Interlude 12
Sunagakure
Baki, Jonin
The mission given unto him was rather unorthodox. Joining a fellow Jonin in escorting a large number of Genin into a neighboring country was a premise that normally ended with suicide missions. In this case, the veritable platoon of low ranking ninja were not being used as war fodder, but instead receiving an example of how to conduct missions properly.
His first question had been 'is this not the responsibility of their Jonin Sensei?', which had been answered in short order. These were remedial genin, ones that had graduated but had been rejected as prospective students. They did not have a Jonin Sensei.
With that in mind, the logic of the mission was apparent. Even if they could not receive the full benefits of a Jonin education, taking time to show them a single example of the mission process would diminish the amount of trouble they'd cause or time they'd waste. It was far more reasonable to ask a Jonin to simply escort them once rather than taking on a full time team.
But bringing a full class of twenty or so at a single time? That he could not see sufficient reason for. Taking them all at once would massively increase their profiles, as well as spread the efforts of the Jonin escort too thin to defend them.
That was the two duties of the Jonin Sensei, after all, to educate Genin about the systems of missions and threat-assessment, and to protect them long enough to become full fledged Chunin. Anything more was left to their individual discretion. Asking a single Jonin to defend twenty or so Genin was unreasonable, too many points of failure at such a point.
Which, Baki supposed, is why the Lord Kazekage asked him to join this mission. One Jonin would be hard pressed to defend twenty hapless Genin, but it was just about a correct duty for two Jonin.
Troublesome, but within his abilities.
The journey was expected to take ten days and begin at o six hundred. Naturally he prepared fifteen days of supplies and showed up at the gates at five thirty. He was pleasantly surprised to see several of the Genin already present, standing and waiting along with his fellow Jonin for the mission.
More pleasantly, he recognized this ninja. The conical straw hat and white veil was distinctive enough to pick him out in a crowd. Baki raised his hand in greeting as he approached.
The other Jonin returned the wave, stepping forwards to greet him. "Yo. I don't suppose you're my partner for the trip to Rivers?"
"I am." Baki greeted with a small professional nod. "Ryoma, correct? User of those disposable insect puppets." He held his hand out for a shake, which was returned. A gauntleted hand closed around his bare palm, and three firm shakes were exchanged.
"I am- and I think you're Baki, right? Wind blades." Ryoma raised his finger and waved it in faint recognition. "I think we met at some point, but I don't remember where."
"Battle of Katakuri River, a year before the war ended." Baki offered to help the memory of his peer. It was in that battle that he lost his left eye, and was offered a white veil to cover it. A distinct and unwritten honor that he shared with the Jonin before him. "It's good to see you've been promoted since. I believe you were part of the Chunin group back then."
"I was- I only got promoted once the war ended." Ryoma shook his head, making his white veil whip around slightly. "Good to see a familiar face for this."
"The sentiment is shared." Baki nodded, glancing over at the small crowd of Genin looking curiously over at them. They certainly had the look of remedial students, it was in their bearing and expressions. "There was supposed to be about twenty, yes?" There were eleven currently present.
"About that- we'll wait till six and then move out." Ryoma shook his head. "I was planning on getting them organized into four-man teams and acting as Field Commander for the duration of this mission, with you as my Second. Is that acceptable or would you want to take Command?"
Either of them had to do it, the difference was mostly intellectual. In spite of thinking that, Baki had little desire to be potentially responsible for the deaths of so many Genin should the mission come across unforeseen troubles. "That's acceptable, I'll take Second-In-Command."
Ryoma glanced over at the Genin, then nodded and addressed them. "Bonus lesson for being here early. When going on a mission, especially a mission with someone you aren't entirely familiar with, it's important to get a sense of your allies. Their strengths, weaknesses, and preferences in combat. It's equally important that they get a good sense of your own strengths, weaknesses, and habits."
