(We now enter into a 7 chapter story arc set in the Land of Snow! Team 3 has been selected for a C-rank mission and they will be joined by Ichimaru and Team 10. How will they fare? I love feedback and constructive criticism, so please leave a review so I can improve my writing and storytelling skills. Enjoy!)
"I think I have said all I need to, so good luck on your mission," says the Hokage as she dismisses the group.
"Thank you, my Lady," says Kayo with a low bow.
"Thank you, Lady Hokage," says Yoshikuni Dosu also bowing. He lifts his black head of hair up and his long brown overcoat sweeps the air as he turns to the door. Team 3 and Team 10 both file out of the Hokage's chambers after the mission briefing.
"Finally, we get to go on another C-rank mission after all of those lame D-rank ones," Jando exclaims as they walk down the hall, "But why do we need Team 10?"
"The Hokage already explained this," Kuroda sighs, "Normally this mission would be assigned to a Chunin team, but at the moment there are none available so she is sending two Genin teams instead."
"Yeah, well, I don't care why we were assigned this mission," states Yui," I'm just excited we get to go to the Snow Country. I heard that it is a beautiful place."
"Yes, but that is only in the summer, Yui," Yoshikuni interjects, "During the winter it covered in snow and has constant blizzards."
"Well, I'm still pumped because I will get to test out the cuisine of another country," Kenta exclaims, licking his lips with a dreamy look in his eyes, "I bet they have all sorts of unique ingredients in the north that we don't get in the Fire Country."
"Don't get caught up in other things," Kayo cautions," We'll still be on a mission, so you all need to keep your minds focused."
"I'm just happy that we will get to spend sometime together," says Ichimaru has he puts his arm around Kuroda, "Ever since we became Genin we haven't been able to hang out as much."
"Yeah, it will be great," Kuroda replies, putting on a flawless fake smile.
On the journey to the port where the ship is docked Ichimaru plans on how to renew his friendship with Kuroda. "I don't know why you changed so much since we became official Genin, but I'm definitely going to find out. I'll have plenty of time and opportunities to have a serious conversation with my old friend about his life in the village, his teammates, and the future," thinks the Naru boy.
"Wait, so what is the mission again?" asks Jando as the group walks along an endless dirt road in the middle of a forest of pine trees. Kuroda and Ichimaru are walking point, followed by Kayo, then Jando and Sakura, then Yui and Kenta, and finally the tallest member of the group, Yoshikuni at the rear.
"Weren't you paying attention when the Hokage explained it to us?" comments Yui sighing and rolling her eyes.
"I was busy thinking about other things," he retorts.
"I guess I will explain it to you then," says Sakura, once again having to re-explain something to her incompetent teammate, "There is a freighter full of grain being shipped to the land of Snow. Recently there have been a lot of pirate attacks on the route they will be taking. So the freighter hired us to protect them until they get to their destination."
"Yeah, and we have to make sure all the crew and all that tasty food arrives safely," adds Kenta licking his lips as he imagines the different types of food that could be made with the grain.
"Another babysitting mission?" Jando complains.
"Yeah, but this one will be a lot more dangerous than any we have been on since the Hokage decided to assign two teams to the mission," states Kuroda.
"Don't worry, now that Kuroda and I are back together nothing will be able to take us down," Ichimaru states confidently.
"Now that Team 10 is on this mission I won't be able to investigate the Snow Country as I had planned," Kuroda thinks, "You are far too important to me to get you involved in my plans, Ichimaru."
Team 3 and Team 10 arrive at the port a short while later. Steel is everywhere, on ships and buildings and shipping containers. They walk out to the wooden, waterlogged docks and find the ship that they are hired to guard. The base is made of metal, but the decks and cabins are composed of wood. It is a large ship, over 40 feet from end to end, but compared to some of the others docked in the harbor it is ant-like in size. They board the ship and Yoshikuni and Kayo immediately meet with the ship's captain and discuss what they will be facing on the mission.
A pipe in his mouth and a thick, full brown beard he is exactly what anyone would picture when thinking of the captain of a sea-faring vessel. They review the details of their assignment and the captain gives them some additional information about the attacks on the previous ships. The crew then gives them a tour of the cargo ship so they can pick out the most defensible positions for when they are on guard, and then they are shown to their quarters. No other females are on board so Kayo, Sakura, and Yui get a room all to themselves. Jando, Kenta and Yoshikuni also get their own room. However, Kuroda and Ichimaru are forced to share with some of the crew. Shortly after that the ship sets sail to the Snow Country.
On the second night of the journey Kenta is on lookout duty near the fore of the ship. His grey cloak flutters in the light breeze as he stares out at the blue ocean. Jando is also on duty and is complaining about the weather. "Even though we brought these large cloaks with us it is still freezing cold out here," Kenta says as he hugs himself in an attempt to keep in the heat, "I thought they made these things with a special type of chakra coating that seals in the heat."
"Why are you complaining, you have all that blubber to protect you," thinks Jando pulling his cloak around tighter, "I'm just skin and bones."
"Hey, did you just see something out there?" asks Kenta as he looks out into the foggy ocean.
"No, I didn't see anything," say Jando through chattering teeth.
"Are you sure? I thought I saw something," Kenta replies.
"You're probably just imagining things," Jando says dismissively. Meanwhile a tall figure with dark hair and sporting an overcoat that reaches almost to the ground appears on deck and observes the two silently.
"No, if I was imagining something it would be a gourmet restaurant with the most delicious food ever," Kenta retorts sharply, "I definitely saw something out there."
"Well, I didn't see anything," Jando states.
"Be ready, they are coming," warns Yoshikuni stepping up behind them, his black eyes focused out on the water.
"See? I told you I saw something," says Kenta smugly, "So, what is coming, Sensei?"
"Mind lending us those eyes of yours, Jando?" inquires Yoshikuni.
"Byakugan!" announces Jando as he activates his kekkei genkai and scans the surroundings, "It is hard for me to see through this fog, even with my Byakugan. There is something, it looks like….a ship. Wait no, two ships." He narrows his eyes as he focuses on the two ships and searches for more coming from the same direction.
"And there are three coming in from the rear," announces Ichimaru from on top of the captain's quarters.
"So, that makes five total," says Kayo as she comes out from the crew quarters with the other Leaf ninja, "Everyone be prepared, remember the incident reports don't have a lot of details so we don't know who or what could be on those ships."
"How did you all get up on deck so fast?" Kenta wonders.
"You have your radio on, remember?" Sakura points out as she taps her ear.
Kuroda suddenly reaches out and pushes Yui's head to the ground. "Hey! What was that for?" she complains as a large object whizzes over her head.
"Looks like they have harpoons," Kuroda says dryly.
"Make sure you are on guard," orders Kayo.
"Sorry, Sensei," says Yui, "Thanks for the save, Kuroda."
Slowly the ships emerge from the misty waters, all bearing the skull and bones flag. The decks are lined with many figures, but they are still too far away to make out clearly. Suddenly a pirate jumps on board the freighter swinging a large axe down on Jando's head. Kenta intercepts the attack and catches the axe with both hands. The pirate snarls and tries to force his weapon down, but Kenta's stance and base are perfect and he holds firm. Jando steps out from behind Kenta and blasts the pirate into the water with a solid palm to the chest.
"How did he get on board?" questions Sakura, frantically looking around to see if anymore have arrived.
"The harpoon has a line attached to it!" yells Ichimaru from his vantage point, "They are using it to cross over." Five more pirates drop down onto the deck and a dozen more are following close behind them. The Leaf Ninja let out a battle cry and quickly engage the invaders while Ichimaru slips out a shuriken and throws it at the wire. It slashes straight through and drops anyone on it into the ocean, as well as preventing any more people from crossing over. Several more harpoons are fired from the other ships and Ichimaru works to take care of them before more pirates can join the fray.
The Leaf Genin fight bravely to fend off the invaders. Punching, kicking, and striking as soon as the pirates jump on board. The two Jonin easily cut down any pirate they come into contact with. All of them resist the temptation to use Ninjutsu so that they can conserve their chakra. But even without Ninjutsu simple pirates are no match for trained ninja. Dead bodies start to pile up on the deck and injured members of the assault force jump into the ocean to try and swim back to their ships.
"Geez, just how many of these guys are there?" pants Sakura as she stands back to back with Yui surrounded by a group of attackers.
