Mission D Rank Clean the Beaches [Solo]

Mission Details:

When Riku arrived at Ota after a few hours of walking, the sun was still high in the sky, casting an even light through the thick mist and clouds. She walked along the beach, observing the trash, debris, and occasional washed up sea creature along the shore. The most recent shipwrecks had strewn wooden debris along the rocks and sand. The blue-haired teen frowned at the mess, this would prevent people from properly enjoying the venue. The expression changed into something more neutral when Riku spotted a starfish. She knelt and picked the creature up gently, inspecting it up close.

"You would be an interesting friend to have," the genin told it. It had six lets and was fairly weighty. She carried the creature further into the water before releasing it. Riku resolved to take a few home to observe after her mission.

She left the beach and went into town in search of the person who had requested the mission. According to the mission scroll, Riku would be able to find the man in The Brine--one of the local taverns.

The interior of the tavern was a bit shabby, but clean. Round wooden tables were spread out throughout the open floor plan, accompanied by wooden stools. Riku took a seat at the bar, the cushion atop the bar stool had small cracks and the leather was worn. One of the legs wobbled under her modest weight. Ignoring that in favor of resting her hands on the grainy wood of the counter, the genin observed the barkeep quietly, waiting for him to finish serving other customers.

"You're not from around here, are ye?" the grizzled man regarded her with scrutiny. When he caught sight of her headband, understanding crossed his face. "You're here to pick up the beach."

"Yes, Sir," Riku replied bowing a little with her head. "Genin Mizushima Riku reporting for duty." She presented the mission scroll.

"Good. Pick up any trash, driftwood, bits of broken boats, or rotting fish. There's barrels where you can dispose of em. I trust you can find those on your own, you look sharp. When you're done, go and tell Hiro over there," the barkeep gestured towards a broad shouldered young man waiting tables, "an' he'll look over your work."

"Understood." Riku slid off the bar stool and gave another short bow before leaving.

While her entry had drawn a few looks of entrance, no one paid the short teen any mind as she left The Brine.

[1]

Riku returned to the beach and began to survey the mess. This would take several hours, even with the use of ninjutsu to aid the process. Rolling up her sleeves, the genin prepared to start working. She flipped through a few hand seals for a useful jutsu.

Water Release: Water Whip!

Long, tendrils of water snaked down her arms, extending her reach. Using the whips, she began to drag large parts of the shipwreck into piles. Her brow furrowed and sweat slicked her forehead as the small genin pulled the wood along the beach. She panted, frustrated with the difficulty of this task.

Then, an idea occurred to her. Riku lashed out at larger pieces of wood to break them with her whips. Smirking with satisfaction, she moved the smaller pieces with much more ease.

As predicted, hours dragged by while Riku broke down and moved the debris from the shipwreck. Occasionally, she would find bits of broken weaponry, jewelry, and other damaged goods. Those, too were piled with the trash. The errant pearl or gem was placed into a cloth bag the blue haired girl had brought along.

The light was fading by the time the teen had removed all the debris and driftwood. Fortunately, the fish were much easier to get rid of. She merely used water controlled by her chakra to carry them to the trash barrels and dropped them in.

Several rats scurried away, startled by the sudden movement. Riku caught a few using water whips and squeezed them until they fell unconscious from lack of oxygen. Then, Riku put them into jars with holes poked in the lid, stashing them away for later.

Satisfied with her work, Riku returned to the tavern.

As soon as the female genin approached Hiro, the man gave her a once over and instructed her to go upstairs to bathe.

"You'll scare off the customers, you smell frightful," Hiro told her, arms folded across his chest.

"How much for a room for the night?" Riku asked, feet shuffling awkwardly.

"Nothing. Now go, off with ye," he dropped a key into her hand and shooed her away.

Not one to argue with her employers, Riku obeyed. She went upstairs and headed straight towards the room with the same number on the key, five. It was small, with a futon and a chest for belongings. There was an adjoined bathroom with running water and a flush toilet. Glad she had been shown how to use running water by Miyu, Riku went about drawing up a bath.

She washed her clothes in the tub after her bath and used her chakra to absorb the water from the fabric afterwards. Then, Riku realized how thirsty she was. She dressed and put her hair back up in its ponytail before going downstairs to speak with Hiro.

When Hiro saw her approaching he gave her a nod. "I'll look over your work in the morning when it's light out. Be ready at dawn."

Riku bowed and went to the bar. She asked for a stein of water and some soup. The barkeep refused her payment but delivered to food and drink anyway. Too tired to insist, the blue-haired genin began to chug her water. Once her food and drink were gone, Riku went back upstairs to sleep.

[2]

The next morning, Riku made her way down to the main floor of The Brine to meet Hiro, the man appointed to oversee her work. She found the large-framed man seated at the bar eating rice and fish. He wore a simple, grey shirt and brown pants that had been stitched multiple times to repair holes and tears.

The genin took a seat beside him and bowed her head in greeting. She waited for him to finish his meal before following Hiro back to the beach.

The beach looked much better than it had before, but more debris had washed ashore. Riku stiffened a little, frowning at the new mess.

"Don't be so uptight, kid," Hiro told her with a firm cuff to the back of her head. "Just clean up anything that washed up and then come find me." He turned on his heel and left Riku to her own devices.

The blue-haired genin set to work right away, using her strategy from the day before to clear away the beach once more. She even managed to trap a starfish in a jar and gather more of the brackish water to take back home with her. Riku returned to The Brine a little before noon and went straight to her room to bathe. Once she was clean and didn't smell as heavily of rotting wood and the sea, the female genin found Hiro and brought him to see her work. With a nod, he approved of her work.

"Well, come along now, I'll tell Kenji you cleaned up."

The pair returned to the tavern to speak with the barkeep.

Kenji accepted Hiro's confirmation that the work was done.

Riku presented the bag of rescued valuables.

Kenji took it and handed over Riku's payment and signed the scroll, confirming that the mission was completed. With a bow, Riku thanked both men before taking her leave. She needed to return to the village today, or there could be trouble. After all, she had indicated that she'd be returning today when she left.

[3]

[//thread exit]