Mission: Uphill Battle

Spoiler:

“On the southernmost shore of the land of wind, there have been reports of docking bandits at night, however, any sentries sent out by the feudal lord have not returned. Sunagakure shinobi have been called upon to investigate these bandits, and to discover what they are up to. It is expected that the leader of this crew, a renowned bandit named 'Bearpaw' is leading this bandit troupe, and is planning on sacking the city. Intercept and destroy.”

Misoka read through the mission description briefly and then put the small sheet of paper into one of the pockets of her Suna flak jacket. According to the Kazekage, she would get another kunoichi as partner, an experienced Medical Ninja. Truth be told, Misoka was glad that someone else would assist her in that mission; this way, they would certainly reach their objective more quickly.
“Bearpaw. What a name,” she mumbled absent-mindedly while waiting at Suna’s gates for her team mate to appear. The leader of the bandit troupe did sound quite menacing. Furthermore, Misoka and the other kunoichi were easily outnumbered by Bearpaw’s men.
Brushing all those concerns aside, she decided to just stay calm and get it over with – and well, in the end she would have enough money to do some proper grocery shopping.

The sun shone brightly that day – so brightly in fact that Misoka took off her flak jacket pretty soon in fear she could suffer a heat stroke otherwise (not very likely, but whatever). She doubted they would get to the bandits on day one already so up until that point, her jacket would just have to stay in her backpack. Lastly, Misoka tied up her long blonde hair in a ponytail.
Now wearing only a short-sleeved shirt and a black skirt, she felt that the heat had become much more bearable.
Some people passed her by, but none of them seemed to be her team mate or a ninja overall. Misoka wondered who the ominous kunoichi specializing in Medical Ninjutsu was. Probably not someone she knew. Over the last five years spent in Suna, she hadn’t exactly had the time to make any friends or even meet other people. She only hoped they would get along. Good teamwork was always essential.

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380/2500

Toraika had returned home and had gotten little rest when her Mother came into her room and given her a letter from the Kazekage. She read it carefully and she was prepared as well as pumped for the mission she had just received, but then she realized she was scheduled to leave that day. She sighed softly in her lack of rest she had received lately and hopped from her bed. She went to her dresser and put on a clean new outfit that she always wore on missions. Her typical attire that consisted of a navy blue skirt and her fishnet sports bra accompanied by her white ninja vest. Her long pink hair sinked to her lower back and ran to her knees. She needed a haircut terribly but decided upon it later and decided to pull it back and out of her face instead of just braiding the bangs out of her face as she typically did.

As Toraika gathered her belongings to take in her small ninja pocket, the reread the mission in her head. She was going to have another kunoichi joining her. The letter spoke of her being a rank below her and her not having a squad of her own, though extremely experienced. She thought upon it. Toraika knew most of the village but she didn't know many kunoichi. Especially not one as strong as the letter mentioned. She shrugged it off and let her imagination wander as she ran to her mothers room, kissing her cheek, and skipping from the front door. She knew she was to meet her soon but she wasn't quite sure if she would make it. She hurriedly jogged down her street and through her neighborhood, making her way to the front gates, her letter tucked away in the pocket of her vest, right by her chest. There were a lot of people out that day and they crowded the streets and the shops, making it hard to navigate through the crowd. She repeatedly excused herself and blushed as she would apologize for bumping into someone. They would shoo her or give her a pat on the head, misjudging her to be a child. She got that a lot though. She wasn't much bigger than five feet tall yet and she had young looking features so she knew she resembled that of someone younger, but it was always entertaining to blow their minds with her abilities. A girl her size packing a huge punch was just uncommon.

Finally she reached her destination and had waved goodbye to all the men that guarded the gates of Suna. Once she had the kunoichi in her sight, she squinted her eyes to get a better look at her. She was tall and slender and had hair as long as her own but a beautiful gold color. The woman looked familiar from as far as she could tell but she wasn't close enough to get a good look yet. It was as if she had run down a long hallway in a dream that seemed to never end. She finally got tired of having to run and realized that she had already gotten to the woman. She DID know who she was. As if a memory that had seemed like a reverie reappeared in her head. A shy and innocent Toraika looked up to a woman resembling a princess. She was only a genin at the time, the woman a chuunin, and she looked to her elegance as something entrancing. Now she did the same as before. She was a bit taller now of course and her features had matured but only slightly since the last time she had seen her. She looked to the woman with large, bright wife eyes and her breathing steady. The princess was her partner.

