Escort Mission! The Traveling Merchant. [MsMoney]

Age : 34 Posts : 1209

The port bustled with life as the sound of the various people who inhabited the area all melded together into one low buzz that only worked to enhance the already too-busy atmosphere. The day was still young, the sun having yet to reach the zenith of it's celestial hike, but with each hour the sun got closer to its peak and the temperature slowly increased. The warmth, while unpleasant to some, made it an excellent day for business as not a single cloud hung in the sky, which was a rather rare occurrence in Kaminari no Kuni. The sound of the gulls over head could occasionally be heard as one or more of the birds let out their shrill cry, calling to their companions before descending to the docks below in a vain attempt to steal some of the hard caught fish of the various fishermen around. All this, along with the beautiful blue ocean that the port hung over, painted a very traditional maritime picture that reminded the young Kaze of the old story books he used to read as a child. Today though, he had no time to admire the scenery, nor explore the port. Today he was here on official business. It had been yesterday that he had been called to the administration office and given his briefing in the form of a sealed envelope. It had all struck Kaze as rather odd, as the last mission he had done, the client had been present for the briefing, also the briefing had been done in person, not via letter such as this mission. The mission, despite the unusual way in which it had been delivered, seemed tame enough. It was a simple escort mission, after all. Kaze, along with another genin, were to receive a weapon's merchant who was delivering a shipment of kunai and shuriken to the village.

Normally the man made this trip alone, but in the letter there had been mention of rumors of bandits around the area. The idea of bandits attacking the group while they were escorting the man was a bit unsettling to the young genin. He had done his best to swallow down his fear in the morning though, reasoning that he was strong enough to handle a few lousy bandits. He hoped he was right. The young blonde haired genin had debated on waiting at the gates for his supposed partner, this Kirima person, but in the end had decided against it. He didn't know what Kirima looked like and he didn't feel inclined to ask every female their name to figure out if they were his perspective mission partner, and that was assuming that Kirima was in fact a female as her name implied. A light sigh escaped the boy's lips as he narrowed his hazel brown eyes as his eyes spotted a large ship rolling in to port. This was the second reason Kaze had decided against waiting around for his partner. He wanted to be early to greet their client. It wouldn't have been very good if he had came into port and there was no one to greet him. As the ship settled, Kaze began to move toward the docks. His eyes were focused on the boarding plank that had been lowered to allow passengers to exit from the large vessel.

As he watched the passangers slowly make their way off the ship, he noted their heavy clothing, dressing warmly to combat cold weather. With a wry smile, the boy knew they'd immediately regret that decision. Kaminari no Kuni had been unusually warm this time of year, so warm in fact that Kaze hadn't bothered to wear anything more than his usual dark blue t-shirt and black cargo pants, both which matched in color scheme with his dark blue shinobi sandals. Even in such light clothing, a thin film of sweat was already beginning to form over his somewhat pasty colored skin. The boy's small form weaved through the crowd of people as they walked away from the dock he was trying to reach, similar to a salmon swimming swiftly up stream. Eventually the boy would make it to the dock, his eyes focused on the boarding plank, waiting for the weapon's merchant, whom, Kaze had no idea of what his appearance was.

Age : 37 Posts : 2201

She loved the warmth on her face, against her body. Loved feeling the sun's rays add a bit to her tan, filling her skin with needed vitamins and making the girl smile happily. Even if it was only slowly dragging itself up across the sky, the air was warming faster with each passing second. But it wasn't uncomfortable heat, because the ocean put a well needed moisture to the atmosphere. Kirima had liked this place ever since she had participated in a fishing mission that was very successful. There was something about that smell of ocean in the air, the feel of salt against your skin (the high pitched annoying squealing of the damn seagulls) and the beautiful scenery of the sea itself that made her feel very peaceful. Stretching out so far, and so blue... there was a reason why the ocean was often mentioned in romantic novels or used in adventurous stories. The sight of it always gave her a tingling sensation that ran throughout her limbs, as if her body was telling her to go ahead and jump onto the next ship and head out for adventures. Buuut back to reality, as she had to keep moving down towards the docks in order to find her partner in this mission and also the client. This was actually a mission she liked, something that promised some brawling and excitement! But Kirima wondered what the other Genin would be like; naturally she thought she could handle this mission alone, but since there had been someone else put with her then she figured this might be a bit more dangerous than it had appeared to be. So would she be joining a Taijutsu expert? No, if this is a Genin like myself then we are pretty close in rank. Duuuh Kirima. Her eyes caught sight of the large ship that most probably carried the client, and without even stopping to wonder where the other Genin was, Kirima had taken off at a sprint. Surely, the other was around. Probably already where the ship was.

The passengers were already flowing out and heading off to their own destinations when Kirima arrived at the scenery. She scanned the area quickly, before her piercing gaze stopped at a young looking boy. A young looking.. scrawny boy. Immediately she thought that this couldn't be her partner, so she walked a bit further ahead and kept scanning the area. But to no prevail. So finally she turned slowly and stared at that blonde boy. That -cute- and rather adorable looking boy. With his hazel brown eyes, that blonde hair. 'Adorable like a puppy' crossed her mind before she knew. And that was when she noticed the forehead protector which was tied around his left arm. Fuuuuccckkk my life. Sideways. She tried to hold her face rather neutral as she stalked up towards the boy, pretty sure he had noticed her own forehead protector that was tied at her belt and laying against her hip. "Mikado Kaze?" She looked, quite literally, down upon the frail looking boy and barely managed to hold her calm. The fuck am I supposed to do with him? If the breeze would get stronger he'd most probably get swept off in the horizon with it! "I'm Hanzoku Kirima, your partner." The sun glistened in her fiery hair as she offered a tiny smile, still unsure about this whole situation. And as she had never been able to hold a 'poker face' then surely everything she had been thinking was written pretty clearly across her tanned face. But at least she didn't say it to his face, that was nice of her, right? Alright, no judging from outer appearances. Maybe he's a prodigy at .. whatever he does. She stood next to him, very aware of the difference between the two. Man, I probably look like his older sister. This fails. A few people walked past them, offering gentle smiles like Kirima and Kaze were -just- kids; and sure enough Kirima's scowling face was very effective at sending those people scurrying away with their tails between their legs.

"Kumogakure Shinobi?" Her head snapped towards the source of the deep voice. And holy Hell that was one big guy. Are we supposed to be protecting -him-? The guy was not only tall, probably reaching around 6'4, but he was broad as well. And not with fat mind you, but with burly muscles that gave one no doubt that he was indeed a strong guy that could deliver large and heavy orders without problems. On his back he had a very large backpack that held a portion of the order they were supposed to be getting to their village, and in his right hand he held a big suitcase of sort. As if to add a bit to his looks, he hadn't trimmed his beard nor hair in probably quite some time, and for a moment as his dark brown eyes scanned the Genin; Kirima felt like she was in the presence of a bear. "Uh yes. Hanzoku Kirima at your service." She waited on the boy to greet the man also, while trying not to stare.

"I feel a bit bad for having two little shrimps like you two protecting me." The man scratched his beard with a chuckle, but it didn't seem he meant too much harm. "Anyways, I'm called Gil. I will be trusting your ninja abilities kids." For a moment, Kirima felt like kicking his ass with her 'ninja abilities' as he called them kids. But she managed to refrain from doing so. Since after all, if it was her instead of the rogues who would mess up the order; then Kirima suspected she wouldn't be returning to the village and expecting a warm welcoming service. "So, if everyone are... umm present and ready, should we get going?" She glanced from the huge man to the scrawny boy, and inwardly sighed.

Age : 34 Posts : 1209

Kaze remained still as his eyes searched the crowd leaving the ship, trying his best to pick out who client might have been. Such an act though seemed futile to the young boy. Without any sort of picture to go by, he was entirely lost. Any of these men could have been a weapon's merchant, after all! As his frustration grew, his hazel brown hues narrowed a bit a more and his arms came to a cross in front of his chest as he shifted his weight to his right leg, letting his left foot tap against the docks in an impatient manor. This was already growing to be quite frustrating, and to make matters worse, his partner wasn't anywhere to be seen. He hoped that this 'Kirima' person would show up soon, otherwise Kaze might've had to start the trip alone. He supposed that such a prospect wasn't too unpleasant. Kaze was sure he could take on a couple of lowly bandits. He was, after all, a ninja! Though, having some back up would have been nice. Just as the thought passed through his mind he noticed the wind around him beginning to stir. The sea's breeze was gentle and carried the distinct salty sea smell that so many people near the ocean became accustomed to. This wind however, seemed slightly different to the young boy. It had managed to catch his notice, pulling his attention away from the boat as he focused on this seemingly unusual wind. He had experienced this feeling before, many times actually. It seemed that every so often, his mind would pull away from whatever task was at hand, focusing on the wind around him, as if he were trying to listen to the air currents, as though they were speaking to him. The result was always the same though, after about five seconds he would shake his head lightly, brushing off the strange feeling. The wind didn't speak, after all, it was just his imagination going wild, using his mother's old stories about the wind's power as a launching pad for these surreal moments.

~~"Mikado Kaze?"~~

The voice caught the boy off guard, nearly causing him to jump before he quickly shifted his gaze to the speaker. The woman that stood before him stood a good half foot taller than he, looking down upon him with big blue eyes. Her hair was a fiery red that did well to stand out much in the same way that his own blonde locks did, probably more so. She was a slender and very feminine figure, perhaps even bordering on the alluring side. The boy noted these qualities, but none really stuck in his mind once his eyes focused on her face and the expression it held. Her gaze said it all, it was a look of condescension and frustration. From the moment she had laid eyes on him, she had come to the conclusion that he was going to be a liability. Whether the assumption was true or false didn't matter to Kaze, but the fact that the assumption was made at all was what irked him. It was the same look that he had received from everyone in his life since the start of his days within the academy. He was too small, he was too dumb, he was too...whatever! His expression hardened as he kept staring up at her.

"Yes?"

~~"I'm Hanzoku Kirima, your partner."~~

Kaze mentally nodded to himself. Of course she was. Of course his partner would be someone who would think of him as nothing more than extra luggage. He'd prove her wrong though. This girl was just like Gouka and he wouldn't lose to either of them. He did his best to try and contain his frustration as he nodded to her.

"You think I'm a weakling. I can see it in your eyes. You're just like Gouka. Mark my words though, I will show you my strength."

The words came out low, almost a growl as his eyes shifted toward the front, staring at the boat and its exiting passengers once more. Kaze was usually a friendly sort, but the look on her face had put him off. She didn't have any interest in being his friend, getting to know him. She only saw this weak little boy standing in front of her and nothing more. Of course this would put him in a bad mood. As he glared forward he noted the large man approaching them. Was this their client?

"Kumogakure Shinobi?"

The man was large, much too large for Kaze's liking. Someone like him shouldn't have needed bodyguards to escort him the short distance back to the village. He could have handled himself, given the fact that he had a ton of weapons. Though Kaze supposed that there was no point in questioning the logic of the client, despite the fact that he stood nearly an entire foot taller than the boy and even dwarfed the tall girl. A small sigh passed between Kaze's slightly parted lips as he let his left foot lightly kick at the ground.

~~"Uh yes. Hanzoku Kirima at your service."~~

"...and I'm Mikado Kaze"

"I feel a bit bad for having two little shrimps like you two protecting me. Anyways, I'm called Gil. I will be trusting your ninja abilities kids."

The man chuckled as he spoke, an obvious attempt to veil the insult he had just thrown at the two. Kaze felt his blood boiling. First this girl and now this geezer?! He didn't care how big they were, what gave them the right to look down on him?! How dare they! As Kaze's thoughts spiraled out of control he felt himself about to return the insult but was interrupted as Kirima spoke up.

~~"So, if everyone are... umm present and ready, should we get going?"~~

Kaze felt himself calming down. That was right. He was here on a mission to protect this man. Getting into a fight with him would be rather counterproductive. With a small nod the boy turned and began to walk toward the port.

"Right. We wouldn't want the geezer to get heat stroke, after all."

The boy sneered as he glanced over his shoulder at the two behind him, as if motioning them to follow him. The man stood there, a bit dumbfounded for a moment before moving one of his large and calloused hands up to scratch at his head once more, letting out a light chuckle from the base of his throat.

"Looks like I ruffled a few of his feathers."

He spoke in a soft voice, his eyes moving down toward the girl in front of him, almost as if he were whispering to her. Of course, Kaze didn't hear this, which was probably for the better, given his current mood and his rather hotheaded nature. The boy continued to walk through the port, making his way toward the path that would take them toward the village.

Age : 37 Posts : 2201

As they started walking, she shrugged towards the big guy called Gil. Yeah it seemed that the other Genin was getting royally pissed off, but wasn't it sort of her fault also. Kirima knew she was in the wrong to give him a judging look, but it had just been -really- surprising to have someone that young and weak looking accompanying her on this mission. How many times had she received judging looks from others and felt like a worm, squirming and wriggling underneath those harsh glares? I should maybe apologize.. But she was preoccupied with thinking about what he had said just before the client had arrived. ~~"You think I'm a weakling. I can see it in your eyes. You're just like Gouka. Mark my words though, I will show you my strength."~~ He knew Gouka? How had they two met? And for that record, had Gouka also insulted him somehow? Yeah I bet.. he has the habit of being -overly- honest. So if he had met that .. shrimp then Kirima could just imagine what had happened. Whatever, this mission comes first. Maybe I can talk with him after this all. And however much it might sting, she would maybe apologize .. or at least give him a chance of showing his worth.

They had been walking for probably an hour, the silence looming over the three as it was like no one really felt like breaking the silence. Kirima wondered if she should offer to hold something for the client, but decided against it. He seemed to be doing fine. And the back pack seemed to weigh more than she did, and so did the suit case. Her thoughts came to a halt, and the young female stopped, a hand on the arm of Gil. She strained to listen, and looked around with an alarmed expression. Something in the atmosphere felt .. off. And sure enough, it wasn't long before the presence of 3 men came to their view. A long and thin guy with unsettling eyes, as he was very confident, stood in the middle of the small group. He had on his head a hat that was pushed a bit backwards, his probably shoulder length black hair pulled back in a ponytail. On his left side was a brown haired and muscular guy, and to the right was a blonde rather handsome guy who oozed of arrogance. The only one who really rang a warning bell with Kirima was the one in the middle, the guy with the hat.

"Well, I'll leave this to you two then!" Huh? She had barely registered the words before the client barreled away and was heading down the path, fleeing like a chicken from a fox. Seemingly oblivious to the fact that he would be chased down soon enough. "What the heck is he doing?!" She flashed an alarmed look towards Kaze, while making a small disapproving sound between her teeth. "I will leave these to you two." The guy with the hat spoke quickly, and then dashed after Gil. "Crap! I think he's the only one that's truly capable of doing damage!" Kaze had probably already noticed that also, but they had to get rid of the small fries before managing to follow with the other two right?

"Hey cutie, how about you show me some attention. I'm sure I can give you an excellent time." The blonde guy seemed to have chosen her as his opponent, as he looked Kirima up and down like she was a delicious steak. While the brown haired guy moved towards Kaze, a grin crossing his face while he clearly didn't find the boy a much of a challenge. Kirima's scowl, along with the twitch of her eyebrow, showed just how irritated she got. "Wipe up the drool you grease monkey." She barely allowed her eyes to dart from the opponent, looking with concern towards where Gil had disappeared to. God damnit, that idiot. As she watched how the two men left behind moved, she was more and more convinced that they possessed no ninja abilities but only street-skills. "We have to get rid of them quickly." Her gaze went quickly to Kaze, but she didn't have much time to do anything more as the blonde attacked head on. "Don't underestimate me, bitch!" His arms were stretched out from his body as he ran full force towards the girl. And an irritated groan escaped her as she noticed all the openings. But Kirima stood still until he was almost upon her, and only then did her right leg snap straight up in the air with a quite impressive show of her limber nature. And of course the sole of her boot went straight into the face of the guy whom didn't exactly have time to slow down. A muffled oompf was heard, but he had barely had his face pummeled in by her foot before Kirima's leg was down on the ground again, only to shoot forward and make a very -very- painful connection with the guy's crotch. The force was strong enough to send the male flying upwards into the air before landing on his back. Twitching, and unconscious.

"I have to follow them!" She didn't have time to gloat from her victory, but spared a quick glance towards Kaze before she was sprinting in the direction of where the others had gone. I hope he will be done quick, as I don't know how strong this guy with the hat is. And with that thought in mind, she started to channel fire based Chakra into her fists and feet. Preparing herself for anything that might happen while she gained quickly on the others.

233/240CP

Spoiler:

Age : 34 Posts : 1209

The three had been walking for some time, a good hour or so passing since they had left the port. Awkward silence had enveloped the party, a silence that Kaze had no desire of breaking. His rage had died down but he was still feeling agitated with the two behind him. He made sure to, despite his small legs, keep himself several meters in front of them, arms curled up and fingers interlocked behind his head as he stared up at clear blue sky with a scowl. The three of them were about half way there by now, yet they couldn't reach the village fast enough in Kaze's opinion. He wanted to collect his pay, get some lunch, then head off to train. He had a long way to go to be at Gouka's level and he wasn't going to get any stronger doing silly missions like this!

Suddenly, a ruffle of some nearby bushes drew Kaze's attention away from his own thoughts. As his eyes narrowed, his head moving about on a swivel in order to search for whatever may have made the noise. Suddenly three figures emerged from off the path, standing in their way and leering at the two ninja and their charge. There was no doubt in the young boy's mind that these were the bandits that he and Kirima had been hired to guard the merchant against. Without a second thought his hand dipped down toward the kunai holster on his left thigh. His index finger found the metal ring at the top of the kunai's handle and plunged through the hole. With a quick snapping motion of his arm the kunai was held firmly in his left hand in a reverse grip style. His eyes nothing more than two horizontal slits as he brought the weapon upward in a defensive stance.

"Well, I'll leave this to you two then!"

With that the merchant was off, hightailing it away from the perceived danger. Of course it was never that easy. The man in the middle of the three bandits, the tallest of the bunch motioned to his comrades.

~~"I will leave these to you two."~~

With that he was off, pursuing the merchant. Kaze growled angrily, frustrated with the situation. This entire mission would be a failure if he and Kirima couldn't quickly deal with these two bandits and catch up to the merchant and his pursuer. The two bandits broke formation, approaching the two ninja. The blonde man made his way for Kirima, leaving the more muscular, brown haired man to deal with Kaze. The boy's expression hardened as he took a few steps back, trying to keep distance between the two. He was unsure of how to handle the situation. This man was much larger than Kaze and could probably take the small boy out without too much effort. It was at this point that Kaze felt a sense of fear climbing up his spine. Could he even hope to defeat such a large opponent?

"What's wrong kid, are you scared? Tell you what, you turn around now and head back to the port and I won't have to pound your face in."

The man's words played on Kaze's fear causing the young genin to begin shaking in fear. He was serious! He'd really kill the boy if Kaze didn't do what the man said. A few tense moments passed between the two. The large bandit glared down at the young genin, using his size to mentally bully the child into submission. Kaze felt his will to fight quickly evaporating, and as a result he took a few more steps backwards, ready to turn and run for his life. It was then that he noticed Kirima rushing ahead after the third bandit. She had made quick work of her opponent, which was something Kaze hadn't expected. Just how strong was she?! Of course Kaze had little time to ponder this as he noticed the large muscular man turn toward the girl as she passed him by getting ready to rush after her and attack.

"You're not going anywh-Argh!"

It was then that Kaze saw his chance and quickly rushed forward, bringing his kunai up in a readied position. Just as the man turned to begin his pursuit, Kaze's kunai dipped downward at an angle, the tip finding the back of the man's knee and plunging inside only to be dragged across one knee, ripping through the flesh as the boy continued his charge forward. Once the kunai was free from the first knee, the process was repeated, dipping into the second knee, slicing into the joint and tearing the ligaments that provided the knees with such stability. With that the man's speech and actions were interrupted by a yelp of pain as he stumbled forward, falling to his hands and knees, unable to bear any weight on his damaged legs. Behind him stood Kaze, glaring down at the muscular bandit. Kaze held the blood stained kunai to the side of the man's neck now in an attempt to scare the man, now that he had the advantage.

"You brat!"

"Don't move! You should never take your eyes off your opponent."

As the boy spoke he brought the edge of his kunai toward the man's throat, pressing it lightly against the side of his windpipe. He was ready to kill this man right here and right now, but would he? The thought was frightening. Another few tense seconds passed between the two as Kirima's form became distant and eventually disappeared over the hill. Now it was just Kaze and the two downed bandits. Gritting his teeth he pressed the weapon harder against the man's skin, causing a slight trickle of blood to run down his opponent's neck.

"If you're going to kill me then get it over with!"

"...."

It was then that the bandit sensed Kaze's hesitation and quickly threw one of his large outward, slamming into the boy, sending Kaze's form staggering backwards, but as he moved back he inadvertedly pressed the blade harder into the man's skin as it was brought across the side of the bandit's neck. Suddenly blood began to pour from the accidental wound, causing the man to let out a slight yell before bringing one of his hands up to cover the hole.

"You bastard! I'll kill you!"

The bandit lunged for Kaze, his hands finding their way around the boy's neck as he tried to strangle the child. The fear that Kaze felt at the hands of this man was short lived however as the blood loss quickly caused his grip to loosen and eventually the young genin's neck was released as he fell over, fainting due to lack of blood flow to the brain. Kaze fell on his rear, staring at the dying man, eyes wide with blood all over his cloths and body. It wouldn't be long before this man was dead. With that thought in mind the genin quickly climbed to his feet, trying to block out the image as he ran off in the direction that Kirima, the bandit, and the merchant had gone. He needed to catch up to them quickly!

Age : 37 Posts : 2201

Man I hope that kid is alright. Even if her thoughts should be solely about the safety of the client, the girl couldn't help but wonder if it had been alright to leave Kaze alone like that. He is a ninja, he was put on this mission so he should be able to take care of himself! Don't think everyone need your help Kirima. She shook her head in a dismissal way, and simply picked up the pace. Even if she was running at her full speed, her breath left her and came back in strong and steady inhaling and out-haling. After all, she had damn well trained her stamina throughout the years. She knew she was getting closer as just around the curve of the path, loud voices were echoing her way. And the sort of sounds you'd be expecting from a brawl. If that idiot will be still alive when I get around that corner, I am going to kill him myself. She couldn't believe what a jerk that client was! Just as they came into view, she saw Gil backed up and on the way to get himself cornered against a huge tree. He had dropped the suitcase but didn't seem to be on the way to let the backpack go the same way. And that thug might have been just after that backpack, for all she knew, because he sure as Hell wasn't backing away. A personal bicker perhaps? Shouldn't she let them sort it out then? Oh it felt tempting, but then she was forced to think upon the mission and her "responsibilities".

"Hold it right there!" With the loud yelling and arm flailing, the men hardly noticed the girl who stealthily had gotten closer and closer, and as she already had the fire Chakra built up, her body flew through the air while her fist was aimed towards the man with the hat. As expected, he avoided, and her fist came in contact with the ground. A crackling sound was heard, there was a hole in the ground where small smoke slipped up from, as evidence that this punch had indeed been aimed to take the prick out. Slowly, as Kirima was down on one knee on the ground, she looked up. Her eyes were filled with aggressiveness, anger and a fierce fighting spirit. The normally bright blue color of her irises seemed to dim up and become navy blue. This was the -shit- so to say. She could feel how the adrenalin was pumping up inside of her. Everything seemed so clear and simple now. And she only had eyes for the opponent. If this was how all battles were, then you could sign her up for more to come!

It seemed that the thug was starting to clear up his confusion, after glancing to the path and making a small cursing sound as it seemed that neither of his followers were on their way. But, as his grey eyes settled on the girl, a growing grin curved his thin lips. "Oh ho, we have a feisty little thing here." The mocking sound caused Kirima's hair to almost literally rise further up from her head. "Mister." She stood slowly up and motioned for Gil to get behind her. "I advice you to not call me little. And do not look down upon me or any other Kumogakure ninja." First time really that she called herself that, and the weird part about it was that Kirima felt rather .. proud to be able to call herself that. To be able to represent her village, and show it's strength with her actions this day. Her fists were clenched tightly at her sides while she took a step closer. "Gil. Try not to get in the way, or I will gladly murder you along with this prick here." She heard the obvious sound as the huge man scurried a bit further away, and she felt glad that he could actually take orders. For she did mean everything she said.

The Chakra was already bubbling up within her, channeling up at a rabid speed, and thus she gave herself a powerful boost forward. The earth crackling underneath her feet as the girl launched herself forward, the man obviously not expecting that to happen, but managing to sidestep at the last moment so that her fist scratched along his cheekbone and knocked his hat off. Instantly his skin where she had touched him became red and seemingly painful from the scowl that came upon his face for that split of a second where it was in view. Then the next thing Kirima knew was when she was in the air, powerful arms gripping her right arm, as she was tossed down to the ground. A loud 'oompf' sound escaped her as she braced herself, crossing her arms in front of her defenseless body just as a booted foot stomped down upon her. Her teeth were gritted from the pain as her arms would probably be bruised for days. But that guy wasn't about to stop at just that, and she had to think quickly. Kaze should be here any second now. So she sorta had to 'pin that guy' somehow until Kaze could come and help out. As Kirima was not entirely sure she could keep up with this jerk alone. So much for her confidence earlier.

As his booted foot came down once again, Kirima's long leg shot to the side and her shin kicked his own; slightly disturbing his balance even if she wasn't sure which one of them grimaced more from the pain. A bruised shin.. was the most annoying thing she knew. That moment where he was caught off, she used to roll out of the way of the stomp. And as she came upon her knees and faced him, she was already almost done making a row of hand-seals. The gush of wind had barely started to form towards him, when Kirima let out a loud and angry yelp as a Shuriken dug itself into the flesh of her left forearm. That was enough to send the Jutsu a bit off it's course, but yet it was enough to knock the man backwards and sending him rolling a bit away. "Motherfucker!" She was up on her feet, not bothering to rip the Shuriken out of her arm, as her hand went into the pouch at her hip and picked out a Kunai. The two faced off again, as the guy had also a Kunai in his hand now. Like hissing and spitting alley cats, they flew at each other. It was very handy now for Kirima that not only had she the limber characteristics of a cat but she also had advanced evasive skills. But that didn't stop her from getting scratched a bit up from the opponent's Kunai, although he seemed to get his share of scratching and cutting as well.

Now the unfortunate part for Kirima, was that she had no real experience when it came to battling. While he seemed a bit more accustomed to it. Even if he wasn't that much higher in rank than her. "That's it! Get the fuck out of my way you brat!" Out of nowhere his other hand appeared, and her head was snapped to the side with a punch that sent her mind spinning and spots appearing in front of her eyes while a spit of blood flew from her mouth. Down on her knees she went, but just as she landed, her hand lashed out and drove the Kunai into the man's thigh. "YOU BITCH!" She knew it would come now... something out of the world... and time seemed to slow down... was she going to be saved from this situation?

[OOC: Time for the knight in shining armor to appear.]

206/240CP

Spoiler:

Age : 34 Posts : 1209

Kaze's leg moved as quickly as they could, carrying him in a swift manor down the path where the three had headed. They had had a considerable head start in comparison to the small genin, he could only hope he'd get there in time. His mind was still on a high from his last fight, the fight where he had just performed his first kill, though it was an inadvertant one. A mixture of thrill and disgust battled within his mind and moved down toward his gut. The recollection of the sight was enough to incite a visceral response, almost causing the boy to puke several times during his sprint. He had done well to hold it all in though, his gaze never softening as he remained focused on his objective. This was no time to be weak! He had to prove his strength here and now. The mission was on the line! Lives were on the line! He could have time to think about everything else later. With a small grunt of frustration, the boy did his best to keep his pace quick in order to reach his teammate and client all the faster.

After a few more minutes of running, Kaze's ears began to pick up the sound of voices in the distance. One was distinctly female, which Kaze assumed had to be Kirima. It sounded as though things were getting rather heated. The boy was going to slow but no matter how hard he pushed himself to move faster, his body was already reach its limit. He wasn't trained for speed or stamina. He was actually pretty weak, probably one of the weakest ninja in the village if one had to really think about it. Despite all this though, he'd never let himself get overly discouraged! Kirima was relying on him, whether it was to save her or help the client escape, he had to do his part! His feet continued to move as fast as his aching muscles would let them, all the while his kunai was grasped firmly in his left hand, the blade caked in dried blood. Kaze began to wonder, would he have to use the blade again? Would he have to kill for a second time today? The thought both excited and scared him. Why did it excite him though? Were people supposed to get excited over their first kill? Perhaps there was something wrong with him. He had never really bothered to listen to the stories of the elder shinobi, if any had even bothered mentioning the first time they killed a person. But to Kaze, there was a strange sense of power that came with knowing that a person's life rested on edge of one's blade. Again, the image of the dying man flashed in Kaze's mind, causing the boy to finally stop his running, taking a moment to collect himself.

"I did it for the mission. I did it for the village...I shouldn't be ashamed."

A deep breath followed the small pep talk as he turned toward the sound of combat in the not-so-far-distance. More running ensued as me continued to make his way to the battlefield, eventually coming to a skidding stop as he watched Kirima go down from a cheap left hook that had escaped her line of vision. As she fell though, the kunoichi had skillfully manipulated herself to get one last good shot in, a stab to the man's thigh with a kunai. The man let out a howl of pain while insulting the girl, preparing to stab her with the kunai he held. Unfortunately for the man, Kaze had already been preparing his assault from the moment that he had saw his teammate go down. Kaze was now poised to strike, unnoticed by the bandit.

In his left hand he held a bloodied kunai but in his right he held a single shuriken that had a small smoke pellet tucked into the hole. In all honesty, he thought that perhaps a kunai would have been the wiser choice for this scenario, but unfortunately for Kaze, throwing kunai knives required more skill than throwing a shuriken. Shuriken were dangerous no matter how they landed, just as long as they were thrown with enough force. The sharpened edges on nearly every lateral surface would ensure that Kaze did damage, even if he didn't get the rotation exactly right. However, causing pain was only of secondary importance to the young genin. The small pellet that rested in the eye of the kunai was the true intent of the attack. He needed to get Kirima out of harm's way. Smoke emitted by the pellet upon impact would serve that purpose just fine. Now all Kaze had to worry about was hitting the mark. His accuracy wasn't exactly spot on, but he was sure that he could hit such a large target from this distance. Plus, he was only throwing one shuriken, not several as he was often forced to do during his academy days. It was now or never!

As the man readied his coup de grace against the female, Kaze brought his arm inward and across his body before suddenly stepping forward, letting his arm sweep outward as he rushed forward. The shuriken spun rapidly as it whizzed through the air with a slight lateral arc. The man moved in on the girl, his kunai positioned to jab into the female's flesh, then suddenly he staggered backwards as the shuriken planted itself firmly in his right shoulder, just below the clavicle, causing him to yell in pain. Of course the staggering only worked to worsen the pain in his thigh from Kirima's attack, causing his reactions to slow significantly. Before his mind was able to register what happened, he was enveloped in a cloud of smoke that blinded his vision. The man, expecting an unseen attack, raised his kunai in a defense position, but no attack came and as the smoke cleared the man stood there, glaring at the young boy who had managed to drag the bandit's female opponent away and to safety, laying her under a tree just off the path.

"What the?! How the hell did you make it here?! Where's my men! A squirt like you should have been mince meat by now!"

Kaze's gaze hardened as a scowl formed on his face. He was still looking down at Kirima, but said nothing to the girl as he suddenly turned around, holding the blood stained kunai up for the bandit to see.

"I killed them, both of them. Now you're the only one left."

Of course, such a statement wasn't exactly true. He had only killed one of the two men, and the kill had been rather accidental, but now was not the time to be honest with the bandit. Kaze wasn't about to let this man talk down to him. Not after he had solely underestimated both Kirima and himself. No, this man would know the fury of Kumogakure. Kaze would show this man what it meant to be shinobi! The man growled in anger as he moved his left hand up toward his right shoulder, yanking the shuriken out of his own flesh with a small grunt, tossing the weapon to his side as he glared at the small bow before him.

"You killed my men? Don't make me laugh. You're nothing but a child!"

"I'll show you who's the child!"

As they yelled they both ran at one another. However, Kaze had already realized that his size put him at a distinct disadvantage, compared to the man in front of him. It was then that Kaze suddenly dipped his left hand into his pocket, pulling out a second smoke pellet. He'd suddenly spike the pellet down on the ground, several steps in front of him. The man, at seeing this, came to a halt, raising his kunai up in a defensive stance as he glared at the smokescreen.

"I'm not falling for that trick again!"

Concealed in the smoke, Kaze quickly formed a few hand seals, summoning a single bunshin. Right after forming the illusionary clone, Kaze quickly reached into his pouch, pulling out another shuriken and his last smoke pellet, quickly manipulating his fingers to jam the pellet into the hole within the shuriken's body. Once more he launched a shuriken at the man, the weapon breaking through the smokescreen, only for the bandit to quickly bat it out of the way with his kunai, the impact causing the pellet to explode in another smoke screen. The man quickly jumped back, trying to clear the smoke but as he did he noticed the shadow of a figure quickly charging him.

"You stupid brat, you think your stupid tricks are going to be enough to take me down?!"

As he yelled, focusing on the illusionary clone that was charging forward, he didn't notice the real Kaze exiting the first plume of smoke and circling around the man's right side, giving the bandit a wide area as not to get caught in the bandit's peripheral vision. Immediately the bandit stepped forward, thrusting his kunai toward the clone, only for it pass right through the clone, disrupting it and causing it to vanish. As he did this though, Kaze was already wrapping an explosive tag around the handle of his kunai. Suddenly the man heard a light thud as Kaze tossed the kunai so that it landed right behind the man's right leg. The bandit's quickly turned to see what had landed behind him and just as he turned Kaze formed the one handed seal that caused the tag to detonate.

The sound of the explosion echoed throughout the area, dispersing the dying smoke plumes while throwing the man forward, severely burning the flesh on the right side of his body while causing his ears to ring, due to the explosion going off right in his face. The bandit grunted as he slowly worked to pull himself to his feet. His kunai was gone, having been dropped during the explosion. But Kaze still had weapons to spare and as the man managed to prop himself on his knees, coughing due to the burning sensations he felt all the way down his throat and lurking within his chest, Kaze made his move, bringing the kunai forward, pressing the tip against the center of the man's neck.

"You gonna kill me? A kid like you is going to kill me....what a joke.."

"A kid like me? Yeah, that's right. A kid like me just beat your ass. And now a kid like me is going to slit your throat."

Suddenly the bandit's eyes became wide with anger as he throw his left first forward in an attempt to punch Kaze in the gut. Suddenly the sound of a loud thud could be heard as the punch connectec. Kaze began to cough, straining to breath as he tried to shake off the injury. Both remained motionless for a few seconds before the man let out a few pained groans.

"You bastard..."

Blood began to trickle from between the two as they stood there, glaring at one another. Kaze groaned lightly in pain before suddenly stepping back, revealing that he had managed to move the kunai down from the man's neck, having stabbed it directinly into the soft underside of the man's forearm, cutting one of the large arteries while damaging the ulnar nerve, causing the man's arm to be severely weakened. Now with with his right arm heavily burnt and damaged from the explosion and his left arm damaged from Kaze's kunai, he had nothing left to fight with. Kaze took a deep breath as he continued to glare at the bandit.

"I'm tired of bullies like you always underestimating me. People like you think that because you are so big that you can do whatever the hell you want. You think that small people like me can't do anything for ourselves. You all look at me with the same look. You all underestimate me...I'm sick of it....I'm sick of you. Who the hell do you think you're messing with?!"

"You brat! I'll kill you!

As they yelled the man's right arm tensed up, readying to fly forward toward Kaze's seemingly defenseless body.

"Just die!"

Suddenly Kaze threw his head forward, slamming his forehead into the man's head with enough force to send the large man's neck snapping backwards in surprise. As he did this, Kaze proceeded to rip the kunai out of the man's left arm, bringing it up and across in one fluid motion, taking advantage of the man's exposed neck. The bandit let out a bloodied garble of grunts and unintelligible words as his throat was slit. Kaze quickly followed up the neck slide with a powerful right hook, connecting his fist squarely with the bandit's jaw, sending him to the ground where he'd continue to bleed out from the injury. A small sigh passed between the child's lips as he glared down at the bandit, spitting on his quivering form.

"Scum."

A few moments would pass before Kaze sheathed the kunai in the holster strapped to his left leg. He'd make his way toward Kirima's form, stopping in front of her with an apathetic stare.

"Hey, Kirima, can you walk? We gotta get Gil to the village."

He'd stand there, waiting for her response. If she confirmed that she was able to walk he'd nod with a small smile, heading over toward Gil to start leading him toward the village, expecting Kirima to catch up. If she said she couldn't walk then he'd held out a hand to help her up. He was short but he was sure that between Gil and himself, they could help her back to the village if she couldn't manage to make it on her own. Another mission accomplished, this one a much more violent mission for the young Kaze.

[Exit]
[Will submit for eval when MsMoney Exits.]

Jutsu:

CP: 49/50

Tools/Weapons:

Age : 37 Posts : 2201

Wasn't there supposed to be a flashback of your whole life before you died? Like, some fast forwarding playing of all the bitter sweet moments as well as the sad ones? She didn't experience anything like that, heck even if it seemed that time had slowed down then it still didn't have any perks. Like a sitting duck.. she sort of felt like she was just waiting to die. But at the same time, something rumbled on the inside of her. Not like a growling of a hungry stomach, but more like a Bijuu that was preparing to butt in. And it felt weird. Itchy against the seal on her stomach. And just as she was about to blink in confusion and rub her stomach, everything went up in smoke. And she found herself to be dragged along the earth, in a very undignified manner. Kaze? Well what do you know, the kid had survived, found them and was now helping her staying a bit longer in this world. So I guess that means I have to like him now? She at least would owe him, even if they were together on this mission. (And even if she was also done wounding that opponent of theirs.. details details.)

"Ugh." Her fingers fumbled along the bloodied and slippery edged of the Shuriken that was probably touching bone. Her eyes didn't leave the field in front of her, and as she was also watching what Kaze was about to do, then her sky blue eyes were looking for their dumb-as-a-fucking-brick client. She finally spotted him, hiding behind a thicket of trees, and a small sigh of relief blew a strand from her face. A small grunt escaped her as she pulled the shuriken out, and her hand flew to her pouch to quickly retrieve some bandages which she wrapped tightly around the wound and secured it. There, as good as new. Now she could get something done, or at least see if she could help in any way. Her ears had registered that Kaze claimed to have killed the other two guys, so perhaps he could handle this one on his own. The last thing Kirima wanted to do was to be in the way and perhaps mess up a plan he had. She may be rash and quicker to act than think, but at times like these she knew she had to be sharp and intelligent. Or at least try to activate those few brain-cells she actually had. But what was that.. She poked at her stomach, trying to find the source of that stinging-scratching feeling where the seal was supposed to be. Did the Nibi sense what was about to happen? Had she actually been just seconds away from making connections to Her? Fuck Kaze ! If you had waited a little bit longer! Oh well, no use to cry over spilled milk right?

Come to think of it.. she had never actually killed anyone. Unless she had kicked that guy earlier so hard in the nuts he had actually coughed up his soul. Doubtful as it was. Man, you telling me that brat is tougher than me? I might just get a bit depressed. She dragged herself up into a more comfortable seated position, and watched closely at the spar in front of her. Her muscles were tensed, her hand was resting on her pouch. And she waited, waited to see if Kaze would make a mistake or if the opponent would recover enough from the stabbing wound on his thigh to show again that high speed of his. But it seemed the little puppy was doing fine. Without really noticing, she was holding her breath, waiting eagerly to see how this would play out. Even if Kaze seemed to be handling the situation, she could see that he was doing so by using pretty much all means necessary. It didn't seem that he was a prodigy of any sort... just a tough bastard. Like a cockroach. Refusing to die even when stepped on. And Kirima felt she was liking him more and more. Someone who could actually stand up to themselves, and keep going.

She watched intently as he headbutted the guy, and then a soft choking sound escaped her as he slit his throat. The last time she had watched someone die.... No. Kirima shook her head and snapped out of it, already starting to get on her feet as Kaze approached her. "Yeah I can walk. That was actually pretty impressive." Her eyes searched him, checking if he was alright with the kill, before she pushed away from the tree and put a hand on his shoulder; muttering under her breath for him to hear. "Sorry about being a dick earlier." They then both made their way to Gil, who got a very -very- cold glare from Kirima before they started to get back on track. Moving quickly towards Kumo before anything else surprising would happen.

They arrived at the village gates in about an hour's time, and upon the arrival the guards took charge in getting Gil to his destined place, while Kirima and Kaze were literally forced to go to the hospital to get checked up. A mission well done! Except for a few bumps and bruises.. and cuts.

[Exit.]