Doing My Part [Mission Thread]

The sounds of dishes being tossed and smashed rung out loudly. There was trouble at a certain establishment in the Hidden Sand Village. Involved in this strange occurrence was none other than Horus. But what was the man's crime and why was there so much anger being aimed in his direction at this point in time? People fled from the establishment of drinking and merry making. Only to leave behind a certain Horus being scolded by his employer. Horus had to play dodge ball with several dishes among other things. "Where have you been?!?!?!". Shouted the employer in obvious anger and frustration. Horus was silent for the moment, a bottle of sake in his hand. A swift swig from the bottle, and some sake was gulped down. Another saucer sailed in the vagabonds direction. Prompting the man to perform a skillful duck of the head. The saucer smashed on a counter behind Horus. Afterwards followed by a panting person, unlike the calm cool and collected figure of Horus. "Can we not talk like civilized persons?" Horus inquired much to the frustration of his employer. The vagabond invited the man to sit down, as he too took a seat. His employer, a old geezer, with a long white and style beard grit his teeth. His shriveled body obvious lacked the stamina to keep up to a youngster, sixty years his junior. "I have half a mind to fire you! Give me a drink you VAGABOND!". The man said while attacking Horus verbally. The Shinobi responded swiftly, showing that he wasn't lacking in wits. "Hey! That was uncalled you drunkard. In any case, why so mad now? All I did was stop off for a drink". Stated Horus before silence fell over the space that they occupied. The two took some time to compose themselves and ushered in a moment of calm. Horus and this old timer obviously had some kind of relationship with each other. They looked out for each other. And more importantly the old timer was also Horus' employer too. "Let us cast away our anger and have more positive words. I know you're here wondering why I didn't carry out my mission personally. It is taken cared of already, so need not worry old timer. More importantly". The old timer suddenly stabbed a Kunai blade into the table, stopping a scorpion mid way in its tracks. The scorpion is the reason Horus had visited this establishment in the first place. "Oh so pointless having a debate now. You already know where I stand with this. So here is your new mission. It has come to my attention that there is a rife infestation of these little creatures. Several people have been stung by these venomous little creatures. And as a result, they're shutting down a few business until we can deal with the infestation properly. We believe that there is a nest somewhere and we need to ensure that they're dealt with promptly". The old timer explained to Horus, meanwhile handing over a set of explosive tags to the vagabond. Horus gave a nod in the man's direction, meanwhile looking around the establishment.

Numerous scorpions roamed about the room now, something which made Horus uncomfortable. The vagabond picked himself up from his position and proceeded to start squashing the scorpion in his path. He had to be extremely careful, making sure to catch them off guard. Even as he crushed them, Horus started to think of the possibility of using scorpions as a Shinobi's tool. "This saddens me, but I suppose I better complete my mission this time round. A Shinobi can have no excuse for not doing his job. That is why we do what we do, right?". Horus declared, squashing another scorpion in his path. By now the man was up to five, and squashing them rapidly to say the least. The vagabond made his way back to the table and picked up his bottle of sake. The item was tucked away on his person, also scorpion free. The explosive tags was also tucked away too, since the man will need them all at some point in the future. The told timer wanted Horus to blow them sky high too. The geezer had a wicked sense of humor, but what could Horus do about it? He had only his mission. And the mission no matter how small is all that he cared about too. "Oh one more thing. I have heard rumors about a particular large scorpion out in the deserts. I have no idea if the two incidents are connect. Maybe its pure coincidence? Whatever it is, please tread carefully, a monster size one of these can only mean death. Get this done and over with, just now you killed seven scorpions. I was counting, could ya squash those three on your way out please?". Horus soon smiled and waved goodbye before heading towards the exit of the establishment. On his way out, the young man dealt with the three scorpions, killing them all before proceeding to leave. The vagabond was now off to find the nesting area for the hive. Horus was now outside the establishment, when two Shinobi appeared knelt down before him.

"What now?". The vagabond asked having never seen the two shinobi before. The old timer soon exited the establishment and stood next to Horus. A pat on the back of the vagabond and a slight chuckle. "Don't be so harsh, these two are my grand children. Meet Mei and Nakasaki. I wanted them to help you out on this mission. They need the experience and also what it means to operate as part of a team. They have some skill, so I'm certain you will find them of some use. Will this be a problem?". The old geezer asked as Horus sighed in relief.

"Good, good. I had no idea they could be related to such a wrinkled old fart. I don't mind them tagging along, this could make my life a lot easier too. There seems to be a source for these scorpions. So lets find it. Mei and Nakasaki, lets roll". The man said as the young woman and man stood up and bowed to Horus. The man soon stepped forward and headed towards the village gates. Luckily he wasn't far away from it, but it will also give him some time to talk to the two. Horus needed to know who he was working with, since although this was a basic mission. Knowing and not knowing their strengths and weaknesses could be either good or bad news. The vagabond also suspected the old timer of not only testing his grand children. But to also test Horus himself. The vagabond couldn't be certain that they were even related to each other at all. The higher ups of the village often liked to keep tabs on their Shinobi of potential they say. So these two could quite literally be observing Horus. Their purpose could be to compile a report or build a file on the Shinobi. The type that could reveal more about his personality and temperament. But could it be that Horus was being a little paranoid or overly cautious? At the village gates they were and swiftly the trio moved outside, utilizing the mission information to their advantage now. Horus had a fair idea of where he needed to go, but will use his tracker Nakasaki in this case to hunt the creatures down.

Nakasaki, Mei and Horus moved across the desert in search of the scorpions. And in time they came up against some scorpions, but the hive was nowhere in sight. Mei disposed of the scropions, before Nakasaki showed exactly why he was more than useful in this situation. The young boy placed his hand on the ground. His eyes soon closed as if he was trying to concentrate. A short while after Nakasaki opened his eyes and spoke to Mei and Horus. "I have located the hive. I can feel their movements below ground. Its not far away from here, so I think if we act swiftly, we can deal with the issue. Something is obviously drawing them to the village". The young man stated, meanwhile Mei is older sister showed her approval. There was a strange dynamic going on between the two, but Horus didn't want to let it bother him too much at all. The trio soon set off once again, this time heading towards the hive, following Nakasaki in hopes that he was right about his abilities. Horus also wondered just what kind of Jutsu Nakasaki was capable and using and at the same time, he also wondered about Mei. She was older and quite pretty too, probably too refine for a dirty vagabond like Horus. A smile could now been seen on the vagabond's face. The possibility of taking the Kunoichi as his own made him want to impress her. But the vagabond was never the type of person to care too much about impressing others. His upbringing and family life had done well to alleviate such a burden. In time the group came upon the hive, a narrow bit, leading underground with a rock of sorts to provide cover above it. Horus soon took out a few of the explosive tags that he had on his person. They were soon handed over to Nakasaki, meanwhile Horus and Mei stood back. Horus watched carefully at a safe distance, and the explosive tags were set strategically, in order to ensure their complete extermination. "Light em up". Horus said as Nakasaki activated the explosive tags. Several explosions went off as intended, scorpions being blown up and the smell of burned creatures filled the air. There must of been quite a few of them, for the smell to filled the area that much. The moment had passed now and the smoke began to clear out.

Horus was just about to congratulate the due of Nakasaki and Mei, where the shifting of sand could be heard. Behind the smoke was a large silhouette of a large creature. Pincers rose up in the air with a long and wicked tail with a stinger. Horus soon thought back on the old timer's warning of the large scorpion sighted in the desert. The large scorpion was almost six feet in height, and was very much a scary sight to behold. "Mei, Nakasaki. Spread out in flanking formation. We best not underestimate this creature". The vagabond commanded as he creature some space between him and the scorpion. But up steps Mei, her hips swinging as she flicked her hair back a little. "Men. I can handle myself. Now watch. Besides I'm a Jounin like you. Something that the old timer wanted to keep a secret. But no point hiding it, right?". Horus appeared dumbfounded by what had transpired. The large scorpion charged in, Mei on the other hand formed several hand seals. Ninja wires moved forward and constricted the beast, preventing it from moving. Horus stood back and looked on without saying a word to stop the Kunoichi. Moments later the constricted scorpion was turned into mince meat. It was ripped apart by the wires, and was promptly set ablaze my Mei as a follow up. Horus could only sit back and admire the woman's work now. Mei turned around and faced Horus while motioning for Nakasaki to gather around her too. "Sorry about that, but I didn't see the need to drag this on for longer than necessary. Right now we have more important business to attend. And it can quite literally be a case of life and death to some people. I was hoping you will hear us out and lend us a hand too?". Mei asked of the vagabond as the man gave her the nod of approval and knelt down to listen to what was being said to him.

"Our mission consists of us delivering water to two villages on the outskirts of Sunagakure. This way they may have water to drink, and to do other things. As everyone knows water is a vital source of our survival. However, we feel that other rogue Ninja might want to prevent us doing so. And may attack us in order to profit from our hard work. This is why I could use your help. After all, you have certain skills that acts as a warning system for us. What say you Vagabond of Sunagakure".

"Nee chan, try not to offend Horus Senpai. But we could really do with his help".

"Its fine. I am what I am, not two ways about it. So how are we transporting this water? It sounds like a lot to me, don't you think?". Horus asked as he kept his composure. A new mission was revealed to him, and Horus was certain that the old timer had something to do with it too. The scorpion mission was too low key to even require the vagabonds expertise. The original mission may just be a side quest, and the water delivery could be the real one to say the least. "Arigato, Vagabond of Suna. Nakasaki please show him". Show him what exactly? But as soon as Mei requested whatever she requested. Nakasaki summoned form a large scroll, which contained the mission components. The youngster attached the large scroll to his person. Choosing to wear it on his lower back until it was required to be moved. "By using this scroll. I am a Fuuinjutsu specialist among other things. Which is why I was chosen for this mission along side Mei Nee chan". The Vagabond looked on with a puzzled expression on his face. The man smiled a little and then stood up and dusted his hands off. "I suggest ya take point, as I suspect you already know where to go. Lets roll". The vagabond said as the all moved out, travelling swiftly towards their destination. Villages on the outskirt needing help and supply from Sunagakure oasis. The vagabond needed to check into the relationship the hidden sand village had with these other villages. Nothing was for free these days, and that's what intrigued the vagabond. The Shinobi seemed content and quite comfortable with being in the situation that he found himself in. There they were just traveling along, until they soon found themselves at their desired destination. The first village which was quite small was found. And low and behold, Mei and Nakasaki was already known among the villagers. It was a small community, quite similar to his vagabond like upbringing. As such the vagabond himself was able to identify with the group before him. The trio was Sunagakure was invited in, and was even fed by the villagers. Until it was time for them to deliver the goods, the precious commodity that is water in this case. The vagabond sat back for a moment and watched as Nakasaki the Fuuinjutsu specialist went to work and delivered the water. Horus found himself along with Mei and Nakasaki at a well, one that was deep and could hold a lot of water too. The Shinobi now understood why it would have taken a Fuuinjutsu expert to perform this miracle. The vagabond hadn't even witnessed this miracle yet, but he was almost certain that it would be special nonetheless. Nakasaki opened up the large scroll that he was carrying on his back now. The young boy placed his hand on the Kanji that showed water was contained within the seal. But just how much was yet to be seen at this point in time. The sensory capabilities of the Shinobi was put to good work. The man had a wide scope of the village, accounting for everyone. And he was also looking for anything unusual, or any unwanted personnel that may have entered the area that wasn't there before.

Nakasaki summoned forth the water from the scroll. The high volumes spewing forth from the scroll was quite astonishing to Horus. Further more the water was under Nakasaki's control as the water was directed into the well and the water system. The water delivery went on for a little while too, since the amount needed to supply the village. Took a great deal of effort. Which meant that Sunagakure must have been paid quite a substantial amount of money. The vagabond was amazed by what he had seen, and as the delivery of water was completed. Horus along with the village applauded the youngster and cheered his name. To see the happiness on the faces of the villagers, made Horus felt warm inside. The man soon shook his head as if shrugging off his moment of weakness. Standing up, the vagabond knew he could spend much time in this village. They needed to move onto the next one and repeat the same process again. And so they did fleeing the village much to the dismay of the villagers. Mei and Nakasaki appeared to have a certain connection to the people. They cared for them, and that could be one of their weaknesses too. Nevertheless the trio was off again and in search of the village. The vagabond was quite frankly enjoying himself away from the village. But for how long will this go on? It was a peaceful day so far. No unwanted rogue Shinobi venturing into their space and causing trouble. Horus was also worried about the village that they recently left behind. He didn't see many Shinobi at all. As such, Sunagakure may have to station some shinobi as guards of the village. Pushing forward now, the other village wasn't that far away. And when they got there, Horus expected the process to be the same. And it was, Nakasaki went to work, meanwhile supervised by Mei and Horus himself. The vagabond however allowed Mei to take charge during the delivery process. She knew what to expect and how it should all happen. That's not to say that Horus wasn't amazed by the process again. The sheer amount of water and the manner in which it was sealed and contained was unreal. But such was the wonders of the Shinobi world. The vagabond himself too had a few things that made him stand out from the rest also. That wasn't of any importance now. It was getting late and it was now time to return to the village and get the day over and done with. The second village was left behind and so they were off home now. Traveling back to the hidden sand village, the vagabond noticed a Shinobi closing in on their position. It was a hostile for sure, and could prove to be a most troublesome individual all the same. "We have company now. Why do I get the feeling this is why you wanted me? I can sense him or her. And at the rate they're moving, such a person must be in a hurry. We will make contact in a matter of minutes, so please take up your positions". Horus instructed as they formed a triangle. Mei was at the tip of the triangle, with Nakasaki and the vagabond forming the sides. Horus was hoping that the Shinobi closing in on them wouldn't be too troublesome for the group too. It wasn't long before the rogue Ninja was face to face with the group. First decided to engage Mei in hand to hand combat. And the Kunoichi showed she wasn't someone to be underestimated either. After a few exchanges with the attacker, Mei had done something, but the rogue shinobi hadn't even noticed yet. Horus did and that's what mattered now. But before Mei and Nakasaki could make a move to close in on the man. The vagabond saw this as the perfect opportunity to reveal something about their attacker. "That right there my friends is a Missing Nin. He is in the bingo book, but the reward isn't that great. Its a reward nonetheless. So be cautious and I would prefer it if we took him alive somehow. But if he ends up dead, then so be it". Horus declared as the attacker formed a set of hand seals, spewing out a low level Katon Jutsu. Nakasaki responded in kind with a sufficient water style technique. Something which surprised Horus to say the least. As of yet, the vagabond didn't have to lift a finger at all. Horus reached for a explosive tag that he had left over, as he was now targeted by the attacker. An exchange of kicks and punches and Horus was clearly outclassed due to his apparent lack of Taijutsu. The attacker sent Horus rolling, but not before the vagabond left an explosive tag stuck to the back of his leg. Horus recovered from his roll and was now crouched on his feet. The attacker leaped into the air aiming to land another hit on Horus. A vicious smiled appeared on the face of the vagabond as the explosive tag was activated. The leg that it was attached to was blown off.

And with the sudden trauma to his body, the attacker landed like a rag doll passed out on the ground. The vagabond picked himself up and sighed a little. His eyes glancing over at Mei and Nakasaki before shrugging his shoulders. Horus wasn't about to be held responsible for any of this at all. The body of the attacker was recovered by Horus himself and was placed in binds.The trio was now off to the village, hoping for no interruptions again this time round. It was a long day and Horus wasn't in the mood for playing around with anyone now. In time, they arrived at the village. The rogue Ninja was turned over to Mei and Nakasaki so that they may deliver the brute to the authorities. And as for Horus, he had had enough to missions for one day. As it was more trouble than it was actually worth to the Shinobi. They all set off in opposite directions for the moment.

[Exit]

3675/3600 Words Required.

All Scoripion Influx Missions: Completed
All Water for People Missions: Completed.
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Horus recently arrived back in the village from his previous escapades. Of which involves beheading and scaring off some bandits, and then returning to chase away some wolves too in the mean time. The Shinobi felt like possibly stopping by the brothel and have a good time. But then he remembered that he needed to clean the graffiti off a certain building and despite the night coming, the deadline for such a thing was on this day too.

The vagabond felt depressed for a few moments, his shoulders soon slumped in order to show his displeasure. But never the less, work needed to be done, and he was a working man after all. At some point however, he needed to go forth and give his report. But there he was stood in the middle of the street, suspended in motion for a few moments. Horus felt silent, while his head gazed up at the skies above. He was about to lose himself in thought, when a bit of commotion could be heard coming from a few streets away. Horus had every inkling of investigating the happenings, but felt he had business elsewhere that he needed to attend to. Twas not that time to be concerning oneself with silly disturbances and rowdiness. Although, Horus had just arrived back from dealing with bandits and wolves.

Not at a same time mind you, but it happened all the same. And my oh my could he do with a drink right about now? He could, but again his work seemed to be never ending and so he could not afford to waste time drinking anything at all. Horus moved forward a little, before being bumped into by some kids running along the streets. Shouldn’t they be at home right now with their parents having dinner? Horus felt like chasing after them and giving them a proper scolding. But then again it wasn’t his place to do so. Not like he had any students of his own right now and so behaving like a concerned adult wasn’t necessary.

However, he did remember back growing up and how he used to be. His small wandering community of vagabonds. But strangely enough, he was the only one to be taken on such a nickname. Horus wore it with pride to say the least. There he was in his green garments and with tags and bandages, and also barefooted in the streets. The man had onlookers glancing at time, as if still surprised by his appearance. And that is exactly why Horus preferred the company of the brothel whores. As it was not their job to judge, but to provide him with a good time. His meeting wasn’t always of a sexual nature at all. The women being paid for their services too like the idea of a meaningful conversation, even if there were being time and paid by the hour. Again, none of this really mattered at the end of the day, as long as both parties got that they wanted. There he was climbing up some steps, reading to get to work, and upon arriving at his destination. The items needed to help him clean the graffiti off the building was already present. Luckily there was enough light for Horus to be able to do his job, and not to be in utter darkness. The vagabond got to work pretty swiftly too. Taking his time to apply the necessary solution to the water, that caused the paint or whatever it was to wash off. Then there was the horrible raw smell of eggs, something which caused his nose to twirl in disgust. This was the work of some mischievous kids, but whatever. Clean and clean he did, washing and wiping away the graffiti and after a little while, the task had been completed, and so now it was time to move on for the evening and settle down a little. But it would appear that he would not yet be allowed to rest at all. Now back on the ground and ready to leave the area behind. One of the officials in the building, having recognized Horus decided to approach the Jounin.

“Horus dono”. The man announced, which caused Horus to raise an eyebrow. “Dono?”. Horus whispered beneath his breath, wondering what he did to be addressed in such a respectful manner these days. “I have a task that I need you to carry out, and I hope its not too much trouble at all. Are you interested?”.

The older individual asked with his arms folded behind his back. Horus didn’t have a choice, since he knew that by earning money will he be able to survive in this world. Horus reluctantly nodded in agreement, without even knowing all the details yet. But did it really matter? “Good. It would appear that we have some trouble makers, making life a little awkward for a few owners of a few establishments in district seven. A band of thugs have been terrorizing the good people in the area. I was hoping you could deal with these thugs and bring peace to the area once more. What say you?”. The man asked meanwhile handing over the mission details to Horus in a scroll. The man opened it and read it over, meanwhile memorizing everything, and the profile of the thugs. The vagabond shook his head and sighed before responding with a nod in agreement. His work was never ending, and so he left area, now realizing that the commotion before was probably caused by the band of idiots.

Horus soon left atop of a building and began running from roof top to roof top in hopes of catching the foolish men off guard now. And so he did, arriving at the area, only to find that one of the men had taken a young girl hostage. Meanwhile holding the shopkeeper at ransom, while his others followers jeered and heckled. A leap from the roof top, saw Horus land a solid kick in the chest area of one of the thugs. His other four thug mates were surprised by Horus’ sudden appearance on the scene. They were soon to reach to his movements. As the man speedily moved to another one, with a solid hit to be back of the neck. One such blow knocked the man unconscious. Another fool sought to attack, but fell prey to a vicious punch to the stomach, which meant that only two remained now.

Unfortunately for the hold up man, the young girl suddenly became confident, and decided to stop on the toes of the thug. It was enough for the man to release her, meanwhile a shovel to the back of his head knocked him out cold. The shovel came from a well timed swing by the shop owner and so there was one. And with a little bit of distraction, a swift punch to the face. A kick from the girl and this time a shovel to the face took him down. There was a big cheer that came from the other shop keepers who witnessed the whole thing. Horus smiled a little, basking in the glory. But before the man left the area, all the thugs had been tied up, and was waiting for the authorities to come and arrest them. It was all in a day’s work for Horus.

2 C-ranked Mission Completed.

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Sip, gulp, tranquillity for the time being that the vagabond found himself in his own company. He was quite content with the way things are, and didn’t think much about doing anything else at this point in time. The windy village hidden in the sand was just as it stated. The village was very windy, forcing the vagabond to have to cover his face, but nothing could prevent him from taking a drink. He was very much sober and quite aware of whatever it was that was happening around his self. Horus tried his best not to shut anyone out at all. But there are moments that he would much prefer to share on his own. The company of others can be welcome but it is not always necessary. If anything, the man wanted some time to be able to recap on his most recent activities. Horus found himself in numerous situations, which meant he had to handle them all differently too. The man was tasked with cleaning graffiti from some offices. Not only that but he had to crush some scorpions in a strange establishment. In the mean time the old geezer introduced two Shinobi as his grand children. But the vagabond still harboured doubts and he was right to do so. Mei and Nakasaki were no ordinary Shinobi and Horus would likely work with them again at some point in the future. The water delivery mission was amazing, but before he could even allow his thoughts to drift that far. The vagabond had to think back on blowing up the hive where a multitude of scorpions had made their home. Almost immediately after doing so, either a angry mommy or daddy scorpion appeared. The creature that was almost six feet tall was hell bent on getting revenge.

The vagabond felt some sympathy for the creature, but there was no way he could simply allow such a thing to live. Not unless he was able to tame it and use it to his advantage. The vagabond often thought about the possibilities, but didn’t want to dwell on this too much at all. Then of course one must remember that the scorpion was ripped to shreds by Mei and Nakasaki. This all happening before their water delivery mission. Where Nakasaki unknown to Horus was a specialist when it comes to Fuuinjutsu. And was even capable of sealing away a ridiculous amount of water In a scoll. The very thing he used to delivered a very high volume of water. This water was of course appreciated by those whom needed it the most. And even on the same day they made another delivery, bringing forth fresh water to another small village on the outskirts of Sunagakure. On their way back the group was attacked by a rogue Ninja and sadly for such a person, the attack did not end well. The rogue ninja ended up with a leg blown off. He was soon stricken from the Bingo book, considering he didn’t survive for much longer. Then again the man was alive when Horus delivered him, so who knows what his fate actually turned out to be? It didn’t really matter at all. Then there was the lecture to the Academy students and what it meant to be a Shinobi. Horus tried his best, but soon realized that he wasn’t exactly suited for giving speeches. He did however got himself an applause and so he shouldn’t be taken lightly. He had a great deal of potential and all he needed to do now was believe in his self. There was no one else to believe in but him. In any case, why was this six foot plus tall Shinobi relaxing and having a moment to himself? The vagabond was actually awaiting the arrival of a certain someone. Since the old geezer had a mission for him, and was closing in on the area.

The vagabond stood up, now showing himself before taking another swig from his bottle of sake. The long brown hair of the Jounin swayed in the wind, all the while, still managing to obscure his right eye from view. It would ever so often be seen as the wind lifted the lock of hair currently keeping it hidden from everyone else. There wasn’t anything special about his eyes either, as Horus was as average as they come. Just looking at the man, many could deduce that he was as ragged as they come too. Horus had a multitude of tags decorating his body, seemingly stuck on him by some unseen force. Bandages was also wrapped around his body. A green kimono top covered the top half of his body, while a brown rope tied around his waistline kept his garments from falling down. The vagabond also sports a dark green pair of trousers too. And most importantly Horus didn’t wear shoes, he instead had his feet wrapped in bandages. And just over it. Something akin to a pair of black socks was worn as a make shift pair of shoes or sandals as it were. The old geezer finally appeared on the scene with a smile on his face. One hand behind his back, while his free hand stroked his beard. Horus rolled his eyes a little, wishing that the old man would save his antics for some other time. “Hey young one. I see you were successful with that mission I gave you. And even so, Mei and Nakasaki was impressed with your skills and temperament. Keep it up and all the right people may well come to take notice”. The old geezer stated while finally stopping a mere meter away from the vagabond. The vagabond sighed and looked at his employer being reply saying. “Oh lookie. The old man pretending not to know that the mission was a set up. I don’t suppose ya heard about that too? Scratch that, what have you got for me today? I do believe you brought be a present?”. The vagabond asked while indicating to the hand that was still held behind the old timer. The wrinkled skin employer laughed a little and brought his arm round. In doing so the man revealed the scroll that he carried, and within it were the mission details.

“As sharp as ever, no use dilly dallying with the details I suppose. This time round its not a scorpion that ya gotta deal with. It’s a particular large snake, one said to have a vicious temper. As per the reports, said creature is able to firing from its mouth chakra blasts. Those strong enough to harm even a Shinobi such as yourself. You know the drill, bring back evidence of the snake’s demise, but be careful not to be eaten by it”. The old timer finished explained as Horus took the scroll and read it over. He now knew exactly what was required of him. And so with but just a nod to show he had accepted the mission. Horus turned around and flickered away from the area. It was now time to go and deal with the threat. Horus found himself at the village gates, and in no time he was off in the deserts. The man sped off rapidly, hoping to find the large snake that the old geezer spoke of. On his way their Horus noticed a Katana still lying in the ground. The man picked up the weapon and kept running. After a little while the Shinobi came to a stop and decided to observe his surroundings. It was sometimes difficult due to the climate of Sunagakure. The wind often caused the sands to cover tracks. But on this occasion, Horus picked up on the tracks of what must be a particularly large animal. He knew he had to be careful or suffer the consequences. Horus paused for a moment noticing something off in the distance. The man stabbed the katana in the ground and then formed some hand seals. He had respectively created hand seals for two Jutsus. He had an idea of how he wanted to deal with the creature. He was about to employ both defense and speed as his aid. The Katana was then removed from its position in the ground. Horus watched the disturbance in the sands, and was absolutely certain that it was the snake.

The Shinobi took on a battle ready stance and crouched ever so slightly. The snake leaped from the sands at Horus with its mouth wide opened. Maybe it was trying to swallow the man whole? The Shinobi did not move and instead decided to let it happen. And as the snake’s jaws would become his new home, his hair extended viciously into a protective layer of hardened spikes. The spikes penetrated the snake’s mouth, causing spike to protrude from his mouth. Both the roof of its mouth and from the bottom. The snake stopped and shook its head vigorously, as it trying to get rid of some bad taste it its mouth. Horus seized his opportunity to do so and made his exit as the snake opened its gob. And in that moment when it was most distracted with the pain. Horus didn’t allow it to regain any composure whatsoever. The Shinobi instead jumped and swung his blade masterfully, making a clean sweep from the bottom. This is where the snake’s hide was at its most vulnerable. The vagabond soon landed on the ground with the head rolling next to him. The long body of the snake wriggled for a few moments before finally becoming motionless. The head of the serpent was also now lifeless too. Since a snake’s head will sometimes retain a bit of fighting spirit despite losing its head. In the end, Horus picked up the head and headed off back to the village. He was off to made his delivery as proof as his work being completed. As for the snake’s body, well the vultures and perhaps some nomads could have it for dinner. Nothing ever goes wasted in the deserts. Horus finally arrived back at the village and decided to head directly for the old geezer. But in his way was the man there to collect the prize on behalf of the old geezer. Horus did not object and instead handed over the large head and promptly collected his reward in the mean time. It was a good days work too and so he shall go forth and enjoy what he had accomplished. It was still early in the day, so who knows what he might end up getting involved with? No one knows for certain, but the vagabond had a few ideas.

1- A-ranked Mission

1778/1200

--------


The vagabond found himself sitting down and enjoying him for a few moments. The Shinobi had only recently returned from a mission that took him all over the place. But having entered the village, he had noticed posters placed all over the place. It was advertising the safe return of a cat by some elderly late, and for a REWARDtoo. The vagabond always noticed things with REWARDS attached to them, purely because it meant he could quite easily earn a bit of money should the feline turn up somewhere. Horus found himself sitting down when it suddenly dawned on him that he was late for an academy lecture too. It was important to get the youngsters fired up and inspired. Although he wasn’t entirely certain that he was the man for such a job in the first place either. The vagabond had food in his hands, eating while pondering what he could possibly say to the academy students. He didn’t have time to prepare a speech seeing as he was always busy these days. And as a result, he decided he will have to make it all up on the spot. It was either that or risk being booed by a bunch of academy students. Horus sat down and scratched his head for a few moments, wondering how it was even possible for him to carry out this task. He began to think about the fact that his appearance didn’t inspire confidence. Then again, his appearance was unique, and who knows some might even gravitate towards his style and choice of clothing. How was he to know what everyone was thinking? Its not like the vagabond cared much, he made that pretty clear a long time ago. Horus was well aware that he often divided opinion among the villagers and those in his peer group. How could someone so unrefined be anything but a loser? His family and their wandering ways, their nomad like approach to life drew certain criticisms. He was always proud and never once let that go. Horus knew that his nomadic community were special and probably even more righteous than those who pretend to be more so than he is.

Horus has seen quite a few things in his life time, and never once did he allow the negative to affect him too much. He was always looking forward and with that carefree attitude of his. How can anyone ever hope to stop him from being exactly what he wanted to be? Only Horus could ever do such a thing, but no matter. He didn’t want to have to dwell on the unimportant things right about now. There he was in his daze, when the call of a neko rung out. It forced the vagabond to snap out of his daze and realize what was sitting in front of him. “Meow, meow, meow”. The little creature carried on, probably noticing that Horus in fact had food on him. The Shinobi threw a piece of meat in the cats DIRECTION. The little neko gobbled up the piece of meat and licked its paw, before directing its attention to the vagabond once again. “Real hungry huh?”. Horus asked while observing the little animal. He was still in a daze, currently unable to even recognize the missing neko. The vagabond then placed his food on the seat next to him and sighed. The cheeky kitty hopped onto the seat where the food had been placed. And in a sly manner began to have a feast at the expense of Horus. Wide eyed, the Jounin was about to kill a kitty when he finally figured out what was going on. And more importantly who the cat was and who it belonged to. Having figured out what he should have to begin with. Horus came up with a plan, and so the man started petting the creature. Before finally picking it up and walking off to go forth and locate its owner. The Shinobi wasted no time in doing so, coming across the old woman. Who herself was out looking for the little cat. She was more than happy to lay eyes on the small creature once more. So much so that she rewarded Horus immediately for returning her little kitty.

The Shinobi in the mean time came across a group of medical persons. They were out gathering herbs and so requested the help of the vagabond. Horus knew about the importance of herbs. Since his nomadic family often used such things in order to heal wounds and for medicine also. They had requested for Horus to deliver the herbs that he had found to the hospital. At first it seemed like a pain in the ass. But he soon realized that it was on his way to the Academy. And luckily for him, this herb gathering mission was actually offering a reward. Horus wasted no time gathering up to five different kinds of herbs. Even offering advice as to their medicinal properties. He was no medic, but he knew enough about his natural environment to be able to tell the medical practitioners a few things. They all seemed astonished by his knowledge of such things, but they shouldn’t be at all. The vagabond was off to complete his delivery of the herbs to the hospital. Horus entered the hospital after a while and dropped off the herbs at the reception. He was off to go forth and complete his other mission. The vagabond moved speedily towards the Academy now. He didn’t want to waste any time whatsoever. He wasn’t entirely sure about what his speech would entail but he wanted to give it a go anyway. After a short while, Horus was at the academy. The Shinobi entered inside, moving down the halls before finally reaching his destination. A pair of Shinobi was already outside awaiting his arrival. And so they proceeded to introduce the vagabond to the students at the academy. Horus entered the room, while scratching the back of his head. He wasn’t certain about his approach, but decided to let his words flow naturally.

“Ya know, when they asked me to do this. I wasn’t entirely sure I would be suitable for it. That was purely because I never actually attended the academy. And so I didn’t have the same opportunities you have. But I did have my family and my friends, and they remain important to me until this day. They wanted me to give a fine speech about what it means to be a Shinobi. But firstly one must always remember to live by their own code also. The rules are there as a guideline, but also trust your heart and have faith in your ability. Do not be afraid to rely on friends, but also become strong enough so that your friends and loved ones can also rely on you. So what does it mean to be a Shinobi? Well everyone gives their own meaning to it. So I suggest you look within yourself to find that meaning. Good day striplings. I will be watching out for ya. Make me proud”. Speech delivered, and the man promptly left the room, with applause suddenly erupting. A clear sign that whatever he said just now resonated with the students. Just perfect, the tasks that he had set out to be was now all completed. Time to probably go home or maybe to go forth and socialize a little.

1243/900

3-D-ranked Missions

Lost Cat: Completed
Herb Gathering: Completed
Academy Lesson: Completed

[Exit]

----------------------------


The Kazekage was busy inside the village trying to plan his escape route from the village. The man had caught wind of a new assignment, one that required a few Shinobi to escort the Wind daimyo to the village. Horus the vagabond had been snowed under with a lot of work as of late, and so decided that it may well be a good idea to take a break for a little while. As such the vagabond decided to take off his kage gear and wear his normal gear this time round. The vagabond read through the mission details, meanwhile taking an interest in it. If the daimyo was coming to meet the vagabond, which meant Horus needed to take it serious. For this reason the man came up with the idea of meeting the Daimyo without properly revealing who he was. Horus was certain that the daimyo would know a little bit of him, and as such, he decided to wear a mask that covered the lower half of his face. In addition to this, the man decided to wear a pair of Shinobi sandals for the first time in the very long time. The Vagabond had gotten so use to going barefoot that wearing shoes or sandals was like a new experience for the Shinobi. With all this said the man also made sure to remove everything that indicated he was the Kazekage of Sunagakure. “I don’t think a mask is going to cut it, maybe I should wear a different one instead”. Horus said aloud while looking around, soon enough laying eyes on an Anbu mask. The vagabond decided to cover his face completely, that way if anyone knew the Kazekage, they would not be able to immediately identify the man at all. Horus seemed relaxed about the whole deal, but knew he also needed to be careful about his dealings. The sound of three knocks on the door alerted Horus to the presence of another, his sensory abilities was put to work, allowing him to identify the Chakra signature of the person. “Ohaiyo, old friend”. The vagabond stated upon opening the door to great one of his oldest friends. It was the old geezer that has looked after him for so long. He could tell that Horus was about to get up to no good, and so decided it might be wise to interject. “And where do you think you’re going? The daimyo is expecting you to be here when he arrives. And by the looks of things, you’re about to leave the village on some kind of an expedition. Do you think its proper to be leaving at a time like this?”. The old geezer asked as the vagabond lifted his mask and smiled at him. The old timer was more like a father figure to Horus and so often a very good advisor, but he knows all too well that Horus wasn’t the type to have a change of heart so easily. The vagabond had his mind made up, and so he decided to go forth and carry out the mission anyway. “I am well aware of your concerns, but that is why I want to ensure that this mission goes ahead with a hitch. Which means I will be escorting the daimyo here myself, as a means of ensuring the mission’s success. I can’t just leave everything to chance, since with the way things are going. I expect that there will be some kind of an incident. And should such a thing happen, and then it may well cause us some long term issues. Think of it as me securing our future investments. There are also many a enemies within these walls and I intend of flushing them out one by one. Again, I am well aware of your immediate concerns, but think of it this way. The daimyo should be impressed knowing that the Kazekage personally saw to his own safety, right?”. The vagabond stated with a grin on his face. One could tell that he knew exactly what to do and say to the old timer in order to get him on his side. The old geezer folded his hand behind his back, before bringing one hand forward to scratch the silver beard on his chin.

“Honestly Horus, you’re quite the handful, and even more troublesome, you seem to have developed a way with words these days. But may I request that you take my grand children with you? I have my granddaughter and grandson to hand, as I believe that may serve you well. In any case I see the logic in your reasoning, but I will implore you to be careful and not risk too much. If you need to, get the daimyo out of there and take him to safety”. Horus nodded in response to the old timer and looked at him before grinning once more. The old timer raised his eyebrow in response to the antics of the vagabond. “About your grand children, I have already assigned them to a mission which they’re carrying out as we speak. Try not to pull them away from it, as it would be a terrible shame. They possess certain skill sets that I believe would be most useful to me now and in the future”. The vagabond declared while finally lowering his mask once more. It was now time for him to go forth and carry out the mission. “Also can you please act in my stead while I’m away? I will try not to turn this into a drawn out affair. Please ensure that the repairs to the village gates are being carried out well enough. If anything, I would prefer it if the gates were designed to withstand something in the league of a Bijuu dama. As the leader of the village, I cannot risk the lives of citizens. Like you told me not so long ago, these people are relying on me and I need to somehow shoulder that burden, right?”. The man quizzed while making sure he had all his weapons and equipment for the mission he was about to undertake. “Leave it to me, I will organize everything and make sure it gets done. Have a safe trip Kazekage-sama”. The old timer stated as Horus made his way out of the office and exited through the window. The man ran down the side of the building, but applying Chakra to his feet to perform this simple task. Once he landed on the ground below, the man made his way towards the village gates, and in no time he was out in the desert, now ready to rendezvous with the two other shinobi who was assigned to the mission. The vagabond made his way across the sandy plains of Sunagakure, choosing not to exert himself and utilize certain Jutsus that could have gotten him there faster than usual. Should he do such a thing, then everyone would be able to tell that he wasn’t who he said he is. The vagabond couldn’t risk this at all, and so decided to remain a little reserved about his activities as far as the speed of his travels are concerned. The Kazekage could recall all the other times he had to make his way across the sandy plains located in the land of wind. Horus was becoming perplexed by the fact that Sunagakure was such a desolate place, and so he needed to figure out ways to ensure the land wasn’t riddled with famine. The vagabond will have to put some others to task and get some plans put in place and executed without fail. Some time went by for the vagabond as he moved across the sands swiftly. His sensory abilities alerted him to someone approaching from the left side of his position. This person was a fairly young boy in his teens, with a focused expression on his face. Horus allowed the boy to catch up to him, while deciding to greet him. “Suna is love”. Horus uttered for the boy to hear and then the youngster responded in kind. “Suna is strength”. The secret codes had been uttered and they were confirmed to be friendly personels to each other. A few more minutes went by and then another person joined, an older man, look to be in his thirties. The youngster and Horus spoke to the words “Suna is love” in unison to the new comer, and the man replied “I’m sure it is”. Which made the duo of Horus and the young lad rather suspicions straight away. This meant they would have to watch this man from now until they met up with the daimyo. There wasn’t a lot of words being exchanged between the trio at all. If anything, Horus wanted to keep his true identity hidden for the time being at least. The Shinobi met up with Daimyo’s party, but there was a spanner in the works, as they daimyo had come under attack. The guards protecting the daimyo was dropping like flies, which prompted Horus to speed things up. But before he could get there, the no password bastard attacked the young lad, while three other random Shinobi moved in to intercept Horus. The vagabond simply vanished utilizing his flying thunder god technique, taking him next to the daimyo wagon. The pompous prick was safe inside, so well done to those was assigned to protect him. Horus knew he needed to secure the daimyo and at the same time, he needed to help the boy. The vagabond stood a good 20 meters away from the boy being attacked in a four against one battle. A simply shadow clone was created by Horus, and was put on guard duty for the daimyo. As for the three men attacking, Horus decided he would make short work of them all. The man channelled Chakra to his hands while activating a basic seal located in the middle of his palm. The vagabond moved in closer, while forming a set of hand seals quickly. The boy seemed to be handling himself well enough, but was pushed back towards the Vagabond’s position. Horus looked over at the young man and motioned for him to stand down. Their attacker saw it as a sign of weakness, now smiling with glee at the prospects of being able to eliminate the daimyo. Horus could not allow for such a thing to happen at all, and so decided to take action. “Sit back and pay attention, these men will pay”. Horus stated while his palm was thrust forward accompanied by the words “Get over here!”. Chains shot from the middle of his palm having been unsealed by the vagabond. The weapons moved swiftly catch them four attackers off guard. And without person, the chains pierced through the throats of three of the attacker. Their deaths were sudden and swift. And as for the one deemed to be the traitor, he was made to suffer, while incapacitated. The young boy was instructed to gather the traitor, meanwhile Horus and his clone saw to the daimyo. The daimyo was safe now and rescued in time. Horus of course used this time to reveal himself to the daimyo, and the boy also. Much to the delight of the daimyo he was both grateful and relieved and even more so, he was very impressed by the actions of the Kazekage. Not wanting to have to travel through the sands back to the village. The chains that was used to kill and maim was used to wrap around the daimyo, the boy and the traitor. This was after they were marked by the Kazekage. The man channelled his Chakra through the chains and within an instant they vanished from the location. Their destination was the village which they found themselves in thanks to the Kazekage’s space time technique.

It was now time for the traitor to be interrogated, and to also make sure the daimyo was safe and settled before their meeting. And as for Horus he was off again to carry on with his job as the Kazekage. It would seem that he was proven right, and he made the correct decision when deciding to go and escort the daimyo to the village instead. He will have to debrief the old geezer and inform him of the situation and the crazy coincidences that occurred on the day. Had Horus turned up any later, then the daimyo would be dead at the moment. The Kazekage was probably most likely in the good books of the daimyo by now.

[exit]

2101/2050 words
B-rank Escort The Daimyo
A-rank Escort The Daimyo pt2