"I don't know, but right now we need to focus on the ones in front of us," replies Yui breathing hard and clutching a kunai with both hands.
"Okay, well then what is the plan?" asks Sakura as her eyes dart around to detect any movement from the enemy.
Yui tries to come up with one when she notices some movement on the ground behind some of the pirates. "On three we will break through by attacking those guys over there," she says motioning her head to where she saw the movement.
"Okay, got it," responds Sakura with determination.
Yui counts down, "One…Two…Three!" The kunoichi rush towards the targets with their kunai drawn. The kunai glint as moonlight reflects off the deadly blades.
"You little jailbaits think you can take me by surprise? I'll slice you in half!" yells a man with a crooked nose and long dirty hair, as he starts to swing his sword, "What the … I can't move a muscle! Damn bitches, what did you do to me?"
Yui plants her kunai into the man's gut before moving past and stabbing the next target. Sakura is right next to her, slashing through two of his allies who are also frozen in place.
"How did you immobilize them back there?" questions Sakura when they get to safety.
"I didn't," reveals Yui with a big grin, "It was Ichimaru."
"He was backing us up?" assumes Sakura.
"Yeah, he used his paralyzing Jutsu to make an opening so we could get away," Yui explains, "As soon as I saw the shadows start to move I knew what to do."
"Get off my ship you damn weaklings!" Jando yells as he grabs the shirt of an injured pirate and throws him over the railing that lines the deck.
"Man, that guy is out of control," Kenta thinks as his fist smashes into the face of an enemy, "I can't believe Sakura or Kuroda have to put up with him on every mission."
"Aren't there any of you that are strong?" Jando shouts, "None of you can defeat the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist Style!" An angry hoard of pirates rushes to confront him, forcing Kenta to come to his aid.
Yoshikuni hops in the air and whips around, slamming his foot into the heads of three enemies all in a row. They fly over the rail and he lands lightly, with his hand tucked in the pockets of his brown pants. Another group of pirates jump on board and rush towards him. He runs a hand through his black hair muttering, "You guys just don't learn, do you?"
Kuroda drops to the ground and sticks his leg out before rotating around. He sweeps a group of attackers off of their feet, and quickly grabs hold of the ankles' of two of them and tosses them overboard. The remaining ones pop back up and charge, but he uses his superior speed to sprint around behind them and uses a drop kick to smash them into each other and then into the mast. They are all knocked unconscious and he plans to toss them off the ship. However, he sees another group of pirates jump on board and rushes to confront them.
"C'mon, we can take this woman down while all the guys are busy with our friends," encourages a tall, heavily muscled pirate wearing only a pair of blue shorts.
"Try it then if you think you are so tough," Kayo retorts.
"You're mine!" the man yells as he charges all on his own.
Kayo ducks under his punch and smashes her knee into his gut, knocking the air out of him. Then she uses an uppercut and he sails off into the water. "They are always so confident that they can defeat a woman," Kayo says, shaking her head, as she waits for more men to attack.
Ichimaru observes, "The number of pirates coming onto the ship is decreasing and the number being forced off is increasing. I guess they are running out of reinforcements. We should be in the clear in a few minutes."
"Funimo, what is taking so long? We should have control of the freighter by now," says a tall man sitting with his feet up on the desk in the captain's quarters of the lead pirate ship. His face can't be fully seen but his hair is pure white, nearly matching the white of his boots, and his pants are light blue.
"Not sure, Taiki," replies another man wearing a Snow Village headband with a large scratch across it symbolizing his rogue ninja status.
There is a knock on the door and Funimo looks at his superior and shrugs. Taiki asks, "Who is it?"
"It is I, Yukiko, master," responds a soft-spoken voice from the other side.
"What do you want, Yukiko?" questions Funimo as he scratches his short, orange hair.
"I have news about the freighter," says the voice.
"Hurry up and get in here and tell us then!" orders Taiki. The door opens and a young woman wearing pearly-white Eskimo attire that neatly fits her form and short, curly white hair enters the room.
"So, what is the news then?" questions Funimo impatiently.
Yukiko clasps her hands together and starts, "Some of the survivors have started returning to the ships…"
"What do you mean survivors?" interjects Taiki sharply.
