Mission Details:

Stepping outside the North gate of Kirigakure Akiyama glanced around at the wooded area lining both sides of the dirt path. Looking down he glanced at the scroll in his right hand and slowly unraveled it, scanning its contents one more time. "Just like last time." He muttered to himself under his breath, exuding a small amount of mist from the bandages that clung to his cheeks and lips. It was cold this morning, far colder than it had been in weeks despite the almost choking humidity that weighed down the air. Luckily for Akiyama though he dressed for the occasion just as he always did, with a long coat and plenty of thick, padded clothing. There was no stopping on this mission and no time to feel sorry for himself due to the bitter cold that bit at his exposed finger tips.

Pulling at the strap of his backpack to position it more comfortably he began his walk to the far off village that needed protection. There were bandits, and ones who needed to be punished for what they were doing to the citizens of Akiyama's country. These men were dogs and deserved nothing but his blade. Reaching back almost instinctively he gripped the hilt of his massive sword, as if checking to make sure it were still there despite feeling the noticeable weight it added to his person. It hadn't been long since he had been beaten so severely that he had lost his grip on his sword for a short while during his last mission with Kaito. Honestly he had even thought to ask the other Genin to come along after their spar. However, Akiyama felt he needed to do this alone, to prove to himself he was as capable as he previously thought he was.

Thick mist surrounding him as he walked and the splashing of small puddles sounding through the trees he couldn't help but feel exposed. A higher ranking ninja likely wouldn't travel as he was, likely prefering to remain unseen. After all, these bandit leader types often held enough sway around the villages they attacked to know when a shinobi was moving into town. Akiyama however hoped such news would spread, it would only bring the man and his goons to Akiyama's location faster so that he could deal with the problem. Walking around a curve in the path Akiyama spotted a shadow in the mist, unmoving. However, the sound that accompanied the mist was all too familiar now. These were the pained moans of a man about to die, and as Akiyama approached he could see this older gentlemen knew it too.

He was pale with wrinkled skin, his right eye bruised a soft green like the skin of a pear. His lips were busted in several places and a large gash stretched across his forehead, likely from repeated blows. In his gut were two kunai that looked as if he had left them there to avoid bleeding out on the side of the road. "Help." The old man spoke as Akiyama approached. "They did this, those damn bandits. You're from Kirigakure right? I was the one who paid for your villages services and this is what they did to me, they said they'd leave me here to die cold and alone." Akiyama tilted his head in response, scratching at his chin. "You hang in there, you'll only die if you give up too soon." He spoke as he stepped closer, picking up the man as he grunted loudly in pain, holding him in his arms as if he were a child or damsel in distress. "Don't you close your damn eyes old man." Jogging down the path Akiyama realized fully that he was close to the village now and that if this man were to just hold on for a few more minutes he would save his life.

Rushing into the small grouping of wooden houses with the man still in his arms Akiyama would cry out "Somebody get out here!"Seeing the door of one of the houses fly open and a woman come rushing out Akiyama would move to intercept her. "Father!" she yelled, choking back tears as she looked at the state the man was in. He was fading fast and through sheer unwillingness to allow his death Akiyama would rush into the home. Laying the man on to the hard wood floor he rushed back and forth as if searching. The daughter, as if instinctively knowing rushed into another room, returning with several linens which Akiyama took and began to tear.

Sliding to his knees beside the man Akiyama looked at him, his face stern like a man who had done this a thousand times despite having no medical training. "I need to remove the blades and bandage your wounds, bite on this." Reaching into a small holster he pulled out a small booklet, rolling it and placing it in the mans mouth for him to bite. "If only Kaito were here, damn it!" He cursed his lack of forethought as he quickly and precisely pulled the first kunai from the flesh, closely followed by the second. The man shivered and attempted to curl himself up in pain. Holding him to the floor Akiyama began wrapping the linen around his stomach, closing his wounds as he tied the bandage tight.

The fresh white cloth was sullied nearly instantly from the amount of blood that was being lost. However, they did not bleed through, showing some sign that it was halting the loss of blood to some extent. "Do you have medicine? He'll likely get a fever." Akiyama spoke as he looked over his shoulder at the mans daughter. Pausing for a moment she rushed off again, coming back with a small glass container filled with what looked like mixed herbs and began hand feeding her father.  All Akiyama could do now was watch over the home as he waited for the bandits to arrive and for the man to recover or pass away.

It would only be a few hours after the daughter had moved her father to his room that she would exit, closing the sliding paper door behind her. She carried with her a blade much smaller than the one Akiyama commonly used. Tossing the sheathed blade at Akiyama as he sat cross legged in the living room he reached out, catching it in one hand. "That was my fathers sword, and his before him, dating back at least twelve generations. Apparently one of my ancestors had fought in the Fourth Great War and used that weapon. And now, it will be held by a shinobi again, its yours." Her face was expressionless but her eyes held a great pain. "Won't your father miss it?" Akiyama inquired "He's no longer with us, and he had no son to pass the heirloom on to. You brought him here, you let him die in his own home with his only child looking over him, the same land his wife, my mother had died on, for that, you deserve a proper reward."

Pulling at the hilt of the blade Akiyama unsheathed half the blade, inspecting it. Instantly the quality was obvious to Akiyama, as well as the odd charm that dangled from a strong on the butt of the hilt. This sword was of high quality, far greater than his own despite the difference in size and weight. A chokuto, a long straight blade that tappered slightly at the end, and one that had clearly been maintained very well over the years. Nodding to the daughter Akiyama would watch as she entered her fathers room again, Akiyama continuing to sit, his new sword now resting in his lap.

The next morning the village came together, burying the man only a hundred or so meters from his home. The grave was dug next to his wifes and he was lowered into the ground in a hastily built coffin. Atop his grave Akiyama would unsheath his own blade, massive in size compared to the heirloom he had just been given. Thrusting the sword downwards he lodged it nearly half way into the dirt above where the man had been left six feet under. "As good as a trade as I can offer old man." Three loud claps could be heard in the distance "Isn't that cute!" a large bald man shouted from the distance, accompanied by four other men of vary size and shrinking hairlines.

"You're telling me you actually dragged that old man all the way back home?" The bald man questioned as he came closer, making sure to leave his guard detail ahead of him to avoid any sort of surprise attack. Reaching to his left side Akiyama gripped the hilt in a reverse style with his left hand. "I wouldn't do that if I were you!" The man exclaimed before Akiyama darted forward, the look in his eyes intense beyond description from what they normally were. His clear blue eyes were now ice cold, his intent to kill nearly palpable in the air. The first bandits stepped forward, rushing to Akiyama only to have to quickly duck as the blade sailed over his head. Taking advanatge of the mans position Akiyama raised his knee, connecting squarely with the mans jaw, throwing him backwards into a stumble.

Following the man Akiyama struck out again with his fists, hitting the man first in the stomach and then the face, refusing to allow him a chance to regain his footing and retaliate. Slipping past the first strike the man attempted Akiyama would twirl around his left side, gripping the hilt of his new blade the protruded from the dirt and swing in a wide arc as he turned to face him. Slashing across the mans chest blood spurted outwards before Akiyama flicked the blade away, sheathing it once more. The bandit before him fell to his knees, clinching his chest. Raising a single leg he would stomp, pressing the mans face into the ground with as much force as he could muster.

Turning an instant before the second bandits strike landed Akiyama ducked beneath his first punch. Raising both of his hands he would catch the mans knee in his palm and then drive forward, throwing the man off balance and onto his back. Climbing into a full mount position Akiyama began to rain heavy blows down on the man who attempted to defend himself with his forearms. Pulling a kunai from the holster on his thigh Akiyama would thrust hard, working the blade beneath the mans rib cage and then upwards as he cried out in agony. Pulling the blade out at an angle he left a deep diagonal gash in the mans stomach that would clearly leave him bleeding for some time before he died.

The bald man who seemed to lead the men would hesitate for a moment, as if rethinking his decision to come here. It was a sensitive time for Akiyama, the man he had tried to save had been his first casualty on a mission. Beyond that he seemed kind despite Akiyama hardly knowing anything of him. He was a man with a family who went out of his way, spending his own hard earned ryo to try and aid his neighbors by riding them of such scum. These men had killed him for that. And for that simple malicious act, Akiyama would assure each and every one experienced precisely what the old man had.

Watching as the bald man sent his remaining two lackies and ran Akiyama grunted loudly in frustration. The distance between them was little more than eight meters at this point. Pushing off with his right foot Akiyama would launch himself forward at an impressive speed. From his direction it seemed as though his intention was to shoot the gap between the two bandits in front of him. However, his right arm crackled with electricity and before the bandits could even react the lightning coated heirloom slid across their throats, causing them to instantly crumple to the ground, hands at their throats to try and suppress the bleeding.

The bald man however would be pierced through the back before he had time to turn and try to fight. The electricity began to flow through his body, leaving him numb and stiff. Falling forward his body made a loud thump on the moist ground below, Akiyama moving to stand over him, the blade still crackling with energy. Thrusting downwards Akiyama pierced the mans shoulder before pressing downwards with both hands, slowly forcing the tip of the blade through his flesh until it reached the dirt on the other side. Continuing to push Akiyama would go so far as to pin the man in place, face in the dirt.

Leaning down Akiyama would place his knee in the center of the mans back. Grabbing the back of his bald head with his left hand he pulled a kunai from its holster with his right. "You like to bleed these villagers like pigs. You like to take advantage of the weakness of those around you and exploit those willing to do horrible things for a little bit of money. Worst of all you thought you could just get away with all of it. If this were but a few weeks ago I would have been fresh, never struck a man down and your friends likely would have had a much easier time. But now, I've got no remorse for men like you."

Pushing the edge of his kunai against the mans throat he pulled hard, ripping the blade through the mans flesh in a wide arc across his throat that instantly began to spill his ichor across the grass, leaving it a crimson red. Without even turning to face the villagers that had crowded around to watch the melee Akiyama would wretch his new sword from the mans body, sheathing it once more and doing the same with his kunai. Walking forward Akiyama would eventually find himself on the dirt path to Kiri. These people had been saved, although they would likely never forget the violence that had occurred. If they knew it or not however, they had gained the support of a single shinobi, a lowly genin who aspired towards greatness. If he ever reached it, he was sure their lives would become far easier. After all, it was a simple thing for even a chunin to handle random bandits who thought they were glorious enough to threaten a village under the protection of Kirigakure. And if Akiyama were to ever become a jonin, surely this village would be nearly untouchable to any realistic threat.

Entering through the North Gate Akiyama would glance back on the path he had taken home and the village that was so near to where he was raised. These people were so close to an entire village full of people who could protect them, and yet nobody had. In fact, according to Akiyama's knowledge the mission hadn't been responded to in quite some time. This was something he could abide, this was something he would have to fix personally. So long as Akiyama drew breath, innocent people would never die, at least not before he did, he would protect them, his people.

~Exit Thread~