It was at the village gates where Sousetsu prepared for his short journey. He was taking part in a C-rank mission, his highest ranked mission to date. Both excitement and thrill rushed through his veins. Adrenaline was reaching a new height as he finally realized that he was making his way to complete his mission and becoming that much closer to his goal in his shinobi life. To become the Hokage, that way he can try to bring piece to the land. A world with no conflict between the nations. A truly beautiful concept though some may find this an impossible task as they believe that nations cannot co-exist because of their beliefs or much more political matters involving mainly of currency.

Sousetsu turned his gaze to the parchment he withdrew from his attire and glanced over it one last time before making his way. 'Sousetsu, your mission is to escort a band of metal merchants from the border with the Grass country to the main gates, where they will be handed off to their in-village escort team. The advanced teams have cleared the way and finished half the trip for you. All you need do is escort them the last day and a half walk to the village, where you will pass them off to another group. The route you will travel is well policed, but the merchants would rather be safe than sorry, hence the hiring of a protectorate team.' Sousetsu nodded to himself confirming that he understood the mission at hand and placed the parchment back to where he withdrew it from.

With his continuous adrenaline flow Sousetsu took off at top speed to meet the team and merchants in question. Leaping from branch to branch within the forest outside of Konahagakure creating his shortcuts to the destination point, Sousetsu noticed that he had been constantly smiling since he left the village. "I'm making my way to the top slowly but surely. Things will be interesting once I become Chuunin but until then I most make the most of my childhood." Sousetsu finished in thought. He already understoof the purpose of the lower ranked missions. It defined who you were as a shinobi. They helped people and made a living out of it. A life truly comfortable to live. It suited Sousetsu right down to the bone. It was in his blood, the teachings of his father passed down to him, his ninja way.

As the day was coming to an end Sousetsu had already reached the rendezvous point before night fell. He had to wait until sunrise before the merchants would arrive. He leaped to a nearby tree and rested there, resting his eyes in the process while he waited for the mission to proceed. During the night the crickets and wolves could be heard in a duet of the nighttime songs which Sousetsu found peaceful in some way. A few hours after midnight Sousetsu resumed his active life and descended to the ground in hopes of finding the escorts clearer. Hoping to be greeted by one thing, Sousetsu was instead greeted with a snake lunging towards him. The shock had caused Sousetsu to go into a state of temporary paralysis before grabbing the snake and tossing it aside. "How rude." Sousetsu chuckled as he recuperated.

Before long, the group was in sight and waved at Sousetsu to which he rushed to meet them. Upon them was a man, who was short, fat and seemingly balding, who eyed Sousetsu's bells which dangled around his neck. Sousetsu automatically became on the defensive when noticed this. A man of greed, a common prospect to find in merchants. "Senju, Sousetsu! This is the man you will be escorting. His name is Tanama Housuki. Please be wary of your surroundings and make sure no harm comes to this man." The fellow leaf shinobi exclaimed as he gestured towards the merchant. Sousetsu simply nodded while fixing his eyes on Tanama. Trying to figure out if the man was to be trusted near him and not a thief.

After some time, Sousetsu remained by this mans side as he accompanied him to his next change in groups by the gates of Konahagakure. The man still seemed interested in the bells when he wasn't talking. A rather talkative man indeed, he talked for the majority of the journey about how the trade works. Most of the group had already mastered the art of tuning him out. A truly envious skill for Sousetsu. Soon, the merchant had tried bargaining with Sousetsu to get him to purchase one of his many wares which eventually grew irritating as more time passed. It was wrong for Sousetsu to think but he did wish for some excitement involving a minor attack but was grateful fro a silent journey in terms of battle.

The next day after a nights sleep in the wilderness. The squad began quickening their pace towards the gates, Tanama finally summoned the courage to ask for Sousetsu's bells and grew quite angry of the negative response. Sousetsu could do nothing but look at his fellow shinobi who either grinned or were looking off in the distance minding their own business and not meddling into their affairs. For once this mission came with no story of morality escaping Sousetsu's lips. The reason being was that a merchant has a one track mind and that involves anything with money. It would only be wasted words.

With the village hidden in the leaves in sight Sousetsu let out a grin followed by a sigh of relief. The team to transfer the man over approached them and thanked Sousetsu and the group he was part of and continued their journey. Sousetsu waved the men off and smiled facing the gates once again. He sprinted towards the entrance and began leaping from the village's buildings in order to reach the Hokage's building in order to submit his mission as a success. Not one of the most enjoyable missions but a mission that looked good on his profile none the less.