It had been a few days since Gemma broke the big news to Yuto about the team being dismantled. Yuto taught ten-ten a few kinjutsu kata, but nothing more than that, as he needed to develop his own skills before he taught her anything more. It wouldn't do well if he passed on his bad habits to her. he didn't have any contribution points, so he couldn't study the water nature any further. Today was the day he went on his first mission, and if he was being honest, he was scared out of his wits. Not only because of the rank of the mission, but he remembered what happened the last time he went out of the village. He had killed three men in cold blood, and he had tried his best over the past 3 months in a half to forget about it.
He arrived at the mission center as his team had instructed the previous day, but he was so stressed about the mission that he had forgotten to submit his medical training application and intended to do so the second he made it back to the village. Well, that's if he made it back to the village in one piece. He couldn't heal the injured if his arms were cut off.
He sighed as he walked into the mission center. Normally, the Hokage would personally give a team their first mission, but that wasn't the case for Yuto, as he joined a pre-existing team. When Yuto graduated, it was before the fifth term even ended, hence why he was the only one taking it. So when this team ends, it's a chance he'll be sent to the genin reserves. He saw his team approaching him, already holding the mission scroll in hand.
"So what's the mission?" Yuto asked.
"Well, explain the mission on the way there. We will regroup at the village's south gate in an hour," Gemma said.
Yuto nodded.
Yuto was in his bedroom packing his scroll with his medical kit. he had already restocked on kunai and shuriken and had an extra set sealed away in case he ran out. He wouldn't rely on his shuriken anyway, but he didn't yet know the mission details. He wore his regular combat attire and strapped his tanto on his back. He tucked a small scroll in his ninja pouch and straightened out the wrinkles on the bed. When he left his room, he saw his grandfather walking down the same hall. He wasn't dense enough to believe his grandfather just happened to be coming towards his room in the middle of the day. He was most likely there to give him a lecture before the mission.
"How did you even know I had a mission?" Yuto asked with a sigh.
"I told one of my buddies who worked as a guard to inform me if you entered the mission station," his grandfather said.
"Humph. I'm not gonna get myself killed if that's what you're worried about," Yuto said.
"I know that much, I trained you after all. That Gemma does tight, efficient work, and his resume is commendable. I trust he'll watch over you," his grandfather said confidently.
"You are aware of what happened to his previous teammate," Yuto asked.
"Yes, he was a reckless fellow, I trust that you won't get any bright ideas," he said sternly.
"Yes, of course," Yuto said with another sigh.
"Now, take this, you'll thank me when you return," his grandfather said with a knowing smile.
He handed him a small bag.
"What's this?" Yuto asked.
"That right there is my lucky gunpowder," he said boastfully.
"What would I need this for?" Yuto asked, confused.
"Just take it, boy," his grandfather said grunting.
"Yeah, sure, if you say so," he said, tucking the bag away into his pouch.
"Be sure to follow all the rules and regulations of the village," he said.
"I know that much, you had me study the pamphlet. Geeze, you really are worried about me," Yuto said with a grin.
"Just go on, before you're late," he said abruptly.
Yuto let out a chuckle as he walked away, casually waving over his shoulder.
When he made it to the village gates, he was the first one there. He wanted to escape the village, so he didn't suddenly back out, not that he could. He was afraid of coming across another Zabuza and Haku. As rare as it was, it was possible, and he hoped that the possible wasn't the case. he looked up, seeing Yugao appear with the body flicker, before walking up towards him.
"I'm assuming your supplies are in a scroll," she said.
He nodded. "I don't like weighing down my fragile little body," he said.
She looked at his skinny arms and small frame and frowned. "You should really eat more."
"And get some sleep," Yugao said, noticing the bags under his eyes.
"You never know when you won't have time to study, and that time is very little for me," Yuto said with a sigh.
He yawned and rubbed his eyes before unraveling a scroll and unsealing a premade cup of coffee. He took a sip before he looked up, seeing Yugao's concerned look.
"Oh yeah, would you happen to know where I can get some..." he leaned closer, and his tone became a whisper. "marijuana," he whispered.
"You should be worried about returning from the mission," Yugao said, clearly dissatisfied.
"Aww, don't be like that, I could really use some 'relaxation!" he pouted.
Right then, Gemma and Ganro arrived. "Yuto, here, look at the mission detail," he said, tossing the mission scroll towards him.
Yuto caught it, unraveling it and looking over the contents.
"I see. Where's the rest of the information?" Yuto asked.
"That's half the reason for the mission being classified as a B-rank," Gemma said.
"What's the other half?" Yuto asked.
"The target is dangerous. I'm sure you saw his skills in the scroll along with his rank in the bingo book," Gemma said.
"Yes, his skills aren't what concerns me, since we have you as the captain. I'm curious, why not give this mission to a team with tracking skills?" Yuto said.
"That's a bit tricky. The village is validating my tracking skills. Failing this mission will mean my promotion will be held back for another year," Gemma said.
"I see, in that case, I'll try my utmost best to ensure the mission's completion," Yuto said. He was aware that if Gemma had just taken the C-rank tracking mission, his promotion would still be granted. He only took the B-rank mission to help Yuto's resume. It showed the kind of man he was as he was willing to put his promotion on the line for him, not out of guilt or pity but because that was just the kind of guy he was. Yuto gave Gemma a nod, a look of respect and gratitude on his face.
Gemma stepped forward in front of the team, his hands casually in his pockets. Yuto rolled his eyes at Gemma's clear attempt to look cool in front of his subordinates.
"Wait, senbon senpai, we can't have a flashy exit until we check through the village gates," Yuto said innocently.
Gemma frowned, "I know, kid, and there's no point in doing the flashy exit if you call it a flashy exit," he said with a grunt.
Yuto held back a laugh as he could have sworn he saw Gemma's eyebrow twitch, but who could tell with that bandana.
Team 13 was tree-hopping to the destination. The tracking would be left to Gemma, as the rest of the team lacked tracking experience.
Gemma raised a hand, instructing the team to stop.
"Sinbon senpai, why the sudden stop?" Yuto asked.
"Gemma, the intel says the target traveled down the 528 path. We should be heading north," Yugao said.
"That's not the case here," Ganro said.
"Yes, Ganro is right, this mission has become just that more dangerous," Gemma said seriously.
Yuto's heart dropped to his ass, hearing Gemma's serious tone. While his face remained calm, sweat dropped down his face despite the cool breeze of the wind, making the tree leaves dance and the tree branches rustle. He kept himself together; if his grandfather found out he was trembling on the mission, he would kill him his damned self.
"Sinbon senpai," Yuto barely whispered, despite his face still being calm.
Gemma looked back at Yuto, "Remember what we talked about," Gemma said.
Yuto nodded.
Gemma turned back, facing the clearing of trees. "I'll explain the situation," Gemma said.
A few moments later, everyone was running on the ground. Some faces were determined, while some were concerned. Gemma made no attempts to lighten the tense atmosphere. He knew it would keep everyone on their toes. He took his sinbon out of his mouth, as it would be one of those moments. Gemma then spoke as they ran through the thick foliage.
"The intel determined the target would be at 528. But as we passed path 420, I noticed trails matching the enemy. If it's what I think I saw, we're dealing with a speed specialist. It's the only answer to how they could cover so much ground in under 12 hours.
"Wait, they?" Yugao asked.
"Yes, I suspect the target is at the tokubetsu jonin level, and his subordinates are chunin level based on their evation skills. It seems like he was able to conceal his allies before he fled," Gemma said.
"You're suggesting that the target concealed his chunin subordinates at the 420 path and fled to the 528 path in under 12 hours," Yugao said, surprised.
Yuto was astonished. That meant the target was fast enough to evade patrol teams and had enough chakra to do so without a single stop. Not to mention how much of the Fire Country he covered. While the 528 path and the 420 path appeared to be near each other, that was not the case. The fire country was bigger than modern-day China and had population rates out of the roof. There were cities and territories in between each path, and the paths extended for kilometers. It was originally believed that we would eliminate a normal chunin, but Gemma just revealed that the supposed chunin had the skills of a tokubetsu jonin. He had one jonin-level skill, and based on his file, it was most likely taijutsu.
"I see, you proposed traveling on the ground so that the chunin would understand they were being tracked by a unit and attempt to regroup with their leader," Yuto said knowingly.
"Yes, you're correct, but there's one thing," Gemma said.
"I'm already aware of your intentions with my role on this mission. I'll be assisting from long range with my spitball ninjutsu. I don't have the skills to take on a chunin," Yuto said.
Gemma nodded as well as Ganro and Yugao.
Gemma was in thought for a second before he spoke. "Actually, you're with me, Yuto," Gemma said.
"Yuto looked up, a bit confused. "Sinbon senpai, you're fighting the primary target, though," Yuto said.
"I didn't take this mission just to do you a solid; I want you to gain valuable experience," Gemma said.
Yuto just nodded. he was aware of the skills of a tokubetsu jonin, and while it was just a mild guest of the target's strength, he trusted Gemma's judgment.
Yuto's heart beat became a bit faster, knowing the circumstances. while his spiritual energy was in a disarray, and his face looked like the skin would slide off his face if he didn't keep it as calm as he could. In his imbalance and his stress, he felt a subtle burst of chakra. He didn't know how he felt it, but he somehow could feel three enemies.
"Sinbon Senpai, the enemies are faster than we think. They doubled our traveling speed and regrouped already," Yuto said.
"What!" Ganro retorted in shock.
"How do you know this?" Yugao asked, a suspicious look on her face.
"While I can't be sure if what I felt was accurate, I know I felt something," Yuto said.
Gemma looked back at Yuto for a few seconds before turning back and taking a deep sigh.
"We'll approach 523 north. If they truly regrouped, they'll head there for supplies before fleeing to the eastern border."
"You'll risk losing track of the target, because this kid had a feeling," Yugao said, clearly not happy with the dissicion.
"I gotta agree with Yugao on this one, Captain," Ganro said.
"Yuto wouldn't lie about something like this, and his intuition is usually right. I trust his prowess," Gemma said.
Yuto refrained from saying anything; he didn't want to make things worse.
"Captain, your promotion," Ganro said, clearly concerned.
"We are shinobi, we fight not only to put food in our stomachs, but in the hope that the village may prosper. A shinobi doesn't fight for merit or promotions," Gemma said.
Yuto became even more overwhelmed. His body was tired from the constant running and talking; he had already hadn't had enough sleep as he felt his body start to tremor every few seconds.
His face was calm, and his expression was bored. He was tired, he was stressed, and he was scared. But he still ran forward following all of Gemma's orders because it was the only thing that would keep him alive.
He couldn't even hear his surroundings; everything was muffled out except the footsteps and his heartbeat. The wind brushed against his pale face as his hair bounced with every stride.
He then heard Yugao speak, but it was muffled to his hearing. "Fine, we'll listen to what the kid says," Yugao said, clearly not happy with the decision.
Yuto's eyes widened. "It's just as you said, Sinbon senpai. The target is moving north, approaching two other signatures," Yuto said calmly.
"Why would they be moving at their highest speed, just to regroup?" Ganro asked.
"It's as I suspected, the team has means of communication, and their plan can only be completed if they all make it to 523 North," Gemma said.
"Are you making this stuff up, yuto?" Yugao said.
"Of course not," Yuto said calmly, not even batting his eyes. he was too tired to bicker with Yugao. She snarled, seeing his disinterested look.
"Enough, yugao, we'll continue to 523 north and pick up on tracks of the target," Gemma said.
"Why does he have so much faith in him?" Yugao thought to herself.
They appeared in a clearing of trees.
Gemma crunched down, smelling the ground. He stood back up.
"Yuto was right, one of the chunin stepped into the soy sauce, I had a shadow clone leave in transit to the 523 path," Gemma said with a smile.
Gemma's face suddenly became tense, and the sinbon in his mouth became looser.
"The target intentionally stepped into the soy sauce to lure us into this clearing," Gemma said.
"I see the primary target is a skilled strategist," Ganro said.
"Yes, this isn't a regular foe," Gemma said.
Yuto's face changed again as he couldn't even get the words out.
Yugao noticed this. What is it, Yuto? What do you feel?" Yugao asked in worry.
"The target and his subordinates are approaching at high speeds," Yuto said, his calm expression dropping for a moment. His bottom lip quivered, but he got him self together as fast as he could. His face became calm again as he pulled a rubber band from his wrist.
The moment he did that, a dark-skinned man with shoulder-length black hair and a black body suit appeared on he top of a branch looking down on Gemma's team. he had a long blade strapped across his lower back, and he wore a leaf headband with a scratch over the emblem. Two chunin appeared a second later with bloodthirsty grins planted on their faces. The chunin on the right had pale white skin and short cut light blue hair. He wore a simple, combatant outfit with a chunin vest and a scratched-out leaf headband.
On the leader's left was an even-toned female with straight brown hair and a tanto strapped to her back with the basic combatant outfit. She wore the chunin vest as well, and her leaf headband was scratched out.
"Satoru Higake," Gemma said with his hands casually in his pockets
Satoru grinned, "Oh, if it isn't Gemma," he said.
Yuto, seeing the enemy appear, tied his hair into a ponytail letting his bangs frame his face as usual. On the inside, he was scared as usual; nothing could stop his cowardice from showing itself in the midst of conflict. He thought about his grandfather, and little ten-ten and the store owner's daughter, Iami, Itachi as well. For the first time in his almost 4 months in the ninja world, he started to think about people besides himself. He thought about what it would mean for them if he were to die here. He felt the presence of the three enemy shinobi in front of him as sweat rolled down his calm face. In that moment, he wanted to go back to his previous world and have dinner with his real family and go out with his real friends. He took a deep breath; he would fight either way, he had no choice but to. He looked at the long, straight black hair of the dark-skinned man blowing in the wind as Yuto put on his best impression of determination.
That would be his opponent.
[Be sure to give me your power stones]