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The monk shrugged, nodded, and ducked out of the room. Simply, he said, "I'll check the grounds." Hajime quickly strode to the door and stepped out into the cool air of the street. He looked left. He looked right. Everything on the street seemed fairly normal.

He gazed at the opposite rooftops, and saw no one running or spying out there. Hajime looked to his feet, and found a clue. Small dots of blood speckled the sidewalk. Had he not known their origin, he would have expected that someone had a bad cut or a sudden nosebleed- not a bloody blade that'd just been used to decapitate someone. Hajime kneeled down, and ran his finger along the dark, red splotches, "Dry."

Hajime looked left. Hajime looked right. He spotted more splotches. The blade had still been dripping when the assailant left. He stood up tall and quickly traced the steps of the murderer. He stopped about ten steps into the trail- and looked down the alleyway beside the apothecary and the building beside it. The trail continued that way. It was dark down this way- unlit by the setting sun nor the streetlights of the city street.

There was unspoken grime on the cobblestone floor, and trash littered about. At the far end of the alleyway was another door back into the apothecary, followed by a wooden fence about eight feet high. Beyond the wall, Hajime could see the streetlights of the next street beyond. The monk quickly walked down the alleyway, eyes wide open- trying to see in the darkness. He stopped at the door and gave the knob a wiggle. It was unlocked. Curious. He pushed the door open and saw what appeared to be a storage room of some sort. He shouted into the building to alert his companions, "I found a backdoor here." He then closed the door behind him.

Hajime continued down to the wooden wall. He ran his hand along its side, careful not to pick up a sliver. There didn't appear to be a loose board or anything like that- it would be save to climb. Hajime stared at the dark wall for a moment, and realized something. I don't need to climb this as I would have as a child, do I? He'd heard of ninja climbing trees and walls. With the chakra training he'd done already, this should be simple.

Hajime put his foot to the wood, and concentrated on the sole. He gently kicked at the wooden fence a few times, testing the weight and density of the surface, then finally- his foot took hold. He heaved himself up on the spot- as if there had been a foothold there, and carefully laid his foot on the next spot. With greater speed, he moved the first foot up- then again with the second foot. With another footstep, he climbed to the top of the fence, and crouched low, eyeing the other side of the alleyway. There was an alley behind the apothecary- between it and the building to it's backside. That alley was just as grimy.

Hajime jumped down and strode down the dark alley onto the next street. He squinted and looked for blood, but saw no leads. He took a deep breath, then dived back into the darkness of the alley, this time slipping around the corner into the back alley. He crouched down, looking for spots of dried blood, but saw none. The trail was cold.

The monk saw two options for him now- and he decided to follow the quicker one first. He looped back around to the other side of the building, and analyzed that passway. He pulled the lids from trashcans, looking for clues, and looked for additional exits from the building. There wasn't anything of particular value in this alleyway, save for a rain gutter that could be used for support if someone where climbing to the rooftop. He reached out, and gave the gutter a shake- it was secure. With his newly discovered skill- he could climb to the rooftop without effort.

Hajime pressed his foot to the stone of the wall, and felt his foot stick to it like tape. He quickly walked up the next few steps, then his walk turned into an antsy climb. In just a moment, he hopped up onto the flat roof of the medical center. He made to walk across, but stopped. The ceiling was specked with dirt and dust, and he actually saw footprints in the fine coating. Someone had been on the rooftop recently.

He ran his hand along the silt, and tried to take account for how heavy it was. It was a bit tacky- but left a good solid path where his hand had been. He clapped his hands together, and did a swift jump over to the footprints. Hajime stared at the prints, and ran his hand along his smooth, hairless chin. The prints seemed wider than the average humans, and were a bit misshaped. The assailant had been waiting in this position for a while, and his feet had shifted and fidgeted under him.

He tried to imagine what the assailant saw, and gazed across rooftop. There was a vent opening there. Hajime crawled over to the vent. Two of the screws had been removed- the vent was barely hanging on the edge of the hole that lead to the airway ducts. Hajime shifted the vent aside and looked inside. It was a tough fit- but not an impossible one for a lean person like himself.

