Dissidents in the Ranks [C-rank]

Weiss Schnee · 1 Dissidents in the Ranks [C-rank] Fri Jul 08, 2016 8:15 pm

Weiss Schnee

D-rank

91

Spoiler:

The scroll in her hand had all the necessary details written on it, put down in quick but clear handwriting made in black ink against the white of the unused parchment the contents had been scribbled out on. The words looked almost typewritten, though she knew it would be too much of a technical and administrative hassle for each individual mission entry to have been digitally altered; much simpler for their staff to put down on paper the different requirements to each unique mission, even if most fell under the same categories required of them by ninja.

Left hand holding the pin while her right kept the paper outstretched, allowing her eyes to quickly roam past the contents, Weiss was met with disgust at what she read. A socialist gang? How uncouth. The lack of patriotism and the amount of dissidence, as indicated as well by the mission’s apt title, was unbecoming of ninja, shinobi and kunoichi alike. In her opinion, such ninja should be instantly stripped of their title, or minimally placed into a rehabilitation center where their goals could be revisited; anyone in the profession for the money and the action had no place wearing the headband of Kirigakure anywhere on their person.

Her case was different. She didn’t fight for Kirigakure, but she did fight for the country that this beautiful village was situated in. Her stakes weren’t held with ideals and beliefs ingrained into ninja from their days at the famed ninja academy located squarely here in Kirigakure, as she’d never attended the prestigious institute herself, having been trained many, many kilometers away in her family’s private mansion by the best tutors money could buy, to polish up her skills the only way the heiress to the Schnee company should be polished. Even so, the dedication she put into her work, having already resolved to carry out her duties as a ninja of Kirigakure, left no room for doubt as to where her loyalties lay in the short term, which brought to her the question of why such ninja were so foolish as to openly protest against the government, which comprised more than enough personnel to snap their necks in half. Each.

That being said, it was obvious that such talent would be needed on more high profile tasks, which was exactly why a Genin like her, along with several others in the mission reception area, were currently reading through the brisk contents on a yellowish-white parchment about an uprising in the ranks, primarily from a miniscule portion of the Genin and Chunin populace who were unhappy with the treatment they were receiving. Weiss was to be deployed into a calmer area – an insult to her skills but not one she would point out – where only three Genin her age were carrying out their idea of a riot by scaring off travelers close to the western gate of Kiri, where most tourists originated from the mainland deprived of as much sea and water as the Land of Water was.

Placing the scroll beside missions receptions – she certainly didn’t need to lug unnecessary baggage around town, whether or not she was on a mission – she noted she was the first to leave the room, having memorised the contents the speediest of all the participants, despite having been a mere Genin compared to some of the more accomplished Chuunin in the room. A prideful smile settled on her face as she made her way calmly to the area. Promptness may have been a necessity, but so were the graces that they conducted themselves in, and it had been explicitly stated that they needn’t hurry over, as the damage had already been done. All that was left was the simple diplomatic act of convincing them the error of their ways, and failing that, the arresting for vandalism of public property and cause of disharmony. Surely those charges, which were enough to indefinitely postpone a ninja’s career, would help change their minds about their unsettlingly raucous behaviour.

Weiss more quickly saw the place than she knew she was there. The population density grew lesser and lesser and property was more so damaged as she continued on her way. Myrtenaster was missing from her rightful place beside Weiss’ waist, having been removed due to mechanical difficulties she’d found with the structural integrity of her weapon, forcing her to demand a reinforcement of the steel that made up Myrtenaster’s core. She reassured herself that she would be stepping into the situation regardless of whether she’d found the shoddy work, though that was when a large explosion rocked the building immediately to the right, at the end of its block.

Her hands immediately flew to brace herself from the smoke, dust, and debris, right and left hands moving to shield her face. Hidden in smoke, she quickly backtracked until she reached the sidewalk surrounding the buildings on the other side of the street, still intact despite having most of its interior furniture upturned, torn, and tattered, as she could see from the glassless window. From within the smoke, she heard a small sizzle – a Raiton jutsu – and she jumped back into the room itself while throwing in front of her a quickly-casted Frosty Shield, stripped of its water element so it was mainly wind, and observing satisfyingly as three arcs of lightning disappeared harmlessly into the snowflake.

Not wasting time, she’d already made her move, sprinting up to the top floor and aiming for the window to grant her the level advantage over her opponents, when the ground in front of her – wooden – broke apart and what she assumed was a Genin Taijutsu specialist rocketed out from the hole. He landed beside it, back to her, and she wasted no time in incapacitating him for his untimely mistake by freezing him in a block of ice, courtesy of her Frozen Tomb jutsu, and throwing ahead of her seals that would allow her to skate, made so much easier in this damp environment than if she were to coalesce the water in drier climates.

Snowflakes appeared on the ground, and as soon as the seals appeared she’d already stepped on them, skating and sliding on her seals as she directed them outside the second-floor window, following which she saw the two other perpetrators of the damage in the area. Her seals ended at the edge of the overhead roof keeping the pavement beneath cool from the occasional heat, and she went skidding off and landing on her two feet, eyes constantly on her opponents, who seemed as wary of her as she was of them. The two shared a whisper, and one dashed off into the building she’d just escaped from, likely to check up on their opponent, while she saw the remaining individual charge up a Lightning Jutsu, if the cackle in his hand was any indication.

Before he could make a move to discharge it at her, however, she pointed to his feet, entombing them in ice as well and using the shock plant her boot in his face, snapping his entire body backward until it was bent at the knees, supported only by the ice that kept his feet rooted to the ground.

She turned to face the open doorway, destroyed as well, to view the frightened look of the remaining member of the three-person squad, a young girl who likely hadn’t wished to be a part of all this, if the look of anxiety on her face was anything to go by. She didn’t have to use force on her as she’d did her male teammates (she assumed), and she took a step to her to offer a more diplomatic, peaceful solution, when she felt a bolt of lightning hit her in the back, a sneak attack that most ninja would’ve acclaimed her attacker for, and one that she blamed herself for pitifully falling for.

The shock of the attack sent her to her knees, with a stinging sensation behind her. She suspected a trip to the hospital was more than guaranteed by now, and she could smell the smoking odour of her favourite bolero jacket that had been unfortunate enough to stand between her and the attack, harmless as it was to dispel the energy. Looking back, she saw him having aimed one hand at her, and narrowing her eyes at him, she mentally willed the ice to grow, encompassing him up till his neck as she struggled to stand up.

Seeing the situation from a third perspective, she probably should have expected that they wouldn’t have gone down as easily as they did, when she heard something crash out of the second floor’s walls. Obviously they’d manage to somehow wrangle the Taijutsu specialist free of his bonds, and she had the decency to wish she’d brought Myrtenaster despite its less than optimal condition to the small skirmish she was experiencing, before ducking to her left and smoothing into a roll onto her knees to witness the Taijutsu Genin having leveled a good portion of the ground with his heel – something that could’ve easily knocked her unconscious. She was satisfied, though, that the girl still seemed too afraid to attack, likely the pacifist of the team, while the Lightning user had at least had both his arms still trapped inside her ice, albeit already working to free himself.

It would appear that a diplomatic solution was out of the picture, given their less-than-peaceful exchange. From the corner of her eye, Weiss spotted a small section of the wall, broken and useable as a target for a Substitution Jutsu should things go further south and she find herself in a compromising position, which she suspected she would, given the numbers advantage they had on her side.

Heavy breathing came from the Taijutsu specialist, indicating that the small bursts of power he’d used to bust through resistant material like wood and concrete were clearly taking their toll on his Genin frame, regardless of the amount of training he likely received in that department, meaning it would be within her interests to outlast him and exhaust him. She suspected that his injuries wouldn’t hinder him for long, given the girl’s likely profession as the team medic from what she’d witnessed so far. Hate as she might to admit it, they had her at a large disadvantage, and not simply due to their mostly failed initial assault, though she didn’t have much time to ponder on the flaw of their surprise attack when the Taijutsu specialist decided they’d had sufficient respite.

Rocketing forward at her, she ducked to avoid his punch, and had both palms brace against his knee which shot out to catch her face, before putting her hand on his chest. A seal quickly appeared and the colour drained from his face as nearly all the heat was removed from his chest, inviting only the cold embrace that reeked of death. He gasped and dropped to his knees just as she doubled back slightly, one hand bracing against the floor to keep his body upright while the other gripped his chilly chest, wondering what was happening and likely fearing for his life with the potential shutdown of his organs.

She was reminded all too soon that the fight was far from over as two lightning strikes flew at her, albeit missing horrendously. One singed the ground to her right a sooty black, almost as if something had exploded on the spot. Weiss remembered very clearly how it seemed so similar to the many lab experiments she’d experienced going wrong in her father’s company’s workshop and laboratories. The other flew overhead, disappearing into the clouds and likely fizzling into nothing as the chakra that was used to sustain the jutsu was dissipated into its surroundings by the heavy density and moisture at that atmospheric height.

