Starring:
Enbu, Tsubaki
Date: January 16, 2015
Summary:
Due to Tsubaki's personal progress as a student, Enbu decided to take a chance on her by giving her a training mission designed to get her accustomed to the world of death she was embarking on as a student of Kirigakure.
Poster's note: foul language filtered in obvious places.
"Manslaughter"
Fish Markets, Land of Water
It had been days since Enbu had taught the class focusing on bodily control in unfamiliar circumstances. During this time, he took in to account every student, as well as their past records, their family history and clans if any, and of course, their specific actions on that day and after. He was quite thorough, more than one might expect, and in the end he would have Tsubaki called to a rather early morning assignment with him. They would meet at the academy before dawn whether she was truly awake or aware, and he would explain to her this much: "We are going to take a field trip." and pretty much nothing more. "You may pack go some things, but it should not take more than a day. You have 20 minutes to prepare and then you will meet me at the village gates. You are dismissed." And with that, he would simply walk away and await her preparations.
Tsubaki was surprised to get the message from Enbu. Had she really made that good of an impression? She was simply doing her job, after all. The girl is quite awake when she arrives, though she isn't sure about this 'field trip'. Was it another cat-killing one? She listens to the instructions and nods, going to grab kunai and shuriken for the 'mission' that she was a part of. It took her five minutes to prepare, then she was at the village gates by the time fifteen total minutes passed. The girl bows when she encounters the Kaguya again, saying, "Shirayuki Tsubaki present."
Enbu would simply start walking after he'd give her a nod of greeting. Though, not too long after they had left the village did he decide to start communicating with more than action. "You have shown good judgement in the past. Though you have shown more talent in Ninjutsu, you have not slacked in the other lessons that you are being trained in. During our last group exercise specifically, you saved the group from having to repeat the lesson. But do not for a moment let any of this go to your head. You have merely been able to crawl like an infant well enough to be noticed. I am about to give you an opportunity to stand."
Enbu would stop for a moment, moving from the road that had traversed a couple of miles on and picking a flower that was growing by itself amongst moss. He didn't say anything about it after tucking it in to a small pouch at his right hip just under his smaller bone sword. "A shinobi, amongst many other things, is a hunter of humans. Some would say our very existence is due to that side of our profession. And those in Kirigakure are renown as the best in this field. When faced with this reality, knowing that it will be your job to kill someone else with hopes and dreams and aspirations. Someone with perhaps a family, pets, or even someone who is simply well liked in their community, honorable, just, and peaceful. When you consider these things, knowing that you may be their end, what comes to mind?"
Tsubaki follows slightly behind Enbu, not saying anything until he begins to talk. And even then, she remains quiet until he indicates she may speak. The compliments do poke a bit at her pride, but she doesn't let it go to her head. She was sure some of those instances were luck. Then he mentions… an opportunity to stand? To prove that someday she could become a genin? When Enbu stops, so does she. There's mention of a number of things to do with Kiri that she pays close attention to, her green eyes not leaving Enbu. Finally a question comes. "If I'm supposed to kill someone, I will," she says. "If they have all of those things, then I'll note them, but it won't change the fact that I have to kill them."
"And your parents?" Enbu would ask casually, not missing a step as the monstrous man would continue to lead her down the road from Kirigakure proper towards the major ports of the Land of Water. "Would you note the things that they care about and love as you kill them too?" It would not be too much longer. They were at a cross roads of sort, one heading off towards a less traveled trail that swept back towards some coastal mountains and forgotten beaches while the other more well paved and maintained road kept going in the direction they were headed. Enbu would stop here, taking the flower he had plucked earlier and setting to the soil near by, between these two roads and resettling it gently and with a practiced hand.
Tsubaki blinks, but doesn't falter as she moves. "If I had to, then yes." Her thoughts go back to Tsiro's words. Naoya's as well. What they had told her is sticking to her much more than some of her other lessons that might not have been as ruthless as their statements. She watches Enbu remove the flower, then, wondering idly why he decided to do that. "It would be easier, too, since I know them well," she adds, refocusing on the journey instead of the flower.