Curious. Hajime would have tried to follow the assailant's path, but decided against it- his robes were too free-flowing for that- he'd get stuck on any manner of screw-head or loose seam. The monk closed his eyes, and memorized all he saw. He quickly walked to the front edge of the building and dropped down, then entered the Apothecary to reunite with his team.

Hajime reported his findings, "There's a ventilation system above our heads that leads to the rooftop, where I found a pair of footprints. I think that the assailant waited until a certain time to invade the building- perhaps when the pharmacist was out for lunch. It seems that he may have used the side exit to escape- then walked along the front of the apothecary- to the left as we leave the building."

1064/1600 - Search the Apothecary for Clues!

This situation was getting mighty strange quicker by the minute. One second they were digging up evidence on a robbery, which led them towards a murder. Maybe this was coincidence, but Kaito felt like this was not. Stranger and stranger, every time they traveled to a new location for their mission things just got more weird. Oddly enough though, his second wind was coming on strong. Even with a disgusting, rotting corpse just a room over from him. The smell was becoming sickening at this point though, thus covering his nose with his shirt. What a time for an epiphany though, this mans rotting dead body had given him a couple of ideas. He'd save those weird thoughts, for a later, less weird time.

The monk went off to do his own thing, Sai was doing his as well. Kaito figured he'd might as well use his time the best he could. Sai was digging through the deck of cards, which looked suspicious to say the least. Was he playing cards with a friend just prior to being murdered? Maybe whomever he was playing with was the one that cleaved his head off. Whomever it was, they were skilled with a blade. Looked like one clean swoop and then heads were rolling. The eerie part was how clean of a swing this was. Obviously whomever had murdered this fella was good at his craft, which meant chances were this wasn't the assailants first time chopping heads off. Which wasn't exactly a reassuring thought...

Sai had decided to spear head this murder mystery and delegate everyone a job, sort of at least. Kind was like 'do one of these two jobs, I'm kind of a d**k head blah blah blah. It was pretty similar to those words at least. Kaito wasn't one to argue as long as his head was staying attached to the rest of his scrawny body. While the monk had temporarily left the building to search the premise, Kaito was inside digging through several herbs, potions, and other random miscellaneous items. The real problem being Kaito hadn't really any idea what he was looking out for in this place. Everything was so strange and just looked foreign to him, it was near impossible for the boy to decide what was normal for an apothecary shop and what wasn't. The shop was pretty cluttered up as well, things laid all across the room and stuff inside the cabinets looked a lot like a train wreck.

Working his way through the shop, Kaito would finally stumble across something that might actually be worth looking into. A black cabinet made of metal , larger than the rest was tipped over on it's side. In pieces, next to the downed cabinet laid a smashed up lock. Obviously at one point or another this lock was probably hiding some goodies within, which more than likely could have been the motive for chopping the headless chum's head off. While the cabinet was empty, this was at least some sort of evidence that someone wanted something from this place that was obviously valuable enough to be locked up. "H'mm... What would an apothecary need to keep locked up in his shop?" Kaito muttered words to himself, before getting back up and headed towards where Sai was. "You find anything?" The boy asked just as Hajime made his entrance mentioning his findings. "Well sounds like we have an entry point and an exit point. I didn't find much on my end, but there's a locker over there a little beat up. Had a lock on it which was chopped up worse than that guy was... Had to have been something worthwhile in there, right?" The boy couldn't help but be curious. What item was worth taking someones life? Could have been a pretty decent lump of ryo or something, but why use something so big to store ryo in? Kaito was vexed, and maybe's Sai's findings would make sense of the situation.

Juugou watched his partner dash off towards the mountain and then, almost seamlessly, reorient himself vertically to run up the mountainside. The younger Genin was impressed at how quickly Haikyo was getting used to his ninja capabilities. The older teen had already closed half the distance between the ground and the stopped scaffold so Juugou disengaged his insects to give him a safer landing. Moments later the Yomi had reached the three genin and boarded the scaffold, but Juugou could barely see what was going on. There was a brief scuffle between Haikyo and who the young Aburame assumed to be Nagreboshi. Then his heart sank when he watched his team mate drag the ringleader off the scaffold and dangle him from several hundred feet off the ground.

