Chip Frenzy [M]

[Estilo]

SPOILER: Click to show

name; chip delivery
rank; c
description; A famous chip factory in Kaminari no Kuni has had trouble delivering their daily shipments into Kumogakure no Sato. These chips are quite famous amongst our Kumogakure no Sato inhabitants. Clearly because they’re lacking their famous chips they aren’t exactly at the humblest of times. So Kumogakure no Sato has decided to have the shinobi help with the daily chip deliveries so our village will never run out of these famous chips. Just be cautious about returning home with a large amount of those chips. The Kumogakure villagers might get rough.
reward; 40 experience, 500 ryo
minimum shinobi; one
mission status; interminable

On the far outskirts of Kumogakure, close enough to be considered part of the village but far enough to keep a border patrol, resided a desolate factory. The building was wedged between a canyon and the border of a young pine forest. A single path, the path Atlas and little Yuki had followed to get to it, cut straight through the pine forest and towards Kumogakure. Waiting for them at the loading dock of the factory were several of the factory's personnel, standing beside the wagons that would carry their product to the village.

"Looks like they took the phrase 'welcoming wagon' very seriously." Atlas smiled, glancing down at the young girl that walked beside him. "I'm just hoping they'll give us some free chips when the mission is over." One of the senior employees of the chip factory suddenly called out to them, calling them over with a wave as the rest of the employees prepared the deliveries for departure.

"I can only assume you two are the shinobi Kumogakure has sent us." The older man said. "Welcome to the Sohyo Factory. We've had our deliveries and route prepped for your arrival. You both ready to go?"

Atlas nodded. "All set." He replied, lighting a cigarette and taking a smooth drag. "How about it, Yuki? You ready, too?"

[Yuki-chan]

The female walked through the forest with her mission partner right next to her. She raised her eyebrows in surprise when she saw how many people that waited for them. "Looks like they took the phrase 'welcoming wagon' very seriously." said the male as he glanced down at her. "Yeah, it's almost like we're going to deliver gold or something" said Yukiko. "I'm just hoping they'll give us some free chips when the mission is over." said Atlas.

"Yup, that would be nice" said the girl before one of the guys called them over with a wave. "I can only assume you two are the shinobi Kumogakure has sent us. Welcome to the Sohyo Factory. We've had our deliveries and route prepped for your arrival. You both ready to go?" asked the man.

"All set. How about it Yuki? You ready, too?" said the young man. "Yup, I'm ready to go! I just hope the deliver goes after the plan and nobody steal chips from us on the way" said the Genin with a small smile.

[Estilo]

And so the mission started and the wagons carrying the product departed from the factory, following the dirt path that would ultimately lead to Kumogakure. The weather was cold, and the sky was heavy with the color gray, but the drizzle that fell from it was fortunately light. The chips being delivered today were being carried on exactly three wagons, pulled by horses on each one. Walking beside the young shinobi Yuki, Atlas kept a wary eye for anything unusual or suspicious. The road ahead of them, the surrounding copses of pine trees, even the road behind them at times. If the head honcho's at the mission compound were right, then this mission could potentially get dangerous. Expecting an ambush was an understandable precaution, in his opinion.

Their travels through the Land of Thunder and towards the border of Kumogakure had gone relatively uninterrupted for the first quarter hour. That was, until one of the wagon's wheels snapped off with a loud snap. And it just so happened to do so when the wagons were trekking past a somewhat steep cliff, spilling dozens of bags of chips down towards the pine forests and into the bushes. While the employees traveling with them started to get to work on the broken wheel, Atlas walked over to the edge of the bushy cliff and stared down at the scattered bags of chips. A good amount of the treats had been spilled, and leaving them there for others to gather for free didn't seem like the right thing to do.