"Yes… and no." Enbu would state as he'd stand, dusting his hands off and moving down the road once more. "We are human too, after all. No amount of training really changes that. At times, damage or shock or psychosis can hide that part of you from yourself, but it does not change the fact of it. We are not merely weapons. If that is truly all we were, then anyone for any reason could simply tell us or make us do anything. So we assign ranks and traditions and rules to make sure we know how to behave and what will be tolerated and such. But that is not enough. We still have to choose to obey those rules. Weapons do not make choices."
The port they were headed towards was within visual range now, the mist having lightened up as the morning sun rose and the forest began to open up. "Today, you will hunt and kill a man. You do not know him, and he likely won't be expecting it. Do you understand?" Enbu would ask for the Shirayuki girl then.
Tsubaki tries to imagine herself killing her family. It was difficult to imagine that she would ever be ordered to do such a thing considering the fact that they were still shinobi of the village and serving Kirigakure well. She just nods to what Enbu says for the time being, no response ready or available. "I understand… But … Who is my target, exactly?" she wonders. The girl doesn't know him, so she doesn't know what to look for. She'll probably get the information soon, but why not ask for it sooner?
"Does it matter?" Enbu would ask Tsubaki as they were nearing the markets that surrounded this port town. "If I pointed at a random person, you would be obligated to do as I tell you. If not, you may fail and lose any hope of becoming a Kunoichi. But… I will be lenient. It is always a proper question to know who your target is. You may not ever be given reason or explanation as to why, but who is important and that is what you asked quite properly. The target's name is Senjoru. He is a smuggler who also trades in information. I will also explain to you why this time. I feel that you have earned it, but more importantly, I want you to understand the reasons why you may be asked to do this without being informed thoroughly. Due to our current political situation and stance, information being locked down is key. Odds and ends being smuggled in and out is not usually something we would bother with, especially with just some civilian, but he is carrying secrets. None of them are damaging, and some are even fabricated. What is important, is that anyone who would dare attempt to steal any real secrets from Kirigakure knows that it will not be tolerated. Senjoru is simply an example, and you will be the one delivering the message today."
Enbu would gauge Tsubaki as he had this entire time and before hand. The reasons, in the end, may not have mattered to her and she may have done what ever was asked to prove herself assuming her superiors were looking out for Kirigakure's best interests, but it was his great hope that throughout her time at the academy, Tsubaki would learn to think as well as follow orders. When there were no orders to follow, she would need to know who and what she was and not be lost in a fog of programming. Every soldier should know what they are fighting for, even if they do not agree with it. "Do you have any other questions before we begin?" Enbu would ask her then.
"It does, since I don't want to take out the wrong target," the girl replies. "That could also be considered a failure." Her eyes narrow a bit at the mention of her being unable to become a shinobi, but that's the only thing she does. Then it seems Enbu is telling her the answer to something. She nods to what the Kaguya is saying, then thinks a bit more. "What does he look like?" she asks next. "Or should I just call out his name until someone turns their head?" she wonders, a hint of sarcasm in her voice. She is completely serious about that last question, though. She's had no description of the man!
"You are here to hunt, child. And often times your prey may leave cold, old tracks instead of fresh, recent ones. You have a name and a reason. You have a location, and a time. The rest, I am going to leave to you. Find him, corner him, and get rid of him. Assume he has allies. Assume he has escape routes. And assume he will be wary." Enbu would now set parameters for the mission as they would arrive less than a mile from the Fish Market. "You may begin."
Tsubaki nods. So now she has to figure out where her target would be in this fish market before the day ends… The girl can't really do much, so she decides to become as non-threatening as possible. Her cloak is turned inside out so the Shirayuki clan symbol is hidden. It's wrapped tightly around her, and her pouch is kept from view. And then she sets off, quickly at first, but eventually slowing when she reaches the market. She starts to travel amongst the crowds, pretending to shop for some fish while she listens for names or information getting exchanged that pertains to her village and their leadership. Even something about the enemies of Kirigakure would be noted.
