Mission name: The Way of Stone
Mission rank: D
Objective: Recieve the Information
Location: Endless Wasteland
Reward: 150 Ryo + 1EP
Mission Description: “Our spies we’ve integrated within the refugees have done their jobs well enough, although they were few in number. We last had contact with one of them two days ago, and was meant to send their report back… but we have heard nothing. Find them.”
Mission Details: The character is to meet the spy at the intended drop point, however, upon arrival they will find their informant has been slain by and unknown force. Luring those who would search for them into a trap. 10 D rank Samurai led by a single D rank ninja with D-2 stats and D rank Ninjutsu and Taijutsu with all library techniques. Each of them have assorted D rank weapons and light armor Kill them, and attempt to recover the intel if possible.

Katsumi felt lost in the seemingly infinite talks about their efforts in Sunagakure and while he fell forward in the fold, feeling his head fall into his hands, the very air around them stagnated heavily. He felt unsure because of the details they left out and the information being repressed but at the end of it, they had succeeded in finding some information they wanted that would further their efforts. It didn't make a difference to Katsumi who was only here on the whims of his chuunin superiors to scout out the desert wasteland and check one of the locations that their informant might have dropped off to.

With a whim, it was decided that Katsumi would be checking the location that was marked between three great stone pillars. His lackadaisical approach to standing up would be met with a sigh as he reached back and pulled his jacket over him and slide his arms through the sleeves as he checked over the pouch of ninja tools and supplies at the back of his waist and the two kunai holsters on his right thigh. The black pants accenting it cleanly as he was in his full ninja gear and the red shirt was a loose and breathable material. His hair was unkempt as normal but as he exited the tent, he pushed it aside and blocked the sun with his hand as he pushed it out of the way and examined across the Iwagakure refugee encampment.

It wouldn't take long, maybe a couple kilometers from the encampment as he split off from the rest of his group, letting his hands flow behind him as he trecked his way through the sand and heat. Arriving just outside of the area, he found the three great stone pillars rising up in the air with a lot of space and a stone plateau below them in the center. His eyes squinted to peak at the scene before him, finding something odd or someone laying on that plateau. It was the first sense of urgency that struck him as he pulled out a kunai from his pouch instead of the holster and rotated the blade around in his hand before gripping it firmly in his right hand with the blade pointed downwards. The warm steel in his hand paid him no mind as he began to move towards the plateau, the bead of sweat from the heat began to roll down his face as he felt the shade of the pillar cover him as he approached.

As Katsumi approached by the pillar with the kunai held up defensively in front of his chest while his eyes scanned rapidly back and forth for any shifting detail at the scene, watching rocks fall from above as he passed by and paid it no attention. At the plateau, it took three quick jumps upward as he landed to a crouch and kept his body low, finding a gruesome scene in front of him as the body described as their informant laid on the ground with his back up and his stomach split open by a blade. Around him, there was blood that was beginning to dry with two knives near him and three more dead bodies around him that appeared like lightly armored samurai. His heart rate began to rise as he looked around to find nothing else around the informant, no scroll or backpack with papers. Nothing to identify what had happened here but leaving quite the body count in its wake.

Rearing back upon his heels, Katsumi began to try to remember his training, feeling out his presence and using what senses he had to his advantage. Keeping his back straight and crouching on the front of the balls of his feet, he looked around the area, finding the 10m radius plateau was empty of any signs. Beyond that, the three pillars were each 7.5 meters wide in awkward shapes but also 15 meters further away from the plateau itself. Katsumi didn't see anyone else around but wondered why the assailants would leave their comrades bodies here, even if they were going to leave their enemy. He'd been taught that samurai were honorable, but this didn't seem the case. They caught their spy but left the scene, there was only one conclusion that reached Katsumi's brain here; that the samurai weren't gone or that they would be returning.

Katsumi tightened his grip on the kunai while he rotated around and looked for any presence, wondering where they were or when they would return. His senses were on edge and there was a chill to his neck as he waited for what would come next.


