Xanatos was standing upon the rooftop and looked down to his Jounin teacher, hopping down from the rooftop and landing with a light float and touching the ground softly. A regular villager would break their spine at that height, but Xanatos was gifted, like Saiyuri. Saiyuri would hear Xanatos through mental telepathy, yet, he didn't move his mouth. He smiled softly and sat down across from her while ordering something on his own to munch on. He was mad hungry.
Saiyuri felt something brush against her mind, and she recognized it as her younger cousin, Xanatos. He was a gifted ninja, a coalition of two of the singularly most powerful mind bending clans. She sent over a feeling of warmth from the link he established, and waited before bombarding him with thoughts. She knew he had just graduated from the Academy and was beginning his path down the ninja road. Saiya was here to help him in any way he needed, both as a family member and as a higher up. "Xanatos-kun, it is lovely to see you. I am doing well." Saiyuri said, suppressing her emotion of her own disbelief. In truth she was very tired. There was so much fear running through the village at the destruction of Yukigakure and the disappearance of Kaisen that it was on everyone's mind. The thoughts the crowd were thinking were so powerful and intense that it was hard for Saiyuri to focus on her daily tasks. The other day she had been filling out a report of her latest mission only to realize she had been writing the thoughts she had been hearing. Saiyuri smiled at Xanatos before returning to her eating. "Now that you are officially a shinobi, what is your goal?" She asked ponderously, giving Xanatos an inquisitive look. Without any more words she showed Xanatos her goal. Saiya began to feed images through the link they had together. It was an image of a village surrounded by massive walls, and faces carved into mountains. This was a memory Saiyuri had of the old way, before the great war.
He shifted his eyes around himself, closing his eyes and opening his mind's eye to see what she was trying to show him, it was beautiful. The thought of bringing back to the old ways was an interesting goal to try and achieve. "That's great, I'm glad you're doing well senpai!" He said, still not moving his lips as his food arrived, he thanked them accordingly, only to have them shudder about his mental capabilities. Xanatos began eating, the aroma of the food was intoxicating and the sounds of the world around him were drowned out by his sheer imagination. "My goal is simple...I want to become the commander of the military force in Sora." through the same link, she would see the images of Xanatos' memory, of his imagination, of an older version of himself standing and watching over the shinobi. An army was saluting to Xanatos, awaiting for his order, his every command. Xanatos wanted order. Control. Equilibirum.
Saiyuri blocked her thoughts and emotions from leaking through the link while viewing Xanatos' dream. The path of power and ambition was a dangerous one. Saiya hoped that her kin would not fall down into the darkness. "That is a very tall order to fill! I hope I can aid you along the way." Saiyuri said, leaving out the part where she wished to keep him on the right path. It would be a tragic day when Saiyuri would have to be pitted against her own family. Saiyuri's eyes glazed over for a moment as she was pulled into her past, the memories flashing swiftly. There was a fiery boy once loved, a friend she cherished dearly. The village she had shown Xanatos before flashed again, this time in ruins. Saiya stood before two graves, bloodied and battered. An iron hard wall smashed down into Saiyuri's mind, momentarily severing the link. She dropped her chopsticks and stared down into her soup, forcing the thoughts deep into brain. Saiyuri looked sheepishly at Xanatos before tentatively extending a link to Xanatos. "Old demons, do not worry." Saiyuri said, picking up her eating utensils and slowly returning back to her food.