Enbu would have disappeared, and Tsubaki would be on here own. She disguised herself and began to blend in, looking for something to help her get a fresh trail from the bits and pieces she was made aware of. But the Fish market was rather large and quite busy pretty much all the time. And it wasn't as if people screamed each others names and shady dealings every where. So the question became, how to narrow down her search. She had the name, the relative time, the place, and a few details about what the target may be doing. Dealing in some form of stolen goods and secrets. As there were lots of merchants, there were plenty of people buying, selling, and trading all over… but this was just a fish market in the end not a general goods area.
Tsubaki frowns a bit, information flowing around her like a river. There was too much 'water' and not enough thing that could be of use. She begins to make her way to the areas that don't have food with them. Things with trinkets that looked particularly gaudy is an example target. Or a booth with a little too many people standing around talking and hardly looking at a man's wares. She slips between people silently, trying to draw as little attention to herself as possible while still listening into conversations and targeting certain groups.
As the information flows from all directions, not really showing a thread to pull nor to follow to something more meaningful, Tsubaki moved towards more isolated or specific locations within the area. Instead of trying to find her way down river by simply being pushed along by the waters, she was taking a moment to go ashore and get an idea of what bends and obstructions lay ahead of her route. Due to this, she was able to locate a small group of people huddled around a man who was sitting down on a crate and discussing a a bag. It was just one bag that he seemed to hold on to rather tightly but not so much as to make it seem unattainable. The few others around him seemed to be focused on him and his bag. He seemed to be talking about something she could not make out in their bit of an alley way. They were nearly hiding in plain sight, just out of clear sight of anyone who is doing anything they should be doing. The crowd blocked them and drowned them out. It looked almost obvious and yet not many would be willing to risk it. Unfortunately, due to it being off to the side, should Tsubaki slip in the the alley straight on, she would be detected. At the same time… there was no were else to go. Of course, the dealings cannot last forever either.
When Tsubaki noticed the man, she started to make her way towards the alleyway. Not directly at the man, but in his direction. She continued to do so in a way that would make her seem like she was looking at shops or trying to find someone/something and getting distracted. When she finally reaches the entryway to the alley, she simply sits down, waiting for people to start leave their meeting with her target, if he truly is her target. She tries to listen in on the conversation to make sure this man really is the one she's looking for.
"….So I told the guy, Hey! You better get back here before those fire monks show up. And he says "What's a bald virgin gonna do to me?" And so I tell him I once saw a guy thrown out of their temple… and an extra 150 feet!" The man with the bag was saying to the couple of guys standing around him. Some of them laughing a bit while it seemed one was not amused. The stark blonde headed dealer would look at him sharply and say, "Look friend… I can't have someone so suspicious hanging around… looks like you'll have to wait until next time. I don't sell to people without a sense of humor." The man was shood away, and though he looked to resist, the other guys didn't seem like they would let it happen, so he simply decided it was best to leave, having learned his lesson about dealing with the man in the alley way. As the man passed by Tsubaki, she may have noticed he was bald, though rather sheepish looking. "Then then there were three. lets see fellas… " He's stop to light up something to smoke as he pat the bag in his lap. "What would ya do for a little taste of the Land of Water?" One of the more dangerous looking men stepped up and said, "How big of a taste… I don't have all day Senjoru." The rest of the conversation was drowned out for a moment by a sudden swell of market goers.
Tsubaki hears the name 'Senjoru' and immediately perks up a bit. She draws a Kunai from her pouch in preparation, but that's all for now. She can't kill the man in front of a lot of people, especially as it seems he has a number of unknown supporters. But now she knew that her target was the blonde man and the one holding the bag. She considers, gripping the Kunai tighter. Was there a way to get to him without arousing suspicion? If she revealed herself, definitely not. It was best to either make a disguise or wait. If only she could henge…
While she couldn't quite make out what was being said, she would suddenly see the man with the bag, apparently Senjoru, lifted from the boxes he sat upon by one of the men and thrown towards the middle of the alley way. "Wa…wait wait! Look see… I have to play the game… I have to make sure I get the right buyer. You don't un-uugh!" he was cut short by a shot to the stomach after he had scrambled to his feet. His back now faced the entrance to the alley way as the two of the men watched with smirks as the third would begin laying in to Senjoru. But when he put the bag in front of himself he would yell at them, "You know the rules! You know it always works like this slay it! Uungh…" Senjoru spits blood on to the ground and ejects some from his nose as well. "I don't care." the third man would say as he moved to take the bag just as the two behind him would hold him back. "While we liked seeing that weasel dance…" the other man eerily seemed to finish the firsts sentence by saying, "…he is right. If we cross Yagyuu, that'll be…" and then the first man again, "… The end for all of us."
