Lin got up that morning and got dressed in her Kumogakure outfit. It wasn’t like the other Jonin’s outfits, to be sure, but it was her outfit. She had picked it out because it was light and it didn’t weigh her down, though not much would now that she had been training day in and day out. She had a genin that had wanted to see her in action in one of her easier missions, and so she was suiting up to go and meet her. She had decided that an hour was quite long enough to get ready, and had braided her hair as soon as she got up, making her fingers nimble, and also tying her hair back in two braids that ended in a braided bun. It meant that even in the thick of battle, she would be able to see because her hair was tightly secured. Sure, she admitted to herself, the hairstyle was cute, but it was also functional.

She put on her other sandal and nodded at her attire, it was a kumogakure uniform, not an armor, but it helped her move better in battle, and gave her more room to maneuver than the clunky kumogakure no sato ANBU armor that she had wanted from when she was a little girl. Then again, she had wanted to join ANBU because of her father, and he was… he was dead now. She set her jaw and looked at Gora, who shrugged, not really knowing what to do except lay there and pout. Gora had wanted to stay in bed and Lin had quite literally kicked her off this morning. She giggled and reached over to scratch the large cat’s head. She purred under Lin’s hand and rubbed against it. Well, at least there were no hard feelings. Lin tied her senbon pouch and her tonfa to her side and looked at herself once more in the mirror. She looked stronger than she felt, but then again, she had to. She had a genin to look after today.

Rushing out the door, Gora and she flew over the rooftops, their footsteps light, and their speed only matched by the swallows that morning that were twirling and diving in the early rays of the sun. Lin jumped up, turning upside down because there was no one there but her, and watched as one dived. Everything turned to slow motion in her mind, the feathers, the detailed beak as it opened and swallowed the mosquito of the morning… Lin smiled as she landed on her feet in front of the gate, Gora padding behind her, almost soundless in the morning.

Lin then only had to wait. She took out her watch and looked at it. Mizuki had been the first to arrive before and Lin expected that she would probably be on time now. They had talked about meeting at the gate at 5 AM because of the time it would take to escort the wagon. The only reason that this was a B rank mission was because the stupid people had miffed a gang, and the gang now sought retribution by taking the supplies. Well, Lin had a couple of tricks up her sleeve that would even the odds should they run into them. Or perhaps they would just run when they saw one of the Jonin on the road. Either way, Lin had dealt with 30 of their caliber before, and 5 bandits, all roughly Chuunin strength, wouldn’t be enough to stop Lin. Perhaps Gora, yes, but not Lin. Gora would be aided by Lin so probably not her… either… Really the concern of Lin’s was keeping Mizuki safe. She hoped that the Kunoichi would take her rule to heart, and run should Lin be in trouble and save herself. Better a failed mission than a dead student.

WC: 649

Wide awake, Mizuki rose as the alarm clock buzzed to wake her. With a swift movement, she killed the annoying noice and quietly stepped out of bed, moving towards her dresser to get the kunoichi outfit she usually wore during a mission: a navy blue kimono with long sleeves, tailored into a shorter version for easy movement, comfy, black shorts under that, and dark-coloured stockings as some poor measure against the cold. Tying a sky blue sash around her waist, she attached a tool pouch holding her senbon and kunai in it, and adjusted her katana resting against her hip after having thrown an eye onto it, as if to make sure it hadn't run away at night. With all that set, Mizuki finished by tying her hair together in a tight ponytail so it would stay out of her face.

Once dressed, she opened, and closed, the shoji door of her room, quietly walked through the hallway so as not to wake anyone else, before taking a basic meal from the kitchen her father had prepared the evening before. Without words, she thanked him, pocketed the meal, and proceeded to leave through the front door.

The cold morning wind greeted her, and she involuntarily shivered as her body had yet to adapt to the temperature. In the distance, the jacaranda trees swayed gently under the teasing wind, illuminated just barely by the moon that played hide and seek with passing clouds. 5 AM would be there soon enough, and she had yet to run a brief track before reaching the gates where she had agreed to meet Lin.

Running along the road towards the meeting point, Mizuki's thoughts wandered to the mission. A B-rank mission, completely out of the league for a genin like her, but one she just couldn't let go. At first, she hadn't paid much attention to it, but when she caught the name of the gang the bandits belonged to - Shirai - she had become most concerned. She knew that name all too well, since it had been her elder sister's personal symbol - Purple Lightning.

A Raiu like Mizuki, Erisu could not have been more of an opposite in behaviour than she was. Where Mizuki aimed for discipline, her sister lived in the moment. Where Mizuki wanted to wear skirts and dresses, her elder sister was all about good pants and shirts. As Mizuki manifested more the Suiton of their clan, Erisu resembled more like the Raiton. She cherished the jacaranda blossoms of the tree like a real girl, Erisu, like a real tomboy, used the trees as her practice target for her raiton. And the list went on like that. Perhaps one of the only things they had in common were their parents, their favourite colours and their desire to see the world.

Erisu had left the house months ago, tired of disciplined practice and driven by her wanderlust and search for adventure. A lover of the roguish life of a pirate, even her dressing style was more akin to a rebel than a dutiful guard. She had often joked how she would become a missing-nin one day, while pillaging the seas in search for booty, but until the day she left the house, it had all been understood as a jest. To hear that familiar name again - Shirai - was almost a certitude her sister had truly started to walk her bewildered dreams. She had to be involved with that gang.

