It was a special day today. Matsu was being given the the opportunity to lead a genin on a mission. It was the first time that he had been given a chance like this and he was surprisingly excited to get the job done. After the success of the last mission, Matsu was happy to learn that the pair of shinobi were safe and that had no intention of leaving the village. He actually saw the girl here and there on his stroll through the village. Luckily she was far too drunk to remember Matsu's face. Deep down though, he felt it was a shame, the girl really was quite beautiful and she'd love to have had the chance to pursue her in a relationship.

Though he actually didn't know what the deal was between the girl and her male companion. He did knew that he was significantly older than her and was actually quite scared of being separated from her. He didn't know if they were together or just friends or maybe even just relatives. Regardless, he was happy to see they were okay. Considering how drunk the girl had gotten when they were last together.

Matsu's mission today was to return to that same village. He would need to look through the village and apprehend a bandit leader. Leaving from his own home, he'd make his way to the village gates, waiting for his partner.


243/1500 (Lets get this over with)

The young genin emerged from the Administrative Building with a scroll labeled 'Rank B' in hand. Lately he was tackling more and more challenging missions it seemed despite of his low rank. He wasn't complaining however. It was just the thing any genin dreamed of doing because anything beat tracking down cats, disciplining academy students, catching vandals, or the worst; taking care of Lady Naniko. The mission was to take care of a group of bandits occupying Hioko, a little village in the fire country just southwest of Konoha, the bandits at first were just terrorizing the townspeople but suddenly resorted to killing anyone who stood in their way which explains the severity of the mission. They are to rendezvous with the client, Joshiro who is a resident of the town and a shop owner to gather information and deal with the situation accordingly, causing as little damage as possible. For the mission the team consisted of only a pair this time which was odd to the young genin as mission normally consisted of a four man team. Once again this was probably due to the village being shorthanded for the time being.

Touya took comfort however in knowing that he would be in the company of a chuunin who would be in charge. It was simple, all Touya had to do was following instructions, make himself as useful as possible and everything would play out smoothly with the mission being a success. It was time to move out. The scroll went into his hip pouch as the genin kicked off the ground, jumping in midair. He caught a bit of hang-time as he took the time the enjoy the scenery but for a moment, taking a deep breath. Taking in a bit of sunlight as well, Konoha was always so beautiful at this time of day, it's citizens happily going about their day as shinobi traversed the varies rooftops going about their own missions. Touya landed on one of these rooftops and began jumping from one to the next, making his way to the main gate of the village where he was suppose to meet up with his partner. As he landed before the village gates he was met with a a gentlemen, his red hair stood out quite well, Touya had never seen anything like it. He wore a black and white robe which told Touya that he probably wasn't a very physical fighter, seeing as how he was the only person here, this had to be the chuunin, his partner. Touya approached the man, pulling the scroll from his hip pouch before presenting it to him. "Hatake Touya," He introduced himself, holding out his other hand for a shake. "I look forward to working with you." He added, his lips forming a friendly smile.

468/1500

Matsu would give his silly grin with his eyes almost closed. It was such a nice day out with the sun shining bright over head. Just past morning. He would've made a poem about the sight, if he were actually any good at making poems. Maybe he'd draw a shitty little scene about it in a sketch book later, but for now, he was just basking in the warmth and accepting the beautiful day the lord had brought to him. Hearing the sound of another, Matsu would turn to meet him, keeping the smile on his face. He'd take the scroll, opening it up and scanning it to make sure this was actually the genin as he'd said. 

Closing the scroll, Matsu would twirl it around on his dexterous fingers with great care to make sure it didn't drop. Not saying anything for a second, he'd simply look the genin up and down sizing him up for the situation. Yeah he should be fine. He thought to himself before speaking. Matsumura Hashikawa. Was all he'd say as he'd give the guy a fist-bump rather than actually shaking his hand. Welp! Lets head on out then. He'd fix his robe, patting the massive black and white scroll on his lower back. 

