The wet spring season had arrived in its rotation to his dissatisfaction as the curse of overcast and perpetual rain were primed to seal the great efforts of the sun. Although it was more sensible for him to have gotten used to the conditions in Shippugakure by now, seeing as how he had spent his entire life within the village. However, to the young Kogure there was nothing quite like the sunshine on a clear day. A blessing that was barely bestowed upon the denizens of the hurricane region. Albeit ironic upon further thought as these condensed and saturated lands were the very reason he was able to be a shinobi.

The elements of the area were solely responsible for the Kinunochi that flowed persistently through his veins. Perhaps such irony was the reason he never verbalized his usual dislike for the villages trademark weather. The positives he reaped from it would almost make it seem that he was speaking ill of his own abilities in some way, and of course such allegations would be the furthest from the truth. A calm wind began to stir as he took his sapphire hued irises from the skies above and glanced over the mission scroll he had been given from the Umikage’s office. His assignment proved to be more of volunteer work as he needed to provide assistance with a short handed crew down in the harbor.

It was by no standards an upgrade from his last mission but he accepted it as part of the process. As he understood it, all ninja had to work their way up before receiving a chance to prove themselves in matters of further importance. This of course meant domestic errands in between time. He had already been relegated to fishing with an old man with his first mission prior, now he was maneuvered simply as an extra set of hands to do some heavy lifting. His attitude was poised for character and self progression whilst his pride was fed a slice of humble pie and a grain of salt. Although his youthful vigor yearned for action, danger, and excitement he was mature enough at this point to accept that nothing was yet beneath him. One day he would get a chance to set the standard for his true worth as a ninja, but for now he’d bide his time and and endure his rookie lashings.

More villagers became more and more present as he made his way down to AO Phalanx Harbor, the sounds of multiple conversations in unison briefly made him forget how quiet the rest of the village had been as of late. The harbor was the trade center of Shippuugakure, denizens and foreigners alike constantly flowed in and out by almost as consistent as the waves  that carried them. His garnet eyes pierced through the growing crowds of people as he eye’d the vessels docked on either side. According to his mission dossier he was to report to the ship ’Kyaria no Sakana’. It took only a few more yards along the polished wooden bridge before a junior sized dilapidated vessel constructed of a grayish oak wood caught his attention.

Already hard at work were a band of three men with Kyaria no Sakana bandana’s wrapped around their skulls with tattered clothes that seemed familiar with the local Onsens lost and found. None of the men were relatively robust as two at a time carried a crate from the docks while the third helped hoist it up and onto the ships deck. By his count they had managed less than a handful since morning as the sun reflected near high noon, perhaps their current system of work flow only hours old yet the only one out of alternative approaches that garnered any results. It was no wonder a ninja was sent to accompany what sounded like an otherwise straight forward task, the trio of sailors before him appeared novice in their trade an gave off a desperate cry for help with their beaten and discouraged body language. Moving over to assist, the young genin stopped at the ramp leading up to the ship, catching the visual attention of the crew as they made their drudging descent back down for the next crate.

“It looks like you guys could use some assistance. My name is Kogure Ryota, I am the shinobi the village had sent for your troubles.” He stated with a warm expression as he surveyed the rugged trio with honest intent.

“Don’t take this personal Ryota, but your just a kid. If the village was going to bother sending someone for this job we need a ninja a bit more heavier in the arse to be able to lift and move these crates. Between the three of us we can barely manage one at a time. Dead bait piles up in pounds like you wouldn’t believe.” The closest crewman replied as his dusty hazel eyes studied the young Kogure’s village headband with skepticism. The other two nodding their heads in agreement.

“Non taken. Although one thing you should know about ninja-” He promptly added with a grin as he released his kekkei genkai, rapidly growing a white sheet of cloth from his forearm to wrap around the nearest crate and raise it into the air with seemingly no effort at all.“-is that our stature is hardly ever indicative of our strength.” He added with a light hearted undertone as if slightly amused by the trios ignorant shinobi assumption.

The crew stood with mouths ajar as their eyes widened in a combination of what seemed to be astonishment and fear. Their reaction made it apparent they were not used to being around shinobi as feats such as this were all too common. Just about anything was possible and nothing out of the ordinary was ever surprising save for displays of great prowess in most cases. Turning his attention back to the crate within his Surredo Seigyou’s grasp he maneuvered up towards the deck of the ship where the trio scrambled clasp on all sides as it was slowly set down onto the ships rickety floor boards. There was only a simple exchange of nods as the new work flow system just exhibited was accepted by all those present as the crewman remained on the ship, happy to secure the descent of the next nine remaining crates. Growing cloth from his other forearm he increased the pace, lifting a crate now from the harbor bridge while simultaneously setting down another in the hands of the trio. The remaining nine crates disappeared within a matter of minutes. The crewman wiped their brows inexplicably as they smiled at their fully stocked vessel as if to suggest the fruits were from their own hard labor.

“Sorry about what I said before kid, err-I mean, Ryota. I didn’t know shinobi could grow cloth and stuff, i’ll keep that in mind in case some ninja pirates try our sails!” One of the other crewman exclaimed from the deck as he began to draw anchor from the harbor.

“Uhh, yeah. You do that…” He replied awkwardly, not having the heart to explain that his ability wasn’t a common staple shared by all ninja alike. But again if the time came and they fought to expect something as unexpected as Kinunochi kekkei genkai then the trio might actually have a chance of survival should such an unfortunate situation arise. Though still, it was doubtful.

“I’ll send word to the Umikage about the great hand you gave us today. That is if we make it around these hurricanes in time. Open the sails you idiots! Unless you want to be tossed like sakura petals in these winds!” The crewman added with a hint of facetiousness as he waved off while simultaneously commanding his two man crew with specific detail and a valid threat.

“Much obliged, and safe travels.”


Word Count: 1283
Mission Finished