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Fandom Naruto: Last of the Fallen Blossoms

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Ringo Nakano (Chaos & Order mission)
Location: The dark room

Wakahirume, huh? It had been a few weeks since she left that messy place. Just like any other refugees, She, Fujimoto and the shitting baby was assigned a house there when they arrived at the city. They were registered as refugees from Iwagakure, the only place where explosion release wasn't monopolized by a single clan, this way she could better hide her real identity. Thankfully, her registration to become a mokunoha didn't take too long to be completed and Fujimoto managed to found a job in a small izakaya so they could quickly move out of the slums.

Based on the officer's story though, sounds like the place had gotten even worse since she left.

"Hah, so this captain of yours had his pride hurt and is now combing the entire place for this Isshi guy? Tsk, tsk, tsk." hands touching her own forehead, Ringo shook her head like she's getting second-hand embarassment from the captain's behavior. She looked at her two teammates for this mission, whom she knew nothing about except their name, and gave them a thumb up as if she had all figured out.

"I have a foolproof plan on how to handle people like this. Listen carefully... we ambush this captain, and send him to the hospital."

Ganryu Ganryu Haze- Haze- Phayne Phayne
 
Team Yukari
Enkai Kaji
Mokunoha
Whispering Puppets - Mansion Front

Standing at the rear of their group of three, Enkai had remained rather subdued for the duration of the journey, his eyes and ears listening and watching for any signs of potential danger as they headed towards the location of the mission; the blue haired mokunoha tagging along for the mission out of desperation. Desperation to escape. The cause for such a desperate act was largely down to the ever growing commotion back at the Azure Dragon storefront and the rampaging beast that was his mom.

As his mother had predicted, the arrival and integration of woman skin care products to their stockfile had been quite a hit among the women of the village; the store having seen a drastic rise in female customers entering the store front. Of course, his father had no complaints about the booming business; the surging income of funds and abundance of women in his presence being a dream come true for the aging man. For Enkai however... it was nothing more than a hassle, his mother being quite the drill seargent when it came to stock replenishment and service. Truthfully, he was growing increasingly convinced that life on the battlefield was not as traumatizing as the experience of witnessing grown women fight over the last bottle of skin moisturizer. A quiet sigh would escape Enkai's mouth as he recalled the most recent complication.

It wouldn't be much longer before their group would arrive at the mansion entrance, an isolated two storey mansion built far away from the hustle and bustle of village life and surrounded by a forest growing ever more eerie as the sun gradually set; casting them in growing darkness. "I can see why such rumours are spread about the place..." mumbled Enkai, glancing at the grandiose structure before him, "Definetly a place where a body or two could be found... if we dug long enough..." he continued, turning to face the duo; his attention drawn towards the spinner in Akari's hand then back at Koyome; the latter a member of Squad Yukari, much like himself. It was quite evident why she had been included in the mission, her expertise in puppetry a no brainer as to why she would be involved. Akari on the other hand, Enkai had only ever heard about her from word of mouth and had yet to actually see her in action; though there was recent talk of her and Izumi getting involved in a sparring session.

The sudden creaking of the door followed by the melodicEEEK that escaped Akari's mouth would draw Enkai's attention away from his thoughts and back to the mission ahead of them, the boy suppressingthe urge to smirk at Akari's unfortunate misshap. Had he known her longer, he may have risked making a comment about the impression she had made, however he had decided to opt against it, not knowing how she may have reacted to being teased about what had just occurred.

Oddly enough, he could not help but feel an ominous aura flicker from Koyome, an excited yet somewhat sinister glint of suppressed desire emanating from her. Raising a brow, Enkai would dismiss this as simple imagination and dismiss what his instinct had tried to tell him, instead taking a few steps forward so that he was on the other side of Akari. "... and if you're still scared after Koyome-sans warning... just know... we are experienced zombie slayers.." added Enkai, offering a smile as he vaguely hinted towards the first mission he and Koyome had endured. "Zombies... ghosts... the undead are all the same.." he added now taking a few more steps forward as he begun to make his way into the mansion ahead of the others.

"Also... if you feel a cold shiver... just let me know.. I can warm you up real good" he stated, not turning around to face them as he was instead too caught up with staring at the assortment of puppets? aligned on either side of the corridor they had entered. He wasn't exactly sure if a statue counted as a puppet, though he would have to defer that to the expert.