WC: 1002/2500

Misoka could hardly believe her eyes. Her partner for that mission was a kunoichi she had seen before – not even that long ago, a year maybe. It was the pink-haired girl – Toraika, right? - whom she’d met in the glass museum, the one who loved the former Kazekage Gaara and was a bit shy among other people.
In complete surprise, Misoka blinked at Toraika when another thought popped up in her mind. She had been told that the other kunoichi was a Jounin! But this would mean…
“Toraika?” she then blurted out, trying to regain her composure. “You are my mission partner?”
As soon as the shock subsided, Misoka’s lips curled up in a sincere smile.
She realized that it felt good to see a familiar face again. It made her almost believe that her hometown wasn’t so bad after all. In fact, it was only her clan and its selfish ways that had kept her away from Suna for so long.
“It’s been quite a while! Do you still remember me? I’m…” Just then, she recalled that Toraika knew her by her fake name, Kiyomi. Now that she had gotten rid of her bodyguard Taku, she should be fine clearing that up, though. “Actually, I only get called by Kiyomi in my clan. My real name is Misoka.”

About five minutes later, the two girls had left Suna and were walking towards their destination. They would have to cross the desert to get to the bandits’ hideout. Misoka threw a sideways glance at Toraika beside her. The young kunoichi had changed slightly from the last time they’d seen each other. Her pink hair had grown longer and her facial features looked a bit more mature now. But she was still as beautiful as back in the glass museum. Back then when she had been a Genin.
“It’s amazing that you are already a Jounin, Toraika!” Misoka noted truthfully, giving the other kunoichi a small smile. “How did you rank up so fast? You must be a natural.”
Was that… okay? Or did that sound condescending or phony? She really hoped not. Even during the short pause between question and answer, Misoka found herself pondering over her words, hoping her conversation skills had improved. Without a bodyguard by her side, she definitely didn’t feel that much on edge anymore. And apart from that, Toraika was easy to talk to. The pink-haired kunoichi didn’t cloak herself in secrecy or acted outright rude – no, she was just nice and not at all prejudiced. Far from it, Toraika actually considered Misoka a princess… well, technically speaking, this might even hold true for Misoka’s position in her clan.

They had barely reached the desert when two old men suddenly came running over to them.
“Please, help! We-” one of them called out hastily while the other ended the sentence, “-got attacked by bandits! They’re after us at that very instant! You are kunoichi, aren’t you? You have weapons. Please, my dears, protect us!”
Misoka quickly turned to Toraika. “Those can’t be the same bandits we have to deal with. The mission description stated that they’re a lot farther away from Suna.” An idea crossed her mind. “But maybe the troupe has split up so that part of them is here to spy on us. They want to destroy the village after all.”
The moment Misoka had finished speaking, said bandits already appeared in front of them. The two old men, who had been targeted for reasons unknown, hid behind the girls in fear.
There were three bandits, each of them holding a sword in their hands and stopping shortly before Misoka and Toraika. A hint of confusion flitted across their faces, but it was quickly replaced by amusement.
“Oh, two grown old men have to seek protection from those young and beautiful women. Kunoichi, huh? We can have some fun after we’re done with you two.”
Their dirty laughter cut through the air, making Misoka clench her hands into fists.
“Let’s end this quickly,” she whispered to Toraika. “I’ll take on the guy on the left.”
Having said that, she rushed forward straight to the bandit and used the moment of surprise to send a flurry of kicks his way. He flew back a few meters before struggling to his feet again, his face crimson red out of anger. “You just wait, girly,” he growled, taking the offensive and attempting to strike Misoka with his sword.

