Playing in the Sun

Posts : 103 Join date : 2015-10-17

It really was a bizarre job for a Jounin. People would think hey, Jounin, Captains. Living the glamorous life with good pay and selecting jobs they want. It wasn't like that, maybe if you were a Jounin from a powerful family. Jounin really meant you had irregular hours bit of a pay raise access to more life threatening work environment and really more little people to worry about. Yurae? She didn't mind the jobs she got. Sure some of them were out right humiliating for someone of her rank but life needs to be taken with a grain of salt and it didn't hurt to look at the silver linings. The mission at hand was simple enough. Manual labor. It was no hidden secret that Hidden Ninja Villages experience war. Another open secret is that not everyone in a Ninja Village, is a Ninja, ironically. If you thought about it was only logical. Who does the cooking? Restaurant owners, stall owners and family. I mean sure you could cook for yourself but you don't always have that luxury and sometimes you just want to relax. I'm talking about the civilians in the village. Now when a war breaks out, civilians can't fight. They're not made to rip, tear and kill each other, no that's the job description of the Shinobi. You can't have civilians just roll around a war zone and expect them to be safe. No, you need an underground system connected to a series of underground bunkers. Yet that's the job, dig giant fucking tunnels and giant fucking rooms so that shit stains who don't do fuck all against the enemy.

Now, now. That was unfair one couldn't expect an untrained individual to defend themselves. AND how else would the collective body they were experience the convenience of fresh meat by a simple exchange of some ryo? Sure as hell no one was going to her cattle and tend to plant all days. The blood that spills out of animal is quite the scene. Yes, what of the sugars and sweets? Do we know how to make those? Fine fine...

Yurae shook her head slowly as her red hair rustled the dust away. She was dressed in a worker's white top an orange jumpsuit tied at her waists, boots for marching, a bright yellow helmet with a little light was placed gently on her head and finally a pick axe. There was soot and dust smeared across her white shirt and some was even on her face. She felt an itch coming on her nose and a stray finger rubbed it before it even began. She was working on a tunnel with a couple other volunteers for the job. She was part of a group that had no elemental affinity to dig tunnels, as such she worked with a pick axe like some rounin scrub would do. Yes, she was inclined to agree against such manual labour. But pickaxes, the dream of an adventurer. Yurae waved her hand. So many flies down here.

In the distance there were thunderous echoes of Earth being moved in big masses. The Earth Jutsu users were making the majority of the Bunker spaces. Shifting an changing the position of the soil around them caused light tremours. Yurae held onto the side of the Earth and waited for the vibrations to end. She coughed away the dust and ignored the complaints of "Elementals". Yurae never really checked her elemental affinity and she wondered briefly if she should. Then the flies started to buzz once more and she let her mind focus on the task at hand. She swung her pick to the side, lifted it up in an arc and let if fall naturally. Bit by bit she removed the earth in small chunks as another team shoveled it up and carted it away to the surface.

Hours passed and Yurae's group of workers were called off for a break and a new team of Earth Jutsu user's took their place. They had dug long enough to form another bunker space there. Shinohara walked with the other volunteers back towards the tunnel entrance. A stream of headlights soon convened like ants going to go on a harvest run. Fresh air was welcoming and the group sat under a shaded hut adjusting their eyes to the brightness of the sun. Here they were given a bowl of water to wash their hands and faces and the water gradually turned a muddy red with all the dirt. Well, Shinohara was done for the day. She could go home but she felt sticking around a little longer. She sat there in the shade as rice balls were being handed out. She wasn't hungry and handed hers over to a young lad who looked like needed the extra food. Growing up and what not. There under the somewhat less hot shade of the hut a balding man of a civilian told the group stories of giant man eating worms he had once encountered. Even in her indifference Yurae suspected the man was over exaggerating the Worms. But she didn't mind. Not one bit.
856/850

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Yurae had stuck around after all the digging was done. She sat around them listening to stories but soon something told her that the people around her were getting uncomfortable from her presence. A little birdy had told them who she was. Fun. No more than 5 minutes ago they had all been sharing food and even before then sweating in the mines together. All form of kin ship had disappeared and they had gradually begun to move away from her. Hmm, she didn't blame them. She stood up and left them to their devices her indifferent facial expression finding herself at the desk of a few construction workers. they were pouring over blueprints for the actual tunnel designs. Diagrams of white lines in complex fashion running through the blue paper over gridded lines.

Most of it didn't make any sense to her but she watched as they discussed and traced lines. The problem at hand was their current designs would collide with the sewer system within Sunagakure. Between them they argued and suggested alternatives to each other. However a no visible solution could be shown. Yurae had no idea what was what but she began to have the basic understandings of how a blue print was laid out. It was interesting to say the least. She wished she could help come up with a solution to the problem but she had no experience in construction other than digging tunnels. The spirits in her body began to tell her what each of the tunnel designers thought about each other.

One was genuinely pondering on the problem while the remaining two simply hated each other and argued unconditionally against the other. She sat there while the 3 of them engaged in heated debate. So zealous that the 3 of them didn't notice Yurae come or walk away. Usually the hero would come up with a solution to save the day but really all she did was take up space for a while. At least on the plus side Yurae had basics understandings on how to read blueprints of building and the schematics of a construction process.

Her feet found her now at the kitchen's helping serve food. The half dozen ladies there seemed to swamped with work as they desperately tried to cook enough meals to feed all these hungry workers. In the same pace she usually took everything she walked over to a bowl of water. She cleaned her hand once more and washed her face of the grime. Most ladies wore makeup, Yurae didn't wear any and had no problems with any of it smearing. She was familiar around the kitchen and a boastful mind would say she was a brilliant cook. In all honesty she just cooked good food. Nothing that tasted bad just food that tasted good. She took to helping serve the food first. Her freakishly strong body picking up the large vats of food and placing them on the serving tables. She dished out healthy portions to the hungry workers in line. They were pleased to be served hot food.

Not shortly after she had started doing this one of the ladies laughed and instructed her to give smaller portions or else they would not have any left for those at the end of the line. Shinohara nodded and began to serve smaller portions to the workers who seem to be let down at their share of the food. Hmm maybe she was serving too little. Her eyes glanced over to the line and her mind went to work dividing the food available to the number of people in line. She wasn't going to be exact to the milliliter but she would have a better serving suggestion. There were things Yurae was not good at but there were things her mind excelled at. Soon she was serving good portions of food to happy workers and had enough food for the those who were at the back of the line. Once the food had emptied she swapped out the giant empty pot with a new one.

Thinking one of the older ladies could use a break she switched with her. Now Yurae saw to cutting up vegetables in their hundreds while the lady had the luxury of having to simply ladle the food. Yurae cut quickly and effectively. The ladies seemed to be pleased with the extra help and commented on her youth and how pretty she was. Some kidded that they wanted her to be their daughter in law. She didn't respond to it and simply scratched her nose. The lady that was serving food held brief conversation with the workers as they passed, commending the workers for their labor and telling them to enjoy their meal. Hmm, it was something she could learn from.

Once their job was done all they had to do was clean the pots and pans and packup. Yurae helped with taking down the make shift canopy for the food tent. The ladies worked quickly to pack up before the sun went down. Once they were done they asked Shinohara to join them in the bathtubs. She was tempted but she needed to return home and feed her family. Hence that was where she last saw the lunch ladies.

879/850

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Shinohara sat under the shade of her hut. Even under the shade the heat of dessert was nothing to joke about. She sat on the small plot of property enough to support a family of 8. They bought most of their food but they had a small underground basement to grow food by UV light. Tomatoes, some various kinds of mushrooms and types of lettuces. Onions and potatoes were grown on some tilled soil. They were resistant and could grow even in the dry climate. They were fortunate enough to be close to a well so watering them wasn't too much of an effort. She sat their her eyes blinking slowly. Hmm. Her 3 three younger 'siblings' ran around even in the heat as they waved around sticks and charms pretending to be Shinobi. Hmm, there were only 2 Shinobi in the household. First was her Jounin no Sunagakure. She earned a fair deal to buy clothes and put food on the table. There was a small savings she had. The next was another younger 'sibling' he recently became a genin and earned some pocket money to get by. The little ones would also join the academy if they chose to. They were all good people. The remaining 3 family members, 1 was too old and the last 2 were simply housewives and widows of a war. All in all Shinohara was the real soul provider of the house. Really the plot of land was given to her as a sort of contract deal with the previous Kazekage. In exchange for a bit of land the Temasa Clan would come into the folds of Sunagakure.
Genin never really earned much to begin with. Enough to maybe live alone in a 1 room flat. Jounin were more fortunate as they got a base monthly pay in addition to the extra missions they perform. Shinohara needed to do extra missions once or twice a month to keep the household going. In her hands was a confidential letter. She had read it about 5 minutes ago. It had the location and password to meet with a squad of Chunin. Their mission was simple but a delicate one. With the new Kazekage in office the Daimyo would be doing his official visit to the village. Afterall that was where all the money came from anyway. Funding from the Daimyo and the missions were provided by the Daimyo. Shinohara burned the letter and watched till the end as the letters burnt to fine ashes. She poured water on the ashes and buried them to be compost with the potatoes. It was time to feed the family.
Shinohara soon geared up. Bandaging up to keep the sand out and wearing sleeves to not get burned by the sun. Considering she lived in the desert she was rather on the lighter side of life. By no means was she pale as those Kirigakure folk. She put on her sand beige Flak Jacket. She remembered the envious and hateful eyes of the other shinobi when she had gotten hers. Ha. Since then the original had been kept as a relic. She had replaced her Jacket a few times from damage while on the field. Rips, punctures and some were even burned. Before leaving the house she scanned the property. It was worth it. She stretched her back in an arc feeling a little dizzy from it. She crackled her knuckles and freed her wrists. "Ikuzo."
The desert was a merciless place. Some shinobi were envious of the green lush forests of Konoha or the mountain rocks of Kumogakure. The desert itself was a dangerous place and the first line of defense for Sunagakure. The hot conditions caused dehydration as well as mirages that often caused even experienced Shinobi to be lost. Shinohara grew up in the desert and was accustomed to the heat and found the sandy surroundings more familiar than anything. She adjusted the clothed scarf mask on her face, fitting it better. She was close to the outskirts of the village where she was supposed to meet her Chuunin team members. She made sure she left no track behind for potential bandits and made a bit of a detour to throw of any pursuers. She just needed to cross a dune and she would meet up with the Chunin.
As soon as she reached the Dune a voice sounded. "Cable". "Hostage". That was the standard password for the day. Sunagakure shinobi could use these words to identify one another during field missions. A shinobi un buried himself from the sands and approached Shinohara. 'Suna is love' and Chunin responded with "Suna is Strength". She shook his hand firmly as another guard approached her. He chanted out 'Sunagakure is love' and Shinohara responded. 'Sunagakure is life.' He smiled and walked away. Shinohara too smiled but in her head other information was being processed.
"That boy, he was worried at first."
"Heart rate was really high."
"I know."
The ghost inside her shared the same thought. The Code had specifically been the short Suna and not the long one Sunagakure. Thinking quickly Shinohara had responded with the wrong password and the 2nd chunnin had accepted it without challenge. His college had shown his sudden distrust for his comrade but Shinohara had waved him down. It might have been an honest mistake of a stressed Shinobi but it was most likely the man was a spy. They were meeting the Daimyo, it was too much of a co-incidence. For now she gathered the two Chuunin and showed them the route they would take to go meet up with the Daimyo's convoy. The plan was simple enough to follow.

950/850 words. 100 Words excess.

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Three shinobi tracked the desert of the wind country in its early hours. The sun was yet to be up. During the night and early mornings the desert proved be a colder place than one could imagine. It isn't simply a cold breeze that comes and goes but a kind of cold that creeps up you in shivers. Anyone who has lived through a day or two knows a long sleeved clothing is meant not only to protect you against the sun and keep the sands out but also to keep you warm at night. So why Travel at night when it's supposed to be cold? The answer was simple 1 you can avoid the eyes in the darkness and 2 its not hot. Even desert dwellers feel the heat and the cool morning temperatures were the best way to cover ground. One would generally cover as much ground as possible before the sun was at its highest.
Three shinobi made their way to the outskirts of the village. If lucky, they would return with the Daimyo before the sun reached its highest point at noon. However there was the problem that needed to be addressed. Shinohara didn't want to provoke a chunin by staying close to the other Chunin as such she observed the interaction between the two. The variables leaned towards the Chunin being a spy but she needed to be sure if she were to make a move. He ran ahead of her only a few meters ahead. She could see the color of his hands, they were dark and tanned like those of the dessert people. So the person was from around here, not necessarily a Suna Shinobi.
Perhaps if she had been more social or lived in the village longer she would have recognized him. She took into the possibility of both being traitors but her Spirits had told her otherwise. His heart had been calm and his emotions were nothing but normal. He seemed like an experienced Shinobi, his heart had turned towards suspicion when his college had given the wrong password. This would need to be sorted out at soon as possible. To rule out all risks Shinohara could have very well stopped the two and forcefully interrogate them against their will. It would rule out all errors and the mission could go on smoothly.
In about 20 minutes they would be arrive at the Daimyo's convoy, she needed to correct this error now or never. Shinohara tapped to the Shinobi be trusted and pointed at the one ahead. He nodded in understanding. It was her show now. She called for a halt the group came to a stop. They stretched and drank a sip of water each. They checked their equipment for the last time. Shinohara herself seldom carried anything as she preferred using her fists.
"Hey, Shimada-san."
She called out to him. She sensed his heart skip a beat, he composed himself and turned around with a smile. He walked over to her his left and right hand looking overly relaxed. Hmm, was he even a Shinobi of Suna? If that was the case then it would be disappointing. Shinohara's left hand formed a gentle fist as her hooked index and middle finger was thrust into Shimada's throat. She felt the all too familiar series of small crackles. The shinobi tried to swallow but in vain. His air canal was blocked and he struggled to let it open again. Before he could do anything her left hand grabbed his neck and pushed it forward into a right knee kick. This time the target was for his stomach winding out whatever breath he had left. He dropped to the floor choking on empty air.
"Kiriwa-san, is Shimada-san a known Shinobi of Suna?"
"Hmm, I know most of the Chuunin in Sunagakure but I don't recognize him. Juzo-dono was supposed to join me today but apparently he is off on another mission. I suspected him but I confirmed he was a spy when he got the password wrong."
Shinohara watched Shimada struggle as he desperately tried to breath in air. His eyes began to flip and his face turn purple from the lack of oxygen. Traitor or spy it was his time to die now. She picked him up by the scruff of his neck with surprising strength. She turned him around so she hugged his neck from behind. He sat in a kneeling position as he saw the sun begin to rise up like an orange peach. Snap. His body dropped to the floor and lay lifeless on the sun. Soon the heat would rot his body and attract any scavenging birds.
Shinohara took into account the possibility of the situation. What reason would there be for a lone spy to be among the fold. An assassination attempt? It was madness knowingly having a Jounin so close as well as the Daimyo's personal guard comprised only of people of an experienced jounin level. Then, he must have been a tracker of sorts for an ambush party. She could reverse the ambush. Or find them before they reach the Daimyo. There were too many risks. If anything the reputation of Sunagakure and its lively hood was on the line.
20 minutes later the now 2 man part of the Daimyo's escort arrived. A little early as the lord of the land arrived in a 20 man convoy. Shinohara properly greeted the powerful man with the respect and dignity he deserved. He was pleased to see his escorts had arrived and was keen on seeing the wonderful village again. Pulling the captain of the guards aside Shinohara explained the situation.
"We certainly have the numbers and strength to stop a small army of ambushers but they've had time to prepare. I think it would be best if we take a new root and avoid any fighting if possible."
The captain nodded his agreement and the convoy took a detour. The captain of the guards sent out a small detachment of his soldiers to travel the original path. It would also be wise to get rid of anyone who wished to kill the Daimyo. She nodded in agreement as the remaining Chuunin seemed to quickly grasp the situation. It was smart. Normally killing all traitors and spies were a rule but right now their job was to go to the Daimyo and escort him back safely to Sunagakure with little incident as possible.
The spy's body had been stripped of Sunagakure colors. It wouldn't be good to identify someone as Sunagakure affiliate. She had concluded the killer was not really a Sunagakure shinobi and those lying in waiting were not as well. The journey back was slow with the Daimyo sitting inside his little shaded padoga. The journey was quite boring and so was the Daimyo, the desert was not exactly a place to go site seeing. They soon arrived in Sunagakure's great stone walls extra guards had been placed for the arrival of the Daimyo. They arrived just in time as the Sun was perhaps a hour away from reaching its highest and most brutal temperatures.
Yurae was relieved of her duty of escort and made her way to the missions center to hand in a brief report of the happenings. Nobody seemed to question the fact that there was a Chuunin missing on the escort party. They all heard that it was a 3 man party, at least the other Jounin did. They would not voice it out yet, not in front of the Daimyo. At the missions centre Shinohara reported a spy and that she had executed him, explaining to them they had avoided the ambush by taking a detour. The desk clerk nodded issuing a new mission for 4 chunin to track down the possible ambush party and make sure they were killed.

