Post by Shouri on Oct 17, 2019 10:39:18 GMT -5
The air was cool and the sweet scent of dew was on the breeze. The sun was just peeking from behind the horizon, warming anything caught in it's glow as Shouri departed for his second mission. The sun rays hit his face and filled him with energy. He soaked in their warmth as he made his was toward the village gates. The loose black shinobi pants and high collared shirt of the same color pulled the sun's heat to him like metal to a magnet. The combination of chilled air and hot sun was refreshing to the young Senju. Shouri's lips curled into a smile. It seemed like it was going to be a good day.
The mission Shouri was assigned to today took place out of the village. The Uchiha boy was still young and had never ventured much outside the walls of Konohagakure. This would actually be his first time visiting a location outside of the walls, rather than just exploring the woods near the village. He was simply requested to help an old farmer tend to his land. When Shouri seen the mission, he knew it was for him. While he was an Uchiha he was also a Senju, and as such he had a deep love for nature. Simply strolling along the road to the farm surrounded by trees and wildlife was enough to raise his mood. He filled his lungs with the fresh forest air and let out a long breathy sigh. This was the life. The forest began to give way to more open land. Soon Shouri could see a fence that protected rolling green pastures and hills yellow with hay for miles. He could see a large but simple home sitting atop the tallest hill. The young shinobi made his way to a gate which seemed to be in disrepair. He pushed the metal door and it swung open with a loud creak.
"Hello?!" Shouri called out as he climbed the series of hills, none of which were steep. He passed by many forms of crop but he did not see anything alive. There was no cattle, or animals of any type for that matter. By the time he had reached the home he hadn't seen as much as a squirrel. The home looked less worn than the gate though it still could use some obvious repairs. The Genin knocked hard on the door three times. In the back of his mind he was hoping there would be no answer. There was something off about such a large place seeming so empty. Shouri had no such luck. The door swung open hastily after a short wait. An old man supporting himself with a cane was revealed. The moment he laid eyes on Shouri's forehead protector the man turned on his heels and retreated into his home. He left the door wide open, which Shouri made sure to close as he followed.
"I'm glad you're here, there isn't much time left. Is this all the Leaf could afford to send me? Oh well, I'll have to work with what I've got." The man spouted off as he charged on ahead of Shouri. It was obvious he meant what he said about time. "I need you to identify the source of a problem plant and eliminate it. There is an invasive species of weed that is beginning to kill my crops. I have no livestock, my plants are my entire livelihood. The sooner you can get this done the better," he explained as he rummaged through a drawer until he found what he was looking for.
The man whirled around with a picture in his hand. It was hand drawn on a folded piece of paper and looked to have a type of plant depicted. "This is the life form that spreads the weeds. If you can find and eliminate this, the rest of the weeds should not be able to reproduce. Then it's only a matter of time until they all die off." Shouri stared at the man, who at this point was simply ranting, in total disbelief.
"I thought I was coming here to help you take care of plants, not kill them!" He retorted. He was shocked and appalled. He thought a farmer would have the same love for nature that he did. Instead, the old man only cared about plants that could bring him a profit and the rest had to go.
"You aren't much of a thinker, are you boy?" The old man asked rhetorically. "This plant is killing my other plants! What do you do with a murderer?" He asked, slightly less rhetorically this time. He began to herd Shouri toward the door with the same speed he entered with, surprising speed for a man that used a cane to get around. "Get it done or send someone who will, I don't have time for this!" He yelled just before he slammed the door in Shouri's face. What a disaster, Shouri thought. To have such a nice day ruined by this type of mission. He looked around hopelessly at first, swiveling his head to see endless fields of crops in any direction. He knew he had better get started if he ever wanted to find the needle in this haystack.
Shouri searched for hours through the fields. He started in the hay fields. The color of the weed would stick out against the yellow so he thought it would be a good place to start. He had no luck, the only thing he found were signs the hay was being eaten up by these weeds. He moved on to the empty green pastures, they were likely growing into hay as well since the man kept no livestock. This took much longer. He had to push through the lush living grass and search any place that seemed like it could house the large 'queen weed' plant. He found no queen, simply more of the killer weed sucking the life out of everything. He wanted to remove it but he was here for the big one. Shouri came upon flooded rice paddies and wondered if the weed had any special attachment to water. No such thing was true, nut he learned they weren't afraid of water either. They could survive even fully submerged. All he got besides that knowledge was pants soaked past his knees. He moved on and not long after his pants were dry again. The sun was still being collected by his dark clothes, though now it was later in the day and the rays were much hotter. A bead of sweat dripped down the side of Shouri's cheek. This was getting tiring.
After the rice fields Shouri could no longer see the house. He wasn't sure exactly where he was or how to get back to the exit. To solve this and hopefully find the elusive weed he decided to circle the entire property by walking along the fence. Since it was in such bad shape he assumed no one had walked the perimeter in awhile. While he was correct about that, it was still not the correct location of the weed. This took by far the longest yet. He had no idea the true depths of the man's property, but by time he could see the house again he had checked multiple more types of crops and their fields. Each of these crops were also effected by the weed's growths. It seemed like the farm was dying. He was covered in mud and and plant matter, dirt matted his hair and caked his face. He was running out of places to check. He was running out of hope.
He decided to check the apple orchard near the lake that was tucked away behind a hay covered hill. The orchard was more open than some of the other places, so if he were to find it here he thought it shouldn't be hard. He walked along the rows of trees taking the time to circle each tree as he did. He had to be thorough if he was going to complete the mission on his own. How embarrassing would it be to call for backup on a D-rank mission? He couldn't allow it to happen. He worked with determination as he checked every tree in the orchard until finally he came upon it. He almost didn't believe it when he saw the weed. It was big for a plant, but small enough to not be noticed from a distance. It hugged onto the side of the tree and reached into it with strong looking vines. A thicker vine protruded from one side with a bulb on the end which looked like the weeds that had spread all over the farm. He had done it. Well, almost.
Now that Shouri located the plant all he had to do was dispose of it. He had no idea how sturdy this thing was, so he attempted to start with his body. He tried to rip the vines from the tree which it seemed to be feeding off of, but to no avail. The first vine would simply reattach by time he got the second or third done. He stepped back and unleashed a simple flurry of taijutsu at the plant, but it felt like he was kicking the tree itself. He realized his body wasn't strong enough and he didn't have the correct tools. This meant he would have to rely on his Ninjutsu as usual.
Shouri stepped back a few feet to a place where he could see the lake and began to form hand seals. Shouri focused his chakra into his gut. Once he had the energy there he began to knead it into the correct shape and nature, finally transferring it from there to the tips of his fingers and then to the lake itself. Water began to rise and whirl together forcefully, pulling itself from the lake in the form of a shark and raging toward the tree targeted by the killer weed. With a powerful thud and a booming crack the tree toppled from the force of the shark. When the water had drained from the area the fallen tree had no trace of the weed on it save for the holes in it's trunk where it dug in. The exhausted Genin let out a sigh of relief. "Whew. Good thing too, I don't think I could do that again." He said as he chuckled to himself before breaking into a coughing fit. He was too tired to laugh. All he could do was get himself home.
The mission Shouri was assigned to today took place out of the village. The Uchiha boy was still young and had never ventured much outside the walls of Konohagakure. This would actually be his first time visiting a location outside of the walls, rather than just exploring the woods near the village. He was simply requested to help an old farmer tend to his land. When Shouri seen the mission, he knew it was for him. While he was an Uchiha he was also a Senju, and as such he had a deep love for nature. Simply strolling along the road to the farm surrounded by trees and wildlife was enough to raise his mood. He filled his lungs with the fresh forest air and let out a long breathy sigh. This was the life. The forest began to give way to more open land. Soon Shouri could see a fence that protected rolling green pastures and hills yellow with hay for miles. He could see a large but simple home sitting atop the tallest hill. The young shinobi made his way to a gate which seemed to be in disrepair. He pushed the metal door and it swung open with a loud creak.
"Hello?!" Shouri called out as he climbed the series of hills, none of which were steep. He passed by many forms of crop but he did not see anything alive. There was no cattle, or animals of any type for that matter. By the time he had reached the home he hadn't seen as much as a squirrel. The home looked less worn than the gate though it still could use some obvious repairs. The Genin knocked hard on the door three times. In the back of his mind he was hoping there would be no answer. There was something off about such a large place seeming so empty. Shouri had no such luck. The door swung open hastily after a short wait. An old man supporting himself with a cane was revealed. The moment he laid eyes on Shouri's forehead protector the man turned on his heels and retreated into his home. He left the door wide open, which Shouri made sure to close as he followed.
"I'm glad you're here, there isn't much time left. Is this all the Leaf could afford to send me? Oh well, I'll have to work with what I've got." The man spouted off as he charged on ahead of Shouri. It was obvious he meant what he said about time. "I need you to identify the source of a problem plant and eliminate it. There is an invasive species of weed that is beginning to kill my crops. I have no livestock, my plants are my entire livelihood. The sooner you can get this done the better," he explained as he rummaged through a drawer until he found what he was looking for.
The man whirled around with a picture in his hand. It was hand drawn on a folded piece of paper and looked to have a type of plant depicted. "This is the life form that spreads the weeds. If you can find and eliminate this, the rest of the weeds should not be able to reproduce. Then it's only a matter of time until they all die off." Shouri stared at the man, who at this point was simply ranting, in total disbelief.
"I thought I was coming here to help you take care of plants, not kill them!" He retorted. He was shocked and appalled. He thought a farmer would have the same love for nature that he did. Instead, the old man only cared about plants that could bring him a profit and the rest had to go.
"You aren't much of a thinker, are you boy?" The old man asked rhetorically. "This plant is killing my other plants! What do you do with a murderer?" He asked, slightly less rhetorically this time. He began to herd Shouri toward the door with the same speed he entered with, surprising speed for a man that used a cane to get around. "Get it done or send someone who will, I don't have time for this!" He yelled just before he slammed the door in Shouri's face. What a disaster, Shouri thought. To have such a nice day ruined by this type of mission. He looked around hopelessly at first, swiveling his head to see endless fields of crops in any direction. He knew he had better get started if he ever wanted to find the needle in this haystack.
Shouri searched for hours through the fields. He started in the hay fields. The color of the weed would stick out against the yellow so he thought it would be a good place to start. He had no luck, the only thing he found were signs the hay was being eaten up by these weeds. He moved on to the empty green pastures, they were likely growing into hay as well since the man kept no livestock. This took much longer. He had to push through the lush living grass and search any place that seemed like it could house the large 'queen weed' plant. He found no queen, simply more of the killer weed sucking the life out of everything. He wanted to remove it but he was here for the big one. Shouri came upon flooded rice paddies and wondered if the weed had any special attachment to water. No such thing was true, nut he learned they weren't afraid of water either. They could survive even fully submerged. All he got besides that knowledge was pants soaked past his knees. He moved on and not long after his pants were dry again. The sun was still being collected by his dark clothes, though now it was later in the day and the rays were much hotter. A bead of sweat dripped down the side of Shouri's cheek. This was getting tiring.
After the rice fields Shouri could no longer see the house. He wasn't sure exactly where he was or how to get back to the exit. To solve this and hopefully find the elusive weed he decided to circle the entire property by walking along the fence. Since it was in such bad shape he assumed no one had walked the perimeter in awhile. While he was correct about that, it was still not the correct location of the weed. This took by far the longest yet. He had no idea the true depths of the man's property, but by time he could see the house again he had checked multiple more types of crops and their fields. Each of these crops were also effected by the weed's growths. It seemed like the farm was dying. He was covered in mud and and plant matter, dirt matted his hair and caked his face. He was running out of places to check. He was running out of hope.
He decided to check the apple orchard near the lake that was tucked away behind a hay covered hill. The orchard was more open than some of the other places, so if he were to find it here he thought it shouldn't be hard. He walked along the rows of trees taking the time to circle each tree as he did. He had to be thorough if he was going to complete the mission on his own. How embarrassing would it be to call for backup on a D-rank mission? He couldn't allow it to happen. He worked with determination as he checked every tree in the orchard until finally he came upon it. He almost didn't believe it when he saw the weed. It was big for a plant, but small enough to not be noticed from a distance. It hugged onto the side of the tree and reached into it with strong looking vines. A thicker vine protruded from one side with a bulb on the end which looked like the weeds that had spread all over the farm. He had done it. Well, almost.
Now that Shouri located the plant all he had to do was dispose of it. He had no idea how sturdy this thing was, so he attempted to start with his body. He tried to rip the vines from the tree which it seemed to be feeding off of, but to no avail. The first vine would simply reattach by time he got the second or third done. He stepped back and unleashed a simple flurry of taijutsu at the plant, but it felt like he was kicking the tree itself. He realized his body wasn't strong enough and he didn't have the correct tools. This meant he would have to rely on his Ninjutsu as usual.
Shouri stepped back a few feet to a place where he could see the lake and began to form hand seals. Shouri focused his chakra into his gut. Once he had the energy there he began to knead it into the correct shape and nature, finally transferring it from there to the tips of his fingers and then to the lake itself. Water began to rise and whirl together forcefully, pulling itself from the lake in the form of a shark and raging toward the tree targeted by the killer weed. With a powerful thud and a booming crack the tree toppled from the force of the shark. When the water had drained from the area the fallen tree had no trace of the weed on it save for the holes in it's trunk where it dug in. The exhausted Genin let out a sigh of relief. "Whew. Good thing too, I don't think I could do that again." He said as he chuckled to himself before breaking into a coughing fit. He was too tired to laugh. All he could do was get himself home.
