The Great Pumpkin!

[Tatsuo]

It was an annual tradition for the academy to grow a huge pumpkin for the small fall festival, however there were always groups of people who liked to ruin the fun for others. Every year people would attempt to vandalize or steal the pumpkin. It had almost become a joke amongst the staff to get Academy Students to guard the pumpkin until it was time for the fall festival. They usually picked the most diligent and level headed students to watch the pumpkin as they didn’t want to ruin the fun for everyone. And today it was Shinzo who was asked to watch the pumpkin, they said he would be given the day off class and all he would have to do is watch the pumpkin.

With his orders he was forced outside. It was a cloudy day and a bit after noon, the leaves of the trees were falling off as autumn encroached on the Fire Country. The weather was cool and it wasn’t much of a bother to stand outside, lots of people were walking the streets just enjoying the nice weather, quite a contrast from the sometimes scorching summers of Konoha. The Pumpkin was almost as tall as Shinzo and just as wide. It was by all standards a massive pumpkin. It was healthy and still rooted to the ground, there were a couple of smaller pumpkins growing around it but it was definitely the center jewel of the small patch.

As they pushed him outside they gave him the simple orders of just not letting the pumpkin get stolen, destroyed, or otherwise broken. And if he could manage that he would get some reward at the end. Despite never specifying what. The area surrounding him was quiet. An open yard cut off by a tall chain link fence. A bench here and there, a small bust statue of the First Hokage. Otherwise a pretty simple yard, giving Shinzo a good vantage point of all things around him.

 

[Minamoto Daisuke]

Shinzo was honoured to be chosen as the student to watch over the fabled ‘Great Pumpkin’! He strode out into the yard, proud of being asked to guard the pumpkin, a grin sat upon his face at the thought of being able to spend the day actually doing something instead of spending hours indoors. The autumnal air filled his nostrils, refreshing the eight year old. He wandered around the pumpkins, inspecting them all one by one but his attention was mainly focused on the centrepiece itself. His prideful nature took hold as he inspected the fruit that he was to protect, he took the time to walk around it and scan its surface. He wasn’t exactly sure what he was looking for, but he knew if he saw it then he’d know.

He turned to the statue of the First Hokage, he bowed knowing that he was being watched over by one of (if not the) most powerful shinobi in history. Shinzo could not fail in the presence of such an idol. ‘Right, so now it’s time to protect the great pumpkin.’ His thoughts were focused now on the task at hand. He grasped the hilts of his butterfly swords in his left hand, readying himself to pull them from the sheath they shared behind his back. Shinzo raised his right hand in front of his face with his index and middle finger held vertically. ‘Shinzo readies himself to face all that challenge him. None shall pass him and reach the treasure of the leaf village.’ He began to pace around the pumpkin, imagining the intense conflict he could face in the line of duty. He was Shinobi, and he was ready to take down all those who posed a threat to the largest fruit.

His brows furrowed. ‘I will not allow myself to fail my teachers, this is a task, my first official task, that I have been assigned.’ He leapt back, beyond the boundaries of the smaller pumpkins, but within a second he ran towards the Great Pumpkin. This was to gauge the time it would take him to engage any wrongdoers that attempted to harm the fruit of this mission. The fall festival would be nothing without this pumpkin, and if anything happened to it then the festival would be ruined, and it would be all his fault. Shinzo was determined not to let the village down, he stood and waited by the side of the pumpkin, ever vigilant in case anything came to harm the Great Pumpkin.

WC: 421

 

[Tatsuo]

It was necessary for Shinzo to be so adamant on protecting the Great Pumpkin, even if things seemed calm now every shinobi, or in Shinzo's case, would be shinobi realized things could turn sour in just a few moments. Even under the watchful gaze of the First Hokage's bust the Great Pumpkin required defense, one that Shinzo would need to provide if he was to become a real shinobi. Do or die, he would need to lay it all on the line for the Great Pumpkin. By doing so he would forever be in the Great Pumpkin's good graces.

Hours passed as Shinzo diligently defended the Great Pumpkin, people passed the streets, squirrels darted across the tree lines, it seemed all was calm for a long while. It seemed that the Great Pumpkin was safe. However as if to warn Shinzo a strong gust of wind blew through the yard, leaves rustling and dust being overturned. A small bang on the gate, the flash of a shadow darting through the field. It was now obvious Shinzo was not alone but what could've come to the yard even more so, what could threaten the Great Pumpkin?

Before he even had time to react a volley of stones vaulted over the wall, straight for the Great Pumpkin. Someone was trying to damage the Great Pumpkin in which Shinzo was destined to defend, with one in the field and projectiles in the air could any man defend the Great Pumpkin from such an onslaught? It would be a true test of strength, speed and most of all, the will to defend the Great Pumpkin. Does Shinzo have it in him?