1313/850 463 access words + 100 Access words = 563 Access words.

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Dark red hair was abundant in the command tent. It wasn't luxurious or shining it health. In all honesty it was kinda crisp and it had a few split ends here and there. This head of red hair stood besides multiple construction workers as well as other Shinobi. Some gave her weary looks clearly annoyed by her presence at the table. None of this, though transparent to Shinohara, seem to phase her. She had been invited over to oversee the project and that was exactly what she did. She previously had experience with the planning of the raid shelters and bunkers. Though she was no apparent expert on the matter she had some knowledge as to what would speed up the process and what would work and not work from a strategic point of view. She had of course washed and combed her hair but the dry humidity of the sun blasted desert did poorly for a girl's hair. Not that she cared but there was a single voice protesting the appearance for the day.

She scratched her nose as she saw the proposed schematics. Once again she was no expert on the matter but she held some experience when it came to reading blue prints. Even as she stood there making sense of what it was she learnt new information on the basics of building. The previous architects that had overseen the fall out shelter were present along with more of their colleges. They had last since seem to have made up for their differences and were genuinely invested in the project. She guessed everyone who lived in the desert was desperate for a steady water supply. The child inside her spoke up, theorizing an event of earth quakes or any underground attack how it would be silly watch everyone in the shelters drown.

"The water routes, they need to be more flexible and be able to withstand pressure and high magnitude vibrations. Suna doesn't get Earthquakes but a couple squads of Earth Jutsus could damage the shelters."

The previously proud creators of the schematic looked at the blue prints and then at each other. This was true, they began formulating possible counter measures. The correct metal material as well as reinforcing concrete shells to help with the vibrations. Then fail safe pipes were talked over in the event that pipes did burst. Then as these ideas came the other Shinobi at the table voiced their opinions of traitors or enemy shinobi possibly poisoning the water source. The pipes would have series of water filters every few meters and would filter out poison as they flowed down into the giant wells. The protesting voice subsided and suggested something that was in the mind of another but was too shy to voice it.

" The water wells, when they are designed it would be good if they can be isolated for select blocks and districts. In the event of poisoning or the likes the situation can be contained. The water wells themselves should be on a turbine to always let the water flow. Prevent the water from spoiling."

As she spoke she traced circles and paths depicting the mechanic she wanted. People raised their eyebrows at the suggestions being put out for the project. However this was not her doing Shinohara brought out the young mind behind it all. She put him in charge of the project. She didn't have any authority to do such but she did so anyways. There were other things she needed to attend to. She stepped out of the tent to see a young individual eager to work.

The young boy, 10? 12? of age spotted her and walked up straight to her. His request and ask for help was simple enough but Yurae wasn't really in charge of constructions man power. She looked around the construction site looking for a place the child would be helpful. Shinobi or not they were a danger not only to themselves but others as well. Warriors were not builders, with no experience little mishaps could spark something bigger in the long run. Heavy lifting? maybe but even they are strong weights weren't the best idea for growing children. Record keeping? No, her younger sibling never enjoyed sitting at a desk when he was this child's age. Besides counting people coming in with cement bags was such a bore.

Shinohara returned her gaze to the child again. He's well mannered voiced a quite voice. He's small and looks weak sounded another. I wonder if he likes to play ball. She tuned it out, hmm he was well mannered. A rare commodity these days she was told. Olive of skin like most people in the village. He was eager to work she could feel it. Nothing like fresh blood with the burning love for his village.

"To the North of the construction site there should be a cement mix pit. I know a lot of the Genin are gathered there helping pour the cement and mixing it. If you don't want to get your feet dirty then you can help at the soup tents. They've got a lot of vegetables to peel and wash. Find anyone in a White Hardhat with a blue diamond on their helmets They'll find work for you.."

She gave him the options to choose from. Many of the Genin were indeed in the giant pits mixing cement with their feet by walking in place. It was hard labour but it wasn't anything to stunt their growth. The Soup Tents definitely always needed help. If he didn't feel like doing any of those then he could find a foreman and get some other work handed to him. She waited for him to leave before she began anything else.

605+363/850

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Yurae's job took her elsewhere. The Systems to allow the water to flow through the out the village had been well in motion but the plans to see the water wells done still needed some supervision. In a few hours she would need to report to the Kazekage himself on how the village resources were being used and what the plans that were in motion were. She needed no notes or such as she merely needed a mental note. Her feet had found her near the Cement Mixing pit. Many of the Genin worked hard at pounding and mixing the cement away with their feet while others shoveled them into barrels to be transported to the well site. Her eyes found the Genin she had seen before. What had he introduced himself as? Bambo Baknu? Yes. He had been rather polite but was pretty clear in his misogynist upbringing when it came to gender roles. Not that Yurae cared for any of it. She was the head of her own family, did a lot of the physical labor, cooking, cleaning as well as bringing the chunk of money home. Sunagakure was home to many people. She wondered what made people live out in the hot and infertile desert. Nothing really grew there. at least not enough for commercial farming. If you found a decent piece of land then a bit of substance farming could be done. Then again modern technology had allowed for UV grown foods underground and irrigation system and greenhouses allowed for more delicate roots to spread. Humans were one persistent race. Even more so then ghosts. Yurae shrugged to herself, she guessed ghosts came from humans.

Her mind's eye found the timid architect from before. He was a brilliant designer both in practical and appeal of a structure. She turned around and called him away from his colleges. Her next decision would be something off the books and quite frankly she had the power to do so. Away from prying eyes and listening ears the two stood at the peaked cliff overlooking the construction. In silence she requested him to add an additional aspect to the construction. Deep underneath the pipes he was to build a series of maintenance routes to access its own route as well the fall out shelters. He nodded seeing the importance of only using a set number of architects. Yurae sent him away on his business and instantly a shinobi approached her. She patted his back and he nodded and disappeared shortly after. She walked back down to the construction site her attention being spent on the water wells. No normal human would be able to dig fast enough for the project. However a couple Earth Style Jutsus and the massive water silos quickly began to take shape and form. Long Metal rods were inserted in to create the frame before the Cement was poured in.

At a later time the mechanical and metal bits would come in. To filter the water and create a free flowing system to ensure a pure and clean source of water all year round. Shinohara wondered if the Kazekage could really make it rain enough to quench the thirst of the whole village for the whole year. However her attention returned back to the cement pit where the boy was working hard and diligently. He was a hard enough worker, if he kept it up he'd go places. Yurae would leave the scene. She had a brief moment where she wanted to approach the young individual and and offer him something more out of his life than this but that was a lie. Shinobi in the end were just shinobi. Anything more than shinobi was only a stronger shinobi. She went back to checking the filter systems. The turbines were being brought in, they were massive blades of metal. They were re-enforced and rolled making them durable even within the strong currents of water. Being trapped inside a torrent of those blades and surely any human would be crushed under the pressure. Moving the giant turbines proved harder than expected. For one their massive size and weight was a problem. Getting them to mount perfectly on the central point would be a whole new story. Earth Jutsu wouldn't do any good. Metal Jutsu users were rare and even then an individual would find it difficult to do it alone. However the Civil Projects Department would have it under control. They were bringing a mixture of heavy machinery and pulleys to carefully lower each turbine into the wells. Her job here was done and Yurae disappeared.

968 + 749 = 1717 / 850 + 850 = 1700

Posts : 103 Join date : 2015-10-17

It really was a bizarre job for a Jounin. People would think hey, Jounin, Captains. Living the glamorous life with good pay and selecting jobs they want. It wasn't like that, maybe if you were a Jounin from a powerful family. Jounin really meant you had irregular hours bit of a pay raise access to more life threatening work environment and really more little people to worry about. Yurae? She didn't mind the jobs she got. Sure some of them were out right humiliating for someone of her rank but life needs to be taken with a grain of salt and it didn't hurt to look at the silver linings. The mission at hand was simple enough. Manual labor. It was no hidden secret that Hidden Ninja Villages experience war. Another open secret is that not everyone in a Ninja Village, is a Ninja, ironically. If you thought about it was only logical. Who does the cooking? Restaurant owners, stall owners and family. I mean sure you could cook for yourself but you don't always have that luxury and sometimes you just want to relax. I'm talking about the civilians in the village. Now when a war breaks out, civilians can't fight. They're not made to rip, tear and kill each other, no that's the job description of the Shinobi. You can't have civilians just roll around a war zone and expect them to be safe. No, you need an underground system connected to a series of underground bunkers. Yet that's the job, dig giant fucking tunnels and giant fucking rooms so that shit stains who don't do fuck all against the enemy.

Now, now. That was unfair one couldn't expect an untrained individual to defend themselves. AND how else would the collective body they were experience the convenience of fresh meat by a simple exchange of some ryo? Sure as hell no one was going to her cattle and tend to plant all days. The blood that spills out of animal is quite the scene. Yes, what of the sugars and sweets? Do we know how to make those? Fine fine...

Yurae shook her head slowly as her red hair rustled the dust away. She was dressed in a worker's white top an orange jumpsuit tied at her waists, boots for marching, a bright yellow helmet with a little light was placed gently on her head and finally a pick axe. There was soot and dust smeared across her white shirt and some was even on her face. She felt an itch coming on her nose and a stray finger rubbed it before it even began. She was working on a tunnel with a couple other volunteers for the job. She was part of a group that had no elemental affinity to dig tunnels, as such she worked with a pick axe like some rounin scrub would do. Yes, she was inclined to agree against such manual labour. But pickaxes, the dream of an adventurer. Yurae waved her hand. So many flies down here.

In the distance there were thunderous echoes of Earth being moved in big masses. The Earth Jutsu users were making the majority of the Bunker spaces. Shifting an changing the position of the soil around them caused light tremours. Yurae held onto the side of the Earth and waited for the vibrations to end. She coughed away the dust and ignored the complaints of "Elementals". Yurae never really checked her elemental affinity and she wondered briefly if she should. Then the flies started to buzz once more and she let her mind focus on the task at hand. She swung her pick to the side, lifted it up in an arc and let if fall naturally. Bit by bit she removed the earth in small chunks as another team shoveled it up and carted it away to the surface.

Hours passed and Yurae's group of workers were called off for a break and a new team of Earth Jutsu user's took their place. They had dug long enough to form another bunker space there. Shinohara walked with the other volunteers back towards the tunnel entrance. A stream of headlights soon convened like ants going to go on a harvest run. Fresh air was welcoming and the group sat under a shaded hut adjusting their eyes to the brightness of the sun. Here they were given a bowl of water to wash their hands and faces and the water gradually turned a muddy red with all the dirt. Well, Shinohara was done for the day. She could go home but she felt sticking around a little longer. She sat there in the shade as rice balls were being handed out. She wasn't hungry and handed hers over to a young lad who looked like needed the extra food. Growing up and what not. There under the somewhat less hot shade of the hut a balding man of a civilian told the group stories of giant man eating worms he had once encountered. Even in her indifference Yurae suspected the man was over exaggerating the Worms. But she didn't mind. Not one bit.
856/850

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Yurae had stuck around after all the digging was done. She sat around them listening to stories but soon something told her that the people around her were getting uncomfortable from her presence. A little birdy had told them who she was. Fun. No more than 5 minutes ago they had all been sharing food and even before then sweating in the mines together. All form of kin ship had disappeared and they had gradually begun to move away from her. Hmm, she didn't blame them. She stood up and left them to their devices her indifferent facial expression finding herself at the desk of a few construction workers. they were pouring over blueprints for the actual tunnel designs. Diagrams of white lines in complex fashion running through the blue paper over gridded lines.

Most of it didn't make any sense to her but she watched as they discussed and traced lines. The problem at hand was their current designs would collide with the sewer system within Sunagakure. Between them they argued and suggested alternatives to each other. However a no visible solution could be shown. Yurae had no idea what was what but she began to have the basic understandings of how a blue print was laid out. It was interesting to say the least. She wished she could help come up with a solution to the problem but she had no experience in construction other than digging tunnels. The spirits in her body began to tell her what each of the tunnel designers thought about each other.

One was genuinely pondering on the problem while the remaining two simply hated each other and argued unconditionally against the other. She sat there while the 3 of them engaged in heated debate. So zealous that the 3 of them didn't notice Yurae come or walk away. Usually the hero would come up with a solution to save the day but really all she did was take up space for a while. At least on the plus side Yurae had basics understandings on how to read blueprints of building and the schematics of a construction process.

Her feet found her now at the kitchen's helping serve food. The half dozen ladies there seemed to swamped with work as they desperately tried to cook enough meals to feed all these hungry workers. In the same pace she usually took everything she walked over to a bowl of water. She cleaned her hand once more and washed her face of the grime. Most ladies wore makeup, Yurae didn't wear any and had no problems with any of it smearing. She was familiar around the kitchen and a boastful mind would say she was a brilliant cook. In all honesty she just cooked good food. Nothing that tasted bad just food that tasted good. She took to helping serve the food first. Her freakishly strong body picking up the large vats of food and placing them on the serving tables. She dished out healthy portions to the hungry workers in line. They were pleased to be served hot food.

Not shortly after she had started doing this one of the ladies laughed and instructed her to give smaller portions or else they would not have any left for those at the end of the line. Shinohara nodded and began to serve smaller portions to the workers who seem to be let down at their share of the food. Hmm maybe she was serving too little. Her eyes glanced over to the line and her mind went to work dividing the food available to the number of people in line. She wasn't going to be exact to the milliliter but she would have a better serving suggestion. There were things Yurae was not good at but there were things her mind excelled at. Soon she was serving good portions of food to happy workers and had enough food for the those who were at the back of the line. Once the food had emptied she swapped out the giant empty pot with a new one.

Thinking one of the older ladies could use a break she switched with her. Now Yurae saw to cutting up vegetables in their hundreds while the lady had the luxury of having to simply ladle the food. Yurae cut quickly and effectively. The ladies seemed to be pleased with the extra help and commented on her youth and how pretty she was. Some kidded that they wanted her to be their daughter in law. She didn't respond to it and simply scratched her nose. The lady that was serving food held brief conversation with the workers as they passed, commending the workers for their labor and telling them to enjoy their meal. Hmm, it was something she could learn from.

Once their job was done all they had to do was clean the pots and pans and packup. Yurae helped with taking down the make shift canopy for the food tent. The ladies worked quickly to pack up before the sun went down. Once they were done they asked Shinohara to join them in the bathtubs. She was tempted but she needed to return home and feed her family. Hence that was where she last saw the lunch ladies.