KageYuuki KageYuuki Ganryu Ganryu Spoiled Bread Spoiled Bread


Code by Serobliss
 
Team Yukari
Enkai Kaji
Mokunoha
Chaos & Control - Jomei's Request

Wakahirume, a district seldom visited by Enkai though that was largely down to his mothers insistence that he avoid it if at all possible. Outside of being the residential area most populated by refugee nin and less then honourable Samurai clans, Enkai knew very little about the area itself; though given what he had heard about it as well as the history of his parents; he is quite surprised that he didn't end up growing up in Wakahirume. He simply put down the good fortune to his fathers good business sense in establishing the Azure Dragon Store as well as his mothers ability to keep his father in-line.

That being said, had things changed even slightly, he may have ended up being a resident in this district and thus a member of the public suffering under the oppressive corruption of the Chusengumi Captain.

Glancing to his left and then to his right, Enkai took note of the two Mokunoha he would be joining on this mission, a seemingly makeshift group as neither one of them belonged to the same squad. If he remembered correctly, the boy to his side was a member of Squad Roku, a bona-fide Samurai with a somewhat rough background from what info he had managed to attain. Opposite him was Ringo, a member of Squad Aoba and a highly ambitious individual with quite the explosive disposition if all rumours were to be believed.

A lone wolf... and a walking explosive.. thought Enkai, as he pondered Jomei's request. Alas, his thoughts would be pushed aside as Ringo spoke up regarding the Captains motives as well as the quick thumbs up. hmmm thought Enkai as he watched the ever changing expression dance across her face; that 2nd hand embarrassment quickly evolving to a confident grin as she devised a plan?.

Enkai however wouldn't be immediately convinced on the matter, instead threading the line of caution. "That's all well and good Ringo-san, but....", replied Enkai, scooting forward in his seat. "before we outright give the Captain what he deserves, I think it would be best to get a bit more information... just to be safe.." he added, turning his attention to Itto, to see if he had any thoughts on the matter, before turning to Jomei.

"Jomei-San... you mentioned another corrupt officer... I think you called him Eki..." queried Enkai, "... if we were to go through with Ringo's plan and ambush the Captain... how many other officers would rush to his aid?... Can we be sure that we will be facing the Captain alone... or will there be other officers willing to maintain their dishonorable misuse of power?" he added, hoping to gauge just exactly what kind of opposition they may be facing.

Ganryu Ganryu Spoiled Bread Spoiled Bread Haze- Haze-


Code by Serobliss
 
Izanami Kutsuki
Search for the Four Tail’s Fang​

“I’m sure it’s nothing we’ll have to worry about,” Izanami cut in before approaching the man and taking the map. She gazed at it for a bit, hoping to get a sense of familiarity from any of the locations. She’d had the opportunity to explore a lot of beautiful places in the Land of Iron but she hadn’t heard of anything like this cave before, much less the peppers.

“If this cave system is as big as you say, we could be in there for at least a day searching for your peppers.” While this wasn’t a huge worry for Izanami, the though of being stuck in those caves gave her a twinge of anxiety. She’d rather not have to hunt and eat whatever was prowling down there.

She glanced at Tokita, then Koyome as a slight grin and a knowing look stretched across her face. “How about a bowl for the road? The best expedition is a well fed one after all!”

KageYuuki KageYuuki godjacob godjacob AtlannianSpy AtlannianSpy
 

Ōkami Itto
Chaos && Control​

- Somewhere in Wakahirume. . .​
There was this tale his father used to tell him. At night, when buckets of rain were pulled by the cool wind, when it’d break into thin sheets and it’d patter overhead, turn to a fine curtain that’d drool down their roof— old man would sit there holding his straw hat, chewing on a stem. It’d send Itto nodding right off to sleep.

It was the same tall tale of the wandering swordsman, journeying east, west— wherever the wind called— looking to cut down a dragon. His grandfather had surely passed that story down to his father; on cold days where the rain tapped on their roof.

He couldn’t help but wonder if that bastard Ishii had dozed off on those stories too — “Hm.”

His sword felt heavier than usual today, put a strain on the back, made him slouch. Yet there was this feeling of lightheadedness, like his arms weren’t there attached to his body. He was getting giddy just thinking about meeting his uncle, after all these years.

Maybe he’ll ask him how that story ends, once he gets him on the ground squirming like a worm — “Tch…”

“Yer’ makin’ it way more complicated than it should be…” — He sighed, sparing Enkai a glance before looking off to where the light dimmed over the corners of the room, as if the walls looked mighty interesting. Itto didn’t seem to be in much a mood, he’d been standing idly with both hands folded inside his kimono; making a face.