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1140/2500

Toraika was amazed at who her partner was. None other than Kiyomi... Well Misoka as she now understood. She excitedly hopped up and down I'm eagerness. "I can't believe you're my partner! This will be so much fun! I just hope I can keep up with you..." Toraika blushed lightly. Not from embarrassment but from the idea of being equal to someone she looked up to. The Suna air was dry as normal and the sun beat down directly over head. She knew they would travel a while and it would be under harsh conditions but it wasn't anything she hadn't felt with before. The entire journey, at least up until this point was entertaining. The girls had laughed and talked about all kinds of things, catching up from the past year. Misoka would ask how she ranked so quickly and Toraika responded by explaining to her the secret Jutsu she had learned and the senjutsu training she had received. Not to mention the journey to the hidden bird village where she met the queen swan. She told her about her team she had recently received. "Their names are Kokoro, Heero, and Ganto..." She trailed off at the last name blushing. She decided her stories of her love life could wait until another day. Toraika continued to get praise from Misoka causing her to always grow pink in the face, while Toraika would send praise right back to her. Whether it be her beautiful eyes, her long golden hair, or her infinitely mysterious yet bewildering joyful personality, to even how strong she must be to be at such a rank in Suna where higher ranked shinobi were little to none.

After walking for a not even an hour, two elderly men ran to the two kunoichi in desperation. The elderly were right behind children in what Toraika stood to protect. She was a girl who respected her elders along with her higher ranked officials more than others. She looked up to then and always followed orders. As the men explained their situation, confusion ran over Toriaka, being as the bandits shouldn't be so close to her village, but suddenly made sense as Misoka came up with a scenario. “But maybe the troupe has split up so that part of them is here to spy on us. They want to destroy the village after all.”

Toraika nodded and agreed. It would only make sense. Though as the bandits reared their heads, approaching the two kunoichi, Toraika grew scared for only a moment but only as they spoke. “Oh, two grown old men have to seek protection from those young and beautiful women. Kunoichi, huh? We can have some fun after we’re done with you two.” Toraika grabbed a Kunai from her thigh pouch and held it tightly in her hand. She was no longer afraid but more angry that they would lay a hand on her friend. She wouldn't stand for it. As Misoka agreed to go after the one on the left, Toraika nodded as she dived for the one on the right. The one in the middle coming towards Toraika as well. As she ran, she pulled out a second Kunai and held it in her empty hand.

For a little, she was fighting off the two bandits on her own, but simply deflecting their sword attacks. Close range combat wasn't really her thing. She threw both of her Kunai high in the air as she made hand signs at a rapid pace, catching one Kunai in her mouth and the other in her left hand. Her right hand now became shrouded in a blue electric current as it screamed the sound of a thousand birds. She prepared to end one of the men she was fighting off with that single blow but instead caught a glimpse of Misokas fight from the corner of her eye. Toraika gasped realizing the ultimate end of the scenario  which would be Misoka loosing a limb, and immediately threw the Kunai that was in her mouth towards Misoka's target, he easily went back to dodge it, but he true aim of her actions came clear as she sent her chidori right through the man'a heart. As his body was sent back flying, his sword flew from his hand and scratched Toraika deeply across the cheek, causing her to wince but only for a second. She blew it off knowing there were still two men fighting against her now.

Within her actions of taking attention away from her own battle, she sustained a few gashes along her bare stomach and arms, but she didn't mind those either as her adrenaline pumped through her. "Don't let your guard down, they are still outnumbering us even though they are weak." Toraika said smiling to Misoka, her single Kunai in her hand, dodging sword attacks.

WC: 1962/2500

From the corner of her eye, Misoka could see Toraika fighting the two remaining bandits with the seriousness and force typical of a professional. Soon it became clear that the three men didn’t stand a chance against them; their combat techniques could only be called average, which once again suggested that they were nothing more than spies.
Suddenly, Misoka’s opponent rushed towards one of the old men, probably in order to take the poor civilian hostage and Misoka immediately cursed herself for spacing out, even if it had only been for a split second. As fast as she could, she moved in front of the old man and got ready for the attack.
But before the bandit managed to reach her, a kunai came buzzing his way, forcing him to leap back. What… Her unspoken question was answered straight away as Toraika joined the scene with a powerful Chidori which sent their enemy flying another couple of meters. This jutsu must have knocked him out.
"Don't let your guard down, they are still outnumbering us even though they are weak."
Misoka could only return Toraika’s smile with an awestruck expression and a slight nod. That was definitely not the same shy pink-haired girl she had come to know in the glass museum. She was able to perform a Chidori? Incredible.
“Thank you! And you’re right, I’m sorry,” Misoka then replied, still impressed by Toraika’s prowess and re-assumed her fighting stance. “I think this guy won’t stand up again. You did an amazing job! Now I’ll help you with the other two.”
The fight didn’t last long. Both of the bandits were already weakened so that a simple combination of the girls’ Fire and Wind jutsus sufficed to strike them unconscious.  
Like Toraika, Misoka had sustained a few gashes and minor wounds during the battle, but their victory compensated for everything. The adrenaline a fight could give you was hard to describe; at times, it just felt like pure bliss. And it made her do things she probably wouldn’t otherwise – such as turning to Toraika with a huge smile and offering her a high five.