879/850

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Shinohara sat under the shade of her hut. Even under the shade the heat of dessert was nothing to joke about. She sat on the small plot of property enough to support a family of 8. They bought most of their food but they had a small underground basement to grow food by UV light. Tomatoes, some various kinds of mushrooms and types of lettuces. Onions and potatoes were grown on some tilled soil. They were resistant and could grow even in the dry climate. They were fortunate enough to be close to a well so watering them wasn't too much of an effort. She sat their her eyes blinking slowly. Hmm. Her 3 three younger 'siblings' ran around even in the heat as they waved around sticks and charms pretending to be Shinobi. Hmm, there were only 2 Shinobi in the household. First was her Jounin no Sunagakure. She earned a fair deal to buy clothes and put food on the table. There was a small savings she had. The next was another younger 'sibling' he recently became a genin and earned some pocket money to get by. The little ones would also join the academy if they chose to. They were all good people. The remaining 3 family members, 1 was too old and the last 2 were simply housewives and widows of a war. All in all Shinohara was the real soul provider of the house. Really the plot of land was given to her as a sort of contract deal with the previous Kazekage. In exchange for a bit of land the Temasa Clan would come into the folds of Sunagakure.
Genin never really earned much to begin with. Enough to maybe live alone in a 1 room flat. Jounin were more fortunate as they got a base monthly pay in addition to the extra missions they perform. Shinohara needed to do extra missions once or twice a month to keep the household going. In her hands was a confidential letter. She had read it about 5 minutes ago. It had the location and password to meet with a squad of Chunin. Their mission was simple but a delicate one. With the new Kazekage in office the Daimyo would be doing his official visit to the village. Afterall that was where all the money came from anyway. Funding from the Daimyo and the missions were provided by the Daimyo. Shinohara burned the letter and watched till the end as the letters burnt to fine ashes. She poured water on the ashes and buried them to be compost with the potatoes. It was time to feed the family.
Shinohara soon geared up. Bandaging up to keep the sand out and wearing sleeves to not get burned by the sun. Considering she lived in the desert she was rather on the lighter side of life. By no means was she pale as those Kirigakure folk. She put on her sand beige Flak Jacket. She remembered the envious and hateful eyes of the other shinobi when she had gotten hers. Ha. Since then the original had been kept as a relic. She had replaced her Jacket a few times from damage while on the field. Rips, punctures and some were even burned. Before leaving the house she scanned the property. It was worth it. She stretched her back in an arc feeling a little dizzy from it. She crackled her knuckles and freed her wrists. "Ikuzo."
The desert was a merciless place. Some shinobi were envious of the green lush forests of Konoha or the mountain rocks of Kumogakure. The desert itself was a dangerous place and the first line of defense for Sunagakure. The hot conditions caused dehydration as well as mirages that often caused even experienced Shinobi to be lost. Shinohara grew up in the desert and was accustomed to the heat and found the sandy surroundings more familiar than anything. She adjusted the clothed scarf mask on her face, fitting it better. She was close to the outskirts of the village where she was supposed to meet her Chuunin team members. She made sure she left no track behind for potential bandits and made a bit of a detour to throw of any pursuers. She just needed to cross a dune and she would meet up with the Chunin.
As soon as she reached the Dune a voice sounded. "Cable". "Hostage". That was the standard password for the day. Sunagakure shinobi could use these words to identify one another during field missions. A shinobi un buried himself from the sands and approached Shinohara. 'Suna is love' and Chunin responded with "Suna is Strength". She shook his hand firmly as another guard approached her. He chanted out 'Sunagakure is love' and Shinohara responded. 'Sunagakure is life.' He smiled and walked away. Shinohara too smiled but in her head other information was being processed.
"That boy, he was worried at first."
"Heart rate was really high."
"I know."
The ghost inside her shared the same thought. The Code had specifically been the short Suna and not the long one Sunagakure. Thinking quickly Shinohara had responded with the wrong password and the 2nd chunnin had accepted it without challenge. His college had shown his sudden distrust for his comrade but Shinohara had waved him down. It might have been an honest mistake of a stressed Shinobi but it was most likely the man was a spy. They were meeting the Daimyo, it was too much of a co-incidence. For now she gathered the two Chuunin and showed them the route they would take to go meet up with the Daimyo's convoy. The plan was simple enough to follow.

950/850 words. 100 Words excess.

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Three shinobi tracked the desert of the wind country in its early hours. The sun was yet to be up. During the night and early mornings the desert proved be a colder place than one could imagine. It isn't simply a cold breeze that comes and goes but a kind of cold that creeps up you in shivers. Anyone who has lived through a day or two knows a long sleeved clothing is meant not only to protect you against the sun and keep the sands out but also to keep you warm at night. So why Travel at night when it's supposed to be cold? The answer was simple 1 you can avoid the eyes in the darkness and 2 its not hot. Even desert dwellers feel the heat and the cool morning temperatures were the best way to cover ground. One would generally cover as much ground as possible before the sun was at its highest.
Three shinobi made their way to the outskirts of the village. If lucky, they would return with the Daimyo before the sun reached its highest point at noon. However there was the problem that needed to be addressed. Shinohara didn't want to provoke a chunin by staying close to the other Chunin as such she observed the interaction between the two. The variables leaned towards the Chunin being a spy but she needed to be sure if she were to make a move. He ran ahead of her only a few meters ahead. She could see the color of his hands, they were dark and tanned like those of the dessert people. So the person was from around here, not necessarily a Suna Shinobi.
Perhaps if she had been more social or lived in the village longer she would have recognized him. She took into the possibility of both being traitors but her Spirits had told her otherwise. His heart had been calm and his emotions were nothing but normal. He seemed like an experienced Shinobi, his heart had turned towards suspicion when his college had given the wrong password. This would need to be sorted out at soon as possible. To rule out all risks Shinohara could have very well stopped the two and forcefully interrogate them against their will. It would rule out all errors and the mission could go on smoothly.
In about 20 minutes they would be arrive at the Daimyo's convoy, she needed to correct this error now or never. Shinohara tapped to the Shinobi be trusted and pointed at the one ahead. He nodded in understanding. It was her show now. She called for a halt the group came to a stop. They stretched and drank a sip of water each. They checked their equipment for the last time. Shinohara herself seldom carried anything as she preferred using her fists.
"Hey, Shimada-san."
She called out to him. She sensed his heart skip a beat, he composed himself and turned around with a smile. He walked over to her his left and right hand looking overly relaxed. Hmm, was he even a Shinobi of Suna? If that was the case then it would be disappointing. Shinohara's left hand formed a gentle fist as her hooked index and middle finger was thrust into Shimada's throat. She felt the all too familiar series of small crackles. The shinobi tried to swallow but in vain. His air canal was blocked and he struggled to let it open again. Before he could do anything her left hand grabbed his neck and pushed it forward into a right knee kick. This time the target was for his stomach winding out whatever breath he had left. He dropped to the floor choking on empty air.
"Kiriwa-san, is Shimada-san a known Shinobi of Suna?"
"Hmm, I know most of the Chuunin in Sunagakure but I don't recognize him. Juzo-dono was supposed to join me today but apparently he is off on another mission. I suspected him but I confirmed he was a spy when he got the password wrong."
Shinohara watched Shimada struggle as he desperately tried to breath in air. His eyes began to flip and his face turn purple from the lack of oxygen. Traitor or spy it was his time to die now. She picked him up by the scruff of his neck with surprising strength. She turned him around so she hugged his neck from behind. He sat in a kneeling position as he saw the sun begin to rise up like an orange peach. Snap. His body dropped to the floor and lay lifeless on the sun. Soon the heat would rot his body and attract any scavenging birds.
Shinohara took into account the possibility of the situation. What reason would there be for a lone spy to be among the fold. An assassination attempt? It was madness knowingly having a Jounin so close as well as the Daimyo's personal guard comprised only of people of an experienced jounin level. Then, he must have been a tracker of sorts for an ambush party. She could reverse the ambush. Or find them before they reach the Daimyo. There were too many risks. If anything the reputation of Sunagakure and its lively hood was on the line.
20 minutes later the now 2 man part of the Daimyo's escort arrived. A little early as the lord of the land arrived in a 20 man convoy. Shinohara properly greeted the powerful man with the respect and dignity he deserved. He was pleased to see his escorts had arrived and was keen on seeing the wonderful village again. Pulling the captain of the guards aside Shinohara explained the situation.
"We certainly have the numbers and strength to stop a small army of ambushers but they've had time to prepare. I think it would be best if we take a new root and avoid any fighting if possible."
The captain nodded his agreement and the convoy took a detour. The captain of the guards sent out a small detachment of his soldiers to travel the original path. It would also be wise to get rid of anyone who wished to kill the Daimyo. She nodded in agreement as the remaining Chuunin seemed to quickly grasp the situation. It was smart. Normally killing all traitors and spies were a rule but right now their job was to go to the Daimyo and escort him back safely to Sunagakure with little incident as possible.
The spy's body had been stripped of Sunagakure colors. It wouldn't be good to identify someone as Sunagakure affiliate. She had concluded the killer was not really a Sunagakure shinobi and those lying in waiting were not as well. The journey back was slow with the Daimyo sitting inside his little shaded padoga. The journey was quite boring and so was the Daimyo, the desert was not exactly a place to go site seeing. They soon arrived in Sunagakure's great stone walls extra guards had been placed for the arrival of the Daimyo. They arrived just in time as the Sun was perhaps a hour away from reaching its highest and most brutal temperatures.
Yurae was relieved of her duty of escort and made her way to the missions center to hand in a brief report of the happenings. Nobody seemed to question the fact that there was a Chuunin missing on the escort party. They all heard that it was a 3 man party, at least the other Jounin did. They would not voice it out yet, not in front of the Daimyo. At the missions centre Shinohara reported a spy and that she had executed him, explaining to them they had avoided the ambush by taking a detour. The desk clerk nodded issuing a new mission for 4 chunin to track down the possible ambush party and make sure they were killed.

1313/850 463 access words + 100 Access words = 563 Access words.

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Dark red hair was abundant in the command tent. It wasn't luxurious or shining it health. In all honesty it was kinda crisp and it had a few split ends here and there. This head of red hair stood besides multiple construction workers as well as other Shinobi. Some gave her weary looks clearly annoyed by her presence at the table. None of this, though transparent to Shinohara, seem to phase her. She had been invited over to oversee the project and that was exactly what she did. She previously had experience with the planning of the raid shelters and bunkers. Though she was no apparent expert on the matter she had some knowledge as to what would speed up the process and what would work and not work from a strategic point of view. She had of course washed and combed her hair but the dry humidity of the sun blasted desert did poorly for a girl's hair. Not that she cared but there was a single voice protesting the appearance for the day.

She scratched her nose as she saw the proposed schematics. Once again she was no expert on the matter but she held some experience when it came to reading blue prints. Even as she stood there making sense of what it was she learnt new information on the basics of building. The previous architects that had overseen the fall out shelter were present along with more of their colleges. They had last since seem to have made up for their differences and were genuinely invested in the project. She guessed everyone who lived in the desert was desperate for a steady water supply. The child inside her spoke up, theorizing an event of earth quakes or any underground attack how it would be silly watch everyone in the shelters drown.

"The water routes, they need to be more flexible and be able to withstand pressure and high magnitude vibrations. Suna doesn't get Earthquakes but a couple squads of Earth Jutsus could damage the shelters."

The previously proud creators of the schematic looked at the blue prints and then at each other. This was true, they began formulating possible counter measures. The correct metal material as well as reinforcing concrete shells to help with the vibrations. Then fail safe pipes were talked over in the event that pipes did burst. Then as these ideas came the other Shinobi at the table voiced their opinions of traitors or enemy shinobi possibly poisoning the water source. The pipes would have series of water filters every few meters and would filter out poison as they flowed down into the giant wells. The protesting voice subsided and suggested something that was in the mind of another but was too shy to voice it.

" The water wells, when they are designed it would be good if they can be isolated for select blocks and districts. In the event of poisoning or the likes the situation can be contained. The water wells themselves should be on a turbine to always let the water flow. Prevent the water from spoiling."

As she spoke she traced circles and paths depicting the mechanic she wanted. People raised their eyebrows at the suggestions being put out for the project. However this was not her doing Shinohara brought out the young mind behind it all. She put him in charge of the project. She didn't have any authority to do such but she did so anyways. There were other things she needed to attend to. She stepped out of the tent to see a young individual eager to work.

The young boy, 10? 12? of age spotted her and walked up straight to her. His request and ask for help was simple enough but Yurae wasn't really in charge of constructions man power. She looked around the construction site looking for a place the child would be helpful. Shinobi or not they were a danger not only to themselves but others as well. Warriors were not builders, with no experience little mishaps could spark something bigger in the long run. Heavy lifting? maybe but even they are strong weights weren't the best idea for growing children. Record keeping? No, her younger sibling never enjoyed sitting at a desk when he was this child's age. Besides counting people coming in with cement bags was such a bore.

Shinohara returned her gaze to the child again. He's well mannered voiced a quite voice. He's small and looks weak sounded another. I wonder if he likes to play ball. She tuned it out, hmm he was well mannered. A rare commodity these days she was told. Olive of skin like most people in the village. He was eager to work she could feel it. Nothing like fresh blood with the burning love for his village.

"To the North of the construction site there should be a cement mix pit. I know a lot of the Genin are gathered there helping pour the cement and mixing it. If you don't want to get your feet dirty then you can help at the soup tents. They've got a lot of vegetables to peel and wash. Find anyone in a White Hardhat with a blue diamond on their helmets They'll find work for you.."

She gave him the options to choose from. Many of the Genin were indeed in the giant pits mixing cement with their feet by walking in place. It was hard labour but it wasn't anything to stunt their growth. The Soup Tents definitely always needed help. If he didn't feel like doing any of those then he could find a foreman and get some other work handed to him. She waited for him to leave before she began anything else.

605+363/850

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Yurae's job took her elsewhere. The Systems to allow the water to flow through the out the village had been well in motion but the plans to see the water wells done still needed some supervision. In a few hours she would need to report to the Kazekage himself on how the village resources were being used and what the plans that were in motion were. She needed no notes or such as she merely needed a mental note. Her feet had found her near the Cement Mixing pit. Many of the Genin worked hard at pounding and mixing the cement away with their feet while others shoveled them into barrels to be transported to the well site. Her eyes found the Genin she had seen before. What had he introduced himself as? Bambo Baknu? Yes. He had been rather polite but was pretty clear in his misogynist upbringing when it came to gender roles. Not that Yurae cared for any of it. She was the head of her own family, did a lot of the physical labor, cooking, cleaning as well as bringing the chunk of money home. Sunagakure was home to many people. She wondered what made people live out in the hot and infertile desert. Nothing really grew there. at least not enough for commercial farming. If you found a decent piece of land then a bit of substance farming could be done. Then again modern technology had allowed for UV grown foods underground and irrigation system and greenhouses allowed for more delicate roots to spread. Humans were one persistent race. Even more so then ghosts. Yurae shrugged to herself, she guessed ghosts came from humans.

Her mind's eye found the timid architect from before. He was a brilliant designer both in practical and appeal of a structure. She turned around and called him away from his colleges. Her next decision would be something off the books and quite frankly she had the power to do so. Away from prying eyes and listening ears the two stood at the peaked cliff overlooking the construction. In silence she requested him to add an additional aspect to the construction. Deep underneath the pipes he was to build a series of maintenance routes to access its own route as well the fall out shelters. He nodded seeing the importance of only using a set number of architects. Yurae sent him away on his business and instantly a shinobi approached her. She patted his back and he nodded and disappeared shortly after. She walked back down to the construction site her attention being spent on the water wells. No normal human would be able to dig fast enough for the project. However a couple Earth Style Jutsus and the massive water silos quickly began to take shape and form. Long Metal rods were inserted in to create the frame before the Cement was poured in.

At a later time the mechanical and metal bits would come in. To filter the water and create a free flowing system to ensure a pure and clean source of water all year round. Shinohara wondered if the Kazekage could really make it rain enough to quench the thirst of the whole village for the whole year. However her attention returned back to the cement pit where the boy was working hard and diligently. He was a hard enough worker, if he kept it up he'd go places. Yurae would leave the scene. She had a brief moment where she wanted to approach the young individual and and offer him something more out of his life than this but that was a lie. Shinobi in the end were just shinobi. Anything more than shinobi was only a stronger shinobi. She went back to checking the filter systems. The turbines were being brought in, they were massive blades of metal. They were re-enforced and rolled making them durable even within the strong currents of water. Being trapped inside a torrent of those blades and surely any human would be crushed under the pressure. Moving the giant turbines proved harder than expected. For one their massive size and weight was a problem. Getting them to mount perfectly on the central point would be a whole new story. Earth Jutsu wouldn't do any good. Metal Jutsu users were rare and even then an individual would find it difficult to do it alone. However the Civil Projects Department would have it under control. They were bringing a mixture of heavy machinery and pulleys to carefully lower each turbine into the wells. Her job here was done and Yurae disappeared.

968 + 749 = 1717 / 850 + 850 = 1700

Posts : 103 Join date : 2015-10-17

It really was a bizarre job for a Jounin. People would think hey, Jounin, Captains. Living the glamorous life with good pay and selecting jobs they want. It wasn't like that, maybe if you were a Jounin from a powerful family. Jounin really meant you had irregular hours bit of a pay raise access to more life threatening work environment and really more little people to worry about. Yurae? She didn't mind the jobs she got. Sure some of them were out right humiliating for someone of her rank but life needs to be taken with a grain of salt and it didn't hurt to look at the silver linings. The mission at hand was simple enough. Manual labor. It was no hidden secret that Hidden Ninja Villages experience war. Another open secret is that not everyone in a Ninja Village, is a Ninja, ironically. If you thought about it was only logical. Who does the cooking? Restaurant owners, stall owners and family. I mean sure you could cook for yourself but you don't always have that luxury and sometimes you just want to relax. I'm talking about the civilians in the village. Now when a war breaks out, civilians can't fight. They're not made to rip, tear and kill each other, no that's the job description of the Shinobi. You can't have civilians just roll around a war zone and expect them to be safe. No, you need an underground system connected to a series of underground bunkers. Yet that's the job, dig giant fucking tunnels and giant fucking rooms so that shit stains who don't do fuck all against the enemy.

