Blocked Passage! [ M | P ]

[Rin]

The day was gray; ashen clouds lingered above, through which little sunlight was able to pour down. Cool air hung about, still but powerful, which only seemed to add to the broken atmosphere. A sigh escaped my lips, and I brushed a pale, pink bang from my eyes. As a Kumogakure shinobi--at this thought I adjusted the headband around my neck--I was on a simple mission. In reality, it was just cleaning up; rocks and boulders fell loose from the mountains in which we found ourselves in, and lodged themselves on unfortunate pathways. So, our job was simple: we moved them.

Kaeor and I were near the outskirts of town, then, near the passageways that, honestly, weren't even used all that often. Still, it was irresponsible to ignore the problem, so we were sent out to fix it. It was easy enough, and we got paid. The deal wasn't too bad, really.

"Ah; I think I found one," I said, leaping up onto a small ledge and making my way across it. Down beneath me was a narrow passageway in between two small cliffs, and a large boulder--a little taller than myself--blocked the way. It looked as if it were stuck snugly in between the walls, so we'd probably have a hard time just moving it. So, our problem lied in how to either free it from its confines, or shatter it completely.

SPOILER: Click to show

name; blocked passage
rank; c
description; One unfortunate disadvantage that Kumogakure no Sato extends is sometimes the jagged peaks drop rocks amongst the Kumogakure no Sato passageways. Sometimes they’re simple small rugged rocks and other times they’re promontory boulders. Sadly when the immeasurable boulders land on Kumogakure no Sato’s passageways it falls upon the Kumogakure shinobi to clear the avenue. With the war ending there are a large amount of pathways that need clearing, unfortunately. So go clear those streets.
reward; 50 experience, 1,000 ryo
minimum shinobi; one
mission status; interminable

[Kaeor]

This was absolutely terrible. It was way too fucking hot to be outside instead of a swimming pool, not to mention moving boulders around in this terrible heat. Kaeor was slightly and highly disturbed at the sight of Rin's movement. She was speculating every nook and corner while Kaeor sat underneath a tree like the lazy man that he was raised to be. When he heard Rin speak about finding one of the boulders that prevented passage he lazily stood up with a grin. "It took you long enough. I thought you had a eye for this sort of thing."

His footsteps carried him into the sun where she stood observing the giant rock. "Isn't this where your super strength comes in?" he dryly acknowledged wondering if even she could shatter a boulder. She probably could, but the recoil of the situation would crush a few of her own bones. Or at least that's what Kaeor held true. "Well do you think a flock of crows could help push a boulder? Or maybe peck it down to size? I'm not really sure how we would go about this to be honest."

[/blockquote][/blockquote][/justify][/size]

[Rin]

Leaping down off of the small cliff, I arrived in front of our little problem. I looked down at my clenched fist for a moment; would I be strong enough to break the boulder? Just cracking it wouldn't do, either, I'd have to shatter it entirely, or it would remain stuck. Most likely, I could, but not without extreme repercussions that I wasn't willing to face.

Ignoring Kaeor's comment about how long it had taken me, I moved in to investigate the situation. The cliffs curved out as they rose up, which is how the boulder fell down and got stuck. The path was more narrow at the bottom, so our best bet was to get beneath the boulder and push up. Still, it was on the ground, but it was almost spherical in shape. So, if I could squeeze in under the sides . . .

"Judging by the way the rocks are shaped, we just need to dislodge it by pushing it upward. Can your crows fit beneath the cracks under the boulder?" I asked as I approached the boulder. Bending down, I lodged my fingers underneath the boulder, although I found little leverage in the act. Then I gave it a break, and pushed at it lightly with both hands, shrugging.

"It's pretty damn stuck in there," I said, shaking my head. I didn't really want to suggest the idea of me destroying it, at least not yet.