[787 words]

Everything seemed eery as it crawled in front of him. Katsumi's analytics would only carry him so far. The dead bodies around him seemed to appear and die right in front of him, there were no footprints or identifying markers anywhere to drive his understanding. The weight and worry in his chest began to drive forward as a bead of sweat fell from his temple and he swallowed his anxiety as best he could. The kunai held blade down as he stood up a bit from his crouch and began to take a few steps forward as cautiously as he could. No one told him about this and though the dangers of their mission were always explicit, this didn't seem like the kind that would involve any real risk. Though there were probably tons of now deceased genin that were thinking the same as him as their lives were lost on throwaway and simple missions that turned awry or brought them to the brink of danger. He was no different but he would find a way to be unique.

He'd live, whatever it took, and he'd figure it out. His resolve growing as he etched his way forward to the front half of the plateau he stood on before a crunching footstep drew his attention. Katsumi flickered around as quickly as he could, turning in his stance and staying low to the ground while keeping his stance. As if on cue, one of the samurai that he knew was lurking in the area had approached with sword drawn and was descending upon Katsumi. Well, for a short time before in the blink of an eye, a unique arrow flew forward from behind him and struck the samurai in the chest.

The streak and whistle of the arrow by his face made it feel closer than it probably was, the small turn of wind was quickly overshadowed by the thud the arrow provided as it ripped forward and tore past his thin almost paper-like armor and buried its head into him. The samurai seemed to gasp or catch as much air as he could being winded by the blow, Katsumi acting almost on pure instinct and adrenaline as he rushed forward in the samurai's stumble and aimed to jab his kunai straight into the man's throat under his mask and above his breastplate. The strike of the kunai came underneath his sword as Katsumi rushed in the few meters under the disquise of his stagger. The gurgling that came after and the rush of warm blood trickling over his finger tips as he pressed the blade forward into his throat and pushed him backwards onto the ground.

Katsumi was knelt over him and continued to press with both hands, almost desperately to kill him as quickly as he could and giving him no chance. The nearly covered eyes almost pleaded against Katsumi's own as they made eye-contact for the briefest moments but Katsumi knew better. His sister had warned him of that, the lie that an enemies eyes told as life escaped them. It didn't matter much though as Katsumi pressed forward and felt the life begin to fade away. It was only then that he began to question where the arrow came from, who had launched it, and for what reason. There was no reason for the samurai to betray one of their own since he was only one person.

The shock of the moment, the samurai's life being stolen away by his kunai, and the random arrow drew confusion around his mind so quickly that it left almost no time for him to think. Two more samurai had jumped on to the plateau with their swords drawn, looking at the desperate boy as they took their stances and pointed their swords to him. With a slight hesitation, Katsumi used both his hands to rip the kunai out from the samurai's throat and jump backwards a step. His eyes flickered to his sides as he ignored the splashes of blood that flew out and then trickled down both his hands and the edge of his kunai. There were more figures running around him, but Katsumi wouldn't divert his attention to them anymore than a quick glance to his sides. They seemed to be following after something else, maybe to the source of the arrow? Or maybe to surround Katsumi himself. It didn't matter though, he had to focus on the two right in front of him for now.


[762 words, 1549 words total]

Katsumi's grip around his kunai tightened as his attention was broken by the quick arrival of two new combatants in front of him. The first clone ran past towards Katsumi and engaged directly with the samurai, Katsumi's eyes flickering as the second stopped to confront him directly. Katsumi's feet would edge backwards and create a bit more distance between them as he almost chuckled at his words.

"I don't think I'd call myself a spy..." he would mutter just audibly over his own breath. Katsumi found it odd, but knew that his perspective would give him everything he needed to know. Whether it was confusion or arrogance, the only thing Katsumi knew was that he was here to find a spy too, and that meant that the spy who was actually dead on the stone slab just behind him wasn't nearly careful enough. Truly, a terrible spy playing his own game awfully and now Katsumi was in the center of dealing with this mistake.

The battle that ensued in front of him was quite the spectacle. Not only was the new arrival skilled but it became apparent within the midst of that combat that they were not just clones but clones of bugs? Separated and returning to form as the strikes carried on about them, Katsumi quickly became concerned at his skill as what he assumed to be the real version of the Konoha ninja stood just a few feet away from him. The samurai that were there were done away with quickly, and the real man turned back to address Katsumi again, almost challenging him directly again and reiterating the fallacy that he was a spy as well.

