Tanzaku Gai

Mission name: Secrets of the Universe: The Sword of Destiny
Mission rank: B-rank
Objective: To learn greater secrets is to deal with greater threats.
Location: Kaminari no Kuni | Tanzaku Gai
Reward: 500 ryo
Mission Description: The 'Sword of Destiny' is an old ritualistic sword crafted from jade. It holds little combat value but once every so often it is brought towards the yamabushi living deep within treacherous mountains to restore it's supposed indestructibility. Take the blade, bring it to the yamabushi, and bring it back.
Mission Details: 2500 wc
Unique relics such as these are often the target of collectors, so not surprisingly someone's out to ambush you and steal it while you're on the road. Your opponent is a gang of thugs who are familiar with the mountains of Kumogakure. Four (4) of them have C-2 stats across the board while their leader has B-1 stats across the board and is capable of using B-rank jutsu (element/specs up to the writer).

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Tomohiro was nothing more than a shadow within the peaks of Kumogakure. He hadn’t made much contact with anyone for awhile. The Nakir monk had kept himself mostly isolated or two himself. It had been him and Assam braving it out with each other. He hoped that the tiger would stay out of trouble. The Nakir compound wasn’t generally made to house such a beast. Though, the tiger was young and gentle. There were times that he could get a bit rowdy. Assam had warmed up to his younger brother, Mitsuhide. It gave the younger boy company and didn’t leave Assam locked up in Tomohiro’s living quarters. That was one thing that he was able to put to rest. Assam’s condition seemed to keep him anxious. His anxiety was also part of the reason that he didn’t train the tiger cub to his true potential. Tomohiro sighed at the thought of having to bring the tiger into combat. He would need to start off small and gradually build his experience. The ninneko would be an integral part in his future fighting style, but he wasn’t so excited about it. There was a lot that he wished he could teach the tiger, but he simply thought that he was too young.

He decided to take on this mission as an additional party. Tomohiro wasn’t truly needed, but he wouldn’t miss out on going on a mission with an old squad mate. He sort of missed those days, but there was no point in reminiscing on the past. Tomohiro wanted to pave a new path for himself. He wasn’t sure of what that path was, but he hoped he would find it. Sometimes you were just in the background of someone else's story. It was something that he came to accept, but at the same he wanted to fight it. The only thing he currently sought after was trying to get stronger. It wasn’t necessarily for himself, but it was for the love of Kumogakure. The strong emotions he had were almost unmatched. Tomohiro made sure to keep them bottled away as much as he could. Emotions were a way that could negatively affect you if you didn’t have them in check. Tomohiro attempted to remove his feelings from his career as a shinobi. He had a long way to go. Tomohiro began meditating again after having not done so in a long time. It was his current way of dealing with things. His methodolatry was that of his ancestors. It worked for them and it would work for him.

Tomohiro listened to the words of his former squadmate. He would take notice that she would want to be called her hermit name. It wasn’t a name he was too familiar with, but he understood. The word of advice she gave, “The result of a battle is often determined before the first draw of the blade." It reminded him of advice that their former sensei would provide. The quote held true. Unlike Mizuki, he found didn’t consider his blade a last resort. It was a tool that he would align to himself when the need called. Tomohiro though he was trying to control his emotions. He knew that he was slowly, but surely losing his humanity. Tomohiro enjoyed killing. Taking out the enemies of Kumogakure gave him pleasure. It didn’t even matter if it was truly for Kumo or his own delight. There was a dark side within him. It was a dark side that he wasn’t sure how long he could control it. Though, he was determined to do whatever he could to control it.

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