He tilted his head. "Not to say that you need to tell them about all your super-secret Jutsu that I'm sure all of you have." The sarcasm was applied liberally in the later half of the sentence. Baki restrained the urge to smirk amusedly. "But your commonly used skills and habits at minimum. As an example-"
Ryoma turned back towards him. "I'm a puppeteer specialized in close-range combat with a fair amount of wind and earth ninjutsu for support. I'm capable in hand-to-hand, but not exceptional. Please tell me if any of my weapons scratch you so I can give you the antidote, the poison isn't lethal but it is a fast-acting paralytic."
A reasonably broad set of abilities in his fellow Jonin, but Baki was familiar with most from their last encounter. He almost certainly had something more hidden away. Baki nodded and replied in the same spirit, keeping his own trump cards hidden in the same manner. "I specialize in close quarters combat, typically wielding paired kunai. I'm knowledgeable with wind and earth ninjutsu, and make regular use of both. I am a recognized practitioner of Wind Dragon Style."
Ryoma nodded, reaching up to rub his chin underneath the white veil. "I see… I'm not familiar with Wind Dragon Style. A taijutsu?"
Baki nodded, feeling slightly abashed. Taijutsu wasn't something to truly specialize in- it was a back up, a skill to rely upon if strategy or equipment had failed and the enemy was upon you. They were ninja, after all, not Samurai. Being proficient in a taijutsu like this was indicative of Baki's long hours practicing his fail-safe skill. "A rather old-fashioned taijutsu- from the Imperial Era I've been told. My mother was insistent that I attend a dojo in my youth." He replied stiffly, raising a hand and flattening his palm. "It focuses on wide 'chopping' and 'slashing' motions with the hands and legs." Usually while layered with wind chakra.
Ryoma's eyes indicated understanding. "Ah, I see. I don't suppose you can point me in the direction of this dojo? I've been wanting to improve my hand-to-hand for some time now."
Baki blinked, frowning as he reached up to scratch the side of his cheek. "I see. Unfortunately, the dojo shut down some years ago- the master died relatively early into the war."
"Ah, unfortunate." Ryoma shook his head. "Well I'd love to exchange Taijutsu pointers with you, but not right now, perhaps after the mission."
A potentially intriguing prospect, to admit that so openly was indicative of good confidence. Baki inclined his head. "Perhaps. I'll consider the prospect."
Ryoma nodded. "Fair. As a general rule, I prefer to serve as vanguard and absorb enemy attention long enough for my allies to capitalize on the distraction." Back to the exchange of information.
As a puppeteer? Peculiar. "I specialize in duels against lone enemies. I am capable in a mass combat scenario, but I'm most comfortable when facing targets that have been separated from their allies." He tilted his head to the side. "From the sounds of it, we shouldn't have any conflict in strategy."
"Sounds like it- I'll absorb attention by default while you eliminate key targets then?"
"Agreeable."
It was good to be working with a fellow professional. Baki had to work with a few Chunin during his last mission, and they were decidingly frustrating. He glanced at the gaggle of children, now increased to fourteen members, and restrained the urge to deepen his frown.
Ryoma turned towards the Genin, pointing a thumb at himself and Baki. "See that? That's a good example of how to introduce yourself and throw a basic strategy together. It's always better to have something resembling a plan before combat comes, opposed to needing to come up with a plan on the spot. Not to say that you shouldn't think on your feet too, but it's almost never bad to prepare something beforehand."
This mission shouldn't be terribly difficult, but Baki certainly wasn't looking forward to it. He remembered full well what his peers were like as Genin, and most did not survive the war.
Those that survived were those that persevered.
"You have the funds from the Logistics Division correct? For the purchases?" Baki asked just to be sure.
Ryoma nodded, reaching up to pat his vest. "Picked it up an hour ago, along with the bulk storage scrolls."
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Baki nodded. "Excellent. I'm ready to leave whenever, Field Commander."
It was almost like being back in the war again, saying those words. Made him feel strangely nostalgic.
"Fourteen minutes left, then we're heading out." Ryoma inclined his head, letting the straw hat fall over his eyes. "We'll sort them into teams as we walk- I had them go through a strategy meeting about that yesterday."
—
Land of Wind
Baki, Jonin
"As previously discussed, everyone organize into teams of four." Ryoma spoke in a consistently flat tone, flat and dry like a desert plain. It was easy enough to hear him through the cool wind of the early morning and over the unobstructed plains, even despite his position in the back of the group. "Jun, Azuko, Hiyako, Zakuza. You're Team One, led by Jun."
The four Genin in question were already relatively close to one another, but grouped themselves off slightly more in response to the command. A blonde boy with a straight sword, a black haired girl in yellow and red, a black haired girl in blue and white, and a brown haired boy with red facepaint similar to Baki's own. The black-haired girl wearing yellow and red made a slightly frustrated huff at that, but didn't complain further.
"Takumi, Haru, Himeno, Konda. You're Team Two, led by Konda."
A tall black haired boy with ridiculous attire, a well-bandaged boy carrying a large box on his back, a thin girl with black hair that hung over her eyes, and an orange haired girl carrying an overly large backpack. Baki was professional enough to restrain the rather scathing critiques in his thoughts.
"Bazo, Chikako, Mao, Yoshimi. You're Team Three, led by Chikako."
A scowling pink-haired boy with wrapped knuckles, a focused blue haired girl with a red kimono, a giggling pink haired girl carrying two katanas, and a green haired girl wearing a spiked collar. The blue haired girl gave a little salute. "I'll do my best, Field Commander!"
"You'll do great Chiko!" The pink haired girl declared, shaking the other girls by the shoulders. "Even Bozo here listens to you!"
"You need your ears shaken out, airheaded bitch!?"
"Oh! Will you? Here- let me get my earwax cleaner!"
"Not right now, pinky." Ryoma interrupted with a dry voice. "We're still walking."
They quieted down again, letting his fellow Jonin continue. "Ren, Rin, Taka, Yu. You're on Team Four, led by Rin."
A black haired boy with a dyed blue strip in his hair, a black haired girl with her hair tied in twintails, a tall girl with her hair cropped off at the shoulders, and a girl with sandy blonde hair and snakelike slits for pupils. They glanced at each other in a somewhat uncertain manner, not doing much in particular in response to their assignment.
"Michiru, Soma, Riku, Tomomi. You're Team Five, led by Soma."
A blonde haired girl holding an iron-banded staff, a sandy-blond haired boy with a mesh shortcloak, a plain looking boy with a sleepy expression, and a brown-haired girl with freckles and a baggy jacket. They nodded with various levels of professionalism, the mesh-cloaked boy taking a forwards position in their little formation.
The veiled Jonin looked over them for a few moments longer, before nodding slightly. "We'll stop for lunch at noon, and stop to make camp for the night at ten. From there we'll sleep til six in the morning, one member from each team on guard-rotation for two hours apiece. We'll have an inventory-check at lunch to see what everyone brought along."
"W-wait Sensei! You mean we're going to be walking through the early evening? Isn't that the hottest part of the day, shouldn't we seek shelter?" The girl with the blue sash asked nervously, her tone echoing the slightly nervous faces of other Genin present.
Ryoma stared at her for a few moments, expression unreadable through his veil and hat. "...How many of you know the D-rank wind ninjutsu, Convection Air? Show of hands." He raised his own hand.
Baki decided to be cooperative, raising his own hand.
Not one Genin raised their hands. They glanced around at each other, expressions uncertain.
Baki felt a great deal of ambient dread wash over him, like seeing a sandstorm on the horizon. Judging by Ryoma's blank stare, his fellow Jonin was feeling much the same.
"Right. I suppose we'll be practicing that for the early part of the trip. The handseals are bird, hare, horse, ram, dog. The jutsu produces a gentle cycling flow of wind around you, the airflow is enough to keep you significantly cooler, as well as pushing away airborne hazards like gas and asbestos."
"What's asbestos?"
"Fire Rat Hair- it latches onto and shreds your lungs if you inhale it, so a Jutsu like this is fairly useful."
"Woah! You fought a Fire Rat, Sensei!?"
"Start practicing kid, otherwise you're going to be baking in the sun later. If you get tired, stop and wait for your reserves to recover before continuing, we don't need to deal with anyone suffering chakra exhaustion this early into the mission."
Soon, all the Genin were quietly practicing the new technique, most with clumsy fingers and no results. Ryoma looked up from them, currently walking backwards, and locked eyes with Baki from over their heads.
Baki imagined his eye looked very similar at the moment, unimpressed but not surprised.
They were, after all, just Genin.
—
"Sensei, Mr. Baki, you said you met before?" The blue haired girl asked after the inventory check and lunch. It was overall fairly substandard, with the general trend being that the Genin packed too many extraneous supplies and too few essentials. They also underutilized storage scrolls, but Baki wasn't too surprised by that. Storage Scrolls were rather expensive for a newly graduated Genin, even if they usually ended up returning their investment a thousandfold in time.
Baki glanced at the acting Field Commander, raising a brow in a silent question of if they were going to talk about it. Ryoma gave a little shrug.
Baki turned back to the blue haired girl and nodded. "That's correct, we met during the Battle of Katakuri River- I may have met him prior, but that's the first time I remember meeting him."
"Battle of Katakuri River? That was during the Third War, wasn't it?" The boy with sandy hair and the mesh poncho asked with a little thoughtful frown. "What was it like?"
Baki's hand twitched towards his face, and the socket where his eye used to be. His resting frown deepened, and his eye drifted towards the distant sands. "...Messy." He eventually answered. "Exceedingly messy- neither we nor the ninja of Konoha had been expecting to run into each other."
"The Crossing at Katakuri River was chosen specifically because it was unlikely anyone would be using it." Ryoma added with eyes hidden by his straw hat. "Out of the way, nothing important nearby, just close enough to Rain to be uncomfortable. There were several more obvious crossing points further downstream and along other rivers we could've taken- that was why Katakuri River was chosen."
"The ninja of Konoha were thinking the same thing, apparently." Baki grumbled, closing his good eye. "It was the middle of the night, and a storm had rolled down from Rain. We ran into Konoha in the least optimal position for either group. Both sides had the same objective- infiltration behind enemy lines of control and establishment of a forward-operating bunker. Meeting each other like that turned that mission into a week-long battle that ended in constant stalemates."
"I wasn't present until the last day of the battle." Ryoma declared with a tired tone. "I had been part of a different battle just south- the battle that was supposed to be the distraction for Katakuri. I can't attest for how Katakuri was during the previous six days, but the last day was chaotic- disorganized."
"It was sloppy, exceedingly so." Baki declared, shaking his head. "Both the mission-leader and mission-second died on the first day, everything after was adhoc as we waited for general orders from Field Command. I believe the same was true for Konoha."
"I'm pretty sure we're going to be making jokes about Katakuri in a few years." Ryoma drawled.
"Going to be?" Baki smirked ruefully. "We were making jokes about it while the battle was going on."
Ryoma snorted in a rolling manner, a clearly amused hum in his throat. "That reminds me though- This goes for everyone present. If anyone steps anywhere within ten miles of the border with Rain, we're leaving you behind."
The light tone belied a grim sternness.
"W-what?! Why?!"
"Yeah! Why Sensei?!"
"Huah?!"
Baki glanced at the boy wielding the straight sword, who had consistently made that noise in response to several things so far.
Ryoma's reply was blunt.
"Simple. If any of us get close to Hanzo, we'll die."
Baki grimly agreed with the assessment.