[Graded]Demolition Duty

[Valkier]

Hayashi scanned the mission scroll in his hands briefly, a relaxed smile touching his face. He stood just outside the main gates of Konohagakure, leaning against one of the large wooden spars that bordered the wide thoroughfare. His eyes took in the passing crowd with only minimal effort, searching the faces of passers-by for signs of Fanho, his student. One of them, anyway, and the latest to carry the worn Jounin's pride. He'd seen the lad depressingly little since his promotion to Chuunin, partly due to his own commitment to teaching his own children now that they were ninja - or training to be so, in young Tetsuya's case - but also undoubtedly stemming from Fanho's own commitments. He had to remind himself that the boy - no, the man - wasn't a fresh academy graduate anymore. It seemed like only a week ago that he'd been standing on a training field with a freshly-polished forehead protector during their first days together.

The smile deepened, and while he waited for the boy to show his eyes returned again to the mission scroll. That too sent a wave of contentment through him. A B-rank assignment was a step above a lot of the assignments he'd been dispatched on during the last few years; for a long time now he'd been almost entirely relegated to supporting his students rather than pursuing difficult objectives himself. A B-rank task was a gentle re-entry into the world he still found himself craving - and he would certainly need the practise if he were to take up Natsuki Takeo's recent offer of a position amid the village ANBU.

What's more, the assignment was in Tea country. A pleasant nation of green trees, rolling fields, and quiet towns. Aside from the relatively simple task of demolishing a series of crucial land-bridges beyond any hope of repair, the assignment almost felt like a holiday. Almost. And he planned to reconnect with his student all the while.

[Director]

Fanho had read his mission scroll as his eyes lazily read until he reached the portion of who he would be preforming the mission with. As his eyes fell upon his partner this time his face lit up, waking him up almost immediately as he got excited. For the longest time Fanho was apart from his teacher, Hayashi, particularly after his promotion he began being sent on tasks of his own. After the invasion Konoha had been hurting, and for the rebuilding process a lot of the newly promoted shinobi were sent on mission after mission to gain funds to fulfill the need. A lot of the Senju shinobi had been put on hold, so they could help rebuild houses. Fanho like many of the of the others was on duty during the time of the invasion, but unlike most he had came face to face with one of the S-rank criminals, so close he could feel his breath. But Fanho was spared by the criminal, by some sort of means, he didn't really know or care. He had lived to fight another day, and protect his family, friends, and village.

However his thoughts turned back towards his old teacher Hayashi. And older man, ready to teach, fight, and help others learn from their mistakes. In Fanho's eyes, he was the best Jounin in the village, one who didn't see faults or mistakes, but learning opportunities. While as a Chuunin, Fanho was more skilled, adaptable, and felt he could give his old teacher a good run for his money. Way better than he could have ever as a genin, certainly could challenge him, and provide a decent fight. A B-rank assignment with his old teacher would prove to be a great bonding experience, and allow the two to demonstrate the skills they've honed for some time. As he grew closer to the big looming gates of Konoha, a smirk grew across his face as he darted quickly to the wall surrounding Konoha decently away from his teacher so he couldn't see him. Fanho's plan was to surprise his teacher with a small joke.

Fanho quickly channeled chakra to his feet as he walked up the wall a few stories up so his teacher searching through the crowds wouldn't see him as he snuck up behind him. He slowly walked down while still clinging to the wall as he attempted to be as stealthy as possible. As he grew closer to his teacher he'd crouch down while his feet clung to the wall as he gave a shrug, and a playful frown as he gestured towards all the people. "Find the right person yet, or do I still have to wait on you?" His playful frown would grow into a large smirk as his teacher took notice of him. With Hayashi noticing Fanho's presence, he'd stop channeling chakra to his feet as he flipped in the air gracefully landing on the ground with a soft thud. "Its been too long Hayashi-sensei." Fanho said with a stupidly happy expression on his face. He was happy and excited to be working with his teacher, it truly had been too long since the two last had been together.

Jutsu UsedShow

*[Basic Jutsu • Act of Tree Climbing]
D-Ranked Ninjutsu
By focusing chakra into his/her feet, the user is able to walk up trees and other vertical surfaces in a similar fashion to walking along the ground. This chakra amount must be precise, and although all shinobi learn this technique, the user's control stat will determine how well this jutsu can be executed. Users with low control 2 or lower will often fall during the use of this technique, while users with average control 3 or higher will be able to use this technique functionally. It lasts for a number of posts equal to the user's stamina stat times 3.

[Valkier]

Hayashi had never been one to waste much time, even while waiting. Once his eyes had grown bored of scouring the mission scroll, he'd pulled a small book from his travel pouch and quickly set to devouring that, too. It was a compact dossier introducing a novel new combat style, and while it could have used more explanation, it was still fascinating to someone like he. It'd been written by a monk, a former martial artist out in the wider expanse of Hi no Kuni, but even so he found traces of technique in there that reminded him strongly of one of his older students, Takeo. This realisation was the cause of the smile on his face as Fanho ducked down adjacent to his head and made his friendly jibe.

"I don't know," he replied smoothly while turning a page, failing to jump or react in any way to Fanho's sudden arrival. He'd been surprised on the inside, but what sort of example would he set if he allowed anyone else to see it?
"I'm waiting for some rag-tag student of mine," he continued idly without turning to look at Fanho, as if he were simply speaking his mind to some random passer-by, "a small lad, scruffy, impulsive, and a real handful. Maybe you've seen hi-- Oh, hello Fanho." He looked to side casually as if chatting with someone perched horizontally on the side of the village outer wall was perfectly normal. Given some types within the village, it probably was in a way. "Sorry, thought you were someone else." He cracked a wide grin, then slipped the book back into his pouch and dusted himself off.

"Far too long, lad! You've grown!" The last was said with an approving smile as he realised, once Fanho was standing on the ground normally beside him. "It's great to see you, I look forward to seeing how far you've come in your training."

"Are you familiar with the mission already? We can talk it over as we go, if you like." He brandished the mission-scroll for a moment, then pocketed that too. "Shall we?" he nodded to the open road, stretching out away from the village until it was lost to the thick canopy of trees, then smiled as he began walking away from the village hidden in the leaves.

[Director]

Fanho's grin grew as it stupidly plastered his face with joy. Man, had he really spent too much time apart. He hadn't realized how long he had gone without at least meeting up with his sensei. While the two had been apart Fanho was already halfway done with his Chuunin career, and still only sixteen years old. In all fairness it had been several years since Fanho had been able to meet-up with his sensei, on the bright side a mission was perfect for the two as it allowed Hayashi to get back in the field, and Fanho to spend time with his favorite sensei. As Fanho's feet clacked with the ground and resurfaced to face Hayashi. By this point he was only four inches shorter than Hayashi, and quite soon would probably surpass him in height.

He gave a playful smirk of disapproval at the impulsive comment. He had to guess his self control was significantly better than as a kid, but bah humbug. He would just sit back and enjoy a mission. He followed behind Hayashi as they set way on their journey. Fanho had been revitalized with energy after taking a little time off from missions, he was granted a week of time off, which he spent well training his mind, and enjoying a little of the local cuisine. He tugged a little at his backpack straps as they walked before deciding to talk about the mission. While he was excited about sharing a mission with his sensei, he had to focus on the topic at hand as well. "Alright so just to summarize the mission, we're destroying some bridges to prevent pirates from going upstream in Tea Country as they can't mobilize their forces fast enough." While it would provide a struggle for Tea Country to mobilize their Samurai with the right amount of gun powder to lug up to the bridges, a team of shinobi could mobilize faster with more explosive force than regular Samurai.

As well as Tea Country and Fire Country had a mutual treaty in which they would protect each other. Konoha falling under that treaty as apart of Fire Country. None-the-less Konoha did a lot of trading with Tea Country, which also bettered relations. If anything the tight knit part of the world of Konoha, Fire Country, and Tea Country had a great functioning system that worked quite well. He turned his attention to the road ahead of them as they walked. "While it seems the river is their only way into Tea Country without directly encountering Tea Country's samurai, I would imagine they've hired help or sent their own goons out to protect the bridges. I mean pirates might be dumb, but they don't go without a plan of attack." At the very least Fanho wanted to get a strategy for their mission out of the way before going into leisure talk, and about all that's in-between their last meeting and now.

It just seemed like yesterday Fanho was battling Hayashi's clones, and himself in preparation for his Chuunin exam. Man did that leave some broken ribs for the longest time. After Fanho's promotion they released Team 20 to Fanho as Hayashi trained his own kids, leaving Fanho to his own devices as he learned to train the next generations. None-the-less Fanho knew Hayashi had his own business and children to attend to. It was only natural that he gravitated towards preparing his genin children, while Fanho took over the team in his absence. Albeit he was only a Chuunin and not a Jounin, the council recognized Fanho had good potential to be a good mentor to teach the next generations. He had gone through several teams on his own as they passed on to their own personal training or moved on to a different team. Yet Fanho enjoyed teaching each of them, even though their time was short, he learned a little too as they taught him. Now Fanho knew how his sensei Hayashi felt.

[Valkier]

"Right," Hayashi agreed with a nod as Fanho relayed what their mission-scroll had contained. He shouldn't have bothered asking about the mission - no student of his would set foot on the road without reading about the task in detail, after all; he taught his charges better than that! "It's part of the Land of Fire's treaty with Tea Country, although the details are beyond me. We're Konoha's armed response to this little problem. As much as the soldier in me would rather we just rally a force against the pirates themselves, I have to admit that this is probably the better course of action for everyone involved. Less blood - and paperwork - on our hands, and less worry for the high-folk in Tea Country." Although it would be simple for the village of ninja to dispatch a force of pirates - no matter how large a group they might be - there were political ramifications for such things; ally or not, there was a difference between lending the Tea Country a helping hand when they asked, and rallying a full armed response to wage a small war on their coasts. A shame, but a sensible shame. "Much better we just do our thing to slow the pirates down, and let the Tea-folk get their forces together to fight their own battles. I can respect that."

He let Fanho continue while they walked, nodding along to his points. Already the boy's growth was evident - as a fresh-out-the-academy Genin, the young Awai prodigy had been as eager as the best of them, but here he was giving a well thought-out assessment of what might lie ahead. Hayashi smiled faintly, proud, and realised for the first time that he could probably let Fanho take the lead as much as he wanted on this assignment, and still have things work out well.

"You're probably right, at that," he agreed when Fanho had finished, "I expect we'll encounter some stiff resistance. It sounds like this has been brewing for awhile, too, and by the time we arrive there's no saying what might have changed from our briefing." Even sent through the fastest carriers, a mission request coming in from a foreign land could still be days or even weeks old before it even hit the Hokage's desk. "I suggest we set a hard pace, and get to work as soon as possible."

He flashed Fanho a mid-stride grin, and when his foot hit the floor the next time, Hayashi launched himself forward and upwards in a quick vault. The path through the forest quickly disappeared behind him as he took to the treetops, his body relishing the feel of rushing wind and solid boughs beneath his feet as he sped onwards. Partly he was staying true to his last words, seeking to reach the border and pass into Tea Country as soon as possible, but the sudden increase in speed had a rather obvious second intention - to see just how fast Fanho, who had hardly been sluggish as a Genin, had gotten now. He'd always known the boy would be able to match him one day, but was that day already on the horizon?

[Director]

Hard pace? While Fanho wasn't a master in the taijutsu arts like his sensei, he had certainly come a long way from the time of just missing his sensei. He had matured a lot in the four years he had progressed, and he felt like there was no way but up from here. As his sensei leaped into a heavy pace, Fanho followed suit pressing off the ground leaping through the trees in a single bound. He had come a long way from being just a Genin, as he had honed his skills, but as typical he was always one step below the next rank ready for the next step. The choice to get quick to Tea Country was not a bad one as it means they could flank the bandits and get the drop.

As they flew through the air from tree branch to tree branch Fanho cocked his head towards his sensei as he turned back towards the path in-front of them. "You know, I've come a long way since that training day!" He looked at his Chuunin vest as he admired it for a second, a little flash back to his Chuunin exam as his face slightly contorted in a slight wince remembering the broken ribs from that day piercing every little piece of internal flesh. He straightened his flak vest as he remembered take that chakra lion straight to the gut which threw him back several meters, if it wasn't for Fanho's quick thinking he wouldn't probably be here on this mission now.

With the shake of the head and a long whistle of relief Fanho reminisced on his Chuunin exam. "You know its harder to wear the damn thing, than it was to earn it? A few broken ribs, and some deep lacerations can make you grow up some." Overall the biggest thing Fanho took from the Chuunin exam was the importance of others, their lack of team work costed them two of them to be racked with broken bones, lacerations, and bruises all throughout the muscle. At the very least Gene came out clean, Ko with cracks throughout his skeleton, and Fanho with broken ribs and deep lacerations. The three came out to be Chuunin, all with promising skills, all though Fanho hadn't heard much from Ko since that exam.

[Valkier]

A small but satisfied smile spread slowly across Hayashi's face as he flew through the dense treetops, a moment of pride as Fanho easily kept his quickened pace. Anything less might have concerned him about the mission ahead - but no, it seemed the young Chuunin was more than capable. Hayashi could go faster still, of course, but the current pace was an efficient travel speed for such a journey - as they were, they could cover a lot of ground without risking exhaustion, lest they arrive to find trouble awaiting. He pushed down the small, childish part of his mind that wanted to push harder anyway.

"You have, I'll admit it," he shot a look sideways towards Fanho and grinned, "and I'm not the only one who has noticed it. I think the village has some high hopes for you, lad, the way you're going. And I think you'll teach them not to set their sights so low, hah!" He watched out of the corner of his eye as the Chuunin spared a long glance at the jacket that he wore.

"I was there when you earned that, you know," he drew Fanho's attention back and nodded to the Chuunin's vest himself. "That was a fight to remember. I was in the stands, leaning forward out of my seat as I watched you face down that Hyuuga with hardly a falter in your step... Although you did almost cost me a fair bet when you took that punch towards the end." A teasing grin twinkled in his eyes as he glanced an Fanho, then laughed. "I expected one of the three of you to go down, but not two. But I shouldn't have worried, I knew you were too proud to stay down! You got right back up, and took victory on your feet... You did me proud, lad."

They continued for a minute, and he nodded sagely at Fanho's next comment. "I'm glad to hear you say that, honestly. Too many at your age barely stop to consider that a promotion is more than just a new outfit and the shot at better pay." Hayashi was one of the few instructors in the village that had a harsh reputation with Genin, known for driving them harder than others - and if he had his way, half of the Chunin and Special Jounin prancing around the forests of Konoha would still be in the academy and treated as fresh-faced children, much less Genin. Thankfully, he wasn't usually the one who made that choice. The fact that his own students were trained to such a capacity as Fanho was a testament to that belief. "The flak-jacket is far heavier than the fabric that makes it," he said more softly.

Soon they hit a clearing in the forest, a sure sign that they were already a good distance away from the village itself. Since they were still deep within friendly territory, however, Hayashi dropped back to the ground to cross it rather than skirting around its edges under the cover of the trees. "I hear you've been passing on your knowledge to some students of your own since then. How does that live up to your expectations, hm?"

[Director]

Fanho shot a grin at his mentor at the mention of the village acknowledging his skills. Even as a genin, Hayashi always commended Fanho for his talents and skills as a genin. Which as a matter of fact Fanho stood among the top ranked Chuunin, toppling some who had been Chuunin for a few years. Only to share a pedastool with Gene his long-time friend in being just as skilled. Fanho shot Hayashi a cocked eyebrow and smirk at the mentioning of his Chuunin exam. "Pft, costing you a bet? You know me better than that sensei." Fanho would give a chuckle at the prideful remark, albeit it was arrogant, Fanho meant it mainly as a joke, which he knew his sensei knew him better than to be a cocky Chuunin.

The next topic of the Chuunin flak-jacket had certainly weighed on Fanho's mind. The new responsibility that came with it, the expectations he'd have to live up to, and the missions he'd undergo to maintain security of the village as well as funding. Fanho knew it all to well what it meant past the new title and pay, and that he was also a shining example of the village's military strength. Able and willing to put his life on the line at any costs, and albeit at sixteen he realized this better than anyone believing in it at the ripe age of a Genin. With a nod at Hayashi's comment Fanho felt a smile come across his face he couldn't help but bear, he felt happy that his Jounin mentor entrusted him more than a good chunk of the village. It was just a warm feeling he couldn't help but bare.

At the mention of students Fanho's stomach dropped, while he had gone through a few students, and recognizably their fall-outs weren't his own faults, but primarily that of his students. Regretfully the one that showed the most promise was his pervert Genin, Berser who was the same age as himself. With a sigh Fanho went on to answer the question with a tint of indifference in his voice. "Well I've already gone through two teams, none of which are ready to even come close to their Chuunin exams. And the most promising one is a pervert, go figure?" With a sigh and a flick of the wrist as they flew through the treetops Fanho continued. "I mean each team were their own learning experience, but it seemed like none of them grasped the concept of being a shinobi. Or they just fell out amongst each other before we could really get to start."

With a shrug of the shoulders and a scratch of the head Fanho continued on-wards, the subject weighing in on his mind a lot. "I'm thinking of just holding off, wait until I'm Specialist Jounin or Jounin. Give some time to think and re-approach it."

[Valkier]

"It sounds like you're beginning to see my way of thinking", Hayashi acknowledged with a wry twist of a smile. "I've honestly lost count of the number of students I've sent bawling back to the academy to resit exams or return their headbands, or those who learn for a few weeks and then decide a gentler life suits them more. People think I'm heartless... But it takes a lot to make a ninja, and even more to make a team of them. I know how soul crushing it can be to be told you're inadequate by someone you want to impress, but the fact of the matter is I'd rather have a young ninja hate me than be visiting a small grave for the rest of my life, and be forced to live with that mistake. Being a mentor to ninja is not easy. Nor does it get easier...

"But, sometimes, it pays off. And here we are." The pair of them soon crossed back into the dense undergrowth of the forest, moving swiftly and leaving little trail behind them. Quickly they came to a quiet stream, barely two metres wide and winding slowly through the trees, and Hayashi stopped long enough to drain a canteen of water and refill it before resuming their earlier pace. All the while, his mind remained on their conversation.

"A lot of us don't begin teaching until we're a little older, at least until Special Jounin as you said, and there's good sense in that. Hell, I was nearly thirty before I stepped up to the job. A few extra years on your shoulders can make all the difference, but don't presume to find things much different when you get there." He flashed a sidelong glance at Fanho, eager to see how he was taking the conversation. So far, the boy was behaving admirably. "When I first met Team 20, you and the other two, all so green and full of energy.. I didn't set my heart on seeing all three of you wearing the flak jacket. Your own potential quickly became apparent, but Noriko and Sensu were cut from different cloth. You'll always find teams like that, really. They were fine Genin, but not ninja that I would expect to lead teams of their own, or be aiming for positions in the ANBU. But I suppose that's our lot as mentors... And one out of three ain't half bad, eh?"

[Director]

With the mention of students, and rather than baby sit them, to train them to stand up in the tides of the storm themselves. It made Fanho bask in what he considered a failure of his teaching, so he could learn, adapt, and overcome his short comings as a teacher. With the hard hitting words of having a young ninja hate you, rather than having to visit the grave of that kid because of your failure to keep him back for a few years to mature. It made Fanho sort of question his own promotion, as he furrowed his eye brows with a quick glance at the jacket. He tried to hide the fact it made him quickly question his own promotion, but he understood the premise of the sentiments. For majority of the students Fanho experienced himself so far, they weren't ready by any means.

With the mention of how it pays off, it made Fanho regain confidence in himself. For the most part, Fanho wouldn't have been upped for the Chuunin exam if it hadn't been for Hayashi for arranging Fanho to be situated with two other likely Genin. He curled his lips inward to chew slightly on the bottom one as if in thought before speaking up."Do you think I'll be ready for Special Jounin any time soon?" The question left his lips before he could reel it back in, but he only expected the truth from Hayashi. Which might sting, but was only meant for Fanho to grow further into the shoes laid out for him by those before him.

As the conversation led to learning as you get older. And eventually his old team, as the words hit head on with Noriko and Sensu. Both who were brimming, and among Fanho's own academy graduating class. Yet neither displayed the will, or forthcoming attitude Fanho had with growing. He even relished on their first mission together, but not only that their training with Hayashi. As the team was whittled down to just Fanho, and Fanho taking on the Jounin by himself that day in the training fields. If anything Fanho was curious more into what his teacher had thought of him. Rather it was pleasant or not, Fanho would try not to let his ego grow too large, or his bubble to get burst by any critical comments.

"When was it that you thought I was ready to become a Chuunin?"

[Valkier]

Hayashi remained silent for a short time as they continued to fly through the treetops, thinking on Fanho's questions. Special Jounin..? He watched his student from the corner of his eye, picturing the boy with the title and weighing the potential of it.

"...Not yet." He replied, finally but not bluntly. "But you're certainly not far off, either. You've come a long way, and if anything are growing even faster than when I met you. It won't be long, but no; not yet. Enjoy the ease of being a Chuunin while you can, lad." Despite the serious words, his tone was friendly, and he hoped Fanho understood; once again it was Hayashi's tendency to make absolutely sure a student was ready before accepting their readiness to be promoted. Truthfully Fanho probably was ready - or very nearly so at any rate - but Hayashi's almost father-like attitude as a sensei made it impossible for him to encourage or push the boy too soon.

"But for Chuunin? Honestly, it all happened so quickly," he chuckled. "In terms of physiccal strength you were capable very early on; all it took was a growth in perspective and some experience before you were ready." He grew more sombre for a moment and continued slowly. "I knew it was the right decision a few months afterwards, when I read a particular mission report about... a good many bandits and their encampment. Jashinists. That was tough, but good work. And not without its emotional tests."

That particular topic would probably be sensitive - it would've been for him, if their situation was reversed - so he left it there. But tough or not, Fanho had done what needed to be done, and with ruthless efficiency. The sombre thoughts filled his mind as the pair came within sight of the border between the Land of Fire and Tea Country.

"Eyes peeled now. This is the border line." he murmured, slowing their pace and choosing his path more carefully to promote cover as they moved. The chance of trouble right at the border was next to none, but from here on the mission would begin, and it always paid to be cautious behind "enemy" lines...