Gate of Wind

Mission Name: Guard the Gate
Mission Type: Guard
Mission Rank: C
Mission Goal: Guard the Gates
Description: You have been selected above your peers to Guard the Gate. It's a tedious job, but important to ensure the security and accountability of one of the only points of entry into and out of the village. Inspect any cargo, check people in and out, and keep out any hoodlums or bandits that might be causing trouble.
Payment: 15k
Requirements: D-Class

---

Rowan was annoyed… so very annoyed.

It wasn’t that she had a mission; she was fine with missions.  Missions meant that she was going to earn some Ryo, which she could put into her savings while she saved up for her shop.  Reopening the store that her original birth-parents had left behind.  Elspeth and Dakkon were amazing as parents, but they were strict too; they weren’t going to buy the shop for her, forcing her to work for it.  That was perfectly fine, and in fact, the redhead wouldn’t have it any other way.

It wasn’t the fact that she was walking through the sand of Sunagakure without any form of wrappings or anything else to keep the sand out of her outfit, although that certainly didn’t help with her aggravation, as that was something that over the years she had gotten used to over the years of living here.  The heat was something she was all too familiar with, and she showered often to keep the sand from getting into her forge she had in her home, although it was far smaller than normal ones and needed a lot of work.

No, it was the fact that she was losing so much time with this particular mission that aggravated her, made her wish that she could ask to be exempt from the roster for Front Gate Guard.  She knew it was fair for everyone to have a shift, and despite wanting to didn’t argue when she saw her name on the list, but not everyone was as busy as she was.  She had other missions, she had training, she had her crafting, and then if she managed to find just a hair bit of time, she might do some sort of hobby.  This Gate Guard was an eight-hour shift with some random ninja, and it was going to make today a complete wash, and her productivity was going to drop to an all-time low.

So, approaching the front gate her eyes quickly scanned the three people standing around, noting that two of them looked very tired.  She was just on time, barely making it before the clock clicked to the new hour, as she had already been up for a few and trying to get some work in before she left.  In her right hand was a single Senbon which she was idly twirling between her fingers, coming to a perfect stop between all three people.  “Alright… who is the lucky bastard stuck with me today?” she asked, her sarcasm thick in her tone.  The two who had been relieved shook their head and almost instantly walked back towards the main area of the village, while the one who remained found himself with Rowan turning towards him and giving him a full once over.

“Guess that answers that.  I’m Rowan Blackblade.  Jounin.  And you are?” she asked, trying to hide her annoyance but failing a bit, sounding rather agitated.

Calis of course was early, as he always was. The six foot tall genin stood with his black and white outfit. The white undergarment with the black hakama and kosode. As well as the white obi and haori with the Kazehana Clan symbol embroidered into the back of it. The man arrived at the gates and at his arrival the two men he had been stationed there for the night shift nodded to him and stood, stretching their arms as he spoke the formal phrase that all gate guards loved to hear. "You're relived." He would say, now normally this wouldn't be enough, as his partner would have to have arrived for them to be willing to go but given his clan and power the two men were more than willing to let him relieve them himself. They were even about to leave before the arrival of his guard duty partner. Who arrived twirling a senbon in her hands and spoke with heavy sarcasm in her tone. A single imperious eyebrow would lift upon Calis' features as the other two shook their head and left, moving towards the main gate of the village and into the village proper. Calis himself wouldn't take his eyes off of the red haired woman as she commented on how that answered her question and introduced herself.

Her agitation was clear and obvious but it was just as obvious that it wasn't due to him. After all how could it be? He had done nothing to her, hadn't even spoken to her yet and so she had no reason to dislike or be agitated with him. So he easily let her annoyance slide before speaking. Besides, as a Jounin she had the seniority and had every right to be agitated if she wanted to. She would be taking the lead on the mission by simple right of her rank and there was little he could do about it. "Calis Kazehana, Genin." He would say, giving her the same information she had given him. Which in his case would give a great deal more than her introduction had. Few in the village didn't know of the Kazehana Clan and their capabilities. He himself was considered one of, if not the strongest current Kazehana after the recent passing of his father. He was an individual who could control the very sands that surrounded them. They stood at the front gate of a village located within a Desert. Anyone who tried to enter this village unwelcome through this gate would find themselves outmatched almost assuredly and there was little they would be able to do about it.

