Daraku held a usual happy grin on his face as he left the Ishido Castle on his next mission. It was a somewhat important one, only a C-Rank but people's lives depended on it, so it was enough. Why did he want to save lives? He didn't. It was just that since people could die, he would be getting paid more. It was a very well-paying C-Rank, a generous sum of Ryo that he lusted after. This would be a synch; he simply needed to help a small village that was recently flooded to rebuild. He'd be playing the classic healer, saving people with his medical expertise, blah blah blah. It would take four days total, so when he felt he was sufficiently prepared, he passed through the gates of Sunagakure, ready for whatever may come.

The village was near the coast of Suna, not too far from the village that he had saved from marauders. He doubted he would see any familiar faces, of course, as it was still a separate village, but this would make him widely known as a savior of sorts. He welcomed this wholeheartedly. He wasn't kind, or helpful, or anything like that, which by default made him not a savior, but if he became known as one, there would be respect and power that came with it. Respect and power are two things that are directly connected to wealth, of course, so he was fine with it. His trek through the sands of Kaze no Kuni continued on, until finally he arrived at a small hamlet that was destroyed, for the most part. A decrepit gate, buildings without roofs, flooded streets, the works. He had arrived.

A group of villagers standing near the gate greeted Daraku with happy tidings, upbeat tones and grateful words. They led him to the village leader, and Daraku was surprised to see a man that looked strikingly identical to Yuro, leader of the neighboring village that was attacked by marauders. "Yuro? You're the leader of this village, too?"

"Yuro? You're thinking of my brother. I'm Tokami." Daraku rolled his eyes, and gave Tokami a half smile.

"Now, where do I get started?

"I'll take you to the medical tents." Tokami replied, before walking off to the southeast. Daraku followed, toying with his uchigatana's hilt as he walked.

---

Mission Word Count:
400/1,000

Daraku's eyes wrenched open, bloodshot red in contrast to the pure blue of his irises. They turned to the left, then the right, and he sat up, rubbing them with exhausted breaths. The night before, he had stayed up treated patients who had fallen victim to injuries from the flood. Various broken bones, dehydration from saltwater intake, and near-drowning people were scattered in a wave of surface-wound victims. He hadn't gotten any sleep, there wasn't enough time. Of course, that was only the first night. What today held in store for him, he didn't know yet. He got out of the sleeping bag and took a shower, brushed his teeth, and walked out, heading to the medical tents. He and 2 other ninja were the only medics on site, so they had plenty of work to do.

Throughout the workday, the shinobi's chakra system slowly drained with each use of a medical ninjutsu, until finally he needed a break. He left the other two to handle the workload while he went outside to watch the sunset over the small village. Tokami's figure came into view from a nearby house, and he approached Daraku with a smile. "I'm gonna need you to take Medical Duty off today. You can resume it after tomorrow; we need everyone we've got on rebuilding."

"Sure, I guess. I'll get to it as soon as possible." and as he said that, the sun set over the horizon, and the sky went dark.

---

Mission Word Count:
657/1,000

This awakening was better than the last. Daraku had gotten much more sleep, and progress here was coming along well. Few people were hurt any longer, and the village was looking normal again. This was his third day there, and he was going to finish up rebuilding the Administration building. He arrived at the construction site, and all of the villagers were there as well. He picked up a few planks, climbed to the roof, and started hammering them into place. Tokami appeared within a few minutes, and started talking to Daraku.

"So you're leaving tomorrow. I just want to thank you for all this work you've done."

Daraku was growing bored with everything, and all he wanted was to return to Sunagakure to get his reward. He made a fast smile and said, "You're welcome. I'm just here to help..."...and get Ryo, of course. He finished hammering and moved onto the next plank. The process continued until the building was finished further into the night. He returned to his tent and fell asleep within minutes.

---

Mission Word Count:
838/1,000

Daraku woke up quite early, and left his tent, his bags already packed and equipped. He stood outside of the flimsy tent for a moment, watching the sunrise. Everything was silent, and all the village was still. He figured he should go before everyone awoke, since the village was back in its peak condition. He had training to do back home, anyhow, as well as some Ryo to collect. He meditated on his work over the last few days. They could've easily managed without him, yet for some reason they were all acting like he was a miracle or something. Or maybe he was overestimating them, and they couldn't have survived without him. Pathetic; didn't make a difference to the swordsman, either way.

He walked out through the gate, and turned back one more time, in a silent "goodbye" glance.

"I honestly won't miss any of you, you're all pretty helpless, but at least I get loot." he said to himself before walking off into the desert.

---

Mission Word Count:
1,010/1,000