Now, now. That was unfair one couldn't expect an untrained individual to defend themselves. AND how else would the collective body they were experience the convenience of fresh meat by a simple exchange of some ryo? Sure as hell no one was going to her cattle and tend to plant all days. The blood that spills out of animal is quite the scene. Yes, what of the sugars and sweets? Do we know how to make those? Fine fine...

Yurae shook her head slowly as her red hair rustled the dust away. She was dressed in a worker's white top an orange jumpsuit tied at her waists, boots for marching, a bright yellow helmet with a little light was placed gently on her head and finally a pick axe. There was soot and dust smeared across her white shirt and some was even on her face. She felt an itch coming on her nose and a stray finger rubbed it before it even began. She was working on a tunnel with a couple other volunteers for the job. She was part of a group that had no elemental affinity to dig tunnels, as such she worked with a pick axe like some rounin scrub would do. Yes, she was inclined to agree against such manual labour. But pickaxes, the dream of an adventurer. Yurae waved her hand. So many flies down here.

In the distance there were thunderous echoes of Earth being moved in big masses. The Earth Jutsu users were making the majority of the Bunker spaces. Shifting an changing the position of the soil around them caused light tremours. Yurae held onto the side of the Earth and waited for the vibrations to end. She coughed away the dust and ignored the complaints of "Elementals". Yurae never really checked her elemental affinity and she wondered briefly if she should. Then the flies started to buzz once more and she let her mind focus on the task at hand. She swung her pick to the side, lifted it up in an arc and let if fall naturally. Bit by bit she removed the earth in small chunks as another team shoveled it up and carted it away to the surface.

Hours passed and Yurae's group of workers were called off for a break and a new team of Earth Jutsu user's took their place. They had dug long enough to form another bunker space there. Shinohara walked with the other volunteers back towards the tunnel entrance. A stream of headlights soon convened like ants going to go on a harvest run. Fresh air was welcoming and the group sat under a shaded hut adjusting their eyes to the brightness of the sun. Here they were given a bowl of water to wash their hands and faces and the water gradually turned a muddy red with all the dirt. Well, Shinohara was done for the day. She could go home but she felt sticking around a little longer. She sat there in the shade as rice balls were being handed out. She wasn't hungry and handed hers over to a young lad who looked like needed the extra food. Growing up and what not. There under the somewhat less hot shade of the hut a balding man of a civilian told the group stories of giant man eating worms he had once encountered. Even in her indifference Yurae suspected the man was over exaggerating the Worms. But she didn't mind. Not one bit.
856/850

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Yurae had stuck around after all the digging was done. She sat around them listening to stories but soon something told her that the people around her were getting uncomfortable from her presence. A little birdy had told them who she was. Fun. No more than 5 minutes ago they had all been sharing food and even before then sweating in the mines together. All form of kin ship had disappeared and they had gradually begun to move away from her. Hmm, she didn't blame them. She stood up and left them to their devices her indifferent facial expression finding herself at the desk of a few construction workers. they were pouring over blueprints for the actual tunnel designs. Diagrams of white lines in complex fashion running through the blue paper over gridded lines.

Most of it didn't make any sense to her but she watched as they discussed and traced lines. The problem at hand was their current designs would collide with the sewer system within Sunagakure. Between them they argued and suggested alternatives to each other. However a no visible solution could be shown. Yurae had no idea what was what but she began to have the basic understandings of how a blue print was laid out. It was interesting to say the least. She wished she could help come up with a solution to the problem but she had no experience in construction other than digging tunnels. The spirits in her body began to tell her what each of the tunnel designers thought about each other.

One was genuinely pondering on the problem while the remaining two simply hated each other and argued unconditionally against the other. She sat there while the 3 of them engaged in heated debate. So zealous that the 3 of them didn't notice Yurae come or walk away. Usually the hero would come up with a solution to save the day but really all she did was take up space for a while. At least on the plus side Yurae had basics understandings on how to read blueprints of building and the schematics of a construction process.

Her feet found her now at the kitchen's helping serve food. The half dozen ladies there seemed to swamped with work as they desperately tried to cook enough meals to feed all these hungry workers. In the same pace she usually took everything she walked over to a bowl of water. She cleaned her hand once more and washed her face of the grime. Most ladies wore makeup, Yurae didn't wear any and had no problems with any of it smearing. She was familiar around the kitchen and a boastful mind would say she was a brilliant cook. In all honesty she just cooked good food. Nothing that tasted bad just food that tasted good. She took to helping serve the food first. Her freakishly strong body picking up the large vats of food and placing them on the serving tables. She dished out healthy portions to the hungry workers in line. They were pleased to be served hot food.

Not shortly after she had started doing this one of the ladies laughed and instructed her to give smaller portions or else they would not have any left for those at the end of the line. Shinohara nodded and began to serve smaller portions to the workers who seem to be let down at their share of the food. Hmm maybe she was serving too little. Her eyes glanced over to the line and her mind went to work dividing the food available to the number of people in line. She wasn't going to be exact to the milliliter but she would have a better serving suggestion. There were things Yurae was not good at but there were things her mind excelled at. Soon she was serving good portions of food to happy workers and had enough food for the those who were at the back of the line. Once the food had emptied she swapped out the giant empty pot with a new one.

Thinking one of the older ladies could use a break she switched with her. Now Yurae saw to cutting up vegetables in their hundreds while the lady had the luxury of having to simply ladle the food. Yurae cut quickly and effectively. The ladies seemed to be pleased with the extra help and commented on her youth and how pretty she was. Some kidded that they wanted her to be their daughter in law. She didn't respond to it and simply scratched her nose. The lady that was serving food held brief conversation with the workers as they passed, commending the workers for their labor and telling them to enjoy their meal. Hmm, it was something she could learn from.

Once their job was done all they had to do was clean the pots and pans and packup. Yurae helped with taking down the make shift canopy for the food tent. The ladies worked quickly to pack up before the sun went down. Once they were done they asked Shinohara to join them in the bathtubs. She was tempted but she needed to return home and feed her family. Hence that was where she last saw the lunch ladies.

879/850

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Shinohara sat under the shade of her hut. Even under the shade the heat of dessert was nothing to joke about. She sat on the small plot of property enough to support a family of 8. They bought most of their food but they had a small underground basement to grow food by UV light. Tomatoes, some various kinds of mushrooms and types of lettuces. Onions and potatoes were grown on some tilled soil. They were resistant and could grow even in the dry climate. They were fortunate enough to be close to a well so watering them wasn't too much of an effort. She sat their her eyes blinking slowly. Hmm. Her 3 three younger 'siblings' ran around even in the heat as they waved around sticks and charms pretending to be Shinobi. Hmm, there were only 2 Shinobi in the household. First was her Jounin no Sunagakure. She earned a fair deal to buy clothes and put food on the table. There was a small savings she had. The next was another younger 'sibling' he recently became a genin and earned some pocket money to get by. The little ones would also join the academy if they chose to. They were all good people. The remaining 3 family members, 1 was too old and the last 2 were simply housewives and widows of a war. All in all Shinohara was the real soul provider of the house. Really the plot of land was given to her as a sort of contract deal with the previous Kazekage. In exchange for a bit of land the Temasa Clan would come into the folds of Sunagakure.
Genin never really earned much to begin with. Enough to maybe live alone in a 1 room flat. Jounin were more fortunate as they got a base monthly pay in addition to the extra missions they perform. Shinohara needed to do extra missions once or twice a month to keep the household going. In her hands was a confidential letter. She had read it about 5 minutes ago. It had the location and password to meet with a squad of Chunin. Their mission was simple but a delicate one. With the new Kazekage in office the Daimyo would be doing his official visit to the village. Afterall that was where all the money came from anyway. Funding from the Daimyo and the missions were provided by the Daimyo. Shinohara burned the letter and watched till the end as the letters burnt to fine ashes. She poured water on the ashes and buried them to be compost with the potatoes. It was time to feed the family.
Shinohara soon geared up. Bandaging up to keep the sand out and wearing sleeves to not get burned by the sun. Considering she lived in the desert she was rather on the lighter side of life. By no means was she pale as those Kirigakure folk. She put on her sand beige Flak Jacket. She remembered the envious and hateful eyes of the other shinobi when she had gotten hers. Ha. Since then the original had been kept as a relic. She had replaced her Jacket a few times from damage while on the field. Rips, punctures and some were even burned. Before leaving the house she scanned the property. It was worth it. She stretched her back in an arc feeling a little dizzy from it. She crackled her knuckles and freed her wrists. "Ikuzo."
The desert was a merciless place. Some shinobi were envious of the green lush forests of Konoha or the mountain rocks of Kumogakure. The desert itself was a dangerous place and the first line of defense for Sunagakure. The hot conditions caused dehydration as well as mirages that often caused even experienced Shinobi to be lost. Shinohara grew up in the desert and was accustomed to the heat and found the sandy surroundings more familiar than anything. She adjusted the clothed scarf mask on her face, fitting it better. She was close to the outskirts of the village where she was supposed to meet her Chuunin team members. She made sure she left no track behind for potential bandits and made a bit of a detour to throw of any pursuers. She just needed to cross a dune and she would meet up with the Chunin.
As soon as she reached the Dune a voice sounded. "Cable". "Hostage". That was the standard password for the day. Sunagakure shinobi could use these words to identify one another during field missions. A shinobi un buried himself from the sands and approached Shinohara. 'Suna is love' and Chunin responded with "Suna is Strength". She shook his hand firmly as another guard approached her. He chanted out 'Sunagakure is love' and Shinohara responded. 'Sunagakure is life.' He smiled and walked away. Shinohara too smiled but in her head other information was being processed.
"That boy, he was worried at first."
"Heart rate was really high."
"I know."
The ghost inside her shared the same thought. The Code had specifically been the short Suna and not the long one Sunagakure. Thinking quickly Shinohara had responded with the wrong password and the 2nd chunnin had accepted it without challenge. His college had shown his sudden distrust for his comrade but Shinohara had waved him down. It might have been an honest mistake of a stressed Shinobi but it was most likely the man was a spy. They were meeting the Daimyo, it was too much of a co-incidence. For now she gathered the two Chuunin and showed them the route they would take to go meet up with the Daimyo's convoy. The plan was simple enough to follow.

950/850 words. 100 Words excess.

----

Three shinobi tracked the desert of the wind country in its early hours. The sun was yet to be up. During the night and early mornings the desert proved be a colder place than one could imagine. It isn't simply a cold breeze that comes and goes but a kind of cold that creeps up you in shivers. Anyone who has lived through a day or two knows a long sleeved clothing is meant not only to protect you against the sun and keep the sands out but also to keep you warm at night. So why Travel at night when it's supposed to be cold? The answer was simple 1 you can avoid the eyes in the darkness and 2 its not hot. Even desert dwellers feel the heat and the cool morning temperatures were the best way to cover ground. One would generally cover as much ground as possible before the sun was at its highest.
Three shinobi made their way to the outskirts of the village. If lucky, they would return with the Daimyo before the sun reached its highest point at noon. However there was the problem that needed to be addressed. Shinohara didn't want to provoke a chunin by staying close to the other Chunin as such she observed the interaction between the two. The variables leaned towards the Chunin being a spy but she needed to be sure if she were to make a move. He ran ahead of her only a few meters ahead. She could see the color of his hands, they were dark and tanned like those of the dessert people. So the person was from around here, not necessarily a Suna Shinobi.
Perhaps if she had been more social or lived in the village longer she would have recognized him. She took into the possibility of both being traitors but her Spirits had told her otherwise. His heart had been calm and his emotions were nothing but normal. He seemed like an experienced Shinobi, his heart had turned towards suspicion when his college had given the wrong password. This would need to be sorted out at soon as possible. To rule out all risks Shinohara could have very well stopped the two and forcefully interrogate them against their will. It would rule out all errors and the mission could go on smoothly.
In about 20 minutes they would be arrive at the Daimyo's convoy, she needed to correct this error now or never. Shinohara tapped to the Shinobi be trusted and pointed at the one ahead. He nodded in understanding. It was her show now. She called for a halt the group came to a stop. They stretched and drank a sip of water each. They checked their equipment for the last time. Shinohara herself seldom carried anything as she preferred using her fists.
"Hey, Shimada-san."
She called out to him. She sensed his heart skip a beat, he composed himself and turned around with a smile. He walked over to her his left and right hand looking overly relaxed. Hmm, was he even a Shinobi of Suna? If that was the case then it would be disappointing. Shinohara's left hand formed a gentle fist as her hooked index and middle finger was thrust into Shimada's throat. She felt the all too familiar series of small crackles. The shinobi tried to swallow but in vain. His air canal was blocked and he struggled to let it open again. Before he could do anything her left hand grabbed his neck and pushed it forward into a right knee kick. This time the target was for his stomach winding out whatever breath he had left. He dropped to the floor choking on empty air.
"Kiriwa-san, is Shimada-san a known Shinobi of Suna?"
"Hmm, I know most of the Chuunin in Sunagakure but I don't recognize him. Juzo-dono was supposed to join me today but apparently he is off on another mission. I suspected him but I confirmed he was a spy when he got the password wrong."
Shinohara watched Shimada struggle as he desperately tried to breath in air. His eyes began to flip and his face turn purple from the lack of oxygen. Traitor or spy it was his time to die now. She picked him up by the scruff of his neck with surprising strength. She turned him around so she hugged his neck from behind. He sat in a kneeling position as he saw the sun begin to rise up like an orange peach. Snap. His body dropped to the floor and lay lifeless on the sun. Soon the heat would rot his body and attract any scavenging birds.
Shinohara took into account the possibility of the situation. What reason would there be for a lone spy to be among the fold. An assassination attempt? It was madness knowingly having a Jounin so close as well as the Daimyo's personal guard comprised only of people of an experienced jounin level. Then, he must have been a tracker of sorts for an ambush party. She could reverse the ambush. Or find them before they reach the Daimyo. There were too many risks. If anything the reputation of Sunagakure and its lively hood was on the line.
20 minutes later the now 2 man part of the Daimyo's escort arrived. A little early as the lord of the land arrived in a 20 man convoy. Shinohara properly greeted the powerful man with the respect and dignity he deserved. He was pleased to see his escorts had arrived and was keen on seeing the wonderful village again. Pulling the captain of the guards aside Shinohara explained the situation.
"We certainly have the numbers and strength to stop a small army of ambushers but they've had time to prepare. I think it would be best if we take a new root and avoid any fighting if possible."
The captain nodded his agreement and the convoy took a detour. The captain of the guards sent out a small detachment of his soldiers to travel the original path. It would also be wise to get rid of anyone who wished to kill the Daimyo. She nodded in agreement as the remaining Chuunin seemed to quickly grasp the situation. It was smart. Normally killing all traitors and spies were a rule but right now their job was to go to the Daimyo and escort him back safely to Sunagakure with little incident as possible.
The spy's body had been stripped of Sunagakure colors. It wouldn't be good to identify someone as Sunagakure affiliate. She had concluded the killer was not really a Sunagakure shinobi and those lying in waiting were not as well. The journey back was slow with the Daimyo sitting inside his little shaded padoga. The journey was quite boring and so was the Daimyo, the desert was not exactly a place to go site seeing. They soon arrived in Sunagakure's great stone walls extra guards had been placed for the arrival of the Daimyo. They arrived just in time as the Sun was perhaps a hour away from reaching its highest and most brutal temperatures.
Yurae was relieved of her duty of escort and made her way to the missions center to hand in a brief report of the happenings. Nobody seemed to question the fact that there was a Chuunin missing on the escort party. They all heard that it was a 3 man party, at least the other Jounin did. They would not voice it out yet, not in front of the Daimyo. At the missions centre Shinohara reported a spy and that she had executed him, explaining to them they had avoided the ambush by taking a detour. The desk clerk nodded issuing a new mission for 4 chunin to track down the possible ambush party and make sure they were killed.