What had become apparent watching the brief fight and exchange was that this Konoha ninja had no remorse or worry killing others. He was absolutely ready to strike and end a life at will. It wasn't an ability or skillset that Katsumi possessed yet, the nagging twitch in his fingertips as he held the bloody kunai kept reminding him that he had barely been able to take a single life for the first time but just a moment ago. What place did he have in the midst of all of this and would he end up losing his life all the same? There was a glancing hope that existed within where the Konoha ninja promised to spare his life because of his skill. But would Katsumi be able to amount to that and earn that chance himself? It was a foolish gamble to take and he'd much rather just survive outright.

With the final words went off, three more samurai appeared as the clone of the man began to engage them again and a final warning to capture the Iwa nin, himself, while he took care of them. Katsumi's mind would flicker around back and forth as he lowered himself into his stance.

"I told you I'm no spy," he would bring the kunai up in front of himself in a defensive position. "So I don't know anything," he would draw his left foot back quickly, lowering his stance as the man's clone went back into the fray of battle as Katsumi lept backwards. "And I don't plan on dying here today!"

His words would fill the air as his backwards leap would carry him over the edge of the platform, the kunai in his hand would be flipped around and the edge brought up just after his feet left the platform and quickly thereafter, he would throw the kunai at the center body mass of the Konoha ninja not engaged with the other samurai themselves.

Coming down would be harsh on his legs if he should get the chance, Katsumi landing to the ground and letting his frame collapse a bit and his breath forced out under the shock. It was painful but as he drew down to a knee and began forming out what would be clay from the chakra in his hands into a pile on the ground before weaving together a few handsigns. His attention broken as he quickly marked through and mumbled the words, as even though the Konoha ninja would most likely give chase after deflecting or dodging his knife, he'd made an incalculable error. Another samurai that posted at the bottom slid into view off to his right just a few meters from the base of the pillar.

His words were harsh and Katsumi hardly could make them out in the chaos and panic of quickly preparing his jutsu, the signs fluttering on his fingertips and the edge of his mind. Bird, Rat, Monkey, Ram.

He would finish off and let the clay begin to form to life before trying to take another leap back to his feet and holding his hands outward, signaling one of the energetic little humanoid creatures to take the samurai's attention. It limbered along slowly at first, seeming to hop in place with its misshapen head and awkward body figure. The white clay that made its form was as clean as ceramic without the shine and the only distinguishing details were the oval and circle shaped eyes of different sizes on its head. The other creatures walked back a step as the lone doll began to move forward and then with a sudden burst of speed the creature launched itself and lept into the air to attach to the samurai's chest. Too small and too quick from nowhere it attached on and grabbed to his chest while squeaking in an unexpected and deceivingly adorable way.

Finally, with a half tiger sign from Katsumi as he would take another leap backwards to clear some distance, it would be like a charge at first, growing in the doll before expending. The impending explosion would rend the outer and uncovered parts of the samurai's torso, neck, and face very burnt and the blunt force of it would knock him over and throw him to the ground away from where the doll exploded. The sound would cover the area and the small rumble it would create would surely catch everyone else's attention. But Katsumi continued to scan the area, and if he were allowed to make his escape move and engage the samurai then he would be looking for the konoha ninja himself or more samurai.

Moving three of the dolls around him in a triangle and keeping one roaming in front of him, to be sent out just in case it needed to make a quick dispatch of an enemy.


[1106 words, 2655 words total]

200/215 Chakra:

Bugs were such an awful thing to bring as a weapon to battle. It almost revolted him if he weren't so dead set on not dying and not giving himself up lightly. He had so little time to think and as he tracked himself back, watching across his field of vision, he found the man and his clone had descended down the pillar and right onto Katsumi's location. They had landed on each side of him and it brought Katsumi scooting backwards as his first Kodama that was roaming around hastily ran towards the clone on the left of himself only to be met with the man dispersing away into a flurry and cloud of bugs.