The walk from between the village would take hours and he was in no rush to get involved. If he was lucky, the two would get there at night time and all of the bandits would be asleep. With one hand on the scroll, Matsu would smile to himself, he was curious about how he would deal with 50 bandits with no weapons, items and very little summoning support. He'd laugh a little silently to himself before turning and walking backwards. How much do you actually know about this mission? He'd keep his silly grin up, showing his carefree attitude. 

He was just making small talk. Just because he didn't want to get to the objective any sooner, didn't mean getting there later would prove better. He wanted to speed up the process of walking, while also speeding up time to make it night time when the two arrived, but only time would tell how things worked out. Regardless, he was sure he'd be able to come up with a plan, once he'd fully seen the layout of the village. That was his specialty after all, making up plans.

658/1500

"Matsumura Hashikawa."

The man replied after his little display with the scroll that left Touya somewhat assumed by his amazing dexterity, this was followed with a fist bump rather than a handshake. Now Touya was always used to either formal bowing when introducing one self, heck, the handshake was as casual as it got for the young genin. This fist bump just took the cake; not that Touya really mind though. Matsumura seemed like a carefree spirit just going about his life without a care in the world. Also his last name, it didn't register as any clan Touya had knowledge of so it was impossible to judge what kind of ability he possessed. The genin was not going to underestimate his partner because of this however because after all, he was a chuunin and the one calling the shots on this mission. Touya did note the huge scroll on the chuunin's back however, which could only mean he mastered Fuuinjutsu or perhaps Kuchiyose. Maybe both? There was also no reason to doubt that his odd behavior was his way of hoodwinking his opponents into underestimating his true abilities, or maybe he was just seriously that carefree and relaxed, who knows. "Welp! Lets head on out then. He chimed, to which Touya slightly bent his knees, ready to take to the branches----but.

He was...walking? This came to a surprise to Touya who was always rushing every where he went, especially during a mission. There were townspeople being slaughtered in Hioko at the moment and they were just going to stroll all the way to their aid? This did not bode to well for the young genin who just stood still in awe. He would eventually get his thoughts straight and scramble to catch up with Matsumura, walking alongside him at his steady pace. Deep down he really wanted to protest and stress the seriousness of the mission but it wouldn't have been in his nature to ever question a subordinate. Touya would just convince himself that this was part of some kind of kind of master strategy Matsumura had in mind or something as they continued on the path leading south from the village. Touya took a quick glance over at his partner, thinking to himself; Why was his eyes always so low as if they were closed and what's with that creepy grin he has on almost all the time? He was just so different than what Touya was use to, in a way, he even intrigued Touya. "How much do you actually know about this mission?" He would eventually ask, breaking the silence between the two, however not breaking the grin he wore.

"Let's see," Touya began with. "We are currently heading southwest to the town known as Hioko to meet up with the client who is a shop owner. According to him, the town is being terrorized by a large group of bandits who are not occupying it and doing as their please." He stated, only remembering what he had just read from the scroll before they met up. "Our job is to gather as much information as possible and deal with the situation." He finished, at that point it kind of dawned on him. They were only a pair, taking on a large group of bandits and we're probably talking about a couple dozen men armed to the teeth. He looked at Matsumura, a similar grin now appearing on his own face. That's his plan; to take his take in order to arrive there at night preferably at a time when their guards were down, giving the pair the advantage.

1,081/1,500

Matsu would listen to the boy as he spoke. In the beginning, he spoke as if wanting to hurry and arrive as quickly as possible. Matsu made sure to walk even slower while paying attention to this pace. There was a method to his madness, as he often pretended to think. He'd speak once more, waiting for the boy to finish his words. Bingo Bango. He'd toss the scroll up and down a bit, twirling it around his fingers again quickly before running through seals at an alarming pace. He'd then smile as the scroll sank into his palm in a similar fashion to a summoning scroll absorbed items.