As bored as he looked with his arms crossed, he'd been hanging on every word they said, even flagging down the gestures of their shadows casted on the walls. The lunacy of a lawman asking three Mokunoha, of all people, for help wasn’t lost on him— but hell, he was the one who’d taken up the mission just to get his hands on Ishii.

At least it wasn’t as bad as having to deal with that damned simp Hogai — “Yer’ not wrong though… We shouldn’t give ‘em ta’ opportunity to catch us with our pants down if we can avoid it. From what our friend ‘ere’s told us, don’t think any of ta’ Chūseigumi that Yugoro came with are as goody two shoes as him… They’re all likely to come to ta’ rescue if they see us lay a finger on ‘im.”

He finally set his eyes off the wall, slipping an arm down the loose armhole of his kimono — “And here A’ was thinkin’ the righteous Chūseigumi had no rotten apples…” — He sighed, hefting the sword in his hand before groaning into a squat right in front of Jomei and the rest

He looked down at the cracks lining the floor, assembled his thoughts — “Maybe Yusuke’s the only exception…” — His other hand came out of his kimono, hung there as his pinky finger picked at the remains of today’s breakfast, nudged between a front-row of teeth — “Jomei too, if he’s to be trusted…”

Truly, it was a restless endeavor, the life of a samurai — “Well, don’t matter how many’ll come to rescue that dog bastard if we separate ‘em far enough from each other, right?. Might give us enough alone time with the captain that way…” — The gears and cogs in the young wolf’s mind were churning, turning— maybe being around Roku was starting to get to him.

He was already making up risky, stupid plans on the fly.

Itto clicked his teeth, giving up on the piece of rice stuck between them — “You.” — He flicked his sword, pointed it straight at Ringo — “A’ heard about ya. Y’like blowing things up. What’s yer’ biggest boom then, huh?”

“An explosion is pretty damn distracting, ain’ it?” — He chuckled — “Distracting enough to separate a whole group, maybe. Whatd'ya think?”

His intentions might've rang clear, blunt, but it was a half-truth on Itto’s part. On one hand, he was trying his hardest to come up with a solid plan, on the other hand… He really just wanted to see that explosion happen.



Phayne Phayne Spoiled Bread Spoiled Bread Ganryu Ganryu
 
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WHISPERING PUPPETS
Location : mansion's corridor
Time : 18.00

The woman let out an amused smirk watching the young samurai's shenanigan, though she didn't said anything about it. After a bit more walking they finally arrived at a fairly large room with a long dining table at the center that was probably designed to be used by the entire family. While there's a dozen wooden chair placed around it, there's only two people sitting on those seat. One of them looks like the same exact woman as the one who greeted and led the mokunohas here, she only gave the trio a brief glance before going back to enjoying her tea. The other figure was an old man on a wheelchair, he wore a fur-trimmed blue pajamas with some black stains on his right sleeve. His blue eyes stared at each of them for a few seconds before he finally gave them a nod.

"Welcome to my place, kids. I am Masaru Daisuke Ouzen, the owner of this place and the one who called you here." The man tapped the at table twice, signaling to the trio to take a seat before continuing. The maid who guided them here bowed and walked out of the room.

"As written in the request, weird things has been happening in my house at night. Almost everyday. I can tolerate if its only something like missing foods or moving stuffs but HOW DARE THEY TOUCH MY PUPPETS!!!" The old man suddenly erupted in rage and his face becoming as red as a tomato as he repeatedly slam both of his fist onto the table. The woman raised her tea cup just to make sure it didn't spill from all the shaking.

"Please calm down, master. You're upsetting the guests and gave them a terrible impression."

"You too. You're supposed to be a former ninja but couldn't even solve this damn thing. Hmph." Despite his remark, it seemed her words reached him as Ouzen stopped his tantrum. Though the maid's expression very briefly turned dark there.

"Just talking about this gets me into a bad mood. Anything you want to ask about your job here, kids? Just catch the culprit and bring them to me. I don't care if its a ghost or three kamaitachi in a robe, no one mess with my puppets!!"

Ganryu Ganryu AtlannianSpy AtlannianSpy Phayne Phayne
 
Chaos 'n Control.