The Kodama would stop, tilting its head and giving the affect like it was confused as the bugs swarmed away and disappeared from the scene at hand. The Kodama immediately began to shift to its place on the right as Katsumi stopped dead in his tracks, watching and waiting as the bugs burrowed and disappeared into the ground below him. He planted on the balls of his feet and held his hand out to form another Kodama to complete his set of 5 as the roaming one began to charge towards the real man, the one that had been hiding behind his clone. Or so Katsumi thought, beating him to the punch and immediately preparing his own jutsu to counter against Katsumi's own movements.

The movements were easy to detect at first as he openly formed a tiger seal and held his hands outward to launch something at Katsumi. Waiting until the last possible second, he jumped up in the air to try and trick his attack to land at his previous position, leaving him a bit defenseless for a moment in order to avoid the first attack outright.

The second one was a problem he didn't necessarily see coming was the man himself also being a clone and prepping himself into a spear to follow suit. Katsumi's teeth grit as he missed such a small detail, that the man wasn't near him at all anyways. Beyond that, he knew he didn't have time to hunt him out, aiming to barely clear over what would have been the man's projectile, he would be forced to act as quickly as his body would allow, and hardly anywhere near par for the actions of his opponent.

Coming back down to the ground and trying to turn his body away and make another dodge would prove unsuceesful, as the spear of bugs would crash into him and scatter away, feeling the drain on himself he would instinctively try to leap back and land back on his feet. No real damage from the spear but his chakra had drained, maybe as a diversion? But the bugs took his chakra. He had no idea what was planned, what he was planning with Katsumi's own chakra or if it was all a ploy.

What Katsumi did know immediately was that he had fallen into the next stage of the man's plans as the error of his efforts were made known almost immediately as he finished his combination. The bugs from before had latched up and began to crawl and connect together holding his legs down, the swarm of bugs brought a bit of terror in his eyes as he could feel more of his own chakra beginning to drain from himself. Pulling with his legs violently and trying all that he could muster strength wise to break himself free, he found no such resolution for his situation. Instead, he was at the mercy of a mysterious attacker who had kept himself hidden at the lose of Katsumi himself. The dumb genin was carrying on about not dying and trying to read his situation but failed to connect the dots or read ahead.

He was obviously rattled. It had to be that! He was such a good liar and deceiver, to fall prey so easily could only be the cause of his nerves, from taking his first life and a mission falling apart so easily. He couldn't begin to feel the difference in what he thought he was and what he had actually been. It weighed too heavily as he continued on and began to plan out his next move. His Kodama moved to keep the perimeter around him, each of the four taking a cardinal direction around him while the roaming Kodama would take its place circling him, and waiting for his opponent to make his appearance.


[768 words, 3423 words]

175/215 Chakra:

Katsumi was in a trap but watched as the other guy dropped down from above to finally confront him. Katsumi had pulled with all his might and effort to free himself but could find no real freedom from it all yet. He was trapped and he knew it. Instead, he needed to be more careful, more headstrong as he would face down what he hoped was his real enemy. The Kodama around him would grow restless as he would begin to speak, Katsumi holding on as he listened, gritting his teeth at the very words of it all, the small dolls began to sway and carry themselves endlessly in their place as Katsumi wanted to do his best to unsettle his enemy. The threat from the bow would be matched as Katsumi would hold out an open palm and let the dolls have their attention focused entirely on him, making the mutual threat between the two of them absolutely known.

His so-called promise to let Katsumi live was almost far-fetched while his weapon was trained on him and his guard up, but then again, they were in a life or death situation after all. Gritted teeth couldn't clear his mind quickly enough to think of anything, not while stuck and not while he would be totally at the mercy of being shot through by one of his arrows. Accuracy he carried as he was able to pierce the samurai's armor from a distance in the narrowest thread past Katsumi. To strike him down or hit his heart or head at this distance on a restrained target might as well have been child's play for him. Katsumi knew that, there was nothing in this situation that would get him out of it, not yet. Not without reckless abandon.

"Fine." the words would etch from the boy's lips as he would lower his hand and let the restless Kodama around him still for a moment and become more like swaying wildflowers than restless bees. He would train his eyes on his opponent,

"We're both shinobi, right? That's what we have to do, end life." he would let his gaze flicker down to the kunai in his hand, blood beginning to dry across its surface that remained and his gaze turning to the dead samurai not far from his enemy that had been a victim of one of his explosives.