WC: 610

 

[Minamoto Daisuke]

Shinzo’s ears pricked at the sound of the wind picking up, this was an omen. Though he had been vigilant for the last few hours, his focus increased greatly. What was to come? The boy had no idea but this was the time to ready himself. This did not seem like a simple rodent or bird, this was a serious threat. Soon Shinzo watched as the shadow shot through the field, he unsheathed his butterfly swords and divided them, one to each hand. He gripped the black wrappings that neatly fit into his palms. The wide blades reflected the dull clouded sky, not shedding too much light. His chin flicked upwards as the incoming stone projectiles caught his attention. It would not be long until these weaponised rocks impacted the Great Pumpkin, Shinzo would not allow such a heinous crime to be enacted while he was tasked with protecting such a sacred testament to the strength of the leaf. The Great Pumpkin, unrivalled in size, stood behind Shinzo as he positioned himself between it and the shadowy figure.

He calmed his thoughts. Time seemed to slow, and Shinzo found himself visualising the energy inside himself. In his mind he could see himself standing on the surface of a shallow pool of water which rippled at his feet, all around him was a never ending blackness which showed no horizon. Every now and then a dim flash would light up the area above him to reveal a clouded sky, a silent storm. As his focus grew so did the volume of sheet lightning that lit his minds sky. His eyes closed as a light grew beneath him, the lightning in the sky changed shape to that of several forks, they carved their way through the clouds seeming to converge above the eight year olds mental image of himself. This control had been passed onto him by his uncle, it was time to put it to use. The strange energy grew ever more potent as the forks of lightning met above the child. While, up until this point, all had been in slow motion time seemed to move faster and faster as a wide bold of white lightning suddenly struck Shinzo.

Back in the material realm Shinzo’s physical form seemed to flicker briefly before he disappeared and then instantly reappeared in mid-air in the flight path of the stones, his harnessing of the energy inside him allowing insane speed over the short distance. He used the flat side of both blades, one behind the other, in a combined strike to bat away the incoming stones. “I will not let you harm the Great Pumpkin!” He shouted at the top of his lungs before landing back on the ground and looking around for the shadowy figure. “Reveal yourself, coward!” He brought both of his arms up, bending his left arm more so than the right to ensure a two level defensive form with both blades held vertically towards the sky. He was ready to repel the would be pumpkin assailant.

WC: 507
TWC: 928
MFT

 

[Tatsuo]

Faster than a flash of lightning, quicker than the wind, Shinzo flew to the air masterfully blocking the incoming projectiles with his butterfly swords. The rocks were sent reeling backwards bumping into the fence as he could hear the group responsible for the projectiles scrambling away, one even shouting "Wow he's too fast! Lets get out of here!" Without the worry of the ranged attackers he could focus on the once shadowy figure who decided to show himself. Stepping from the shadows as a light shone on his face, a brown haired boy about two years older than Shinzo. A confident but nasty smirk filled his face. "You might be fast kid, but I doubt you're tough enough to beat me. I'm a Genin." he said cracking his knuckles before extending his hand. "C'mon, you let me take the pumpkin and I won't kick your ass."

After his sinister offer, only one sound could be heard, the whistle of wind blowing through the yard. Shinzo was able to stop the first wave of attacks but this boy was bigger than him, in both height and sheer size. In brute strength it looked like a no contest, but protecting the Great Pumpkin was not only about strength. It required a Will of Fire that couldn't be extinguished by any foe. However our Genin villain was kind enough to offer Shinzo a way out, to prevent any suffering over the soon to be scuffle if he denied. Something about the kid told you that Shinzo wouldn't have a second chance to surrender, if he didn't stand down now he was going to face the full might of the villainous Pumpkin hater. In a way to intimidate the boy he began to slowly form the hand seals required for a fire ninjutsu. "You've got about ten seconds before I blast you to bits, kid."

WC: 921

 

[Minamoto Daisuke]

Shinzo watched as the large Genin approached, and in doing so he returned his swords to their shared sheath. This genin was clearly much more experienced than Shinzo was, he had the forehead protector to prove it too…

Shinzo stood there with his head down, seemingly anxious at the appearance of a foe of such calibre. His mind raced, trying to find a solution to the problem, some way to protect the Great Pumpkin from coming into harms way.

“P-please don’t hurt me,” He said, still not making eye contact. “I, erm, can pay you! Just don’t hurt me.” With this said he reached into his belt pouch and withdrew some paper, he attempted to keep it from being plainly obvious as to what it actually was. “Will this do?” He said, this time his voice more confident. Suddenly he pressed his right palm onto the face of the paper, activating the seal which spread quickly over its surface. Again Shinzo paused, his physical form seeming to flicker and then in a flash he was in the air above the genin, plummeting towards him and leading his fall with the chakra supressing seal. He had hoped that changing position would force to genin to use his jutsu in the direction of the sky to avoid any harm to the Great Pumpkin.

