It had been quite the trip walking from the village to the Fisherman's Port. The smell of the sea filled the shinobi's nostrils upon reaching the top of a hill overlooking the fishing town. Sōsuke couldn't recall the last time he had left the confines of Kumogakure no Sato. Having grown tired of the dull and monotonous cleaning duties, the restless Genin decided to take a shot at something new. This was something he had never done before; this was the first time he was assigned a mission away from home.

And so here he was now, at one of the finest ports in Kaminari no Kuni. Fujiwara made his descent and soon found himself walking down the bustling streets of the town. He looked around the area and observed the people working. Fishermen were hulling in their catches and preparing them for export. Their cutting skills possessed the same level of precision and speed as a surgeon with his scalpel. But there were other people wandering around the streets as well. Merchants from different countries were arguing with each other, trying to haggle and get a better deal than the other. The prostitutes stood around near the front of their hostel, waiting for their next customer to come. Sōsuke got a few catcalls as he strolled pass the women, but he paid no attention to them. He was focused on meeting his contact on time. Maybe after the mission, he can have some fun with the locals but for now: he had a job to do.

The docks were filled with boats, some of them were so small that they could only hold one person whereas some were large enough to hold fifty people on board. The larger ships tend to be used for exportation, transporting fish to every country and even some of the other shinobi villages such as Konoha and Kiri. No doubt the sudden increase in the fish population has gotten everyone vying for their share in all of this. But the Genin was not working as a merchant on behalf of his village, he was just here to provide a helping hand in packaging the fish.

Fujiwara wandered around a bit more before stumbling upon the warehouse belonging to the company that hired the village for their assistance. He could smell the fish from the outside of the compound, an indication to how much fish was being stored inside. The shinobi knocked on the door twice, hoping that someone would answer the door. Within two seconds, the door was open and an old man peered out and examined Sōsuke.

“You must be the shinobi sent to help us correct?” asked the old man in an inquisitive tone.

“Did the hia-ate give it away old man?” said Sōsuke in a sarcastic manner, pointing at the clouds engraved on his forehead protector with his finger.

“Just making sure boy, now come along.” said the old man before making a motion for the shinobi to enter the warehouse. He obliged and followed the elder into the warehouse. Upon entering, his senses were being attacked from all fronts. The stench that he had picked up before was even worse now as he watched the spectacle in front of him unfold. Dozens of workers were slaving away at their stations, cutting through the fishes like machines at an assembly line. Hundreds of fishes were being prepared every hour in this warehouse alone, the tip of the iceberg in this fishing town.

Sōsuke continued to stick behind his contact before stopping once again in front of one of the work stations where a worker was about to work on the giant tuna in front of him.

“Before I can let you handle the fishes, you must be able to replicate what you are about to see.” said the old man, diverting Sōsuke’s attention to the worker.

The procedure began with a simple rinsing. The man cleaned the fish with a hose attached to his station. Once that was done, he drove his knife deep into the gut from the bottom of the fish, slicing upwards in a single motion towards its head. The man reached in with his gloves into the opening he had created and started to pull out the tuna’s guts. Once he was done with that, he used the hose again to rinse out the remaining chunks of internal organ inside the fish.

Without wasting a single second, he took a swing at the fish, cutting off the tail and another swing to remove the fins. It didn’t take long before the knife found itself entrenched in the gills of the tuna. Working both sides of the fish, the worker was able to detach its head from the torso. With a few more cuts along the main part of the fish, several large pieces were produced. The deep red color of the meat was mesmerizing, its quality was unlike any fish Sōsuke had seen before in his life. He was amazed at the pace the worker maintained throughout the process. A normal person would have never been able to replicate the feat without proper training.  

But Fujiwara was not a normal person, he was a shinobi. His eyes were trained to follow movements that were faster than what he had just witnessed. Sōsuke turned his head to face the old man who looked as if he was expecting a reaction from him.

“If that’s all I need to do then I think I’ll be able to handle it.” said the Genin before removing the clothes on his upper torso and handing it over to the overseer. He didn't want to ruin his clothing and swiped an apron along with a pair of gloves from one of the vacant work stations next to him. The old man chuckled at the confidence that Sōsuke exhibited before leaving him to his own devices. The shinobi watched as the worker he had watched previously walk off as well, presumably to retrieve another piece of fish to work on.

Fujiwara trailed the worker into another section of the warehouse where the fish were being stored. He had underestimated the size of the building and watched as the worker walked up to one of the giant tunas and asked some of the other workers to help him lift it. The three grown men all crouched down and exerted their strength to pick the giant piece of tuna off the floor. Sōsuke was going to need help as well if he were to bring the tuna back to his cutting board. The Genin spotted two workers near him and called out to them for assistance.

In a matter of moments, the giant tuna was brought back to his working area and Sōsuke thanked the two men for their help. Now the daunting task of preparing the fish that laid before him. He procured a knife out from the drawer and began to recall the steps required for this process. The Genin plunged the blade into the fish’s gut and reproduced a similar cut to the one the worker had made. With a swift jab into the cavity, the shinobi was able to grab a hold of the guts inside. He managed to remove most of the fish’s intestines with one pull and stared at the stack at entrails in his hand. It reminded him of an old samurai practice known as hara-kiri.

The samurai were bound to their bushido code. When a samurai brought dishonor upon their name or refused to surrender to their enemies, the hara-kiri would be used to attenuate their shame. The ritual involved cutting open their abdomens from left to right in a slicing motion with their blade, an action that would often result in their guts spilling out. An assistant or trusted individual would stand behind the one performing hara-kiri and behead them before the pain became too much to bear. For all their differences, the samurai and the shinobi sure were adamant about fighting for their beliefs.

Sōsuke tossed the guts into the trashcan and went straight back to work. Years of training at the Academy has allowed the young teenager to be proficient with most tools he worked with. With two more slices, he was able to cut off the fins from the tuna. The act required him to separate the head from the rest of the carcass. Sliding his knife into the gills, he performed the cutting motion twice before amputating the head clean off. The last step was to divide the rest of the fish into smaller portions. But before he was able to perform his task, a couple of workers were gathering around him. The shinobi looked up to see that the crowd of workers seemed to be displeased with him.

“Is there a problem?”

One of the workers slammed his fist on his cutting board and began his rant.

“Yeah I do, we don’t like it when you people decide to show up and start stealing jobs from us honest workers. Don’t you think you’ve caused enough suffering with your wars? But now you have to come and take the only means for us to feed our family?!”

Some of the workers cheered for their “leader”, screaming at Sōsuke and putting their own cents on their matter. Sōsuke tried to remain calm and faked a smile at the mob that stood before him.  

“I understand that times have been rough for the common people, but it has also been tough for us shinobi as well.”

The mission would end if a fight were to break out; he had to control this situation. The ringleader and his posse didn’t seem convinced and kept harassing the child.

“YOU THINK THAT JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE POWER YOU CAN JUST STEP OVER OUR LIVES?”

But before the man could continue with his raving, Sōsuke reached over the counter and grabbed the man by his neck. His blood was boiling at this point; his killing intent was filling the air around him. The other workers could sense it as well, starting to back up from the shinobi.

“Do you really want to know why your family is starving? It’s because you’re weak…all you do is whine and complain about how life is unfair. Don’t blame others for your own shortcomings old man. I’m not going to start a fight with an ant now get out of my sight.” said Sōsuke before releasing his grip on the worker who seemed frightened from the experience. The rest of the workers whispered amongst themselves before dispersing from the scene, leaving the shinobi alone once more.

With a flick of his wrist, the knife in his hand was running its course along the spine of the tuna. His bloodlust had yet to settle, making him all the more eager to unleash his inner rage on the cadaver. Once he was finished, there four slabs of tuna waiting to be packaged. The shinobi looked around to see if anyone was spying on him, but it seems his little act of violence was enough to dissuade the workers from pulling that stunt again. He washed his knife with his hose once more before slicing off a thin piece of tuna from the strip that he had prepared.

Sōsuke consumed the filet, relishing in the freshness of the tuna. The fat was melting in his mouth as he chewed on it, releasing an explosion of flavor that he had never tasted before. It could not be rivalled by any sashimi he had tasted before in his life. It was truly a shame that he would not be able to have this once he was back in the village. He sighed after his realization and snapped his finger so a few workers could take the tuna far from his insatiable hunger.

He washed his gloves once more before walking off to the storage section to work on his next piece of tuna. At least now he can work in peace.

[MISSION COMPLETE]