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1Picking Flowers [A-Rank, Solo] Empty Picking Flowers [A-Rank, Solo] Mon Jul 22, 2013 8:14 pm

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Isamu sat outside of his house holding the mission details in hand, skimming through them. He would be collecting some sort of rare herbs that were important to Kirigakure somehow, and the village had been so busy recently that gatherers haven’t had time to go to the more dangerous areas of Kiri’s jungle to find them. So, he would be donning the role of such a gatherer and he’d find them himself. He figured it wouldn’t be too difficult, it was just some plants he needed to find. The hardest part would be traversing the jungle itself, in a physical sense, covered in deep forestry, large, mossy trees and steeped in vines all over. Movement through such a dense landscape wouldn’t be easy, and finding things in it would be ever more strenuous. Ah, well, he’d already accepted it, and it was an A-Rank after all, so he didn’t seem to have much of a choice now. He stood up, shoving the paper in his back pocket as he headed down the paved road that branched out of the village.

Isamu had decided to leave Kuremachisu at home with Kohaku, as this mission could be dangerous for such a small bird. Still, he missed her deeply every second he was without her. As well as his sister, of course, but he and the hummingbird held a connection. Ah, instead he had brought all the necessities for this mission; a few papers concerning the mission, his Kirigakure Flak Jacket, and a bag to carry his herbs in. He was ready and raring to go.

The path forked as he left through the village gate; he had specifically remembered which direction the forest was in, a solid south, no deviations or detours. Just keep going south, and Isamu’d hit it eventually. So, he took the path on the far left, as they all led south eventually, so he picked one at random, which resulted in the left. It was a pleasant stroll; the mist that hung in the air wasn’t as thick today, but the humidity was just balanced with a breeze, making the weather not only lucid in terms of sight but manageable for breathing and at a comfortable temperature. Isamu’s shirt flapped lightly around his torso as he walked, and he looked at the trees and dew-sprinkled grass around him, taking in his surroundings calmly. He truly loved Mizu no Kuni; it’s history was unsettling, and most of the time it wasn’t so impressive, but these occasional moments of serene beauty he found in the land and the people left him happy with the nation. He wore his Kirigakure flak jacket, which he had recently been awarded with upon promotion to Special Jounin, and he rubbed his fingers against its tough surface while he looked around.

The humidity increased a bit as he neared the jungle, even though it was still a sufficient distance away. The mist was now extremely thin, and it was edging on being warm, quite a rare feat in Mizu no Kuni. The plants around him seemed to multiply with every meter, growing into a paradise of exotic flowers, massive trees and deep green moss. Isamu figured at that point that he had arrived. He pulled the map from his back pocket and looked at it carefully, observing this sector of the island with precise eyes. There was no visible help on this map, all it was was simply a large green patch covering a portion of the island that read, “Mizu no Kuni Jungle”. He shoved the useless information back into his pocket. ”Looks like I’ll need to find these herbs myself...what, was I honestly expecting them to be pinpointed on a map?” He ducked under a vine and passed into a clearing, where the sun broke through the treetops and cast a golden glow onto the moss below. He had been given descriptions of the herbs, he had forgot about that! He went digging into his pockets again and discovered a small folded sheet of white paper, and he unfolded it carefully. Three herbs were listed; the first looked like a flower, with pink triangular petals and a blood red center. The second was small and verdant, with a bright green color and rounded leaves covering most of its volume. The final one was prickly, covered in beige needle-like plant structures with a single leaf at its base.

Now with the appearance of the herbs in mind, Isamu refolded the paper and put it back into his pocket, off to find the most obvious of the three first; the petaled-red-and-pink-flower-herb. As he ventured out of the clearing and into a path covered tall grass and various bugs, he wondered to himself why these herbs were so important. They were just plants, yet they were rare and sought after by the Mizukage herself. Maybe they had some sort of effect on the body that could be used to the village’s advantage? War tactics? Lethal herbs couldn’t be all that wanted, it was much easier to kill with skill than plants. Possibly healing properties, although Kirigakure no Sato had no lack of medical ninja whatsoever. Hmm. He neared a fork in the trail and turned right, continuing further and watching his surroundings for any sign of pink. The sound of the plants rustling nearby alerted him, and he stopped in his tracks to scan the area. After a moment of silence, he assumed it was probably just some sort of animal, and he continued on his way.

After another few minutes of searching, Isamu found a plant that fit the description and appearance of the pink herb. It was gathered at the base of a giant tree that blotted out the sun with its branches. The cool shade paired well with the breeze as he bent to pick the herb with a smile. The second his hand made contact with the flower, the rustling sound behind him returned. He released his grip on the plant and turned to face the noise (or at least where it sounded like it came from). ”Alright, alright, very funny. Who’s there?” No response. It was disappointing, now Isamu had to take his focus off of the mission to take care of someone....he only hoped it wasn’t someone that was hostile. As he approached the bush of dark leaves where the sound had echoed from, a man with dark hair jumped out and tackled him. He managed to wrestle his way out of the man’s grip and get to his feet, when suddenly a woman appeared behind him and grabbed him. ”Let...go...of me!” he yelled, kicking at the woman. She was pretty strong, and he couldn’t get out of her grasp. The man who had tackled him now stood up, and brushed off his knees before looking into Isamu’s white eyes as saying, ”Thank you soooo much, we’ve been looking for this damn plant all day...” The Kirigakure hitai-ate on his head glimmered as a single ray of light hit it; the slash through the Kirigakure emblem was a clear sign that he was a rogue ninja. ”...and now, I’m afraid, we’ll have to kill you.”