"You can lower the bow, I wasn't joking when I told you I didn't know anything. I'm only the lowly courier here to meet the dead man on that rock. Whatever you wanted to know died with him and these samurai." his eyes would watch the bow, trying to piece together where exactly he was aiming it at Katsumi, whether it was for his body, his heart directly, or his head. Wanting to know if he truly intended to kill him or not. Knowing that keeping his bow knocked would wear on his arms, he wondered when or if he would break from his stance.

"Why don't you tell me something instead, why did you come here and not kill me with the rest of them?" his tone would be a bit more harsh, on the edges of panic and misunderstanding as he was trying to piece everything together that was happening.


[561 words, 3984 words total]

165/215 Chakra:

The small dolls surrounding the boy began to sway creepily back and forth, seemingly conscious of the situation and awaiting a command from their master. N'Jobu kept his eyes on each one of them, ensuring he wouldn't be caught off guard by any attempts to blow him to smithereens. He also continued to keep an eye on the boy who finally appeared to have realized the gravity of his situation and began to succumb to the bondage he was entrapped within. As he realized his efforts were truly futile, the boy began to speak.

"Fine," the boy said as he lowered his hands to his side, causing his little dolls to stop swaying for a few moments. "We're both shinobi, right? That's what we have to do, end life," he would continue on, "You can lower the bow, I wasn't joking when I told you I didn't know anything. I'm only the lowly courier here to meet the dead man on that rock. Whatever you wanted to know died with him and these samurai." N'Jobu contemplated the boys words for a few moments. He scanned his body language to see if he could discern whether he was telling the truth or simply lying to be given mercy.  He would continue to aim his bow at the bow, never lowering it as he had been asked to. As long as those dolls were around, he would have to be on full alert as a single blast would likely causes severe damage as he wasn't wearing any armor. He would shake his head in response to the boy's plight for disarmament and continue to listen if he had any more words to say. "Why don't you tell me something instead, why did you come here and not kill me with the rest of them?" he said as the panic of his demise crept into his mind, his harsher tone giving away the anxiety he most certainly was feeling.

His question was something N'Jobu had indeed contemplated himself. He could have easily killed the boy many times over at this point given they way he fell for his trap so easily, and simply recovered any Intel from the bodies. He realized however this wouldn't have been nearly as exciting as the events that took place. It takes no skill to kill an unsuspecting and nonthreatening target, and that was simply too boring for him. He needed to stalk his prey, just as he had done so far with the boy who didn't even realize he was there until it was too late. Given this however, he figured he would at least give the boy a decent answer before he inevitably changed his mind and killed him so he could easily search his body. "Well I could have killed you quite some time ago, but as you know dead men tell no tales. It's a lot easier to get information from the living then trying to piece things together after the fact with corpses. So you say you are just an innocent courier huh? Why should I believe you..." he barked with a condescending tone. "You clearly knew Iwa was spying and continued to aid in that practice, so even if you don't know anything and I think you do...why should I spare you since you are not nearly as innocent as you claim yourself to be," he would continue. He watched as the boy would listen to his words, likely becoming more and more panic with the realization that he would likely not make it out of this situation alive.

"Since you are a part of Iwa's spy network, I'm afraid I can't let you go on. You may not have known what your source was carrying, but you clearly know enough of how the operation works and for that you must be dealt with. I'm sorry, but you leave me no choice..." he said as his tone lowered. With his farewell given, N'Jobu took aim at the boy's chest just above his heart as the arrow would drop slightly as it traveled to him. The boy lacked armor to protect him like his samurai pursuers, so a direct shot would most certainly drop him where he stood. With this in mind, N'Jobu let loose the arrow which had been drawn back for quite some time at this point, he watched as the arrow streaked toward the boy, a harbinger of his death awaiting to descend. He would continue to watch the little dolls, he had an escape plan should the boy decide to be foolish enough to attempt a murder suicide with his bombastic little assistants.

WC: 798

Chakra | Hive Count:

Even as Katsumi tried to defuse the situation and reduce the tension between them, it became ill-fated as he held his guard on the bow and kept it trained on him. His fingers curled and the muscles within his hands and wrists tightened as he almost began to sink in his stature. To a fault though, as he had nowhere to truly go with his enemies bugs restraining him in place, the only consolation he had was the Kodama that kept around him, just waiting for the signal of chakra to act outwards. As his words finished and the other boy began to contemplate them, a bead of sweat grown purely from the stress of the situation would take over Katsumi's brow as he watched and waited for an answer.

He started with a note of how he could have killed him easily and that much was completely obvious, looking at where he was and where they had been. From the very beginning, he'd shot an arrow to kill the samurai and save his life instead of killing him immediately. Hell, he hadn't taken the shot still, burning the question further into Katsumi's mind as he unfolded what seemed a fickle answer, to say the least. Katsumi looked around at all the death that plagued the area they were in and wondered how he would justify keeping Katsumi alive instead of anyone else? Unless he had arrived after Katsumi, he would have known that Katsumi wasn't the case here and attacked by the samurai, they'd have information as well. Katsumi almost wasn't ready to accept that answer, not in the slightest as it just didn't add up fully, not in his mind.

He continued on and wondered what he meant, clearly knew? He was an Iwa ninja himself and sent here on a mission, that much he'd already admitted to. Was this legal repertoire to convince himself of the situation and what he was doing, to harden himself or justify sparing Katsumi, unlike the mysteriously masked samurai? Maybe it was having a face to kill? So much sat under the surface that Katsumi wanted to prod at, unsettle his enemy with, so much to use and so much information in the air that he was trying to put together.

Though the question rang in the air and through Katsumi's mind, why should he be spared? It paled in comparison, as bloodied hands made him feel as if he could spare no one else in that moment of life and death with the samurai. He hadn't even thought it over and if he were walking in his shoes, he probably would have released the bow already.

"I never said I was innocent..." he gritted his teeth and mumbled it as a whisper to himself. His eyes trained downwards as he resisted everything inside himself to thrash away at his enemies bonds that held him again. His control was the only thing keeping him from it and with all he had, he had to keep his cool. The words that came after sent a spark and chill through Katsumi's spine as he started it.

He couldn't let him go on. He spoke about Katsumi's innocence but in the same sentence condemned him to die at his hand. It was as if in the instant that Katsumi hesitated to act or say anything, he'd made up his mind about how to handle the situation. Everything spun as he apologized, like there was a chance to spin the regret against him but it all shuttered so quickly. Katsumi sunk his knees in his stance, but remembered he couldn't actually move. A flash of decision raged in his mind as he started picking out each and every detail and worried horrifically, almost panicking that he would die right here and right now. The words carried on and yet he couldn't muster himself to find a solution that wasn't completely reckless.

First, the arrow had to be stopped and he sent a Kodama to position itself in between him and his opponent to explode and knock the arrow away. His second action would be to send the second Kodama that had been roaming directly at his opponent in a blind sprint as he could and to explode as soon as it got at its range or near enough to him. Lastly, and most recklessly, he would bring a Kodama to his feet and two to the pillars in front and behind him all at the same time.

The series of detonations would be horrid, ripping stone and earth apart in a reckless abandon to save himself and bring his own victory about. Tossing Katsumi away and ripping himself from the bugs while trying to save himself from being impaled by his enemies arrow. Then with the collapsing rocks and area around him, he would be thrown away and separated from the plateau's cavern closing in and crushing itself under the weight, to become more a mound of stone and dirt than it would have been a ring and landmark as it was until now.

If all would go as planned, Katsumi would be severely weakened, damaged, and left to ragdoll his way backwards in a simple daze or concussion of force and pain to lie underneath and next to the falling rocks. His mind would wander, would resolve to himself, and count himself even more lucky beyond that to be in the position he was. But curiously, if he would make it out alive, he would wonder about the strange turn of compassion and damnation that his enemy offered him. He was clearly more skilled and that gap would drive a dagger into Katsumi's mind but more so, why he really made the decisions that he made? He was a Konoha ninja, right? He'd have to find him again some day, measure himself against his opponent more fully and see what he was really made of in some instance. Or maybe he'd just have to resign himself to a chance encounter on what was a now deciding day in his life. His first brush with death. In taking a life, and in almost dying. It wouldn't be a day he'd forget soon.


[1061 words, 5045 words total]
[Exit Thread/Mission Complete]

Training: