Spoiler:

It would be early in the morning in which Aiden would be walking on the main street of Sunagakure. The morning would still be early enough for the full brunt of the heat of the desert to not be at its strongest, which is a perfect time to get a move on through the desert and make some distance before arriving at their destination later on. This would be the first time in a long while since Aiden traveled in the desert, with the last time being on his mission with Zaiaku and the time before being when he quietly and silently left to go to Iwagakure as a means of exploring, to get a bigger view on the world outside of just the Sand Slums and Sunagakure itself. Both times have given him a lesson to be learned, a bit of maturity, and a newfound motivation to improve and learn about everything around him. He has been taking this opportunity to become more than just a pet for another for granted, but now, he feels as though he's beginning to realize and correct that for himself.

With his hands in his pockets, a vague copy of what his lover does, he would continue to walk towards the main entrance, where he can begin to see the merchant waiting for him with some packages packed up in a backpack he has, ready to be moved. As he approached, the Genin would take out his headband and tie it around his head, using it as a means of protecting his forehead and signifying that he is a Shinobi to the elderly man. He may not look it, with his rather thin build and a mere height of five feet and four inches, but the fifteen year old likes to think that he's more than capable enough of an escort mission, especially one that's remaining within the land of Sunagakure, just crossing the desert somewhat to a nearby village.

Reaching the old man, Aiden would stop around a meter away, taking his hands out of his pocket and waving to him. "Over here, old man." He would say casually as he would take off his white jacket and tie it around his waist, his four foot long Otter-like tail showing out from underneath it. Wearing only a short sleeved pink shirt over his torso, he would approach the elderly merchant. "The next time you call me an "old man" I'll get someone else to take your place, boy. You have no right to call me something as disrespectful as that. My name is Sozui, and you are to address me as either Mr. Yasakowa, got it?" He would retort with a stern, strong voice, making what was seemingly only a five foot five old man seem more strong verbally than Aiden has originally expected, taking him off guard to the point where he nodded in understanding, leading the two to silently head out of the village and into the surrounding desert.

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It would be a few hours later after they had both set off on their short journey, and already the sun would be shining down hard upon both individuals, though while Aiden hated this time, as he never really got used to it at all, the old ma- Mr. Yasakowa, would be seemingly unaffected, just like Zaiaku. 'Perhaps you do get used to it..' Aiden would think to himself as they continued on their journey silently, Aiden right next to the elderly man as he kept his eyes and ears perked and ready to sense anything approaching. Being out in the complete, open wasteland made the Genin uneasy but comforted at the same time. Out here in the desert it is hard to hide, meaning that Aiden should be able to catch most approaching creatures save for an insect buried within the sand or something of the sort, though it also meant that, if attacked, the old man may get accidentally caught in the crossfire, meaning Aiden will have to be more careful than usual to ensure his safety.

The unspoken silence between the two was deafening, and the fact the only real sounds being made are their footsteps on the sand and the blowing, dry wind that reminded both that water isn't a common thing out here in the desert didn't help either. Beginning to get fed up with it, Aiden would look towards the merchant. "Hey, ol-Mr. Yasakowa, how long have you been doing this?" He would ask curiously but with subtle intent to gain a hint of how old the old man is. "Thirty years, though it's been quite a few since I needed a Shinobi to escort me around. To top it off, it's a Genin that won't just be silent for the trip, either." The merchant would rudely respond. Aiden, getting even more annoyed at the unwarranted rudeness of the old man, would look away, exhaling heavily, trying to fight the temptation of just heading back home and getting some sleep.

A few more silent hours would pass, and soon enough, just in the horizon, a small village could be seen. "See boy, we're almost there, and then we can go back to doing better things than this." The old man would say with clear annoyance of having to bring protection along with him, though Aiden wouldn't let this constant annoyance towards him slide. "I never even met you before. Cut me a break, it's not like I haven't done a good job protecting you already. Why the hell are you even acting like this, in the first place?" He would snap back, clearly getting just as annoyed towards the elderly man as the man is towards him. Receiving a glare in response, Aiden could almost see the merchant's eyes soften for a few moments before hardening. "Let's just go. It's not your job wonder why I am the way I am, not like.." Though his voice would trail off into silence. "Like what?" Aiden would reply, though instead of answering, the elderly merchant would continue to walk towards the village, almost as if his bodyguard didn't even exist anymore. Walking behind the elderly man, the Genin would remain silent once more, taking the hint that Mr. Yasakowa didn't wish to speak on the matter anymore.

Nearing the village, it would seem like a near-flawless run, or it would have been if a small pack of three wild dogs hadn't stood in their path, growling and snarling at the two, with the one in the middle of the three clearly starving animals taking the lead, looking directly towards the old prey that seemingly doesn't notice, or doesn't care, about the blatant threat he is still walking towards. "Shit!" Aiden would exclaim as the head of the pack began to run directly towards the merchant, with the other two intercepting the Genin before he could begin to move at full speed, seemingly crossing meters within a few seconds. Aiden didn't have much time to thing, so as he begun to move, he quickly pulled off his jacket that was tied around his waist, spinning around and throwing it towards one of the two dogs, making it flinch as his tail whipped the other. Still in mid-spin, his right hand would pull out a Kunai, which he threw towards the pack leader, the E-Rank weapon piercing its back hind leg, causing it to fall and somersault past the old man, scrambling to get up.

Not having much time to think, Aiden would turn around, ripping his jacket off of the blinded dog with his left hand while his right grabbed it by the front right leg, pulling upwards and letting go, causing the animal to flail in the air as he punched it away, hitting it in the side and knocking it a meter away from him. After he had down this, he would turn around, grabbing the recovered dog he struck with his tail by the neck and bringing his knee up against its snout, causing it to yelp loudly and run away. Then, in continuation of his smooth movement, he would turn back around, sprinting towards the alpha of the small pack, where he would tackle it down to it's side, using his left hand and knee to hold it down while his right hands' claws would dig into its throat, tearing it up with a simple upward motion, causing it to struggle in a panicked manner, before calming down and then, with a final, quiet whimper, dying. Looking back, he could see the other dog he punched away also running away, acknowledging that the prey at hand wasn't worth the trouble.

Breathing somewhat heavily, Aiden would get up and pick up his now dirty jacket, putting it back around his waist as he would jog back over to the still traveling old man. As he approached, he could have sworn he heard something similar to a "thank you" come out of the merchant's mouth in a hushed tone, causing the Genin to smile in response, allowing silence to take over once more as they arrived to the village. At the main entrance, the old man would take a sharp left, entering a small pawn shop that was right next to the entrance, where he would open his pack. To Aiden's curiosity, he would watch as the merchant would unwrap the package, revealing a small picture frame showing a slightly younger looking man standing with his grown son, smiling. It was then that the Genin could've sworn he saw a small tear forming as the elderly man gave it to the pawn shop owner and turned around, facing Aiden himself. "You did a good job, so go. I'm going to stay here a spell and rest."

Aiden, nodding in response, would leave the shop and begin to walk out of the small village, marking up this mission as another one completed, and a new lesson learned.

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[Mission Complete]