Three days had passed since their departure from Suna. Slowly, but surely they were approaching real enemy territory. The hideout was merely a few miles away anymore. Apart from the unpleasant incident on day one, Misoka found that they’d had an enjoyable mission so far. Thankfully, they got along very well – but hey, who wouldn’t like Toraika? She was just a sweet, kind girl and a great partner in combat. Together, they would certainly complete their mission very soon and with the utmost success.
Then again, sometimes things just sound too easy to be true.
In the late afternoon, the two kunoichi spotted a number of tents set up in the distance.
“This must be their hideout,” Misoka whispered to Toraika. She wondered whether the approaching nightfall should be seen as advantage or disadvantage for them. It might be better to strike at night anyway, hoping to catch their enemies by surprise. “What do you propose, Toraika? Shall we wait or attack now?”
The pink-haired girl wouldn’t get the chance to answer when all of a sudden a mess of hoofbeats and shouting cut through the air. Misoka whirled around, her eyes widening in shock. How was that possible?
Completely stunned, she watched as a huge group of bandits travelling on horses appeared in the distance and came closer at a frightening pace. This couldn’t be a coincidence. They must be after her and Toraika. And the tents they’d spotted in the north?
Fearing the worst, Misoka looked back and almost winced when she saw another troupe of riders setting out from that direction. The mission description had never stated that there were that many bandits hiding in the desert. Something seemed terribly wrong here.
Could it be that the so-called Bearpaw had found a comrade shinobi with a brigade of his own?
In that case, the A-Rank mission might have just turned into an S-Rank or at least something like an A+.
Far too soon, they would be encircled by all of them.

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1850/2500

Toraika fought hard with her newly found friend, Misoka. She enjoyed her company and she enjoyed how powerful she was. She was used to fighting alongside genin and chuunin. The fact that they had just dominated the three bandits without much effort in moments, only withstanding minor wounds, just made her proud and excited all at the same time. The idea of befriending Misoka in this such way only made it that much more satisfying when they concluded their battle with a high five, leaving the elderly men to return to the village on their own. Once again they set out on their expedition.

It had been three days and they were  nearly at the border of the Land of Wind and Land of Fire. Now they had finally hit enemy territory and there was a camp with more tents than she could count directly ahead of them. Toraika knew that the battle they would fight would be terribly hard, but she didn't lose her confidence by even a small amount. "What do you propose, Toraika? Shall we wait or attack now?" As Misoka spoke, Toraika thought a moment before opening her own mouth to give a response, though she never got a chance to voice her idea. Slowly at first, but soon much more rapidly, wave upon wave of enemy forces approached them. They had came expecting them. They had followed them the entire time. There were more than Toraika could count and she could feel her heart beat much faster now. She trembled for a moment, but she shook it off harshly. She needed to be strong more now than over. This would prove to be her most challenging mission yet, and that's what it was. A challenge. Toraika's confidence did not waiver. She balled up her fists then relaxed them, while still keeping her guard up. "Misoka, do you think we are going to be able to do this? Don't answer my question, but know that I know we can. Together we are unstoppable, I realize that now. I just am not sure how to go about it..." Toraika trailed off at that point beginning to brainstorm strategies.

Toraika could easily tell that Misoka was nervous and feared the worse, but Toraika, who kneeled beside her, took her hands in hers. "Don't worry, no matter what, I won't let anything happen to you. I'll protect you through everything." She then smiled happily as she always did. They were now encircled by the entire brigade. Men stretched so far out until she couldn't see them end. Toraika waited there unmoving. Misoka beside her, she awaited her partners response to this. She needed to know if Misoka had a plan, because Toraika had no clue on how to defeat an entire army with just the two of them and the worst was she had no idea the strength and abilities if their opponents. That would prove to be a problem.

