First Mission, A Brush with Death

-3192 words-

[Year 47, Kazekage office]

It's been a month since they graduated and Souei can't help but be frustrated.

When he was officially given the title of Shinobi, he was hoping to finally get out of the village to see the world. See the different people and get some action. He was looking forward to eradicating bandit camps, raiding enemy encampments, or even hunt some rogue ninja in his spare time.

He's heard stories of the missions his Aunt and Uncle do on a daily basis and he's anxious to do the same. And so, he made his displeasure known in the Kage office, during the time when his team is supposed to get a new mission.

"C'mon Aunt Chiyo! We didn't spend years learning the diverse ways to kill a man in the academy to spend our time picking up trash and walking dogs! Give us something more exciting, dammit!" He said, ignoring his aunt's spiel about the appropriate manners to have in front of the Kazekage.

The man himself just chuckled, seemingly amused at Souei's frustrations. He then looked towards Ishito who just stood there stoically.

"Well Ishito, do you think they're ready for a higher ranking mission?"

Ishito looked from the Kazekage, before turning to his students.

Rasa was standing there with his arms crossed, his face impassive but everyone could tell he was also getting irritated with the constant D-Ranks. Souei however, knew he was just as excited as he was about the prospect of a real mission.

Rukia was a lot more vocal with her eagerness, her head bobbing up and down when Ishito glanced at her. Every single one of them wanted to test their skills out in the field.

That's why he wasn't that surprised when Ishito said yes, and nodded towards the Kazekage.

"Very well then. Chiyo?" Ryushi, the Third Kazekage, said before turning to the woman beside him.

Chiyo just sighed before picking up a scroll from a nearby cabinet. "A simple bandit extermination mission. Recently, there is a bandit group that holed themselves near the border between the Land of Wind and and the Land of Rivers. Your mission is to locate their base and eliminate them." She finished, gaining a pensive look at the end.

Souei grinned in excitement at hearing the mission details before he paused in realization. This wasn't some ordinary C-Rank. But also the place where he'd most likely get his first kill.

His nervous expression was noticed by all the adults in the room, along with his teammates. Both Rasa and Rukia also realized the true nature of the mission quickly, as they both also became anxious.

Souei looked up as he felt a hand on the top of his head. "Don't worry, I'll be with you every step of the way." His sensei said in an uncharacteristic gentle voice. He then ruffled Souei's hair in reassurance before accepting the scroll from Chiyo's hand and reading it.

Souei saw the man nod before turning to him and his friends. "We'll leave tomorrow. Meet me at the village gates at 8 a.m sharp and don't be late. I won't tolerate slackers."

"Yes, sensei!"

Souei and his friends were soon dismissed from the office. Looking into the adults' expressions, it seems they have something they wanted to discuss that's classified to genin like them. After throwing his aunt a goodbye wave, he and his teammates left the room and went their separate ways to prepare themselves accordingly for the mission tomorrow.

— Marionette of Suna —

"So what's the situation?" Ishito asked the moment the three genin left the office. Both Lady Chiyo and Lord Ryushi straightened and gained serious looks.

"Troubling. Both Konoha and Iwa are making moves. Preparations are being made for a greater conflict than we originally realized." the Third Kazekage said, arms folded in front of him.

"Requests for weapons and exploding tags have increased, their border security has been tightened, and there are even a lot of ninja movements across their own territory." Chiyo added. "Tensions have been rising in recent years between the Shinobi Villages, and we suspect it won't be long for another war to pop up."

Ishito sighed as heard the news. He was one those who were unlucky enough to be born in an era of war. He was forced to learn how to fight and kill from an early age, and his days were filled with nothing more but battle and conflict. It was a way of life he wouldn't wish on anyone.

But this is the world they live in. And if he doesn't fight, that would mean more people would have to suffer.

"How long do we have?" He asked his two superiors.

"Five years? Maybe less." The Kazekage shrugged, his face coming into a frown. "It's hard to tell. The main instigators of the war right now are definitely Konoha and Iwa, but there's no telling which other countries will involve themselves. For all we know, Kiri and Kumo are already preparing their forces in secret."

"Which means that when the time comes, we'll have to split our forces accordingly. Luckily, we only share the borders to the Land of Earth and the Land of Fire, with smaller countries in between." Ishito commented.

"Indeed, the Land of Water is too far away to cause us problems, and the Land of Lightning is located on the other side of the Land of Fire. Which means they have to get past Konoha first, before they get to us." Chiyo agreed before sharing her thoughts. "But that doesn't mean we could just write them off. They are two of the five great Shinobi Villages."

*Shinobi World Map picture here*

"Agreed, It's also about time we make our own preparations." Ryushi said as he eyed his two most trusted aides. "Call in the council. Let us begin the discussion."

.

.

It was late into the night when the meeting was adjourned. The discussions covered all the preparations they would need to do in regards to the upcoming war.

The next few years would be harsh times, and Ishito knew it. However, at least the next generation showed more promise than ever, and that was something he would protect at all costs.

[The next day]

Continuing his steady pace, Ishito Kazoku made his way toward the village gates, eager to get this mission over and done with.

He had been in many missions before, one with his own genin team a long time ago, and even when his skills grew and he became Jonin where he led his own squad of Shinobi. But back then, each and every one of them were experienced and capable shinobi in their own right, this is the first time where the members he's leading are newly minted genin.

This mission would be rough, especially considering the nature of it. To this day, Ishito still remembers his first kill. It isn't something one ever forgets after all. It was during the war, the first great war, they called it, where he was forced to take a life to protect his own. It was necessary, doesn't mean it had to feel good.

Now coming up on the rendezvous point, Ishito thought of the individual members of team 11.

First, there was Souei Matsuri. A great shinobi with plenty of potential. His Kekkei Genkai is developing nicely and has a good head on his shoulders. However, lacks motivation and a clear goal. Was pushed to the ninja path, due to pressure of coming from a prominent clan no doubt, that made him still confused on the path he would take.

Clearly needs proper guidance, not just from him, but also a good teammate and rival that could push him in the right direction.

Then there was Rasa, the civilian-born genius who probably has the scariest potential. The boy could become a Ninjutsu Demon, especially considering his affinity to not one, not two, but three chakra natures. The only thing holding him back right now is control, but it's not too much of an issue. He's still young afterall and has plenty of time to grow into his prime. Stoic and generally emotionless, it's hard to get a read on him if you don't know what you're looking for. But Ishito is experienced enough in that field to recognize the signs.

And last, but certainly not least, Rukia Hoku. A unique case if he's ever seen one, her abilities are ones never seen before, and Ishito is curious how she will develop these powers. Sensory techniques based on the wind around her, an innate connection to an element, and a budding medic trained under the healers of the Hoku clan. The only thing holding her back is her somewhat below average chakra reserves.

There's no doubt that with proper nurturing, this trio of shinobi will one day be the ones to lead the next generation. And that job fell onto him. Sighing at the troublesomeness of it all, Ishito sped up to reach the location of the meeting.

He arrived not a few seconds later, spotting his team standing underneath the massive gates to the village, waiting for his arrival.

"Good, you're all here."

His three students then walked up to him, all showing various kinds of excitement and anxiousness.

"Do you all have everything you need?" He asked, as all three showed their scrolls and packs they're bringing on the mission.

"Very well. Let's move."

Ishito immediately disappeared from his spot, with all three students following him from behind.

— Marionette of Suna —

Taking in a slow breath, Souei moved through the huge rock outcroppings in the valley that the bandits took to as their camp location.

He, Rasa, and Rukia were positioned to surround the camp from three sides. The plan was to take out as many as they can stealthily and be prepared if or when all hell breaks loose.

In the clearing below, he saw the group of bandits milling about. Some were talking by the fire and others were walking without purpose. He counted 22 in total, but there could always be more in the tents themselves.

Ishito Sensei opted to not participate in the fight at all, and would only interfere just in case of an emergency.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he mentally prepared himself for the task at hand.

"All for the mission." Souei muttered bitterly as he shaped his hand like a pistol and took aim at a bandit who was isolated from his allies.

'Bullet String'

He let loose a condensed bullet of string that pierced its way through the bandits head, killing him instantly. The body landed with a thud, blood pooling around his head where it was pierced. Souei forced himself to not think about it, distracting himself by looking into the rest of the camp and noting that no one seemed to notice a thing.

Quickly swinging towards another vantage point, he took aim again and took out as many bandits as he could. To the side, he noticed how a group of bandits were swallowed by a pit of golden sand. He could also see Rukia, stealthily entering one of the tents in the camp and exiting with a bloody kunai. He also noticed how she shook with every step but chose to ignore it. After all, he was in the same boat.

Soon enough, there were only the ones out in the open left. Ones that were seemingly impossible to kill quietly. Souei glanced at his two teammates and saw them nod. Being the only one of them with deadly and quiet long range capabilities, he quickly opted for the role of sniper for the mission.

Noting how they were both in position, Souei immediately let loose a lot of condensed string bullets onto the bulk of the enemy, hitting one who looked like he was in charge along with a few others who were unfortunate enough to catch his attention.

'Bullet String: Rapid Fire'

Countless strings met their targets as the bandits started to fall. The survivors, ones that Souei didn't have a clear shot on, immediately started to panic seeing their comrades killed left and right.

They didn't give the bandits a time to recover, as in their confusion, Rukia and Rasa burst into action, quickly finishing off the rest of the bandits. Rukia accurately threw a flurry of wind-enhanced shuriken that shredded the surviving bandits while Rasa buried them into mounds of golden sand.

Souei lowered his arms as he studied the clearing below him. All the bandits were defeated and he, Rasa, and Rukia were practically uninjured. He wanted to call out his teammates when Rukia suddenly swerved her head towards his location and screamed.

"Souei! Move!"

Trusting his teammate, he instinctively summoned strings from his back that pulled him aside from the rapidly crumbling rock tower. Landing in a heap, he scanned himself for injuries and sighed in relief when he found none. 'How did I do that? I thought I could only summon strings from my fingers?'

Shaking his head from the apparently new development of his Thread Release, he looked back into the dust cloud that happened after the crash.

A sudden breeze revealed a burly man in his mid 30s. One that Souei recognized from the bingo book that Aunt Chiyo once showed him. This was a B ranked missing nin, former Jonin of Iwa, Takai Orado. Wanted for insubordination and murder of his fellow shinobi.

The man was slowly approaching Souei with a deranged grin on his face. He then quickly did some hand signs before slamming his palm to the ground. Immediately the large pillars around him morphed into three Rock Golems that stood four times Souei's height.

"Earth Style: Rock Golem!"

The golems then charged towards him, shaking the ground with each step. Souei immediately acted as he quickly stood up and backflipped away from the fist that smashed into his position.

Suddenly, golden sand burst through the ground as tendrils latched onto the golems. The sand underneath them also started sinking, already the golems are knee deep as the quicksand is quickly swallowing them. Sneaking a glance, he could see Rasa with his hand outstretched commanding the gold dust to his bidding. "Go, I have this."

Souei quickly nodded and looked at the Rock-Nin's direction, the man currently engaging Rukia in a taijutsu match. It was obvious however, that his teammate was losing. Quickly deciding to come to her aid, he connected strings towards the ground before taking a few steps back and catapulted himself towards the fight. Switching positions mid-flight, he then slammed legs first into the man's side with the power of a rampaging bull, strong enough to launch him sideways into the ground.

"Thanks." A slightly bloodied Rukia commented.

To his credit, the missing nin recovered quickly and managed to stand up to his full height. "You…damn brat!"

Both Souei and Rukia suddenly choked hard, killing intent being blasted into them from the Iwa Shinobi. Souei couldn't think of anything, not used to feeling the horrible energy as it filled the clearing. He grit his teeth trying to force his body to move, but it just felt sluggish.

He was about to fall to his knees when the intent dissipated, Souei was breathing hard before he looked up to see the face of his teacher looking at him in concern. Sneaking a look past his sensei, the headless body of Takai Orado lay on the ground. A crumble of rocks to the side which Souei presumes to be the rock golems that were dispatched long ago.

'So this is the strength of an S-Rank ninja, huh?' were Souei's last thoughts as he fell unconscious.

— Marionette of Suna —

Ishito studied the three Genin he took under his wing. They were currently camping next to a river on their way back to the village. It was just a few hours ago that they finished their first mission outside the village and an hour since Souei and Rukia regained consciousness after being subjected to Killing Intent.

Honestly, it wasn't supposed to end that way. It was supposed to be another regular mission where they would get their first kill and get a taste of what it's like taking a life for the first time.

They arrived at the bandit camp, and after talking strategy, he let his students loose. Not taking an opponent himself to let his students finish the job.

A B-Rank Missing nin was never supposed to appear in a C-Rank Mission. It was called a C-Rank since there were no chances of fighting another shinobi. And of course it was his team that got the short end of the stick in terms of luck.

At first he wanted to interfere, but stopped himself. Taking this as an opportunity to test his team. They did well, initially. Rasa determined that he was the best bet in restraining the Golems and left subduing the shinobi to Souei and Rukia. And Souei did well in using the element of surprise to land a blow on the enemy.

But he immediately decided to intercept the moment the man blasted his killing intent indiscriminately throughout the field.

He immediately rushed forwards, Mukade already moving and used its sharp talons to decapitate him in a single move.

He himself moved in tandem with the centipede to aid his auburn haired genin against the golems.

That was a few hours ago, and now that the three have taken the time to reflect on their actions, the fact that they took a life are finally gearing into their minds.

Rukia seemed to have a faraway look on her face, and was obviously replaying the events in her mind as she kept trying to clean her weapons of nonexistent blood.

Rasa was as stoic as ever, but Ishito could tell he was shaken from the experience.

Souei however, seems to have walked out of everything relatively okay. He guesess that's what happens when you have a famed medical ninja as an aunt. This must not have been the first time the boy has seen death.

There were moments in the mission where they could have done better, but now is not the time to talk about them. No, now is the time for him to become the sensei to his three students.

Having children get their first kills at such a young age is not something he's particularly proud about, but there's nothing he could do about it now.

They'll all grow stronger from this experience. He's sure of it.

——————————————————————————————————————

Hey folks!

Chapter done with first missions ending it.

Talks about conflict from other nations are starting to appear and it seems like the second shinobi war is quickly approaching.

Massive time skip next chapter, expect the trio to be stronger than they are now.

Advanced chapters and other benefits on my Patr_eon! Make sure to check it out.

P atr eon.com /TeemVizzle

(Remove the spaces)

Anyways, that's all for today.

Cheers!

Trivia: Realistically, how big of a threat were the Akatsuki to the Shinobi world?