What is he THINKING?! thought Juugou, eyes widening in disbelief. Is he trying to interrogate the other two by threatening the life of their leader?! He began to run towards the wall hoping Nagreboshi didn't slip out of Haikyo's fingers. And then it happened. The young Aburame's brain ground to a halt, hands tugging at his hair. The deviant Genin's scream took a few seconds to reach him from that altitude, but stopped abruptly after Haikyo managed to catch him by some miracle. Juugou dropped to his knees, letting out the breath he had been holding in for what felt like an eternity. It took some time for Haikyo to return to the ground, but when he did, he returned grinning with some old man in tow instead of a child. "What's wrong with you, Haikyo?! You almost gave me a heart attack when you dropped Nagreboshi like that! And who's this?!" The answers came in short order, even if lacking in detail. It would seem as if the old man, who had wet himself during the fall, had been impersonating Nagreboshi. As the explanation went on Juugou pieced together the mystery, pinning the old man as a rival business owner. The last bit worried him, and a great deal of disdain welled up inside him for the sorry excuse of a geezer. The young Aburame got to his feet, dusted off his pants, and looked the old man in the eye. "Listen old man. You've racked up a really tall order for yourself: Conspiracy, kidnapping, identity theft and defamation of character. If we decide to take you in to the authorities right now you're looking to spend the rest of your life rotting behind bars, however before we do you will tell us where the kid whose identity you assumed is. And he better be healthy when we find him." The scrawny old man tried to make himself bigger by puffing out his chest.
"And what if i don't?" Juugou narrowed his eyes and smiled, calling down his insects from above so that they flew in a spiral around them.
"Let's just say you'll have plenty of unwanted visitors crawling under your skin. I hear it's a terribly uncomfortable experience." Hanoko balked at the thought and deflated.
"The boy is... tied up in a storage shed nearby." With Haikyo keeping hold of the old man in case he tried to escape, the two Genin followed his lead away from the Hokage Rock and back towards a group of smaller buildings. When they arrived Hanoko produced a key from inside his shirt and unlocked the door. Inside an unconscious and bound Nagreboshi lay slumped against an overturned barrel.

Minutes later several Jounin had arrived and apprehended Hanoko, while Nagreboshi's grandfather and team mates sat around the Genin on a bunch of boxes on the side of a nearby building. Juugou stood beside Haikyo, arms folded over his chest, watching their interactions.
"You know," he began in a soft tone, "I froze out there." The words left a sour taste in the young Abuame's mouth, but they needed to be said. "When you dropped Hanoko i didn't know how to react. It was as if my brain flat lined and i couldn't see anything else but the falling body. I need focus in order to communicate with my insects effectively and that connection was gone..." Juugou gritted his teeth and tightened the hold on his arms, feeling his throat tighten and tears begin to well in his eyes. "If you hadn't been able to catch him, i don't think i would've been able to do anything to save him. And that thought is eating me up inside, Haikyo." That's when the tears began to fall. "It's my dream to be a field medic, but i froze in a situation where i was the only one who could have made the difference between life and death!" he sighed, calming himself down slightly before asking, "How is it that you are able to block out such images that easily?"





ooc: Don't forget to log the Troubled Youth mission in the mission thread. Also edit your post to state where the first ends and where the second begins.

Juugou listened to Haikyo's words as the older teen spoke. They carried the same confidence that their owner exuded naturally. There was a warmth to them. An understanding that somehow felt like it went beyond mere understanding. Haikyo spoke of when he had dropped Hanoko, and of how he didn't doubt that he'd catch the man. The Yomi again drove home that Juugou needed to believe in himself, but this time the young Aburame perceived the message differently. There was a deeper meaning behind it now, and Juugou started seeing connections between the small things Haikyo had said earlier to what he was saying now. Juugou blushed a little when his team mate said he was really talented and would be a genius by the time he was eighteen. There it was again, that unwavering faith. No 'probably', no 'maybe'. He simply believed it would come to pass in the years to come. This made fresh tears rise, blurring Juugou's vision anew, but the pat Haikyo gave him on the back sent them streaming down his face.