"Shinobi!" One of the employees fixing the wheel suddenly called out, catching Atlas' attention. "The birds!" He continued, pointing up to a small flock of wild ravens in the sky. Ravens that were known to have stolen bags of chips before, not to mention the fact that they'd assaulted humans in the past as well. Atlas sighed. Somehow he knew things wouldn't go as smoothly as he had hoped.

Turning to Yuki, he pensively scratched at the stubble on his cheeks. "One of us should go down the cliff and retrieve the bag of chips lost there... and the other should stay here and fight off the birds. Which would you prefer, little one?" He wasn't exactly comfortable giving a young girl like Yuki a choice between two equally dangerous tasks, but he didn't want to advise her from not doing so either.

He was very interested to see what kind of skills the young one possessed.

[Yuki-chan]

The first 15 minutes of the journey was kind of boring; the female just walked next to the male while the horses pulled the wagons with them. Suddenly, one of the wheels at one of the carriages snapped before several bags of chips felt down a cliff.
A couple of the employees started to fix the wheel while Yukiko wondered what they should do about the bags that laid at the bottom of the cliff. "Shinobi! The birds!" said one of the employees while he pointed towards the sky.

"One of us should go down the cliff and retrieve the bag of chips lost there...and the other should stay here and fight off the birds. Which would you prefer little one?" said Atlas as he looked at her.
"I want to fight against the ravens" said the girl with a more determined expression on her face. She knew the perfect jutsu she could use against those pesky birds. Her small hands did a couple of brief handseals while her eyes looked at the ravens.

Seconds later, ten swallows made out of ice appeared in the air. The Genin concentrated as she sent the birds closer to the ravens that were further up in the air. 'I should wish they were a little closer' thought the female; it was harder to aim at them from here.
All of the swallows were spread a little in order to avoid them colliding with each other. One of the ravens then flied towards one of the swallows, which exploded.

'He he...these aren't ordinary swallows your stupid bird' thought the brunette with a small grin on her face. As a Yukina, she was able to create ice swallows that exploded on contact or by her own will. The girl wondered how the young man was doing.
'He has been a Genin for a long time. Eh, as long as he does not break anything, he should be fine' thought Yukiko.

SPOILER: Click to show

Tsubame fubuki (Snow storm swallows).
Rank: "C" Rank.
Type: Offensive / Clan Kekkei Touta / Hyouton Ninjutsu.
Range: See special!
Special: Strength and range of swallows depends on user's highest 'Yuki no Kami' rank. Up to 10 swallows may be formed when first learned, plus 10 more each time retrained. Swallows fly at speeds that of twice a well thrown kunai.
Description: Hyouton - Tsubame Fubuki is a secret Yukina n Hyouton ninjutsu technique that, although basic, can be deadly with proper use. After a few brief seals, the clan member will create ice swallows which they can launch at their opponent at high speeds. As they fly through the air, these deadly birds can hone in on their target.
Domain: Yukina. Yuki no Kami "C".

[Estilo]

Atlas nodded when the young girl chose to fight off the ravens and trailed off just before she executed her hand seals. "Just be careful." He murmured as he continued carefully down the side of the cliff. He could hear crackles of what sounded like lightning (or ice) in the distance. The urge to turn around and see what was going on was tempting, but he was quite preoccupied from keeping himself from slipping and breaking an arm. The dirt and rocks under his feet, as he commenced down the cliff and towards the edge of a light pine forest, were so fragile that each cautious step created a miniature rock slide.

"Ugh." He grumbled under his breath. "I'm getting my boots tarnished for potato chips... what a pain." Suddenly, the ground under his feet slid away like water and he soon found himself losing his balance on the slightly steep cliff side. Unwilling to let nature embarrass him by dropping him on his ass in front of a multitude of people, Atlas followed the only other option available. Jumping off the side of the cliff and executing a swift duck roll to land safely on the ground.

