Escorting the Glassholes [Mission]

[Ten'yo Haiwynn]

Escorting the Glassholes

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Name: Supply Requisition (Glass)
Rank: C
IIC Length: 1 Day
Difficulty: Medium
Description: Because of the surge in building activity within the village, the store houses that keep building supplies are running low. Your job is to purchase the replacement materials and escort the delivery crew to the village. Travel to the Wind Capital and order a new shipment of glass sheets that can be cut into windows. Once you have placed the order, accompany the delivery crew back to the village to ensure a safe delivery.
Objective: Travel to the Wind Capital and accompany a new shipment of glass sheets back to the village.
Reward: ¥3000

This was it; Haiwynn's first solo mission. He was due to escort a group of builders to the Capital of the Wind country, though he was the first to admit he didn't know the way. When he had explained this to the five builders whom he was to guard, they had burst out laughing and ruffled his hair, big cheesy grins upon their faces. It was clear, in that moment, that these people underestimated the Genin, and had only requested an escort for amusement, rather than protection. Sighing, Haiwynn shrugged to himself; the more they underestimated him, the less they would expect from him, and the less he would have to show off his skills. All in all, it suited him perfectly, even if it did bruise his ego a little. ''Why do we even need to take this brat with us? The last seven times we've made this haul it's been a clean trip!'' one particularly burly man had shouted to the others from atop his horse to the others, who had in turn responded with laughter. More eye-rolling from Haiwynn. More jeers from the men.

''Who knows? These squirts need experience of the road, and stuff like this is so simple even they can't mess up.'' one of the others had replied, his horse reering up on its hind legs as they trotted through the secret gate at the entrance to the village. ''I mean, I don't see how he's going to help us if bandits come for our hide, I could sit on him and the fight would be over!''

''Oh leave him alone!'' yet another shouted, waving the massive carriage behind him ahead. ''He'll fireball you or summat, you know how kids'll be!''

How Haiwynn wished in that moment that he had learnt the Katon discipline. As it were, he hadn't and had instead opted for Raiton. He wondered if they would expect a well placed bolt of lightning, rather than a fireball? He shook his head for a third time, and tightened his headband over his mouth. He had modified it earlier that day, so that the Kusa symbol had been hollowed out, allowing him to talk through it even though it rested across his mouth. It was a bit of a dramatic choice, especially for him, but he figured it would stop enemies from reading his lips from afar. The men passed him on their horses, chuckling at the tiny Genin who appeared to be taking things so seriously; Haiwynn pretended not to notice. They were beneath a ninja like him.

Not really being familiar with the roads outside of the village, time seemed to slip by slowly for him. He hadn't been supplied with a mount of any kind, as he had never been taught how to ride, and none of the men seemed to warm to the idea of him riding on the backs of their beasts. In the end, he settled for climbing atop the thatched roof of the carriage; an option which gave him a clear sight of the road ahead, behind and to the sides. Should their little group be attacked, he would also gain height advantage and attack from above. Still, the sight of the tiny ninja perched so seriously atop their carriage, too light to break through the coverings, made the men snigger all the more. It was lucky that Haiwynn wasn't quick to upset, or that might have been the last straw for him.

It took an hour of everybody ignoring their escort for the first sign of trouble to appear; a drunk man staggered out of the jungle to the side of the group, right into the path of the horses. He was promptly crushed underfoot, and two of the burly men whom Haiwynn had been tasked with protecting fell flat on their backs to the ground as their beasts of burden bolted from the path. Two more dismounted and chased after them, leaving Haiwynn holding the reigns. Tying them to the side of the carriage to investigate the body as the men around him shouted and snorted at the interruption, the tiny Genin was left in relative peace. He was by no means familiar with the art of Autopsy, not was he particularly versed in the poisons of the land, but Haiwynn for all his inexperience was no fool. It was easy to see by the black froth around the poor man's mouth and the bulging dark veins under his pale, clammy skin that he had been poisoned by somebody... or something. A quick search of the body revealed two things; the man had indeed been drunk at the time of his poisoning, and it wasn't an intentional assassination either. Two deep puncture marks by his left elbow revealed that he must have fallen prey to one of the many snake variants that called Kusagakure their home. He rifled around in his pockets and found two gold coins, and prepared to place them over the man's blank eyes.

''Leave him be, boy. If he couldn't keep his wits about him out here in the wilderness, he doesn't deserve so much as a decent burial.''

Haiwynn turned his head to see the sun in the sky had been blocked out by the same giant of a man who had remarked about the uneventful nature of the last seven trips. Said man was looking down at him with a calculating frown. ''That's a dead body. Doesn't that scare you, brat?''

He didn't answer as he got to his feet. He pocketed the Ryo, and walked off back towards his carriage spot. ''I guess you're right.'' he muttered under his breath.

[Ten'yo Haiwynn]

Once the horses had been returned to the group and the men safely atop them, a little disgruntled by the hassle, they set off again, leaving the body of the man by the roadside. He would decompose and become food for the wildlife and nature that had claimed him; an indomitable absolute rule in his eyes. The burly man had been right; why should be put himself out of pocket over superstition anyway? The next man or crow to encounter the corpse would relieve it of anything valuable anyway. Haiwynn didn't see the point of putting himself out of pocket over his stupidity. The cart beneath him jolted uncomfortably over every tiny pothole it possibly could, and it was starting to seem to him as though the whole 'mission' was nothing more than a ruse to make him feel as crappy as possible.

''Cheer up brat! We're only a few hours ride from our destination.'' the burly man said to him, slowing his horse to ride beside the tiny Genin's seat. Out of the whole group, he was the only one who had seemed to put it any effort interacting with him, and admittedly, it made him more uncomfortable than grateful.

''I don't understand why I've been given this mission to be honest. I was just as confused as you when I learnt I would be escorting people elsewhere to pick up goods'' was all the Genin replied with, resolutely staring ahead into the distance.

The burly man chuckled and clapped the Genin on the back, the same cheesy grin from early revealing yellowed, chipped teeth. ''Glass is a valuable commodity these days, especially with tensions rising between villages. You never know when the others will turn their gaze towards our resources, for without them, a village is nothing!''

''I don't see how the absence of glass will influence the war to come, if we do ever end up in one'' Haiwynn muttered, glancing down at the rider. ''Food however...''

''...Is not our concern. We're builders, not farmers. Let the greenthumb mother over their fields, we just want to craft and shape out home!''

''...Sure.'' Haiwynn didn't really understand it, but he figured the higher ups and the elders of the village knew what they were doing by spending so much on such a basic, unnecessary material. He didn't make it known to the others, but the main reason he had been chosen to go along wasn't simply to protect the shipment. It was to protect the funds required to buy the materials; apparently, the village didn't trust simple builders with raw Ryo, and to be bluntly honest, Haiwynn couldn't blame them. They looked as though they hadn't bathed in weeks; what on earth would they blow so much money on? Sex? Gambling? Alcohol? It made his head spin. He was beginning to like and trust adults less and less.

The road ahead sprawled out for miles and miles in the distance; right on the horizon, where the shadow of the distance loomed heavy over the land, sat the Capital of Wind. Although he could see it already, the distance between here and there was so huge that he knew it would be many more hours before they were granted entrance into the city. Admittedly, when he had set out, he had expected more trouble. So far, the only trouble was an already dead fool and a group of rowdy, unwashed men. He was beginning to see what they had meant when they had said his presence was unnecessary. At least he hadn't wasted any chakra that day. He hadn't moved much at all for that matter.

The hours passed in relative silence, for the exhaustion of the road took its tole even on the experienced brutes ahead. As they finally approached the gates, the tiny Genin finally understood why they had sent such a low rank ninja; the Kusakage didn't want to intimidate the folks of the Wind with the presence of a deadly assassin. He nodded to himself; for the first time since they set off, his assignment made more sense. It was less about protecting lives and funds, and more about protecting the diplomatic relationship between the nations, especially where trade was concerned. The land of Wind was one of the largest manufacturers of glass in the world; perhaps by honouring them with high volumes of trade, should the relationship between villages come to blows, Wind would look favourably upon Grass?

''Halt!''

Haiwynn looked up, his eyes strained from staring into the distance for so long.

''State your business!''

Scowling, Haiwynn jumped from the edge of the cart and approached the guard slowly, as not to appear threatening in any way. He had a feeling he could have run towards the guy with a kunai drawn and they still wouldn't have seen him as a threat, though. ''We have granted passage, from your high Lord. We're expecting cargo; glass for that matter. We have the coin,'' he said, rummaging around in his pockets for the sealed scroll that had been given to him.

The guard reread the scroll several times, eyes narrowing in suspicion. ''And what would you Kusa folk want with such a large order of glass? Don't you live in mud huts?''

''I asked the same question, but they don't take lowly Genin like me seriously enough for a decent answer.'' This made both his group and the guards laugh out loud; Haiwynn wasn't being completely jokey. ''May we pass? We're expected back in our homeland by nightfall.''

''Hrm...'' The guard glanced over his scroll again, frowning as though it may contain some hidden secret, before giving up and tossing it back. ''You may. Any trouble and I'll have your hide for my wall.''