Mission Briefing:

Akarui wore his v-necked sleeveless hooded white shirt today under a red canvas vest. His black cargo capris were met at their bottoms by traditional shinobi combat sandals. He walked with a certain spring in his step today, partly because he was not weighed down by his usual array of weapons, and partially because he was excited to go toe to toe with a local taijutsu master. It struck him as a little suspicious that a genin with no training in taijutsu had been accepted for this mission, but at the moment he did not question it. Perhaps this test was not being taken seriously by the higher ups, or perhaps they trusted in his abilities more than he know. He suspected the former was far more likely than the latter, but Akarui found it nice to stroke his own ego every once in a while.

The hot Sunagakure weather was a constant for Akarui, but he never did seem to get used to it. There was always something uncomfortable about getting sweaty and lightheaded for him, but he absolutely adored the warmth of the sun on his skin. As he turned the last corner before his destination, he stretched his arms high over his head. The yawn that accompanied his stretching was cut short however, and his arms froze above his head when he saw his opponent. Down the street at the makeshift arena stood a beast of a man. He must have been almost seven feet tall and he was nearly twice as wide as Akarui was.

With a violent huff that swirled the sand in the wind like a vortex, the taijutsu master bellowed out into the city. "Where is that genin they're supposed to send me? Is it too much to ask for my appointments to be on time for once?" The giant let out an orcish grunt as he collapsed down onto crossed legs causing the stalls, people, and even the ground itself around him to shake under his force. Akarui's arms lowered as he felt his strength flee his muscles. Somewhat sheepishly he approached the greasy old man, note held out before him.

"Sir? I'm supposed to spar with you so you can test Sunagakure's taijutsu training system." For a few seconds Akarui held out the paper before him, saying nothing for fear of a frog catching in his throat. The master on the other hand merely kept his eyes closed and arms crossed for what seemed an eternity. Finally, Akarui managed to muster the courage to open his mouth once more, but before he could say a word the man had already snatched the paper from his hand and crumpled it like garbage.

"I know you are. You're late. Now are you ready? I have a schedule to keep." Akarui's mouth stayed open at this as he tried to take in this situation. Frankly, he was completely incredulous. No stranger had ever treated him this way in the past. The Taijutsu master sat there completely motionless. There was not even a trace of his former impatience on his face. It was almost as though he were in some sort of meditation or even a trance, and Akarui was merely an interruption to his calm afternoon.

The young shinobi stifled a gulp as he formulated his response in his head. He wanted to sound stoic and honorable, not like some kid who was late to his appointment with a teacher. "Yes, I am sir-" Not a moment after Akarui finished his sentence, the taijutsu master had swept his feet, and in the half a second he was in free fall, he saw the ferocious face of the master rise up over him, his fist like the moon to his angry, angry sun of a face. Akarui watched with horror as this moon eclipsed the sun and smashed into his face, sending him crashing into the dusty ground with a bloodcurdling thump. Groaning as both the front and back of his head throbbed and complained, his golden eyes slowly flickered open, only to see the master already sitting back down with his legs crossed. Frantically, Akarui looked for the position of the sun to see how long he had been out.

"Relax, kid. You've only been out for a second. You said you were ready..." The old master grumbled as though he were obviously disappointed. "If you weren't ready you should have said so. I've been waiting so long already I could have waited a few more minutes." Akarui's face flushed red out of either anger or embarassment. He could not tell the difference in his current emotional state. It had been so long since someone had taken him down in a single move, let alone directly sassed him about it.

"Hey, screw you! I didn't think you would take a cheap shot like that at me! What a crappy move!" The old master tensed as he stood up, lifting Akarui by his collar. Akarui's red face quickly turned pale and his eyes took on a horrified expression as the master looked at him with disgust.

"I'm trying to help you, kid. Get off your high horse and learn to fight. You're supposed to be a Kōga are you not? A member of the warrior clan? You fail to even keep a straight face let alone fight like a warrior. You can't even take criticism." With that the old man threw him to the ground, this time with much more force than the punches earlier. It was obvious to Akarui now that he had been holding back the greater portion of his abilities for this test. He likely could have cracked open his skull if he had wanted to. The master loomed over Akarui like a mountain, glaring down with equal parts pity and disgust. This went on for several seconds for Akarui's public embarassment before the old man spit directly on Akarui's face, the smell of alcohol and tobacco still fresh in it. "Learn how to be a man and maybe then you'll learn how to fight." Immediately afterwards the old man walked off, and Akarui lay in the sand, examining his identity.

1049 words
Mission: (1000/1000) - Mission Complete!
49 words for trash