There, one foot thawed, was the Lightning specialist of the team, though considering his teammates had fared well in Taijutsu and what she suspected to be Medical Ninjutsu, coming from the stereotypical only female in the team, it was safe to say he was their ace in Ninjutsu, not simply the Lightning aspect of that one ninja specialisation which spanned nearly the entire spectrum of what ninja could do with chakra. He waved his hands wildly as the girl worked on thawing his other foot, her hands glowing yellow – Lightning – to melt the ice while a large lightning javelin appeared above the pair, thrice the length of a normal one and aimed directly for her.

It sped forward quick, and she thanked her reflexes for saving her as she threw up a Frosty Shield, again stripped of its water element to perform a simple wind defense, counteracting the vivid energy that was lightning and sealing it up before the seal disappeared into nothingness again, filling the area with an icy mist. Weiss stood up and steadied herself; her chakra pool was significantly depleted, but not really something she hadn’t foreseen as a likely possibility from this mission. Her mind had been prepared for such an outcome from whence she’d left the missions receptions office, and her having incapacitated one of the team while essentially locking down the other – for now – filled her with no little amount of pride at having taken three ninja at once, but she wouldn’t be satisfied until the entire specifics of her mission were completed and all three of them answered for their crimes against the village, whether individually, or together in chains.

“Stop!” the girl called out, bringing her attention to said woman, and interrupted her own teammate from casting what was yet another over-sized lightning javelin. “That’s enough!”

The two outbursts seemed to have been directed straight at her, as she then descended into hushed whispers with her remaining conscious teammate, clearly arguing about something despite their low volumes if the expressions on their faces, the wild hand gestures, and the constant shaking heads were any indication. The boy kept taking a glance at her to ensure she wasn’t preparing anything, and while it was unwise not to seize every opportunity in a fight, her mission allowed her the freedom to take them in without violence, and that would be the option she went for, as was the wish of those handing down the mission to her.

The male’s fist slammed against the ground as he apparently gave in. Carefully, and making sure their Taijutsu teammate was still out cold, she closed the gap between them with careful steps, obviously not extending any semblance of trust with the ridiculous display of aggression they’d shown her. It was simply appalling for them to have struck against one of their own, but considering they were already labelled as rioters, the punishment would have already more or less been set in stone for them, regardless of whether they ended up behind bars and in black and white uniforms. Kirigakure did not take such protests likely, even if they happened often, and it was only the foolish and unworthy who ended up being the black sheeps sacrificed as a showing to the rest of the ninja populace of Kirigakure’s supremacy. Weiss may not have agreed wholeheartedly with it, but if that was what was to happen, she wouldn’t disagree that fear helped root people in their places.

She stood over the two of them, the boy with a defeated and annoyed look on his face while the girl’s pleading facade seemed to paw at her conscience to speak out in favour of them. No such luck would befall her, though, for Weiss’ words were as cold as the ice she manipulated, when she say, “You three are under arrest for the destruction of public property, incitement of civil unrest, and intentionally obstructing Kirigakure’s economic prosperity.”

The girl nodded her consent despite the boy retaining the look of defiance on his face. He allowed himself to be helped up, using her as support before she, in a surprising show of strength, helped their remaining teammate up to his knees and supported him with her free shoulder. Weiss kept a trained eye on the trio, who limped slowly away from the area. They were headed in the general direction of Kirigakure’s administration center, so Weiss felt no need to stop them, not that she wished to tax her chakra reserves any further, but she wouldn’t hesitate to lash out with her jutsu arsenal, as she had before, should they display any further resistance to turning themselves in to Kirigakure’s authorities.

A figure landed beside her, startling her for a moment and her adrenaline kicked in and nearly reacted on impulse to the sudden arrival, only to see a familiar face from just moments ago in the missions receptions’ desk. His name was unknown to her, but with over ten thousand ninja active and on duty, names weren’t as important as faces were, so long as you were aware you were conducting exchanges with an ally.

“I see the mission went smoothly,” he said with a carefree, lax and lazy voice, deceptively placing his hands in his pockets with a cigarette in his mouth and allowing the clouds in the sky to occupy his gaze, even as he fell into step with Weiss. She didn’t let his demeanor fool her; he was the Jonin in charge of the area, likely having watched the battle while inhaling the fumes from his cigarette lazily, ready to step in to assist her or any of the other skirmishes going on in the outskirts of the village should the necessity call for it. It didn’t seem economical to have Genin suicidally take out one of their own for the simple desire of eliminating some protesters – that seemed more destructive than not. Far from a viable long-term solution, and one that would see the village descend into its prideless history as a village of bloody mist.

Her only was a grunt of approval, and that was all the two of them really needed.

3057 words

–EXIT–

C-ranked mission: 1000 words
Elemental Seal: 1000 words
Deep Cold Jutsu: 1000 words

1 Dissidents in the Ranks [C-rank] Fri Jul 08, 2016 8:15 pm

Weiss Schnee

Latest topics