"It seems the freighter hired some ninja to protect them," explains Yukiko unemotionally, "They have been successful in stopping our attempts to take control of the freighter."
"Ninja, huh? They would have to be pretty decent to stop all our forces," comments Funimo, making a creepy smile in anticipation of a challenge.
"Fine," sighs Taiki, "I guess we will have to just go and deal with them. You know what they say: if you want something done properly …"
Kuroda kicks his foot upward into the chin of one of the pirates and sends him flying off into the ocean. Pretending to be out of breath, he pauses, hands on his knees and looks around and sees that the other Leaf Ninja are clearing away the last of the pirates. "Anymore coming, Ichimaru?" he yells up to his friend still situated on top of the captain's private quarters.
"It doesn't look like it," Ichimaru calls back, "They seem to be retreating."
"I guess we should start clearing away the bodies then," states Kuroda.
"Awwe man, but there are so many of them," Jando groans, "Can't we just leave them there?"
"Wait a minute, something is happening to the ocean," calls Ichimaru watching the dark water with intense concentration.
"What is it?" inquires Yoshikuni from his section of the defensive formation, "What do you see?"
"I don't know, it is like part of the ocean is freezing over," says Ichimaru puzzled by the event, "But it is happening way too fast to be natural."
"Everyone be on guard," warns Kayo, joining the conversation, "It looks like those pirates didn't come alone."
Seconds later three figures jump up in a blur of motion and land on top of the railing that lines the deck.
The foremost figure is clad in a light blue turtleneck with a white strap angled across his chest as well as white gloves and a white overcoat. His headband is attached to the coat and the white cloth blends in perfectly. "Well, well, I wasn't expecting this," says Taiki as he rises up from his squatted position, "It is rare to see…"
Before the sentence can be finished Jando rushes forward into an attack, trying to take the Snow ninja by surprise. Taiki casually bats him away with a fist and Jando crashes into the metal wall of the cabin. The other Leaf Ninja watch the move with astonishment, but don't move in for a follow up attack.
"That was rather rude," comments Taiki, "I didn't even get to finish my sentence. Now what was I saying again?"
"You were talking about seeing something rare," says Yukiko.
"Ahh yes, it is rare to see Leaf ninja this far north," states Taiki.
Kayo subtly takes out a batch of shuriken from the pouch on her butt and hurls them at the new arrivals. As she moves into a defensive stance, awaiting the counter-attack from the Snow-nin, she starts barking orders, "Yui and Kenta go and check on Jando. Everyone else form up on Yoshikuni."
Sakura starts to run towards her assigned position but Taiki seemingly vanishes from his position and reappears nearby to intercept. Her eyes are too slow to track him and recognize that he is about to smash her head off with his fist. Sakura sees his fist at the last second and closes her eyes but instead of a painful blow to the head she feels the rush of air as another body moves in between her and the threat. Taiki's punch connects with Kuroda's defensively crossed arms and he staggers. There is so much force behind the blow that he is pushed back several meters into a pile of crates.
"That kid is pretty fast," thinks Taiki, acknowledging the trait of his adversary.
He returns his attention to Sakura saying, "Where do you think you are going little missy?"
Yoshikuni moves to help her out but a figure appears before him blocking the path. "Not so fast there," Funimo leers, "Boss wants to have some fun with the little ones." The man wears a white shirt with a light blue haori over it. He has white pants and light blue shoes and his arms are covered in black fishnet and his hands sport light blue gloves.
"You should move out of my way before you get hurt," warns Yoshikuni calmly.
"Oh, a tough guy, huh?" Funimo mocks through the bandages covering his mouth, "You know I have always wanted to test my skills against a Leaf Village Jonin. All of the Chunin I have encountered so far didn't put up much of a challenge." They stare each other down, Funimo wriggling his fingers above his kunai holster and Yoshikuni standing stoically with his hands in his pockets.
(That is the end of the chapter, what did you think? First pirates and now ninja's? What will happen next on this mission? As usual, if you want more information on my characters you can see their bios on my profile page. Be warned, there may be some spoilers. Also I'm in the process of getting pictures drawn for the characters, but I have no idea how long that will take. If you're interested in drawing and have a DA account then send me a Message. Enjoy the next chapter, and please review.)