Escort the Ninja:

“So you’re saying that, this time, I have to do it with another person?” Yukino said. Sakamoto simply nodded her head, not too off put by her tone this time. “Why’s that?” Yukino said, her voice still holding the same angry flare as before. “Well, it’s just the way it works. You aren’t a Chunin yet, therefore you can not take missions that’re C-Rank by yourself.” This made Yukino’s head tilt with frustration, but from the corner of her eye she could see the Special Jounin from before eyeing her. “Damn, he’s here again?” she thought to herself. “That’s fine, I guess. What’s my partner’s name?” Yukino said, lowering her voice so no one else could hear them talking. “Her name is Kotone, Akaneya.” The lady said as she read the name straight from the file. “Kotone? I don’t think I’ve ever heard that last name before.” Yukino said before shrugging it off. At the end of the day, it didn’t matter who it was, as long as she was able to complete the mission.

The file said to meet the guy who they were supposed to escort towards the front of the gats. Yukino didn’t see the other girl in the administration building, so she just assumed that’s where they’d all meet up. Making her way through the village, the only thing on her mind was the mission. Of course, the payout would be good, the most money she would’ve ever made in a single mission. This however wasn’t that important to her since, coming from the Sarutobi clan, they never had to worry about money while she was growing up. She was mostly concerned with the escort mission itself. It would definitely be different, and a challenge, but she felt like she could take on whatever was out there. The question of what kind of person her partner would be. The file she read over didn’t give out any information about her, so Yukino could only hope she would be an asset and not cause her any trouble. All these things ran through her head as she found herself walking closer to the front gate. Yukino began to look around for both her partner and the man they were supposed to escort amidst the busy crowd that normally gathered around the front gate at this time.

WC: 388

Why did the gate have to be so crowded? It was, above all, a pain and an inconvenience to everyone. Akaneya had been forced to stand there, right beside her ward for the mission, waiting amidst a high point of traffic at its busiest hour. Any sort of tracking or attempting to find her partner was just about impossible under the current conditions, her clan technique's abilities dulled by the crowds and specificities lost. Even more than that, though, it was overwhelming and uncomfortable, her senses assaulted on all fronts. The buzzing and bustling boisterous body of people coming hither and thither was far more than Akaneya could reasonably be comfortable with. Feeling the presence of every person in the vicinity was troublesome, the echoing in her ears of their voices and steps and movements, the moving wind and bouncing sound felt like every individual spine on a comb grinding against her, her vision obscured by an endless sea of moving people that shifted with every step like a maelstrom, and while people would rarely say that a city ever had an actively pleasant smell, certainly the sweat of all those returning from their missions and the closed funnel the gate provided made the worst parts concentrated in one spot.

Looking to her charge, and then back to the crowd, Akaneya made an executive decision. Grabbing his wrist, she brought the two of them to higher ground. Any escape at all from the unceasing cesspit of the street level would be of benefit to the both of them, surely? She knew, of course, that she would hardly be of any use if her senses were overwhelmed before they even started. Taking the moment to calm down and collect herself, she felt thankful that there was actually a legitimate mission to attend to this time. Not just mindless manual labor, nor anything particularly last-minute, and certainly not holding anything up just for the sake of appearances. It was a real mission, with real danger and consequences, and it was actually important to just about anyone. Knowing all of this made her feel useful, that the elders of the village might finally be coming through at last, instead of just giving her the repetitive tasks so often issued to those fresh from the academy. It was a good feeling, inasmuch as she could experience such a thing.

Post stats:

Yukino always found the front gate somewhat annoying to be around. This was one of the first times she had been there by herself, so it was all the more confusing as to how the flow of traffic worked. One would think it would be as simple as people choosing one side to travel on if they were leaving or vice versa. This was definitely not the case, and it almost seemed like everyone was trying their best to bump into her. While Konoha never really had a crime issue, she wouldn’t put it past some of the travelers to try their luck. Still, since Yukino was only five feet tall, everyone towered over her, thus making it almost impossible to try to find somehow normally. With this in mind, followed by some frustration, she sprung up to the rooftops.

Once she achieved the high ground, she was able to forget the hussle and bussle of the village below. It was no strange sight to see a ninja spring to such a high height, it seemed as though no one even batted an eye to her actions. Whether they had or hadn’t was of no concern to her, as her mind was focused on her current objective. While she had a vague idea of what her partner looked like, she had a clear picture of what the ninja they were escorting current appearance was.

“Let’s see…” she said as she began to scan the ground below for any sign of s two people who may have been standing still. “A man with black hair, tan skin, scar on the left side of his face....” Yukino mused to herself as she was working to remember everything the file said about him.

While it she looked at the ground below, it had occurred to her that maybe her partner thought to do the same as her and moved to higher ground. She shifted her attention to the buildings and around. It didn’t take long from her quick scan to find the people she was looking for. It seemed as though they didn’t know that she was also on the rooftops, so Yukino simply moved to their location. She did so with one, concentrated leap that cleared the distance between them in mere moments. Yukino landed softly behind her. While this would have gone undetected to a normal person, as everyone here were ninja, she doubted that her arrival would be a surprise. Yukino did a quick look over of her partner, but chose to introduce herself so it wouldn’t seem as though she trying to be rude.

“Hi, I’m Yukino Sarutobi. It’s nice to meet you both.” she said. While she introduced herself respectfully, no real inclination of being snobbish; one of her flaws were apparent. Yukino had this habit that was mostly out of her control to appear as though she was looking through someone. It was a habit she picked up from her father, and something she carried for her whole life. Yukino would wait for the other two to introduce themselves as well before continuing the conversation.

“Did you want to take time out to plan, or would you rather just move out.” she would start again, directing her attention to her partner. “The file didn’t say anything about there being any real trouble, so it may not be necessary to do whole lot of planning.” Yukino would suggest. She would say this, but she was also completely open to input from both her partner and the ninja they were supposed to escort.

WC: 603
TWC: 991

Although not entirely expected, it was a welcome act that her partner had managed to manifest just behind her. Of course, just hearing the footsteps, feeling the sound waves bouncing and hearing them as they came, it was no surprise when the voice came at last. The voice introduced itself as Yukino of the Sarutobi clan, sounding dreadfully cheerful as it did so. The minor ninja next to her, perhaps a bit startled by the suddenness, quickly turned himself around and introduced himself. Akaneya, however, continued overlooking the village, listening but not turning to meet her partner. Once their ward had finished his introduction, she began hers - "Kotone, Akaneya."

Yukino suggested, then, that there might be some planning to do. As minor a mission as this was, there was also a legitimate stake to be had. After all, the village wouldn't waste two good kunoichi just for the sake of a gesture of goodwill and nothing more. In fact, she said this- "We must never assume there is not a risk. The village knows better than to waste our time and their resources if they believed this man was capable of returning to his village on his own. We must assume there is a clear and present danger that he could not face alone threatening us on each step of the journey. For this reason, it would be wise to think a few steps ahead instead of charging blindly into the unknown."

Akaneya felt in her pouch for her belled senbon. They were there. They always were. "I am what might be termed a sensory ninja in a sense. I might be able to provide us with a forewarning if whatever danger is present drifts too close. Even still, we should have an idea of how to react. The way I see it, the protection of our ward is the top priority under any case. If we are close enough when the danger strikes, we may delay it long enough for him to return safely. If we are not, then disabling the ability of the danger to be a danger is the top priority."

"I specialize in genjutsu. Having a partner allows me to put more effort into sustaining my hold over others. When we pick our target, which I believe should be whichever is closest to our ward in the case of there being multiple, I will trust you to take to the offense while I disable it. Do whatever is necessary to keep the danger away. If the danger is scared off, then let it be - it is not our mission. If not, then hold nothing back. Be willing to kill and be willing to do so without hesitation or second thought. It is only with this willingness that success can be best determined, and in the case of multiple targets, their morale will suffer for having witnessed it."

"Controlling the flow of the situation is the ultimate factor in success. Morale, being a tool to control, needs to be considered. If we can eliminate the danger with minimal effort, then it should be done. Each step taken towards a fight is a step that endangers our ward. If it comes to it, though, I will have to entrust you to this role."

Finally turning to face Yukino, she finished her speech: "Are there any objections or concerns?"

Post stats:

“Kotone?” was Yukino’s first thought as the girl introduced herself. “I’ve never heard that clan name before.” her thought continued. As she grew in experience, she was beginning to realize how many in the village came from lesser known clans. While it didn’t necessarily off put her from working with them, it did make her at least somewhat wary to not know her capabilities as a ninja. Her concerns were quickly extinguished however as her partner continued to introduce herself to the young Sarutobi.

From the way she spoke alone, the blue eyed Sarutobi could see that Akaneya was highly intelligent. She spoke so matter of factly that Yukino imagined would be quite jarring for someone who wasn’t used to her. In her own personal case, Yukino’s own father spoke in a similar way. That being said, she simply listened as Akaneya logically reasoned that the village wouldn’t simply waste their time.

Yukino wanted to roll her eyes, not because of Akaneya, but because of her assumption that the village wouldn’t willingly waste their resources. “Then explain those tedious D ranked missions.” is what Yukino wanted to say, but she kept those thoughts secured in her mind, not wanting to have a conflict with her partner so early in the mission. She watched as her partner reached into her pocket before continuing.

Yukino listened as her partner explained her own proficiencies and found that they would make a good team. With her Taijutsu, and Akaneya’s own ability to control a crowd with her Genjutsu, one would be hard pressed to find a suitable opening to their escort. As she spoke however, it became apparent to the young ninja, that her partner had strategized beyond that of a regular Genin. She could easily see how she could be mistaken to be a Chunin if not higher based on her level intellect on her own. While the fire within her wanted to burn ablaze from the thought of her not being on the same level as her partner, Yukino saw it as more of an opportunity.

The young Sarutobi, while nowhere near as smart as her partner, could see that she could learn a lot. Once she quelled the fire, she saw this as a time to grow and learn so that she could one day be able to plan out missions as effectively as her partner had. It was in that moment that Akaneya opened the floor to the other two ninja that stood next to her. It was clear that their escort was more or less lost for words, surely wondering what he had gotten himself involved in. “I think you painted the picture quite clearly for us.” her blue eyes closing from the smile that emerged on her face. “ I think I’m gonna like you, Akaneya.” Yukino said cheerfully as she looked to the escort before shifting her attention to the front gate.

“It’s best we get going then.” Yukino said as she sprung from their perch to land on the ground below. While she wasn’t sure the path her partner or the other ninja would take, she knew that no matter what they’d be at the front gate in no time. While it wasn’t clear who the leader of the small party was, as a Sarutobi, Yukino was always first to act, whether she realized it or not. She would find herself taking point as the group traveled, assuming it would be best for Akaneya to hang back anyway to better suit her own abilities.

WC: 600
TWC: 1,591

Just like that, the eager Sarutobi ran off into the wild blue yonder. It might've even been impressive just how quickly she jumped headfirst into things, leaving behind the two others without so much as a second thought. Heaving a sigh, Akaneya grabbed the wrist of the confused genin beside her and they took to catching up by using the rooftops for quick mobility. In short order, the pair had met Yukino at the village gates. Akaneya, feeling little hesitation to turn back and face the massive crowd, she urged them to head off. In only a few moments, the vast and overwhelming sensory overload of the crowd had all but dissipated, just a faint murmur behind them muffled by the thick walls and the ever-increasing distance between them.

The travel itself went relatively smoothly. Akaneya kept her eyes and ears open for any hints of movement, any suggestions of an enemy presence. There had to be something, right? It was somewhere out there, lurking, waiting to pounce. There was a set distance from the village that one could reasonably expect to be safe, of course. No fools would try to make their move too close to the village, that was just common sense. At least, she hoped it would be. Once the forest got dense and the village distant, however, one could not be too careful. Taking out one of her belled senbon, she struck the bell against the side of her kunai and made it ring out. The ring started high and lowered a bit, as a ring might be expected to, but then stabilized and held its tune perfectly. It was a subtle thing, but for Akaneya, it opened the world to her.

Sensing her surroundings, every tree, every branch, every leaf, it was as crisp and clear as sparkling dew in the morning. The sound waves went out, and they bounced back, it was a simple but highly effective system. Even better, it could easily see through camouflage or particular stealth jutsu, as anything tangible would still be hit, and anything muffled would be a gap in the sound field. Any extra sound would be likewise amplified in the return, though Akaneya hardly needed the jutsu active just to hear things. Her perception was extraordinary, as it generally was with Kotone, and trained to hypersensitivity by her technique. No, this jutsu was simply to amplify the differences, providing a neutral background so deviations became even more evident. It was easy for something hard to notice to be quiet, it was less easy for it to match pitch, and even less for it to not obstruct the sound waves.

She kept this going for a few minutes, asking silence from her comrades to be best effective with the jutsu. In but a few more steps, she stopped in her tracks. Making a slight click with her tongue, alerting her comrades, she took a deep breath. Reaching into her pouch, she felt her senbon, taking one between each finger. In one, fluid motion, she threw them in a wide spread behind her and leapt backwards. Pulling out her flute, she spoke - "They're here."

The genin left the shrubs and trees, dodging her senbon, and arrived at the forest floor in full view. Three of them, standing tall and cocky, wearing no forehead protectors and recognizing no authority. "She missed," one so helpfully noted. "You should work on your aim more!" cried another, laughing a little at his own crude humor. Between them, a taller and stronger ninja, perhaps their leader, stepped forth - "Look ladies, we've got a contract on this guy's head. Step aside and make this easy for us. I'd say you wouldn't want to risk an even match, but let's be honest, he's not really counting for much here, so you're outnumbered and probably outskilled. Let's not shed blood, we don't really need you hurt and we really don't want to have to take you back with him."

Akaneya narrowed her glare. She put the flute to her lips and prepared herself and started to play. "You gonna play us a little Walking Away music? We'd appreciate the concert so long as you stay out of the wa-"

He fell, his legs giving out from under him. She continued her song as he looked down and gained a panicked look on his face. "M-my legs!" cried he, but to him there would be none. Indeed, he would just see stumps where his legs should be. With just a couple more movements, the sound of rustling came from all the nearby foliage. Akaneya put her flute down for a moment, "Our signal has been heard. Reinforcements have arrived."

With this, she looked to Yukino, nodded, and then began her little song once more to continue the paralysis on the enemy leader. She could only hope the other kunoichi understood what was going on, and would play along nicely. Perhaps together, they could intimidate the others enough that they would leave, and forget entirely that their target was slowly backing out of the situation to his nearby village as they spoke.

Post stats:

The walk was pleasant enough, though nothing too different for Yukino at this point. She had traveled around the village before for missions or otherwise. She would glance behind her every so often to check on her partner and the other ninja. While she wanted to strike up a conversation with her partner or even the ninja they were escorting, it didn’t seem like either were in a talking mood. “That’s fine, I guess.” Yukino thought to herself as she shifted her attention back to the road ahead.

They worked their way farther away from the village, causing the young Sarutobi to become a bit more anxious. It would simply be stupid for anyone to attack close to the village. There would be Jounin level fighters ready to respond at a moments notice, not to mention the Hokage. For a mission such as this, it wouldn’t be hard for Chunin to handle enemies of this caliber. Still, as they moved deeper into the forest and farther along the roads, that protection slowly evaporated away. It didn’t bother Yukino much, as she was more than confident in her own abilities as a ninja by herself. With her was another ninja at the same level as herself, so its safe to say she was more than confident about the task at hand. That wasn’t the case for the ninja they were escorting however.

While he didn’t say it, Yukino could feel his nervous energy all the way from where she was. She was beginning to wonder if the man was even a ninja when her partner made a strange noise from behind her. Yukino slowed her pace so she could get a closer look at what her partner was doing, though she couldn’t really understand it from just observation alone. The actions her partner took reminded of her of a music teacher who was trying to stay on pitch. From her partner’s reactions though, Yukino figured it was some sort of sensory technique that she wasn’t familiar with. “That seems to be useful, maybe I should learn some sort of sensory technique.” Yukino thought to herself briefly before she was interrupted.

The interruption came from Akaneya as she alerted her teammates that company had arrived. Yukino shifted her attention to the front as the enemies leapt in front of them with no hesitation. The men in front of her party immediataly rubbed the blue eyed girl the wrong way from their stance alone. That was before they opened their mouths. Before the men even had an accurate reading on her party’s strength levels, they discounted them. The fire within Yukino ignited and she ready to put in some work on the men. Before she had the chance however, Akaneya had already made her move and paralyzed the men. “What is going on?” Yukino asked before she realized her partner’s actions.

It was the man who started to complain about the fact that his legs were missing, though they were in fact there. It was here that it dawned on Yukino that her partner placed their foes into a genjutsu. It was the first time that Yukino had seen genjutsu in action like this, so it was bit off putting at first, watching the men sort of crawl in a horrified and shocked manner. “Remind me to never get into a fight with you.” Yukino said to her partner in a playful tone. Yukino picked up on Akaneya’s look and moved to who she assumed to be the leader of the group. Though she wasn’t the strongest, Yukino summoned up her strength and managed to pick the man up halfway off the ground. “You’ll be missing a lot more than your legs if you don’t scram, now!” Yukino said in the most intimidating voice she could muster.

While the voice may have been cheesy to others, to the men who were under the control of the genjutsu, it would be more than enough to scare them off. Dropping the man on the ground, she looked to her partner and gave a nod. This was a signal to release their enemies from the genjutsu, confident that they would run away first chance they got. The young Sarutobi could see the ninja that they were escorting already making his way to his village, as they weren’t too far from it. While they couldn’t be one hundred percent sure, Yukino was confident that these were the only men that were after the ninja in question. Since they had been more or less handled, the girl couldn’t see any real reason to accompany the ninja anymore.

Yukino turned her attention to her partner with a smirk on her face. “You’re pretty good, Akaneya.” Yukino would start, in a cheerful tone. “I wouldn't mind doing another mission with someone like you.” Yukino said, pausing allowing her partner enough time to respond to her statements. “I’ll look forward to our next meeting, Akaneya.” Yukino would finish before she disappeared from sight. Even for a fellow ninja, body flicker is nearly impossible to track, but allowed Yukino to make her way back to the village quickly. She still had to meet her father for training before the end the day.

WC: 891
TWC: 2,482

~Exits Thread~

Mission Summary::