Uzumaki

Eight

Three weeks after Eiji, Ryko and I become a unit we are sent on our first mission. We were to patrol the border towns between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind.

We were to keep any foreigners from crossing into the Land of Fire. I was looking forward to pushing my abilities to their limits. I want to stop holding back.

The first few days it was uneventful and we became the three villagers' errand runners.

Today we were builders. A large group of hogs have gotten into the crop fields and making a mess. We managed to confine them into an empty field with the help of farmers who knew some Earth Jutsus.

We all tried learning the Jutsu but Eiji was the only one who could could learn it. I had to cheat and use my Sharigan to copy the jutsu.

Eiji and I finish the trench as Ryko and the others return from finishing the pin.

"Is everyone ready?" The chief asks and we nod.

"The trench walls are five feet high so they shouldn't jump over them. And with a good distraction they should make it to the end with no problem," I speak as I'm handed some water.

"Okay let's get moving then!" The elders say excited to have the pigs settle away from their precious farming lands.

We head to the make-shift pin made of earth walls, Ryoko who drew the short straw was left to be the distraction as the rest of us went from behind and kept the strays from escaping.

Eiji and I stand on either side of the wall as Ryko starts banging pots and pans to get the pig's attention.
"Earth Style: Earth wall!"

The wild pigs begin to rush towards the noise. As soon as they were all in the trenches we began helping get them to rush after Ryko.

"The head of the group is at the pin, well be in the clear shortly," Sensei Izuko says through the earpiece.

"What happened to him?" Ryko was out cold on the ground.

"A big pig caught him chest first as he was making his escape out the pin. Had to caral the damn thing after it escaped," Eiji burst out laughing.

"Not funny Eiji," I nudge him as I get back to the task on hand.

"How many are there?" I ask as I step away from the boar pit as the stragglers get in.

"Old man Kin said twenty-nine," Ryko says as he looks into the pin.

"There's only twenty-eight," Eiji starts sighing.

"Alright, I'll stay here with Ryko the two of you go searching for the last one. He must have avoided being corraled the first time around," Izuko Sensei speaks up.

"Yes, sir." Eiji and I head to the fields when we hear a scream coming from the small village.

"Follow the scream?" I ask and he nods, "follow the scream."

"You go left and I'll go right. We'll corner it and force it to go towards the pin." I nod and we split up.

I turn down the street ahead when I hear crashing, the pig rushes into view, "wind Style: Wind Cutter! He's headed down my way!" I yell as the boar rushes away from the houses and down towards me.

"Earth Style: earth wall!" Eiji blocks its path and he turns and heads towards the field, before creating more walls and boxing it in. The pig rushes back at jumps over the fence ramming right into an approaching Eiji.

"Oww," I rush after the pig who was headed towards the field.

"Get up Eiji I need your help. Can you throw me on top of the pig? I can paralyze it?"

"Earth Style: Earth Pillar!" He raises the ground at my feet and lauches me into the air.

I use a Wind Style jutsu to get me to where I need and I land on the pig. I manage to paralyze him as his sudden stop sends me flying into a tree.

"Ow." I mutter as the others ask if I got it.

"Did you all catch the thing? It's smarter than it lets on," Ryko asks rubbing his sore neck.

"Had you not fallen in you could have told us that," Eiji retorts annoyed.

"I didn't fall in, that pig got to me from behind and used me as a bridge to jump across. It knows what it's doing," Ryko huffs.

Eiji breaking out laughing causes me follow, "is that's how you got the boar footprint on your neck?!"

I try and snuffle my laughter, "Sorry so unprofessional, I know, but it's funny you know."

He glares at us, "ha. Ha. Laugh it up, wait until it happens to you." He crosses his arms and looks away in annoyance.

"Eiji got the wind knocked out of him when we cornered him a bit ago, so it's not just you Ryko."

While Ryko laughs Eiji questions what I meant by that, "I'm just saying no pig got the best of me," I tease.

The chief rushes towards us and says they've spotted another hoard of pigs coming this way.

"So how do we catch these? Should we put them in a different pin? I don't trust opening this one up again," I mutter as we make our way across town.

Ryko smiles, "I got an idea."

"Are you going to let it use you as a mat again?" Eiji asks seriously.

Before Ryko could respond Sensi cut them off, "Okay! Come on we need to finish this. Any longer and Ryko won't be the only one needing a bath."

"You too Sensei!" Ryko snaps and huffs as Eiji and I snuffle giggles.

"No wait Ryko! We're sorry, tell us your plan!" We rush after him pleading for forgiveness the whole time.

We get into places and Sensei Izuko sighs, "why am I bait?" He questions as the rest of us hide.

"You're faster than the rest of us Sensei," Eiji responds

We hope to get them onto the original path. Once they're in the trench we'll open a small opening at the pin entrance so they can join the others.

"You're the one with the most experience sensei," Ryko comments as Izuko sensei rubs his temples, with disappointment.

Eiji and I create a ramp leading into the trench while Ryko and Sensei lead them into the trench.

"I'm on my way with the boar!" He yells as the squeals fill the earpiece.

"Do you think he got it?" Before I could respond sensei comes rushing past us, with the pigs at his heels.

Ryko rounds up the strays and we close the trench, "alright sensei they're all on your trail."

Once the pigs are in their proper place we get to celebrate a job done.

"I know missions aren't supposed to be all fun and games but this was fun," I say and they smile at me broadly in agreement.