[attr="class","mon"]

[attr="class","monbody"] Let's be honest; beyond Asahi's predisposition to complain and become overwhelmed with gloomy thoughts, the life of a Shinobi was hard work. Even for a Genin. Asahi's morning began early - as it often did - rising before the sun peaked over the rigid mountains that protected the hidden village from the dangers of the surrounding lands. Asahi was protecting himself from a different sort of danger. If he could slip out before his father woke up, to avoid another hard scolding for an ever-growing laundry list of impossible failures, it would be a pleasant way to start his day. But it also meant he was hungry. He showed up with a weight on his eyes as he lazily accepted his morning mission. Weed pulling. The Kumogakure Chunin had said. Sorry, that seems like all we've got for you today. This was a surprise to Asahi. He rarely got such a light day; there must have been some kind of mistake. No mistake. Maybe use the rest of the day to hone your skills. I'm sure your platoon needs you in tip-top shape! His comrade Shinobi's upbeat attitude was immediately grating to Asahi. But he chuckled, took the mission scroll, and nodded. He couldn't open his mouth without souring both of their mornings. There was only one thing he wanted to say. My platoon can rot in hell. You'll find something better for me, or you'll join them. He hid that fury well behind his neutral smile, tucked the scroll in his tool pouch, and simply walked away.

Weed pulling was hardly Shinobi work. E-Rank missions were nothing short of cheap labor and everyone knew it. It was hard for Asahi to focus on anything other than that thought as he greeted the middle-aged couple outside of their small home shack towards the outskirts of Kumogakure. It was the sort of thing most people would call an "honest day's work", but to Asahi, there was nothing 'honest' about it. It was tiring and humiliating to pulled weeds with nothing but a worn pair of borrowed gloves. He considered using his Doton release to make things easier. That would likely tear appart the entire leek field he was supposed to be de-weeding, and for a second that thought was appealing to him. But as much as he internalized his misery over the string of awful work he'd been dealing with since graduation, the simple fact of reality is that acting on these thoughts would make him feel worse, in the end. So he didn't complain, even to himself, just in his head. When he spent too long on his knees pulling grass and roots, his thoughts dawdled to his empty stomach. A bad combination that made the morning even more unbearable.

But there was a light at the end of this tunnel. After three and a half hours of nonstop yardwork, he had indeed spruced up the leek field. That couple looked quite impressed and showered him in compliments. He laughed and shrugged. "What can I say? I am a dedicated Shinobi." Asahi had no interest in sticking around longer than he needed to, though. They offered him food and drink and he declined. The less interaction he had with these people the better, he thought. I'd bury them in their own farm if I had the chance. No, there was someplace else he desparately wanted to go, and with an open afternoon he had finally been given the opportunity to take advantage of it.

Moyamoya was a small, unassuming tea shop near the central-west part of the hidden village. It did not boast a large menu of steamed fish and desserts, nor did it offer the greatest imported spices and tea leaves in all the Shinobi world. It was more akin to a small shack where an old, dedicated man made three things; Green Tea, Black Tea, and the best Ginseng Tea Asahi had ever had the pleasure of drinking. Along with a couple of meat-filled buns picked up from a street vendor, Asahi sank into the same barstool he had been sitting in since he first started coming here after his classes in the Academy. The warm tea cracked a genuine smile on his face; something that rarely happened. But he also appreciated Moyamoya because it's proprieter - who he refered to only as "Old Man Yukon" - understood to leave him well enough alone. And often, the tea shop was not busy, giving him ample opportunity to relax.

But that's just it. Today he was not alone. Someone was coming, and for once, Asahi seemed like he might be in the mood to find out who it was.

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF PIXEL PERFECT