Starring:
Michiko (emitter), Hige, Hisomu
Date: December 21, 2014
Summary:
Hige and Hisomu are sent to accompany the Glass Merchant for part of the ways to Konohagakure.
"A Peaceful Mission"
Land of Lightning
Michiko had told Hige he would have a mission, and that's exactly what she did! He would find a messenger hawk waiting for him at his apartment. It would detail that he was to meet the merchant at the gates of Kumogakure. Hisomu was also sent this missive, the girl supposed to help the Inuzuka with the mission and also keep the group on the right track. The time: dawn. The weather: clear.
It took only a moment to tell his traveling chaperone of what was going on. The shinobi had all but given up on keeping Hige where he's supposed to be at this point, having to deal with other genin as well. So after a promise to be safe Hige grabbed the small backpack he'd pre-packed and headed out the door with Konsho. A quick walk brings him to the gates and he pauses to look around, Konsho having moved to lay on the boys head.
Coming along to the area that was agreed upon, Hisomu notices that Hige is here first. She nods to him as she arrives, "Hige-san." She then nods to the dog on his head, "Konsho-san." She then looks around for Michiko and rolls her shoulders, "Are we early?"
"Nope! You're just on time!" exclaims a voice, the merchant appearing with a large cart drawn by two horses. It's apparently rather heavy. "I'm known as the Glass Master, but my real name is Hachiro. My son, Jon, is sitting in the back. You can join him if you like. I've got an open seat up front, too." The merchant nods a bit. "The glassware is all packed up for the trip, but make sure the cart doesn't topple over. I'm heading to Konoha, if you didn't know, but apparently you two get to leave after the first couple miles in." The man gets into the drivers seat and snaps the reins once Hige and Hisomu get in.
Hige turns when Hisomu arrives and is about to answer her question when the merchant arrives as well. Perfect timing. The boy actually offers a little bow to the merchant, "Inuzuka Hige. Nice to meet you Hachiro-san." Wow, talk about formal. Shocker. The boy glances to Hisomu before he points to the back, "I'll sit there and keep an eye out, you can sit up front." Yes, the genin is giving out orders. He doesn't wait for an answer as he makes his way to the back, removing his backpack and setting it in the cart before jumping in.
Staring at Hige, Hisomu blinks a few times before looking over to the driver and nodding, "Hachiro-san." She nods and hops into the front seat before she glances back and then forward and nods her head, "Well, we will be glad to help as we can." HSe nods her head, "I do hope you don't have any trouble after we get off of your cart."
"I'll be fine. I'll be fine," he assures. Jon can be heard piping up, "My father was a shinobi, once! He's retired now, but he still has some of his skills. I want to be a shinobi one day, but he won't let me." The boy pouts a bit. Hachiro shakes his head. "Boy doesn't know when to give up…" he mutters. The journey is only a few minutes in, too!
"It's not easy to be a shinobi," Hige says sagely, nodding his head to Jon. "It can be dangerous. And painful." He has first hand experience in that second one. And why is he giving advice again? Missions make him a whole different person. While he's talking he's also looking around here and there, making sure that nothing seems out of sorts. A good habit to have.
A look at the man and then toward the back of the cart and she hmms. She then looks to the man before looking forward, "You were a shinobi, hmm?" She tilts her head as she rides along, "You were a shinobi, hmm?" Hisomu nods to the man before looking forward, "Did you have a specialty?" She hmms as she idly rides alonga nd then peers at the various spots around in front of her before looking back again, "Do you notice anything, Hige-san?"
"Ehhh… Not particularly. I was pretty good at stuff like planning, traps, seals… And I could wield a number of techniques that some people thought were awesome. Fire… Earth… A few other things…" He shrugs a bit. "I was kinda all over the place. And I'm pretty decent at genjutsu, too," Hachiro says with a wave of his hand. Jon peers at Hige. "Is it really? All I've seen of shinobi is that they can beat up some things like bears and stuff."
"No, looks okay." Hige replies to Hisomu before looking at the other boy again. "Bears and stuff? That's the easy stuff. It's when you have to fight shinobi who are trying to kill you and are better than you that you have to worry. Or what about an entire army against a village? A lot of people get hurt and die." A bit of pained truth slips out with his words but it's unlikely most would notice it.
A nod is in response to the man before she looks back at Hige and Jon. She nods her head before looking over at the man again, "What is it that made you quit?" She looks back at Hige before looking to Jon directly. She hmms and then nods, "Was it him?" She then blinks and hmms, "So, Earth and Fire, huh?" She looks back at the man and peers closer at him, "And a little genjutsu, too?"
"Well, we were back in Suna once and some genin chased down some guy. Shadow clones, is what dad said. I dunno what happened… I was just worried about the products," Jon says. Hachiro eyes Hisomu. "Leadership. I didn't agree with some of their ideas. And I have an injury that I managed to use as an excuse to get out of the shinobi world." He hmms lightly and points to the area off to the side. "There's something big over there. Not a person, but … Keep an eye on it."
Hige quirks a brow at the mention of Suna. This merchant must really get around. "That's good that you were worried about you and your dads stuff. Best to keep that safe and try not to worry about other people. Let us handle that part." He grins at the boy before he shifts how he sits to see where the merchant was pointing, body tensing automatically as if he expects some kind of trouble. The genin turns to look around as well, not just watching the one spot. That would be silly.