█┊███ｗｉｅｌｄｅｒ ｏｆ┊ＦＩＲＥ██┊█ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXI'M GONNAXXXXXXXXXBURN YOUXXXXXXXXXI'M GONNAXXXXXXXXXBURN YOU - - - - - XX▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ ▬▬▬▬▬ ▬▬ ▬ ▬ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXI'M GONNAXXXXXXXXXBURN YOUXXXXXXXXXI'M GONNAXXXXXXXXXBURN YOU XXXXXXXXXXXXXX┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈⇣⇣ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX❝ YOU KNOWYOU KNOWYOU KNOWYOU KNOW
X X
Bright rays of light touched his skin. His eyes narrowed to avoid too much exposure; the chaotic glimmer of the sun, the streets and the people always upset his mental balance. Walking through the city was Soragakure's number one shut-in, John Le-Troy. The man had originally come from Konoha, but like many others, had to come here to preserve himself in the chaos. It was humanity's one hope, or it could be their greatest tomb. The city and its dangers always brought him melancholy; he couldn't get it to go. The shinobi yearned for the world below, where they were free to walk where they wanted, untouched by the clouds in the sky. It was on days like this where he remembered this latent desire. Because, with little to prove contrary, he felt he was surrounded by people who just didn't care what happened around them. The men lusted for power, the women desired control. The people in the streets were always thinking, thinking on horrible things. Before, when he was young, he was detached from his telepathy and was unaware of human nature.
When it became revealed to him, he freaked, and it took a long time to mentally prepare himself for the world again. Even people who seemed to pity him, thinking him deaf and mute, actually had toxic thoughts in their heads. Many of them revealed disgust, and the desire to just get away from him. Some were genuine, but when you went deeper, you could find things to make you feel they were just a bad person. More than anything, John desired for the truth to be cast away from him, hidden in a dark room. His inquisition made him fearful of others. However, there were a few people that he didn't really mind: his other Mayu. They were all psychics, like him, and mute, like him. It was with them that he could be natural, feel like normal. Otherwise, it was something like living as a mutant amongst men. A feeling you couldn't sustain for long without going insane.
"Hey Saiyuri," The man whispered into her thoughts. They were both very advanced telepaths, so there was little confusion and irritation when they tried to communicate. He knew how to keep her out of his head, and she knew how to do the same. They didn't really have to put a guard up. But, he didn't know her that well outside of a few casual conversations. He tried to reach out to her, but she was a Jounin, and he was a Special Jounin. Busy schedules, right? He never had the time, and never had the will to even leave home. Maybe that would change today. He heard there were new people, much like him, enlisted. He wanted to meet them. "Is this the Mayu?" He sent her a mental image of Xanatos. It was edited to his will, showing him enthusiastic and sticking both thumbs up. That's how John liked to see people. "He looks like a bright enough guy." He couldn't speak, but he could smile, which followed shortly after his words.
He was shocked as the world that she had envisioned of her imagination turned dark and gritty, the building walls were torn apart, blood sprayed against the concrete ground and the red-brick walls. He saw her, standing in front of two graves, she was bloodied and battered, damaged. He took a single step yet everything pulled like a sheet to a comic, pulling it apart. He gasped and opened his eyes, the imagination ruined, the link severed for a brief moment. He linked back with Saiyuri and gulped. "W-what was th-..." he stopped and glanced over to John, he didn't hear his mental thoughts because he didn't connect attach himself to his mental link as well, creating a three-way conversation yet. Xanatos would take the initiative and latch onto John's mental link to speak to him, "hiya!"
Another mind brushed against Saiya's inner self, one she had felt before. The shinobi force was so small in this day and age that it was nearly impossible to not know everyone else. Not only that, but John was another member of her family. He was a distant relative to Saiyuri, in biology as well as socially. No matter how many times she had tried to befriend him John remained an enigma to Saiyuri. Normally, once Mayu members got to know each other they shared many memories, thoughts, feelings, and more. It was a connection that transcended physicality. The deeper their bond the more they shared. Saiya could recall a time when she gave all her thoughts and feelings away to someone, but it was so long ago. "Good morning, John." Saiyuri thought to John. Most normal people had a hard time keeping up a conversation with more than one person. Saiyuri could literally talk to as many people as she wanted at once, with very little hindrance or confusion. She smiled as well, the sound of laughter "Yes, I believe he will be very strong. Him and his sister." Saiyuri said, sending over an image of a very pretty girl to John. "Together I believe they will carve a very interesting place in the world for themselves." Saiyuri thought, accompanied by a foreboding feeling. With great power came a great chance to turn to the dark side. With their strength, that would be a very dangerous thing.