Driven to sate her curiosity and hoping to finally have some news on her sister, Mizuki had acted rather unbecoming of her by taking on something that was generally off limits - a genin was not to do a B-rank mission. To bypass this restriction, she had requested Lin-san to join in the mission. Her squad leader had accepted the request.

Almost reaching their meeting point, Mizuki couldn't help but feel anxious. A B-rank mission wasn't to be trifled with, and she was not exactly conditioned to take one on. Worries of all kinds swarmed her mind. What if they proved too strong? What if there were too many? Would she get wounded badly? Die perhaps? She shook her head, trying to push such dark thoughts away as she reminded herself that Lin would be with her. There was nothing to worry with a Kumo-nin of her level nearby.

And as if to enforce that thought, the figures of Lin and Gora came into sight. Mizuki halted next to them as quiet as a genin could, and bowed briefly towards them, but unlike her usual courteous bows, her eyes never left Lin's.



"Good morning, Lin-san. Good morning, Gora"


wc: 805

"Ohaio Mizuki-chan." Lin smiled and Gora purred a bit, moving closer to the Genin if she was allowed. "That's Gora's non verbal good morning. I trust that you are ready for anything? There is a slight possibility that we will be ambushed by bandits, that is, if the source is right and I want you to be ready for... well.. anything. Including my death." Lin smiled, her words not severe, but more of a comforting undertone belying the true severity of the things she was saying. She didn't want to scare the poor genin.

Gora shot a look back at Lin and grumbled something. She giggled and waited for Mizuki to answer. She was ready to go, and the wagon soon would be pulling out of the town. The escort duty was not gong to be the hard part, the hard part would be keeping themselves prepared, even if the ambush happened later in the day. Lin didn't know how Mizuki would persevere, but she had confidence in the kunoichi. She seemed ready with her Katana at her side, but Lin didn't know if there were any other weapons she would need.

WC: 853

Though still unsure about the power of the white panther, Mizuki didn't want to deny Gora's question for affection. As the large feline approached, Mizuki stretched a hand out, stroking Gora gently over the head and scratching her gently behind the ears. She knew most cats enjoyed this sort of petting, and was hoping panthers weren't any different on that matter. The last thing she'd want was losing her hand to a most offended Seijutsu panther.

Hearing Lin mention she had to be prepared for anything, including the death of her team leader, made her, almost simultaneously with Gora, shoot Lin a worried frown. Even if Mizuki knew that Lin would not die as easily - heck, Mizuki might run short on skill far sooner than she would - to hear such words from Lin wasn't exactly something she didn't like either way.

"I'm sure our death won't be part of this mission. Besides, if someone's going to survive, it's Lin-san, iryo-nin and team leader of the Epsilon squad.", she replied, more an attempt to reassure herself rather than Lin. She was the genin here, taking on a mission beyond her capabilities.

Double-checking her katana and tool pouch while mentally revising her repertoire of jutsu, she was as prepared as she possibly could be. In melee, assuming she wasn't fighting end-tier chuunin, she should be able to keep up fine enough thanks to her new suiton jutsu. Sure, in the long term she might still lose the fight, but she was prepared to put up a fight and keep her opponent occupied as long as she possibly could.

As a back-up plan, she had been working on a Ranton jutsu as well. A Ranton technique she had actually copied from the Kiri-nin she had met before. While she had been unable to copy the purity and mastery of Alwen, Mizuki was able to create a very similar technique using her own Ranton. Thoguh she didn't want to lose her trusted katana, at least she would not remain unarmed in the case such unfortunate event did occur.

"I'm as ready as I can be, considering it all.", she nodded. "Is there any sage advice you'd be willing to share before we leave? I'd hate to be a burden."

Mizuki had yet to share the information of why she wanted to pick up this mission, but she'd do so soon enough. The mission orders had been clear on the killing part, and though her sister might be tarnishing the reputation of the Raiu, she would not allow anyone to kill Erisu. Besides, since she was not entirely certain Erisu was actually a member of this group, she'd have to request Lin some time to interrogate one of the bandits first. A highly important thing to do, not only because hiding such crucial information was not exactly a good sign of trust in a team, but also because Lin was her team leader. She called the shots, in the end, and without this sort of information, she would be unable to take a proper decision.

"I know we have orders to kill the bandits, but... before we do so, I'd like to interrogate at least one of them.", she shuffled somewhat uneasily. "...I believe my sister may be involved with the Shirai."

wc: 571 + 805
= 1376

"Well, I am just trying to prepare you for every eventuality." Lin smiled, her eyes turning a sharp blue as she looked at her watch and realized the time. It was almost time to head out to see the wagons off.

"I will give it to you while we walk." She motioned for Mizuki and Gora to follow, as she touched her tonfa with the back of her hand, making sure that they were, indeed still there. She found their ebony against her hand centering and nodded in the direction of the wagons.

Then Mizuki said something that made Lin forget about time and space altogether, and about being late. Her sister was a part of the bandits that they were charged to kill. "I... I will have to make sure that the one that you intend to interrogate can't harm you. Are you... prepared for that?" She looked as unconfident as an academy student trying their shadow clone jutsu for the first time. Lin was necrophobic for reasons that she couldn't think of right now, and liked torture even less, unless it got information quickly out of an individual that was time-sensitive. She believed in imprisonment and the eventual gradual telling of secrets, not extracting them but... but she couldn't let that show in front of this genin.

