Triple Play (Missions)

[Kildred]

The three papers rustled in the gentle breeze as Usio walked down the street. He worried that he took too much at one time, but decided that such things were better off in the back of his mind. If he just buckled down, he would get through this. It wasn't like these were particularly difficult missions. Hell, he had done them all before, and there was never much of a problem. The only real problems he ever found were when he had to deal with the Suji family and their ilk. Their general attitude towards basically anything was the most atrocious thing he had ever encountered. He sincerely doubted they would actually change, barring some massive event.

He shook his head and redoubled his movements. He was letting things distract him again. His only concern as of this moment was to get over to a retirement home for another round of shopping. D rank missions were hardly exciting, but he knew that it was these missions that kept the village going. People used ryo to order these missions, the village uses that ryo to hire and pay workers , and the whole thing repeats itself. It was a sort of self-sustaining cycle. He wasn't exactly sure how it would pan out once all the rebuilding was completed, but that was a matter for those above him. Right now, all he needed to do was complete these missions.

[Kildred]

Usio arrived at the retirement home where the client lived. There was a lot of activity going on, which made finding his client that much more difficult. Finally, he located her in the kitchen. She expressed relief, fearing nobody was actually going to come in time. The whole building was having a potluck, and she had forgotten some key ingredients for her family recipe. After being given a list of various vegetables and sauces that he needed, he went on his way. She hadn't given a specific store or vendor for him to go through, so he saw no harm in being a little selfish and using her money to buy the vegetables from his own store. Anything to help sales.

Popping in with his usual greeting, he bought what he needed and moved to go to the general store down the way. It was the only place he knew of that sold quality spices and sauces, and quite frankly, he wouldn't shop anywhere else in the village for such things. He wasn't sure if the owner was just looking to have the greatest selection around, or if she just had eclectic tastes, but for whatever reason, she had the absolute best of the best. At least, he thought so. He walked in, bowing respectfully to the woman as she greeted him, and carefully picked out what the old woman had listed. He hoped his personal choice of shop wouldn't deter from her sense of quality. Paying for the items, he thanked the shop-keep and left for the retirement home.

[Kildred]

He was running a little behind on getting back to the home, so Usio dove underground and rushed over, avoiding most of the buildings along the way. As he got closer, he moved to an empty alley and reemerged. It was a cleaner break than most of his other attempts. Maybe he was getting better at this? Rounding the corner, he found that the house seemed to be getting into it's potluck. Worried he was too late, he walked over to the kitchen to look for the old woman who had ordered the mission. She seemed relieved to see him, stating that she still had time to present her food as long as she started immediately. Giving her the groceries, she set to cooking after signing his slip.

Before leaving, Usio looked over the large gathering as they served themselves and others. He hadn't had a dinner like this in years. He would often get something to eat for himself, or eat out rather than stay with his family. They would always question him on taking over the store and quitting being a ninja. Who did they think was keeping the store afloat? Sighing, he turned to leave, politely declining a plate when offered. He still had a few missions to do before the day was done. These ones didn't have much in the way of a time limit, but he would probably take his time anyway. The longer away from his parents, the better. Stretching his arms out above his head, he made his way to the appointed street.

[Kildred]

Approaching the edge of one of the districts (he kind of zoned out and forgot where he was), Usio took note of the encroaching weeds that were springing up. It was fairly close to one of the farms that dotted the village, which went nothing but bad times if these weeds got too close. They'd be able to steal all the water and nutrients that the crops themselves needed, so he had to cut them back. Of course, Kusagakure was known as the village of grass, so haphazardly whacking away just wouldn't do. Following the creeping weeds to their source, he noted the various ways that they were growing and set to work. A snip here and a trim there, and everything would be fine.

Pulling out one of his kunai, he got to work. The area was quite large, so he decided to work on one task at a time. He moved across the farmland, cutting the weeds from their source near the forest, and made sure to sever their link to the ground. After that, he gathered most of it up and got to shredding it all for easier carrying. Whenever he took on this job or any similar to it, he made sure to cut up what he could for mulch. It helped his own farm greatly. After a few touch-ups to make sure nothing seemed too disturbed, Usio lifted his bag full of fresh mulch and moved to deposit it at his parent's shop. From there, he would move to the next location.

[Kildred]

Usio made his way to the next field listed on his mission slip. This particular field was a little worse off, with the weeds already creeping onto the crops. He questioned the ability of the farmers here if they allowed such a thing to happen. Checking the roots, it seemed like they had grown too deep for a simple trim to take care of. Again, he would have to cut them off from the source, but he would have a significantly more difficult time getting these out from the ground. Sighing, he went about the edge of the forest, cutting the creeping weeds from their source. It took a little bit of time, but it wasn't anything to distressing. He should be able to finish everything with enough time to spare for his last mission.

Walking to the center of the whole mess, Usio forcibly stepped on the ground. His Doton Ryouuken spread out, letting him see the ground all all beneath it. The roots ran deeper than he thought. Fortunately, the farmers here had enough sense to keep their crops fenced off, slowing the progress of the weeds. Going through a few hand-seals, he placed his hands on the ground. The soil started turning in on itself, tilling itself and folding inwards until he got what he wanted. The weeds tumbled around with the dirt, revealing themselves in the turmoil that ensued. With such an easy target, it was simple for him to gather up the wayward plants and finish up this area. Walking off to deposit another bag of mulch, he chuckled to himself. He was getting better at moving the earth around.

[Jae]

+30 EXP!

[Kildred]

The next and final plot of land he need to take care of needed less care than the others, in the sense that no one lived there yet. A building scheduled for renovation was overtaken by weeds, flowers, and...was that a tree? Wow, this place must have not seen care in a long time. The plants grew on, around and inside the house, needing much more help than just Usio could provide. Luckily, he was well equipped for such things. Putting his hands together, he ran through the seals and summoned two rock clones. The three got to work in tandem, removing the easy to rid but widespread weeds first. Clearing the first floor and the second, all three gathered in the living room where the tree had sprouted and grown out the window.

The floorboards were torn up, and the tree grew out the window. Probably to get the most out of the sunlight. Broken pipes probably account for the water it needed. Well, if everything was going to be fixed anyway, he might as well rip this thing from the ground itself, then work it down. All three gathered around, forming the same seals before slamming their hands on the ground. A wall, just large enough to fit the circumference of the trunk, pushed upward and ripped the tree and it's roots out of the ground. Well, there's no sense in ruining a perfectly good tree just because it's in our way. Luckily, the base of the trunk fit through the window, making it simple to relocate and replant the tree somewhere more hospitable. "Two down, one to go."

[Kildred]

The final mission was a simple clean-up job involving the removal of trash. He still didn't understand exactly how people could be so callous as to just sully their great village by littering. There were plenty of trash cans and areas to recycle, yet here he was picking up bag after bag of discarded refuge. Using a stake made from the earth, he stabbed yet another one and placed it into the bag. This was a necessary job, he understood, but it wouldn't even need to be considered if everyone just used some common sense. Who would be callous enough to just toss something that they were finished with on the ground?

The two clones moved to either side of him, covering the whole street whole cleaning up. While they moved down slowly, he idly wondered if he was the only one cleaning up the trash at this time. Surely there were at least three others in the other districts, to ensure a fully clean village? It would make sense, at least. Maybe he would ask the assistant once he got back from this. A very slight sensation registered at the back of his mind. Only a scant few feet away, an object was dropped onto the ground. Some had littered right in front of him, while he was cleaning. Glancing in the direction he felt the sensation, he resisted the urge to facepalm. Of course it would be one of the wealthier individuals in the village.

[Kildred]

What was it? Entitlement? A general sense of not caring? Whatever it was, he was going to fix it, damn it. The clone to his left disappeared into the ground, traveling through the earth a ways before emerging in front of the gentleman and barring his path. Walking up beside him, a scant few feet from the litter he just threw, Usio Leaned on his stake and addressed the man. "Pardon me. Just what do you think you're doing?" The man looked around a bit, which really annoyed him. Who else would he be talking to? There wasn't anyone else whose route was blocked. "Yes, you. Who do you think you are, simply tossing trash into the street like that? Don't you have any respect? Don't you have any pride?"

The man, typically, tried to defend himself. He didn't react like he thought he would, by relying on his money and clout, but he did question his authority and his audacity to accuse him of being disrespectful. With an accusing eye, Usio simply stabbed the trash and held it to the man's face. "Do you know what my job is right now? I clean up the trash that ignorant fools drop on the ground, destroying our clean image and polluting our village. Do you know what you are? A pompous jackass who believes his money and clout are worth more than they really are. As far as I'm concerned, you're no better than the garbage I pick up off the street." The man went beet-red, cussing at him and walking off. Clicking his tongue, Usio tightened his grip on his stake.

[Kildred]

The clones gathered around him, depositing the last of the trash into the bag and dispersing. This street was finally clean once again, and his job was over. After putting the bag into an empty can, Usio stabbed his stake into the ground and pushed it until he could no longer grip it. Dusting off his hands, he returned to the caretaker in charge of the village and received his signature on the mission slip. With all three slips finally completed, he headed in the direction of the atrium to receive his pay. Admittedly, the whole thing was a little more difficult than he expected, what with the time delays, but all in all, he felt good about the work.

Especially with the little bonus he allowed himself today. He was sure he was going to be reprimanded and punished somehow, but that guy was just asking for it. Maybe next time he'll think twice before littering in Kusagakure, or any other village for that matter. If not, he'd be more than happy to administer another lesson. Folding the mission slips and placing them into his pocket, he walked along and hummed his favorite song to himself. He really couldn't help it. It just seemed like such a joyous occasion. After all, at what other point in time would he have the opportunity to stab a stuffy rich dude in the ass?

-Thread end

[KEITH]

+30