The sight of that handsome, rugged redhead was becoming pretty common just outside the gates of Suna. The work, for a C-Rank, was rather easy; just stand around in place for a few hours in the hot sun, rummage through carts and wagons a bit and be one of the first to see which foreigners were about to enter the village. The worst that happened to the boy most times was an occasional sunburn when he didn't remember to apply some sunscreen, or his legs cramped up from standing and he needed to do some stretches. And on the rare occasion, a merchant or traveler would have their family in tow; often this included some lovely young ladies that knew nothing about Roku beyond his handsome face and charming ways, and it almost hurt his pride that only foreign girls would blush and giggle at his cliche lines and not so subtle flirting. He could see why Hayo spent his last twenty years posted up outside as a gate guard.

And speaking of the man, the chunky middle aged Kōga was assigned to work with him on the West Gate this time; little in the way of settlements or villages were to the West of Suna, with most in the North between Suna and the other Hidden Villages like Iwa and Konoha. That meant what few travelers that did pass through were locals of Kaze no Kuni and the small time merchants that supplied settlements deep in the desert. Only the South Gate was less busy than the one these two Suna-nin guarded and Roku wished he could have a shift or two over there, where the only bother for hours on end was the sun's unyielding rays. Hmm, maybe he could request to take a night shift at some point? He already enjoyed staying up late st night and sleeping in until around noon, so why not do something productive with that time? He would rather be bundled up in the cold desert air peering into the darkness than slowly failing to tan out in that merciless sun.

Well, it wouldn't do to stand around wishing about what the future could hold, he would cross that bridge when he came to it. For now, he was content to stand around across from Hayo as they talked about whatever they could to take their mind off the boredom. Or at least, Roku was trying to stave off the boredom. He shifted a glance over at the older Chuunin; it was insane how long Hayo had been doing this, never once trying to be more ambitious than a lowly gate guard. For a little over twenty years Hayo had been guarding these gates, so long he knew most merchants by name and could talk with them just as easily he did with Roku. The redhead had broached the topic multiple times, asking why the man never tried to work towards Special Jounin for the higher pay and greater power, and every time Hayo had just laughed him off. Every time Hayo would mention the same things: it was easy work for an easy paycheck, it let him interact with both locals and travelers as much as he wanted, he was VERY good at the job of evaluating risks and dangers, and most of all, it was safer than the work any Special Jounin would be doing. Roku supposed that last point was the most crucial as the man had an entire family to look after. He had met his future wife in the Academy who retired to be the homemaker soon after she made Chuunin, and now had a daughter working to become a tailor and leather worker, and a young boy making his own way through the Academy.

He really should take up Hayo's offer to visit one of these days. From the stories he told, Hayo's wife was a master in the kitchen having been trained at the Culinary Institute of Amegakure soon after she made Genin, and the redheaded teen lusted after the type of cuisine someone of her skill set could whip up; it was what really hooked old Hayo along with her beauty and charm. Mm, speaking of lusted after, Roku though on the older man's daughter absently. As a proud father Hayo always carried a picture of his children with him and had shown them to Roku on a few occasions, and the boy was glad such a flower would not risk the danger a life as a shinobi would face. The boy was a man who enjoyed dark hair, or red and crimson which matched his own long locks, but sometimes the look of her sandy blonde hair tied in a ponytail hung over one shoulder kept the boy up at night. She may have been romantically involved with the son of a wealthy merchant, but all Roku had to do was show off his charm and that grin and he would have her hooked. Right?

And of course Roku was familiar with Hayo's son, Jiro. The young Kōga boy shared an Academy class with Roku's own youngest sibling Nanabi and the boy's were friends before Roku had even met Hayo. On a few occasions the redhead had to help the two prospective shinobi with their weapons training and ninjutsu, although Jiro really enjoyed wiping the floor with the older Genin in taijutsu. Oh sure Nanabi could laugh now, but he would enjoy his own whooping when he began to learn Genin level taijutsu in class. It was the bane of all young Sabaku students, and the Academy even had a policy to have them spar with the weakest students only. Let him laugh, he'll get his...

Roku jumped from the touch of Hayo's hand on his shoulder, not realizing he had spaced out. Hayo smirked at the boy's reaction. "Are you alright Roku? You've been standing there for about ten minutes just muttering to yourself." The redhead shrugged and checked his watch, smiling to see his shift was nearly over.

"Ah sorry Hayo, sometimes I get caught up on my own thoughts. Guess that's just how boring this mission today was."

WC: 1028/1000
Mission Complete~