[Kaeor]

Kaeor could only shrug at the idea of the many feathered birds constantly poking around. He guessed that maybe the birds had enough manpower together to maybe give them a small boost when it came to raising the boulder. He squatted near the boulder and observed it almost as if he specialized in this sort of thing. "Well. I guess we can at least give it a strong try right?" he answered with a cheerful disposition. The hands of the genin came together to form his clan's seals and his chakra began to heavily circulate about his presence. Extending from beneath his sleeves were tiny black specks shooting out one by one.

They numbered to form one hundred of the avian, each as pitch black as death themselves. Some even perched on the shoulders of Rin as if she was a human post. "Ready to try it?" he asked, commanding his crows to fit as many of themselves beneath the immense rock as possible. Of course they all couldn't fit, but they managed to take up a large amount of space. Forty-three crows in total had managed to wedge themselves in the cracks that Rin desired. "Anything else m'lady?" he retorted wondering how this would work. He really didn't see why she couldn't just punch it.

[/blockquote][/blockquote][/justify][/size]

[Rin]

I watched as the darkness flooded out from Kaeor, an immense force of obsidian which enveloped almost everything nearby. He had improved at his technique immensely since we had met, and as expected, the crows filled in under the boulder.

"Just lift," I said, bending down. There really wasn't much room in front of the boulder for both of us, so it was up to me and his pets. When the crows lifted and the intense flapping of wings filled my ears, I, too, lifted with as much strength as I could. At first, the boulder moved a bit, though slowly, and I strained to pull more. However, the movement met its end as the boulder rose into a small outcropping just before the cliff grew wider, and I sighed.

"Alright, alright, you can pull them out. This won't work; I'll do something else," I said, holding the boulder up so that the birds could escape. If I let it fall, it would crush them, and frankly, I wasn't really sure what happened to them when they died. I'd never asked him about it.

[Kaeor]

The effort was grand and all, but it didn't cut it when it came down to the reaping positive results. Kaeor's little creations flapped with all of their might in high hopes of reaping some sort of benefit but in the end it just didn't happen. As strong as they might be together, it didn't prove to be strong enough to test the power of the mighty boulder. Kindly, Rin used her strength to give the birds enough time to leave but just as soon as the birds did they all disappeared in a puff of smoke. "That went well. What do you have in mind now overlord?" he bantered.

Kaeor wasn't as enthralled in the task as his partner and it certainly was obvious. He decided it was best to play a follower role and let Rin do all the thinking. After all, why have two headaches when you can only have one?

"And don't even think about punching it yet." knowing she did posses the power to most likely eradicate the boulder. But it wouldn't be worth it if he had to take her to a medic later. For now his eyes would turn away for her and look for something that could provide usefulness to their circumstance. An instrument of the environment that actually worked would be nice.

[/blockquote][/blockquote][/justify][/size]

[Rin]

When the crows disappeared, altogether, I allowed the boulder to fall to the ground. Unfortunately, since our first plan failed, I was forced to think of another. And, it seemed, that there was no other than destroying the rock--something I could do, but I would likely injure myself in the process. Although I didn't prefer to have a useless hand or leg for any length of time, it didn't seem I had any other choice.

"I'll just--" I started, though Kaeor seemed to have read my mind. I turned to him, a frown on my face, pouting. "Tch, I don't see another way." My vision fluttered about, scanning the landscape around us for any form of tool we could use. Honestly, I couldn't think of anything that would be very useful except some sort of heavy weapon--a large hammer, perhaps, I could swing easily and destroy the rock. We certainly wouldn't just find one laying around, though.

"Arlight, fine, find me something heavy and durable," I said, walking passed Kaeor and down the path a bit, searching for something to use. Still, I couldn't imagine anything durable enough for me to smash a boulder with lying around.

Looked like I'd be paying the hospital a visit, soon.

[Kaeor]

And like two stooges we were off in our exploration to just find something that could break the boulder. It felt like they were two blind people both trying to describe the color yellow to someone. On his rummage through the local forest Kaeor didn't manage to find anything but small pebbles, twigs, and large branches. There wasn't a single thing that they could use to move the rock from it's position. A bit pissed off he would fall on the ground and just turn towards the sky.