The violent man, more easily seen now to have a brown pony tail and a bit of scruff would just shake his head, "Fine, what ever. Just hurry it up and play the game." Senjoru would still be getting himself straight, back exposed to the market place as he'd tuck the bag under an arm. "Good choice… good choice." he'd say as he calmed his breathing and slick back his hair.
Tsubaki frowns a bit as she hears the violence erupt. It wouldn't do for her target to be killed by someone other than her. She didn't have enough confidence to take on the three men, though… The girl looks around curiously, trying to see if perhaps there are any police (of a sort) about that she can maybe gain the assistance of. Sometimes being a little girl had its perks, and now was one of the times to use them. She still kept glancing into the alley when she could, but she had a plan in mind unless the three men decided to make a break for it and try to kill her target.
Major market areas like this generally had guards stationed in key locations and intersections in order to make sure that business didn't get too personal. It was also known that illegal activity would occur, but with so many people it was always hard to pin point exactly who or where and being stationed in particular places of course made evading them far easier. But it was necessary for the market to run smoothly and not be overly strong armed by policing forces. So, for the most part, the guards were there to keep the general peace, not to investigate crimes. There was a guard not too far away from where Tsubaki currently was. He was a sentinel, standing there firm and straight almost like a statue to be admired more than someone to ask for help. While she was looking, the game continued. A bit of movement here and there, but she couldn't see what Senjoru was doing with his back to the streets.
Tsubaki made her way over to the guard, putting on her best 'I'm upset' face so she could attempt to win him over. She even has tears! The girl sniffles a bit, tugging lightly on the guard to try and get his attention. "Mister, there're men over in that alley and they took my bag! Can you get it back for me?" she requests. If the guard doesn't help her out, she would cry even harder and call him a 'meanie' before stomping away and muttering 'I'll do it myself, then'. If he /does/ decide to help her, the girl would take the man's hand and lead him to the destination, hiding a bit behind him like she was scared.
It was… his time. It was… the day he had been waiting for. He was being called by a girl. Asked to help. Ask to come to the rescue. He was given a task, something small. Something humble. But it was still his time… to be a hero! The guard would look to the girl, his teeth almost gleaming as he would nod to her. "Of course little girl. Of course I will help you!" he would say with barely restrained excitement. It wasn't some random drunks getting in the way of traffic, or someone stealing a half rotten fish or someone that has a sea gull kill on them. No… not this time! This time… a real girl with real problems needed real help. It was his destiny fulfilling itself. He would be led over towards where ever Tsubaki would take him, coming to the alley way as he'd stand at it with his hands on his hips, making sure she was behind him.
"What do we have here… a few goons skittering around in the dark?" He would say with a strangely over the top tone. Senjoru would turn his head and the other three men would look past him. "Eh? What do you want?" Senjoru would ask as the guard would say, "Unhand that bag, creep! What kind of man would take something from a little girl!" Senjoru looked… very confused. "What the adult are you… ey…EY! You step back!" he'd say as he'd back in to the three guys behind him as the guard approached now, drawing a sword that it looked like he may even be able to handle. "I said… drop it." The guards tone was no longer comically over dramatic, but dead serious.
The two men that stood side by side behind the one that beat up Senjoru would look at each other before looking at Tsubaki and then back at each other. "Time to…" "…Go." One would say then the other as they would move past Senjoru and the third man. The guard would let them leave as he had no reason to keep them and they both stared at Tsubaki as they left the area, disappearing in to the crowd. The last remaining man other than Senjoru didn't seem to be going any where however.
