Yuuma entered the administration building, answering the summons he received about another mission. He was surprised to find that it was another C-Ranked mission. He wasn’t sure whether to be worried about the inherent danger or proud that he was being trusted with those missions as a genin. He decided to go with proud. This mission was a escort for a band of merchants. Seemed pretty standard, low profile down a relatively well guarded route. There was little chance for any real trouble, but the merchants just wanted to feel safe with a little extra muscle. Yuuma couldn’t blame them, he knew as well as anyone how sketchy things could get on the road. It never hurt to have he numbers.

The owner of Ichiraku Ramen had a little to say about the merchants as Yuuma had his now mandatory pre-mission breakfast. ”Yeah I’ve heard of this group." he told Yuuma as he polished a glass. "One of them is a real... ah... eccentric fellow. Wears all kinds of fancy bright clothes and talks your ear off about a bunch of nothin’.” He smiled and looked pointedly in Yuuma’s direction. ”I hope you’ve got patience, kid, because it’s getting tested today.”

Yuuma thanked the owner left, heading to the markets to stock up on essential supplies. It was only going to be a 3 or 4 day mission, max, so he didn’t really need much. Considering his Kekkai Genkai, he could probably get away with bringing nothing, but that probably wouldn’t be the best idea. Never a good idea to put all of ones eggs in one basket. So Yuuma grabbed a pack full of basic survival gear and some rations. Cheap stuff that would last him for the mission, he wasn’t planning on going camping. After he was done he set out to make his pick-up.

As Yuuma approached the gate, he was flagged down by one of the gate guards. ”Halt” The man commanded in a booming voice. ”Identification and clearance to leave the village, please.” Yuuma fished out his ninja id and mission orders, passing them over the guard. ”Hm... Looks like it checks out.” The guard muttered, eyes flicking from the id to Yuuma’s face, to the orders. ”You sure you’re alright to head out there on your own? There aren't any nightlights out on the road."

Yuuma ignored the man’s snarky comment and nodded. ”Thank you for your concern, sir, but I can handle myself.” The man frowned but handed Yuuma back his documents. ”Have a nice night, sir." Yuuma called out as he walked off. He was now officially out of the village. The lack of safeguards upped the ante a little, making things seem more real. He was the only thing standing between himself and sword in the back. He needed to be alert and aware. Deciding that walking wouldn’t be productive, he made the determination that he would jog the path until the drop point, at which point he would stay hidden and stakeout the area until the appropriate time.

The jog was definitely refreshing, the trees surrounding the path making Yuuma feel relaxed. He was reminded of his travels from years ago, back when was being trained on the road by his CIA
master. He made it to the drop point before nightfall and set himself up in a nearby tree, keeping an eye out for trouble. The following day came without incident and Yuuma watched from his perch as the merchant group showed up. They were escorted by a pair of annoyed-looking shinobi. Everone seemed pretty normal, except for one rotund man wearing dangerously bright robes and talking loudly to his fellow merchants. Yuuma surveyed the scene for a few more minutes then, once he was confident it was safe,  he leapt down.

”Tsuji Yuuma." Yuuma proclaimed to the surprised group of merchants. ”I’ll be taking over your protection for the remainder of the journey." He showed the two shinobi his orders and they nodded, seeming glad to be done with their portion of the mission. The merchants eyed Yuuma’s outfit warily, but none said anything about it but the rainbow-garbed man.

”Now hold on, are you even a real ninja?" The man asked skeptically. ”How do we know Konoha didn’t send some busboy to escort us... save themselves some money?” Yuuma completely ignored the rudeness of the statement, instead trying his best to address the man’s concerns.

”Sir, I can assure you that I am more than capable of carrying out the mission.” Yuuma replied in a matter-of-fact tone. ”Now I suggest we get moving if we’re going to get to Konoha in time." The party began to move at Yuuma’s command, a phenomenon that definitely made Yuuma feel very cool, like he was in charge. It would have felt cooler, however, if the merchant in the colored robes would just shut his mouth.

”Last time I went to the Leaf, they sent 3 guys out to escort me!" The man droned, drawing looks of annoyance and rolled eyes from his comrades. ”They knew how important I was back then, but I guess things are different now. I’m not bad-mouthing your leadership there, young man, I’m just saying that they were much smarter back in the day. In fact, I remember once when I was part of a caravan to Suna...” And the words went on and on. There wasn’t even a break when the party stopped to make camp overnight. The man was talking incessantly over the campfire and whispering to whoever would listen during the night. In the morning he was all about how he many times he had been camping on this very road before, and how he knew all the roads across the country like the back of his hand. His prattling didn’t cease for the whole trip from drop zone to the village gate.

At the gate Yuuma met with the squad that was meant to relieve him. They showed him their papers and introduced themselves, taking control of the merchant band’s safe passageto their next destination. With a hearty thank you, Yuuma handed the merchants off and headed back to the administration building for his reward.

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