"I hate to break up the party, but I have a mission for the three of you." A voice would seem to materialize behind them, but they were probably used to it by now; the man had a habit of just showing up in places without any need or means of tactful entry. "The sky village is currently undergoing recon operations outside the Moon Village, but we have yet to send actual spies in. This is our plan. Saiyuri and John will infiltrate the village and obtain as much info on their ranks, their ninja, their strengh....as much info as you can in a short period of time while Xanatos provides aid to the recon corps. He'll be surveying their walls, looking for weak points in their defenses for a potential invasion. Once your mission is complete, return to my office promptly." With that, Kaisen left again. He had no other reason to stay, and their terms were pretty basic. This would be classified as an S-rank mission for John and Saiyuri, and A-rank for Xanatos.
Saiyuri flinched at the sudden appearance of Kaisen. She had not seen him, but she felt him randomly appear as a blip within her sensory field. He spoke of a mission, of espionage within the moon village. Saiyuri bit her lip in apprehension; these were dangerous times. The two remaining villages were already on edge due to the rogues and anarchists taking over Yukigakure. An act like this could only mean that Kaisen was preparing for war. Saiyuri took a quick mental count of all the shinobi they had at their command, and the number was small. This did not leave Soragakure at too much of a disadvantage, because Tsukigakure was the same way. With smaller forces, the inevitable war would rely more upon secrecy and moles than flat out chaotic fighting. That was at least one good thing about it. With less people to cause destruction, there would be less destruction.
Saiyuri had heard the rumors, same as everyone else, that the Goddess of Flash had disappeared, along with the Yukikage. Those were two of the three strongest ninja in existence, Kaisen being the last. Nobody had the power to obliterate entire sections of the world anymore. Saiyuri hid her fear from those she was still linked with. As the highest ranking kunoichi around it was her duty to take charge of the mission. Luckily Kaisen could not have picked a more able group than theirs. Each one of them had the ability to tap into the minds of others and read information nearly freely. Saiyuri herself would have the easiest time gathering information. The one thing that truly worried her was the talk of the newest Tsukikage. She was said to have the same abilities as Xanatos, meaning they would have to guard their minds. If they were to completely block out all contact the Tsukikage would have grounds for invading their mind, something Saiyuri doubted any of them save for herself could hold off. They had to fabricate a tale, one so powerful they nearly believed it themselves. As long as that was at the forefront layers of their mind the Tsukikage would have no reason to doubt them. It was a dangerous task, but a doable one.
Saiyuri opened up the pathway to both John and Xanatos as she began to share her plan with them. "Xanatos, I want you to learn what you can so you may be prepared for the worst. You'll be separate from us, while removed from immediate danger you may stumble upon the natives of that land. If worst comes to worst, your job is to incapacitate and run. Do not let them know you are of the Sky village." Saiyuri said as she pushed away her food and steepled her fingers together. "You all heard Lord Kaisen. We are to observe an gather information. None of us is allowed to deal the first blow at any point. You wait until you are attacked first if anything." Saiyuri said as she brought up a map of the known world in her head. The image would be viewable by both John and Xanatos. Saiyuri highlighted the Sky village, and then the moon village. There were many miles to cover between the two lands, and much of it would have to be by boat. "It will be dangerous from the moment we leave the safety of our village. Not only will we have to worry about the Tsuki forces, but the rogues that have been roaming the land. We may have to fight. If we stumble across any rogues, you have permission to obliterate them."Saiyuri though with a slight tone of sadness. She did not enjoy the work, but Saiyuri would not hold back. "Once we near Tsukigakure we will assume disguises and enter the personas of refugees. Do not try and hide your abilities as a shinobi, it will be much too obvious. When we leave this village, we will not leave as Saiyuri, John, and Xanatos. Even in your mind I do not want you to think of yourself as that. Become someone totally different. Do not think of Sora as your home. Imagine the wastelands of the North. Feel the anger from having your home destroyed, the pain as well." Saiyuri thought through the link. She reached up to her forehead and undid her headband, mentally telling the boys to do the same thing. "Dress warmly, pack anything you may need. And remember, we are no longer apart of Soragakure."Of course they were deep inside, but Saiyuri needed this facade to be multi-faceted and deep enough to be true even if someone read their minds. "I will be waiting at the gates. Come when you are ready to disembark. Say your goodbyes, this may very well be your last chance."