WC: 221
TWC: 1149

 

[Tatsuo]

The genin made his way over to Shinzo, stopping his handseals after being offered money. "Hrmph, how much?" He was taken back by how weak Shinzo seemed to be, curling over at the first hint of combat. But if only it was that easy, but like a flash Shinzo activated the seal in the paper and appeared on top of him. The boy barely had time to bring his hands to his lip in order to gain control of his fireball before he was slapped on the forehead with a chakra suppressing seal. The 'inferno' that came out of the Genin's mouth was nothing more than a little spark as if someone lighted a lighter with his stinky breath. Once again the Great Pumpkin was save by our hero, Shinzo Deguchi. The boy tried to rip off the seal to no avail, chakra suppression seals had a nasty habit of not coming off easily. He cursed and shouted at Shinzo before he rushed into battle in the melee!

"I might not be faster." he said throwing a hard punch at his face, "But i'm definitely stronger!" Despite the strength difference, it was true he couldn't land a blow on Shinzo if he tried. But that wouldn't stop him from trying, but during one particular maneuver he managed to not only swing at Shinzo but rip off the chakra suppressing seal effecting him. A devious smirk filled his face as he quickly formed a new set of handseals and shouted, "FIRE STYLE: FIREBALL TECHNIQUE." The Genin took a stance and brought his right hand to his mouth, before blowing the fire infused chakra into the area after Shinzo. The air heated up as the small inferno left his chest and into the air around them, it was starting to grow dark but now the field was glowing with the devastating hues of orange and red. "You're too weak to protect anything!" The fireball was headed straight towards Shinzo who unfortunately was the only thing between the Great Pumpkin. Shinzo could dodge the attack and set up for a counter but if he was to do that it'd leave the fireball cutting through the grass straight towards to the Great Pumpkin. But a direct hit from something like that could be bad.. Shinzo was left with a choice, to flee and fight another day, or protect the Great Pumpkin and hope it's blessing was bestowed upon him.

WC: 1326

 

[Minamoto Daisuke]

His seal had worked, the first burst of fire was nothing to the eight year old who just allowed for the sparks to flow through the air currents that surrounded his body as he moved. There was no way that he could take the time to muster the strength to remove this threat right now. He had to keep him distracted and so he did for as long as he could. But then the seal was ripped off…

Shinzo stood in amazement, he hadn’t expected to come this far. His body was battered and sweat flowed from his pores, his hands were in no way to wield his swords correctly so he left them in their sheath. He glanced behind him just after he realised what the hand seals were indicating, fire. ‘There’s nothing I can do.’ Shinzo thought to himself in the mere moments before the ball of fire was to be launched. ‘I will not let any harm come to the Great Pumpkin, I can’t fail my teachers.’ His mind searched through memories of jutsu practice, he remembered being shown a water style technique but he hadn’t taken the time to actually learn it. Shinzo cursed himself for being so impatient, it was clear that this trait had placed him in this position. But how did he get into this position anyway? He must have lost focus while he was in combat, there was clearly a lesson for the eight year old in positioning. He thought to himself ‘how can I be expected to combat this guy? I’m only a student and I have no more tricks. I mean I could use another seal but that’ll just be disintegrated before I can even activate it. There’s nothing I can do. I’ve been too careless and now the Great Pumpkin could suffer because of my actions. I can’t let this happen.’

And with that thought he had made his mind up, he looked directly into the eyes of the genin, a green fire burning in his iris’. He bent his knees to lower his centre of gravity and crossed his arms in front of his face, if he was to take the direct hit then he’d have to try and disperse it by throwing his arms out at the last moment to guide the fire away from the Great Pumpkin. This was his only option, there was nothing else that could be possibly done. He had to stand strong, his short body now took the role of a barrier against the incoming fire style jutsu. Shinzo shouted out in determination as the fireball hurtled towards him. It was time he made a sacrifice, it was his duty, his ninja way.

WC: 451
TWC: 1600

 

[Tatsuo]

The fireball barreled to Shinzo, he could feel the heat come towards him. The fireball grew in both size and intensity as it burned through the grass, leaving behind a trail of burnt vegetation and ash flowing through the skies. Without a miracle it'd seem Shinzo would face defeat at this villainous Genin. But the Great Pumpkin never forgot those who helped them. Quicker than the fireball itself, a ninja covered in full flak. His headband flying through the wind, kicked the fireball into the sky. Making it burst into a great explosion akin to that of New Years Fireworks. The Genin stumbled backwards after the intensity of the blow, but now more scared that an older ninja appeared. The older man grunted and shook his head. "What do you THINK you are doing.." the man walked up to him and grabbed him by the collar. It was hilarious how quick the boy changed his tune, going from all cool and aggressive to crying like a baby and begging for mercy. The Genin shouted, "I'm sorry!!! I wasn't really going to hurt him, I promise! I was just trying to prank the school! Not actually hurt the kid or the pumpkin. I SWEAR!" The older ninja did not believe one word of it, he yelled a few obscenities at the boy before poking him in the chest and turning to Shinzo.

The man was about 6'1 and built like a rock, he seemed to be at least Jonin level by the speed and grace he moved. On his face was a tempered look that was sharper than steel. However upon gazing on Shinzo it softened and he grinned, "I'm sorry about that, every year we have a few Genin or whatever try to mess with the Pumpkin but never do they go that far." he said as he looked backwards, giving the Genin a look that could cut through a mountain. The boy instantly cowered and apologized once again but it fell on deaf ears as the Jonin started speaking to Shinzo again. "Either way, thanks for the help kid. It really warms my heart to know we've got students with such a burning Will of Fire. You not only fought valiantly, but you also defended the Great Pumpkin which is a symbol of our villages prosperity. Such selflessness should never go unnoticed. I'll be sure to put in a good word with some of your teachers tomorrow, after I deal with this trouble maker." he said giving him another killer look and cracking a few knuckles in his fist. "Feel free to run off now, i'll make sure nothing happens to the Pumpkin." All seemed good, the evil Genin was stopped and the Pumpkin was safe. Luckily that Jonin appeared or Shinzo might have ended up as a burnt crisp in a field of pumpkin.

WC: 1802

 

[Minamoto Daisuke]

Shinzo held his breath as the ball of fire hurtled towards him, his eyes were held closed to help him focus on bracing for the impact and imminent burning. It was no shock when Shinzo flinched due to the appearance of the flak clad ninja. He opened his eyes and stood in awe of the actions that he’d just seen before him, how could anyone simply deflect a jutsu like that? The eight year old let out a large sigh in relief, he hadn’t wanted to get burnt by any means but he was willing to make the sacrifice to complete his mission. The appearance of a far superior shinobi really saved him, and possibly even the Great Pumpkin. But Shinzo could not pretend that he wasn’t as shocked as the genin who had attacked him.

Shinzo stood, observing how quickly the genin had changed tone. ‘What a baby, even I can see that. How can some sort of coward like that think he can get away with trying to harm the Great Pumpkin and those who protect it. Of course that genin was going to injure him and destroy the precious fruit.’ The ninja in training stood for a moment, really taking in the events of what had just happened. To him it had all been a blur, though as he had acted to try and counter the aggressor he had attempted to calculate all the right movements. Thankfully where he had failed to make the correct movement, he was saved by the large man, who continued to tower over him.

His eyes looked up to the man in thanks, he brushed a bead of sweat from his brow. “Thank you, I guess. I was just doing what I was told.” He scratched the top of his head with his right hand, pushing his hair back ever so slightly. “Thank you for coming to the rescue. How did you even do that? I mean –” Shinzo stopped, realising that now was not the time to be asking such questions of the tank of a man.

He turned on his heels, glancing back once more to look at the genin as he bawled his eyes out in self preservative apology. Shinzo’s feet were heavy, he was indeed tired at this point, he had not expected his duty in protecting the Great Pumpkin to take such a turn. In a way he was glad to have the experience of almost defeating a genin, but now he needed to rest. It would be a while before he felt fully reenergised. He looked back one final time and smiled, deep down he knew that he had the Great Pumpkin to thank for his rescue.

WC: 451
TWC: 2051

 

[Tatsuo]

The jonin grinned and made a thumbs up to the kid, "One day you'll learn. You've got the heart of a great shinobi, no one who would show that much bravery in the face of what looked like defeat will ever be weak. I'm sure your will of Fire will blaze bright for years to come and that you'll one day be a hero of the village. And maybe even kick fireballs ten times that size like I did with ease." the man grinned before turning back grabbing the Genin by the collar and dragging him off into the street, leaving Shinzo alone. He was right, given that he protected the Great Pumpkin with his life the Great Pumpkin wouldn't abandon him. With the pumpkin safe and the day saved, Shinzo would find it starting to get dark as he had permission to go home finally. Once again a young shinobi protected the tradition of the Great Pumpkin. If statues could move, some would say the First Hokage was smiling at Shinzo on this day as he embodied what made the Leaf great. A selflessness to the village in which you could not find anywhere else.

Mission Complete!

WC: 2000