He needed to show Rin that he was more of a partner that had extremely good looks and piercings. The hands of the shinobi dug into his pouch, searching for a steel kunai to twirl with his index finger. And it happened exactly right then. His fingers would brush against a exploding tag and with surprise he would get the idea of how to move the rock - by simply blowing it up.

How hadn't they thought of it before? Twisting his head around he turned to see Rin wandering nearby. "Hey! What do you think about using an exploding tag?" he shouted, knowing certainly that it would dislodge the rock from its position and open up the passageway.

[/blockquote][/blockquote][/justify][/size]

[Rin]

This place was so gray; the mountains Kumogakure lied in were pale and ashen. They brought on a sort of macabre atmosphere, although the hints of green here and there from the trees were a nice splash of color. Still, I couldn't help but feel silly looking through the place for something to smash a rock with. Did I really think I would find anything? No, of course not.

Still, I could appreciate my surroundings. There was something about the solitude of nature that filled me with a sense of serenity. Though I certainly wouldn't admit it, I enjoyed simply being outside. Surrounded by trees, with an open sky overhead. Rivers, forests, mountains, caves, they were all absolutely fascinating to me.

With a sigh, I eventually gave up on my search and made my way back to the boulder. Then, Kaeor called out to me with a new plan--one we should have thought of ages ago. For a moment, I stared at him, dumbfounded, before bringing a hand to my forehead.

"I almost broke my hand," I said, turning to the boulder. "We're idiots."

[Kaeor]

It was pretty hilarious. We had to be the slowest shinobi in Kumogakure not to think of this. "Heh. No kidding." I said, reaching into my pouch once more. I would extract a single exploding tag and press it against the face of the rock. It was quite simple, all it needed to do was become activated and it would cause the chaos we wanted. I turned towards Rin and gave her a sigh, my stomach currently growling from the lack of dinner within it.

"I'll let you do the honors Rinny." I ordered right before I began my stroll back to Kumogakure.

[/blockquote][/blockquote][/justify][/size]

[Rin]

Kaeor stuck a single tag on the boulder and began to make his way back to Kumogakure, "leaving it to me." Lazy bastard, I thought, before forming a single hand seal and igniting the explosion. I felt the concussive force of the explosion, though it wouldn't shake my form whatsoever. The heat washed over me, and I stood staring into the smoke until it cleared. Once it did, a haze of dust rose from the ruin; however, our job wasn't done yet, even though Kaeor seemed to think it was. The explosion wouldn't rid us of the boulder completely, only shatter it. Now there was still a pile of jagged rocks blocking the path, so I gave a sigh and bent down.

For a little while, I'd go on tossing the rocks down cliffs and off of the path. Since the explosion had scattered them, I wasn't left with an entire boulder worth of debris, though it was still a considerable amount. Regardless, it was by no means challenging, only tedious and irritating. Eventually, the pathway would be completely clear, and I'd rise, again pulling my hair all over my shoulder and turning on my heels. I'd run to catch up with Kaeor, calling out at him.

"You asshole," I said, shoving him lightly. "Leaving a little girl like me to clean up a big boulder."

[ e x i t ]

[Kaeor]

I wasn't too far down the path to Kumogakure, the explosion still slightly ringing in my ears. Before I knew it Rin had caught up with me once more and gave me a slight push. It was easy to see that she was happy to be done with such an irritating mission. "Little girl? You mean a little girl that packs quite the punch! I had faith in you the whole time if it counts. After all I solved the puzzle, you just had to deal with the aftermath." I voiced with a smile on my face.

I shared the same happiness as her to be done with the situation. Unfortunately we had many many more tasks that we needed to complete and couldn't stop here. Or maybe we could stop and get some ramen on our way to the next site. "How would you feel about some ramen? On me of course?" I questioned, my hands placed directly into my pockets as I continued to press forward and entered Kumogakure.

[exit]

[/blockquote][/blockquote][/justify][/size]

[Sayomi]

Rin: 38 exp

Kaeor: 32 exp