WC: 2270/2500

“I… er, thank you Toraika, but I should be the one protecting you. I’m older,” Misoka whispered with a half-smile before turning her attention back to their more pressing issue: two bandit troupes cornering them. Coming up with a plan was of utmost importance right now.
“Dogmuzzle,” the leader of the first troupe, Bearpaw, greeted his friend. “Nice. You’re on time.”
“ ‘Course.” The bandit dismounted and gave a mock bow. “Wouldn’t want to miss the show.” He grinned at the two girls. “A pity we have to kill them, though.”
While Bearpaw and Dogmuzzle were chatting with each other, Misoka muttered to her mission partner, “You take the left side and I’ll deal with Bearpaw’s troupe. We’ll meet in the middle again. Go for a surprise attack.”
The horses whickered when the other criminals descended as well, each of them taking out his weapons.
“One…” Misoka murmured. “Two… three.”
On cue, both kunoichi stormed off, one to the left, the other to the right just as planned.

She felt it again; the adrenaline pumping through her veins. A bittersweet sensation, indicating both excitement and fear. Relentlessly, she swept through the enemy’s army, knocking out as many men as she could on her way. Some of them stood up again, which forced her to pool her molded chakra into her lungs and spit fire. She wasn’t too fond of killing, but if necessary, she didn’t hesitate.
To her relief, most of the bandits didn’t pose much of a threat; some even ran away out of fear. Others, however, gave her quite a hard time.
A while later – she didn’t know how much time had passed – she finally found herself standing in the middle of the battlefield with numerous motionless bodies around her. Her enemies had inflicted several minor wounds and gashes on her. This wouldn’t faze her in the slightest, but unfortunately, she believed she had strained her left wrist as well.
As for now, she was facing an angry Bearpaw and had her back on the other troupe of bandits Toraika dealt with. Misoka hoped the pink-haired kunoichi was doing fine, but then again… she actually expected Toraika to – she was a Jounin after all. Most likely, she was fighting Dogmuzzle at the moment.
Alright. Show time.
Misoka dashed forward with a kunai in her hand, initiating the battle. At once, Bearpaw drew his sword and parried the attack.
“You bitch!” he growled. “You killed some of my best men! You’ll die for that!”
Leaping back, Misoka replied mockingly, “Just try! You have to get a little faster, though!”

Her superior speed gave her an advantage over him even though she knew that she wouldn't be able to keep it up for too long. The moment she’d brought some distance between them, she slammed a fist into the ground, causing the earth to quake and crack. –Earthquake Slam-
Bearpaw let out a gasp, but wasn’t sure how to dodge the Katon jutsu and lost his balance. “DAMN IT!” he shouted, quickly struggling up to his feet again.
This was her chance. Immediately, Misoka rushed towards the bandit leader, ready to give him a chakra induced punch with her right hand. She hit him straight in the chest, sending him flying backwards.
However, she strongly doubted this had been enough to defeat him. And she was right. Loudly cursing, Bearpaw stood up and glared at her from afar.
Misoka tried her best to suppress her panting; the truth was that the various fights with all the other bandits had really exhausted her and sapped almost all of her chakra. She had to be careful not to pass out before this was over.
At that moment, Bearpaw raised his voice once more, but his words weren’t directed at her this time. “YES, GOOD WORK, CATTAIL! KILL THEM RIGHT BEFORE THEIR EYES!”
In complete bewilderment, Misoka whirled around, only to see another criminal, who had just arrived by horse, dismount and holding two crying little children.
“What are you doing?! What's going on?” Misoka called out, eyes widening. “Toraika, we have to save them!”
The bandit took out a long dagger and was about to drive it into one of the kids’ throats. As fast as she could in her state, Misoka ran towards the man, already forming hand signs midway when she suddenly felt a familiar presence right next to her. Bearpaw?! How had he come so close already? Had she been too distracted by the other criminal’s arrival?
And then everything happened in a blur.
One moment she saw Bearpaw tightening his grip around the sword. The next, he stabbed her in the abdomen… once… he removed it and shoved it back in forcefully… twice. Her breath hitched as the blade sliced through her stomach like butter, drawing out pools of crimson coloured blood. White searing pain flared up inside her and clouded her mind. All she could think about was the agony coursing through her veins and that she was losing way too much blood… too fast.
With the last ounce of strength she could muster, Misoka reached out to stop her enemy almost blindly, trying to get a hold of his own hand, but her fingers trembled so much that she missed him.
The only thing that kept her from passing out was the knowledge that she wouldn’t wake up again. 

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