A gentle breeze danced its way through Kumogakure as a storm began to roll in from the east. The soft winds a prelude for the storm to come. Overlooking the village from a rooftop perch, sat Mugen. His eyes looked out towards the billowing storm clouds in the distance with a slight frown on his face. His first mission since being accepted back into the Kousen clan and foul weather was on the way. "I hope we can finish the patrol before that gets here..." Mugen said quietly to himself as he rubbed the back of his head. The Sp. Jonin had orders to take a couple genin out on patrol with him. They would be checking out the general perimeter of the village to keep any eye out for suspicious persons. Reports of mild interference by the Mudfolk had been coming in lately and it was putting some members of the village on edge. The group wasn't particularly powerful being scattered nomads. Mugen remembered clearly how some of their ancestors had been beaten by his own. But apparently their grudge was strong and no one knew quite what they were capable of.

Hoping that the mission would go without any trouble, Mugen jumped down from the rooftop and landing among the streets to start making his way towards the main village gate. It wouldn't take long for Mugen to arrive at the meeting spot and there was still plenty of time to get there so he decided to stop for a bite to eat. Since becoming a member of the Protection Service Mugen had a lot more spending money to throw around. Thankfully, this meant no more begging for food by restaurant dumpsters. Mugen could proudly walk in through the front door and pay for an order. So that's just what the young Kousen man would do. He stopped at one of his favorite joints and sat down for a bite to eat where he could have his fill and laugh with the owner about how a month ago he could only enjoy the stores leftovers as opposed to a fresh meal.

Mugen enjoyed himself so much that he lost track of time and ended up being a little late for meeting up with the team he was supposed to lead. "Sorry, old man. I gotta run." He said to the store owner as he slapped some money on the table and got up from his seat. Mugen was about to rush out the door when he noticed a couple lunch boxes for sale and a thought occurred to him. If he was late, he might as well come baring gifts. "How much for the bento?" Mugen asked. The chunin coughed up the cash for the lunch boxes so there would be one for himself and each of the two genin. With lunch in hand, Mugen began strolling towards the main village gates with a smile as he mused to himself, "It's been a while since I last saw Yuu and that Daisuke, had some potential. I'm glad it was those two who ended up under my command for my first mission as a chunin. I'm sure they'll get along great!" Mugen naively thought to himself.

Expecting a good time ahead of him on a mission with two young shinobi with potential for greatness, there was a great deal of cheer in Mugen's posture as he made his way down the street. Bento in hand and pep in his step, the Kousen teen had no reason to believe there would be any complications on the days mission. However this fantasy melted away as he arrived on the scene to find his two team members in a mexican stand off with each other. The bright look dissolved from Mugen's expression to be replaced with a somewhat surprised look of irritation. Mugen stopped in his tracks and stared at the two for a few seconds in disbelief giving the two enough time to start fighting if they felt so inclined. However, Mugen would not allow their behavior towards each other to continue.

"Enough. Both of you, stand down."

The team leader spoke in a normal volume but his tone was far sharper and colder than either of the two genin would have heard from him before. Mugen's eyes would seem void of emotion as he stepped forward placing himself between the two squabbling shinobi. "I don't know what has happened between you two, but this is a mission. Put it aside for now. If either of you can't put your grudges second and the mission first, just let me know now. I'll report it to the Raikage and he'll make sure you never have to go on a mission again..." The threat was somewhat exaggerated. Mugen doubted that the word of a single chunin could get a genin benched from missions for life. Nor did he think that it would be very wise to send a report recommending such extreme action. But the underlying message was that they needed to learn to work together with people they dislike sometimes. For the sake of a mission, a shinobi must endure worse torture than mere unpleasant company after all.

Letting out a sigh, Mugen held up the back he had brought along and reached inside of it to grab the bento boxes. A part of him cried tears of sorry inside as he mourned the fantasy of them laughing and enjoying the lunch boxes together cheerfully in a meadow. That probably wasn't going to be happening now. But on the outside, the boy simply looked to be stoic and without emotion. The bento boxes were tossed towards each Genin unceremoniously before Mugen stashed his own inside his jacket and began a short pre-mission brief. "Now then, if you two are done acting like a married couple going through divorce..." He gave pause long enough for them to snap back at the comment, but he would speak over anyone who tried to talk on the point with more than a just a couple words. "Today our MISSION is to scout out the area around the village. There is no reason for us to expect any trouble, but due diligence with simple patrols is how we keep our village safe just in case the unexpected happens." It was a simple recap of what each of them should have already read.

Next, Mugen would begin telling them what they wouldn't have already known. "In the event we run into anything suspicious, your orders are to not engage. Our job is to scout out possible threats, not to eliminate them. Understood?...Each of you take one of these and set the frequency to channel 2." Mugen then reached into his pocket and revealed three ear piece mic radios. Long range communication devices so they could keep in touch even if they get split up. "The plan is for us to stick together, but just incase things go wrong and anyone gets lost, use the radios to contact and find each other. Any questions?" The team leader waited for a response from the others just in case they had something to ask. But once that was done, there was no more reason to delay. "Alright, lets move out."

Mugen then led the way as he departed from the main village gates and crossed the bridge that covered the chasm between the village and the outside world. Once they were past the bridge, he would break into a sprint expecting the others to follow as they began their patrol heading west from the village.

The first couple of hours spent scouting would be uneventful and without words between the team. Any time someone tried to strike up a conversation, Mugen would shoot them a look and bring his fingers to his lips to quietly gesture for silence. Perhaps it seemed as though the chunin were being too hard on his allies or that he was in a foul mood. Mugen's priorities on limiting speech had a purpose though. This was a mission where their job was to spot dangers and threats without being spotted themselves. It wouldn't do for them to be making all kinds of noise and based on the interaction between Yuu and Daisuke that he had witnessed; the two genin might just lose their cool in a heated debate. The team couldn't afford the two shouting at each other while they ran their patrol. Any nearby enemies would hear them long before they saw each other.



Eventually the group came upon a canyon to the north east of the village where a few waterfalls and rivers met. It was mostly barren and rocky, however some spots near the waterfalls had just enough soil nutrition that a few stubborn trees and bushes managed to grow. When they arrived, Mugen looked up at the sky to see that it was just a bit past noon. A hunger in his belly and the fatigue of being on the move for most of the day told Mugen that it was time for the group to stop for lunch. Raising his hand to make a gesture suggesting that everyone gather close by, Mugen jumped from rock to rock before landing on a ledge close to one of the waterfalls. There was a large bush on the edge that blocked the view of the earthen path running through the canyon. It was a nice concealed spot for them to take a break and the waterfall would drown out most of the noise of they ended up speaking.

"Alright, this looks like a pretty good spot. We'll stand by here for five minutes and have lunch...You two can speak now, but try not to be too loud." Mugen said as he began to unstrap his bento and took a seat with his back against the canyon wall. The chunin sighed as he opened his bento box to see that the contents had been shaken around from all the moving he had done. The teen had expected it, but it was still somewhat disappointing to miss out on the wonderful presentation this brand usually had. There was nothing he could do about it now though. Mugen broke his chopsticks apart and began to eat his meal while keeping to himself. Only addressing the other members of the team if they spoke to him or were raising their voices too loud.

Once the break was just about over, Mugen was packing away his bento box when suddenly his ears caught the sound of a shout. It wasn't from Yuu or Daisuke. The voice was distant and echoed through the canyon.

"Whooohooooo!"

There it was again, and more clear this time. Whoever it was, they were getting closer. Mugen looked to the others and brought his finger to his lips again. "Shhh...sounds like someone is coming through the canyon pass. Let's wait here for now and watch them. Could just be a villager from one of the smaller settlements in the Lightning Country." The chunin would urge the team not to get too excited and to stay low for now as he didn't want to accidentally cause trouble for innocent civilians.

The voice got closer as a group of mudfolk turned the bend and their conversation audible, "These weapons are great! I'll bet we can each kill at least a dozen of those damned clouds!" One young man said as he brandished a sword above his head. Peering out from behind the bushes Mugen could see that it was good, high-quality, steel. Not something that was easily obtained by those without a good amount of ryo to spare. "I don't know about this, Chouga...we don't really have training with these weapons. This is a bad idea, we should have waited for the others." A somewhat timid voice of protest came from one of the other mudfolk as he looked down at his own sword skeptical of their chances despite the weapons. "Don't be such a wuss, Donzai. Us five are the best earth style users in our tribe! If those filthy murdering shinobi can do something, we can do it better."

The confidence of the group seemed mixed. This "Chouga" fellow had two of the others agreeing with him leaving only Donzai and one other looking unsure about what they were doing. But there was enough peer pressure to drag those two along making a small squad of dangerous amateurs. It was important that Mugen and the other reported back to the village right away. The chunin turned to start addressing the team when suddenly the ledge began to crack and fall out from under him. Mugen managed to step back in time to avoid a long drop, but the bush that had been hiding them from view fell and revealed their presence to the mudfolk. "Tch..." Mugen sucked his teeth as he looked up to see all the mudfolk staring at the shinobi. "Well...this is awkward..."

"Just our luck boys, there are some filthy clouds right here. Not to mention, it's just three of them and ones a little girl. Let's test out how well these blades chop off heads!" The short speech riled up the other mudfolk, even the hesitant ones, and together they all made a battle cry. But Mugen held out his hands to prevent Yuu and Daisuke from running in carelessly. For all the war fervor of the mudfolk, the gap of the canyon was between them and it would not be easy for the mudfolk to make an attack. "Now that we've been seen, it's important that we don't let these guys get away." Mugen said softly so only Yuu and Daisuke could hear him. "We're going to fight, but don't kill anyone..." Mugen reached into his jacket as he spoke and drew a small kunai in hand. "...I have some questions for these fools. Attack!"

Mugen sighed as he watched Daisuke leap off the cliff and fall short of the other side and Yuuzuki made the jump only to stand there and offer peace. Mugen was sure that Daisuke felt he could make the jump and that Yuu's offering was sincere, however there were problems with both actions. Daisuke showed his hot-headedness and Yuu revealed her soft heart to enemies that were calling for her head. It could be argued that neither of them were performing at their best and both would end up paying for their inexperience soon. Mugen stayed behind and watched things play out from the cliff with that kunai of his in hand, ready to use it at a moments notice and he would not need to wait long for his chance.

As Yuuzuki spoke to the group seeking a non-violent solution, three of the mudfolk ignored her and began weaving hand seals. Mugen threw his kunai and hit one in the shoulder stopping him from finishing his jutsu, but that left the other two to finish up before Yuu could react and before Daisuke could scale the cliff wall. "Mud Slide Technique!" The mudfolk shouted in unison as they placed their palms on the ground causing the earth beneath Yuu's feet and ahead of Daisuke to turn to mud. With the footing gone, both genin would fall down to the river below unless they did something to stop their falls. Thankfully, landing would not mean death as the water would catch them and break their falls, but unfortunately, the rivers were mudfolk territory. The mudfolk that cast the jutsu would give Daisuke and Yuu chase, leaping off the cliff after them where they would battle down below.

Donzai, the timid one, landed closer to Yuu and looked at her with fearful eyes as he drew a katana in shaking hands. It was clear that the boy was afraid, but a look of hatred was mixed into his gaze. "T-This is all your fault!...If it weren't for you...Everyone could be happy!" The young mudfolk was about the same age as Yuuzuki and had been suffering much in the past months as his family and friends became more and more consumed with the idea of revenge against Kumogakure. "I'll make you pay..." Donzai muttered to himself as he prepared for his battle against his people's hated foe.

The other Mudfolk that had given chase was named Kotsuchi and he held much more confidence than Donzai. There was a wild grin on the teen's face and his blade was gripped in a steady hand. Kotsuchi landed downstream and used the water walking technique to stand atop the river. "Oh, you're still down here? I thought and idiot like you would have died." The mudfolk said as he mocked Daisuke for having missed his jump earlier. Kotsuchi was perhaps two years older than him and it certainly showed in his built. The teen was definitely stronger than Daisuke judging by the muscles on his frame. "That's okay, I'll make sure the next river you find yourself in has a skull faced ferryman and flows with the souls of the dead." Kotsuchi grinned wider still and licked the edge of his blade before howling a battlecry and leaping towards Daisuke with a beast-like instinct.

Meanwhile, Mugen had performed a set of hand seals and thrust his fists forwards performing a clan jutsu to prevent the other three mudfolk from giving further chase. "Laser Act!" A beam of ranton erupted from his hands and curved through the air forming a barrier that stopped the mudfolk in their tracks as they approached the ledge. "Not so fast!" Mugen shouted as he made the beam curve back and strike the mudfolk he'd already hit with the kunai square in the shoulder. The beam burst with explosive force and sent the kid flying a couple meters before landing on the ground in terrible pain. Mugen did a few more hand seals and created a few stepping stones for himself in the air using Kumo Fumidan. He used the Water Walking Technique to step on the conjured clouds and traversed the gap to land on the mountain path to the left of the two remaining mudfolk.

"If you want to join your friends down there, you're going to have to get past me..."