On his two feet, and with none of his bones broken, thankfully, Atlas wiped the dirt off his pants and sighed. He was in the forest where the chips had scattered, but finding them was an entirely new ordeal. They hung off branches, in bushes, under fallen fauna and sometimes in plain sight, but the fact that picking them up might just dirty his clothes had him a little bothered. He continued to do the grueling task, however, and didn't stop gathering the bags until he was confident that the area was clear of them. With all of the chips cradled in his arms like a baby, the Cloud shinobi was faced with yet another ordeal. Trekking over the cliff to get back to his comrades. "Aw, man."

Reckless abandon took over his heart, replacing that feeling of dread and laziness. He could get back up there, he knew he could. He just needed to take lift-off, like an air-o-plane. And lift-off, he would. All he needed to do was take a few steps back, then abruptly sprint forward with his powerful legs, gathering his chakra to the soles of his feet as he ran up the rocky incline. "Ha, ha, ha!"

He would appear to Yuki and the others as a cackling madman that had seemingly just jumped out of nowhere with chips, a single bead of sweat running down his forehead. "I made it!" He panted, staggering towards the wagon that had dropped the product. "Phew..." It was only after he dumped the goodies back into the wagon, that he noticed a couple of snowflakes and black feathers falling from the sky. He would turn to little Yuki with a curious glance and an amused smile.

"I see you took care of the birds. You're a Hyouton user?"

[Yuki-chan]

"Just be careful" said the male before he went towards the cliff. "I will senpai" said the female as she turned towards him for a moment. Some cries could be heard from above and her attention snapped back to the black birds.
Two of them dived towards the wagon; it made Yukiko's eyes widen in surprise. She sent one of the swallows towards the ravens with a determined look in her face.

Suddenly, the swallow exploded when it was just two feet away from the two birds. They let out a suprised cry of surprise before they left the wagon. All of the remaining six swallows flied towards the wagon with chips; they were about seven feet away so it didn't ruin the chips.
"Don't touch the swallows guys! They explode if you touch them" said the girl while she looked at the ravens that had not fled.

Ice blue eyes paid attention to their every movement; these birds birds were probably hungry. 'I just hope that no more birds appear! I don't have a lot of swallows left and I don't want to kill them with shurikens or kunais' thought the Genin.
Some of the birds started to fly closer to the wagons and the female bit her lip as she tried to figure out an attack plan. 'There are...four birds!' thought the brunette before her mind started to panick a little.

'I have no chance, I have to use four of them!' thought the girl and sent four swallows towards the thieves. All four of the swallows exploded when they came in contact with the black ones, who now screamed before they flied away.
"Yuki-chan! The birds!" yelled one of the employees that were on the side. She spun around and saw five birds that sat right next to the wagon.

Her ice blue eyes flamed; the last birds attacked from each side so at least two of them would fly away. "GET AWAY YOU STUPID, STEALING BIRDS!!!" screamed Yukiko while she ran towards the birds. The three birds eyes widened when they saw the small human run towards them and flied away in pure fear.
"I see you took care of the birds. You're a Hyouton user?" said Atlas from behind.

"Yeah" said the female as she laid a bag back to the wagon. Her parents had told her to not brag a lot of her heritage to people she did not knew that well. "Are you guys ready to go?" asked the Genin as she looked towards he staff.
"Yes, we just need to adjust the ropes a little" said one of the staff members. "Did you get any wounds?" asked the girl as she looked at the young man next to her.

[Estilo]

"Nah, I'm fine. Nothing I can't handle." He replied, watching as the workers they were escorting were commencing to take off again. "I see you got through that little event without a scratch, too." He continued. "Good on ya, Yuki." He would gesture towards the wagons with a tilt of his head. "Now c'mon. Let's finish the mission, huh?"

