LOST IN THE DARK. [M]

[Seijūrō]

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Name: Lost in the Dark.
Rank: D
Description: Seems we had a problem with the last batch of lightbulbs delivered to the city. As such we’ve been experiencing sporatic blackouts at night when they’re on. This doesn’t bode well for the safety of anyone walking around at night. Your mission is to go around the city and change the bulbs with some new, error free ones we recently acquired.
Reward: 25 EXP, 500 Ryō.
Minimum shinobi: One.
Mission status: Interminable.

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It seemed like another quiet night for the young shinobi as he leaped from rooftop to rooftop. The occasional breeze sent a refreshing chill down his spine, but it did little to keep the Genin from being distracted from the task on hand. Strapped onto his back was a bag filled with industrial strength light bulbs, which are used in the street lamps. Apparently the latest batch of light bulbs and light rods that we had received from Kaminari no Kuni were defective and has already begun to fail from their prolonged use. After an inspection, it was revealed that the village's suppliers had been cutting corners in their production in the last few months resulting in the lower quality goods.

Most people took the street lamps for granted, but during times when the fog would thicken to the point where visibility would drop to zero, the lights would be used for villagers to find their way about. The weather forecast stated that the fog will be particularly bad for the next few days, advising citizens to avoid wandering about even in areas where the street lights were functioning properly. For those who lived in the less prosperous districts, however, the villagers would have to stay inside for days until someone came and replaced the old light bulbs with new ones. Luckily for them, a mission was organized to resolve the problematic light bulbs before any more issues arise as a result.

"I think I see the first one."

Seijūrō dropped on top of the lamp post and reached into his bag for a screwdriver. There was no light being emitted from inside and needed a light bulb change. As he unhinged the screws from their position, the shinobi made sure to catch the screws in his hand otherwise it would fall to ground below. With one last twist he got the last screw off, the cover over the light bulb opened up allowing the Genin to replace the old one with the ones from his bag. As soon as the new bulb was fixed into place, it began to illuminate the surrounding area with great intensity. It was quite hard to maintain direct eye contact with the source causing Sei to cringe when the light turned on.

He closed the lid and began to tighten the screws back into place, bolting them down in order to prevent the cover from opening. There was enough trouble with the light bulbs as it was; he didn't want to expose them to the natural means of erosion.

"One down, thirty more to go." mumbled Seijūrō as he jumped off the platform and moving ahead to his next objective.

[Seijūrō]

A few hours have transpired since Seijūrō had begun his mission. The mundane task was starting to become tedious and his mind began to zone out. It wasn't like Sei was a narcoleptic, but repeating the same action over and over again was beginning to wear down on his mental condition. His hearing became extremely sensitive as his vision began to waver and the buildings around him began to warp and change. He felt like he could hear a pin drop as one of his senses began to compensate for the loss of another.

"Something is not right here." thought Sei as he stopped in his tracks. His vision has been blurred to the point where he could only see darkness. He listened intently as his eyes remained closed during this odd moment of the night. He raised his hand up and formed the shape of a gun with his fingers.

"Raiton: Danpen Inazuma!" a small jolt of electricity jolted out from the tip of Seijūrō's finger. He heard a scream of pain as his jutsu had landed on its target just as planned. The world around him began to unravel itself from the darkness and his vision began to return to him. He looked over to the direction where he had shot and saw a middle-aged man holding onto the charred portion of his outfit where the jutsu had struck him.

"Genjutsu, even when I'm half awake, you weren't able to shut down all of my senses." said Seijūrō as he walked over to the fallen foe and grabbing him off the floor with one hand by the collar. It was not exactly uncommon to find individuals that possessed knowledge of the shinobi arts, however, their lack of formal training meant that their techniques were often simplistic and easily countered.

"Now tell me, what exactly were you thinking when you tried to put me out of commission?"

"I-I-I-I didn't do anythin—!" before the man could finish his sentence, Sei punched him once in the face and knocking him unconscious.

"Wrong answer." said the shinobi as he revealed a few meters worth of wire strings. As he tied up his idiotic "friend", Sei tied up one end of the strings to the base of a nearby street lamp and then hanged the man upside down. The man continued to dangle in mid-air as Sei climbed up and opened the lid to find another expired light bulb.

He looked at the dangling criminal and then back at the light bulb before closing the lid and mumbling: "I'm sure someone will come along and find you." chuckled Seijūrō before leaving the premise. The chances of finding him during the fog would be slim to none for the next few days; hopefully by then he will have learned his lesson with crossing a sleep-deprived teenager.

[Seijūrō]

With one good churn, the last of the screws were placed back into its original place. He put the screwdriver back inside his bag and wipes the sweat off his forehead with his free arm.

"That's the last of them. Hopefully these light bulbs last longer than their predecessors because I don't plan on replacing them again anytime soon." said Seijūrō before sliding down the pole and gently landing on the ground. He yawned and stretched his arms out before looking down the block to see the lights lining down the street until it was too far. It had taken him almost five hours to complete the grueling task but it was finally accomplished. Aside from the random encounter with the genjutsu user, the evening had been rather uneventful. Yet despite the relative insignificance of his deed, he couldn't help but feel good about the task Sei had just completed. Perhaps it was those little things in our life that motivate us to keep on going another day.

As he followed the shimmering path of lights he had created, Sei was able to maneuver through the streets with ease. Within a few minutes, he was already back at the door of his apartment. He opened his door and took off his shoes before flipping the switch on for the lights. But nothing happened. The irony of the moment hit Seijūrō like a brick hitting the pavement from the roof of a building.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me!"

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【MISSION COMPLETE】

[KEITH]

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