Two missions in one thread!:

The new normal....had it sunk in, perhaps?

Taede, today, had quite the bounce in his step. It was what one would almost consider unnatural. Genin were usually not the type to enjoy doing these types of missions; rather, it was more of a dreading than anything, being the norm. But then again, Taede's normal....well, it never seemed to fit in with what everyone else defined as "normal". Nor did Taede himself, if popular opinion was correct. It wasn't that people disliked him, he just happened to be....exactly different enough to cause tiny stirs, maybe even gossip.

His antics were his normal, though. It was his every-day challenge to the social and cultural constructs that Suna, no, the entire world had created. It was something he prided himself on in a tiny fashion, at least in an internal way. He was never one to flaunt his accomplishments, much less what he did on the daily.

He had a lot on his plate today, admittedly. The first thing was...a simple retrieval.

The Mission Petitioner wrote:I lost my pet Gila monster when we were spectating an event last week in the Arena. He's a pretty lazy widdle boy, so you shouldn't have to go outside of the venue itself to find him. He should be hiding under one of the seats or basking out in the sun. He shouldn't be very scared of you if you don't make any sudden movements.....even if he does bite you, it isn't fatal nor hospitalizing. You might be bedridden, though....so be careful!

The second was a much-less-formal petition. More of a rewarded order, really. Taede held this small scrap of scribbled-on paper. It was from....one of the Toku-betsu Jounin of the village. An order to train..... A sigh escaped from the Genin's mouth as he trudged along the smooth, packed-sand ground. His feet and legs, which were even now still feeling faintly sore from his training, had brought him here, to the Arena of Suna-gakure no Sato. The Hidden Sand prided itself more on the Grand Colosseum, the four-seasons themed fighting space. This one, however, was for the more day-to-day events.

The open-air gateway to the main arena was grandiose and somehow, at the same time, plain. Taede wondered, but didn't mind much. In all honesty, he didn't know where to start first. Sitting down for a second in a corner (for all the corners there were in a curved arena) of the place that was, to his own eyes and ears, uninhabited. Thinking for just a moment, putting an index finger to his forehead - right between his bangs - he found his answer.

A spar was what he would need to do first. After all, finding the lizard as his foremost task would be redundant....since it ran off once, Taede thought it was like and wont to do so again. So, all he needed to do was....find someone to get it done and over with. It hopefully wouldn't be difficult; to the post-adolescent's knowledge, this was less of a training ground and more of a place to spar. Much more sociable than the Tsumi Sand-training Grounds, at any rate. Another thing he'd heard about...

The genin's ears would have perked if he had any control of them. The shuffling of footsteps was unmistakable...and he had been well-versed himself in the patterns of footsteps, from executing several of them himself. So this....was a punch. A right reverse thrust, if he was correct. Ducking would suit him fine here....by ducking to the left and crouching, the young man launched into an abrupt spin. Genkite. Then, a stop that was just as abrupt; he put all his momentum into a palm thrust that repelled the person that was trying to get a leg up on him. His feet slid across the ground and a small screech was heard as he stifled his rotation. His arm went from a bent position to a full extension, palm open, in a smooth movement that was executed right as he stopped.

"Come on....at least fight me face-to-face! I will be your opponent only if you challenge me."

The other ninja and kunoichi in the area---which he very thoroughly scoured, especially in such a state of guard---seemed disinterested. He didn't have to worry about anyone watching or anyone jumping in. He hated the former case, when someone had a leg up on him due to information. But, that was his own gripe.... he'd have to deal, as he often said to himself.

[795]

The figure was visibly jarred. He (she?) was very notably upset that this didn't go his(her?) way. Taede was usually good with physiology and judging whether someone was male or female. "H...how...!? I'm the genius and pride of the Jikoma clan. There should be no way you can get the better of me like that...!"

The Genin sighed. "That's really too bad. Do you know why? It's b'cause I don't believe in geniuses." As he finished his sentence, he looked up and to the left, only just keeping the person that had assailed him within his field of vision. The wind blew from his aft, only a light breeze. The arena around them had no ceiling, but the walls very much took away any force the gales above might have had. A smirk, only the s-lightest of them, graced the young Koizumi's face. It usually wasn't like him to banter any more than jovially with those that challenged him, but due to this one making it exceptionally difficult to take a liking to them, he could make an exception.