That always feels weird. He'd say, laughing a little bit. He'd pat is stomach gently before speaking to the boy again, So, how about a more formal introduction? Yeah? He'd keep his smile, which was admittedly a bit creepy and off-putting to newer people. Matsu had a plan as to why he was being so strange and off-putting, but he'd never reveal it. As I said earlier, I'm Matsumura Hashikawa, but thats quite a mouthful, so just call me Matsu. It's nice to meet you. He'd skillfully walk backwards, making sure to look back every now and then and pay attention to where he was going. I'm a tactician. I specialize in Sealing and Summoning. He'd press his hands together patiently before continuing, How about yourself, what're you good at? He was genuinely interested in what the boy was good at.

While talking, he was subconsciously planning out an idea for when he arrived, assuming it was dark out when they did arrive. He'd try and keep a low profile. Luckily, Matsu never actually wore a Konoha symbol on his person, making him look like a mere civilian at all times.  The boy, however, seemed to be wearing a Konoha symbol on his arm. That would prove to be an issue. Before actually letting the boy speak, Matsu would whistle sharply, pointing a finger at the leaf symbol, That's gotta go. Continuing to walk backwards, he'd wait for the boy to take off the leaf symbol, forgetting to check behind him. 

They had been walking for a while now and the two had finally come upon the village. As expected, it was afternoon at this point. Everything was going according to plan. Matsu would only need to talk to the shop owner and head to the bandit camp as directed. Nothing could possibly go wrong here. Matsu would hear someone yelling for their attention. As planned, the shop owner found them before they had to find him. After a bit of conversation, which Matsu carelessly blocked out, the man began to give the directions, which Matsu made a mental note of. At this point, the only thing left to do was handle the target.

1149

"Bingo Bango." Matsumura replied, though Touya had never heard that phrase used before so he would just assume that his answer was the correct on. As they continued walking he began tossing the scroll in his possession up and down, twirling it around his fingers then what happened next completely caught Touya off guard for a moment. The scroll practically dissolved into his palm to which he replied; "That always feels weird." Followed by laughter. Feels weird? No doubt because it sure as hell looked weird. The sun was now currently at the highest point in the sky, signaling that it had just become noon. Touya really saw everything in a whole new light during this walk, things he wouldn't have easily noticed if they were rushing. The sound of birds chirping as well as the wings flapping as they flew directly overhead in small groups. The luscious green fields with various insects going about their lives, followed by tall trees on both sides of the walkway they were on. Just beyond those tree was what seemed like an endless woods. It was just so tranquil to Touya as he closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, inhaling through the nostrils and exhaling out the mouth before opening them again. He didn't feel any worry or stress about the mission or anything, this must have been what it felt like live a carefree life.

"So, how about a more formal introduction? Yeah?" He would say, to which Touya gave him his full attention as he continued. "As I said earlier, I'm Matsumura Hashikawa, but that's quite a mouthful, so just call me Matsu. It's nice to meet you." He added at the same time he was walking backwards, facing the young genin who nodded in acknowledgement, meeting his smile with one of his own. "It's nice to meet you too, Matsu." He remarked with the utmost sincerity in his tone, thought it felt odd to admit it, Matsu was beginning to grow on Touya already. He was right also, Matsumura was indeed quite the mouthful and so Touya was grateful to be allowed to address him by his nickname, even though quite frankly was uncommon for someone to address their senior in such a manner. In the end, the young genin liked the name Matsu a lot. "I'm a tactician. I specialize in Sealing and Summoning." He stated, Touya giving himself a mental pat on the back for being able to piece that together correctly. So he was a tactician then, which actually made him an ideal candidate for the mission at hand, surely he'll be able to come up with all kinds of ways to turn any given situation to their advantage. Given this new information, Touya decided not to further doubt his partner in anyway and would follow all his instructions down to the letter. "How about yourself, what're you good at?" He would then go on to ask. There was a brief pause between the two as the young genin was in deep thought, it was a difficult question to answer due to the fact that he was never asked what he was good at before. Plus he honestly wasn't sure he was good at anything at this stage in his life, after all, he was just a genin, at most he probably made a decent distraction. Matsu didn't want to hear that though, Touya was sure of that.

"Let's see," He would finally utter but before he could let his next word out was interrupted. "That's gotta go." He said pointing at the forehead protector that was wrapped around Touya's arm. Without any protest Touya did just that, removing it from his arm and tucking it within his hip pouch. He then noticed that Matsu's wasn't visible, so perhaps he didn't want people knowing that they were leaf ninja, which giving the state of the mission made perfect sense. All hell would break loose if word got out that the leaf ninja were present in Hioko. "Oh," Touya said just remembering what he was going to say. "I specialize in lighting style ninjutsu, particularly long range." He finished, just then they arrived at their destination and it was now the afternoon which could be identified by now crimson colored sky due to the setting sun. Upon first arriving they were already greeted by their client Joshiro, who after a brief conversation disclosed the information of the group known as Kyoufu who had been terrorizing them. As he left, Touya turned his attention to Matsu and nodded. "Ready when you are." He stated.

1,865/1,500 (Overachievers!)

Matsu listened to what the boy said about what he specialized in. It was just what he expected, a more direct attacker. It was good he was paired up with Touya for this mission as Matsu himself didn't expect to fight all of the bandits alone. He'd need someone that packed a little more punch in order for him to get the job done. Otherwise he'd have to resort to plan B which although more fun and creative, would be significantly more dangerous to complete. 

Regardless, the information was given to him by the shop owner and that's all that mattered. He'd hear Touya's comment and laugh, saying Welp lets get started then. He'd leave the shop with his hands pressed together. He'd look up to the sky, noting that it was finally night time. Matsu would begin walking towards the village at his own pace while looking at Touya, saying, Go on ahead, I'll be right behind you. Ignore all bandits and head for the boss. He'd then walk into the forest, concealing his location and walking an erratic path to assure that he would not be followed. 

Upon reaching the village alone, Matsu would find a concealed spot to look over the village from a tree. Sitting on a branch, he'd fold his arms, waiting for Touya to make the move. He wanted to see what Touya could do alone and how good he was at followed instruction, regardless of how much he knew of the situation. Meanwhile, Matsu would mark the exits and entrances to the village, note any particular buildings, spot out the leader, and spot out any particularly great threats. 

The bandits weren't ninja though, it was quite obvious by their choice of weaponry that they weren't capable of acquiring military grade items. Most of their weaponry seemed to consists of farm items such as shovels, hoes, and sickles. That would greatly reduce the directions in which their weapons could swing. Not that it really mattered for Matsu, considering he only wore robes. 

Waiting for Touya to move in, Matsu would run through a small set of hand seals, transforming himself into an alarmingly large snake, concealed within the treeline of the forest. When Touya arrived, Matsu would draw all of the attention to himself. If the boss was anything like he expected, he'd be the only one running the opposite direction of the fight. That's generally how bandit groups worked.

Touya's only task would be to find the bandit leader, apprehend him, then drag him back to Konoha. If everything worked according to plan, then there wouldn't even need to be any killing. The plan seemed solid from his perspective, and it really only hinged on if Touya would be capable of handling the bandit leader on his own. If things proved difficult however, Matsu always had an ace in the hole.

(Wordcount Reached. I'll add the final count when we officially finish.)

As the two made their way out of the store and proceeded to head to the village, Matsu looked over at Touya, it seemed he had finally come up with some kind of plan. "Go on ahead, I'll be right behind you. Ignore all bandits and head for the boss." He stated before turning heel and retreating into the nearby forest. Touya stumbled a bit due to the random behavior of his partner, it was indeed unexpected of the tactician. "Um...what?" The young genin paused there for a moment till it was apparent that Matsu was out of sight; perhaps this was some kind of test on Matsu's part to see what Touya was actually capable of. Despite it finally being night time, there were still members of the Kyoufu patrolling around the village, it was going to be impossible to just waltz into their boss' compound without meeting some kind of resistance, and there was no way he was going to be able to talk his way in there at this hour. No, it was take some sort of clever dis----ah. That's when it dawned on him, if he was able to apprehend one of the members on patrol, rendering him unconscious, then performing a transformation jutsu to form his disguise. The only problem after that would be locating the actual compound, Hokio wasn't small, there were all sorts of buildings practically identical, the boss can may as well been located in any of them.

Touya shrugged the thought off, regardless he wasn't going to let that stop him, maybe by some dumb luck he'll be able to locate his target. Hopefully Matsu was close by in order to back him up should the situation turn for the worse. A stealth mission has to be executed delicately and one could not afford even to make the slightly mistake or else their position and identity will be compromised. Touya kicked off the ground, jumping in midair landing on a nearby rooftop the moment he arrived into the village. Quietly he roamed from rooftop to rooftop, surveying the roads below as he did so. Eavesdropping on varies conversations between the guards in other to gather as much information as possible. It was apparent to the young genin that these men were obviously not apart of some wealthy organization, this was due to their poor choice of clothing and weapon. Dressed in rags and wielding the kind of things you'd find an mob of angry backwater villagers equipped with. As Touya continued with his observation a faint voice caught his attention approximately ten meters behind him, he followed it to the source. "-----Chiyo, why are to dancing around, keep up! If you keep the boss waiting, there will be hell to pay." The source was an old gentlemen, followed by a younger blonde haired girl, who was pretty attractive, too attractive to be the the presence of these roughens. She would then reply; "Calm down Kuzo, I have to go really really bad! Cover me while I go into this alley real quick, please!" She shouted not even waiting for an answer before darting off into the nearby alley. "...that girl." The old man muttered taking his position awaiting for her return.

That was Touya's chance, as he ventured deeper into the alley, before taking care of her business. The young genin landed directly behind her, completely catching her off guard as he clasped his palm over her nostril and mouth, cutting off the air to the lungs. This caused her to pass out, however it also caused her to relieve herself at the moment. "Gross!" Touya spat in disgust, dropping her on the ground. "Well, here is goes." With that he performed a couple hand signs; "Transformation Jutsu!" followed by a poof and a cloud of smoke which surprisingly did not catch the attention of her companion. As the smoke cleared there was Touya, completely matching her features down to the last letter. "Perfect." He added, complimenting he work as he examined his new assets. "What's taking you so long!?" The voice of the old man called out, to which Touya emerged from the alleyway. "Jeez girl, I do not know what the boss sees in you. Let's go!" He spat before walking off, Touya following at his heel making sure not to do anything suspicious. ....um, what did he just say...? The two eventually arrived at a building located to just barely in the center of the town, the old man turning to Touya to examine him. "Okay, you look great. Try not to disappoint the boss now, ya hear?" With that said he winked, then without even waiting for a reply flung open the door with a great force, then placing his hand on Touya's back tossing him inside before slamming the door shut behind him.

What did I just get myself into...?

2,690/1,500

Chakra: 145/150:

Matsu watched from a distance as the boy moved along a rooftop silently. Thinking to himself, he'd pay close attention to the boy's surroundings. A boy and a pretty young girl came within view and to his disgust, the girl went behind the alley, probably to relieve herself. He watched as Touya followed close behind her. Oh you pervert... Wait a second-- He almost laughed when he saw that Touya had transformed himself into the girl. It was almost perfect. Matsu only saw a single flaw. Dat ass... He thought, trying hard to prevent himself from laughing. He'd made the girls bottom just a tad bit "thicker" than the girls own bottom. It was an imperfection Matsu had noticed only because he himself was a fine connoisseur of the female body.

Regardless, perverted thoughts aside, Matsu would slither his large body into the village, making sure to make as much noise as possible with the rattle on his tail. Hissing and snapping his jaws, he'd cause a large commotion. The plan had been set into motion now and the fun could begin. The first to rush out were the few upper-ranked bandits in the area, carrying sickles and a few poorly bladed weapons. 

Matsu would react quickly, swinging his tail to hit them in their ribs. He wasn't trying to kill any of them, just keep them at a distance. Chances were, though, that he'd be forced to transform back soon, he couldn't be asked to maintain this form for too long. Continuing to whip the tail around, Matsu would hiss loudly as if beckoning the others to come out as well, laughing to himself as he did. It had been a while since he had a decent fight and this would surely test his combat prowess. 

Swinging his tail about, careful not to destroy anything important to the village, he'd send some of the bandits flying through windows, though not into anything fatal or detrimental to their lives. He just roughed them up a little bit. It was all in good fun. When he found a good clear opening, Matsu would transform back into his normal self. He'd pose with his summoning scroll placed on the ground and his hand on the end, saying, I AM THE WHITE SNAKE SAGE! With a maniacal laugh, he'd attempt to scare the bandits.

Th-- The white snake SAGE? Said one of the lower ranking bandits, looking upon his white attire and black and white scroll. Oh hell no! I'm getting the hell out of here! Matsu would laugh as some of the lower ranking bandits would scatter away, heading into the forestry. The stronger ones however, would stay and try their luck. Darting forward with a great speed, one of the Special Jounin leveled bandits would swing their sickle at Matsu.

Ducking slow and running through hand seals with a great speed, Matsu would begin to prepare his a jutsu. He'd backpedal quickly, only to find more bandits at his rear and side. Shit He thought as he held his hands together in a seal.

As Matsu became surrounded, a bright white light would shoot upward from the ground, forming pure white chains. Gritting his teeth, he'd direct each of the chains to a single target, holding them in place. Picking his scroll back up and placing it back on his lower back. He'd notice only a few of the many bandits had been restrained. Holding his hands together in a single seal, he'd survey the entire area, waiting for the next opponent to attack. 

He'd need to use their larger numbers against them. If he ran, he'd be able to get them in a location where he'd have to fight them one by one. But where can I dart off to? He looked around, quickly, letting go of the seal, causing the chains to crumble. Quickly, he'd turn and run, jumping over and carefully ducking attacking enemies. 

He managed to find his way to an alleyway. Running through hand seals once more, he'd prepare himself to transform once more. He wasn't expecting to beat all of these bandits, but he already had them in a spot where he wanted them. When he'd gotten word that Touya had restrained the bandit boss, he would simply reform, walk up the wall and leave. He doubted that any of these non-shinobi opponents could do the same, especially since they had displayed no jutsu prior. 

You know... You guys really are pathetic. It's taking 50 of you to hunt down little ol' me. I'm flattered, really! He'd laugh, setting off his cocky tone as usual. Just like rodents, caught by a snake in their own den! He'd laugh again before yelling out, Transform! Turning himself, once again, into a rather large snake, hissing at the opponents which stood before him. 

This time, he had no blind spots where bandits could sneak up on him. He only had to worry about the roof and the area directly in front of him. With this in mind, snapped forward, allowing one of the bandits to stab a blade into his neck, only piecing slightly. He'd fling a bandit off into the distance, grabbing another and repeating the process. 

It eventually got to a point where the bandits were attempting to lure him out into snapping, then trying to pin him. Noticing this, he'd laugh a little, keeping his distance and forcing them to move closer. His plan was working fine, no one even noticed the unconscious body of the little girl behind him. Then again, no one would notice a gun under the bed when there's a nuclear bomb on your coffee table. 

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