"I recently interrogated a ninja that was supposed to be Kumogakure and was found to be a traitor against the Raikage. I could replicate what I did to him, though it is not a pretty sight, and the bandits that we are likely to encounter here would die from the shock of it. I will try to detain the one that you wish to detain with the least force possible." Lin did not mention that it would be Gora to deal the decisive last blows, as Lin could not. She only took Gora on missions that required killing, and Gora had become a sort of shinigami for Lin. A merciful one, who would take the people by the neck and snap it, a quick and painless death. She didn't want for Mizuki to learn that her sensei was weak, but perhaps.. perhaps it would make them bond if she did learn. But not if Lin were to be upfront with it.

There was a circumstance which Lin could kill, but she hoped to all the gods of Kumogakure that she wouldn't have to resort to it. It was the most... the most vile feeling ever.

"If you need information, we will capture two,
just in case the first does not survive your interrogations." Lin said at last, and kept it at that with a short nod. "Now, let us get on with finding that wagon before they pull out without protection, unless... unless you have anything else to ask of me? I suspect that you will get enough advice from me before we engage them to hold your own." She smiled, "Just remember rule number one from when we met as a squad the first day. Everything should be fine from there."

WC: 1391

The two of them started to walk towards the wagons after Lin had taken a look at her watch, and a knot briefly formed in her stomach. Gods, so nervous. Mizuki took a deep breathe to release the knot and briefly focused on a short breathing meditation. If she couldn't conquer that incertitude of hers, she'd be of no value to the team. And that wasn't exactly what she wanted to hear.

Lin seemed a bit flustered when Mizuki had mentioned her sister could be part of the gang. She had expected this news not to go unfelt, and guessed Lin emphatically imagined how it had to feel when it would have been her sister. Who, in their right mind and with love in their heart, would ever remain unfazed at such news? Even if she didn't like to share such information, seeing as how Lin became somewhat emotional assured Mizuki her team leader still had a heart. She would not be the sort to ruthlessly kill like many ninja of her level sooner or later turned out to be. A good thing.

To hear Lin then explain she had to torture a traitor for information in such extend that some could die of shock, burst her bubble. While surely her team leader was not the cold-hearted torturer, Mizuki couldn't help but wonder what sort of torture killed people by shock alone. What exactly did she do to them, then? No, wait, she shouldn't ask such questions since she didn't really wanted to know that. But still... Was it part of an iryo-nin's job? If there was anyone able to torture with pin-point precision and perfect knowledge of anatomy, it should be an iryo-nin. Was this the dark side of the style? Mizuki mentally shook her head. She shouldn't think about such things. Really, she shouldn't.

And then Lin stated they would need two of them for the interrogation. Mizuki thought she paled a little at that point, swallowed and nodded at Lin while she took another deep breath. Right. All she had to do was to remain safe and follow up Lin's commands to a fault,  and all would be fine. All would be fine.

"Hai, Lin-san.", she ackownledged Lin's reminder. "When we reach the wagon, I'll try to find something that can serve as a substitute. You never know I might need one."

It was just another precaution for good measure. She had no intention to die before she had found back her sister. If her sister wasn't in this group, then Mizuki had no right to die. She'd have to live to find another group. And yet another group. Until she had successfully tracked her sister.

After a brief walk, the wagon came in sight. The cart, laden with various packages and tuns, was pulled by two strong looking oxen and led by a tall man who was dressed rather soberly. It looked like he was in his early thirties, with short black hair and a scruffy beard. His eyes were small from fatigue, and he yawned big as if to confirm that fact. He was rather lean and muscled, probably because of his day-to-day job, and rose his hand to wave at Lin and Mizuki when he saw them appear. Like snow, his fatigue seemed to disappear as he smiled brightly.



wc 577 + 1376
= 1953

"Good morning!" She would call out to the man that was lifting the heavy packages into his wagon, "I'm sorry if we're a bit late. This is Raiu Mizuki who will be taking care of you." She introduced the young genin, "And I am Katonrai, Lin, you probably haven't heard of us, but we were assigned to guard your wagon with you.
If you don't mind that is." She smiled and gave a small bow to the wagon driver, "We could always have you start a bit later if you want some other ninja to accompany you instead of us." It was good to be formal to the person who employed you, especially when you didn't know the person. And it was true, she could send for some other ninja that could help him along with this wagon. It should be a routine mission for Lin, really, and the only part that she had trouble with was the fact that they were told to kill the bandits after this man.

"Oh, and I should introduce my companion,
Gora, who will be with us for the journey. She is quite safe,
I assure you."

"We should not try to kill them in front of him,
if we can help it." Lin said to Mizuki in a low voice, trying to keep it down so that the cart-master couldn't hear it. She wanted to make sure that Mizuki didn't kill any of them to begin, it was a bit much for a Genin to process, and so she would have Gora finish them whenever they were done, if at all possible. But she didn't tell Mizuki that, trying to spare her the thoughts of killing anyone at all.

"If you're alright with us heading out as soon as Mizuki checks the cargo, we would be glad of it, as it is supposed to be a long journey, no?" Lin asked the man, raising her voice to regular levels.

WC: 1748

Mizuki bowed in greeting as Lin presented her to the merchant. As Lin continued to explain the situation and the reason as to why they were here, Mizuki's eyes searched the merchant for potential hidden weapons. While she wasn't sure if he had any considering he was just a merchant, or if she'd even spot one with a simple check as this, she didn't want to leave anything in the hands of faith. She was already edgy(tm) for taking on such a high rank mission.

The merchant nodded and smiled, easily accepting the ninja in front of him as his bodyguards and seemingly relieved at the fact someone was willing to watch over his goods, and expressed his sincerest gratitude for that.

