A stiff breeze blew outside the entrance to the abandoned mine shaft, piercing Tenka's thin clothes and causing the empty satchel that hung from his shoulder to flap limply against his side. The young ninja shivered, wrapping his thin arms around his equally spindly torso in an effort to keep warm as he stared into the dark entrance of the mine. Despite the cold outside, Tenka was reluctant to enter and begin his mission. It can't really be haunted, can it? he thought to himself, eying the mine apprehensively. Offering a quick prayer for safety to his ancestors, Tenka steeled himself and entered the mine's dark mouth.

Out of the wind, it was significantly warmer, and Tenka was able to ignite a simple lantern he had gotten for his mission. He looked about with interest in the dim, orange light, taking in the dull rocky walls and gravelly floor. Having been raised on a farm his whole life, Tenka had never been inside of a cave, let alone a mine, so he was excited at the prospect of exploring a new environment. He bounced up and down on the balls of his feet, listening to how the dull crunch echoed slightly. "Enough fooling around, you've got a job to do," he muttered to himself after five minutes of experimenting with the acoustics near the entrance to the mine. Holding his lantern high, he began walking down the abandoned mine shaft.

After about ten minutes, the orange light from his lantern began to reveal the dull glint of raw metals scattered about. Tenka began picking up these metals, as they were the object of his mission, relieved that he would not have to travel too deep into the mine to complete his task. Interesting or not, the mine was dark and spooky, and thoughts of specters or spirits lurking within kept him on edge. The odd shadows cast by his flickering lantern didn't help to ease Tenka's discomfort as he gradually filled his satchel with the materials. Suddenly, he felt something brush against the back of his neck. "Wah!" he yelped, leaping forwards, away from the contact and spinning, lantern held high. The culprit, a simple cobweb swayed from the ceiling in front of him, almost taunting in its innocence. Heart still pounding, Tenka returned to his task, collecting more of the materials scattered about. C'mon, he thought, ghosts or no ghosts, this is my first mission as a real shinobi! I've got to finish it properly so I can start sending money back home.

His satchel was nearing full when Tenka heard a noise deeper down the mine shaft. "Hello?" he called hesitantly. Only his own voice echoed back from the darkness outside of the reach of his small lantern. Another noise rang out, like something moving in the gravel that blanketed the floor, this time closer. "W-who's there?" he called sharply, trying to sound intimidating and confident, but a small stutter betraying his fear. He stared into the darkness, his eyes unable to penetrate further than a few feet into the stifling darkness. Sudden movement caught his attention, and he jumped as a large rat came scampering out of the darkness, fleeing at great speed towards the distant entrance to the mine.

"Phew," Tenka breathed a sigh of relief, wiping away a bead of cold sweat. "Just a little rat." He got back to work, stuffing more raw materials into his satchel until finally he could fit no more. Straightening up from picking up the last piece of metal, he stretched, rubbing his tired back. An immense sense of satisfaction permeated his being, and he allowed himself a rare grin. He had finished his first mission! All that was left to do was for him to return to the village, drop off the materials and collect his reward. He imagined his mother and father's faces when his first payment reached home, and found his exuberance too much to contain. "I did it!" he yelled allowed, punching the air with a triumphant fist, surrounded by the booming echoes of his own voice.

However, as the echoes faded, his ears detected a new sound, like a pair of hands clapping together, increasing in frequency until open applause rang out. Tenka's excitement and jubilation melted away into terror at the disembodied sound, and he tore off full tilt towards the entrance of the mine. The applause followed him to the exit and ended, but Tenka did not stop running. He raced out into the daylight outside, glancing over his shoulder at the mine as he fled. He did not stop running until, satchel and all, he collapsed back in his rented room in the village. I'll turn over the materials tomorrow, he thought, panting and drenched in sweat, heart pounding. Casting off his satchel, he locked the door behind him and retreated under the covers of his bed like a child until he regained his composure.

-exit-

[Word Count: 824]