Xanatos nods as he understands, he removes his headband and then walks out. He heads home, to put the headband away and change up his look, he needed to look 100% rogue. Even roguier than ever before and such. He went over a fake past with himself over and over again, where he was never apart of Sora, where he was never a shinobi at heart, but a heartless killer.
Genin | Soragakure | Puppeteer | Sharingan | Reiji Uchiha Reiji had the right hunch, he WAS early... But only for about one minute. He had reached the store that had been ravaged by a small street gang the past day in a secluded street in the downtown district, luckly, it had a connection directly with the skyrails, so Reiji wouldn't need to let go and spent chakra again should his targets be rather far. Everybody knew WHO did it already, but without solid proof, it was a bit complicated to just throw a group of three people in jail and doing vigilante work was dangerous to shopkeepers and house owners. Just pay a ninja a small sum and keep your hands clean, the motto of most merchants... Well, Ninjas or ormal mercenaries, both did the job spendidly, but the later was more rape-y and less green in most cases. Well, one way of the other, he was there. Pressing a Buzzer that was by the window near one of the skyrails, Reiji waited for his client to open the window. A small creack was heard as the man aproached, revealing the need for new floorboards before slowly opening the window.The man was old and obviously shaken by the recent events. Upon seeing the young ninja hanging near his window, he seemed to relax a bit, but not by much.
"Y-you are the Reiji boy, right? i-i-i-i suppose you already know some stuff already, r-right?" Reiji just gave a single nod, and motioned the old man to continue. "W-Well, i got their location. Those hooligans seem to be hiding out at the... The... The western section of the district, near a abandoned restaurant. G-go get them will ya? I fear what might happen in the future if we let that gang free to do as it pleases." Well, Near an abandoned restauratin western Downtown... s**t. He probably knew who it was. "I'l do what i can, Just be sure to pay the village later." He didn't leave room for replies as he once again placed chakra pressure at the rail, sending the genin towards his destination. He just hoped he was wrong about something, it had been a number of years already, but it was still a possibility. Then again... Even if he WAS right, it wouldn't change the outcome. Just the aftertaste.
The abandoned restaurant, "Red heaven". A bit pompuous a name for a place that could barely pay for it's own bills and now didn't even do that... But one thing was for sure, it was a pretty sight, near one of the ledges that led to a lower level of the city, it gave perfect view of the horizon, towards the plains to the west. Reiji just wiished it was dusk now that he was in the vincinty, but no such luck, he feared. "You have mission... Focus, will ya?" Reiji pulled himself up, letting go of the skyrail and landing on top of one of the rooftops without too much trouble... They were mostly plain in this area, to advoid people like Reiji from falling down a ledge due curvature, but it was still tilted towards the back alleys. The Red heaven was a short walk from there, but better be ready. Taking out a scroll from his back, Reiji Unroled it over the roof's surface, summoning a blue painted puppet, one that he built himself over the last few months.... It was a strange one to be sure, While Reiji could probably fit new weapons and compartiment into it if he tried, all he did was the basic design, a humanoid, melee offensive puppet. Really, if it wasn't for it's lightweight feet, you could assume it's a human in light armor. Ataching strings to it, Eiji felt the familiar weight of the puppet's movements whule it carried it's wings... They were surprinzingly complex to make, leaving small spaces to install other pieces later on while still leaving them sturdy enough to serve as shields.