Tsubaki smiled inwardly as it seemed she was starting to accomplish something. The guard's initial enthusiasm was a bit startling, but she put on her biggest smile of gratitude. Of course, one of the men just /had/ to try and play brave. She wasn't sure if she should reveal herself to be a Shinobi quite yet, but she had a feeling now was a bad time. The girl made sure her Kunai was in hand, though, watching both men carefully. It could be seen as nervousness, and her eyes darted between Senjoru and the aggressor.
"The bag is mine." was said point blank by the aggressive man now as he looked at the guard. "The child has nothing to do with this." The guard raised a brow and tapped his sword on his shoulder. "You think I am just going to take your word for it? The man holding the bag is quite beat up… and I doubt that the little girl had anything to do with /that/." The guard would quip as the aggressive man balled his fists and Senjoru would say, "Th…tha…that's right! I was uh… just trying to get this back from this… this thief here. So why don't you just let me get by so I can give her the bag while you take care of this guy eh?" Senjoru would say as he edged closer. The guard considered it for a moment. "Hmm.. you should get out of the way… but don't make me chase you. After I deal with this guy we will get to the bottom of all this." Senjoru nodded and said "Yeah yeah what ever you say…." as the aggressive man would balk and narrow his eyes reaching out to grab Senjoru, almost losing a hand in the process as the guard's sword came up in a flash.
Senjoru would slide against the wall and slip past the guard with a bit of a relieved exhale before looking to Tsubaki. "Hey, thanks kid. You really got me out of that jam. I don't know what you were thinking but it would be rude of me not to thank you right?" He'd say with a cheesy smile before moving to pat Tsubaki's head The bag was still tucked under his other arm.
Tsubaki gave her target her best smile, trying to not seem too grossed out by the pat on the head. To the guard, she says, "We're gonna go and stand over there, near the cart. Where you were standing guard." That way he'll know where to meet her. She looks to Senjoru and beckons for the man to follow after her. She's just a harmless little girl, why wouldn't he follow after her? And after so nicely retrieving her bag! Once they're out of sight from the guard, she would try to get the man to kneel down to about her level so she can ask something of him.
Senjoru would follow Tsubaki, though he looked around a bit from side to side as he did. When they stopped he'd say, "Look, you're sweet and all honey but I really need to go, so what is it?" He'd ask her as he'd lower down to hear what ever it was she had on her mind. It seemed to be taking the guard a bit of time to handle the man in the alley, and Senjoru was wanting to get out of here before either of them finished that little squabble.
The moment he leaned down, Tsubaki would grip her Kunai and try to bring it down into the back of the man's neck. Hopefully the strike would be enough to kill him and seem as if someone else did it. The Kunai was withdrawn and hidden away in her pouch, now bloody, and the girl, still wanting to keep up the act, screamed. She pointed in a random direction that was away from the entrance of the marketplace, saying, "They killed him! They killed him!" Or at least mortally wounded, depending on how successful her attack was…
The kunai strike didn't quite hit the spine which likely would have instantly killed him. Instead, it would have hit along the side of the spine, plunging clean through all of that tissue and out of the man's throat preventing him from letting out anything but blood and air as he'd sink down to the ground messily. Of course this, along with Tsubaki bringing attention to it, would cause many of the people around to start panicking and for more guards to start heading towards the area.
Tsubaki considers the man, perhaps a bit coldly when she sees him gasping for air. "Close…" she mumbles, eyes shifting into an expression akin to shock as she looks at Senjoru. She seems almost stuck in place, unable to move. Fear enters her green eyes as well. She finally seems to snap out of her stillness and tries to shake the man a bit, prompting more blood and further injury, hopefully. "Mister, you haven't given me back my bag, yet…" she whines, as if her brain has conveniently forgotten that he was stabbed in the throat.
The scene would be swarmed with guards, and then on lookers as the situation was handled. The bag given to the girl who claimed it, the body cornered off from the rest of the market. The on lookers kept at bay and the other parts of the fish market still running as normal. When ever Tsubaki would take her leave of the Fish market, after she was a bit away from it on her way back home, it was then that she would come across Enbu again. He would wait for her to get close enough for normal ear shot before turning to lead the way back home. "You will be debriefed on the way back. The bag will be taken and searched as well. But for now, how was taking your first human life? Did you feel he deserved it? Do you feel the reasons for his assassination were justified?" Enbu would ask her as if talking about the leaves on a random tree.