What they didn’t know is that it wouldn’t be that easy. Isamu had to think quick; the first thing to do, obviously, was get this woman to let go of him, somehow. She couldn’t have known many jutsu or other offensive techniques, because if she did, she would’ve tried to kill him by now. She wasn’t a priority, then; he would break free from her and attack the guy that was facing him. He noticed a kunai in the man’s hand, slightly concealed by the way he gripped it. These rogue ninja had managed to defect from Kirigakure successfully, and Isamu guessed that this meant there were more tricks up their sleeves....he’d start with a Medical technique to restrict the girl and get away from her. ”Ninja Art: Inflammatory Diffusion!” he said as he pressed a hand to the girl’s arm that was holding him. She immediately recoiled and held her arm as it tensed up. Isamu took this opportunity to make the bird hand seal and use Wind Release: Air Bullets to pelt the target in front of him. The rogue responded quickly, using a Katon technique to counter. The flames consumed 2 of the 3 bullets, and they continued forward toward Isamu and the girl. The man still was hit by the last bullet, and was thrown back a bit. Isamu was used to fire going up against him; this seemed to be a simple Fireball jutsu, so he didn’t make an effort to dodge it. The girl behind him tried to escape, but tripped over a vine, and was caught by her foot.

The flames collided with Isamu, and he burned for a short while, but managed to get through with only first degree burns and minor redness due to his clan’s resistance to Katon. The girl, on the other hand, took the invitingly, crying out in pain as they burned her skin. ”Damn, you didn’t even try to dodge that. Reckless, I like it...” Isamu ignored him, and turned to face the girl who was now on her feet behind him, attempting to come at his throat with a Fuuma Shuriken. It was kind of stupid; her partner had basically just attacked her, and it was obvious she was hurt by the crisscrossed burns across her skin and the pained expression she held on her face, yet she still was loyal to the guy. Huh. He ducked under her attack, before turning and grabbing her by the shirt she wore. ”Maeda: Umi no Shinsei!” he called out, and a sphere of water formed around her. The burns across her body began to heal slowly, and she stared at them in utter surprise. Isamu walked past the sphere and stared at the man across from him. ”I’m healing her for you, but that will also keep her from getting involved in this, for now. Let’s go.” The man laughed, and removed his shirt to reveal many different tattoos, all resembling Fuuinjutsu seals. ”Get prepared for death, kid...”

Isamu made the first move, dashing forward and using Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave. The water burst from his mouth and covered the battlefield, but the man jumped into the air. One of the Fuuinjutsu seals on him glowed for a moment, and suddenly he sparked with Raiton energy. ”Not a good move, kid!” he called out as he dived down, holding a fist ready to explode with energy. Isamu would most likely get fried if this attack made contact with the water, so he made a few hand seals and stared his target down with menacing eyes. A basilisk-shaped pillar of water jumped from the waves and stabbed through the man,stopping his Raiton and sending him crashing down into the water. He reemerged with broken ribs, by the looks of it, and he couldn’t swim very well. ”So, while I’ve got you occupied, what’s your name?” The man gave him a glare, and replied ”I am Soiru, your worst nightmare...” Isamu respected this guy’s dogged personality, but it was growing a bit annoying. ”Well, Soiru, I’m sorry I have to kill you. You should’ve never become a rogue ninja.” he said as he walked on the surface of the water over to him. He stepped on Soiru’s head and stomped him into the water, keeping him submerged until he suffocated. He then released both the Exploding Water Colliding Wave and the Umi no Shinsei. The girl simply ran away from him screaming. ”What, no ‘thank you for healing me, kind sir’? How rude.” he said as he reached down to pick up the pink herb.

One out of three, which left two more for Isamu to find. Now that the hostile threats were taken care of, he was a bit tired, but at least he could finish his mission in peace. Another dense patch of trees, and he reached a patch off large mushrooms, nearly as tall as he was. They were stalky and brown-colored, and the moss under them was a pitch black color from all of their spores. His feet sank into the terrain with every step as he neared one of them and touched it. Mushy...a green glimmer caught his eye, and he noticed the third herb gathered next to one of the darker mushrooms. It’s needles looked razor sharp, and Isamu bent down to test it. With one light touch, the needle sliced his finger, and blood trickled out. He carefully grabbed it by it’s solitary leaf that possessed no needles and slid it into his bag with the first herb. There were a few more, so he took those and put them in the bag as well. One last herb.

Isamu kept a close eye out for the last herb, remembering its key feature as bright green color. The dark shades that blanketed the forest should’ve make it an eyesore, or at least he hoped. Luckily enough, after coming across a small meadow, he found 2 of the herbs, in the near center of the meadow, along with another pink herb. He jumped for joy and dashed over to them, gathering them all quickly and shoving them in his bag. All this excitement was mostly because he had technically just completed his first A-Rank mission! It was a huge feat for him, especially since he did so alone. He stood up, and tried to regain his bearings. Now, he just needed to make the trek back to Kirigakure so that he could turn in the herbs and claim his reward. He gripped the wet bark of the nearest tree and climbed to the top, and from there he saw the Kage’s admin building. That was it, that was the direction he need to go in! He hopped down and followed the tall grass out of the jungle, and back onto the path he had entered from. The mist was now gone completely, and the sun shined down gracefully. It was beautiful, as the previous mist combined with the sunlight stamped a rainbow into the sky above. Kirigakure was truly a sight to behold. Ah, but like all good things, the sunlight faded substantially as Isamu neared the village gate, and soon the mist returned, like a grey blanket over the village. He didn’t mind it, though. It only reminded him that this was the Kiri he knew and loved, and he wouldn’t trade it for the world. He continued down the streets toward the Administration Building with a smile on his face and the herbs at his side.



A-Rank Mission
Word Count: 2,518/2,500
Mission Complete

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