Reiji ulled back his right and left hands, making the aparatus on the Vardant's back slide enough to reveal the inner parts of the shields, where two thin swords had their handle stick out to be grasped. Concidering this wasn't a mission to kill, and sure as hell he was thankfull for it since he had this nagging feeling, just one for the right hand would do. The Vardant's fingers had little identations that allowed it to wield two blades per hand without loosing power behind the slashes... Making it a surprizingly deadly attacker since the cut would be particularly hard to stop the bleeding. With just one, thought, it COULD kill, but it was less likely. Moving the Vardat to the edge of the building, the puppet jumped down, completely opening it's wings to slow itself down during the short fall before retracting them. Reiji would continue through the rooftops while the Vardant would be far easier to see walking in the middle of the streets. The place was mostly empty, but that was because most people living there were working and there wasn't any reason to take this place as a path to anywhere... All the better, he guessed. As he aproached the red Heaven, he could hear voices. Loud, annoying voices that he didn't reconize. But faces were still to be determined... Just who could they be?
Chakra: 18/20 Ryo: Current weapon/hand:( Vardant - [Summoned] - [Wings attached]) Technique: None or Training
Passives - +1/2 Accuracy - +1 Puppetry
E:1 D:2 C:5 B:7 A:N/A S:N/A
Quote:
((OOC: Will post Battle scene later, unless an mod takes interest in RPing a small street gang. Do PM me if so.))
Posted: Wed Dec 18, 2013 3:56 pm
There just ain't heroes in this world.
Genin | Soragakure | Puppeteer | Sharingan | Reiji Uchiha The vardant looking so humanoid was quite a boon in situations such as this one. As long as Reiji kept his leg movement to a minimum during aproach, most people would mistake him for the ninja during the first moment or two of combat... But then, only those without any kind of real training, a factor the genin was counting in. From the rooftops, Reiji was begining to get a view of his targets. Reiji had about eight feet between himself and the ground level, enough to hide himself if he kept some distance. The vardant would aproach directly, and three men walked from out of the shadows from the red heaven... Actually, one man and two youngsters, one that was exactly what Reiji wanted to advoid... A familiar face, one of the boys that kept turning out to be his 'targets' during the vigilante days. He didn't really have too much love towards the guy, but it was a bit too familiar, the feeling of attacking these kinds of people. No use hesistating thought.The older man, seemingly the leader of the trio glared at the puppet as if he was a real person, hostility was clear enough."So, what'cha doing here, mister fancy pants? Lost your way or something?"That was... Lame. Really freaking lame. What was that guy, 70? He sure didn't look like it. Reiji could just sigh at the expression used before looking back at the Vardant who was ready to move in.
With no answer given by the doll, one of the younger two looked around, seeing if there was any reinforcement. Reiji was a bit distracted by the retro "O.G. represent" that was uttered but he wasn't about to keep himself from moving into a more defensible spot behind a sign as soon as he noticed the head movement, but he wasn't quick enough to completely evade sight... Reiji could feel that quite a bit of curiosity was directed in his general direction. He had to strike before there was a chance for him to warn the other two. Rolling a bit to get a good view of the battlefield, Reiji had the Vardant leaping at the three men, taking their attention completely back at the armored assailiant with swords. all of them had a long, blunt object at hand, o at least they would be able to block... If they kept a good formation. The aerial view coupled with little need to worry about gravity would make the Vardant, even if a bit slow because of all it's weight, mobile due Reiji's powerfull mastery over puppets. The first strike was the Vardant's, preparing to slash upwards with it's left hand, Reiji violently pulled his hands towards the right and the blue puppet suddently changed directions, flanking the guy that Reiji knew. The faster he was taken out, the less the genin would regret it. The slash was fast and the direction, unpredictable to the untrained group, marking the first blood drawn.