1313/850 463 access words + 100 Access words = 563 Access words.

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Dark red hair was abundant in the command tent. It wasn't luxurious or shining it health. In all honesty it was kinda crisp and it had a few split ends here and there. This head of red hair stood besides multiple construction workers as well as other Shinobi. Some gave her weary looks clearly annoyed by her presence at the table. None of this, though transparent to Shinohara, seem to phase her. She had been invited over to oversee the project and that was exactly what she did. She previously had experience with the planning of the raid shelters and bunkers. Though she was no apparent expert on the matter she had some knowledge as to what would speed up the process and what would work and not work from a strategic point of view. She had of course washed and combed her hair but the dry humidity of the sun blasted desert did poorly for a girl's hair. Not that she cared but there was a single voice protesting the appearance for the day.

She scratched her nose as she saw the proposed schematics. Once again she was no expert on the matter but she held some experience when it came to reading blue prints. Even as she stood there making sense of what it was she learnt new information on the basics of building. The previous architects that had overseen the fall out shelter were present along with more of their colleges. They had last since seem to have made up for their differences and were genuinely invested in the project. She guessed everyone who lived in the desert was desperate for a steady water supply. The child inside her spoke up, theorizing an event of earth quakes or any underground attack how it would be silly watch everyone in the shelters drown.

"The water routes, they need to be more flexible and be able to withstand pressure and high magnitude vibrations. Suna doesn't get Earthquakes but a couple squads of Earth Jutsus could damage the shelters."

The previously proud creators of the schematic looked at the blue prints and then at each other. This was true, they began formulating possible counter measures. The correct metal material as well as reinforcing concrete shells to help with the vibrations. Then fail safe pipes were talked over in the event that pipes did burst. Then as these ideas came the other Shinobi at the table voiced their opinions of traitors or enemy shinobi possibly poisoning the water source. The pipes would have series of water filters every few meters and would filter out poison as they flowed down into the giant wells. The protesting voice subsided and suggested something that was in the mind of another but was too shy to voice it.

" The water wells, when they are designed it would be good if they can be isolated for select blocks and districts. In the event of poisoning or the likes the situation can be contained. The water wells themselves should be on a turbine to always let the water flow. Prevent the water from spoiling."

As she spoke she traced circles and paths depicting the mechanic she wanted. People raised their eyebrows at the suggestions being put out for the project. However this was not her doing Shinohara brought out the young mind behind it all. She put him in charge of the project. She didn't have any authority to do such but she did so anyways. There were other things she needed to attend to. She stepped out of the tent to see a young individual eager to work.

The young boy, 10? 12? of age spotted her and walked up straight to her. His request and ask for help was simple enough but Yurae wasn't really in charge of constructions man power. She looked around the construction site looking for a place the child would be helpful. Shinobi or not they were a danger not only to themselves but others as well. Warriors were not builders, with no experience little mishaps could spark something bigger in the long run. Heavy lifting? maybe but even they are strong weights weren't the best idea for growing children. Record keeping? No, her younger sibling never enjoyed sitting at a desk when he was this child's age. Besides counting people coming in with cement bags was such a bore.

Shinohara returned her gaze to the child again. He's well mannered voiced a quite voice. He's small and looks weak sounded another. I wonder if he likes to play ball. She tuned it out, hmm he was well mannered. A rare commodity these days she was told. Olive of skin like most people in the village. He was eager to work she could feel it. Nothing like fresh blood with the burning love for his village.

"To the North of the construction site there should be a cement mix pit. I know a lot of the Genin are gathered there helping pour the cement and mixing it. If you don't want to get your feet dirty then you can help at the soup tents. They've got a lot of vegetables to peel and wash. Find anyone in a White Hardhat with a blue diamond on their helmets They'll find work for you.."

She gave him the options to choose from. Many of the Genin were indeed in the giant pits mixing cement with their feet by walking in place. It was hard labour but it wasn't anything to stunt their growth. The Soup Tents definitely always needed help. If he didn't feel like doing any of those then he could find a foreman and get some other work handed to him. She waited for him to leave before she began anything else.

605+363/850

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Yurae's job took her elsewhere. The Systems to allow the water to flow through the out the village had been well in motion but the plans to see the water wells done still needed some supervision. In a few hours she would need to report to the Kazekage himself on how the village resources were being used and what the plans that were in motion were. She needed no notes or such as she merely needed a mental note. Her feet had found her near the Cement Mixing pit. Many of the Genin worked hard at pounding and mixing the cement away with their feet while others shoveled them into barrels to be transported to the well site. Her eyes found the Genin she had seen before. What had he introduced himself as? Bambo Baknu? Yes. He had been rather polite but was pretty clear in his misogynist upbringing when it came to gender roles. Not that Yurae cared for any of it. She was the head of her own family, did a lot of the physical labor, cooking, cleaning as well as bringing the chunk of money home. Sunagakure was home to many people. She wondered what made people live out in the hot and infertile desert. Nothing really grew there. at least not enough for commercial farming. If you found a decent piece of land then a bit of substance farming could be done. Then again modern technology had allowed for UV grown foods underground and irrigation system and greenhouses allowed for more delicate roots to spread. Humans were one persistent race. Even more so then ghosts. Yurae shrugged to herself, she guessed ghosts came from humans.

Her mind's eye found the timid architect from before. He was a brilliant designer both in practical and appeal of a structure. She turned around and called him away from his colleges. Her next decision would be something off the books and quite frankly she had the power to do so. Away from prying eyes and listening ears the two stood at the peaked cliff overlooking the construction. In silence she requested him to add an additional aspect to the construction. Deep underneath the pipes he was to build a series of maintenance routes to access its own route as well the fall out shelters. He nodded seeing the importance of only using a set number of architects. Yurae sent him away on his business and instantly a shinobi approached her. She patted his back and he nodded and disappeared shortly after. She walked back down to the construction site her attention being spent on the water wells. No normal human would be able to dig fast enough for the project. However a couple Earth Style Jutsus and the massive water silos quickly began to take shape and form. Long Metal rods were inserted in to create the frame before the Cement was poured in.

At a later time the mechanical and metal bits would come in. To filter the water and create a free flowing system to ensure a pure and clean source of water all year round. Shinohara wondered if the Kazekage could really make it rain enough to quench the thirst of the whole village for the whole year. However her attention returned back to the cement pit where the boy was working hard and diligently. He was a hard enough worker, if he kept it up he'd go places. Yurae would leave the scene. She had a brief moment where she wanted to approach the young individual and and offer him something more out of his life than this but that was a lie. Shinobi in the end were just shinobi. Anything more than shinobi was only a stronger shinobi. She went back to checking the filter systems. The turbines were being brought in, they were massive blades of metal. They were re-enforced and rolled making them durable even within the strong currents of water. Being trapped inside a torrent of those blades and surely any human would be crushed under the pressure. Moving the giant turbines proved harder than expected. For one their massive size and weight was a problem. Getting them to mount perfectly on the central point would be a whole new story. Earth Jutsu wouldn't do any good. Metal Jutsu users were rare and even then an individual would find it difficult to do it alone. However the Civil Projects Department would have it under control. They were bringing a mixture of heavy machinery and pulleys to carefully lower each turbine into the wells. Her job here was done and Yurae disappeared.

968 + 749 = 1717 / 850 + 850 = 1700

Posts : 103 Join date : 2015-10-17

It really was a bizarre job for a Jounin. People would think hey, Jounin, Captains. Living the glamorous life with good pay and selecting jobs they want. It wasn't like that, maybe if you were a Jounin from a powerful family. Jounin really meant you had irregular hours bit of a pay raise access to more life threatening work environment and really more little people to worry about. Yurae? She didn't mind the jobs she got. Sure some of them were out right humiliating for someone of her rank but life needs to be taken with a grain of salt and it didn't hurt to look at the silver linings. The mission at hand was simple enough. Manual labor. It was no hidden secret that Hidden Ninja Villages experience war. Another open secret is that not everyone in a Ninja Village, is a Ninja, ironically. If you thought about it was only logical. Who does the cooking? Restaurant owners, stall owners and family. I mean sure you could cook for yourself but you don't always have that luxury and sometimes you just want to relax. I'm talking about the civilians in the village. Now when a war breaks out, civilians can't fight. They're not made to rip, tear and kill each other, no that's the job description of the Shinobi. You can't have civilians just roll around a war zone and expect them to be safe. No, you need an underground system connected to a series of underground bunkers. Yet that's the job, dig giant fucking tunnels and giant fucking rooms so that shit stains who don't do fuck all against the enemy.

Now, now. That was unfair one couldn't expect an untrained individual to defend themselves. AND how else would the collective body they were experience the convenience of fresh meat by a simple exchange of some ryo? Sure as hell no one was going to her cattle and tend to plant all days. The blood that spills out of animal is quite the scene. Yes, what of the sugars and sweets? Do we know how to make those? Fine fine...

Yurae shook her head slowly as her red hair rustled the dust away. She was dressed in a worker's white top an orange jumpsuit tied at her waists, boots for marching, a bright yellow helmet with a little light was placed gently on her head and finally a pick axe. There was soot and dust smeared across her white shirt and some was even on her face. She felt an itch coming on her nose and a stray finger rubbed it before it even began. She was working on a tunnel with a couple other volunteers for the job. She was part of a group that had no elemental affinity to dig tunnels, as such she worked with a pick axe like some rounin scrub would do. Yes, she was inclined to agree against such manual labour. But pickaxes, the dream of an adventurer. Yurae waved her hand. So many flies down here.

In the distance there were thunderous echoes of Earth being moved in big masses. The Earth Jutsu users were making the majority of the Bunker spaces. Shifting an changing the position of the soil around them caused light tremours. Yurae held onto the side of the Earth and waited for the vibrations to end. She coughed away the dust and ignored the complaints of "Elementals". Yurae never really checked her elemental affinity and she wondered briefly if she should. Then the flies started to buzz once more and she let her mind focus on the task at hand. She swung her pick to the side, lifted it up in an arc and let if fall naturally. Bit by bit she removed the earth in small chunks as another team shoveled it up and carted it away to the surface.

Hours passed and Yurae's group of workers were called off for a break and a new team of Earth Jutsu user's took their place. They had dug long enough to form another bunker space there. Shinohara walked with the other volunteers back towards the tunnel entrance. A stream of headlights soon convened like ants going to go on a harvest run. Fresh air was welcoming and the group sat under a shaded hut adjusting their eyes to the brightness of the sun. Here they were given a bowl of water to wash their hands and faces and the water gradually turned a muddy red with all the dirt. Well, Shinohara was done for the day. She could go home but she felt sticking around a little longer. She sat there in the shade as rice balls were being handed out. She wasn't hungry and handed hers over to a young lad who looked like needed the extra food. Growing up and what not. There under the somewhat less hot shade of the hut a balding man of a civilian told the group stories of giant man eating worms he had once encountered. Even in her indifference Yurae suspected the man was over exaggerating the Worms. But she didn't mind. Not one bit.
856/850

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Yurae had stuck around after all the digging was done. She sat around them listening to stories but soon something told her that the people around her were getting uncomfortable from her presence. A little birdy had told them who she was. Fun. No more than 5 minutes ago they had all been sharing food and even before then sweating in the mines together. All form of kin ship had disappeared and they had gradually begun to move away from her. Hmm, she didn't blame them. She stood up and left them to their devices her indifferent facial expression finding herself at the desk of a few construction workers. they were pouring over blueprints for the actual tunnel designs. Diagrams of white lines in complex fashion running through the blue paper over gridded lines.

Most of it didn't make any sense to her but she watched as they discussed and traced lines. The problem at hand was their current designs would collide with the sewer system within Sunagakure. Between them they argued and suggested alternatives to each other. However a no visible solution could be shown. Yurae had no idea what was what but she began to have the basic understandings of how a blue print was laid out. It was interesting to say the least. She wished she could help come up with a solution to the problem but she had no experience in construction other than digging tunnels. The spirits in her body began to tell her what each of the tunnel designers thought about each other.

One was genuinely pondering on the problem while the remaining two simply hated each other and argued unconditionally against the other. She sat there while the 3 of them engaged in heated debate. So zealous that the 3 of them didn't notice Yurae come or walk away. Usually the hero would come up with a solution to save the day but really all she did was take up space for a while. At least on the plus side Yurae had basics understandings on how to read blueprints of building and the schematics of a construction process.

Her feet found her now at the kitchen's helping serve food. The half dozen ladies there seemed to swamped with work as they desperately tried to cook enough meals to feed all these hungry workers. In the same pace she usually took everything she walked over to a bowl of water. She cleaned her hand once more and washed her face of the grime. Most ladies wore makeup, Yurae didn't wear any and had no problems with any of it smearing. She was familiar around the kitchen and a boastful mind would say she was a brilliant cook. In all honesty she just cooked good food. Nothing that tasted bad just food that tasted good. She took to helping serve the food first. Her freakishly strong body picking up the large vats of food and placing them on the serving tables. She dished out healthy portions to the hungry workers in line. They were pleased to be served hot food.

Not shortly after she had started doing this one of the ladies laughed and instructed her to give smaller portions or else they would not have any left for those at the end of the line. Shinohara nodded and began to serve smaller portions to the workers who seem to be let down at their share of the food. Hmm maybe she was serving too little. Her eyes glanced over to the line and her mind went to work dividing the food available to the number of people in line. She wasn't going to be exact to the milliliter but she would have a better serving suggestion. There were things Yurae was not good at but there were things her mind excelled at. Soon she was serving good portions of food to happy workers and had enough food for the those who were at the back of the line. Once the food had emptied she swapped out the giant empty pot with a new one.

Thinking one of the older ladies could use a break she switched with her. Now Yurae saw to cutting up vegetables in their hundreds while the lady had the luxury of having to simply ladle the food. Yurae cut quickly and effectively. The ladies seemed to be pleased with the extra help and commented on her youth and how pretty she was. Some kidded that they wanted her to be their daughter in law. She didn't respond to it and simply scratched her nose. The lady that was serving food held brief conversation with the workers as they passed, commending the workers for their labor and telling them to enjoy their meal. Hmm, it was something she could learn from.

Once their job was done all they had to do was clean the pots and pans and packup. Yurae helped with taking down the make shift canopy for the food tent. The ladies worked quickly to pack up before the sun went down. Once they were done they asked Shinohara to join them in the bathtubs. She was tempted but she needed to return home and feed her family. Hence that was where she last saw the lunch ladies.

