1 The Space of Seven Breaths [B-Rank Mission/Private] Tue Jan 17, 2017 2:15 am
Shinako
D-rank
- Increased Patrols:
Mission name: Increased patrols .
Mission rank: B-Rank.
Objective: Clear the sector of Bandits.
Location: Rolling hills of Konoha.
Reward: 350 Ryo.
Mission description: Trade routes to the north-east have been raided by bandits heavily in the past month. Normally our regulars would take care of this but the squads that normally patrol that area have their hands full.
Mission details: Eight bandits are camped about half a mile off the road. Five of the bandits use bows that can drive arrows three inches deep into flesh {C rank} while two bandits use clubs that are able to break bones and cause deep bruises. Their leader, a large beast of a man that stands over seven feet tall wields a war-hammer that can shatter bones and cause internal bruises {A rank}. These men have been using their brute strength and numbers to raid caravans, rather than any real jutsu.
The air was cool and crisp this early in the morning. Shinako kept her hands balled into loose fists to keep her fingers from shivering in the draftiness of the briefing room. The scent of cigarette smoke hung in the air, though it did not hold the repulsive, acrid tint it normally did. Somehow, in the dim light of the administrative building in the early hours, the smoke smelled like pure nostalgia, or a familiar friend. Had Shinako’s thoughts been more grounded, she may have been disturbed by the sensation. As it stood, her attention was focused on her Jounin Commander. Even in the chilly morning air, the massive Akimichi Shinobi was already sweating. He always smelled like spray-on deodorant and beef jerky, and greeted all of his subordinates with a smile and a personal comment. How’s your foot, I’d heard you injured it? Did you ever find that spicy curry powder you were looking for? How’s your father?
In her normal interactions with the blonde-haired man, she did little more than respond to his deft small-talk and deliver a document or two. His façade was fascinating to the younger Nara woman. More than once, a mission debriefing report had come across his desk bearing his name. This was how she knew that his preferred method of dealing with opponents was a high-speed, precision Taijutsu maneuver in which he delivered a well-placed open hand chop, infusing it with chakra and slicing his foe clean in half; Barehanded Execution, the technique was called. The thought of his smiling face as he ended a life so easily produced an involuntary tremor down Shinako’s spine. He was proceeding through the daily assignments alphabetically, and had reached Muubei Dadao. Her briefing was soon approaching.
It was not often that Shinako was drafted for field rotations, though she had been spending much more time outside of the village’s protective walls and barriers lately. When the telltale red enveloped had landed in her inbox, Shinako had not felt the trepidation which had accompanied her previous summons. Her dreams were still occupied with the goings-on of that day, and the despair it had uncorked. Smoke could never be placed back into a bottle. It seemed right that she should be sent back into the line of duty; back into danger.
“Nara Shinako….oh!”
The Jounin Commander seemed surprised, and gave an amused chuckle at his hesitation, lifting a hand to beg her indulgence as he silently read over the details of her assignment again. He did not design the missions himself. That job was better left to the people at the tactical division. His job was to get the laborers and administrators up to speed when they were called for intermittent duties to fill gaps in the roster for field Shinobi.
“Another B-Rank? Are you still a Chuunin, Shinako-kun? Hm, hm. As I recall, your last two assignments were also of B-Rank….at any rate….”
The man was attempting to tease her to put her at ease. It wasn’t working. Shinako had feared that she would once again be given a mission with the potential to turn deadly. Her superiors had been pushing her harder and harder since her score on the Uniform Strategic & Tactical Exam had returned. The Kunoichi’s score had been nearly perfect, and was the highest in nearly a decade. She had achieved the same score as such vaunted Shinobi as Senju Tsunade, Uchiha Shisui, and Nara Shikamaru. The test was rarely administered, and candidates for special tactical certification were often pushed to their breaking points before the higher-ups could turn them into targeted weapons. The commander’s joking did little to soothe Shinako’s nerves, though she did smile to signal her appreciation of the effort.
“It’s a targeted patrol. You’re to check out a rash of raids out in the Obake Weeds. There have been reports of bandits, and we need someone with a sharp mind to engage and stop them. Lethal force is authorized, though not necessary….”
The man kept talking, but Shinako could not hear him over the pounding of her own heart filling her ears. The Shinobi around her rustled and rankled at the announcement of her assignment, and she could feel their eyes boring into her with sympathy and concern. This had to be some sort of mistake. Since her graduation from academy, Shinako had attended only four mandatory combat fitness tests, and had barely passed them. She spent her days behind a desk, and was primarily trained as a support Shinobi should an emergency arise. Being sent to deal with criminals and ruffians head-on was not something for which she had been trained. She swallowed hard and tried to continue her smile as the commander handed her the briefing folder. When the dossier revealed the rough nature of the people she would be dealing with, it was all she could do to keep from crying. She would be going alone.
Shinako’s eyes darted back and forth across the page for some detail she might have missed; some loophole, or back door. There was none. She was to scout out and deal with the problem directly.
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