Tsubaki took the bag and shuffled away quickly, not bothering to check on if the man was dead for real or still struggling to stay alive. When she ran into Enbu, she offered a small bow. "It was fine, I suppose. I don't know if he deserved it, but there were men intent on beating him up. So far as I can tell, he would have ended up tortured or dead if I didn't get to him first." The girl offers a light shrug, seeming rather nonchalant about the whole thing. One would expect her to be affected by such an action, but somehow she wasn't affected. Either she had a very good poker face, which was very plausible, or she truly didn't think much of her task, which is equally believable.
Tsubaki was brought to an academy classroom the evening that she and Enbu arrived back in Kirigakure. She needed to be debriefed from her training mission as it was an assassination, even if a low priority one. Enbu would stand as frankly, none of the seats in the class room would support his weight nor girth. "Have a seat." he would tell her however as he kept his gaze upon her, standing in front of the desk the instructor would normally take. "You will learn that at the conclusion of any real mission, you will be expected to thoroughly report what occurred. It is an important step that many do not understand, so I will explain it quite simply: Information is weapon too. It is a weapon that can be more powerful than one might imagine. Without information, even the most powerful can fall with ease. So… it is time for you to provide information of your experience today." Enbu would state, allowing Tsubaki opportunity to speak now.
The girl comes into the classroom, not really exhausted from the mission, but it /was/ a long day for a young girl. She sat down when instructed, listening attentively. "… Did you want my opinion of how the 'mission' went, or did you simply want the facts of what happened?" Yes, even those are a bit skewed, but there's a difference between them all. And no, she's not trying to be a smart a**. She just wants to deliver what's being asked.
"Both." Enbu replied, leaving it largely at that. It was important to gauge how she was taking to the entirety of the situation. It was an evaluation of sorts after all, and training as well. Even though in some ways it was a mission, because it was against a normal target with no guards and it was over seen, it would barely be considered a D rank mission for a Kirigakure Genin. However, that fact that it could be considered a D rank mission was part of the point. Enbu wanted to push Tsubaki a bit and see how she would handle herself. She had a long way to go before earning her place as a Genin, but if she was motivated and guided properly, she may graduate not only top of her class, but more than capable of the future that lay ahead of her.
Tsubaki nodded and took a moment to think back, not wanting to leave out anything. "After we had parted ways, I needed to find the target. It was a bit difficult to do so, since I wasn't sure what he looked like. So I followed the voices until I eventually got to some of the outskirts of the area. If he was dealing with some of the shadier crowds, then he would likely be near alleys. When I found him, there were a lot of people nearby. If I killed him right there and then, it would either make them all mad at me, or it would cause too much trouble. I decided it would be best to wait and see their relationship to the target."
Tsubaki paused to recollect her thoughts before continuing. "They started beating the target up. I'm not a skilled Shinobi yet, so I knew I couldn't take them all on. There were three, judging from the voices I counted and a few of the glances I took. I wanted to be smart about it, so I went to a guard who seemed capable and used him to isolate the target from the others. It was successful, though one of the more aggressive associates stayed behind… The target and I were able to leave under the guise of him giving me back 'my bag', as I had claimed some men had stolen something from me… Once I had the target alone, I tried to stab him in the back of the neck. If he didn't die right away, it's likely he died because of improper aid."
Enbu's brow lowered a bit at the explanation of what occurred, though he listened to the whole of the information. When she was finished, he would take up the black bag in his hands and began to rummage through it as he would ask her, "Is that all that you can recall?" He had more to save obviously, but he wanted to be sure that she had remembered all that she was going to remember of her training mission first.
"Well, I took the bag from the target and gave it to you… I called out for help after I killed the target so I wouldn't seem suspicious. I think that's all…" Tsubaki frowns lightly as she thinks back, trying to make sure she had noted everything. Was there something she forgot? Something she was missing? She could probably mention the target's associates more, but she didn't remember that much about them. "It's all I can recall at the moment, yes," she finally says.
