Mission Assignments [Squad One]

The first thing a person would notice about the office of the Ninth Tsutchikage is that it was cluttered. Despite having resided in the position for two years now, the office still seemed to be stuck in the middle of transition from the belongings of the Eigth and the occupation of the Ninth. The floors seemed a hazard to walk across as one avoided boxes of paper and loose file folders and tried to stay more on the path of green rugs that gave the hardwood a less impersonal feeling. Pictures on the wall showed more of Hozunda’s predecessors than himself, but then again Hozunda was not one to fondly look to the past. His reluctance to wear the robes or hat of his station showed he was not one for pageantry either. He was a soldier and liked to look like what he felt.

The spring in Iwagakure had come. The clouds in the sky and the warming weather meant a hot summer was on the way and the world was waking up from its frosty slumber. No longer would visions of snowbanks and ice be commonplace, for they would be replaced with flowers and the bright green and fertile fields of the Land of Snow. The world always seemed to turn and change, today the new Tsutchikage found that fact comforting as he looked out into the world from behind his desk. Despite how he wished to be beyond the panes of glass that separated him from the world, the eldest child of the Dundareel family had much work to do.

Hozunda shuffled the papers on his desk with agitation as his teeth chewed on the stem of the pipe between his lips. Each inhale brought the glow of red hot embers from the bowl and each exhale brought forth streams of white smoke from his nostrils that wafted down onto the papers. The spring had come and brought with it the opening of paths that had been long blocked with the snow and ice of winter. These openings meant a huge influx of trade and visitors to the Land of Stone and each brought its own set of headaches. The visitors meant an increased need for vigilance against spies and shinobi attempting to stealthily infiltrate the village, the increase in trade meant an increase in paperwork on Hozunda’s desk.

The Ninth Tsutchikage let out a long, smoke filled, sigh and set down his pen long enough to rub at his temples with both thumbs. He was a soldier, not a Bureaucrat. This position was only taken so that he could avoid some coward taking office and holding him back. This entire regime change was because of such a fool, no need to backtrack after such progress was made. No, he would suffer through this and find some way to continue tolerating it for the betterment of Iwa.

A knock at the door interrupted such sour thoughts and brought a smile to his face. Spring also meant the return of regularly scheduled missions rather than special requests made only every once in a while. He cleared his throat, the cough barking out a small plume of smoke, and moved the papers on his desk to be a little more organized before he settled in and spoke to the closed door with a smile.

”Please, Squad one. Come in.”

-------
Word Count: 555
Ryo: 50??

The first half of Atsui's day was spent meandering around the village, looking for anything plant that might be still be tucked away by the changing season. As Spring was coming, so was the heat, something that Atsui wasn't looking forward to. It was a minor inconvenience if anything, but working in the winter time was always preferable over working in the hot August heat. Fortunately for Atsui, that was still several months away. He wished it'd stay that way. The most relieving part of the transition is that some of the winds still offered a refreshing chill, one that reminded Atsui of his favorite time of the year.

"But that's all over now." he said aloud to himself, glancing around as he walked towards the administration building.

Despite his time in the village, he had neglected to ever meet the Kage face-to-face. It was something that the village Shinobi would do, and now he didn't have much of a choice since he was being assigned a mission. Still, it was an opportunity to get the task done, and Atsui wondered how he would feel about his Kage in a personal environment, even if it was his office. The image of an entirely neat area stacked high with sixty-nine documents in every corner and crevice filled his mind, offering a false expectation. He didn't know it yet, but he would soon see the Kage's clutter.

Thinking of meeting new people, Atsui also acknowledged that he had yet to meet the Jounin that would be accompanying Zevas and himself on the task. Two people to prove his mettle to, and possibly a very difficult mission to do it on. The thought of difficulty couldn't get the best of Atsui, not at a time like this, anyway. As he shuffled along a path and reached out for the door to the structure, puffs of smoke emerged from Atsui's lips. Despite his youth, he was an experienced smoker, and even had a pipe of his own. One of the benefits of being a senju was the ability to excrete his own materials at will, meaning his pipe was never empty. Today, he had chosen to have the pleasant taste of spiced coffee with a touch of vanilla. Atsui usually preferred stronger flavors, but it had caught his tongue today.

The quick puffs that signaled the presence of tobacco in his pipe trailed off and began to fill the room, plaguing the air for anyone that wasn't used to the thick smoke. Despite the coming coughing, it would leave a wonderful scent. After some searching, Atsui found himself at the door of the Kage's office. It was closed, but there didn't seem to be anything important going on inside, as there was an abundance of silence filling the hall. Two knocks later, a voice called for Atsui to enter, but he was addressed as 'Squad 1'. Perhaps he assumed the whole team had arrived.

As Atsui opened the door, he wondered for only a moment where Zevas and this Jounin were. He was generally the late one to the party thanks to his habit of making any route a scenic one. They would likely arrive soon after he did. Using the force of a gentle push to make the door close itself behind him, Atsui drew in a somewhat long toke before exhaling and bringing his hand to the bowl of his pipe. The first thing he noticed about his Kage was that he, too, was a smoker. A pipe hung from the lips of the likely S-Rank shinobi, something that brought immediate respect from Atsui. He smiled as he removed the pipe from his mouth, clouds of white emerging as he spoke.

"I'm happy to see you're a fellow smoker, Tsuchikage-sama. What's your taste?" he inquired.

While he knew there was a mission to be attended to, Atsui didn't want to sound like the type that had no interested in the well being of a person. Work was fun and all, but getting along even more so. If the Kage sought action first, then he could just as easily change the subject. Atsui wouldn't care, and with that thought, he waited for a response while a thin billow rose from the bowl of his simple wooden pipe and the scent of coffee filled the room.

Word Count: 722
Ryo: 105
Type: Squad (+15)

It had been a rather long morning, as Inosei was working an early shift in the hospital. The recent changing of seasons brought an abundance of new people into the village, traders with exotic items, shinobi looking for the village's famous blacksmiths or metal ores to buy, but the one thing that worried Inosei the most with this season, was the illness and foreign diseases that the people brought with them. The Iwagakure shinobi weren't used to things like a simple cold from Konoha, so when the people showed up, the hospitals filled to the brim with people, and the pharmacies also became busy for simple cures and for allergy medication, as spring brought along flowers and a massive amount of pollen. With that, Inosei, being the village's number one medical ninja, was up to his ears in sick people, running chakra through them to increase their immune systems and send them home, just for more to come to him and ask the same thing. It was rather exhausting on his chakra and his body, and soon he would tell the nursing staff that he had to leave for a meeting with the kage.

He cleaned himself off rather thoroughly, no point in tracking sickness into the kage's office, considering this was where he was going to meet his genin for his squad, and he wouldn't want them to get sick yet either. He needed them to be ready for the mission that they were going to be assigned. As he headed towards the office, he waved to the villagers who waved back. This was one of the rare times when he actually had on his jounin vest, as he wanted to make sure his genin knew that he was a jounin, as he was very very young for the position, they might just think he was another genin on their team. As he walked, he noticed someone smoking a pipe enter the building that he was also going to. He knew this wasn't the kage, but wondered why another person picked the habit up, as he looked rather young. Inosei couldn't get his eyes on him soon enough to accurately tell his age, so he simply walked a bit faster.

As soon as he rounded one of the corners that led to the Kage's office, he saw the person enter the Kage's door, and so he hurried as well. The young man would start off with a comment about the kage's smoking habits, as they were very similar in liking the substance, and would ask him what his taste was in a friendly manner. Inosei sighed, because he knew the Tsuchikage, and whether or not he would admit it, the Tsuchikage was a soldier before anything, and this level of disrespect to a superior officer might not go over so well, especially from someone who was smoking within the building without permission. So, Inosei would be working with an individual that was a bit carefree, much like himself, but Inosei would need to teach the young man about tact, when and where to show the utmost respect to a person. Inosei walked in behind the person, and then grabbed the back of his head, forcing it down slightly in front of the kage.

Inosei would then bow, and then let go of the young man's head, and then address the kage. "I believe what the young man meant to say was: Yes Tsuchikage-dono. Squad one reporting as ordered sir." Inosei would then give a glance to the Tsuchikage, and then around the room, and would suddenly grasp at his chest as if he was having a heart attack, a sickly grimace crept over his face instantly, and he was trying really hard not to yell at the kage about this mess. The kage already knew Inosei's extreme impulsiveness to clean things that were cluttered or dirty, and so it would probably be no surprise when Inosei suddenly started grabbing the random boxes and papers and stacking them neatly. He was moving with the grace and precision of his namesake, as he was a medical master and knew his way around ninjutsu, his hands were some of the greatest in the world. He swiftly cleaned up the immediate area, so that the boxes were stacked neatly in the corners of the room, and the papers that were scattered on the floor found themselves in piles on the kage's desk.

Inosei was about to start working on the kage's desk, but felt it best to take a deep breath and calm himself, before simply going back to his original position and standing there, awaiting the kage's orders. It probably seemed strange for the genin to suddenly see that, but this was something that was simply apart of who Inosei was, and the fact that he hated anything dirty and cluttered. It was strange that he didn't really mind smoking, but he couldn't really do much about it if he did, considering smoking wasn't that bad for you, and no matter the damages, simple medical techniques could simply get rid of it, there wasn't a reason to dislike it. He would, however, bring harsh judgement upon those who failed to use an ash tray.
==========================
WC: 872
Ryo: 120 [Squad Bonus]

Zevas was having a nice dream, filled with lush pastures of soft grass and a beautiful young woman courting him. All of a sudden a bright light appeared in his dream, continuing to grow in intensity. The field caught fire and the woman turned into a demon. Zevas started freaking out, wondering what was going on when the light and heat encompassed him.

The sun shone through the blinds, a rectangle of light landing on Zevas' face. His eyes fluttered open as he awoke from his dream, realizing the rays of solar radiation caused the events in his dream. He closed his eyes, about to roll over and go back to sleep when something clicked in his brain. Quickly sitting up and looking to the other side of the room Zevas saw the unmade and, more importantly, empty bed.

"That fucking dick left without me! i'm going to rape his shit when i get the chance..."

Zevas threw the blanket off of him, swinging his legs over and off the edge of the bed. He jumped up and hustled to the bathroom, emptying his full bladder, washing his hands, and getting dressed. Running to the kitchen, Zevas grabbed a granola bar, scarfing it down to put some sort of sustenance in his stomach. Finally, he dashed to the door, grabbing his cloak hanging up on a hook by the door, and throwing it over him. He picked up his scythe, which had been placed next to the cloak, and tucked it in a holster on his back. There was a bit of clicking and clanking as Zevas adjusted his cloak, getting its contents situated. Zevas left the house, cursing his brother as he slammed the door shut.

The rat race to the administration building was a short one. Zevas had ran as fast as he could, trying to get there not too late. He saw a man just enter the building as Zevas rounded a corner. Having the urge to call out, but refrained from the action as it was too late. Sighing heavily, Zevas continued to dart towards the building. Reaching the door he threw it open, ran inside, and booked it up the steps to the kage's office. The door was slightly cracked, so Zevas didnt hesitate to barge in, gasping for air as he held himself up by leaning his hands on his knees. Looking up Atsui was already there, and as was the Kage, and the jonin.

"Zevas..." Gasp. "Senju..." Exhale. "Reporting for duty..." Inhale with a straightening of his stance. "Sir!"

Zevas glanced at his brother, who was smoking some sort of coffee blended creation, with a look that explained his anger at his brother more than any string of words could do justice too. Zevas himself didnt take time to examine the room, or the others in, just noticing their presence as he was still trying to catch his breath.

WC: 486
Ryo: 60
Type: Squad (+15)

The boy that entered his office seemed prompt but also a tad relaxed. Hozunda did not bother to avoid narrowing his eyes at the lad and making sure his disdain for smoking in the administration building would not be unnoticed. Despite his own habit of smoking, to which advisors and others constantly complained to him about, he had little patience for others to discomfort others around them in such a manner. It might be hypocritical, but it did not make his feelings towards the act any less true. Still, he remained silent as he waited for the boy to report.

"I'm happy to see you're a fellow smoker, Tsuchikage-sama. What's your taste?"

The words made the Ninth Tsuchikage scowl deepen noticeably. Stupidity, arrogance, a lack of respect and unprofessionalism all were represented in that statement. Hozunda would fold his hands and lean back in his chair in preparation to scold the genin addressing him but the next person to burst into the room cut off whatever reprimand the Tsuchikage had in store. This new man had blonde hair and blue eyes, a respected jounin in the village with such defining features was hard to miss. Jounin Maki Inosei. To Hozunda’s knowledge this was the first genin team that had been assigned to Inosei to train and it looked like the sensei might have a rocky road ahead of him.

”I believe what the young man meant to say was: Yes Tsuchikage-dono. Squad one reporting as ordered, sir.”

The hand on the back of his student’s head was a nice touch, as was the strong arm tactic to force the child to bow their head respectfully with their jounin teacher. The action seemed to satiate whatever desire the old soldier had to teach the boy a lesson. Shortly after the much more polite arrival came what Hozunda had been expecting since Inosei set foot into his office. The man had begun grabbing at boxes before trying to sort, file, and figure out how to organize the chaos that had overcome the Kage’s office. While the state of his office bothered the eldest Dundareel brother very little, Inosei’s file was clear to state that outside of the battlefield he had certain… issues with cleanliness.

Something still seemed to be missing in the office though. Two members of Squad One had arrived but there was supposed to be a third according to the file. Right? Unable to resist the urge, Hozunda picked up the file again and thumbed through it rather quickly. Yes, he was not mistake at all. A Senju genin named Zevas had also been assigned to the team but was apparently running quite late. A smirk appeared on his lips as he folded his hands together and rested his fingertips against each other and remained silent. After a few minutes in the silence, the Kage heard the sound he had been waiting for: the sound of boots thudding up the stairs and down the hallway to his door. When the footsteps reached his door they did not bother to slow or stop before the boy burst into the room, out of breath and redfaced.

”Zevas… Senju….. Reporting for duty……….. Sir!”

”Commander Maki, good to see your team together and in shape.” The words were kind, but the tone was almost mocking. Inosei had lost some face with his superior, but had Hozunda’s faith in him truly been broken the words would not have been spoken at all. There was still ample opportunity to prove that this ragtag operation was just a stumble and not a catastrophic failure. ”As my request for your presence stated, you have been summoned here for an assignment of a rather important mission. There is a trade caravan in Konohagakure requesting an escort from their gates to the Village Hidden in the Stone. They have a total of six carts carrying various merchants and items for trade and sale. With the spring having arrived I imagine you can expect the odd bandit or two but nothing too organized. Regardless, I would rather you and your team keep vigilant and ensure the arrival of those goods. It is the first of many shipments to be headed this way and I’d like to keep their faith in our shinobi quite high, so that we can expect more requests from them all summer.”

The Kage stopped a moment and searched his cluttered desk for the file folder holding the mission information. Finding it after a short shuffling of his desk, he offered it out across his desk for Inosei to take from him. ”You’re scheduled to leave tomorrow morning at dawn, your contact is a travel guide named Ignatio. I’m not sure if you remember him, but he brought the carnival here last fall for our memorial of The Great Transition.” A polite title for a military coup, one that the people had requested as a means to celebrate the end of apathy and idle hands. ”Ignatio has deep pockets and I would like to see much more of his wealth in our coffers, so ensure both he and the merchants he is guiding are comfortable on their trip. Do you have any questions?”

The question was punctuated with a long drag on his pipe, the red embers brightening with the sudden increase of attention on them. Hozunda took the momentary pause to take his eyes off of the Jounin and onto his students, wondering if either had been outside of the village or had actually been tested on the field of battle. It was unlikely they would find true shinobi combat on this trip, which is why the team was assigned such an opportunity. A stepping stone towards something a little more dangerous if they could prove their worth. The Kage waited for their answer patiently, a small smile still in place.

-----
Word Count: 969
Ryo: 90

Atsui's words seemed to be immediately met with gestures of disappointment. His smile faded as the Tsuchikage gave him a look that made him feel isolated from the world, the only relief coming from a sudden hand on the back of his head. For a split second, the feeling worried Atsui. He wondered if he was being attacked, but the push was more gentle than that. Even more odd, it stopped too far from the floor. An even friendlier tone that his spread through all of the stale, tobacco smoke filled air in the room, reminding Atsui that he shouldn't be so careless when it came to speaking to his Kage. The hand lifted, and Atsui decided to remain bowing for another few seconds, trying to make up for his words while he pushed the pipe into its pouch.

What a retarded thing to do... Fuck me.

"I believe what the young man meant to say was: Yes Tsuchikage-dono. Squad one reporting as ordered, sir."

At least the Jounin was standing up for him. Atsui didn't know for sure the rank of this person, but he assumed that was his role due to the flak jacket he donned. The man also seemed to be very young, not much older than Atsui. Not taller, either. The one thing Atsui managed to note about him was that they were the same height, but the skill gap between them was likely insane. Still, this shinobi's weirder quirks were showing themselves almost immediately. He went on to pick up the papers, boxes, and everything else lying about the room and stack them as neatly as possible. His hands never reached the Kage's desk, likely out of respect for the way he had things already.

Once the episode ended, the two of them stood and waited for the Kage's orders. A temporary silenced passed before Zevas came bursting into the room with his lungs shot and his voice gone to the sound of a dead man's panting. In between raspy gasps he made his name and presence known to the Tsuchikage, who did not seem to have a direct response to it. A cold look came from Zevas, which Atsui considered was likely from himself forgetting to wake Zevas. Atsui's sleeping habits were sometimes just as bad, but his memory was probably worse when it came to simple things such as that. Oh well, he would just have to make it up to him by cooking dinner again.

Either way, now was the time to focus. They all turned their attention to the Kage, and he began with a greeting.

”Commander Maki, good to see your team together and in shape.”

Atsui immediately noted the partial name, likely the last name, of their new Sensei. Getting details on him before they had a meet and greet would be important. Not that Atsui wouldn't trust his superior, but he enjoyed knowing things. It was just something that brought peace of mind.

Maki, huh? But what's his first?

A lengthy dump of information ensued.

”As my request for your presence stated, you have been summoned here for an assignment of a rather important mission. There is a trade caravan in Konohagakure requesting an escort from their gates to the Village Hidden in the Stone. They have a total of six carts carrying various merchants and items for trade and sale. With the spring having arrived I imagine you can expect the odd bandit or two but nothing too organized. Regardless, I would rather you and your team keep vigilant and ensure the arrival of those goods. It is the first of many shipments to be headed this way and I’d like to keep their faith in our shinobi quite high, so that we can expect more requests from them all summer.”

After the Kage finished, he began to rustle around the papers on his desk in search of a specific one. It was offered to Inoshi rather than being read aloud, and Atsui assumed it was a more detailed version of what the Tsuchikage had told them. Their mission began at first light, and apparently they were going to be accompanied by a guide. This raised questions for Atsui, who decided to take his opportunity to ask them when the Tsuchikage offered.

"Yes, Lord Tsuchikage-sama. Does our guide, Ignatio, have any combat skills, or will we also be escorting him as a civilian? In addition, I ask that you please overlook my earlier disrespect. I had no intentions of offending my Kage."

Atsui felt defeated with his last words, as he wanted to go on and further explain that he was merely excited about them sharing a pastime. Regardless, he would have to find another way to warm up to the veteran. It bothered Atsui to the core that the most important person in the village would have a bad opinion of him, even after feeling confident when he walked in minutes ago. The thought itself was crushing, but hopefully Maki-sensei's words had helped change his mind. He waited patiently for someone else to speak up, or for the Tsuchikage's response.


WC: 854
Ryo: 120

It seemed like the young one Atsui was rather humbled at the Tsuchikage's piercing stare of disappointment, and it seemed like he didn't put up any resistance to Inosei's hand on the back of his head, and he even stayed in that position. With the Tsuchikage, actions spoke louder than words, so all was not lost with this meeting, as the genin seemed to be aware of his status, so Inosei would simply watch the rest of this unfold. Inosei wondered what made his second genin so late, as it seemed that he was nowhere to be found with the meeting about to start, but just as Inosei was about to excuse himself to go and collect his second genin, the young person burst through the door, breathing heavily, and giving a not too nice stare to the other Senju.

"Hmm, so they are brothers, and it seems that they need a lot of work."

Inosei thought to himself as he simply walked to the young man, placing a flat palm on the young man's chest, and applying a beat of medical chakra so that the young man controlled his breathing. Inosei sighed a bit in relief, however, as at least this one was aware enough to use honorifics when in the presence of the Tsuchikage. The words that came out of the leader's mouth next hit Inosei with daggers, as the Tsuchikage essentially insulted him. Inosei would contemplate about this, as this was the first day they were assigned to him, the hospital needed him, and he still had barely enough time to read over their files, let alone meet them for the first time and come as a group. However, he knew that excuses weren't the man's way to work things out, so with the poise of a seasoned ninja, he simply bowed and calmly addressed what the Tsuchikage said.

"I have no excuse sir, the next time you see these genin, I believe you're opinion shall be changed. This situation will never happen again."

Confidence oozed out of Inosei, as he was much different than he was as a child. He was a jounin of Iwagakure, and he had the stones enough to talk to the Tsuchikage with respect, not fear. After this, it seemed that they were doing a simple guarding mission for a caravan, but it seemed the Tsuchikage exaggerated a bit when he said it was a rather important mission. The first mission a team gets assigned is never deadly important, but it would greatly help the village if it were to succeed. Inosei figured that the Kage had put them on a mission to test the waters, as even though Inosei was an accomplished ninja, he was never given proper respect by the jounin or the higher ups. While the Kage showed a bit of respect, the people that he had worked with, like Inosei's father, would get his respect, and perhaps they could even talk freely with him, regardless of whether or not the business was official.

Still, this was exactly why Inosei worked so hard, as he wanted to work harder than everyone else, and prove his worth, prove that a good for nothing orphan could rise faster than others and break through limitations. Inosei gently took the mission file from the Kage's hands, and immediately put it to his side. Every vital piece of information about the mission was in the folder, so Inosei thought they should probably simply leave. That was until Atsui spoke again, even though Inosei was pretty sure he lost that privilege when he took friendly tones with the Kage he had just met over something so trivial as smoking. Inosei was going to interrupt him and simply make his way out, as to not lose any more points with his kage, but the genin asked a legitimate question and then apologized for his arrogance previously. Inosei would however cut the young man off before he got an answer from the kage.

"That shall be in the file."

He would swiftly say this, before giving the kage his attention once again.

"I apologize for the rather lackluster nature of this meeting, and if there's nothing else, Tsuchikage-dono, we will take our leave."

Inosei would wait for a simple nod from the kage, or simply no response, and if the kage had nothing else to say, Inosei would turn around and direct the two genin out of the office, and close it behind him when he followed them out. After the door was closed and they were down the hallway, Inosei would shoot them a soft and reassuring glance and a smile. He would then take off his jounin vest and carry it, contently sighing as he did so, carrying it in the same hand as the mission file.

"That actually went better then expected. I think we'll have a formal meeting back at my house, and I'll cook for you guys. It seems like you in particular[looks at Zevas], didn't have time for breakfast today, haha."

The genuine smile that Inosei gave to people could melt the most stone of hearts, and he hoped that the genin didn't think that was too dismal of a failure, and so he would discuss things with his new team when they got back to his home.
===============
Words: 888
Ryo: 120 ryo

[exit thread?]

Zevas had been panting when the obvious jonin came up to him and places a hand on his chest. He felt the chakra enter his body and calm his breathing. It was a relief to his lungs that Zevas was highly grateful for. The kage made a retort towards the jonin, pointing at the lack of conformity the team had. Well if only Atsui had woken Zevas up from his slumber things would have been different. This was when the Kage started to talk about the reason why he had called the group to his place of business. They were going to be escorting a caravan of merchants from one village back to there's. Seemed the kage was keeping financial interest in the village, either that, or trying to line his own pockets with foreign goods. The kage pulled out a folder, containing the contents of the mission. Zevas watched as the jonin decided to grab the folder from the kage, accepting the information of what the mission exactly entailed. That was when Atsui spoke up, apologizing for his actions and going on to ask about the mission, here again the jonin interrupted and made sure that the group wasnt going to be staying much longer. Waiting for some sort of response, the jonin turned around and decided to usher the other two out the door. If the jonin touched Zevas' back he would have felt the wooden contraption hiding under his cloak, which Zevas wouldnt mind if he did but it might surprise the jonin if he wasnt wary. Zevas followed suit and proceeded to leave with the jonin, wondering where they were going to be heading for their next destination.