They would continue down the roads of Kaminari for a bit longer before reaching the majestic gates of Kumogakure. The moment they arrived into the village hidden in cloud, dusk had broken out and the tension that swept through the hearts of each worker could be felt in the air. Night was going to come soon, and night was when most bandits and hooligans tended to come out of the wood work. They needed to pick up the pace if they were going to deliver these chips safely. So, once they entered Kumogakure, they did so. A hand rested on the hilt of his blade as he walked, and kept eye contact with all the villagers they passed, trying to discern their intentions for just standing there and watching. Would they attack and raid the goodies, as previous reports had attested? It seemed that, at least for today, they would not.

They got to the loading dock in Kumogakure safely at last, and it was only then that Atlas relaxed his shoulders and took a deep breath. "Well, that's that." He yawned, glancing at the workers as they loaded off the bags of chips. "That wasn't so hard, after all." He dropped down to a single knee and patted Yuki on the head. "You did pretty good, too." He grinned. "Ready to go back to the compound?"

[Yuki-chan]

"Nah, I'm fine. Nothing I can't handle." said the male."I see you got through that little event without a scratch, too. Good on ya, Yuki." said Atlas. The female smiled; it was nice that her teammate appreciated her.

"Now c'mon. Let's finish the mission, huh?" said the young man. "Yeah! It won't be long until we're there anyways" said Yukiko with a grin on her face. All of them continued their walk towards the village and it was not long until they reached the gates.
Everyone seemed to be alert; the Genin next to her looked like he was ready to use his sword.

'Are there thieves her or something?' thought the girl while she looked around for suspicious people. There were nobody around and the staff got to the loading dock in Kumogakure. "Well, that's that" yawned the male as he looked at the workers.
"Mhm..." muttered the Genin as she looked up at the darkening sky. "That wasn't so hard after all" said the young man.

"It's easier when we're two" said the female as she looked at him. He dropped down to a single knee before he patted her on the head again. "You did pretty good too. Ready to go back to the compound?" asked Atlas. "Yes; I wonder how much money we get" said the brunette with a small smile.

[Estilo]

"About 500 ryo for each us." Atlas answered, straightening from his posture. "And you're right-- we did make one good team, today." He took out a pack of cigarettes and got as far as retrieving one from the lineup, before deciding he no longer felt like taking a drag. He was more in the mood for a bag of chips. "Wait here." He smiled at Yuki, tossing the loading dock a short glance before striding away towards one of the wagons. When he'd return, it'd be with four bags of Sohyo chips cradled in a single arm. A toothy grin streaked across his face. "Here," He said in almost a whisper, looking over his shoulder to make sure the supervisor hadn't spotted him. He dropped to eye-level with Yuki and handed her two bags of chips. "I think we deserve it." He chuckled.

"Now, c'mon. I'll escort you to the compound, and you can pick a mission for tomorrow if you want to, huh?" Stuffing his second bag of chips into his jacket pocket, and opening the other with a pinch of his fingers, Atlas strolled off of the property and towards Kumogakure's mission compound. Today had been a exciting day, and he was surprised to find that those chips his mission had been centered around were actually pretty good after all. Whodathunkit?

Exit.

[Yuki-chan]

"About 500 ryo for each us. And you're right-- we did make one good team, today." said the male. He straightened his body while the female rubbed her eyes a little; it was getting late. "Wait here." said Atlas before he walked over to the loading dock. Yukiko raised an eyebrow before he returned with four bags of chips. She did not liked that he did that but she did not wanted to sound like a small brat.

"Here. I think we deserve it" said the young man and handed her two bags of chips. 'I'll lay them back later' thought the girl. "Now, c'mon. I'll escort you to the compound and you can pick a mission for tomorrow if you want to, huh?" said the brunett.

"Just wait a second" said the Genin while she bent down to pretend that she tied her shoes. Once he was a decent distance away, she laid both bags near a staff member that was talking on a wireless telephone.
The female jogged after the male with a small smile. She had her candy at home and was not a large chips fan. But first stop would be to the Raikage tower to get the money they were promised!

[Exit Yukiko]

[DAVID BOWE]

+42 -- Espada
+40 -- Yuki