Taking a seat silently he would sit at the desk and gesture for her to join him if she wished. It was her decision of course, they weren't required to sit. They weren't even technically required to be visible if they didn't wish it. They could even practice jutsu so long as they didn't endanger anyone and pointed them away from the village obviously. Idly he would begin to practice his own personal control of sand by manipulating multiple streams into circular patterns, three wheels effectively spinning in the air. "Why is it that you seem so agitated if I may ask Rowan-san?" He would ask, the honorific on her name being that of someone to an equal which he wasn't in military rank, but neither was she equal to him politically. He figured they would cancel out and his eyes as grey as rainclouds turned to her as he continued his control practice out of his own sight. He didn't need to see the sand to control it.

Rowan looked over the man before her, and despite all her grumblings, she was pretty observant and noted a few things that were relevant to her.  First was his height and the look of his face, which was just about the only part of him she could see.  He might have been a Genin, but he was half a foot taller than the red-head and appeared to be, at a guess, a bit older than she was.  The name Kazehana was synonymous with political power, and also meant that it was very possible that he possessed the ability to manipulate metal, which meant she would be at a significant disadvantage if they were to get into combat, but she wouldn’t be doing that if she could help it.  It had only taken a second to appraise the man and his introduction for her to come up with all of this, all the while continuing to twirl that Senbon in her fingers regardless, and even flipped it through the air end over end, catching it seamlessly in her other hand and continuing to twirl it there simply because her other hand was now grabbing the visitor’s log and running through the list of the names there.  One thing was bothering her in regards to the person she would have as a partner for the day, but that not a huge ordeal, if she was honest with herself.  She could deal with that soon enough when the timing was right.

Sliding the log away from her, she moved around to the chair and took a seat, still twirling that Senbon as he silently invited her.  He was respectful and polite, she had to give him that, and it was doing a number to deflate her agitation simply because it meant that she was not going to have to be annoyed by some random Genin kid that thought he was the next smoking thing in the village.  Having an adult to talk to, despite his rank, was very refreshing, and she had to admit that it was going to be at least more relaxing than normal.  Almost mimicking her idle fiddling with her steel needle, which was superior to anything found at the market despite it being one of her earlier, crude efforts and trash in comparison to what she could make now.  His abilities on full display only distracted her for a moment when his question made her draw in a breath and sigh, her anger further dissipating to almost non-existence.

She had said what she did to try to get a rise out of him, hopefully, get some argument and be able to redirect that agitation on him, but was glad he hadn’t risen to the occasion this time.  It was not fair of her, she knew, but she didn’t have anyone to really outlet this frustration to… or at least, she hadn’t before now.  But he was calmly waiting for her answer, and he couldn’t bring herself to be mad at him because he was right; it had nothing to do with him, truly.  “What is one thing in life you can never get back?”  She would let that question linger for a moment in the air before answering it herself.  “Time.  Other missions are very quick and decisive, something that if I put in a decent amount of effort, I can complete quickly and efficiently.  This one consumes vast amounts of time, and no amount of effort can hasten its completion.  Granted, it doesn’t make it any less important, but when you spend every waking moment trying to be as productive as possible, it’s real fuckin’ annoying when your name pops up on the list for this crap.  Doesn’t even pay as well as some other missions.”

She paused and gave him a once over, and the irritation in her brown eyes seemed to soften as Rowan locked eyes with him.  “At least you aren’t some kid who thinks he’s hot shit.  Nice to have a duty with an adult for once, so… thanks for that I guess…”  She then went back to looking out over the endless sands, still twirling her Senbon as an unconscious almost fidget motion.

