Ryu and the Runaway

C-Rank Mission: Apprehend the Young Deserter

The days had drawn in and now there was only limited daylight, the sun would only give light to the land for about 8 hours, Ryuzaki could never get used to this fact, it made his training session feel too short, even though his body would get exhausted, in his mind he would feel like he had not put in the effort he required from himself. Ryuzaki trained outside his house on this particular short day, he was trying to increase his ability to perform ninjutsu. He had been quite successful in developing his hidden Nara shadow jutsu, but other than that he was not happy with his ability to perform normal jutsu. Ryuzaki had started to develop his own combat style, he attacked relentlessly with taijutsu and then supported himself with ninjutsu when his physical attacks failed or it became a mid or long-range battle. Ryuzaki had gotten the skills and techniques down for the taijutsu part, but he still wanted to further his specialisation in the ninjutsu part. 

Ryuzaki stood in a wide-open space, the dry and sparse vegetation around him was scorched and burnt from his various lightning tinted attacks. Ryuzaki brought his hands together and started to push chakra from his core outward. "Ram > Ox" Ryuzaki spoke the handseals as he crafted his hands into them, it helped him cement each seal as well as push his chakra to a focal point. An arrow formed to his left he repeated the process, building up chakra and performing the handseals again "Ram > Ox". Another arrow appeared to his right, he pushed his palms forward and both arrows started to hum at a higher pitch as he did so, then they shot forward, both arrows impacting a dead, blackened tree trunk at the same time, they penetrated into the bark and then electricity started to course over the tree, after a few seconds the arrows then dissipated into the air. Ryuzaki performed the handseals again, creating two further arrows, this time he grabbed one in each hand, chucking the first like a javelin at the tree, its speed was more than doubled due to the throwing action. Ryuzaki threw himself up and forwards, hurtling towards the tree trunk, the second arrow still in his right hand, as he landed in front of the tree he thrust the arrow out and into the tree, this time penetrating fully through its bark and the arrow appeared out the other side, his hand penetrating into the hollow of the trunk. 

Ryuzaki had finished his training for the day, he felt like he was making headway trying to increase his ninjutsu ability, but it would not come all at once. Ryuzaki washed and prepared to head into the village, he was in need of supplies, and there was no better day than today to get them, he had no missions and had completed his training. The night was now started to draw in even though it was not that late timewise. Ryuzaki had dressed in some long shorts that covered to just below his knees, and a plain t-shirt that had the village symbol on the back, over the top of this he wore a jacket that had a Nara clan symbol etched across the back, he had recently recovered his ring from his childhood and his recently deceased master had explained his origins to him as best he could, Ryuzaki had always taken pride in belonging to a village, but he now had another tie on top of that to a bloodline that dates back hundreds of years and many generations. Underneath the jacket he had a holster on his lower back with one of his tanto securely hidden, just in case he needed it, unfortunately, he had learned the hard way that just because he was not working or on assignment for the village did not mean that the world would leave him alone, so he was prepared for combat even though al he was doing was going shopping.

WC: 669

The village gates towered before Ryu, the all too familiar sight of red and rock. Ryuzaki approached the gate and as he was heading through noticed that there was only one guard, this struck him as strange, there had always been two guards before. Ryuzaki walked up to the guard post that lay within the gate, a simple wooden shack that looked out into the threshold that separated the village and the countryside. Ryu knocked on the outside of the shack and peered through the open window, inside sat a Kumo chuunin, wearing his flak jacket and village headband. "Excuse me, why are you the only one on guard duty? shouldn't there be at least two of you?" Ryuzaki was concerned knowing that the Raikage and deputy Kage were out of the village at the Five Kage summit, this left the village vulnerable. "There's something wrong with my partner, Shinji, he was talking crazy, talking about leaving the village, saying he can't take this life anymore" Ryuzaki now look more concerned "I can't leave my post but maybe you could go find him". Ryuzaki nodded "Where is he?", the man replied, "He lives over near the ninja shop, in the apartment building, 4C". 

A few minutes later Ryuzaki arrived at the man's apartment building, the first thought that entered Ryu mind is that it was nice, although he did not think he would like it due to how little outside space they had. Ryu entered the building and started to climb up the stairs until he reached the fourth floor. Ryuzaki turned the corner and approached room C, as he did he saw a ninja in a flak jacket exiting the floor into the stairwell. Ryuzaki started to move quicker and followed the man into the stairwell, Ryuzaki decided to head up instead of down. Exiting onto the roof Ryu saw the chuunin standing on the edge of a building, a rucksack across his back "Shinji". he called out "Are you going somewhere?". The man spun at the sound of the voice, a pained look scrawled across his face. "Get back, don't come any closer. I'm done with this village this life, I can't take it anymore, I'm having one last look and then I'm gone for good" He turned away from Ryu and looked out onto the village "I never should have taken that chuunin exam, I can't be a ninja of this level, its too much pressure, I feel like I'm on a knife-edge the whole time, I'd rather just end it" Ryuzaki took a step closer his hands stretched out before him "Look I know it can be scary, but running away or doing something even more permanent won't help you at all" Ryuzaki was searching for the right words when the ninja acted first. Putting his hands together he made a sign then a bolt of lightning shot down and in a puff of smoke, the ninja was gone.

Ryuzaki turned and jumped from the building, he started heading straight towards the admin building, he would have to report what had happened before the ninja got too far away from the village and became a missing-nin. Ryuzaki burst into the admin building and headed straight upstairs to the master level ninja who handed out the missions, he burst through the door, luckily they were alone. "I'm sorry to burst in like this, but I just happened upon an urgent situation, I was entering the village when I noticed there was only one guard after I investigated I found out that the second newly-promoted chuunin had intended to escape the village and go on the run, the chuunin that was still stationed there tasked me with trying to find his partner before he left, fully knowing he could not leave the gatehouse undefended. I reached the ninja house and found him on the roof of his building, he told me that he could not take any more time in the village and was going to leave and then used the escape jutsu to disappear, and now I'm here" Ryuzaki said without taking a breath, the seriousness of the situation starting to take over him. The few members of the mission council started to discuss between themselves "Ok Ryuzaki, you are going to have to go after this ninja and bring him back" Ryuzaki looked up from his crouched position "But he is a chuunin, and I can't track" Ryuzaki said, less so complaining but explaining why he was not suited for this type of mission. "There is no other option, we are severely understaffed, every ninja of a higher level is out on missions or at the summit, you must go and you must not fail, as for the tracking we can help you with that". The man turned to the ninja sitting on his left who performed a series of handseals and then planted his hand on the desk "Summoning technique", a scrawling seal appeared on the desk followed by a puff of smoke, then a dog in a village headband appeared "This is Aki, he will assist you in finding the ninja, now go, I will send help as soon as we can" Ryuzaki nodded to the council and then the dog and started to run from the building.

Ryuzaki made his way back to the apartment building of the missing chuunin, "Aki please hurry" he said as he motioned to where the chuunin was standing when he disappeared. "This way," the dog said in a low rough tone "He has not gotten far, we must hurry" Ryuzaki nodded and took off after the dog, it was good that he did not have to do the tracking for once. After around an hour of running Aki and Ryu managed to catch up with the missing ninja, apparently, he had not been rushing in the same way as Ryu and Aki had been. Stopping around twenty metres behind him Ryuzaki collected himself, he had not formulated what he was going to say, but he was all there was between this chuunin and a tracking squad. "Shinji, you have to come back with me, if you continue on this course you will become a missing-nin and be entered into the bingo book, then the entire military might of the cloud will be after yo, how is this the right choice? If being a chuunin is too much for you, you could have turned it down, you can return to being a genin, and if being a ninja isn't for you then you could quit altogether, but you cannot run from the village, with the knowledge you have, especially considering you are on the guard squad for the whole village" Ryuzaki pondered if Shinji was really running from the village, he was not trying very hard to escape. "Someone is coming, incredible chakra" Aki said in a low tone next to Ryu. In a flurry of movement, an aura passed right passed Ryu and appeared behind Shinji, a tanto at his throat. Ryu recognised the uniform and the mask of one of Kumo's Storm Ops. "Ryuzaki Nara, genin. Your job here is done, returned to the village". Ryuzaki paused for a second and turned to Aki "Thank you for your help, Aki, I hope to see you again" The dog bend down on his front paws in the form of a bow and then disappeared. Ryuzaki took another look back at the mysterious figure in front of him, he was instantly hit with ambition, that's where I want to be, he thought to himself. Returning to the village Ryuzaki went by the admin building to collect his payment for the impromptu mission, he thought about asking what was going to happen to Shinji, but he decided that he would rather not know, some parts of the ninja life was not for everyone.

WC: 1314
TWC: 2000
Claiming +2000 Ryo, +5 Ap, +20 Vigor, 2000 words for Second Specialty Ninjutsu

Approved.