The youngster screamed as a sideways gash opened at his calf, sending him bleeding to the ground. Good, it seemed Reiji was able to advoid lethal force with this one... As long as he wasn''t stupid enough to wail around for ten minutes straight, he should survive. With that out of the way, the other two were ready to be attacked. In both ways. They weree visibly more alert and looking around, it seemed they figured out the Vardant. Not that it mattered anymore, the fight was decided the moement the numerical advantage was evened. The Vardant didn't feel pain, was well armed and armored and above all else, Reiji could jump in at a moment's notice. The other youngster jumped over towards the puppet, faster that Reiji predicted, hitting the puppet's left shoulder with a iron pipe, denting it. That was bad, the shoulder was an a** to repain because of the plates leaving little space to work on directly, he had to remove the plates, fix the damage, put it back and then adjust the grip to allow flexibility... The last part was the one he hated. Still, that was a perfect oportunity. Letting go of the sword of the right hand, the Vardant landed a vicious punch around the boy's midsection, lifting him up at the moment of the strike... Maybe Reiji overdid it a bit. Not a second too late and the third man was attacking, but this time, there wouldn't be a hit. The Vardant was pulled back quickly before being launched foward to repeat the procedure of the last target, but the ringleader dodged before atempting to run for it. The guy was faster that the Vardant could run with the sword case... But he ran in Reiji's direction. Making a few quick hadsigns, Reiji cutted the chakra connections of one hand with his puppet to jump down, cutting the man's escape route and hitting him with a point blank Electron. There was a flash and the guy was sent back ten feet with a burn mark on his chest before starting to twitch and convulse while uncouncious.
This was... Easier that expected really. It was the firt real battle Reiji was in since he graduated as a ninja and completed his puppet... And it was incredible to have this much control over the battlefield by not having to be there yourself. If it was like it used to be, there was a good chance the ninja would win with a couple of broken bones instead of a slightly damaged puppet... Not to mention the colateral damage of being able to keep his targets alive. It seemed that he DID overdoit with the punch, as now the unfamiliar youngster was laying on a pile of his own puke with a small amount of blood... He just hoped it wasn't damage to the lungs, this wasn't really a mission to kill, now was it? Having the Vardant open it's wings and putting it's swords back into place, Reiji ´placed it back into the scroll and looked around for something to hold down the delinquent gang. There was some rope, but not enough to tie the three of them together, so Reiji cut it with a Kunai to separate smaller lengths and tie up the men's hands. They weren't really in conditions to walk without support should they wke up and one of them wasn't in condition to walk PERIOD until his wound was taken care of. The gash was still bleeding a bit, and it's owner passed out from pain during the battle... But nothing lethal, it seemed. Well, nothing to do other that call for someone to pick them up. Reiji was sure tht he only needed to drop by the bank to recive his payment once sucess was confirmed... With the three had their wrists tied and a patroling shinobi was reported to, Reiji started to make way towards his payment point.
Chakra: 20/20 Ryo: Current weapon/hand:( Vardant - [Outside] - [Wings attached]) Technique: None or Training
E:1 D:2 C:5 B:7 A:N/A S:N/A
Quote:
((OOC: Head... Dizzy. Sentences... Incoherent. Apology... Asking. ********... The Beach. And i really should stop nitpicking, 8 paragraphs for a C ranked mission might be a bit too much :v ))
notingles-do-po
Dangerous Streaker
Offline
Kunesume2
Militant Genius
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Posted: Tue Dec 31, 2013 11:09 am
As busy and active downtown was, there were still parts of it that remained less traveled than most. These alleyways where crooks, theives, and the homeless live are reasons why they are less traveled unless one was looking for trouble or in Magnus' case, seclusion. The City wasn't an ideal place to practice ninjutsu for a taijutsulist, but for what he was going to practice he wanted to be where the people are. Deep in the city, he was, in a clearing past a few connectable alleyways, he was practicing his Raiton skills. Being of about ten years old, he would visually make easy pickings and yet, anyone that would think that would be sadly mistaken, a mistake that could me the loss of their lives.
He formed a single handsign as he focused his raiton chakra through his body. Wild and electric in its nature, he focused it into his hands and finally through his fingertips. He flung his hand outwards as electric strings barely visible in the low level light around him clung to the far wall. He released the technique as he needed more of an audience to preform what he wanted and thus he set out looking for a wondering individual. He walked out from his alleyway and down the street into a different one not far from where he was. As he did, he touched the wall connecting static strings to it and crossing the entrance to the alleyway. He did so once more with his other hand through another entrance. Once two ways were covered he levitated up into the air and over a building and waited.
After a few hours of stalking the city streets, someone had finally tripped his alarm sending a small electrical shock through his right middle finger. It would seem someone had entered through the second entrance. The second entrance was a lot different than the first as it stood to mean something completely different. While the first connects to the main street, this second entrance connected to a back alleyway and only one type of person could be expected to come out of a back alleyway in downtown Sora.
Posted: Tue Dec 31, 2013 9:57 pm
Magnus got up and departed from the Downtown area heading for the Sorakage's office.
-‘๑’-[Rinnegan]☯[Jounin Sensor]☯[Legacy of the Sonozaki]-‘๑’-
❝My fists will never fail the vow of the Shishigami. Not now, not ever.❞
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TABTAB Takashi ran his hand over the metal of the headband Saiyuri had given him. He knew the plan: hit every store that deals with any kind of explosive or any store that could make a container for explosives. He liked the idea of what he knew being useful for once. The Sonozakis were legendary for their craftsmanship, and he was taught a few things and how to work with metal. At least the Sorakage was able to narrow down the search to a few blocks rather than the entire village. For once they were not going into a search mission with nothing to go on. Takashi momentarily stopped in his walk from the front of the downtown area. He had not thought of the old days since... well... since he had been asleep. Technically, he had only been physically conscious since the Great Destruction for a couple of hours, but he had been asleep for years in a comatose state as his body had to fix itself... again. And Nakaya.... Takashi grimaced. Here he was, all living and shizz, and Nakaya was dead. Takashi managed for a second time to avoid the Reaper and his best friend got taken from him. Why the hell was that? It was not like he was not grateful for the opportunity, but if only he had been a little faster, had not hesitated to free himself from the monster's pin the only way he could... His right shoulder began to throb briefly. TABTAB"Damned idiot..." Takashi rubbed the back of his neck. Now was not the time to second guess what could have happened. What was done was done, and there was, as of right now, no way to change that fact. He was alive, and so was Saiyuri. As long as the both of them were breathing, then Nakaya's life and death meant something. The only was he could help his friend was to honor his memory, and that meant staying alive and kicking the bad guys' asses. He rounded the corner and came upon the sixth shop he was tasked with. It seemed average in the front, though seemed to not specialize and instead stocked a variety of products. One in particular caught his eye. He looked down at the headband Saiyuri had given him, which for whatever reason never left his hand, and plucked at the metal stuck inside the band. The color was darkened, but if char was accounted to the darker tint, the metal seemed to match one of the metal sheets in front of the shop. It was a very loose detail to go on, but it was better than the last five failures. He thought for a moment, then took off his village band from his waist and stuffed it in his jacket pocket. He was new to the village, and only a handful of people had ever seen him before now within the village. Maybe he could use that to his advantage. TABTAB As he entered, the bell chimed above the door and the scent of hotworks slammed against his nose. Oddly enough, it made Takashi smile. The smell reminded him of the feeling he got whenever he completed a project with nothing but his own two hands and a little fire. The work itself was good for keeping himself occupied and his body active, and the activity itself allowed him to understand mechanical and engineering devices. He knew how to work furnaces, how to weld metal together through his Katon elemental usage, and how to understand how a piece of equipment worked by analyzing it and picking it apart. The Soragakure generators in particular fascinated him, and he hoped Saiyuri would let him tinker with them once they were up and running again. No, scratch that before they were fixed. Maybe he could pull a prank and make the village ascend quickly. Takashi shook his head; he needed to focus. Inside the shop, as he now scanned, were all kinds of stock weapons and materials to make such weapons: blades, knives, kunai, wood and metal hilts, etc. All of which were inside glass showcases along the cashier's counter. Along the walls were all sorts of figurines that seemed to be handcrafted through hot works. A good place to find components for the bomb that killed the Soragakure shinobi. He was looking for either the materials needed to make such a fine explosive, or a container to house explosive materials safely and discretely. So, he viewed the inventory of the store, walking along all walls and scanning the entirety of the cashier's counter. One or two