A look over at the man again and Hisomu hmms before she looks to Hige. For her part, she shifts up a little and peers at the area the man indicates before she nods, "I imagine it might be some kind of wild animal but we'll watch it anyway." She then looks forward and nods her head, "With any luck, it is only looking into us but will leave."
Hachiro nods a bit. "Seems like it's a bear. It might attack the horses, so keep an eye out." Jon gets up to peer out of the cart, wondering if he can see what it is. "Hey, dad! Are you ever gonna teach me how to use jutsu? You haven't even shown me the basics and you have all that stuff in your head! At least teach me how to sense things!!" he complains. The bear eventually comes into view. A grizzly. It doesn't seem particularly vicious right now. Just curious.
As the grizzly comes into view Hige slides over so his legs dangle off the side of the cart facing the bear. He stays on it for now, but at least he's facing it so if it comes close he can react faster. A glance is given back at the other youngster and he grins, "It's not that easy." he says again as his eyes return to the bear, watching it carefully for any sign it's going to become more agressive.
A look at the grizzly bear and Hisomu frowns a little before looking to the man and then looks over at Hige and Jon. Hisomu ponders before saying, "I might be able to run it off but I would prefer not to get it to become aggressive." She nods her head, "Perhaps it will leave on its own." She nods her head and then looks to the man, "I can also possibly simply tire it out. Killing a creature that is merely hunting is not right."
The bear just lumbers over to the cart and paws at it curiously. The horses seem a bit skittish, but Hachiro distracts them with a light genjutsu that makes it seem like there is no bear… How useful. "Dad… It's a bit closer to the cart than I'd like…" Jon warns, looking a bit nervous. He's glad there are shinobi with them, but they're like his size!
Once the bear gets closer Hige drops off of the cart and jogs a few seconds away before letting out a loud whistle to try and get the creatures attention, waving his arms. Konsho remains firmly in place on top of his head for the moment. "Hey, come play over here." He calls the to bear, to which Konsho yips his approval at the idea. Play with the bear. There we go. "Hisomu-san, I can keep it distracted if you want to stay with the cart." How totally different he acts in a team. Like…team work. Although he's not the one to really be giving orders.
A look back to Jon and then Hisomu states, "Just stay calm." She nods her head and hardly seems phased by the bear. She watches, however, as Hige hops off and looks back in that direction before blinking, "Hige…you are being quite dumb." She nods her head and then she looks at the bear. She then shrugs, "I guess if he wishes to risk death for no reason." SHe then looks back at Hige, "Good luck." She nods and settles back down, "As soon as the bear moves, you might as well move, too."
The bear pays no mind to the boy that's shouting and waving his arms. Though the yip from the pup causes its head to turn and its black eyes peer at the Inuzuka. It roars at the dog, mostly to say 'hush up. you're annoying'. Then lumbers back off, apparently half-asleep. "Well, that was lucky!" exclaims Jon. "Makes me wonder why a bear is wandering around in the first place," mutters Hachiro.
Nobody ever claimed Hige was smart. In fact…most people say the same thing as Hisomu. A leader he is not. When the bear wanders off Hige grins, "Scared it away." He says, crossing arms over his chest and nodding his head matter of factly. He'll take the credit for that. Konsho lets out another excited yip, backing up his companion no matter what. The boy jogs a little to catch up to the cart and then starts walking, not hopping back on for now. "This is only the second time I've come this way. Is there always bears?"
A look at the bear as it leaves and Hisomu nods, "See." She nods her head before looking over at Hige, "Yes, you scared it away. Good job." She rolls her eyes and then looks forward as she settles in, "There probably is always a bear near to here." She nods her head, "Most days you probably don't notice them."
"In my experience, the land of lightning is host to a number of creatures. Bears are just one of them. I'm glad we didn't run into a mountain lion. Those can get nasty if they're going hungry. And with it being winter…" Hachiro shakes his head a bit. "Anyway, we've got another mile before we part ways. So just hold on tight and keep an eye out, okay?"
The rest of the journey is pretty uneventful, admittedly. The most exciting thing was a sleepy grizzly, apparently. "Well, this is the stop. You two should head back to the village and report. Me and Jon can take it from here, right?" The boy nods. "Yep, dad! Thanks for the help, you two! Next time you see us, buy something?" Shameless advertising. Hachiro waits until the genin are on their way before snapping the reins and making the horses trot off to Konoha.
Hige nods as the merchant tells of the creatures that roam around and he continues to keep a careful eye out for the rest of the trip. Once they stop he grabs his backpack off of the cart and bows a little, "Glad we could help." He quips, at which time Konsho yips his own goodbye. "Have a safe trip." He doesn't ask why they're going the rest of the way without an escort…none of his business, really. The boy waits for Hisomu to be ready, turning in a circle to survey where they are curiously.
Hopping down, she gives a wave and nod, "I will." Hisomu states and then turns her gaze to Hige before she shakes her head, "Good job." SHe nods and then starts off back, "You are an odd one, Hige." She nods her head as she starts off toward the village again, "Lets get back."