The older Genin continued urging the young Aburame to understand that even though he felt that he was the only one that could've made a difference in the old man's fate, it wasn't so. Haikyo explained their relationship to be a mutually supplemental one, where each would cover for the other when it was needed. This caused an image of the yin yang symbol to appear in Juugou's mind, and it seemed pretty appropriate. The last bit that Haikyo spoke on about them being fated to meet ha a moving, yet therapeutic effect on Juugou. When he got pulled into the hug, the younger Genin felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He also felt a new closeness, a bond that would never break begin to form. The young Aburame could feel the Yomi's steady heartbeat, slow and strong. Being in such close proximity he couldn't help but notice how warm the older teen was. Whether it was his natural boy temperature or from the recent physical activity, Juugou wasn't sure, but he found himself to be enjoying it. After Haikyo promised to help him become a ninja that even the Yomi, a clan hailing from Samurai ancestry, would be proud of he released the embrace and stepped back with a grin on his face.
"Alright." answered Juugou, wiping his face with his right hand. "We can definitely use a break." Haikyo led the way back to the mission office, and took care of all the debriefing while the younger Genin sat on a nearby chair collecting himself. When they were done they stepped back outside and Haikyo asked what was next, stating that he wouldn't mind grabbing a bite of food. "What do you like to eat? We have a wide variety of cuisines from around the world here in the Leaf, but we're better known for our ramen. Ichiraku is the go-to spot for a bowl at a decent price."



New Word Count: 504 Words

(ooc: sorry it took so long. This is the first time i got emotional with a character, and i was hit by the feels so i had to think about how to properly respond to your post xP)

Once the other two genin met up with Sai, he led them back out of the store and into the alleyway that the monk had originally been investigating.

"The man without a head is Hassahiro Yagami. Or at least I'm pretty sure it is judging by the build as well as the silk clothing. It matches the description of the man and the quality of his goods." The man leaned himself against the wall of the building, his arms crossed as he looked at the two who accompanied him at the moment. "Earlier I had went to investigate his home. I found a strange metal, something I'm not familiar with but judging by how heavy it was it had to be pretty dense.

Now I'm not particularly sure what function it proves to hold but I have sent it in for testing. I'm going to assume that is what was so important in that safe and why we have two dead bodies on our hands. We should head back to the office to send in our report, hopefully there we'll be able to get some elaboration." From the information that the monk and the drunk had brought, that was all he could piece together. He was holding back one vital piece of information from them and that was the metal was an alloy he had seen a long time before.

In fact it was a special alloy only mined in the earth country and was the cornerstone of former Tsuchikage Sentei Hyuga's secret arts. It was a prized mineral and for it to be so far away from home was an ill omen, at least for the earth country. Someone had to have been smuggling it out, it was likely the merchant Yagami that was hiding it amongst his wares for sale but the question that remained was for whom and why was Yagami cut out if he had been successful in his efforts.

As he pushed himself from the wall and began making his way back to the main street and towards the shinobi headquaters, Sai looked back at the two and gave a wolfish grin, "I hope you weren't intending to get any sleep tonight. I have a feeling this is only the beginning of it."

As the boys walked down the street together, Juugou mentioned that what Haikyo had said could have been taken as some form of marriage proposal, and Haikyo stopped dead in his tracks, his jaw slack and his eyes wide. "N...no. No that's not. I mean, you know what I mean. I just...humph." He said, throwing his arms up in exasperation as Juugou laughed at him, though he was laughing a little bit himself behind his false frown. When they had gotten to the restaurant, and Teumaru began cooking their food, Haikyo watched him intently, studying his technique from a distance and trying to absorb every moment of it. It had been a very long time since he had seen a man cook like this, or since he had tasted food like this. He had gotten so used to the day to day at home, isolated from society. Farming for themselves--surviving.

When Teumaru congratulated them on becoming genin, he smiled, slightly, reaching to touch the headband, wrapped rightly around his upper bicep on his right arm. It was at that point that he smell hit his nostrils, and his stomach let out an obnoxious growl as his mouth immediately began to salivate. It was likely the best scent he had ever experienced. It lingered with him, and it was as if he could taste it, it was so potent. He reached down with his chopsticks and plucked a healthy wad of noodles from the bowl, lifting them to his mouth. When the flavor washed over his tongue, his breath caught in his throat and he felt tears well in his eyes. His eyes glossed over, though he did not shed a tear as he brought the bowl to his lips and drank some of the broth. It was the best thing he had ever eaten. It was as if he had won some form of prize...that he had been gifted a king's own meal.