Jomei continued to sit with what was his best serious, haunted face, but as the Mokunoha presented there plans, twinges of horror crossed his face. "Well, uh, ambushing the captain WAS the... uh... entire mission." He tried to say in as polite a tone as possible to Ringo. "But yes, about the gist of it, hurt pride at a wandering swordsman beating his men like they were nothing. I don't even think Ishii's IN Warahirume anymore, think he was looking for a good fight and was vastly disappointed. Not a lot of people in this district have a lot of fight left in them. It used to be such a vibrant place, but more packed it's getting with refugees, more aggrevated the people are. Entire place is a powder keg."

At Enkai's questions, Jomei started to be relieved, reasonable questions for him. "Captain Yuguro is trying to make as 'light' a footprint as possible, he doesn't care if locals report him, but if the higher ups start noticing him pulling too many officers away, he'd get in trouble. So he'll be light on reinforcements, I'll hold off anyone else, I think I've beat Eki once before. Sadly, his word vs mine if I tried to pull anyone else into this..." With an implication Jomei thought only Mokunoha would even listen to him...

And then Itto's plan came, Jomei's eyes about bulging out his head. "A-an explosion?! In a residential area packed with slums and refugees!?!" His voice cracked at that last one, before several deep breathes came. "I-if you are sure that's a... wise idea, I might be able to evacuate some of the abandoned facilities... There was a molten metal factory here til recently that's been abandoned. That might... do it..." Jomei still didn't have the best enthusiasm at the idea, but far be it from him to shoot down the plan entirely, he needed the three of them and was obviously desperate.

The light continued to flicker in the distance, Jomei sighing for a moment, and pulled out a map of the district. "Give me what you would like to do, and I'll make it happen. The factory is here. Captain Yuguro manages to sneak away to here about 10 am most days, spends about 4 hours, and leaves. The man's like clockwork. Once you have a plan, we'll meet then, and give him exactly what he deserves for hurting these people... Even if I have to resign afterwards."
 
Ringo Nakano (Chaos & Order mission)
Location: The dark room

The blue haired boy raised a valid point about the interference from the other officers, they're so irrelevant she didn't think much about them. The messy haired boy was the next one to speak, suggesting using her explosion for distraction. Ringo didn't looks too amused though, but that's probably because he pointed his sword at her more than anything.

"REJECTED." She said firmly while flicking Itto's sword away from her face. "My explosives deserve better use than mere distraction for the goons. Besides, this place is already kind of a dumpster fire. I have no desire to make it more literal. Hmph."

Ringo rubbed her chin a few times before she decided to continue talking.

"Listen, you brutes. I just got a big brained inspiration inside my head." She has a mischievous grin on her face as she spread a few coins on the map. Only one of the coins was real money though, the rest was simply coin-shaped metal with a rather sharp edge.

"Step one: lure away the captain from the goons." Ringo moved the real coin away from the fake coins.

"Step one and a half: distract the goons and prevent them from following the captain." Ringo puts a caltrop between the fake coins and the real one

"Step two, beat the captain to dea- until he realize his mistake." Ringo poured several more caltrops and piled them on top of the real coins.

"The good part is... we have the perfect bait for the captain." With a triumphant smile, as if she just presented a ground-breaking invention, she slammed the picture of Ishii in front of them.

"Come on boys, the academy teach you transformation right? Show me your best imitation of this guy."

Ganryu Ganryu Haze- Haze- Phayne Phayne
 
Koyome Omozukai- Whispering Puppets
Curious. Koyome thought, deliberately not glancing up at the green haired former shinobi turned housekeeper. There was plenty of more glamorous work available for refugee ninja, as Koyome herself could attest. Personally Koyome would rather have her legs broken again then be reduced to a domestic servant being looked down on by some crotchety old man, but combat wasn't for everyone. Maybe the old man paid well. It doesn't seem like its any sort of fondness for him that keeps her here Koyome noted, her byakugan easily catching the brief flare up of emotion on the woman's face. Could this be her doing? or her double back there? Could they be trying to drive the old man crazy so they can control him? work their way into the will or something?

Koyome wanted to ask some questions about the staff, how many there were, how long they'd been working here, but she didn't really want to tip her hand in front of the maid, possibly she could slip away while her teammates kept her and the other staff distracted and talk one on one with the old man. That would have to come later however.

"As a fellow craftsperson if I discovered someone tampering with my work my reaction would be... severe," Koyome said soothingly, trying to ingratiate herself with the client. "Your request stated this has been going on for three weeks yes?" Koyome asked, shifting in her seat slightly to draw attention to herself.

"Did anything else unusual happen around that time or the period leading up to it? Any disagreements with friends, family or neighbours? Any major life or business changes? I'd also like it if you could go into more detail on the... phenomenon itself. How long do these incidents typically last? Have you or your staff directly seen movement you couldn't explain? Or have you been observing indirect evidence like noises or noting afterwards that items have been moved. I don't mean to imply you're mistaken or anything like that. Rather if the culprit is taking care to stay out of sight then we may have to be take a more tactful approach in our investigation,"

Koyome tapped her chin with a delicate finger, pretending to have suddenly thought have something. "It might be helpful if we could speak to the staff about their experiences separately, studying the problem from multiple angles like that might reveal something new,"

Spoiled Bread Spoiled Bread
Phayne Phayne
Ganryu Ganryu
 
Akari Tone - Whispering Puppets
Akari has yet to learn "Never Split the Party."


As both Koyome and Enkai helped Akari back to her feet, she visibly flinched at the touch, but hardly commented at it. Just another one of Akari's quirks, a list as long as the things wrong with this mission. Granted, at this point, she was just looking bad, and a bit of determination to actually be useful burned in her. She didn't like being embarrassed, almost as much as she didn't like speaking, or being touched. On one hand, Koyome's hand's were oddly cold, unnaturally so. Not, like, Izumi's kekkei genkai, but just... not warm? On the other hand, Enkai's hands were warm and steamy.

Both offered help, one absolutely terrified her, one was oddly reassuring, Akari standing still as if to process something wrong, staring down as she scrunched up her eyebrows.

D-did my chest just go 'doki-doki'.

However, Koyome's offer only made her gulp.

Being just grabbed out of no where... And not just punching whoever it is back... C-can I just take care of the ghost myself? So much less terrifying...

Thankfully, talking with the client didn't seem to be 'her' job, Akari giving an audible sigh of relief when the master of the house started into a rant. She could understand his rage. She got uppity whenever her brother Rei touched her wood carvings. He always put them back, but he wasn't careful, and it wasn't ever in just the same space. She had them lined out in an imaginary scene in her room, just right, just in the middle of things, just facing the right direction. And that being out of place annoyed her. Granted, it was the one thing Rei WASN'T competitive about.

As she took in the scene, she noticed the woman sitting there. Same as the one who'd gotten up. Akari shook her head.

Clones, ninjutsu.

A former ninja, who couldn't solve this. It made her heart race at the chance, suddenly glad to 'prove herself'.

Well, if something was messing with the puppets, she knew where to start.

Oblivious as always, Akari just... left, mid sentence as Koyome was speaking. Talking to servants? No thank you. Akari couldn't use any sensing techniques, was not very investigative, and had no idea of the supernatural. But, one thing she did have was trapping skills. If someone was messing with those dolls, she just had to catch them right? Eying through various rooms, she looked for the puppet room, before pulling out a spool of wire. Slowly and meticulously, she cut off how much she would need, and began to work on a tight snare, making a rabbit snare trap that would fling any perpetrator to the ceiling upside down if they stepped on it.

Deciding it wasn't good enough, Akari began to wire the room, attaching bells at the end of the wire, then walked out the room, and found a nearby room to sit down in and wait.

They just had to catch prey, right? Akari was a hunter. She could manage that. Ghosts would at least ring the bells... right?

She furrowed her brow at that, seriously considering the question if a ghost could be caught with wire. They could touch stuff right? So were they semi tangible? Did they turn it on or off? Was just part of them touching an object tangible? Was it telekinesis?

Where was she supposed to learn about hunting ghosts anyways? Was there a book on it?

Getting bored, Akari pulled out a piece of wood, and then flipped a coin. Slapping it on the back of her wrist, she nodded.

"Heads. Enkai."

She stared frozen at it... realizing she had no idea what pose to put it in...

Wait, should I have warned them I was trapping the room...? Eh, the old man's in a wheel chair, and he doesn't trust his staff, who cares if they get caught? Back to my whittling...
 
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Team Yukari
Enkai Kaji
Mokunoha
Whispering Puppets - Mansion Front


Arriving at the large dining room, the first thing that Enkai had immediately noticed was the woman sitting next to the man in a wheelchair. He had almost had to do a double take as the resemblance to the woman whom had lead them here was uncanny, identical twins perhaps; the alternative being a clone jutsu given how identical the two women appeared to be. Taking note of their resemblance, his attention would gradually be drawn towards the blue pajama clad man who reeked of 'authority'.

Undoubtedly he was the one whom had issued the mission to the village, that suspicion proven true as he confirmed the matter almost immediately as he spoke. Taking a seat alongside the others, Enkai would remain rather quite for the most part; though he did provide a subtle gaze towards the man and his sudden outburst; a tad over the top. Enkai still wasn't convinced that a statue was a puppet, nor was he convinced that some of the other [i[puppets[/i] really warranted being called a puppet either. Alas, he saw no reason to voice that opinion openly infront of Mr Ouzen. He'd probably have another sudden outburst; an outcome further supported by his attitude towards the woman as she attempted to calm him down.

So far, Enkai wasn't a fan. Though despite his present impression of their contractor, Mr Ouzen was a client and he'd do his best to get this mission cleared.

Unsurprisingly, having worked alongside Koyome previously; Enkai had quickly become accustomed to her taken the initiative; her quick wits and understanding of the situation shining once more as she begun to gather information. The same couldn't really be said for Akari, who Enkai had noticed wandering off; her intentions unknown to the blue haired Mokunoha, given he had very little if any experience working alongside her. That being said, if they were to work as a team, he would have to trust her just as much as he trusted Koyome; he had to believe that she had a plan of her own.


As for Enkai, his plan of actions for now was quite clear. If they lacked information, then he had the means of attaining some; at the very least information of what was occurring around them. It was a good thing his mother had given him the basics in sensory jutsu; embedding the importance of the support skill in her sons head was a priority. Information was power and could prove to be the difference between life and death.

Glancing to the woman whom Ouzen had confirmed to be a former Shinobi, Enkai would keep his cards to his chest and wait for the opportune time to set up his jutsu. On the off chance that she was a part of the problem, he didn't want to reveal his ace in the hole just yet. Thus, he simply chose to remain in his seat, watching and listening to the exchange between Koyome and Mr Ouzen; occasionally sparring a glance to see where Akari had run off to.


KageYuuki KageYuuki Ganryu Ganryu Spoiled Bread Spoiled Bread


Code by Serobliss
 
Team Yukari
Enkai Kaji
Mokunoha
Chaos & Control - Jomei's Request


Enkai nodded along as Jomei responded to his queries, largely good news considering that reinforcements would be light. Had there been a risk that they would be severely outnumbered, then the mission itself may have required a bit of a reevaluation. Alas, it seemed some were unperturbed by the potential threat of being swarmed by the enemy, given Itto's reactions.

"Wow hold on a minu---" began Enkai, almost falling off of his chair as he heard Itto's suggestion; the blue haired mokunoha almost in disbelief. There was no way that Itto was really suggessting they use an explosion as a distraction. While a loud 'bang' would indeed be more than enough to get someones attention, the resulting consequences could prove to be far more detrimental for the bystanders; civilians who were already being pushed to their wits end with the Chusengumi. The last thing they needed was an explosion and destruction of property.

Thankfully it seemed like Ringo agreed, given how she had cut him off with a quick and firm 'REJECTED' followed by a swipe towards his sword. Though whether she rejected this because she simply didn't like the idea of her ability being a distraction or whether she truly cared for the consequences to the refugee's here was still up for debate. All it confirmed to Enkai was that, among the three of them... he seemed to be the most sane. For now...

A sigh would escape him, as he lamented the potential for chaos working alongside these two. It seemed the rumours were proving to be more true than false.

"Brutes..look whose talking..." mumbled Enkai as he raised his head towards the table and watched Ringo's new plan unfold, though given his experience with some of the others and how detailed they tended to get with their plans, the simplicity behind Ringo's proposal was quite the stark difference. A simple yet achievable plan, the only question was... who would play what role in this scheme.

"The sounds... doable.." replied Enkai, glancing between Itto and Ringo, the little experience and knowledge he had on them already enough to convince Enkai of what his role would be during this mission. "So... lets say we go ahead with Ringo's plan, what roles are we taking?..." he paused, sighing ever so slightly. "I am probably best suited to distracting and delaying the goons... I do have some wide ranging jutsu and I am confortable at mid-range if needed..." he proposed, once more glancing between the two. Given everything he had seen so far, he was pretty confident that these two were looking to kick the captain's ass. The only concern was... how much damage would they cause in doing so.

Ganryu Ganryu Spoiled Bread Spoiled Bread Haze- Haze-


Code by Serobliss
 
Yanma Doromizu​

Weeks passed on like cherry blossoms on a breezy day, a warmer day unlike this one. The land of iron was an ever frigid, mountainous area that Yanma has mostly become accustomed well enough to take a nap in the snow. It was under one large tree like that of a mighty beast of a man forced to adapt in the endless winter, a tree that too became mighty in order to endure. Smooth bark surfaced it's rotund trunk that held snow with its thick branches, like a large hand protecting the boy from the icy form.

Yanma had been resting his head on the thin layer of snow, finding himself in-between two of the large roots that spread across the snowy forest floor. In fact, his small frame fit there perfectly like he was meant to be there, to relax on a day just like this one. He slept soundly with his head resting on top of his woven fingers, a much needed rest after all the work that came with his occupation. He needed time for naps to maintain what little strength he had, he was nothing special after all. He didn't have any particular talents like many others did. His ability to sleep so insistently was impressive, but it was certainly no coral release.

Eventually he did wake up, fully content with his time spent here under his favorite tree. He let out a yawn then readjusted a popsicle stick from one side of his mouth to the other that caused the flat piece of wood to clack with a sort of dullness. With hands stuffed in his pocket, Yanma made a casual stroll back to town, and since he wasn't that far out, the boy saw no point rushing. Moreover, the spot he napped was only a couple kilometers from where training sessions were often hosted. Once he did get into town however, his lack of haste became questioned, as not one, but two samurai approached the boy in a hurry.

"Yanma Doromizu, where the hell have you been?!" One samurai exclaimed down at the boy, but not giving him time to answer before shouting at him some more. "Even a ninja must be present to report for missions if summoned!" A bead of sweat left Yanma's face as the man lectured him. The other samurai looked a little out of breath under their heavy armor, as did the one pointing at Yanma's face, yet still with a scolding demeanor. Yanma surmised they were out searching for him with no luck until now. "Guess I'm a better ninja than I thought..." He said to himself with a deadpanned expression. He wouldn't dare say it to the annoyed samurai's face though. He wasn't suicidal.

The taller one caught his breath then sighed, placing a hand on the aggravated one's shoulder. "You need to come with us Yanma, you've been assigned a mission." He spoke in a much more agreeable tone, clearly not as upset as his companion, who too seemed to calm down in response. Yanma noted that these two samurai, who although had their faces covered by the standard issue headgear, were both fairly young, green even, based entirely on their voices. Perhaps early 20s. "Follow us." he reiterated as he turned. "And don't fall behind!" Said the other as he too began leading Yanma to their destination.
 
Search for the Four Tails' Fangs
Hideo hummed, crossing his arms as he listened to the trio voice their questions and concerns about the mission ahead of them. "He's a tetsunoha and a member of the scouting corps, he knows his patrol area like his own sword. Ain't got a reason not to trust his word." He held the drawing of the peppers out to Izanami as well when she picked up the map. "I've heard some other regulars talking about it too, fer what it's worth. They were all making it sound pretty big, no clue if anyone's gotten to map it yet. Wouldn't be surprised if there's a guard hanging around near the entrance, might be able to get some newer info from them instead of what some old curry shop owner's overheard."

At Izanami's request, the man merely grunted and disappeared back behind the door. He was gone for several minutes, leaving the three of them to their own devices as they waited. Eventually, Hideo reappeared, carrying four boxes. "Three helpings of my most popular chicken curry." He said setting down the three bento boxes. Warmth radiated from within and a savory, inviting tempted any that picked one of them up. He motioned to the last box. "This one's got curry bread in it. Figure it'll be a little easier to eat on the road." He crossed his arm arms in front of his chest once more. "Mission ad promised a free meal for taking the job and I'm a man of my word. Bring those peppers back with you and you'll get yerselves a discount from here on, y'hear?"

Provided the three didn't have any other questions for the man, he'd send them on their way before disappearing to prepare for the impending lunch rush that loomed on the horizon. Their route took them through Hanamachi's famed Cherry Blossom Gate, the arrival of spring brought with it sprouting leaves and a myriad of budding flowers. It wouldn't be long before the road was shrouded in arches of delicate pink blossoms. Lanterns would soon adorn the trees, beckoning people to come and enjoy hanami. Enjoy a brief moment of respite from the chaos outside the city walls. Or the chaos that seemed to brew within Hanamachi itself.

Spring also meant the sun's more frequent emergence and fewer snowstorms. Though a fresh layer of powdered snow covered the ground from the night before, muffling their steps slightly and concealing any treacherous patches of ice waiting to trip up any unsuspecting travelers. They'd pass a team of patrolling samurai on their way, the older group merely giving them a polite nod before continuing towards their own assignment.

"Tag sensei!" A young voice would ring out, shortly after a young duo would race by in the distance. They paused momentarily to wave back at the samurai giving chase before body flickering away again. From their attire they seemed to be more refugee ninja than local samurai.

"How do you two still have energy!?" Their apparent sensei yelled after them before following them down a snowbank and out of sight.

Eventually, the three of them would make their way to the location marked on the gifted map. Collapsed snow and ice surrounded the haphazardly formed entrance. It was likely the story of it being uncovered in a fight was true. The smell of smoke greeted them before even crossing the threshold. Stepping inside, they wouldn't make it far before finding a samurai settled on a mat in front of a small fire, his naginata resting just in arm's reach should he need it. "Well, well, what brings a little trio all the way out here? Don't look like the survey team."

godjacob godjacob AtlannianSpy AtlannianSpy InsaneAsylum InsaneAsylum
 
~~Search for the Four Tails' Fang~~​

"I see..." Tokita mused, as she listened to the words of not just Koyome but then Izanami and Hideo himself who all offered their own bits of assurance at the source which seemed to be enough to address her worry. Perhaps she had been a bit overly concerned at such a detail but given her experience of being on her own till recent circumstances she tended to veer to the side of caution. "...apologies I un didn't mean to question the honor of your source." Tokita said with a bit of awkward formalness to her as she needed a touch of work on that admittedly.

Izanami seemed to question how long it would take to search it, questioning if it would take a day or more as Tokita internally worried if such a concern was really on her mind. Should be expected this would take some time, needed to maintain some stamina and do the job however long it takes. Either way Izanami seemed to offer a bowl to the team before they left for the road as Hideo seemed to leave for a few minutes as Tokita rolled her eyes.

"I do not think it is the best use of our client's time to have a meal and prolong out..." Tokita had began to say with some firmness, before a slight stomach rumble had been heard which caused her to widen her eyes a bit before she cleared her throat and rubbed the back of her head. "...I-I suppose one bowl wouldn't be the worst thing if permitted."

This sort of bravado or attempt to save face was further complicated as Hideo seemed to return with four boxes of curry which caused Tokita's eyes to widen again as she practically seemed to salivate at the offerings for the road as the girl had not been used to good meals for quite some time so these offerings as well as the promise of a discount on top of the mission pay which was all enough for Tokita.

"We will complete the job no matter what! Come, let us gather those peppers!" Tokita said with a bit of unexpected motivation and enthusiasm to her, as perhaps there was a side to the previously stoic samurai girl that had come out which she'd probably lament on later.

For now, they set out on their journey, they passed by a lovely gate that seemed decorated with cherry blossoms and snow making for quite the visual, and even passed another team on their own quest or least that had been what Tokita presumed. It was all this sort of peaceful tranquil, and while this job was not one that promised the most danger relatively speaking it still seemed to be a bit of a prelude mirage to the struggles to come though Tokita had kept those thoughts to herself. Eventually the snow would increase as they ventuted on the mountain path, and upon entry of the sort of collapsed cave entrance they found a man by a fire who seemed to question their presence and Tokita decided to speak up on their behalf.

"We are on assignment from Hideo, seeking out some valuable peppers." Tokita explained, merely giving the outline of what brought them here as she gazed upon the man feeling a bit relaxed in spite of this all being new for the former rogue swordswoman.


AtlannianSpy AtlannianSpy InsaneAsylum InsaneAsylum KageYuuki KageYuuki
 
Koyome Omozukai- Search for the Four Tails' Fangs
The curry bread was good. Koyome had been annoyed when Izanami had initially brought up the food because having to eat without revealing her real body was a pain. Koyome had to admit that revealing her secret in front of Izanami and Enkai no longer seemed like such a foolish risk but this other girl was still an unknown quantity. Fortunately though the same qualities that made curry bread suitable for eating on the road made it suitable for pulling down a tube to be consumed in secret. It was so much better than the grimly utilitarian food pills Koyome had packed, she made a note to consider going back to the restaurant before future missions. Then Koyome realised that might have been the point of giving out free samples in the first place and felt a stab of irritation at being successfully manipulated, although finishing off the curry bread swiftly put a damper on her outrage.

When they arrived at the caves Koyome noted that the restaurant owner was correct, a guard had been posted at the entrance, which struck Koyome as little old. Was there all that much to guard in a bunch of old caves?

"Hello," