Mission name: Extra Pair of Eyes.
Mission rank: B-A
Objective: Proctor a match for the Exams.
Location:
Reward: 1000 Ryo +4 EP.
Mission Description: There are hundreds of matches taking place for the Chūnin exams, and more overseers are needed than ever to ensure the safety and fairness of the bouts we host.
Mission Details: You are in charge of half a day’s worth of matches, about 5 or 6. They will mostly go without incident, but a few entrants are especially bloodthirsty; restraining them will require defensive and/or supplementary jutsu of at least B-rank. This is overall an easy or boring mission, but necessary enough that you receive pay regardless.

Chuunin Exams. An event that invoked a mixture of feelings within the hermit. A tragic day where Missing-nin were allowed to desecrate the traditional come-together to antagonise the refugees of Sunagakure whom had tried to find shelter under Kumo's roofs. The first of many disappointments at the hand of Hastur, a self-proclaimed god seemingly not caring for those who kept the gods alive.

She had served as guard that day, missing the opportunity to see much of the battles that had transpired between the genin. A regrettable fact which she would be able to rectify today, the hermit having been requested to proctor a couple of matches after her reflexes had driven her to shield a child on the streets from a jutsu gone awry. No foul intent but the katon technique could have done a lot of damage if it hadn't been prevented. And since reflexes were rather hard to tone down in power, her potential had been revealed under the watchful gaze of a shinobi. Reluctantly, she had accepted the offer.

Now dressed in a flowing green hanfu and white dress, her trusted robes covering most of her clothes and the hood hiding her visage, her eyes would scan through the list of matches to proctor. She'd raise her eyebrows at the idea of having to proctor so many, wondering if this was the standard or if they were truly this understaffed that about everyone with a some hint of reflexes would be enlisted for the job. Leaving such questions to her mind, she'd make her way towards the first fight to proctor. It felt good to be all dressed and proper again, wearing clothing she felt comfortable with and being part of a community that didn't seem to induce insanity, war and lax protection. Suzume smiled at the thought of being able to see the next generation in action, watching over them and helping them out in defining a clear victor. Or prevent them from inflicting lasting damage upon each other. But everything would be done with caution, as she didn't want to lose her hidden identity. Even if they lacked the eyes to proctor, shinobi never seemed to lack the eyes to notice oddities.

---

377

Match One

Two close quarter fighters. One holding a spear, the other a sword. An interesting match-up in the eyes of the hermit, a bushi herself. The fight was intense, both of them going at it with all they got, the public cheering loudly with every clash and thrill of sensation passing by. Not much damage was being inflicted by the weapons, but every little cut or stab was slowly adding up. Fuuton would clash with suiton chakra, raiton with katon. Different elements coming into play, proving their power and usefulness in an unexpectedly clean way. No giant fireballs, no massive displays of power. Every hit was a calculated risk, every technique inspiring strategic insight rather than overwhelming brutality.

A splendid show in the eyes of many. The trained eyes were not as easily fooled, the spear holding the advantage of range and, despite his seemingly more showy approach to things, was neatly keeping up with the skill of the swordsman. The techniques were a mixture of boosting his own ability to react, protective measures and repositioning sufficiently for him to gain the upper hand at the right time. As the battle drew on, it became apparent the spear user careful strikes were turning the tables into his favour to a point he needed less abilities to maintain the advantage. And as expected by the hermit, in the end he earned the victory, the swordsman kneeling in exhaustion at the spear's tip.

Understanding his defeat, he nodded in recognition. Weapons were withdrawn, the genin bowing in recognition of each other's skill. The crowd cheered loudly for the both of them, then even more so when the hermit floated down to congratulate the both of them on their respectful and sportsmanlike approach and rose the fist of the victor. As the two returned to their quarters, Mizuki threw a last glance at the arena and moved to proctor the second battle scheduled on her list.

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327
Total: 704

Match Two

The level of combat had ramped up drastically to the point the front line viewers were trying to lean back in hopes not to feel too much of the heat that was spreading. An explosive battle, to say the least, as a Lava user confronted an Explosion user in a clash of brutal blasts and fumes. The arena itself was suffering a lot of damage, the shinobi sweating heavily as their concentration was pushed to the limit. Avoiding even the slightest of hits knowing that even one straight strike could leave tremendous damage with the power their opponent held. Suzume's eyes followed every of their minute movement, ready to jump in if such was needed, the stress and strain on her senses all to real as failing to intervene in time could well mean the end of a life at this point.

As the lava and explosions continued, fire, earth and lightning making the area tremble all around, signs of fatigue were slipping in. Movements were getting sloppier, follow up strikes missing. With half of the arena in ruins the duellists were feeling the consequences of their brutal assaults. The terrain had become difficult to navigate, demanding more effort from their physical endurance as pieces of rock floated between streams of lava. The formerly fast paced approach had come to a slow drift, anticipation rising as people leaned forward and held their breathe.

The last bout was happening. Kicks and punches being exchanged. The explosion user seemed to hold the upper hand but it might all have been a ruse as a critical strike was swiftly dodged and left him vulnerable. A healthy punch smashed him against a brick behind him, rocks pelting him and cleanly striking him. Blood gushing from his body, he sagged and went limp as exhaustion and pain overtook him. Victory for the lava user. But he didn't see it as such just yet. He'd grin, maddened eyes focused on his target. He'd conjure a ball of flame with a heat intensity that left little doubt about his intention. The ball of flame came down.

The brutality of the attack threw up dust, rock and fog. For a moment the crowd held their breath as even they could sense the hostilities of the moment, battle frenzy running deep. As the fog cleared, the defeated man had his back pressed against the wall as far as he could, disbelieve in his eyes. Before him stood the hermit, unnaturally calm despite the chaos, hand held up before her in a gesture to stop his activities. The lava user, now realising how far he had gone in the spur of the moment, looked about him as he snapped out of the frenzy.

"This fight is over.", she spoke as calmly as she was determined. She'd watch him nod in understanding as he took a couple of steps back. When tension had dropped she walked over to the lava user to take his hand and raised it, "This victory goes to Kai."

As the crowd went wild, medics jumped in to check on the health of the explosion user, patching up the most serious of his wounds before they dragged his exhausted body out of the arena. The winner of the fight followed shortly after under loud applause, and the hermit moved on to the next fight to monitor.

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566
Total: 1270

Match Three

The sun had hidden behind the clouds by the time it was noon. Faint shadows covered the arena where two new competitors would fight. One of them was a frail looking male using raiton and doton, 'commander of the sky and ground' as he called himself. The other was a female Nara. No elements but a brilliant strategist favouring close quarter combat thanks to a doujutsu she had acquired. The rumours about her were not the most savoury as they related towards Jashinists, but a match was to be fought, people expecting an interesting display of power. Mizuki would observe, hood raised to maintain secrecy. At times like these, she'd have preferred getting her hands on an ANBU mask or something of similar fashion.

The fight would start with a test of skill. Simple tricks and offences to measure the opponent's limits. A warm-up, in the eyes of the crowd but a rather common strategy for most shinobi. The first interactions were often simple set-ups towards greater strategies which capitalised majorly on minor errors. The sort of fights Mizuki was most familiar with yet not necessarily chased.

The first shuriken were thrown, kunai clashed. The commander tried to keep his distance but the Nara wouldn't let him. A remarkable approach from what she had heard about their clan. Strategist in heart and soul, they favoured an eagle's view while assisting their team members. This one went in head first. Yet there was no recklessness in her actions. She was seeking the advantage by pressuring him with a close quarter approach, dancing around him as he summoned lightning forward. Everything looked like the Nara would be given a quick victory until the earth gave way from under her and left her suddenly vulnerable to a counter-attack that literally shook the earth. At that point, the battle became more serious as higher rank jutsu came into play.

The commander turned himself into a turret. Doton protecting his figure, raiton searching to singe the Nara who jumped around and about. With the doton bunker in place there was no means for weapons to scratch her opponent and any attempt at Nara shadows was voided with senbon or raiton sparks. An ultimate defence? It was an intriguing if not somewhat boring approach to things. The battle would go on for a while, the Nara keeping her distance. Waiting until the other one's chakra ran out. And in the end, it would. The rocky bunker would fade, the commander on his knees in exhaustion. She'd walk over to him, trying to talk him down into surrendering but he would have none of it. In the end, he forced her hand to roughen him up sufficiently for him to get knocked out cold.

The crowd wasn't very pleased with the battle, boredom having struck most of them, but a winner had surfaced up and without much cheer people clapped nonetheless before the two contestants drooped off to rest. Scratching the third match off her list, Mizuki moved to the next battle.

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517
Total: 1787

Match Four

No change in the weather just yet. White clouds kept the sun hidden, leaving only the blue sky to peek through once in a while. This battle occurred between the trees.Young trees planted in straight lines shaped up the area like an orchard, their crowns of leaves already having suffered some damage from a previous fight. By the looks of it, a katon user had battled here before. Now it was up to two genin fresh from the Academy to show what they had learned in the little time between them graduating and now.

The two would form the seal of confrontation before grabbing their kunai. Classic sportsmanship they'd come to forget once all that academy innocence fell away and made room for the real shinobi business. Troubles for the future. Under the watchful gaze of the hermit, battle would commence. Shuriken clashed with senbon, kunai striking another before one of them dropped their weapon and instantly stepped into hand to hand. Grabbing the arm of his opponent, a well placed elbow smash allowed him to follow up with a throw. Under a loud "Woah" from the public the first match point was made.

The boy stood up again, throwing his kunai at his opponent and picking up the weapon that had been dropped. A quick dodge, a follow up rush, and at the same time the thrown kunai would return from the other side with a single pull of his fingers. An attack on two ends, the frontal strikes would be blocked but the back-strike was not anticipated and the kunai ended up as a clean hit. Caught in the moment of pain, a solid 'Konoha Senpu' would send the wounded genin flying a couple of meters away. Any sign of advantage he had gained was instantly lost.

Standing back up, the wound was already costing him. Exhaustion was creeping, the combo costing a lot of energy despite the minor wounds suffered. He'd form hand seals for a suiton technique, giving life to a aquatic whip which he started to flail about. The suiton chakra would leave lacerations where it struck. The ground, the trees, the leaves. All of them would suffer the lash as the Konoha-nin avoided getting hit. Until he had an idea. Jumping into the trees, seemingly limiting his own mobility in doing so, the whip brutally lashed out. As the tree lost its leaves, the boy with the whip looked around in confusion. Searching for someone who was still sitting in the naked tree. Grinning at the successful application of his genjutsu technique.

One by one, the trees would lose their leaves as the whip robbed them of their youthful appearance. Searching for someone he couldn't find. In the meantime, the Konoha-nin circled around to reposition himself and ended his trick by dashing towards his opponent and placing his kunai at the throat as he whispered something. Snapping out of the illusion, surprise was visible on the boy's face when he came to the realisation he was at knife's point.

"I-I surrender.", he said raising his hands and dispelling the suiton whip.

Loud applause followed as the hermit jumped in and raised the hand of the victor of this match, complimenting both genin on their sportsmanship and application of a shinobi's basic teachings. Then each of them formed the seal of reconciliation and left the arena.

---

574
Total: 2361

Match Five

Time trickled by. One member was in place but the opponent had yet to show up. The people were getting restless, mumbling spreading as everyone wondered what was taking so long. Mizuki's eyes glided through the crowd in search for any sign of life from the absent combatant. Nothing. Deciding to meet up with the fighter, she jumped into the arena and walked over to the waiting shinobi, greeting him as she approached by raising her hand. Other shinobi had started to move as well, investigating the matter at hand.

"Your designated opponent isn't showing up. Would you mind waiting just a bit longer while we're looking for him?"

He shook his head, scratching his hair as he sighed in mild annoyance of the wait. Five more minutes passed by without a word until a shinobi flickered in sight, inching closer to whisper something in the hermit's ears. Nowhere to be found but remainders of a struggle had been discovered. It looked like the opponent had tried to oppose someone of greater skill yet had succeeded at wounding them despite losing the fight. Bad blood, an abduction. Another one on the growing list.

Nodding at the man, he'd flicker away and Mizuki would pass on the message to the boy, telling his opponent would not come. He had won by default. He looked rather stumped at the thought of being given this victory, feeling like he didn't deserve that one but there was nothing to be done against that. If there was no opponent, there was no point in wasting time. Mizuki would announce the forfeit of the missing person, much to the displeasure of the people who had been waiting all this time for nothing. Everyone drooped off, in search for the next match.

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[EXIT]

303
Total: 2664
-2500 mission [500 ryo + 3 EP]