Two Homies Take on a Mission [P, Shojin]

Mission:

The time was 0300 in the village hidden in the leaves. The sky was still dark and the majority of the population was still deep in their nightly slumber. The city itself was mostly dark with only a few street lamps still lit at this hour and absolutely no one moving about, as any sane person was asleep at this time. Any sane person except for two. Kosuke groaned as he made his way out into the main area of the squad 3 training grounds. They always met up at this time, and even after several months of meeting up here, he still couldn’t get used to it. Up to this point, they had done some group training and their sensei, Jun, had taught them some odd and end things, but most of it had to do with being more tactically minded than they had been in their first “official training session”. But, today they would supposedly be taking on a C-ranked mission to see how they had improved and because Jun-sensei had gotten tired of watching them paint fences and pick weeds. He arrived to find the woman sitting on a training post in the center of the grounds. “Morning sensei.” She simply offered a wave in response as she was reading over a scroll and drinking something that was most likely caffeinated as they waited on Shojin to arrive. It would be interesting to see how the two of them fared on such a high level mission compared to what they had been taking on.

Once he arrived, Jun-sensei would begin, “Alright you two, its the moment we’ve all, mostlyme, been waiting for! Time for a real mission to test just how skilled the two of you have become under my masterful tutelage. Our mission is to assassinate a corrupt businessman who has been doing some illegal dealings within the Land of Fire. It should be a simple enough job, though I will most likely handle the actual assassination, you two will probably just end up taking down his civilian guards or causing a distraction so I can sneak in. It should be a rather run of the mill mission, though it will most likely involve direct combat, so you should both be prepared for such an occurrence.” She would look between the two of them before closing up the scroll and putting it in her pouch before hopping down off the training log. “Alright then, that’s it, we’re heading out now. If you have any questions, keep them to yourself.” With that, she would make her way out of the training grounds, assuming they followed her, she would lead them at a steady walking pace out of the village and onto the road heading south. It was roughly 0345 at this point due to her little speech and having to do an equipment rundown before they left. But, now they had nothing but the open road for the next three hours of walking to conserve their energy.

TWC: 500

It was a brisk morning, despite the time of year; if it could be called morning.  The egregious hour of 0300 that his team always met at was beginning to take its toll on Shojin.  For the first long while, he was able to maintain a sense of motivation and excitement everytime it was time for his team to meet to train or take on a mission.  But very quickly, the excitement from catching kittens and delivering groceries dulled, and he began to dread reporting hours before the sun rose.  Why was it necessary to meet this early, anyway?  There was no way it served any purpose than to get them used to operating without sleep.

Still, punctual as ever, Shojin arrived at his team's meeting place at 0245.  If one looked closely enough, the bags under Shojin's eyes were clearly visible.  He hadn't been irresponsible on purpose; he knew he needed his sleep before his first real mission.  But the anticipation for finally getting to do his job - his real job - had gotten to him, and made it impossible to fall asleep in time to get a real night's sleep.  It was clear he was running on fumes, despite his strong efforts to hide it; he didn't need the lecture he was bound to receive about it.

"Hey, Kosuke! Hey Jun-Sensei!"  Shojin called out when he got eyes on his friend and mentor.  The two of them really got along rather well, and he was excited for their teamwork to really be tested, this time.  So far, they had been flawless together; but then again, that was because they were two greatly overqualified Genin, and the fact that none of their tasks as of yet had challenged them at all posed its own risks and dangers.  How would they react when things weren't so easy?  Would they keep their wits about them, or would they panic? 

It was easy to say the two were "powerful" for Genin, because of course they were.  They were both capable of summoning extremely capable creatures, and performing high level jutsu.  They were both physically adept in every way, and both had enormous reserves of chakra.  Kosuke was nearing mastery of Elemental Ninjutsu, and Shojin was gifted with weaponry.  In a fight with no stakes, no gut calls, no strategic dangers or any outside influences at all, they could both probably hold their own with most Chuunin or even some Special Jounin.  

Of course, Shojin was actually conscious of none of this.  He was confident as ever, if a little sleepy. Shojin had plenty of questions after Jun's briefing, but he kept them to himself as she'd instructed.  He knew there was no way they could prepare for every contingency anyhow, which was what most of his questions were about.  Instead, he turned to small-talk with Kosuke.  "So, are you as excited as me?  It's different knowing what we'll be facing is real."  He lowered his voice slightly; "Jun-Sensei would scold me for this but I can wait to truly go all-out!"

TWC: 508

It was greatly impressive to Shojin to watch Jun in action.  It was clear as he saw her do her thing that all of the times he had sparred against her, she had taken it rather light on him.  He clicked his teeth.  On the one hand, he was glad to have someone so strong to train him, and was grateful for that opportunity.  On the other hand, he had so far to go in order to catch up, and to eventually become strong enough to accomplish all the things he wanted to in the world.  Still... it was like watching someone create art in real time as he watched her go.

It was amazing; she disappeared so quickly that he could barely follow her movement.  If he weren't so skilled in tracking and reacting to fast movements, perhaps he couldn't.  Like a pre-rehearsed act, two concise strikes and the guards to the building were on the ground, unconscious.  Boom; with style too, she blew a breach into the building they were to assault.  At least this was something Shojin was capable of, anyway.  After a few seconds, he shook himself; powerful teammates was nothing to complain about.  

Shojin sprang to action just after Kosuke.  He began to follow him into the building, but the moment he did, his heart sprang into his throat.  Kosuke couldn't see it, because of the smoke.  There was a trap, and his teammate was standing directly inside the danger zone.  Shojin did what anyone with a reasonable head on their shoulders would do; he simply reacted.  He wouldn't be able to call out, because there wasn't time.  The ground was already shifting.  He dove forward, shoving Kosuke further inside the building, and took his place.  

Shojin had no time to get up or roll out of the way.  A plate of solid rock rose from the ground at the same time as one crashed downward from the ceiling, and his left arm and leg, hip, and shoulder were caught.  Not just caught; they were crushed.  He cried out in pain, incapable of reacting in any other way.  The left half of his lung was crushed, and breathing was ragged.  There was breathing, for sure, but only just as much as he absolutely needed; his chest couldn't expand any further than that.  So long as Kosuke didn't manage to fall backward, however, he would be clear of the trap.

"Kosu...ke...  I'm fine.  Go... Go!!"  He predicted Kosuke's actions, confident that he'd probably try and stop and help Shojin out.  He was stuck, and that would mean Kosuke put his back to the enemy; he couldn't have that.  Instead, he'd be forced to lay where he was, and watch.  He was glad that he'd managed to successfully save Kosuke from certain death.  Shojin knew he could get out of this bind, but just not quite yet.  He just hoped Kosuke would trust him and move forward with the mission, for now, until he could eliminate the threat and be able to come back and help Shojin without danger.

1022

Kosuke couldn’t see very much in the way of what was inside the building as he rushed in, due to the smoke he was essentially running in blind. Apparently, Shojin had sharper eyes than he, as the redhead tinkerer shoved him out of the way of a trap that seemingly crushed most of his body and at that point, Kosuke became acutely aware of two things. One, his friend was on the brink of death. Between his ragged breathing and the dilation Kosuke could now notice in his pupils, it was obvious he was in pretty bad shape. The second thing he was aware of was the attack moving swiftly in his direction from the right side. It was a kick coming from a rather tough looking man with a scratched out leaf headband. Kosuke took in the information all within the blink of an eye and was able to lean back just enough to avoid the kick. Paying a bit closer attention, he also took note of the way the man’s muscles contracted underneath the skin, showing him an image of a followup punch which was also dodged but followed through with Kosuke’s own punch to the inside of the man’s now exposed bicep. Following this with a rotating elbow into the attackers sternum, Kosuke would bring up his left hand to block the incoming haymaker before grabbing the now off balanced jonin’s arm and using his own body weight agains him, tossing him across the room.

Little did Kosuke realize, he now had two red eyes with a single tomoe rapidly swirling around the pupil. Keeping his attention on the jonin, he was certain that wasn’t enough to take him down, but it would hopefully buy him enough time for his next actions. Running through hand signs, Kosuke would launch several smaller fireballs at the ceiling above the downed enemy, causing it to collapse on him. Rushing back over to Shojin, Kosuke would speak as he began to attempt to lift the all to heavy slab of rock, “Shojin! Don’t worry, I’ll try to get you out of there! Hnnnnnggggg!” He strained against the fallen rock but was unable to make it budge in the slightest. Would this be the end of his friend? Not if he could help it! He kept trying to lift up the slab until he heard the rocks behind him begin to move as the jonin started to dig himself out of the collapsed rubble. “Shojin, if you have any amazing ideas now is the time, we only have a few more seconds, if that!” He had to admit, it wasn’t looking good for the two of them. He could only hope that either Shojin had some ace up his sleeve or Jun-Sensei got back soon enough to save their lives.

TWC: 1,482

[Claiming Sharingan Awakening]

A vague and fleeting smile crossed Shojin's lips as he saw his friend easily dispatch what appeared to be a very powerful enemy.  He was convinced it was someone far above his own paygrade, but Kosuke defeated him handily.  He knew the guy had it in him... given the right reasons to sharpen his resolve.  The smile dissipated immediately, however, as the sudden shock of being trapped how he was lessened, and the pain suddenly intensified.  Once Kosuke came over to help Shojin, he had come up with a plan.  "Kos...uke... help... with Summoning handsigns..."  

Shojin would put his hand out to meet Kosuke's.  If Kosuke went along with it, the duo would each use a hand to perform their half of the hand seals required for Summoning Technique.  Shojin didn't bother biting a finger or anything to produce blood; there was plenty there.  Once the two had performed the required handseals, Shojin would withdraw his own hand, placing it on the bed of rock he'd been pinned into that was beneath him.  The runes that always spread when he performed a summoning spread here, and Kusho would appear. This would probably be rattling for anyone involved, as the Slug was larger than the house itself.  A near explosion-like phenomenon would occur where, as Kusho displaced rock and building, it'd all be hurtled outward.  Shojin would be pulled inside the slug, as it enveloped him, protecting him from harm; Kosuke and Jun-Sensei too, if they did not resist it.  Immediately, Kusho would perform Mystical Palm Technique, beginning to stabilize Shojin, as he lost consciousness.

TWC 1288

Looking at the bloodied hand that Shojin held out to him, Kosuke would grimace as he took in the appearance of his friend, he would probably never be able to continue his ninja career after sustaining such grievous injuries, that was something that seemed pretty obvious to Kosuke at this point. “Alright then, hold still!” He would reach down and help Shojin complete the signs of the summoning technique, keeping himself focused while he did it on the pile of rubble that exploded to reveal a very angry jonin. Hopefully the two of the genin could survive this encounter. Kosuke had no idea what kind of summon that Shojin had, but given the circumstances, it had to be more useful than if it hadn’t been called forth. As the jonin had burst from the rubble, Kosuke was left trying to defend once again. He wasn’t able to get the upper hand at this point, with the Jonin obviously taking him a bit more seriously and closing up his fighting style to be more serious as opposed to the relaxed attacks that he had been using before. It was taking everything kosuke had in him to dodge the incoming attacks, he didn’t know how much longer this would last.

Forming some hand signs, Kosuke was going to attempt a technique to try and trap the attacker again, but he seemed prepared for this and launched a flurry of blows at Kosuke in an attempt to block his hands from forming seals. He was successful in this endeavor as Kosuke was forced onto the defensive once again as the incoming attacks made it clear that the guy wasn’t one to be taken lightly. He had to truly push himself to keep up with his movements at this point, dodging punches and kicks and even weapons that were thrown at him. He hoped that whatever genius plan that Shojin had cooked up would be enough to get them out of this situation. Jun-sensei was still occupied elsewhere and he couldn’t focus long enough to locate her chakra signature with this guy pressing his assault constantly. This was proving to be the most difficult mission that this team had ever taken on and with Shojin barely clinging to life, Kosuke hardly hanging on in this fight and Jun-sensei nowhere to be seen, Kosuke genuinely felt that the two of them would be killed here and now.

It was in that instance, he noted a slight shift as the guy didn’t really get easier to see as he felt something change in his chakra. It was as though the movement of it through his body gained some form of ease and it required less from him to actively push chakra through his coils at this point and it seemed to be easier to control to move around as he willed it. He took note that his vision also became sharper and he could now definitely sense that this increased flow of chakra was definitely centered primarily on his ocular nerves and the chakra lines that where near those nerves. What could be the cause of this? He had no idea, but he would find out when he could.

TWC: 2,015

[claiming sharingan tomoe 2]

Eventually, Shojin would feel well enough to stand on his own two feet again. He'd regain consciousness, though it'd take him a moment to fully gather in his surroundings. It wouldn't be until Shojin saw Kosuke; his eyes red, something he'd have to talk to him about after the fight; standing toe to toe with a rather menacing-looking Ninja, that he'd shake himself mentally, becoming more fully aware of what was happening. With the mental link between Kusho and Shojin, figuring out what was happening would become rather easy, as well. The two wouldn't have to communicate with a single word for Kusho to do exactly what Shojin needed.

The massive creature divided into two far smaller pieces; each the size of about a fist. One would latch to Shojin and one would latch to Kosuke, unless he resisted. If he did not, then immediately, the two would also share a mental link. "Kosuke, I'm okay... Kusho is pretty good at healing. With her attached to you, you can afford to be a little reckless. She'll protect you. Don't worry." Of course, all this would be said in Kosuke's mind, and at the speed of thought; far faster than audible words could accomplish.

Shojin, as well, was absolutely still in pain. Though he felt better by the second, as Kusho continued her use of Mystical Palm Technique on him, his breathing was still ragged, and his reflexes slow. He'd withdraw Hebunriamori, and use its ability to fit some pieces, instantly, to each hand. In the left would be his standard Chakra Blade and Catalytic Pommel, and in the right would be his Repeating Crossbow, Pathfinding Bowstring, and a explosive bolt fitted on it. Shojin did the only thing he knew to do; he retrograded slightly, about twenty meters, firing twelve explosive bolts through the use of Repeating Hand Blaster; a technique allowed him through Repeating Crossbow; at the enemy. Likely, it'd bring what was left of the building down on top of him.

1621

Kosuke felt the strange sensation of the small slug crawling onto him, if it weren't for how tired he was, he’d probably be grossed out to be honest, but as it stood, the healing was certainly helpful. He could also feel something else, something he had felt before, something unique to his own summons but apparently not so much. He could feel natural energy siphoning into his body at a steady rate through the slug that was now attached to him. Feeling it course through his veins he would allow a small smile to cross his lips as Shojin spoke through their mind’s link. Cracking his neck as red and black markings appeared around his eyes and his red eyes turned orange in color as he entered sage mode. He could now clearly feel their sensei on the upper floors standing over two very dead bodies. He could feel himself healing, Shojin, though barely alive at this point was making a recovery. The other jonin that they had been fighting was preparing something, but he wouldn’t get the time to do anything about it. Kosuke would rocket forwards as Shojin fired his bolts causing the ceiling to begin exploding.

As the ceiling fell around him, weakening the structure of the building, Kosuke would appear next to the Jonin, delivering two swift punches to his chest before a roundhouse to his head to disorient him. The attacker attempted a wild haymaker, but was aptly dodged, kosuke’s two tomoe sharingan spinning overtime as he took in all of the information. Quickly forming several hand seals, he would fill the room with smoke before beginning to back peddal as he pushed Shojin towards the exit as he felt their sensei had already left the building and was waiting outside. Through the mind link he would send a final message to Shojin as they made it outside the now smoke filled building, “Send one of your arrows inside to explode!” If the other genin did what was told, the resulting explosion would render the building into dust and the final jonin into ash. Kosuke would release sage mode and fall back onto his ass as he was now exhausted. Jun-sensei would speak up, “You did well for your first high ranked mission you two, but I must say, you both look like shit.” By this time, Kosuke’s eyes had also reverted back to normal with the orphaned genin being none the wiser.

TWC: 2,423

Shojin's actions were instant, as Kosuke's request came through his mind.  Shared thoughts could be conveyed far quicker and more deeply than words; when Kosuke told Shojin to shoot the building again, he understood the intent behind the request as well.  Not in full detail, of course, but he knew that taking another shot at his enemy would finish them. Another bolt would streak its way into the building; the target another thing he was able to pick up from Kosuke's communication.  The explosion was the last straw; the building came down, and in conjunction with all of the other explosions, the collapse of the house, and this final explosion, there was no way anyone inside would survive.

When Jun-Sensei spoke, Shojin beamed.  He knew her well-enough to know that her comment about how bad he looked was just because she was incapable of giving a standalone compliment.  "We've worked hard.  Barbecue when we get back?"  His smile still strong, Shojin began to lead the way home.

[EXIT]

1789

Kosuke smiled at the compliment and follow up remarks about their appearances. Recalling that this was the first time that she actually gave them a true compliment, so he would definitely take it. And then hearing Shojin’s offer for a bite to eat he had to agree because frankly, he was starving. Sage mode always did that to him. “Barbecue sounds great! I guess you’re paying right?” He would finish with a chuckle at his friend and teammate. “So, do we get a break from missions after that?” He asked this one mostly to Jim-sensei as he hoped they’d get a couple days to relax before having to go back out on a mission, and hopefully the next missions they went on would be a little less deadly for a while. As they walked back to the village he would smile the whole way as his injuries and fatigue had been healed by Shojin’s summon so he didn’t have to worry about that at all and he felt accomplished about completing that mission in the end, he was just shocked at how tired he felt.

---

When Jun finished off her opponent the first thing she had done was to kill their target and get his head sealed into a scroll to take back with them. Leaping out of the building she worried for but a split second before the two Genin came out of the building with billowing black smoke following them. Shojin launched a single more arrow into the building before the entire thing exploded and came crashing down. Her team definitely knew how to leave their mark on a mission, that much was for sure. She couldn’t help but to smirk at the sight, she was definitely proud of the two of them even though she’d never admit it aloud. Once they started on their way back and Shojin offered to take them out to eat she would grin, ”I’m glad you’ve volunteered to treat us to dinner!” Smiling, she'd laugh at the two of them. But the moment they made it back to the village, she’d excuse herself, “Alright, I have to go turn in the mission report. I’ll see you both at the barbecue shop! Save me a seat!” With that she’d vanish in a burst of speed.

TWC: 2,806

[exit]