items fit the bill he was looking for, but because Saiyuri had not contacted him yet, he assumed the search was narrowing down and they were looking for a shop that was the sole source. TABTAB He finally looked past the counter to see a man that seemed to be in his mid... fifties maybe? His face was covered in soot minus around his eyes were goggles seemed to have covered. He wore clothing that was covered in patches with the same tarry black soot as his face. Add the fact that he had steel-toe boots on and Takashi was pretty sure everything within the shop was made by him; no external goods. He leaned on the counter and tapped it twice to get the owner's attention who seemed to be preoccupied with something in the counter. The man eyed him, then nodded. Takashi took this as his queue to start talking. He thought quickly. "I'm working on a project, and I need some help. See, I've been working on a prank for a friend, and it involves a small explosion. Now, I think we both know what's out here isn't your full stock, and we both know you've been selling some high grade gear. Small booms, but powerful booms. Like, say... take a man's head off without making too much noise? I need that kind of accuracy. I wanna scare her, not hurt her. Got any riggings that can do that?" TABTAB The man's eyebrow rose and spoke in a gruff voice. "Kid, I don't know what you think this place is, but what's on the floor is what I got." TABTAB Takashi's expression showed a little annoyance. "Come on, dude. I have it on a good word you got some pretty cool gear that isn't out here. And I also have it on that same word that the payout is generous." Takashi patted his pack. It was empty as could be, but from the way he held it rested on his body it looked filled. The man looked around the store to make sure no one else was there, then walked over to the door and flipped the 'open' sign to show the 'closed' side. He then silently motioned for Takashi to follow him to the back of the store, then through a door that led to a basement. As they reached the bottom, Takashi's mouth opened. There were giant machines that were surprisingly quiet for their workload. Giant containers full of fine powders that the machines grinded and distributed. A scent hinted at his nose... the metal in the headband. The scent of the powder and the scent of the metal were identical. He looked over at the shop's owner and whistled. "Damn fine equipment you got down here. You sure this will give me what I want?" TABTAB The shop owner nodded as he continued to walk over to a workbench. "I'd say so." TABTAB Takashi nodded, putting his hands on his hips. "So... how much is it per pound?" TABTAB The shop owner picked up a sledgehammer from the work bench and turned to Takashi. "Quite the pretty Ryo. Not like you'll be able to get any. Did you honestly expect me to believe you're not a Sorakage lapdog on the scent of the boss?" TABTAB Takashi grinned. "Nope. Just making sure I had the right place before I tore it down." TABTAB The shop owner grunted. "You know, there's one thing about you shinobi: you have your fancy ninjutsu, but if someone can get close enough to hit you, you fall over fast." He then rushed Takashi, who raised his fists before his chest. Oh man did this guy pick the wrong shinobi to test that theory on. Sure enough, when the sledgehammer was swung to smash Takashi's head off, Takashi punched straight through the wooden handle and his fist crashed into the shop owner's nose. One shot wonders always made Takashi feel good. As the shop owner crashed into the workbench he took the sledge from, Takashi took a moment, then approached the man. He crouched and lifted the upper body of the man by the collar of his shirt. "I'm the last guy you wanna try that to. Now, I played nice by not breaking your skull and smashing your brains out. You play nice and tell me who you work for, eh?" TABTAB The man grunted. "Doesn't matter what you do to me, I won't tell. You and that b***h of a k--" Takashi cut him off with a headbutt that might have been a little too powerful. He had always been hardheaded to begin with, but this one was a snap reaction. The nose was already broken, but now it was completely shattered along with the skeletal structure around it. Takashi stood, then punched the wall next to him that left a small crater and his fingers slightly bleeding. Ignoring them, Takashi grabbed the unconscious man by the ankle and dragged him towards the staircase they entered in. TABTAB"Saiya, I think I found the place... or at least a place. They got sand here that could do the trick if used properly. Also got a mind for you to crack open. Be glad he won't be talking for a while; it's like his voice drains brain cells when heard or something. Door's behind the counter.... I got some tinkering to do." His message mentally sent to Saiyuri, he rolled his shoulders and cracked his knuckles, then placed his goggles over his eyes and walked towards the grinding equipment. It was time to see just what they had found.
