Three weeks ago, you became a traitor.

The summons had come out of nowhere. After the series of unfortunate incidents that had you branded "disrespectful of authority", you'd been stuck with one D-rank mission after another, using your finely-honed skills to chop onions and stack boxes while your fellow genin battled brigands and infiltrated criminal associations. So when it seemed like the Powers That Be had finally forgiven you, and wanted you to be part of something important again, you jumped at the chance.

It was nothing like the missions you were used to. You were one of many genin on the mission, led by several chūnin, and even multiple jōnin. A powerful battle unit that would march into contested territory and end the region's biggest conflict once and for all. A dream come true for a genin afraid that their career was over before it had even begun.

But after a week's travel came the night when things went wrong. Raised voices coming from the commander's tent. The ring of steel on steel. Then, before any of you could get close, a brilliant flash of light that could only have been ninjutsu. After a second's silence, Shikigami-sensei emerged from the tent, covered in blood. The commander did not.

With the entire camp watching, it was too late for damage control, so Shikigami-sensei told you all the truth, and showed you the commander's documents. You discovered that you weren't a heroic strike force. You were a collection of problem ninja - some with histories of insubordination, others whose loyalty had come under question or who had shown excessive ambition... The details didn't matter. What mattered was that you were being led into a battle you couldn't win, your purpose to soften up the enemy before the real squads arrived and completed the mission. Your death sentences were already signed.

So all of you ran. It was a painful decision. It meant abandoning your friends and family. It meant giving up on countless hopes, ambitions and plans. But your village wanted you dead, and your other choices were to continue with the suicide mission, or to go back and face court martial for abandoning it.

Now you're a missing-nin. After three weeks on the run, you were able to find a safe place to make a longer-term base, with concealment on the level of a small ninja village. Your perimeter is secure for now, your supplies are adequate, and between your eighteen genin, your six chūnin and your three jōnin, you have a good range of skills and expertise. But your names are in the Bingo Book, and if your village considered you dangerous before, it will stop at nothing to find and destroy you now.