Kenji was sitting outside his home polishing his katana. He received a message yesterday about a mission that required him to leave the village. Kenji was more serious than usual, this would be the first time he left the village, and the objective was to detain and eliminate a missing nin group.

“A group of three malicious shinobi from Iwagakure that have defected; they are said to be planning to destroy the village. It’s your job to stop them. The number of ninja in the group is unknown, but we know it’s less than five. You will rendezvous outside the village gates of Iwagakure. There you will meet up with your squad; two other shinobi from Iwagakure will assist you in taking the enemy unit down.”

Kenji read the contents aloud; he was now running through the wilderness. He had became so in tune with nature and the overall area, it felt like it only took minutes for him to exit the boundaries that separated the Land of Lightning.

The land of Rock was the closest thing to Kumogakure in terms of altitude; so the climate was not difficult for Kenji to adjust to. Kenji, however, had become alien to heat. He spent his entire life in Kumogakure and he spent several months in the highest and coldest area of the village, when he went to learn Senjutsu.

He stood atop a cliff; overlooking the vast land. Like Kumo, there were many mountains and Kenji was going to have to hike quite a bit. His first trek would be climbing down the brown mountains; the rock was hot to the touch. Even with his gloves on, if he kept his hand in contact with the rock for more than a second the heat would start to sizzle on his hand. Kenji’s agility and experience with hiking allowed him to move down the range with ease.

Kenji was due to leave Kumo for good soon; he was getting a small taste of what it would be residing outside of Kumogakure. “It’s going to be different, but I look forward to the adventure. But it isn’t time yet; right now I need to meet up with the Iwagakure shinobi.”

“This is going to be the most difficult mission I have embarked on. I will have help, but still, I will be going up against multiple talented and trained shinobi. Who have killing intent; there will be no room for carelessness.” Kenji said to himself as he took a break at the bottom of the mountain he had climbed down. Kenji removed his back pack and took out a thermos filled with water. He took a bite from one of his favorite granola bars and washed it down with a swallow of water. The banana granola bar was tasty but not fulfilling. It would definitely give him energy, but he needed a little more to get him through his trip. He took out a multi-fiber granola bar, one of the most disgusting granola bars he had in stock. The granola bar was strictly for sustenance. Kenji coughed it down; it was nasty but it was sure to stick to his stomach. “I might need more water to get this taste out of my mouth.”

Kenji was now a little less than a hundred meters from the village gates. The gates were in view. Kenji did dress somewhat appropriately. He had on a few layers, similar to the general attire of the natives. He had a scarf around his head that was protecting him from the beaming sun. He started his walk to the village; so he could begin introducing himself to his squad.

612~

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