Lin then slipped in a little private words and Mizuki nodded. While she herself wasn't a murderer, she had no trouble killing if duty required as such. Or that was what she'd like to believe herself. She never had killed anyone before, really, but she shouldn't give in to the idea killing out of necessity or duty was a bad idea. However, she did understand that public killing in front of merchants wasn't exactly a proper way of protection. People who weren't trained in martial arts didn't exactly have their mind strengthened against the possibilities of pain and death either.

The merchant nodded once again at Lin's request, though, perhaps, a little insecure that his merchandise would have to be checked so openly.
"If anything, I'd prefer if no one knew what I'm transporting, considering... ah, the value of it.", he replied to Lin as he somewhat uncomfortably scratched the back of his head. "But I kinda understand... safety and all that, eh?"

Mizuki nodded and apologised before inspecting the goods. Crates, sacks, seemingly filled with rice, harboured quite a few little relics and precious jewels. Seeing the content, Mizuki could see why the pirates were interested in this merchant and, while many might casually consider him to be nothing more but a rice merchant, bandits tended to be brutally thorough in some things. Treasures usually being one of them. Mizuki did find one sack that contained nothing more but straw, and assumed it to be food for the oxen. Stealing food might not exactly be a noble thing to do, but she marked it nonetheless. If she had to pick something as a ways to stay alive, a sack of straw seemed far more harmless than one filled with relics or jewellery. Right?

Finishing the inspection, she nodded to the merchant that she was done upon which he decided it was time to hit the road. With a pat on the back of the oxen, they sluggishly moved into action and pulled the cart forward. The man took his place on the driving seat and explained the road ahead.

Mizuki briefly walked next to Lin-san and quietly spoke into her ear.

"The real goods are covered in rice and quite valuable. If the bandits know what's in there, they might be rather determined to get their hands on the cart."

wc 529 + 1953
= 2482

Lin watched as Mizuki rummaged carefully through the goods, it was a thorough and brief search. She opened box after box, and all in the time before they had to leave. The merchant looked nervous about it all, and yet they had to look through them, a sort of protocol to see what they were transporting. Seeing a glimmer of something that wasn't rice in Mizuki's hand she nodded to herself. So that was what they were transporting. Well, that made more sense than just foodstuffs. A hiring of a chuunin, which was usually what this warranted, cost more than a food merchant would or could be able to afford.

Lin bent her head to listen to Mizuki as she approached, nodding at the findings she looked back to the merchant, "Well,
everything seems to be in order, shall we leave?" She would ask before following the merchant out of the gate, should everything be in order. She was not going to push him to get onto the road, perhaps the schedule that they were keeping was also being kept by the bandits? She shook herself mentally. Best not to try to think of every dizzying eventuality, it actually made an ambush all the more possible. She would just have to wait until they showed up.

She leaned in close to Mizuki, speaking low when they started to move, "Just keep relaxed, nothing should happen for the first trek. At least until we're outside of the sight of the guards of Kumogakure. No matter how stupid they are, the bandits wouldn't attack the cart or the merchant that close to the village. Since we have information that they are going to strike,
it means that this man or someone that we know is involved on the inside of the ring. So I wouldn't say that they have the tightest internal security either." She smiled and spoke to them both, "In other words, a walk in the park."

She hoped to give them confidence, not only in themselves, but in their mission. If they were both tense, they wouldn't be able to follow the flow of battle, and would end up more hurt than if they kept loose and reacted to the current situation. A tensed muscle from the day is more tired than one that hasn't been stressed. Also, there was more power from a relaxed muscle than a tensed one. This went for brains as well, the more that one deliberated, the more tired they became at the end of the day. Best to handle every situation as if it were new.

WC: 2197

Mizuki listened to Lin's explanation and nodded carefully. Even if in the back of her mind everything made sense of what she said, she was pretty amazed at the details and perception of all the things Lin taught about. Sure, it were things she could think about herself, but... they just didn't pop into her mind as if they were the most obvious things in the world to pay attention to. Was this sense of perception something that came with a higher rank and experience?

She smiled assuredly when Lin stated it would be a walk in the park. She could feel the confidence like a warmth melting the snow and somewhat relaxed. Even if giving her all might not be enough for this job, the mission would come to a good end with Lin and Gora at their side.

The trot of the oxen was slow. Boringly slow. But as Lin had stated, everything looked undisturbed and calm. Mizuki occasionally threw a glance over her shoulders, coming at a point where the gates and the guards were no longer in sight. The road ahead seemed long and flat, and the area around them was hilly, with the occasional giant rock sticking out the ground like a sharpened tooth. It was easy to strike from above or get the higher ground in the environment, and the cart would only be able to escape so many directions an ambuscade would be easily pulled off. Yet, the trip was uncomfortably easy in the first hour. No one to see, no problems ahead. Just nothing. Like the whole idea of an ambush was just a bad prank.

In the next part, the road was quite rougher. Stone teeth were more present and persistent, higher at some points and added the danger of pebbles tumbling down to litter the road. The falling stones weren't exactly big enough to be harmful, but the uneven road made the cart bump regularly and the merchant became increasingly worried about the sturdiness of its wheels. And perhaps rightfully so, as at some point the wheel did break and the cart tilted unhappily to one side. Though the sacks fell softly, the crates that were installed loudly bonked on the road, accompanied by the sound of discomforted oxen and a swearing merchant.

"Oh no. This just had to happen, didn't it?", the merchant sighed. "Luckily I brought a spare just for the occasion. I'm hoping it will be enough for the rest of the road."
"Oh ho. I'm sure it will", an unfamiliar voice said, betraying his presence from atop a toothy stone. Long hair in a ponytail, a scruffy beard with quite a dashing smile, the figure had all the allure of a dashing rogue in search of trouble. Wearing a long, slightly opened mariner's coat, a simple pair of pants and sturdy boots. The sheathe of a katana rested on his hips, the weapon it tended to shelter in his hands with such a casual demeanour Mizuki frowned at the lack of proper respect for this noble weapon.

"Masaru's the name, of the Shirai. Maybe you've heard of us? If not, it's a pleasure to meet you.", he presented himself, tapping the katana against his head. "I'm terribly sorry for the mishap you're suffering, my good man, but I'm afraid I'll have to lay claim upon your goods. Now, now, I don't wish to harm you. So, if you'd all just step away from the cart and leave it there, we can all call it a day without much trouble. No harm done."

Though the merchant paled as he stared at the privateer-brigand, Mizuki caught the sound of shuffling from various other directions. She took a glance left and right, and counted two more figures standing on the rocks and one showing up on the road in front of them. Four people? As her hand moved to her katana to rest, she looked at Lin and waited for her call to action.

682 + 2482
= 3164

Lin watched as the wheel broke. Well, a design flaw to be sure, but she thought it was too much a coincidence. She formed a couple of hand seals, producing an effect like that of a panther's nose. Gora growled at the rocks ahead as Lin smelled someone that was unfamiliar to her. Brigands, and there were three ahead and... She inhaled deeply, two behind.

She let out her breath, well, this would be annoying to say the least, dangerous to say the most. They were caught with nowhere to run, and their mission was to protect the goods and the merchant.

"Mizuki, do not give in to their demands, they are after the treasure so we're going to protect it. There are two behind us, can you hold them off while I deal with the ones in front? Gora will help you." Lin whispered to the genin. She knew that she would be able to hold her own. Gora was about as strong as her, and the two could make a great team. Lin would take care of the ones at the forefront. She had a plan for them, and wanted to see if she could lure in the two for a Cat's roar before capturing the leader.

Now, to see what her companion, her squad member would do. She summoned up two clones, one directly next to her, and one behind her to watch out for Mizuki-chan. Should she need help. The clone would respond right away.

WC: 256

Chakra remaining: 95/95/100:

Mizuki nodded at Lin's request and positioned herself to meet the two behind them. She eyed their attire and noticed they were about dressed the same as the one that had spoken - privateer like. While the leader had a katana, the two she faced had a cutlass and a yari. Not the most ideal of combination to fight against, but she was more worried about the one on top of the rocks who made use of a bow. That one could turn the tide at any time from two to two into three to two. As Gora approached her to even the odds, Mizuki took a deep breath and felt her confidence gain a boost. Together, they could do this.

"Masaru-san. Our duties to protect the cart were clear. I'm sorry but we can't hand it you over to you. "

To back her words with deeds, formed the Dog seal and, drew her katana and stepped into a most basic kenjutsu stance. Mist started to bleed out of the katana and shrouded her weapon and arm to conceal their actual position. As the jutsu completed, Mizuki followed it up with a doppelganger at her side. It all came down to her training now. If the jutsus gave her the opportunity she needed, one strike could be more than enough to take one of them down without too much trouble.

"How troublesome.", Masaru replied without so much as a frown. "I had hoped we could do this without fighting." He shrugged his shoulders and signed the others to attack. If a peaceful way couldn't be walked, then they'd have to take the cart away the hard way. The troupe charged at the ninja as the merchant hid under his cart, hoping not to get caught in this whole mess.

Chakra 135/150:

wc 304 + 3164
=3468

Now to show her apprentice what fighting was all about. She sent one of her clones to the side while she rushed the front. Both of them weaved hand-seals while the third Lin, another clone, stayed behind Mizuki-chan, waiting for her to move, watching her every movement.

Lin sped towards the two on top of the rock, an arrow loosed at her head. She twitched her neck, feeling the fletching whiz past her ear and the arrow embed itself in the side of the cart with a hollow "thunk." She weaved hand-seals as she did so, and so did her clone. In unison, they both shouted, "Raiton, Divine Lance!" She and her clone manifested giant spears of Raiton.

The spears streaked through the air and would embed themselves in the bandits to the left and right of the leader. They would be badly injured, on the brink of death, but not dead if they hit. Lin hoped that they would hit, but she wasn't sure. She didn't know the capabilities of these bandits, she didn't know much, actually. She was just as curious as Mizuki, and wanted to know what answers the girl wanted from them.

Gora would lower her shoulder, allowing the girl to ride her, should she want, Gora was a bit faster, but she didn't want to scare the girl either. If denied, she would attack simultaneously with her, her one goal to guard Mizuki, like the clone.

WC: 2704

Chakra: 95/70/75:

Two of them charged Mizuki, and of those two Mizuki was more worried about the one with the yari. It's superior range was a disadvantage for her, and even if she could get passed the blade there was no certitude that her attacks would hit - the pole itself was just as much a protection in close proximity.

Following suit, Mizuki didn't hesitate and ran up to the two that charged her. She was rather confident about her speed, but she had no clue of theirs. Then again, there was a huge white panther running right next to her with such ease Mizuki could only wonder what Gora's true speed was like. She had noticed Gora lower herself for just a brief moment, but Mizuki, untrained with pets or even mounting, was rather reluctant to hop on the giant cat's back. If anything, she'd be more worried keeping her balance than protecting her own skin. Perhaps something she'd have to work on at later date, since cooperation was vital in a squad.

As the factions were about to clash, Mizuki narrowly dodged the yari's blade, hearing it cleave the wind as it passed her throat and could already see the cutlass be raised for a follow-up attack. She was about to raise her katana to parry the strike when a flash of white crashed onto the bandit with the cutlass in her defence. That brief moment of realisation of Gora power... Downright terrifying. Mizuki was glad Gora was on her side.

Focusing her mind, Mizuki and her clone synchronised an attack at the yari wielder, their shrouded weapons making it hard to see their true target, but with a quick jerk back on the yari the attacks were deflected. Mizuki's clone vanished as it had failed its attack, but much to her own surprise the bandit's weapon snapped in two by Mizuki's strike. Not exactly a swift way to disable her target, but hopefully better than nothing.

At the same time, she heard a familiar voice call out, "Raiton, Divine Lance!" and the unmistakable sound of lightning shooting through the air in search of its targets. Whatever that jutsu was, Mizuki didn't have it, but it did bring her to an idea. She had prepared a substitute before, and if she were to need it, she already had a follow-up plan to make the best of its surprise.

Leaving little room for future planning, the yari wielder didn't back down one bit despite its broken weapon and with seemingly superior speed and strength than hers, she was doing rather well in driving back the genin. Mizuki guessed that, weren't it for her own jutsu misleading her weapon's actual position, she would not make the slightest of chance. And, as if she had heard her, the broken yari blade suddenly plunged into her stomach.

Or did it?

Appearing on top of the car, the yari wielder was somewhat surprised to see Mizuki vanish in a puff of smoke and find its blade stuck into a sack of rice. As the bandit's eyes searched for her target, Mizuki greeted her from a distance with her own raiton jutsu.

"Raiton. Shock Bullets."

In true western style, she emptied about half the charges she had onto her opponent, leaving some of them behind just in case as she hoped it would be enough to take out the bandit.

Chakra 115/150:

wc: 579 + 3468
= 4047

((Not sure if you're waiting for me, but feel free to do/act whatever with the bandits as you feel like. Their abilities can be found in the first post, but generally speaking: B Rank bandits with full C rank element library))

Lin thought for a bit, she didn't know what to do about this one, she decided to let the clone come back to her and bind the poor fellow. "Don't move!" She shouted as four pillars sprung from the earth and lightning ropes crackled between them, the smell of burning air arose from them. The man dropped his sword and hung his head in defeat, terror reigning in his eyes. Good, he knew when he had been beaten. She turned to Mizuki, running towards her. She saw Gora flash out, biting one of the men's throats, his gurgling cry cut short as she bit down on his trachea. Lin winced, but ran towards Mizuki nonetheless. Her other clone made hand seals and threw a senbon at Mizuki. It crackled with electricity.

Her clone would smirk as it collided, making an aura around Mizuki that would help her in battle, absorbing some of the onslaught that the bandits might induce. An aura of lightning would crackle around the girl, should she be hit by the senbon. Lin, the clone that threw the senbon, ran behind Mizuki, dodging lithely on her backswings, and becoming more of a shadow than a clone.

Lin would still be rushing towards Mizuki as she made her next move.

WC: 2922

Chakra: 75/70/55:

It looked like the lightning bullets did little more than annoy her opponent. Weapon broken, and now decorated with various scorch marks on the clothes and body from Mizuki's attack, the pirate threw away her bandana, vein twitching, and shouted, "You brat! First you break my weapon, now you ruin my clothes? You'll pay for this.".

How tough did she have to be to seemingly ignore the burn wounds form the bullets? Mizuki emptied the rest of the bullets onto the yari-user, but she nimbly dodged it while forming hand seals for her own counter attack. C Rank Wind Release: Slash. A straight-forward attack, but not one Mizuki had a reply to. Considering the bottleneck they found themselves in, created by the small road and the large rocks nearby, the only option was to jump up. And though that way might prove an escape, Mizuki was quite sure that the yari-user would be expecting that. She found herself at a serious disadvantage, and opted to remain in place as she was since she would have no mobility once in the air.

Steeling herself for the impact of the attack... nothing but a gust of wind blew over. As she opened her eyes, a strange barrier of lightning surrounded her. And the yari-user, if so possible, got even angrier, screaming out her frustration. At that point, Mizuki's opponent decided to just run in and give it all she had. As she ran up to Mizuki, she wove another series of hand seals (C Rank Wind Release: Air Bullets) and fired a barrage of pressurised air bullets. Once again, the jutsu was blocked by the lightning barrier, which dissipated as if it had short-circuited.

Mizuki sheathed her katana, took a deep breath as she tried to hide her trembling hand - fear or anticipation, she wasn't really sure about the reason - and rested her hand on her katana. She hopped of the cart, positioning her in the traditional stance for Iaidō and waited for the perfect time to strike. She would have wanted to use Water Release: Seafoam but considering the anger of her opponent, guessed it help her little to not at all. It was all or nothing now, for if she missed, her target surely wouldn't.

As the two collided, Mizuki crouched low to dodge the attempted grip, drew her suiton shrouded katana and aimed low on the abdomen. It was not the most effective way of killing, neither could she properly cut in such way the stomach would be completely open, but no matter the outcome, it would be a most painful experience. Her strike hit as she narrowly dodged the brutal assault, heared her target tumble over her own feet and screaming in pain.

For the first time, Mizuki's sight cleared again, no longer fully focused on her opponent, but able to take in her surroundings. Gora had swiftly dealt with the second warrior that had intended to strike her down, and on the rocks, she could see a bunch of lightning coursing as four pillars had captured one and two spears had pierced the other. Wait... did Lin and Gora took down all the others at the same time she had barely taken down one of them? S-startling.

She turned around to face her opponent, somewhat still trembling from the battle and walked up to the suffering pirate. She hated to do this, but since Lin had captured one of them, she could only follow the orders given - they had to be killed. Raising her katana for the final blow, she thought about all the lessons her father had given her on executions.


With one swift strike, her katana came down, neatly removing the head from the body. Her first kill. The first time ever she really had to kill a living being. Mizuki bit her lip, trying to hold back a tear. This did not feel good at all.

chakra 115/150:

wc 675 + 4047
= 4722

Gora watched as the girl killed the other human, she let go of the dead one's throat, running past Mizuki at full-tilt to go and deal with the others that were badly burned. She pounced past Lin, landing on them with a snap and a release of air, he died almost instantly. Lin finally caught up to where her squad-member was. She was standing over the woman, decapitated. She nodded, looking away for a moment, "Sanosuke orders for others to kill, and does not know the burden that it places on us. He says it is for our own protection, to keep from having dangerous criminals harbored in Athos' keep. Better to kill them here. But I see it tear people apart every day. The ones that die before killing are the lucky ones." She coughed, letting the clone that threw the kunai disperse, taking its chakra onto herself.

"Let's go see what the other one is up to, I don't want your captive to get away, and I know you want answers.” Lin felt horrid that her student had to take a life, but she hoped that her presence was calming, and was glad that she was there, perhaps to lean on.

She would follow Mizuki to where the man was, he snarled at her and threw his weapon, it rebounded off of the electricity with a sudden shower of sparks. Lin looked at him, not amused by his tactics. "My student has some questions for you."

WC: 3184

Time trickled by as Mizuki eyed the dead man in front of her. She could hear Lin approach, explaining something about Sanosuke. His commands to kill, and how killing just as much killed the living inside. Mizuki could relate to that. She didn't feel like she had won anything. Innocence aside, she felt more like she had just lost a piece of herself.

Mizuki sighed and turned around, eyeing Lin with a saddened expression before she steeled her mind again. She would have to see this through first, meditation could come later. She offered Lin the beginnings of a smile, and looked at the bandit in the lightning cage. "You and Gora are terrifying opponents. You already made short work of all the rest." She couldn't help but wonder how Lin felt when she killed a person. Did she feel as horrible, or was a jounin long passed this?

As they arrived near the leader, he snarled and threw his weapon. Without effect. Lin addressed him, and with furrowed brows he looked at Mizuki, angry, yet knowing there were little few options other than cooperation. Perhaps he'd be left alive if he answered them? Perhaps.

"Greetings, Masaru-san. We have heard you to be of the Shirai, the purple thunder gang. I'm personally acquainted to someone who might be part of your gang. Please, answer me properly, have you seen Raiu Erisu?"

The man blinked for a moment, somewhat taken aback by the formal way Mizuki spoke, then offered a grin. "I have no idea who that is, lass.", he replied, perhaps a little too sarcastically. Mizuki nodded, took a look at Lin and apologised. "My apologies. My hopes must have mislead me. Since he knows nothing, I guess we'll be obliged to dispose of him."

It was just a bluff, as she really didn't want to kill again, but the threat that his life was on the line made the man rethink his words. With panic in his voice, he corrected himself. "W-wait! I was just kidding, heh. Erisu, you said? Y-yes, she's well known in our gang." He averted his eyes for a moment. "Popular lass, strong, pretty. A real charm, and then some. Just the sort of leader that inspires us all."
"Leader? She's the leader of your gang?"
"W-well... it's not like that. She's the leader's right hand, maybe even his concubine? It often looks like that. But she has authority and inspires us all. Many would follow her wherever she goes."

That sure sounded like her sister. Erisu, though chaotic and unpredictable, had always been warm, optimistic and somewhat playfully charismatic enough to bring a smile to anyone even in the darkest days.

"Thank you for your time."
"Y-You'll let me live?"
"I'm sorry, but that's up for my leader to decide. Perhaps she, too, may have a few questions for you."

She looked at Lin, wondering if there was anything else she could think of. Mizuki had it rather difficult to keep her mind clear. On a normal day, she might have been able to ask more investigative questions of concern, but at this moment, all she could do was avoid seeing the head of the dead brigand and the idea her sister was such a key figure to this gang. Would this warrant a chance to be labelled Missing Nin? She hoped not.

wc 578 + 4722
= 5300

Lin read the mission statement that she held in her hand, d***, this was a tricky mission, she was unwilling to fight an unarmed man, and she was also unwilling to have Mizuki kill another person, seeing as it affected her ability to function as much as it had. There was an uncertainty that had crept its way into her gaze as she questioned the man.

He certainly feared for his life, and didn't want to die. The mission stated clearly that she was to kill him though. She motioned for Gora to come over. She bounded, her face dripping red from the bite from earlier, she bent down to whisper in her ear what needed to be done.

"My mission clearly says for us to kill you, but I am feeling a bit out of sorts with that." Lin said, plainly, to the man that was in the electric ropes. He recoiled from her like she was a viper. Well, at least he knew what a predicament she was in. Gora was going to have to fight him.

"My companion, Gora is going to fight you for your life. Should you win, and manage to make her yield, you may live on, and go do as you please. We will say that you retreated and we could not find you. But should you fail, she will kill you, as per the mission rules." the words stuck in her mouth and made her blood boil. She didn't want to do this, and it seemed a sick game. She bent down and whispered in Mizuki's ear, "When I am Raikage, I am not going to assign missions that are this cut and dry. When I am Raikage,
it is going to say to stop the bandits, or whoever at all costs,
up to the ninja's discretion." She gave Mizuki a pitiable look, swallowed the bile that was rising in her throat, and when the bandit had picked up his weapon, she absorbed the clone into herself again, gaining her chakra back and ending the jutsu prematurely.

Chakra remaining: 190/300:

She nodded at Lin's statement, somehow not fully registering the Raikage part in it all, and watched as the jutsu dissipated. So Lin wasn't keen on killing either? At least it was comforting to know she wasn't the only one. That a jounin wasn't immune to the shock of this either. It somehow brought back a little sense of humanity to Mizuki, but even that was short lived.

The man seemed rather hesitant, standing this close with a panther still licking its mouth from killing the previous and laughed nervously. He probably knew he'd lose this, but he picked up his weapon nonetheless. Running had no point, and attacking... well, he didn't seem like the sort to fight until death. At a disadvantage, and outskilled by Gora, the man hit the dust rather fast.

Mizuki frowned, quickly understanding how the two of them had dispatched the rest of the targets so easily. She looked back at the beheaded corpse. At least she'd have learned a thing or two from this combat...

Almost forgotten, the merchant crawled from under the cart now that things had quieted down. Appalled, he looked around at the bloody disaster and nervously rubbed his hand, smiling sheepishly at the shinobi and the panther on the rocks.

"H-hey... is everything settled now?", he asked, unsure.

"Yes. I think our business concludes here. We should get your cart repaired and move on.", Mizuki replied. Hoping to distract her mind somewhat, she hopped down to help out the merchant with repairing the cart, picking up the sack of rice she had used for the substitution technique, and once that was done, the group moved on again.

Another half hour or so, and the merchant had finally arrived, thank them and congratulating them on a job well done. If anything, Mizuki now fully felt the weight of her fatigue, and the upcoming assault of her birth's illness. She was glad this was all over, telling herself she shouldn't pick up such a high ranked mission anytime soon. If not for the challenge in combat, then just for the all the unknown things she wasn't trained for yet.

Mizuki looked at Lin, smiling faintly, and then it hit her. Wait..., "You're going for Raikage?"

Mizuki listened to Lin's answer, taking it all in as she contemplated what a heavy day this had been. Apologising for her rudeness, she then decided to bow before Lin and return home. She had a lot to think about...

[Exit]

426 + 5300
= 5726

Training:

“I am going for Raikage, yes. Not because I want the power of it, really, I don’t, but because I want to make the village whole again. There is a sickness of doubt, fear, anger, hatred for Kirigakure right now, and the village stinks of it. It is like opening a wound that is infected, you need to shed some light on what is the cause of it, and bring a little pain before it can heal.” She sighed, scratching the back of her neck nervously. She didn’t really know what to say, her eyes went to the ground.

Was she even sure of herself? She didn’t really know, and wanted to know that she was secure in her beliefs, before facing up the Raikage and asking to be declared his heir. Did she even have to devlare that she wanted to be it? Who else was around? There was Zetsume Zix. He was an intelligent fellow, but he didn’t want to be Kage at all. She racked her brains, no. It had to be her. Syn was dead, and he was supposed to follow in the footsteps of the Raikage.

She sighed, this was going to be worse than she thought. She gulped and as Mizuki bowed out. She felt like she had scarred the poor girl today. But the thing of it was, she was going to have to deal with death, or find a way to cheat it. Lin escorted Mizuki back to the village, she had a lot to think about, and she was going to have to deal with Mizuki’s PTSD some time.

“Just so you know, Mizuki, you have the aid available to you to seek help, should you need it. There is a hospital in Kumogakure no Sato that provides mental healing as well as spiritual, chakra, and body healing. They only need to see that you’re a ninja in order to treat you for free for any traumatic event that you have seen.” She offered. She had actually done some of the rehabilitation of those with PTSD before, and knew what to say, how to do it. But she also didn’t want to muddy up the relationship that she had with this young shinobi. She was her sensei, she was there to teach her how to fight, how to win, how to keep herself alive, and how to lead a squad of her own, should she choose.

She would be able to lead, she had no doubt. The fact that it was so hard for her to kill made her think that she must have compassion for others. Now if Lin could cultivate that compassion, she could harness it for good, make sure that she could teach others the same. Kumogakure was lacking in one thing, and that was compassionate people. With the loss of Syn, Satoshi, and many others, Kumogakure was dwindling, and so was its compassion both for enemies and allies. If one was able to lose a sensation of disgust for the action of killing, they would soon lose the sensation of loss of companions. Ninjas had failed to move up, and had been banned from practicing ninjutsu for the loss of their sanity, the distinction to choose right from wrong, and to discern friend from foe before.

All of this swam in Lin’s mind, she didn’t want to lose a student that she wanted to see succeed. She wanted to nurture her, to brace her against the harsh storms to come, not to completely shield her, but to support her, to guide her through. If it was going to be too much, however, she would rather know now, and be able to assign missions to her, while under her tutelage, that didn’t involve killing again.

It was something she wasn’t afforded. Gin had been absent for so long, she had grown up without her. Most of her missions were with a hodgepodge of people, and really, she had no set person to do missions with. She didn’t want Mizuki to have the same fate as her.


|Exit Thread| Training: Senjutsu C-B: 4223/7000

WC: 4223