body. She stood up and looked around slowly, the calm realization of her victory gradually settling in.

Reaching down, she retrieved her weapons from the scorpion's body, cleaning them off with a clothing before replacing them into her pouch. The mission did not specify what she should do with the scorpion, but she reasoned she should take something back in order to prove that she had accomplished her mission. With a sigh and a shrug, she looked down at the creature below her once again, "I suppose I'll take the stinger back..." Granted, she found out soon enough just how difficult it was to break through the thick armor of a giant desert scorpion's tail, but that was another matter entirely. She had accomplished her mission, one that had challenged her to overcome her weaknesses and overcome her opponent without relying on brute force or even utilizing her sand in a weaponized manner. No, she had performed just as any genin might, using only the amount of force necessary to accomplish her mission.

Sumiko glanced toward the sun as it had passed midday not long ago, already starting on its long decent toward the distant horizon. She allowed herself the slightest of smiles, pleased in her difficult yet rewarding victory. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, confident in the shining outlook her life had taken while her eyes gazed up at the blue, cloudless sky. "If only every day was as rewarding as this one..." Sumiko giggled, her hips rocking back and forth slightly, "I guess I have another cool story to tell the villagers from now on!"


[Topic Exit]
[Mission Finished]

WC: 611
Total WC: 1,492
Mission Requirements: 1,528/1,000

Training: