Protect the Merchant:

Sunadokei Akimichi lazed about the main lobby of the Administration Building, twirling her kunai in one hand and munching on a family sized bag of potato chips with the other. She'd just finished out a lowly D-Rank mission, another round of mail carrier duty, though she didn't quite feel like turning it in just yet. Running all over the city for most of the day left a girl hungry, and despite frequent stops at food carts or ramen shops, Sunadokei still wanted another light snack to top off her calorie reserves. Besides, she was quick enough with her missions, no one would dare call her lazy, not at the rate in which she'd been undertaking missions lately.

With one last handful of chips the bag was empty, and Sunadokei curled it up and casually tossed it into a trashcan. She'd nearly cleaned out an entire vending machine in truth, and lovingly patted her now content stomach. Finally ready to head up to the Mission Assignment Office and receive her next task, Sunadokei tucked her kunai back into the depths of her vast cleavage. She retrieved her mission scroll from its pillowy hiding place while her hand was there, as convenient as her chest was for storing things, she knew the mission proctors gave her side eyed looks when she retrieved her mission scrolls from there so nonchalantly in their company.

Sunadokei made her way into the office, taking her place in line and waiting patiently for her turn. When he was she proudly handed over her scroll, "Another D-Rank assignment complete. Hopefully the next one is a little more interesting than delivering the mail." She mused aloud, eager to see what she would get. Being a lowly genin, Sunadokei never expected much. Most of her usual tasks included menial labor, like moving heavy furniture, making deliveries, or watching someone's children. Very rare were the days she felt like she did actual shinobi work, rather than being a glorified day laborer.

The Jōnin acting as mission proctor today was an elder member of Inuzuka clan. His long mustache resembled whiskers, and his massive grey ninken sat soundly asleep at the side of his desk. The proctor smiled, taking the scroll and adding it to the completion pile, before writing a few things in his ledgers. "Hey, at least you're out doing field work, Pup." He said gruffly, still writing away in his ledgers. "Someday you'll be stuck in here like me, with nothing but paperwork and a hard ass wooden chair to look forward to." The Inuzuka always seemed to be a straightforward sort, never one to mince words.

"Well, how about you go deliver the mail, I handle the mission assignment then?" Sunadokei teased, she didn't really mind paperwork. Inuzuka were a lot like their ninja hounds, they had tons of energy, craved the outdoors, and always wanted to be moving. She could see how desk duty was like torture to them. An Akimichi however, was much less inclined for such. Sunadokei could almost envision herself just sitting at that desk snacking all day as she buried herself in her work. It'd be like studying for a test at the Academy, just sit at your desk, focus up, and snack. It didn't sound that bad to be honest, and with her huge rear it was difficult to find a truly uncomfortable chair.

"Ha, fat chance Pup." The Jōnin shot back sarcastically. "Sounds fun, but the Hokage would throw me in the doghouse if I shirked my duties... Hell, imagine what he'd do if I had a damn genin doing my job for me? No offense Pup." The man shook his head softly, daydreaming about what a ridiculous scenario that'd be. "Ask me again when you're at least a Tokujō, then we'll talk. Anyways, good work on your last mission, doing your village proud, etcetera, etcetera. You get the drill. Moving on, I've got your next mission all ready to go."

The elder shinobi rummaged through his active pile of mission scrolls, finding Sunadokei's next task. Locating it after a few moments, he tossed it to the buxom woman for her to catch. Sunadokei's eyes immediately wandered to the wax seal on the scroll. C-Rank, it wasn't ever day she got one of those. "A C-Rank Mission? Aren't those a little tough to send a Genin on?" She asked innocently, silently hoping this was some big chance for her to prove herself.

The Jōnin shook his head slowly no, stroking his long beard as he did. "Sorry Pup, open it up and read it. It's not really 'your' mission. You'll be tagging along and shadowing under a more veteran mission, consider it a vital lesson in training. Anyways, he should be arriving soon, so I might as well fill you in first. It's all in the mission scroll anyways. The job's simple, some merchant paid for a shinobi escort, probably worried about bandits or thugs. Keep him save, watch his back, make sure nothing happens to his cargo. Should be quick, easy, and clean. Any questions?"

Sunadokei looked at her scroll, eyeballing its contents and skimming through it for a moment before rolling it up and tucking it away in her cleavage. "Nope Inuzuka-sensei. I don't have any questions I suppose." She promptly gave the man a short bow, smiling as she rose. "Thank you though for this mission, I promise to complete it as quickly as I can, and to the best of my abilities."

The old dog smiled, chuckling to himself. "Yeah yeah, I've heard all the speeches. Take care Pup, now go on, this old dog's got a lot of paperwork left to do." Sunadokei simply nodded in response, turning on her heels and leaving the Mission Assignment Desk. She decided there was no point hanging around the office waiting for her partner to show up, so she headed back down to the lobby to grab a seat and some more snacks.

A few minutes later she had a bag full of cinnamon rolls from the small cafe, happily munching on them as she read over her assignment. "N'Jobu Aburame!?" Sunadokei said surprised, nearly choking on her bite. She recognized that name, it was the same Aburame from her mission days prior. The one from the Fire Temple. She hadn't expected to see him again so soon, not that it was an unwelcomed surprise. N'Jobu was nice enough, his clan was typically very stoic and reserved, and he seemed to fit the bill. But... there was a sinking feeling in Sunadokei's stomach. She did not much like the Aburame's parasitic chakra insects. Bugs in general creeped her out, and the thought of having an entire swarm of them living inside her like a hive nearly made her vomit. She decided she'd just have to deal with that when he arrived, until then she had more pastries to eat.

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Word Count: 1,465 | Invite: N'Jobu Aburame

Sunadokei gave a teasing smirk as N'Jobu ogled her generous curves, craning his neck before finally speaking to their proctor. Once he'd finished she gave him a playful wink, batting her long lashes. "See something you like Aburame-sensei?" She cooed softly, giving her bust a loving squeeze before returning to her breakfast sweets. "I look forward to shadowing you N'jobu-sama, we barely got to see each other during our last mission. I'd love to get to spend more personal time with the Head of the Medical-nin, maybe I could pick up a few tricks while I'm at it." Sunadokei's tone was light and bubbly, her words spoken with almost childish glee and enthusiasm. The Aburame clan were typically a reclusive and introverted bunch, but N'Jobu was downright sociable by their standards. Sunadokei wondered if he got it from his mother, his caramel skin and friendliness had to have come from somewhere, and it was unlikely to come from the normally introverted and pale skinned Aburame clan's men.

"It's nice to see you too N'jobu-sama." Sunadokei said, returning the insect shinobi's greeting in equal spades. It truly was, she was quite pleased to be partnered with a familiar and more veteran ninja on this mission. She swallowed the last bite of her cinnamon roll, retrieving yet another one and wagging a finger playfully at the dark skinned shinobi. "Unlikely, I paid for these myself. I need them to keep my strength up, and cause they're yummy. Ask more politely and I might though, I'm feeling generous." She teased playfully, before taking a large bite of the next warm icing drenched treat. Warm flavor erupting in her mouth before the woman licked her fingers clean of sticky white icing.

The gluttonous beauty's eyes lit up at her superior's playful wager, and eager to take up any opportunity for free food, Sunadokei gladly accepted. "Deal!" She said confidently, grabbing the shinobi's bandage wrapped hand to shake. "I just want you to know if I win, my definition of dinner and yours are two vastly different things." Sunadokei said playfully, giving the Aburame another teasing wink. "Lucky you you're an Aburame, I know your clan is as old and wealthy as mine. Even if your clan chooses not to show it." A knowing smile only reinforced her point, Sunadokei was no stranger to village politics between the clans.

This was true, and of the Four Noble Clans, the Aburame were always the most reserved. The Hyūga lived as almost a kind of royalty, flaunting their wealth and superior status lording over lesser clans as if their betters. The Uchiha had been just as proud, if not prouder than the Hyūga in their prime. But their near total destruction generations ago after a failed coup d'état had left them in a sorry state ever since. Sunadokei greatly doubted they held any remaining vaults of treasure and wealth, their once great riches likely plundered long ago by selfish survivors of the clan or lost to the ages. They barely had a clan, much less a functional one to manage any kind of estates.

That just left her's and N'Jobu's own clans. The Akimichi were wealthy as they were gluttonous, great incomes were needed to support greater appetites. Despite this they were by far the most gregarious and generous clan, rarely flaunting their wealth or status and being sociable and protective of others. A large part of this came from their timeless bond with clans Nara and Yamanaka, and the Formation Ino-Shika-Cho remained a union strong as iron to this very day. That only left the Aburame, who were easily the most introverted and reclusive of the Four Noble Clans. Their talents were vast, and their family tree was littered with remarkable shinobi of great renown. Even if they did not openly flaunt their accolades, they were well known and well regarded by the village. They had to possess great wealth, given the size and prestige of their clan, though it seemed by and large the Aburame chose to live for reserved, almost spartan lifestyles. Sunadokei could not picture the Aburame throwing an opulent festival like the Hyūga or hosting a lavish feast like the Akimichi.

Regardless, Sunadokei was more than prepared to try and beat her Medical-nin superior to the village main gates. As N'Jobu took to the rooftops Sunadokei had a more direct method to her approach. She quickly threw out the hand seals for Ram and the Akimichi Special Seal, shouting "Human Bullet Tank Technique!" Immediately her belly expanded back into a three meter wide sphere. She tucked in her limbs and took off rolling down the stretches like a purple clad wrecking ball. N'Jobu could have his rooftops, she had her kekkai genkai. Despite its considerable size, the Human Bullet Tank moved with considerable speed, clipping along the streets at thirty five meters per second, which was faster than Sunadokei could hope to run. She rumbled down the streets, hopping to bouncing over fruit carts and oxen pulled wagons that got in her way, or quickly strafing to avoid them.

The two shinobi moved quickly, making excellent time as they pushed towards the destination. Sunadokei thought it extremely unlikely she'd win, unless N'Jobu let her that is, but if he was a man of his word his wallet would sorely regret that decision later. As the curvy bullet tank drew close to the village gates Sunadokei dispelled her jutsu, in a puff of smoke returning to normal and transitioning into a sprint at full speed with minimal loss of momentum. She came to stop at the village gates, the banners of Kohana and Konokagure flying proudly from the towering stone gateway. Military Police kept vigil, manning the guard stations and keeping a pulse on the flow on traffic in and out of the city.

Sunadokei hopped onto a streetlamp, holding her hand to her forehead to block out the sun as she scanned for their merchant. She spotted a man fitting Huang's description, sitting leaned against the village wall, impatiently tapping his feet as he smoked a cigarette. She leaped from her perch, running along an electrical wire that bridged two rooftops and landing gracefully with a heavy jiggle to his bust as his feet. The merchant jumped back in surprise, nearly losing his cigarette in the process. "Lord woman you scared me!" He snapped at her, placing a hand over his heart. "They said they'd be sending two shinobi. Where's the other one?" He asked questioningly, rubbing at his chin.

Sunadokei looked around. "Aburame-sensei is probably already here... watching from some place." She admitted, unsure where her mentor had gone. "He's a cunning one, all of his clan are." She admitted, sizing up the man. Huang Zedong was what she'd expect for a merchant. He had a short trimmed beard with a long black goatee, slick black hair that looked held in place by far too much gel. He smelled of smoke from his cigarettes, and she could see the outline of his lighter in his breast coat pocket. The man dressed as though he was trying to flaunt wealth, but it came off as gaudy and fake. His outfit, only a pale imitation of designer styles worn by the village's wealthiest aristocrats and noble families. Something about him seemed... off, call it woman's intuition. He seemed almost slimy in demeanor, though Sunadokei rationalized there were many snake oil salesmen out there. Greedy cons and ruthless businessmen who would sell their mother's sold if they thought the King of Hell was good for the ryo. This man was likely no different.

The Akimichi woman cleared her throat, catching the merchant's gaze wondering too low on her neckline for her tastes. Huang averted his eyes, pretending to stare off into the clouds as he began whistling to himself. She liked N'Jobu's quick glances and stares, as she did Yoshihiro's, but that was because they were friends, and handsome shinobi. Sunadokei had little taste for slimy looking merchants, they were just a source of an easy paycheck and a mission completed in her name. She opened her bag of cinnamon rolls, nonchalantly resuming her one woman feast. If N'Jobu made himself known in the next minute or so she'd opt to give him one if he asked nicely, though they were fast disappearing down her greedy maw. "He'll be here any moment now." Sunadokei informed the man between hungry mouthfuls.

"Well, he'd better be." The irritable merchant said, lighting up a fresh smoke. "I have a lot of product to move today, and the sooner I get it moved the better..." Well, he certainly was in a foul mood, and a rush. Sunadokei mused to herself, rolling her eyes and folding her arms crossed beneath her massive bust. A scowl formed on her brow, and her lips curled into a plump pout. She decided it simpler to distract herself with more food, rather than argue with the man, and returned to her cinnamon sweets.

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Word Count: 1,595 | Total Word Count: 3,060