879/850

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Shinohara sat under the shade of her hut. Even under the shade the heat of dessert was nothing to joke about. She sat on the small plot of property enough to support a family of 8. They bought most of their food but they had a small underground basement to grow food by UV light. Tomatoes, some various kinds of mushrooms and types of lettuces. Onions and potatoes were grown on some tilled soil. They were resistant and could grow even in the dry climate. They were fortunate enough to be close to a well so watering them wasn't too much of an effort. She sat their her eyes blinking slowly. Hmm. Her 3 three younger 'siblings' ran around even in the heat as they waved around sticks and charms pretending to be Shinobi. Hmm, there were only 2 Shinobi in the household. First was her Jounin no Sunagakure. She earned a fair deal to buy clothes and put food on the table. There was a small savings she had. The next was another younger 'sibling' he recently became a genin and earned some pocket money to get by. The little ones would also join the academy if they chose to. They were all good people. The remaining 3 family members, 1 was too old and the last 2 were simply housewives and widows of a war. All in all Shinohara was the real soul provider of the house. Really the plot of land was given to her as a sort of contract deal with the previous Kazekage. In exchange for a bit of land the Temasa Clan would come into the folds of Sunagakure.
Genin never really earned much to begin with. Enough to maybe live alone in a 1 room flat. Jounin were more fortunate as they got a base monthly pay in addition to the extra missions they perform. Shinohara needed to do extra missions once or twice a month to keep the household going. In her hands was a confidential letter. She had read it about 5 minutes ago. It had the location and password to meet with a squad of Chunin. Their mission was simple but a delicate one. With the new Kazekage in office the Daimyo would be doing his official visit to the village. Afterall that was where all the money came from anyway. Funding from the Daimyo and the missions were provided by the Daimyo. Shinohara burned the letter and watched till the end as the letters burnt to fine ashes. She poured water on the ashes and buried them to be compost with the potatoes. It was time to feed the family.
Shinohara soon geared up. Bandaging up to keep the sand out and wearing sleeves to not get burned by the sun. Considering she lived in the desert she was rather on the lighter side of life. By no means was she pale as those Kirigakure folk. She put on her sand beige Flak Jacket. She remembered the envious and hateful eyes of the other shinobi when she had gotten hers. Ha. Since then the original had been kept as a relic. She had replaced her Jacket a few times from damage while on the field. Rips, punctures and some were even burned. Before leaving the house she scanned the property. It was worth it. She stretched her back in an arc feeling a little dizzy from it. She crackled her knuckles and freed her wrists. "Ikuzo."
The desert was a merciless place. Some shinobi were envious of the green lush forests of Konoha or the mountain rocks of Kumogakure. The desert itself was a dangerous place and the first line of defense for Sunagakure. The hot conditions caused dehydration as well as mirages that often caused even experienced Shinobi to be lost. Shinohara grew up in the desert and was accustomed to the heat and found the sandy surroundings more familiar than anything. She adjusted the clothed scarf mask on her face, fitting it better. She was close to the outskirts of the village where she was supposed to meet her Chuunin team members. She made sure she left no track behind for potential bandits and made a bit of a detour to throw of any pursuers. She just needed to cross a dune and she would meet up with the Chunin.
As soon as she reached the Dune a voice sounded. "Cable". "Hostage". That was the standard password for the day. Sunagakure shinobi could use these words to identify one another during field missions. A shinobi un buried himself from the sands and approached Shinohara. 'Suna is love' and Chunin responded with "Suna is Strength". She shook his hand firmly as another guard approached her. He chanted out 'Sunagakure is love' and Shinohara responded. 'Sunagakure is life.' He smiled and walked away. Shinohara too smiled but in her head other information was being processed.
"That boy, he was worried at first."
"Heart rate was really high."
"I know."
The ghost inside her shared the same thought. The Code had specifically been the short Suna and not the long one Sunagakure. Thinking quickly Shinohara had responded with the wrong password and the 2nd chunnin had accepted it without challenge. His college had shown his sudden distrust for his comrade but Shinohara had waved him down. It might have been an honest mistake of a stressed Shinobi but it was most likely the man was a spy. They were meeting the Daimyo, it was too much of a co-incidence. For now she gathered the two Chuunin and showed them the route they would take to go meet up with the Daimyo's convoy. The plan was simple enough to follow.

950/850 words. 100 Words excess.

----

Three shinobi tracked the desert of the wind country in its early hours. The sun was yet to be up. During the night and early mornings the desert proved be a colder place than one could imagine. It isn't simply a cold breeze that comes and goes but a kind of cold that creeps up you in shivers. Anyone who has lived through a day or two knows a long sleeved clothing is meant not only to protect you against the sun and keep the sands out but also to keep you warm at night. So why Travel at night when it's supposed to be cold? The answer was simple 1 you can avoid the eyes in the darkness and 2 its not hot. Even desert dwellers feel the heat and the cool morning temperatures were the best way to cover ground. One would generally cover as much ground as possible before the sun was at its highest.
Three shinobi made their way to the outskirts of the village. If lucky, they would return with the Daimyo before the sun reached its highest point at noon. However there was the problem that needed to be addressed. Shinohara didn't want to provoke a chunin by staying close to the other Chunin as such she observed the interaction between the two. The variables leaned towards the Chunin being a spy but she needed to be sure if she were to make a move. He ran ahead of her only a few meters ahead. She could see the color of his hands, they were dark and tanned like those of the dessert people. So the person was from around here, not necessarily a Suna Shinobi.
Perhaps if she had been more social or lived in the village longer she would have recognized him. She took into the possibility of both being traitors but her Spirits had told her otherwise. His heart had been calm and his emotions were nothing but normal. He seemed like an experienced Shinobi, his heart had turned towards suspicion when his college had given the wrong password. This would need to be sorted out at soon as possible. To rule out all risks Shinohara could have very well stopped the two and forcefully interrogate them against their will. It would rule out all errors and the mission could go on smoothly.
In about 20 minutes they would be arrive at the Daimyo's convoy, she needed to correct this error now or never. Shinohara tapped to the Shinobi be trusted and pointed at the one ahead. He nodded in understanding. It was her show now. She called for a halt the group came to a stop. They stretched and drank a sip of water each. They checked their equipment for the last time. Shinohara herself seldom carried anything as she preferred using her fists.
"Hey, Shimada-san."
She called out to him. She sensed his heart skip a beat, he composed himself and turned around with a smile. He walked over to her his left and right hand looking overly relaxed. Hmm, was he even a Shinobi of Suna? If that was the case then it would be disappointing. Shinohara's left hand formed a gentle fist as her hooked index and middle finger was thrust into Shimada's throat. She felt the all too familiar series of small crackles. The shinobi tried to swallow but in vain. His air canal was blocked and he struggled to let it open again. Before he could do anything her left hand grabbed his neck and pushed it forward into a right knee kick. This time the target was for his stomach winding out whatever breath he had left. He dropped to the floor choking on empty air.
"Kiriwa-san, is Shimada-san a known Shinobi of Suna?"
"Hmm, I know most of the Chuunin in Sunagakure but I don't recognize him. Juzo-dono was supposed to join me today but apparently he is off on another mission. I suspected him but I confirmed he was a spy when he got the password wrong."
Shinohara watched Shimada struggle as he desperately tried to breath in air. His eyes began to flip and his face turn purple from the lack of oxygen. Traitor or spy it was his time to die now. She picked him up by the scruff of his neck with surprising strength. She turned him around so she hugged his neck from behind. He sat in a kneeling position as he saw the sun begin to rise up like an orange peach. Snap. His body dropped to the floor and lay lifeless on the sun. Soon the heat would rot his body and attract any scavenging birds.
Shinohara took into account the possibility of the situation. What reason would there be for a lone spy to be among the fold. An assassination attempt? It was madness knowingly having a Jounin so close as well as the Daimyo's personal guard comprised only of people of an experienced jounin level. Then, he must have been a tracker of sorts for an ambush party. She could reverse the ambush. Or find them before they reach the Daimyo. There were too many risks. If anything the reputation of Sunagakure and its lively hood was on the line.
20 minutes later the now 2 man part of the Daimyo's escort arrived. A little early as the lord of the land arrived in a 20 man convoy. Shinohara properly greeted the powerful man with the respect and dignity he deserved. He was pleased to see his escorts had arrived and was keen on seeing the wonderful village again. Pulling the captain of the guards aside Shinohara explained the situation.
"We certainly have the numbers and strength to stop a small army of ambushers but they've had time to prepare. I think it would be best if we take a new root and avoid any fighting if possible."
The captain nodded his agreement and the convoy took a detour. The captain of the guards sent out a small detachment of his soldiers to travel the original path. It would also be wise to get rid of anyone who wished to kill the Daimyo. She nodded in agreement as the remaining Chuunin seemed to quickly grasp the situation. It was smart. Normally killing all traitors and spies were a rule but right now their job was to go to the Daimyo and escort him back safely to Sunagakure with little incident as possible.
The spy's body had been stripped of Sunagakure colors. It wouldn't be good to identify someone as Sunagakure affiliate. She had concluded the killer was not really a Sunagakure shinobi and those lying in waiting were not as well. The journey back was slow with the Daimyo sitting inside his little shaded padoga. The journey was quite boring and so was the Daimyo, the desert was not exactly a place to go site seeing. They soon arrived in Sunagakure's great stone walls extra guards had been placed for the arrival of the Daimyo. They arrived just in time as the Sun was perhaps a hour away from reaching its highest and most brutal temperatures.
Yurae was relieved of her duty of escort and made her way to the missions center to hand in a brief report of the happenings. Nobody seemed to question the fact that there was a Chuunin missing on the escort party. They all heard that it was a 3 man party, at least the other Jounin did. They would not voice it out yet, not in front of the Daimyo. At the missions centre Shinohara reported a spy and that she had executed him, explaining to them they had avoided the ambush by taking a detour. The desk clerk nodded issuing a new mission for 4 chunin to track down the possible ambush party and make sure they were killed.

1313/850 463 access words + 100 Access words = 563 Access words.

----

Dark red hair was abundant in the command tent. It wasn't luxurious or shining it health. In all honesty it was kinda crisp and it had a few split ends here and there. This head of red hair stood besides multiple construction workers as well as other Shinobi. Some gave her weary looks clearly annoyed by her presence at the table. None of this, though transparent to Shinohara, seem to phase her. She had been invited over to oversee the project and that was exactly what she did. She previously had experience with the planning of the raid shelters and bunkers. Though she was no apparent expert on the matter she had some knowledge as to what would speed up the process and what would work and not work from a strategic point of view. She had of course washed and combed her hair but the dry humidity of the sun blasted desert did poorly for a girl's hair. Not that she cared but there was a single voice protesting the appearance for the day.

She scratched her nose as she saw the proposed schematics. Once again she was no expert on the matter but she held some experience when it came to reading blue prints. Even as she stood there making sense of what it was she learnt new information on the basics of building. The previous architects that had overseen the fall out shelter were present along with more of their colleges. They had last since seem to have made up for their differences and were genuinely invested in the project. She guessed everyone who lived in the desert was desperate for a steady water supply. The child inside her spoke up, theorizing an event of earth quakes or any underground attack how it would be silly watch everyone in the shelters drown.

"The water routes, they need to be more flexible and be able to withstand pressure and high magnitude vibrations. Suna doesn't get Earthquakes but a couple squads of Earth Jutsus could damage the shelters."

The previously proud creators of the schematic looked at the blue prints and then at each other. This was true, they began formulating possible counter measures. The correct metal material as well as reinforcing concrete shells to help with the vibrations. Then fail safe pipes were talked over in the event that pipes did burst. Then as these ideas came the other Shinobi at the table voiced their opinions of traitors or enemy shinobi possibly poisoning the water source. The pipes would have series of water filters every few meters and would filter out poison as they flowed down into the giant wells. The protesting voice subsided and suggested something that was in the mind of another but was too shy to voice it.

" The water wells, when they are designed it would be good if they can be isolated for select blocks and districts. In the event of poisoning or the likes the situation can be contained. The water wells themselves should be on a turbine to always let the water flow. Prevent the water from spoiling."

As she spoke she traced circles and paths depicting the mechanic she wanted. People raised their eyebrows at the suggestions being put out for the project. However this was not her doing Shinohara brought out the young mind behind it all. She put him in charge of the project. She didn't have any authority to do such but she did so anyways. There were other things she needed to attend to. She stepped out of the tent to see a young individual eager to work.

The young boy, 10? 12? of age spotted her and walked up straight to her. His request and ask for help was simple enough but Yurae wasn't really in charge of constructions man power. She looked around the construction site looking for a place the child would be helpful. Shinobi or not they were a danger not only to themselves but others as well. Warriors were not builders, with no experience little mishaps could spark something bigger in the long run. Heavy lifting? maybe but even they are strong weights weren't the best idea for growing children. Record keeping? No, her younger sibling never enjoyed sitting at a desk when he was this child's age. Besides counting people coming in with cement bags was such a bore.

Shinohara returned her gaze to the child again. He's well mannered voiced a quite voice. He's small and looks weak sounded another. I wonder if he likes to play ball. She tuned it out, hmm he was well mannered. A rare commodity these days she was told. Olive of skin like most people in the village. He was eager to work she could feel it. Nothing like fresh blood with the burning love for his village.

"To the North of the construction site there should be a cement mix pit. I know a lot of the Genin are gathered there helping pour the cement and mixing it. If you don't want to get your feet dirty then you can help at the soup tents. They've got a lot of vegetables to peel and wash. Find anyone in a White Hardhat with a blue diamond on their helmets They'll find work for you.."

She gave him the options to choose from. Many of the Genin were indeed in the giant pits mixing cement with their feet by walking in place. It was hard labour but it wasn't anything to stunt their growth. The Soup Tents definitely always needed help. If he didn't feel like doing any of those then he could find a foreman and get some other work handed to him. She waited for him to leave before she began anything else.

605+363/850

----

Yurae's job took her elsewhere. The Systems to allow the water to flow through the out the village had been well in motion but the plans to see the water wells done still needed some supervision. In a few hours she would need to report to the Kazekage himself on how the village resources were being used and what the plans that were in motion were. She needed no notes or such as she merely needed a mental note. Her feet had found her near the Cement Mixing pit. Many of the Genin worked hard at pounding and mixing the cement away with their feet while others shoveled them into barrels to be transported to the well site. Her eyes found the Genin she had seen before. What had he introduced himself as? Bambo Baknu? Yes. He had been rather polite but was pretty clear in his misogynist upbringing when it came to gender roles. Not that Yurae cared for any of it. She was the head of her own family, did a lot of the physical labor, cooking, cleaning as well as bringing the chunk of money home. Sunagakure was home to many people. She wondered what made people live out in the hot and infertile desert. Nothing really grew there. at least not enough for commercial farming. If you found a decent piece of land then a bit of substance farming could be done. Then again modern technology had allowed for UV grown foods underground and irrigation system and greenhouses allowed for more delicate roots to spread. Humans were one persistent race. Even more so then ghosts. Yurae shrugged to herself, she guessed ghosts came from humans.

Her mind's eye found the timid architect from before. He was a brilliant designer both in practical and appeal of a structure. She turned around and called him away from his colleges. Her next decision would be something off the books and quite frankly she had the power to do so. Away from prying eyes and listening ears the two stood at the peaked cliff overlooking the construction. In silence she requested him to add an additional aspect to the construction. Deep underneath the pipes he was to build a series of maintenance routes to access its own route as well the fall out shelters. He nodded seeing the importance of only using a set number of architects. Yurae sent him away on his business and instantly a shinobi approached her. She patted his back and he nodded and disappeared shortly after. She walked back down to the construction site her attention being spent on the water wells. No normal human would be able to dig fast enough for the project. However a couple Earth Style Jutsus and the massive water silos quickly began to take shape and form. Long Metal rods were inserted in to create the frame before the Cement was poured in.

At a later time the mechanical and metal bits would come in. To filter the water and create a free flowing system to ensure a pure and clean source of water all year round. Shinohara wondered if the Kazekage could really make it rain enough to quench the thirst of the whole village for the whole year. However her attention returned back to the cement pit where the boy was working hard and diligently. He was a hard enough worker, if he kept it up he'd go places. Yurae would leave the scene. She had a brief moment where she wanted to approach the young individual and and offer him something more out of his life than this but that was a lie. Shinobi in the end were just shinobi. Anything more than shinobi was only a stronger shinobi. She went back to checking the filter systems. The turbines were being brought in, they were massive blades of metal. They were re-enforced and rolled making them durable even within the strong currents of water. Being trapped inside a torrent of those blades and surely any human would be crushed under the pressure. Moving the giant turbines proved harder than expected. For one their massive size and weight was a problem. Getting them to mount perfectly on the central point would be a whole new story. Earth Jutsu wouldn't do any good. Metal Jutsu users were rare and even then an individual would find it difficult to do it alone. However the Civil Projects Department would have it under control. They were bringing a mixture of heavy machinery and pulleys to carefully lower each turbine into the wells. Her job here was done and Yurae disappeared.