When Juugou turned to speak with him, he nodded, his mouth full. He slowly chewed the food and swallowed, taking a deep breath, as he had been eating very quickly. "Yes, I would be more than happy to do some training with you, Juugou. I would like to explore the different methods I might be able to employ with the energies I am beginning to learn to utilize. What is it you would like to ask?" He went back to eating as Juugou had, as well, and he paced himself through the rest of his meal, savoring every bite as if it might be his last. He couldn't believe food like this would be at his fingertips. When Teumaru asked if they wanted anything, Juugou asked for water, and Haikyo caught his brain racing at the thought of being able to try something...anything. "Do you...have coffee?" He asked, holding his breath in anticipation. "You really have been in hiding, huh? Poor folks. Yeah, we have coffee. I'll get some for you right away." Haikyo rubbed his hands together, unnaturally excited.

As Teumaru went about making the coffee, he explained that there was some sort of rare mineral that had surfaced in the Earth Country. Haikyo wondered if the man was implying that they would send them to retrieve such objects, even though they were only genin. He wondered. "I wonder what's so special about this mineral...that so many people would hunt for it with such fervor." He stated, more absentmindedly than anything. He stroked his beard, wondering what this might mean for them. Where they may be thrown...or what they may be thrown into. The suggestion to train only became even more apparently necessary. They had to get stronger if they were going to be able to stand toe-to-toe with ninja from other countries. Much stronger.

The smell of the coffee wafted up to his nostrils and his eyes rolled back as he breathed it in. He paused his thoughts to take a sip of the coffee with milk and sugar. The hot beverage washed over his mouth--burnt and bitter, and yet somehow it was still damned good. He decided he liked this drink. It was a very different, strong flavor, and it was said to increase one's energy. When he returned to his thoughts about having to get to equal ground, he found himself getting ramped up. Haikyo hadn't even managed to figure out how to use his own chakra until today, it was unlikely that he was going to be able to fight on even ground with anyone...not unless he was some sort of genius. He laughed at the thought of that. He had always been the failure of his family...shunned. He had never been taught anything by his parents. Just left to watch them...observe and think upon it. He never learned a damn thing until he came here! But...he was not going to give into failure. He could not fail. He would not. He would master his soul, and he would learn to control it. And he would do it before there was any sort of clash.

"Whenever you're ready, I am, Juugou. I feel like, if Ichiraku is right, it means we're going to need to really learn how to defend ourselves beyond the basics. Thank you so much for everything, Ichiraku-Sama. Your meal was one of the greatest I have ever had." Haikyo said with a genuine smile as he picked the mug up and downed the rest of the coffee inside it, ready to get some training time in.

[ooc: ]

Word Count: 2143 + 920 = 3063 Words

The drunk sighed, while shaking his head back and forth. Murdering someone for material objects happened way too frequently, twas' a sad thought. Lives shouldn't have to be cut short over someone trying to make some quick ryo. Just the thought had him frustrated, although strangely motivating him. "Nah, I'm ready to dig in on this one." At this point the genin was getting fairly exhausted, between the traveling and today's events the boy hadn't much time to get rest. Bed probably never sounded so good before, but he'd trek on until they'd figure this murder sleuth mystery.

Kaito, alongside the team made their way back to the shinobi headquarters, where he hoped they'd have some sort of insight on the murder situation. "So that rock or metal or whatever... What do you think it is? I mean like, what do you think makes it so special?" Maybe this rare metal had some sort of crazy powers, or maybe it was crafted into some indestructible weaponry? Hopefully they'd have some answers sooner than later, but until then they'd probably need to pass some information the the headquarters about the situation at hand.

The trio walked inside their destination, and Kaito made a move toward the front desk. "So uh hey... We uh... found a dead guy." Obviously this was new to him, Kaito wasn't even sure why he decided to take it upon himself to inform the secretary. A hint of nervousness plagued his voice and body. What a shitty way to start off your ninja career, right?