As they sat at the desk they would be occupying for the next eight hours and he introduced himself and asked his simple question the woman's anger would vanish. Well, less anger and more agitation of course, but it all amounted to the same really. He sat there, sitting straight, storm cloud gray eyes meeting her eyes without fear as she spoke. She started by asking him a question, he was about to answer, not quite sure if it rhetorical or not. However before he could open his mouth to do so she would answer it herself before continuing on. So, it would seem his superior in this mission felt that this mission was overly long. Of course it was going to be that way for awhile. The Village was freshly formed after all and it needed to build up a corps of strong shinobi. However for the moment it lacked many of those numbers and as such the requirements of village security would fall squarely upon those that they did have. That meant the gate guard shift was quite long, simply because there weren't all that many names of shinobi on that last that could reliably and safely perform the task.

Reliably in that they could catch those who might be trying to sneak into the newly formed village to cause havoc. Safely in that they could not only ascertain those were trying to do but also apprehend them with minimal danger to themselves or others. With a village as new as Sunagakure it was quite common to see people trying to sneak in, small groups, even large ones, trying to get into the place to wreak havoc. The problem with gate duty is that unlike wall guard duty some people were actually supposed to be able to come in. Which meant they had to be scrutinized and checked out with them before they could enter. It made it the preferred place for people to try to get in. Successfully get your hands on a visitors badge and you had another layer of protection for your nefarious deeds. Since by all accounts you had been scrutinized at the gate and found able to enter. That was why the mission was so important, and the lack of capable enough shinobi at this time to fulfill it were why the shifts were so long.

Still, Calis could understand the desire to be doing something else, hell anything else. He personally would rather be at the clan compound, consolidating power for when he claimed the leadership position. The recent passing of his father meant the position was open and many within the clan would want it. However moving too soon took the wrong note given the previous leaders recent passing. Not only that but there was the courtesy of allowing Calis the opportunity to take his fathers position if he felt he was strong enough. Which Calis of course did, however the Kazehana Empire had been riddled with corruption and dark dealings. Which meant that it was entirely possible that the moment he took the position he himself would be the target of assassination plots, if he wasn't already. So he took advantage of the time given openly due to trying to be respectful to the late leader, and the time he would be given to consider his options before making a decision. He would remove opposition quietly, either diverting them politically, or physically before claiming the position. If he held it for a month or so without opposition he would have the time he would need to solidify his powerbase and then removing him would be quite difficult for those who sought the position for themselves.

So to say that Calis was content to let a full eight hour day go by without being able to work on any of that would be a 'bit' of an understatement. So the dark haired man would simply nod his head toward Rowan in agreement with her thoughts. "It is grating I admit, but necessary." He would say simply before she would comment on him not being some kid that thought he was hot shit. His nostrils would flare briefly as he gave an amused snort at the thought. "Those who openly brag about their capabilities are those first removed from game. I have no need of braggadocio when my actions and capabilities speak for words." He would say turning toward the horizon. A dark shape moved across the desert toward the village, someone was coming although it was too far for him to make out what it was. Too big to be a single individual, a caravan maybe? Possible, many were coming in these days brining supplies or even people. Many were moving to Sunagakure now that it was a haven in the desert. People wanted that safety, and people flocked to it in numbers. It also made for ample opportunity to sneak into the village if they could.

When Calis agreed with her, Rowan could tell he was just about as agitated as she was, but wasn’t showing it, and that made her take another breath and sigh.  It wasn’t like she cared all that much that she showed her emotions a little more openly and thus was seen as less professional as a result.  In her eyes, she simply acted like who she was and did what she wanted to do as a result, and if someone had a problem with it they could take a nap in quicksand.  The redhead did manage a small smile as the larger man made a comment about the braggarts she normally had to work with as well as an appreciative nod.  She was about to continue that line of thought and give him a compliment regarding his wisdom and such, but wouldn’t you know it, something distracted her from being able to project any level of positivity… that being something approaching the gate in the distance.

She squinted, standing up out of her chair and leaning to try to get a better look, thinking about what it could be as her mind rapidly ran that shape against what she had seen before, but wasn’t quite able to identify it.  Still twirling her Senbon in her hand, and walking out towards the middle of the path, feeling the warm sun on her skin.  Long since used to the heat between growing up in the desert and working in the forge, the only annoyance was how bright it could be at times, and she pondered for a moment or two more.  “And what do you suppose that is rolling our way?” she asked, curious if maybe he knew something she didn’t.  Having seen his display earlier with his own abilities and knowing what Rowan herself was capable of, she knew for a fact that most anything short of an actual Bijuu coming at the gates was going to be met with a complete and utter defeat if it had any hostile intent.  Maybe an army would be problematic… but even then.

The very desert was their weapon, and Rowan was no slouch either.  The senbon in her hand could be thrown with enough precision to make someone wish for death with hardly any effort at all.  But maybe she was just hoping for a little action to make the time pass with something interesting… but chances were it was something far more mundane and normal.

When she saw what he did she would stand and move to middle of the path as she tried to study what she was seeing and make out what it was. A senbon twirled between her fingers as she moved and asked what he thought it was. His eyes fell upon the shape in the distance as he slowly came closer and became more clear. Large crates and trunks were stacked on top of whatever it was and that confirmed his suspicions as he nodded to himself. "Seemingly a caravan. Perhaps of people moving to Sunagakure now that a bastion of safety has been carved out of the sands for people." He would say as he continued sitting his elbows on the table and his hands steepled in front of him as they waited. Eventually the caravan would arrive, three large wagon, ponderously stacked but not tied off for something. This would cause Calis to tilt his head to the side a bit in curiosity at that. Most wouldn't leave their things not tied off in a desert. The only reason to do so was to make it easier to open for some reason but that shouldn't matter if they were moving.

Raising an imperious eyebrow at the greasy little man in the lead wagon Calis would call out to him as the man was staring at Rowan appreciatively. "And how might we help you today sir?" He would ask, the man would blink down at Calis in confusion before speaking, his accent from the southern reaches of the Land of Wind. "Ah, well sir we're here to move to Sunagakure, we hope to make uh, a better life for ourselves in this place so that we can live in peace." He would say, causing a nod from Calis after he spoke. "Great, we'll just need to search the wagons and then you can sign in and be on your way in." He would say, causing the man to pause and look around nervously. "S-Search the wagons?" He would say, prompting a nod from Calis. "Of course, every crate and chest will have to opened and inspected of course. We'll move as quickly as we an be do keep in mind that there are only two of us here. We'll be as efficient as we can so please, have patience with us and stay in your seat." He would say, watching the man with raincloud gray eyes as the man licked his lips in nervousness.

"Surely we can avoid such a thing? I'm sure I could make it worth your.." He would begin before Calis cut him off. "The intent to bribe us only causes us to have to search your chests even more sir. I'm afraid you'll find no mercy here for such things." He would say, raising an eyebrow in curiosity before the man spat to the side and stomped his feet on the floor of his seat. Immediately afterwards every crate and chest would shift and open revealing an armed man or woman inside. The backs of the wagon would open, showing them to simply be disguised carriages rather than wagons and move would come out of each. Before long a few dozen men and women, all dirty and scruffy, wielding knives and rust pitted swords would stand before them. "We're taking the village! Die!" The man would call.

Calis wouldn't even move, wouldn't even move from his chair or position, hands still steepled in front of him as he spoke. "Rowan, don't move please." He would say simply, before channeling chakra into the desert around them. First, the greasy man from before and another would be grasped by cocoons of sand and held aloft, the prisons floating to float behind Calis. Their forms would be restrained and only the two men's faces could be seen as they struggled. Then from in front of the desk, stretching to in front of Rowan a great tidal wave of sand would come up and move across the area from in front of them, leaving Calis and her safe. The same could not be said against those who stood before them. The tidal wave of sand would crush them beneath it's force and weight, carriages, bandits, and all. When it was all said and done the scene before them looked no different than it had before. The carriages crushed into fragments, buried in the sand while the bandits corpses were nowhere to be seen, also buried in the sand, claimed by the desert itself. "Well this shift is certainly on to an interesting start wouldn't you say?" He would ask simply before leaning his head on his hand and looking moderately bored.

A caravan indeed. But she was still suspicious. Even if they were completely honest and were just trying to seek safety within without a shred of ill will, they were potential customers of Rowan’s, and they definitely didn’t look like they were here to buy anything. But aside from that, as ‘potential customers’ she wanted to get a judge for their character to see if they would negatively impact the village that she called home. Three large wagons; Rowan was first to notice how things weren’t tied down, and even the crates weren’t nailed shut. A single wind-storm, which were incredibly common, and all of their cargo would be lost to the desert. As if that wasn’t bad enough the body language was something that was a dead giveaway. Not wanting to be searched was normal, but the nervous response was something else entirely; she wasn’t exactly thrilled with getting her own shipments looked through, but that was irritation, not nervousness.

The senbon in her hand stopped twirling as she held the long needle for a moment, considering her options to expose them. Luckily, it seemed that it wasn’t needed, because her Genin partner was more than capable, and even responded properly to the man trying to bribe them… although she wondered for a moment where they had this money hiding. She wouldn’t mind taking it off of their corpses and putting it to good use. When the force emerged, Rowan still did nothing, but her expression turned to one of annoyance until Calis asked her not to move. Considering his skills, she had a fair idea of what he planned, and made a simple judgement call; “Leave two alive.” A simple enough command, and she watched the spectacle before her as Calis flexed his abilities through the very sands, effectively burying them all. She mutely hoped that one of the captives had this ‘bribe money’ on their persons, or it was lost, which was going to grate on her nerves, but she couldn’t fault Calis for that, only her own silence.

After the dust settled, she looked to the leader and reached up, grabbing him by the throat through the sand, not caring about it in the slightest; Calis wouldn’t hurt her, she was certain. “Any more of you out there coming this way?” she asked calmly, an edge in her voice. The man inhaled and made an attempt to spit at her, but didn’t make it that far as the redhead side-stepped and put the steel needle in the man’s neck, causing him to stop breathing entirely. “So, not sure if you noticed, but you aren’t in a position to do anything but answer my questions. Now, you have about a minute before he runs out of air.” She turned her attention to the other captive. “You need to answer quickly or he will suffocate and die, and I’ll ensure your end is slow.” She waited patiently, not disturbed at all by the choking sounds the first man was making, her brown eyes cold as steel.

As she spoke the order he was already separating the two from the group, their forms floating above the sand and stuck within cocoons as he held them as he wiped out the rest of their forces. The evidence of their arrival was gone. The carts utter destructions as well as the destruction of the individual carts was clear to the men as they would have had a first class view to what they had simply attempted to do and just how suicidal of an endeavor it had been no less. Calis looked toward the men he had captured. Rowan was at them, talking to them and more or less interrogating them. One would attempt to spit at her and she would shove a needle in the man's throat, blocking off his airway. While she did that, Calis would utilize his sand, the sand they were currently stuck inside of no less, to remove any equipment from their persons. A few rusty weapons was all they seemed to have as the cocoons expelled them to the ground. As she interrogated them he would simply remain quiet. There was no need for him to talk at this point and him being silent implied cohesion between himself and Rowan that they honestly did not quite have. A fact which might not have been lost on the captives previously.

The one with the needle jammed in his throat was making pained choking sounds and Calis considered the actions before noting that he could probably do better. Nothing made someone spill information like feeling an increase in pressure throughout their entire body. Slowly making the press of the sand heavier and heavier until it crushed them into what one might charitably might call 'salsa'. Still he would allow her to handle this. She was the higher ranked one after all, and besides, someone still had to watch the road and gate. As Rowan interrogated the second one, threatening him with a slow and painful death the man would splutter sand from his mouth before speaking. "Hundreds! Thousands! We were going to cut you in on the profit one the village was dealt with. We'd have plenty of money to divide out. Now you'll all die if you don't let us go!" He would scream, his voice becoming frantic. Calis would chuckle at the obvious lie in the man's tone. He was desperate to survive, and trying to put a sudden, larger threat that was 'punish them for not letting him go.' Except the obviously overinflated numbers gave them the real answer as easily as if he had just said 'No.' He had also confirmed there was no bribe money. That they would have paid them out of the 'success of their mission' effectively. Which was to ransack Sunagakure it would seem. Calis simply kept a careful eye on the path to the village as he let whatever would happen, happen.