Enbu would inhale deeply for a moment before nodding slowly. "Then this is what I understand of the situation. You left your target critically wounded, but are not certain of his death. The people he was selling our information to you do not recall. But you were able to recover the information and give it back to me, even though it is likely that this information is inconsequential or even planted to throw off anyone who did happen to buy it. Shirayuki Tsubaki, I am disappointed in you." Enbu would say to her as he placed each of the slips of paper and nick knacks on to the desk behind him one by one as he spoke. "IF you will recall, the reason why he was to be assassinated was to send a message to anyone dealing in our secrets that we will not tolerate it. That message may or may not have been delivered, but if it was, those who associated with him are certainly not going to be as easy to find. While it may seem insignificant, where the information is going is just as important as where it comes from. Never leave any possibility of your target surviving and being able to identify you or what occurred that almost killed them."
Enbu would keep his gaze steady on Tsubaki, strangely unblinking as he continued to inform her of the state of things. "Perhaps I should have been more clear with you. Or perhaps I over estimated you. What ever the case actually is, the training is done for now." Enbu would shake out a small note pad that seemed to be well worn and having quite of bit of information scribbled on to every page that remained. He would set it aside from the rest of the things before placing the bag down as well.
Disappointment. Yep, that often seemed to be the case with Tsubaki's 'missions'. Or at least the one's she's gone on. The girl doesn't seem disheartened by the 'loss' though. It just meant she had to prove herself the next time opportunity presented itself. Somewhere along the line she would be able to get things right, hopefully. There was no sense in trying to argue with Enbu, so she would simply nod and consider the Kaguya. "Is there anything else, Sensei, or am I free to leave?" she asks. He said the training was over, but technically that's not a dismissal. Nothing clear, at least.
"This is what training is for. Many forget that entirely, always seeking perfection or achieving things exactly right the first time. You learn nothing through easy victories. You also don't learn as much through hard fought perfection as the only way to truly achieve that is to be overly prepared for it. What you need to do with this, is take to heart that you did not do as best as you could have. That there is more for you to learn and that your mistakes are clear. So, based on this mission, I will give you rules for the future. Pay attention." Enbu would say to her, moving on to further instruction even though the training was over. He moved around the desk and began to write on the board.:
Rule #1: Always confirm your kills.
Rule #2: Always meet the mission objectives.
Rule #3: Gather as much pertinent information as possible.
Rule #4: Consider the whole problem when solving it and adapt to what needs to be done to achieve the best results.
"Specifically, for this training mission; you should have made sure that the target was dead, took down some details of who he associated with or how they were dealing, and considered what the completion of your mission would do for the whole of the situation. On that last point… I would not expect you to consider all of the ramifications of not doing as you were instructed, but in the future… when you are on real missions, that should be the only reason you have for not completing a mission. If a mission being completed would cause more harm than good for the whole of the objective, then you have to make that call if a superior is not there to make that call for you. Do you understand these points I am making?" Enbu asked her.
Tsubaki almost sighed, but she didn't. The girl took out a small notebook that she typically had on her person and flipped to a page with notes on it. She added the rules to the growing list, saying, "I see. I'll be sure to keep those in mind." She starts to think back to the two fields trips she went on. What would she have done differently? Well, the first one was more obvious than the second… "Thank you for the lesson, Kaguya-Sensei. As I said, I'll remember these points. I understand them, so now it's just a matter of learning to apply them."
Enbu would not to Tsubaki then. "Be sure that you do." he would state directly as he turned to face her again. "You are dismissed." he said firmly as he would pick up the small note book and begin to flip through it. He began to note something peculiar about it as he did, though he wasn't exactly taking the time to analyze it. Still, he was certain that in ever upper left corner of each page as some sort of non-sequential pattern. Just dots in various formations. Every now and then it would be the same as on a page some where before it noting it wasn't just random doodles. Closing up the little notepad, Enbu would consider this lightly as he'd make his way out of the academy for the evening.
