Asuka Koizumi and Fuyuko Wakahisa
"That's too bad. I was looking forward to seeing them in action in the field. If we're going after a dangerous target, I'm sure our sensei has given her decision a lot of thought."
Glancing up, Fuyuko spotted her blond-haired student throwing the leftovers from his lunch away. The mere sight of this boy made her eye twitch as she recalled the last moments of the paper hunting test. Although the incident could be referred to as an 'accident' (even though it was technically Fuyuko's own fault), the woman wasn't going to forget this for the next thirty years or so. The embarrassment of being defeated by a Genin in front of another bunch of Genin was enough to create a grudge that Fuyuko would hold on Reiji for the rest of her life. Fist clenched in her pocket, Fuyuko put up a fake smile, waving towards the boy.
"Hello there, Reiji. I see you're… late, as usual."
Tilting her head, Fuyuko looked over at Asuka and Seichi, sighing. Well, at least these two managed to make it at a more 'appropriate' time…
"Well, now that everyone's here, I'm guessing we should be setting off then! We should arrive at Yugakure in about… three to four hours or so? Also, if any of you need to take a piss, then do it now. I don't want to keep our client waiting to get her throat slit, so we're not pausing for toilet breaks or anything of the sort."
Turning her back from the others, Fuyuko stared onwards at the dirt path. Before the others could utter another word, she was already up and running ahead of them.
"Oh right. I hope you're feeling better Fuyuko-sensei. I'm sorry again for what happened."
Stopping in her tracks, Fuyuko tilted her head towards Reiji, eye twitching in irritation. "Ye-Yeah! It's fine. Totally fine. Just, y'know, forget about for now."
Looking back at the path shadowed by trees, Fuyuko grimaced.
Damn brats… It's not like I signed up to get shot in the head by some fuzzy haired bastard!
"Fuyuko-sensei, do you mind if I ask you a question?"
Lifting her head from her book, Fuyuko glanced over at Asuka. "Sure, go ahead."
"Well, I don't exactly recall you telling us what the aim of our mission is… I saw you talking to Seichi-kun earlier, but I didn't really think you were discussing the mission with him at the time…"
"Oh, right!" Fuyuko responded, turning her head back to the two boys behind her. "Seichi here knows about the mission already, but I might as well repeat myself while you and Reiji are around."
Putting a slightly more serious face on, Fuyuko lowered her hand. "There's a certain someone we've been sent to eliminate that's been causing trouble over at Yugakure, and we've been asked to deal with it. The thing is, we barely know anything about this certain someone… The only thing we're well aware of is that they've been carrying out random murders for the past week."
"I see…"
Grinning, Fuyuko placed a hand on the girl's head, ruffling the hairs on top of her head. "Don't get too tensed up though. Yugakure doesn't have that many ninja residing in it, so whatever threat we're dealing with hopefully shouldn't be too big of a deal."
Hopefully.
Letting out a small relieved sigh, Asuka's muscles relaxed. All of this was quite a lot to take in, even for the young Koizumi herself. This was her first ever mission as a Genin, yet the high ranking said otherwise. However, she believed she was prepared this time. If she were to let herself lose focus, then everyone's life could be on the line. This wasn't just fun and games at the Academy anymore. This was serious business, and Asuka had to be ready for it.
Just stay focused and moving. This is a serious, actual mission; anything could happen at any second. For the next three or four hours, I need to stay on guard. If something does happen to crop up on the way, at least I'll be prepared for it.
I just hope all four of us get there in one piece.
"And I thought our client would already be here waiting for us… Jeez…"
Posting herself against a wall, Fuyuko examined the area. Much more quieter than she had expected, but she was sure that was to be expected from a small hidden village such as this one. The villagers seemed as though they were scuttling in and out of their homes like frightened mice, travelling around cautiously between the alleyways. Something like this wouldn't go unnoticed by Fuyuko that easily.
"Ten minutes and our client hasn't arrived yet… Does she expect us to wait out here until sunset or something?" the tall woman mumbled.
From the darkening shadows, a figure seemed to materialise, no more than a head smaller than Fuyuko. The person's sudden appearance made the woman jolt back, putting her hands to her mouth to hold in her squeals. Looking up at Fuyuko, Asuka sighed.
I thought Fuyuko-sensei would be used to these sorts of… surprises by now. I mean, she is a Jōnin…
"Ah, please forgive me. You four must be from Konohagakure, right?" a hoarse, yet sickly sweet voice asked. Stepping out of the dark, a light skinned woman with dark brown hair flowing all the way down to her waist smiled. Her bony hands were clutched around the handles of a small bag, looking as if they were going to keep on tightening until her nails pierced through her skin.
"Oh, excuse me, I haven't even introduced myself yet! My name is Hitomi Kawaguchi, the one who requested for you to come here."