As he pondered, Taede noted a puff of smoke overtook the person's figure. Yes, it was true...this one was male. He seemed to have disguised himself rather androgynously for the sake of anonymity... "Alright, fine. I'll challenge you. My name's Jikoma Rukeru, and I'll wipe the floor with---" As he said this, the young adversary vanished. "Solid Clone Jutsu....Kagebunshin at our level!? Now, Taede was not the maven of all jutsu, but he knew some of the more iconic ones when he was presented with them. Such knowledge, however, would not help him here. A muffled voice came from a direction he couldn't identify... "...you. This fight was over before you thought it started, Taijutsu-boy! His head was apparent, though shadowy, in the now-growing hole in the ground. Doton, Shinshuu Zanshuu no Jutsu!"

The earth below him suddenly caved in....to reveal a pair of arms. This person....crafty. The Koizumi was able to react by hopping up, and attempting to dash away with that jump; the hands, however, were too fast for that. They latched onto his ankles and would....not....cease their grip. It was a difficult time for Taede, to clutch at the silty ground in an attempt to prevent his untimely burial. He kicked incessantly, squirming like an upset child, as he clawed at the fine-granular sand....the hands finally let go, but not before Taede was shoulders-deep in a hole and having to push himself out of it. The genin quickly retreated after he did so - with relative ease, this was like a bar pull-up - positioning himself against a wall to prevent any further surprises.

The probably less-experienced one saw his adversary re-emerge from the earth. only to form three more hand seals. "You...won't...get...AWAY! Doton, Doryuuheki!" He sighed as earthen walls surrounded the two of them. "As if I was gonna run away..." he said almost under his breath. Taking his normal stance, his right foot forward and pointed at the opponent with his back foot turned ninety degrees to the left, he ensured he wouldn't be overtaken.

The figure approached him at not-quite-top speed (any ninja not knowing their foe's abilities shouldn't rush in too fast, after all), making two more hand seals. "Doton, Doryuu Taiga! He made another three, ending with the Tiger seal. This was bad..... "Katon, Karyuudan!

Not only did the enemy summon a river of mud to impede movement towards him (he was pressed against his Earth-Style Walls), a dragon of mud rose from the fast-moving current. He exhaled a stream of Katon as the dragon ejected about 15 spheres of compressed mud. These flames ignited and fired the mud into superheated, semisolid masses of death. Perfect....Shikidou, Togen-go. The genin rushed forward into the volley of flaming mud, and....attacked it. The oddest thing one could have done in this situation outside of sitting and taking it, most likely. Taede, however, wasn't worried. His own chakra protected him from things like this. And so, he took the liberty of spiking and kicking these orbs of two elements back at the one who created them. The mud was still on the ground, but it wasn't in its movement any more.... after his retaliation, which he did not wait to observe the effectiveness of, he moved in on the opponent. Knowing full well he was coated in clay and, most likely, jarred again from the counter, this was the perfect chance. And lo, the shinobi Rukeru was standing there, shaking a bit. This was the time. "Alright, let's go. Three Beast Requiem! Crab Grab!" It wasn't becoming of Taede to announce his attack names at all, but he felt it fitting to finish this foe as he had battled, himself. As his first attack was named, he delivered a sharp chop and open palm to the young man's throat and diaphragm, respectively. He who stood before the Koizumi's only child quickly went wide-eyed, and appeared to be fighting to keep himself from crumpling on the ground. That would happen soon enough, though; this musing came as he knelt down to grab just above and below Rukeru's left knee. As he did so, he immediately kicked off the ground perpendicularly to his adversary, knocking off his balance and sending him just in midair as Taede was. Ironically now they were parallel. But, this heralded the end of the fight. "Wind Style...Dragon Twister!" The young adult slammed himself and the self-named genius into the ground, and it admittedly hurt. It would be hurting a lot more for Ruteru, though; as Taede landed rather nicely after the massive spins the jutsu caused, his foe was still rotating in midair. This was his chance....he was dizzy, but he should be able to wrap this up. "Water Style....Bull....CHARGE!!" An almost reckless flurry of blows came next, all to his opponent's torso. His arms thrusted tirelessly, only aiming to finish up. The fact that he was dizzy....and that there was a moving, rapidly spinning target, made things difficult. There was still something to do with his second technique....but it wouldn't be something unfixable.

Taede stood, wobbly and panting; a bit of a wreck, honestly. Certainly not worse than the one he left lying on the ground, though. If not unconscious, he would certainly be down for a good while.

He left while he was ahead....and took to the bleachers. Now, where could you be, lil' guy. He was honestly, as they say, "beat", and he just wanted to take a nap at this point. So, when he spotted the rather small Gila monster, he took solace in knowing that not much could go wrong here. A lunge and a grab was all it took to get this fella in captivity again.

The young man, of course, completely forgot the part where the lizard was venomous.

Nip. A small shout. After dropping off his completion forms, off to his house he went. He would certainly need some rest, after this, now....

[1230]

2025 total - 1200 for both missions.

825 words left -600, trained one D-rank Natural Armor.