Patrol Duty [C-Rank Mission, Solo]

Mission Details:

~Flashback~

It was the worst day in a long time. His ANBU unit had been stationed in the village for quite some time, in between long espionage missions, and he was just starting to enjoy his time off from working in foreign villages, until he received a notice from his captain. Yudai had been assigned to patrol duty tonight, which entailed looking through the village while everyone was tucked warmly inside the comfort of their own bed, and ensuring that all of the people of Yokuchigakure felt safe. To sum up what it was like, it was much more fun going around and combatting enemy shinobi for your village rather than staying up late and moving through the streets.

It was eleven at night, and Yudai had reached his designated area of the marketplace within the village. All around him were the empty remains of small stalls with draped fabrics as roofs and boarded up crates, soon to be replenished with wares the following day. As he strolled passed, the sound of the light gentle breeze and the grains of sand they displaced were the only thing to be heard. He quickly turned the corner before hearing one of the stacks of crates falling over. Backtracking, Yudai slowly approached, waiting to see the cause of the noise. He had hoped for a vicious animal, or an intruder in the village, just so he could brag about his patrol to the other members of his squad. With kunai in hand, he jumped over the crates and rapidly looked for anything out of place.

The only thing out of place had been the academy student who was sitting on the ground, with his hands held firmly behind his head, and crouching in the most fearful position possible. He was visibly shaking and nervous for what was to come, but Yudai held out a gentle hand, “It’s alright, I’m not going to hurt you,” he said calmly. “You’re out here in the marketplace and its pretty dark out. Best we get you back to your home and in bed. The streets aren’t a good place to sleep.”

The small child had moved slightly, and looked Yudai in the eyes. He was not taller than about three and a half feet, and his brown hair was spiked all over his head, held up by a blue bandana. Yudai asked the boy calmly, “How about you tell me where your house is and I’ll run with you on the way home. Think of it like a little extra training session after hours,” he joked. A small light seemed to be lit within the eyes of the kid, and he quickly got to his feet and pointed over Yudai’s back.

“I live on the east side of the village, near the big village square,” he said. The odd pair had wound their way through the city, passing other patrols as Yudai waved them off their path. The child hand’t taken the most straight path to get to his home either, and this caused the more seasoned shinobi a bit of frustration but finally, the two had arrived at the square he had described. A number of houses and apartments surrounded a neatly tiled and open air plaza, making for a comfortable area to be outdoors.

Yudai turned to the boy and said calmly, “Now you need to be careful if you want to grow up to be a big shinobi. You can’t wander off in the middle of the night just because you want to, you have to respect the people above your rank and the orders of the mission. Do you understand?” he questioned, patting his hand on the boys head, ruffling through his hair. The kid gave a quick nod, mostly excited to be back at home, and passed into one of the nearby apartments.

The rest of the night was much less interesting, and as the sun rose ever so slowly, Yudai was relieved that his night of guard duty was over. He was fortunate ANBU didn’t usually have patrols assigned to them, and if it meant anything to the Kage, he wished he never had one again.

WC: 694/250