A Mission Gone... Weird... (Mission obviously)

[wth98]

[Enters]

Name: Country & Border Patrol
Rank: C
Description: Patrolling the border for three days and then guarding the Border Town for three days. Must include a very detailed report, including any suspicious activity at all. Beyond that, one must be ready to put their life on the line for the patrol. This can become a dangerous mission, meaning that it would be best to partake of this mission in a group.
Requirements: 1 Genin, Recommended 1 Team. Only six teams allowed at once, 3 at the Snow Border and 3 at the Sound border. May be repeated any number of times.
Rewards: 1500 Ryo

After about a day of travel, Arikio reached the border between the Land of Lightning and Land of Snow. Ironically, neither was happening, it was quite sunny and blue outside. The border was a rugged wasteland, with only a few herders and a town dotting the landscape.

"Wow, it's actually worse than where I used to live," mused Arikio. As usual though, he didn't laugh... or simile... or anything. Looking off into the distance, he faintly saw a huge black cloud hanging over the Land of Snow. Luckily, he didn't actually have to go into the territory itself, or he'd need a coat or five.

The day passed mostly uneventfuly, untill he stumbled upon a farm. The settlement looked largely abandoned, and he entered, noting the rotted vegtables and door hanging off its frame. The land itself was truly awful, sort of like a drained marsh with wilted brown vegetation everywhere. It was quiet. Too quiet for Arikio...

Suddenly, a sickle whistling towards him appeared! Arikio was a ninja however, so almost imiddiatly, a kunai was parrying the sickle. Arikio eyed the holder, a grungy, dirty looking farmer who, judging by the stench, had hidden in the rotten vegetable patch.

The man desperatly pushed with all of his strenth. Arikio aimed a punch at the mans stomach and it connected, causing the farmer to sink to his knees. He was whimpering now, pleading for mercy, the sickle hanging at his side.

"Please, I'm just a farmer, I'm poor and alone, and I thought you had money!" The man desprately tried to get to his feet but Arikio stoped him. He helped the man to his feet, then looked him squarely in the eye and said, "You might want to try farming in the south". He flashed a rare smile, then threw a snack of sushi he had prepared to the man.

He flashed away, leaving the bewildered farmer staring at his sushi, mouth opened wide. The rest of the day passed uneventfuly, Arikio camping out in a local inn when night came.

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The next day passed without incident. Still weary from the attack he had faced yesterday, Arikio made sure to avoid the old hovel like farms that dotted the landscape. He patroled for about 20 kilometers, untill he reached a country border post owned by the Snow.

Arikio observed the Snow ninja for a minute, noting how they seemed to be awating something. Then he remembered that spying was a crime punisable by death, and he quickly fled the scene.

The rest of the day passed without event, and Arikio reached the inner lake tht the Land of Lightning borders. He camped outside this time, and fell asleep in a tree, not wanting to be exposed out on open ground.

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The third day he started back into the interior of the contury, his mission scroll stating that now he was to enter Border town for three days. He treked back to the Snow Village post he had run into earlier, noting that it was begining to snow now. He hadn't packed any jackets, so all he could do was endure it.

After reaching a clearing in the forest, he took time to brush some of the snow of his face. Suddenly an odd whitish thing embedded in a tree stump caught his attention. Walking up to it, he pulled it out. It was an aged envenlope adressed to... Border town.

[green]"Intresting..."[/green] Arikio pocketed the envenlope, hoping to find the owner and give it to him or her. He continued to the post, bypassing it this time and heading south, where he knew an old trading road would lead to Border town. After finding it, he headed south, the old worn cobblestone a nice change from the mushy earth he had been accomadated to for the last three days.

He continued to travel untill night, when the snow finally abated. He planned to sleep for a few hours then continue. But suddenly, the urge to veiw the envelope took him, and he opened it. The letter seemed to have been written in a hurry, and judging by the yellowing of the paper, written about 3 months ago.

[purple]" Dear Chiko,"[/purple] the paper read. [purple]" I'm sorry, but I don't think I'm coming home. I'll always love you, and remember, I'll always be with you and the baby as well". Signed Ken." [/purple] Arikio finished the letter. He had to get this to Border town right away! Almost immiditaly, he took off running.

[wth98]

He finally made it to the village early the next day. Utterly exhausted, he checked into a local inn. After a few hours of rest, he awoke. The inn was conveniently located next to the local police station. He had a quick breakfast then hustled over.

The local officer was rather unhelpful, and an hour later, Arikio had gotten nowhere. "Can you please just tell me where this Chiko person is?" The bored looking man grunted a curse, then started rummaging through his files. Another hour later, Arikio was getting irritated, though he didn't show it.

"I'll just be back here later..." Arikio wandered outside, deciding to get back on track with the mission, then worry about this later. He stationed himself near Border Towns northern outskirts, idly tossing his kunai in the air until lunch. He had a quick meal at the inn, then returned to the police station.

The officer was still there, and murmured an excuse, getting back to his files. Arikio resisted the temptation to roll his eyes. Leaving, he ran several circuits of downtown before returning upon dusk. He ate dinner, eating slowly in case the man needed more time, then went again to the station.

The officer, upon seeing him pulled out a big manila envelope. He handed it to Arikio, then fell asleep in his chair. Arikio stared for a minute, then shrugged and returned to the inn, ready to deliver the message tomorrow. He muttered one word before leaving the station, which he noticed now to be unkempt and ramshackle.

"Sloppy."

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Chiko Tsurame
Blood Type: B+
Location: 336 West Lane
Notes: N/A

The file was short, and she had few details aside from this. Well, regardless it was important she knew what happened to her late lover. This is why Arikio was walking down West Lane, a nice little street out in the southern area dotted with trees and apartments.

"334... 335... 336," he counted to himself as he walked down the street. The apartment was unassuming, a red brick building with some windows and a door. A woman was in front, washing laundry. He approached her, and the woman stopped, staring at Arikio suspiciously.

"I have a letter for Chiko Tsurame, is she here?" The woman eyed his suspiciously again, then entered the house. A moment later, a young blonde haired woman and a gray haired man stepped outside.

Arikio tentatively handed her the letter, suddenly getting a bad feeling about this. She read it, then burst into tears. Now Arikio felt slightly guilty, the bringer of this bad news. Her father snatched the letter, scanning it, then his face turned red.

"You... and him..." the man started stuttering. "I thought we cleared this.. this... tramp out of your life!" Obviously the man didn't approve of whomever Chikio had been seeing. But Arikio didn't expect the man to turn on him.

"How dare you give her this letter!" The man started advancing on Arikio. Before Arikio could do so much as to stutter, the man whipped out a kunai. [blue]"You... YOU'RE GOING TO PAY!!!"[/blue] Then the man rushed at him.

Arikio parried with a kunai of his own. But the man was to enraged to be stopped by this. The surprising strength of the snarling man caused Arikio's kunai to fly off into the distance, nearly hitting a cat. Now, Arikio was annoyed. Pulling out another kunai, he parried the mans wild slashes.

"Can we please talk about this?" Arikio tried to reason with the man. The neighbors shouted at them to stop, while cowering in their homes. He didn't blame them, this was one nasty fight. But Arikio had to do something.

He made the handsigns: Boar, Rat, Dragon, Tiger. Then he summoned the clone.

Hydrou Bunshin no Jutsu
Rank: "D"
Skill: Genjutsu
Effect: The user performs the needed handsigns and then creates what seems to be an ordinary clone. The clone can not attack and will disappear the second it comes into contact with an opponent, however, when the clone is destroyed two more clones come in the place of the destroyed clone, this can continue infinitely if the clones are continuously destroyed, its purpose to overwhelm the opponent in numbers and cause an effect of invincibility although the clones can do no damage. A simple "Kai" technique can easily get rid of all of the clones when used by a skilled genjutsu user.
Special: Boar, Rat, Dragon, Tiger
Drawback: No drawbacks to the user
Description: The hydra clone technique looks like a normal bunshin no jutsu, however this is changed as the clone is destroyed and more take it's place, making the technique look like a high level kage bunshin no jutsu when in reality the clones are simple clones that can do no damage.
Limit: No Limit

The man furiously started hacking at the clones, but each time he did, two more appeared. Soon, a forest of straw-hat wearing ninja flooded the street, and the man's rage was beginning to peter out. Another shinobi patrol had arrived on the scene, and now they were simple waiting for the man to stop. After ten more minutes of wild slashing he did. Then, they made the arrest.

Arikio apologized to the residents of the area, especially Chiko. She was upset, but after her father made an apology to Arikio and Chiko, he was freed. The fight wore Arikio out, and he fell asleep early this day. "That was... weird..." was his last thought before the dark bliss of sleep took him.

[-2 Kunai]

[wth98]

Arikio woke up the next day, refreshed and relived that he had only one day left to go. He checked out of the inn, noting a large bruise on his arm from the fight with Chiko's father. Poor girl, he really felt bad being the one to bring the news of her lovers death. But it had to be done.

Arikio avoided West Lane, traveling to the southern gate (well the only gate) of Border Town. He idly checked people passing through, and had lunch. Then, he went off into the town to perform his final duty: surveying goods at the local trade post.

After examining box after box of food and medicine being sent by relatives to this area from the richer south, he finally finished. The mission scroll stated that his mission was over at this point, and he could head back. He quickly wrote his mission report over dinner, then began the trek back to the village.

[green]"What an adventure,"[/green] Arikio sighed to himself. It was a good thing no one had been killed or injured. He walked out of sight of Border Town, then took to the trees and continued to the village, visible in the extreme distance by a huge unnaturally white cloud hanging in the sky. It was finally over.

[Exit]