Mission Link:

It seemed that ever since she decided to go back to the shinobi life, Kameko woke up excited for the day. Training to be a shinobi wasn’t easy, and it was even harder to play “catch up” to all of the Genin who had gone straight into squads after graduation from the Academy; however, she loved it. The young woman relished in the hard work and challenges that she faced every day. The young woman had her first mission today, but it wasn’t for a few hours, since she had gotten up so early. This gave her time to start her day in the usual way, with some meditation.

After getting dressed and making her bed, Kameko got her new katana from where it hung on a rack on her wall. Well….new to her anyways. As she drew the sword from its sheath, she made a face at the rust on the blade. It had clearly been well-crafted, but it was in a sorry state when it came to her. ‘Well, you’re a bit rusty yourself, Kameko,’ she thought as she sat cross-legged on the floor, balancing the blade across her knees. She opened herself to the electrical currents around her as she let her mind clear and begin the meditation.

After a time, she finished and opened her eyes. Sheathing the sword, she secured it to her back and gathered up her wallet, weapons’ pouch, and the sheet detailing the particulars of her mission that day. After making breakfast, she stood at the counter to eat it, reading over the details of her assignment. She could see exactly why it had been assigned to her. Although she had been trying to get back in shape with her kenjutsu training, she was a bit out of practice. This would allow her to not only fulfill a request but to also see where her skills lined up with someone else’s. Dummies were great, but they weren’t much of a gauge of one’s abilities.

Having grown up in Kumogakure, she knew all of the well-known locations around and in it well, and she made her way to the Akako Dojo with no trouble. Kameko enetered the dojo and found a middle-aged man standing with a boy. As she inclined her head respectfully in greeting of the pair, the man welcomed her, “Ah, you must be the shinobi here to help me test young Kin.” Kameko noticed that Kin bristled at the ‘young’ part. Unaware, or perhaps used to it, the man continued, “My name is Akako, Hitoshi, and you are?”

“Ryuzoji, Kameko. It is nice to meet you.”

“Well, Miss Kameko, I see that you study Kenjutsu, by the sword on your back. You won’t be needing it today, so you’re welcome to set it over there.” He gestured to a rack against one of the walls. “This is just a friendly practice match, so you can use one of our bokken.” He gestured to a separate rack. “Whenever you’re ready, we’ll begin.”

She smiled at Hitoshi and nodded. Going over to the first rack, she slipped off her katana and set it in it. She was actually relieved that they wouldn’t be using real swords; in an esteemed dojo like this one, money was rarely an obstacle, and it would be assumed that the rusted state of her sword was due to her own carelessness, which would greatly lower her in their esteem. Though it didn’t look like that was a problem with Kin, since he already thought so lowly of her. She could overhear him complaining to his sensei about having to fight a girl and how it wouldn’t be a true test since he’d have to hold back the whole time. Kameko ignored him as she went to select a bokken. That belief just showed Kin’s immaturity and youth, and besides, actions would say more than words. She found a bokken that was about the same shape and weight as her katana and met them in the center of the dojo.

Ceremonially, the two combatants bowed to each other and Hitoshi announced, “Begin!” Taking her stance, she watched Kin carefully, and he did the same to her. Impatient, he only stood like that for a breath or two before lunging at her, trying to catch her off guard. Not blocking his blow, she danced to the side to avoid it. Annoyed, he tried the same approach again, and she avoided it yet again. With all the temper of a teenager, he got frustrated and made a broad swing of his bokken. This time, she moved just out of reach and when the bokken passed her, she slipped in and rapped his shoulder with her own wooden sword. He grunted and tried to retaliate, but he could not recover from his swing before she was out of reach again.

Changing tactics, she moved in close the Kin, engaging him. Their bokken clanked against each other multiple times. Though they both lacked the strength and speed of a higher ranked shinobi, their technique was of a high level: his from training at the Dojo, and hers from the mandatory training of all Ryuzoji children in Kenjutsu. The difference was that her reflexes were at a slightly higher level than his. He made a small mistake, and she rapped him on his side and moved backwards

Getting more and more impatient, Kin tried to lunge at her again, but she slipped past him and rapped him across his shoulders. In that lunge, Kin had set himself off balance, and her hit was enough to make him lose his footing and fall to the ground. “Enough! Hitoshi declared.

Kameko stepped back and respectfully lowered her weapon as Kin got to his feet. “That was an excellent bout, but Kin, you still must learn patience. Lunging in like that can leave you open to attack and, as you saw, can catch you off balance. Miss Kameko, thank you for your time. I’ll report your completion of the mission to your superiors.”

“Thank you, Mr. Akako, and you, Kin, for the spar. It was nice to face another Kenjutsu user.”

“I…Sure.” Kin responded grudgingly, his pride hurt by his defeat.

Kameko returned her bokken to its rack and collected her katana. Strapping it to her back again, she left the Dojo.