968 + 749 = 1717 / 850 + 850 = 1700

It wasn't just everyday that a member of the Sunagakure special forces came and personally delivered an assignment to her. He came in as quietly as possible in the early hours of the morning. With the veil of cloth protecting his identity he had snuck into her kitchen. Poor fellow, he clearly had no proper intelligence on Shinohara. But that was only right, there was close to zero actual information on what she was capable of doing. Normally would someone had snuck into her home they would have been impaled onto the wall with their own arm but she saw no ill intentions from the man. As he tip toed in from the back room Shinohara tapped him gently on the shoulder.
"Oi" She would say to him softly
The man jumped as far as he could. Never in his life had he been snuck up on. Even through his mask his eyes betrayed him. There was definitely a blow to his confidence as well as his pride as a Spec Ops Shinobi. He eyed her, quickly calculating the danger level of this woman. She was lank, kind of sickly as well as her guard seemed to dropped and full of openings. Yet there had been nothing much about her in the reports yet the Division insisted she take this job. The mystery that surrounded the enigma struck a dagger of mind melding fear into the man. Something was definitely not right about the woman that stood before him. Without knowing he had taken a defensive stance with his hands reaching to unclasp his Shuriken Holster.
"People are still sleeping. " She would say.
She turned her back on him his finger twitched almost hooking around the hole of his shuriken. Yet he restrained all his instincts and began with a lot of effort to relax. When was the last time he had been this tense and anxious? When he has his first taste of killing intent. Yes that was it, but this was something different killing intent, she had none towards him. He felt that she was incapable of such. Yet still his fingers felt hollow without a Kunai. Like someone was singing happy birthday to him and he didn't know what to do with his hands.
Shinohara opened up her fridge flooding the pitch black room with a buzzing light. She withdrew a cartoon orange juice, shaking it as she did. Hmm, she would need to buy more orange juice. She turned around unphased at the agitation of the man. A ceramic cup and cold orange juice was poured out. She handed the cup to man who hesitantly took the cup. Was it poisoned? No, she had no reason to do it. Yurae looked at him with blank eyes, no trust even among their own. She drank a big gulp from the carton and let the man watch as she waited. Finally trusting nothing was wrong he left the Juice untouched.
"Shinohara Yurae, you have an assignment. Listen carefully as I will only say this once. You are aware of the Second Wave? The Radical extremist that wish for a revival of the old ways and the destruction of this village. We suspect one of our Jounin to be a member of the Second Wave. This is what he looks like, he lives on the eastern end, number 17 on Mushroom Avenue. Capture him and bring him to this site."
As the man explained she showed her first a picture of him and a brief report on the man and his capabilities. Wind and Water user with a fondness for Genjutsu. Ha. Then he showed her the house he lived in and finally the black site marked on a map. Quickly after looking at it he burnt everything until they were nothing but white ashes which he mixed in water and drank. Crazy people. Shinohara took the orange juice off the table and put it back into the fridge what a waste. She turned around and the ANBU member was gone. What was wrong with people these days. Well, it was time to earn money.
An hour later she stood a couple blocks down from where the man lived. As the Sun rose she sat outside a coffee shop. She had ordered tea but she didn't drink it feeling full already from the orange juice. Even at this hour the village was bustling but all these emotions could be singled out one by one until she found the one she wanted. A displeasure for what was around him a patience that he gathered before leaving his house each morning. He walked out with both a paranoia of being caught red handed as well as the vain glory of being a champion for his brothers.
Well there wasn't really any point in delaying the inevitable. Shinohara walked slowly over to the man in the most average way possible. His eyes darted around looking for people possibly spying for him. He stood out like a sore thumb he was not a good agent. 3 or so meters left and his eyes found Shinohara's His hands moved out but it was too late. She took quick steps punching him in gut and making him choke. Before he could recover a couple hand signs found the man in a heart wrenching pain.
The scene was bloody. In an undisclosed location Yurae washed her hands of blood. Before her was whimpering man with his cries muffled by a cloth to prevent not his scream but from him biting himself. Much of the skin on his chest had been neatly ripped off and so was the most of his right arm. His left hand missed fingers with the cuts sown back together to stop the bleeding. His toenails had been ripped off and jammed vertically back into them. Her eyes were the same as ever, not a care in the world.
Nearby an ANBU turned his face away and holding his breath. Not before long he vacated the enclosed room to blow out the food he had for lunch. It had been a long interrogation. The man wanted to tell her everything he knew but she took her time going at it 20 minutes or so at a time before she let him breath and reveal more information. Really she already knew everything she needed to know but she needed to know other things. What makes a man tick, what hurts the most.
His brother were operating from an old tunnel system used to evacuate civilians during a sandstorm. It was only right that they used it. With the new bomb shelters the old ones had been abandoned. Not enough maintenance teams used that system anymore. ANBU teams had been dispatched a long time ago. They would most likely cave in the whole system to dispatch most of them before dragging out the survivors one by one for more interrogation. The man was in pain and a man suggested he be put out of his misery. Yurae valued her time.
"No, take him to hospital. If they see him like this, they'll know better than to get dragged into a black site likes this."

1200 a-rank mission
----

Posts : 103 Join date : 2015-10-17

It really was a bizarre job for a Jounin. People would think hey, Jounin, Captains. Living the glamorous life with good pay and selecting jobs they want. It wasn't like that, maybe if you were a Jounin from a powerful family. Jounin really meant you had irregular hours bit of a pay raise access to more life threatening work environment and really more little people to worry about. Yurae? She didn't mind the jobs she got. Sure some of them were out right humiliating for someone of her rank but life needs to be taken with a grain of salt and it didn't hurt to look at the silver linings. The mission at hand was simple enough. Manual labor. It was no hidden secret that Hidden Ninja Villages experience war. Another open secret is that not everyone in a Ninja Village, is a Ninja, ironically. If you thought about it was only logical. Who does the cooking? Restaurant owners, stall owners and family. I mean sure you could cook for yourself but you don't always have that luxury and sometimes you just want to relax. I'm talking about the civilians in the village. Now when a war breaks out, civilians can't fight. They're not made to rip, tear and kill each other, no that's the job description of the Shinobi. You can't have civilians just roll around a war zone and expect them to be safe. No, you need an underground system connected to a series of underground bunkers. Yet that's the job, dig giant fucking tunnels and giant fucking rooms so that shit stains who don't do fuck all against the enemy.

Now, now. That was unfair one couldn't expect an untrained individual to defend themselves. AND how else would the collective body they were experience the convenience of fresh meat by a simple exchange of some ryo? Sure as hell no one was going to her cattle and tend to plant all days. The blood that spills out of animal is quite the scene. Yes, what of the sugars and sweets? Do we know how to make those? Fine fine...

Yurae shook her head slowly as her red hair rustled the dust away. She was dressed in a worker's white top an orange jumpsuit tied at her waists, boots for marching, a bright yellow helmet with a little light was placed gently on her head and finally a pick axe. There was soot and dust smeared across her white shirt and some was even on her face. She felt an itch coming on her nose and a stray finger rubbed it before it even began. She was working on a tunnel with a couple other volunteers for the job. She was part of a group that had no elemental affinity to dig tunnels, as such she worked with a pick axe like some rounin scrub would do. Yes, she was inclined to agree against such manual labour. But pickaxes, the dream of an adventurer. Yurae waved her hand. So many flies down here.

In the distance there were thunderous echoes of Earth being moved in big masses. The Earth Jutsu users were making the majority of the Bunker spaces. Shifting an changing the position of the soil around them caused light tremours. Yurae held onto the side of the Earth and waited for the vibrations to end. She coughed away the dust and ignored the complaints of "Elementals". Yurae never really checked her elemental affinity and she wondered briefly if she should. Then the flies started to buzz once more and she let her mind focus on the task at hand. She swung her pick to the side, lifted it up in an arc and let if fall naturally. Bit by bit she removed the earth in small chunks as another team shoveled it up and carted it away to the surface.

Hours passed and Yurae's group of workers were called off for a break and a new team of Earth Jutsu user's took their place. They had dug long enough to form another bunker space there. Shinohara walked with the other volunteers back towards the tunnel entrance. A stream of headlights soon convened like ants going to go on a harvest run. Fresh air was welcoming and the group sat under a shaded hut adjusting their eyes to the brightness of the sun. Here they were given a bowl of water to wash their hands and faces and the water gradually turned a muddy red with all the dirt. Well, Shinohara was done for the day. She could go home but she felt sticking around a little longer. She sat there in the shade as rice balls were being handed out. She wasn't hungry and handed hers over to a young lad who looked like needed the extra food. Growing up and what not. There under the somewhat less hot shade of the hut a balding man of a civilian told the group stories of giant man eating worms he had once encountered. Even in her indifference Yurae suspected the man was over exaggerating the Worms. But she didn't mind. Not one bit.
856/850

---

Yurae had stuck around after all the digging was done. She sat around them listening to stories but soon something told her that the people around her were getting uncomfortable from her presence. A little birdy had told them who she was. Fun. No more than 5 minutes ago they had all been sharing food and even before then sweating in the mines together. All form of kin ship had disappeared and they had gradually begun to move away from her. Hmm, she didn't blame them. She stood up and left them to their devices her indifferent facial expression finding herself at the desk of a few construction workers. they were pouring over blueprints for the actual tunnel designs. Diagrams of white lines in complex fashion running through the blue paper over gridded lines.

Most of it didn't make any sense to her but she watched as they discussed and traced lines. The problem at hand was their current designs would collide with the sewer system within Sunagakure. Between them they argued and suggested alternatives to each other. However a no visible solution could be shown. Yurae had no idea what was what but she began to have the basic understandings of how a blue print was laid out. It was interesting to say the least. She wished she could help come up with a solution to the problem but she had no experience in construction other than digging tunnels. The spirits in her body began to tell her what each of the tunnel designers thought about each other.

One was genuinely pondering on the problem while the remaining two simply hated each other and argued unconditionally against the other. She sat there while the 3 of them engaged in heated debate. So zealous that the 3 of them didn't notice Yurae come or walk away. Usually the hero would come up with a solution to save the day but really all she did was take up space for a while. At least on the plus side Yurae had basics understandings on how to read blueprints of building and the schematics of a construction process.

Her feet found her now at the kitchen's helping serve food. The half dozen ladies there seemed to swamped with work as they desperately tried to cook enough meals to feed all these hungry workers. In the same pace she usually took everything she walked over to a bowl of water. She cleaned her hand once more and washed her face of the grime. Most ladies wore makeup, Yurae didn't wear any and had no problems with any of it smearing. She was familiar around the kitchen and a boastful mind would say she was a brilliant cook. In all honesty she just cooked good food. Nothing that tasted bad just food that tasted good. She took to helping serve the food first. Her freakishly strong body picking up the large vats of food and placing them on the serving tables. She dished out healthy portions to the hungry workers in line. They were pleased to be served hot food.

Not shortly after she had started doing this one of the ladies laughed and instructed her to give smaller portions or else they would not have any left for those at the end of the line. Shinohara nodded and began to serve smaller portions to the workers who seem to be let down at their share of the food. Hmm maybe she was serving too little. Her eyes glanced over to the line and her mind went to work dividing the food available to the number of people in line. She wasn't going to be exact to the milliliter but she would have a better serving suggestion. There were things Yurae was not good at but there were things her mind excelled at. Soon she was serving good portions of food to happy workers and had enough food for the those who were at the back of the line. Once the food had emptied she swapped out the giant empty pot with a new one.

Thinking one of the older ladies could use a break she switched with her. Now Yurae saw to cutting up vegetables in their hundreds while the lady had the luxury of having to simply ladle the food. Yurae cut quickly and effectively. The ladies seemed to be pleased with the extra help and commented on her youth and how pretty she was. Some kidded that they wanted her to be their daughter in law. She didn't respond to it and simply scratched her nose. The lady that was serving food held brief conversation with the workers as they passed, commending the workers for their labor and telling them to enjoy their meal. Hmm, it was something she could learn from.

Once their job was done all they had to do was clean the pots and pans and packup. Yurae helped with taking down the make shift canopy for the food tent. The ladies worked quickly to pack up before the sun went down. Once they were done they asked Shinohara to join them in the bathtubs. She was tempted but she needed to return home and feed her family. Hence that was where she last saw the lunch ladies.

879/850

---

Shinohara sat under the shade of her hut. Even under the shade the heat of dessert was nothing to joke about. She sat on the small plot of property enough to support a family of 8. They bought most of their food but they had a small underground basement to grow food by UV light. Tomatoes, some various kinds of mushrooms and types of lettuces. Onions and potatoes were grown on some tilled soil. They were resistant and could grow even in the dry climate. They were fortunate enough to be close to a well so watering them wasn't too much of an effort. She sat their her eyes blinking slowly. Hmm. Her 3 three younger 'siblings' ran around even in the heat as they waved around sticks and charms pretending to be Shinobi. Hmm, there were only 2 Shinobi in the household. First was her Jounin no Sunagakure. She earned a fair deal to buy clothes and put food on the table. There was a small savings she had. The next was another younger 'sibling' he recently became a genin and earned some pocket money to get by. The little ones would also join the academy if they chose to. They were all good people. The remaining 3 family members, 1 was too old and the last 2 were simply housewives and widows of a war. All in all Shinohara was the real soul provider of the house. Really the plot of land was given to her as a sort of contract deal with the previous Kazekage. In exchange for a bit of land the Temasa Clan would come into the folds of Sunagakure.
Genin never really earned much to begin with. Enough to maybe live alone in a 1 room flat. Jounin were more fortunate as they got a base monthly pay in addition to the extra missions they perform. Shinohara needed to do extra missions once or twice a month to keep the household going. In her hands was a confidential letter. She had read it about 5 minutes ago. It had the location and password to meet with a squad of Chunin. Their mission was simple but a delicate one. With the new Kazekage in office the Daimyo would be doing his official visit to the village. Afterall that was where all the money came from anyway. Funding from the Daimyo and the missions were provided by the Daimyo. Shinohara burned the letter and watched till the end as the letters burnt to fine ashes. She poured water on the ashes and buried them to be compost with the potatoes. It was time to feed the family.
Shinohara soon geared up. Bandaging up to keep the sand out and wearing sleeves to not get burned by the sun. Considering she lived in the desert she was rather on the lighter side of life. By no means was she pale as those Kirigakure folk. She put on her sand beige Flak Jacket. She remembered the envious and hateful eyes of the other shinobi when she had gotten hers. Ha. Since then the original had been kept as a relic. She had replaced her Jacket a few times from damage while on the field. Rips, punctures and some were even burned. Before leaving the house she scanned the property. It was worth it. She stretched her back in an arc feeling a little dizzy from it. She crackled her knuckles and freed her wrists. "Ikuzo."
The desert was a merciless place. Some shinobi were envious of the green lush forests of Konoha or the mountain rocks of Kumogakure. The desert itself was a dangerous place and the first line of defense for Sunagakure. The hot conditions caused dehydration as well as mirages that often caused even experienced Shinobi to be lost. Shinohara grew up in the desert and was accustomed to the heat and found the sandy surroundings more familiar than anything. She adjusted the clothed scarf mask on her face, fitting it better. She was close to the outskirts of the village where she was supposed to meet her Chuunin team members. She made sure she left no track behind for potential bandits and made a bit of a detour to throw of any pursuers. She just needed to cross a dune and she would meet up with the Chunin.
As soon as she reached the Dune a voice sounded. "Cable". "Hostage". That was the standard password for the day. Sunagakure shinobi could use these words to identify one another during field missions. A shinobi un buried himself from the sands and approached Shinohara. 'Suna is love' and Chunin responded with "Suna is Strength". She shook his hand firmly as another guard approached her. He chanted out 'Sunagakure is love' and Shinohara responded. 'Sunagakure is life.' He smiled and walked away. Shinohara too smiled but in her head other information was being processed.
"That boy, he was worried at first."
"Heart rate was really high."
"I know."
The ghost inside her shared the same thought. The Code had specifically been the short Suna and not the long one Sunagakure. Thinking quickly Shinohara had responded with the wrong password and the 2nd chunnin had accepted it without challenge. His college had shown his sudden distrust for his comrade but Shinohara had waved him down. It might have been an honest mistake of a stressed Shinobi but it was most likely the man was a spy. They were meeting the Daimyo, it was too much of a co-incidence. For now she gathered the two Chuunin and showed them the route they would take to go meet up with the Daimyo's convoy. The plan was simple enough to follow.

950/850 words. 100 Words excess.

----

Three shinobi tracked the desert of the wind country in its early hours. The sun was yet to be up. During the night and early mornings the desert proved be a colder place than one could imagine. It isn't simply a cold breeze that comes and goes but a kind of cold that creeps up you in shivers. Anyone who has lived through a day or two knows a long sleeved clothing is meant not only to protect you against the sun and keep the sands out but also to keep you warm at night. So why Travel at night when it's supposed to be cold? The answer was simple 1 you can avoid the eyes in the darkness and 2 its not hot. Even desert dwellers feel the heat and the cool morning temperatures were the best way to cover ground. One would generally cover as much ground as possible before the sun was at its highest.
Three shinobi made their way to the outskirts of the village. If lucky, they would return with the Daimyo before the sun reached its highest point at noon. However there was the problem that needed to be addressed. Shinohara didn't want to provoke a chunin by staying close to the other Chunin as such she observed the interaction between the two. The variables leaned towards the Chunin being a spy but she needed to be sure if she were to make a move. He ran ahead of her only a few meters ahead. She could see the color of his hands, they were dark and tanned like those of the dessert people. So the person was from around here, not necessarily a Suna Shinobi.
Perhaps if she had been more social or lived in the village longer she would have recognized him. She took into the possibility of both being traitors but her Spirits had told her otherwise. His heart had been calm and his emotions were nothing but normal. He seemed like an experienced Shinobi, his heart had turned towards suspicion when his college had given the wrong password. This would need to be sorted out at soon as possible. To rule out all risks Shinohara could have very well stopped the two and forcefully interrogate them against their will. It would rule out all errors and the mission could go on smoothly.
In about 20 minutes they would be arrive at the Daimyo's convoy, she needed to correct this error now or never. Shinohara tapped to the Shinobi be trusted and pointed at the one ahead. He nodded in understanding. It was her show now. She called for a halt the group came to a stop. They stretched and drank a sip of water each. They checked their equipment for the last time. Shinohara herself seldom carried anything as she preferred using her fists.
"Hey, Shimada-san."
She called out to him. She sensed his heart skip a beat, he composed himself and turned around with a smile. He walked over to her his left and right hand looking overly relaxed. Hmm, was he even a Shinobi of Suna? If that was the case then it would be disappointing. Shinohara's left hand formed a gentle fist as her hooked index and middle finger was thrust into Shimada's throat. She felt the all too familiar series of small crackles. The shinobi tried to swallow but in vain. His air canal was blocked and he struggled to let it open again. Before he could do anything her left hand grabbed his neck and pushed it forward into a right knee kick. This time the target was for his stomach winding out whatever breath he had left. He dropped to the floor choking on empty air.
"Kiriwa-san, is Shimada-san a known Shinobi of Suna?"
"Hmm, I know most of the Chuunin in Sunagakure but I don't recognize him. Juzo-dono was supposed to join me today but apparently he is off on another mission. I suspected him but I confirmed he was a spy when he got the password wrong."
Shinohara watched Shimada struggle as he desperately tried to breath in air. His eyes began to flip and his face turn purple from the lack of oxygen. Traitor or spy it was his time to die now. She picked him up by the scruff of his neck with surprising strength. She turned him around so she hugged his neck from behind. He sat in a kneeling position as he saw the sun begin to rise up like an orange peach. Snap. His body dropped to the floor and lay lifeless on the sun. Soon the heat would rot his body and attract any scavenging birds.
Shinohara took into account the possibility of the situation. What reason would there be for a lone spy to be among the fold. An assassination attempt? It was madness knowingly having a Jounin so close as well as the Daimyo's personal guard comprised only of people of an experienced jounin level. Then, he must have been a tracker of sorts for an ambush party. She could reverse the ambush. Or find them before they reach the Daimyo. There were too many risks. If anything the reputation of Sunagakure and its lively hood was on the line.
20 minutes later the now 2 man part of the Daimyo's escort arrived. A little early as the lord of the land arrived in a 20 man convoy. Shinohara properly greeted the powerful man with the respect and dignity he deserved. He was pleased to see his escorts had arrived and was keen on seeing the wonderful village again. Pulling the captain of the guards aside Shinohara explained the situation.
"We certainly have the numbers and strength to stop a small army of ambushers but they've had time to prepare. I think it would be best if we take a new root and avoid any fighting if possible."
The captain nodded his agreement and the convoy took a detour. The captain of the guards sent out a small detachment of his soldiers to travel the original path. It would also be wise to get rid of anyone who wished to kill the Daimyo. She nodded in agreement as the remaining Chuunin seemed to quickly grasp the situation. It was smart. Normally killing all traitors and spies were a rule but right now their job was to go to the Daimyo and escort him back safely to Sunagakure with little incident as possible.
The spy's body had been stripped of Sunagakure colors. It wouldn't be good to identify someone as Sunagakure affiliate. She had concluded the killer was not really a Sunagakure shinobi and those lying in waiting were not as well. The journey back was slow with the Daimyo sitting inside his little shaded padoga. The journey was quite boring and so was the Daimyo, the desert was not exactly a place to go site seeing. They soon arrived in Sunagakure's great stone walls extra guards had been placed for the arrival of the Daimyo. They arrived just in time as the Sun was perhaps a hour away from reaching its highest and most brutal temperatures.
Yurae was relieved of her duty of escort and made her way to the missions center to hand in a brief report of the happenings. Nobody seemed to question the fact that there was a Chuunin missing on the escort party. They all heard that it was a 3 man party, at least the other Jounin did. They would not voice it out yet, not in front of the Daimyo. At the missions centre Shinohara reported a spy and that she had executed him, explaining to them they had avoided the ambush by taking a detour. The desk clerk nodded issuing a new mission for 4 chunin to track down the possible ambush party and make sure they were killed.

1313/850 463 access words + 100 Access words = 563 Access words.

----

Dark red hair was abundant in the command tent. It wasn't luxurious or shining it health. In all honesty it was kinda crisp and it had a few split ends here and there. This head of red hair stood besides multiple construction workers as well as other Shinobi. Some gave her weary looks clearly annoyed by her presence at the table. None of this, though transparent to Shinohara, seem to phase her. She had been invited over to oversee the project and that was exactly what she did. She previously had experience with the planning of the raid shelters and bunkers. Though she was no apparent expert on the matter she had some knowledge as to what would speed up the process and what would work and not work from a strategic point of view. She had of course washed and combed her hair but the dry humidity of the sun blasted desert did poorly for a girl's hair. Not that she cared but there was a single voice protesting the appearance for the day.

She scratched her nose as she saw the proposed schematics. Once again she was no expert on the matter but she held some experience when it came to reading blue prints. Even as she stood there making sense of what it was she learnt new information on the basics of building. The previous architects that had overseen the fall out shelter were present along with more of their colleges. They had last since seem to have made up for their differences and were genuinely invested in the project. She guessed everyone who lived in the desert was desperate for a steady water supply. The child inside her spoke up, theorizing an event of earth quakes or any underground attack how it would be silly watch everyone in the shelters drown.

"The water routes, they need to be more flexible and be able to withstand pressure and high magnitude vibrations. Suna doesn't get Earthquakes but a couple squads of Earth Jutsus could damage the shelters."

The previously proud creators of the schematic looked at the blue prints and then at each other. This was true, they began formulating possible counter measures. The correct metal material as well as reinforcing concrete shells to help with the vibrations. Then fail safe pipes were talked over in the event that pipes did burst. Then as these ideas came the other Shinobi at the table voiced their opinions of traitors or enemy shinobi possibly poisoning the water source. The pipes would have series of water filters every few meters and would filter out poison as they flowed down into the giant wells. The protesting voice subsided and suggested something that was in the mind of another but was too shy to voice it.

" The water wells, when they are designed it would be good if they can be isolated for select blocks and districts. In the event of poisoning or the likes the situation can be contained. The water wells themselves should be on a turbine to always let the water flow. Prevent the water from spoiling."

As she spoke she traced circles and paths depicting the mechanic she wanted. People raised their eyebrows at the suggestions being put out for the project. However this was not her doing Shinohara brought out the young mind behind it all. She put him in charge of the project. She didn't have any authority to do such but she did so anyways. There were other things she needed to attend to. She stepped out of the tent to see a young individual eager to work.

The young boy, 10? 12? of age spotted her and walked up straight to her. His request and ask for help was simple enough but Yurae wasn't really in charge of constructions man power. She looked around the construction site looking for a place the child would be helpful. Shinobi or not they were a danger not only to themselves but others as well. Warriors were not builders, with no experience little mishaps could spark something bigger in the long run. Heavy lifting? maybe but even they are strong weights weren't the best idea for growing children. Record keeping? No, her younger sibling never enjoyed sitting at a desk when he was this child's age. Besides counting people coming in with cement bags was such a bore.

Shinohara returned her gaze to the child again. He's well mannered voiced a quite voice. He's small and looks weak sounded another. I wonder if he likes to play ball. She tuned it out, hmm he was well mannered. A rare commodity these days she was told. Olive of skin like most people in the village. He was eager to work she could feel it. Nothing like fresh blood with the burning love for his village.

"To the North of the construction site there should be a cement mix pit. I know a lot of the Genin are gathered there helping pour the cement and mixing it. If you don't want to get your feet dirty then you can help at the soup tents. They've got a lot of vegetables to peel and wash. Find anyone in a White Hardhat with a blue diamond on their helmets They'll find work for you.."

She gave him the options to choose from. Many of the Genin were indeed in the giant pits mixing cement with their feet by walking in place. It was hard labour but it wasn't anything to stunt their growth. The Soup Tents definitely always needed help. If he didn't feel like doing any of those then he could find a foreman and get some other work handed to him. She waited for him to leave before she began anything else.

605+363/850

----

Yurae's job took her elsewhere. The Systems to allow the water to flow through the out the village had been well in motion but the plans to see the water wells done still needed some supervision. In a few hours she would need to report to the Kazekage himself on how the village resources were being used and what the plans that were in motion were. She needed no notes or such as she merely needed a mental note. Her feet had found her near the Cement Mixing pit. Many of the Genin worked hard at pounding and mixing the cement away with their feet while others shoveled them into barrels to be transported to the well site. Her eyes found the Genin she had seen before. What had he introduced himself as? Bambo Baknu? Yes. He had been rather polite but was pretty clear in his misogynist upbringing when it came to gender roles. Not that Yurae cared for any of it. She was the head of her own family, did a lot of the physical labor, cooking, cleaning as well as bringing the chunk of money home. Sunagakure was home to many people. She wondered what made people live out in the hot and infertile desert. Nothing really grew there. at least not enough for commercial farming. If you found a decent piece of land then a bit of substance farming could be done. Then again modern technology had allowed for UV grown foods underground and irrigation system and greenhouses allowed for more delicate roots to spread. Humans were one persistent race. Even more so then ghosts. Yurae shrugged to herself, she guessed ghosts came from humans.

Her mind's eye found the timid architect from before. He was a brilliant designer both in practical and appeal of a structure. She turned around and called him away from his colleges. Her next decision would be something off the books and quite frankly she had the power to do so. Away from prying eyes and listening ears the two stood at the peaked cliff overlooking the construction. In silence she requested him to add an additional aspect to the construction. Deep underneath the pipes he was to build a series of maintenance routes to access its own route as well the fall out shelters. He nodded seeing the importance of only using a set number of architects. Yurae sent him away on his business and instantly a shinobi approached her. She patted his back and he nodded and disappeared shortly after. She walked back down to the construction site her attention being spent on the water wells. No normal human would be able to dig fast enough for the project. However a couple Earth Style Jutsus and the massive water silos quickly began to take shape and form. Long Metal rods were inserted in to create the frame before the Cement was poured in.

At a later time the mechanical and metal bits would come in. To filter the water and create a free flowing system to ensure a pure and clean source of water all year round. Shinohara wondered if the Kazekage could really make it rain enough to quench the thirst of the whole village for the whole year. However her attention returned back to the cement pit where the boy was working hard and diligently. He was a hard enough worker, if he kept it up he'd go places. Yurae would leave the scene. She had a brief moment where she wanted to approach the young individual and and offer him something more out of his life than this but that was a lie. Shinobi in the end were just shinobi. Anything more than shinobi was only a stronger shinobi. She went back to checking the filter systems. The turbines were being brought in, they were massive blades of metal. They were re-enforced and rolled making them durable even within the strong currents of water. Being trapped inside a torrent of those blades and surely any human would be crushed under the pressure. Moving the giant turbines proved harder than expected. For one their massive size and weight was a problem. Getting them to mount perfectly on the central point would be a whole new story. Earth Jutsu wouldn't do any good. Metal Jutsu users were rare and even then an individual would find it difficult to do it alone. However the Civil Projects Department would have it under control. They were bringing a mixture of heavy machinery and pulleys to carefully lower each turbine into the wells. Her job here was done and Yurae disappeared.

968 + 749 = 1717 / 850 + 850 = 1700

It wasn't just everyday that a member of the Sunagakure special forces came and personally delivered an assignment to her. He came in as quietly as possible in the early hours of the morning. With the veil of cloth protecting his identity he had snuck into her kitchen. Poor fellow, he clearly had no proper intelligence on Shinohara. But that was only right, there was close to zero actual information on what she was capable of doing. Normally would someone had snuck into her home they would have been impaled onto the wall with their own arm but she saw no ill intentions from the man. As he tip toed in from the back room Shinohara tapped him gently on the shoulder.
"Oi" She would say to him softly
The man jumped as far as he could. Never in his life had he been snuck up on. Even through his mask his eyes betrayed him. There was definitely a blow to his confidence as well as his pride as a Spec Ops Shinobi. He eyed her, quickly calculating the danger level of this woman. She was lank, kind of sickly as well as her guard seemed to dropped and full of openings. Yet there had been nothing much about her in the reports yet the Division insisted she take this job. The mystery that surrounded the enigma struck a dagger of mind melding fear into the man. Something was definitely not right about the woman that stood before him. Without knowing he had taken a defensive stance with his hands reaching to unclasp his Shuriken Holster.
"People are still sleeping. " She would say.
She turned her back on him his finger twitched almost hooking around the hole of his shuriken. Yet he restrained all his instincts and began with a lot of effort to relax. When was the last time he had been this tense and anxious? When he has his first taste of killing intent. Yes that was it, but this was something different killing intent, she had none towards him. He felt that she was incapable of such. Yet still his fingers felt hollow without a Kunai. Like someone was singing happy birthday to him and he didn't know what to do with his hands.
Shinohara opened up her fridge flooding the pitch black room with a buzzing light. She withdrew a cartoon orange juice, shaking it as she did. Hmm, she would need to buy more orange juice. She turned around unphased at the agitation of the man. A ceramic cup and cold orange juice was poured out. She handed the cup to man who hesitantly took the cup. Was it poisoned? No, she had no reason to do it. Yurae looked at him with blank eyes, no trust even among their own. She drank a big gulp from the carton and let the man watch as she waited. Finally trusting nothing was wrong he left the Juice untouched.
"Shinohara Yurae, you have an assignment. Listen carefully as I will only say this once. You are aware of the Second Wave? The Radical extremist that wish for a revival of the old ways and the destruction of this village. We suspect one of our Jounin to be a member of the Second Wave. This is what he looks like, he lives on the eastern end, number 17 on Mushroom Avenue. Capture him and bring him to this site."
As the man explained she showed her first a picture of him and a brief report on the man and his capabilities. Wind and Water user with a fondness for Genjutsu. Ha. Then he showed her the house he lived in and finally the black site marked on a map. Quickly after looking at it he burnt everything until they were nothing but white ashes which he mixed in water and drank. Crazy people. Shinohara took the orange juice off the table and put it back into the fridge what a waste. She turned around and the ANBU member was gone. What was wrong with people these days. Well, it was time to earn money.
An hour later she stood a couple blocks down from where the man lived. As the Sun rose she sat outside a coffee shop. She had ordered tea but she didn't drink it feeling full already from the orange juice. Even at this hour the village was bustling but all these emotions could be singled out one by one until she found the one she wanted. A displeasure for what was around him a patience that he gathered before leaving his house each morning. He walked out with both a paranoia of being caught red handed as well as the vain glory of being a champion for his brothers.
Well there wasn't really any point in delaying the inevitable. Shinohara walked slowly over to the man in the most average way possible. His eyes darted around looking for people possibly spying for him. He stood out like a sore thumb he was not a good agent. 3 or so meters left and his eyes found Shinohara's His hands moved out but it was too late. She took quick steps punching him in gut and making him choke. Before he could recover a couple hand signs found the man in a heart wrenching pain.
The scene was bloody. In an undisclosed location Yurae washed her hands of blood. Before her was whimpering man with his cries muffled by a cloth to prevent not his scream but from him biting himself. Much of the skin on his chest had been neatly ripped off and so was the most of his right arm. His left hand missed fingers with the cuts sown back together to stop the bleeding. His toenails had been ripped off and jammed vertically back into them. Her eyes were the same as ever, not a care in the world.
Nearby an ANBU turned his face away and holding his breath. Not before long he vacated the enclosed room to blow out the food he had for lunch. It had been a long interrogation. The man wanted to tell her everything he knew but she took her time going at it 20 minutes or so at a time before she let him breath and reveal more information. Really she already knew everything she needed to know but she needed to know other things. What makes a man tick, what hurts the most.
His brother were operating from an old tunnel system used to evacuate civilians during a sandstorm. It was only right that they used it. With the new bomb shelters the old ones had been abandoned. Not enough maintenance teams used that system anymore. ANBU teams had been dispatched a long time ago. They would most likely cave in the whole system to dispatch most of them before dragging out the survivors one by one for more interrogation. The man was in pain and a man suggested he be put out of his misery. Yurae valued her time.
"No, take him to hospital. If they see him like this, they'll know better than to get dragged into a black site likes this."

1200 a-rank mission
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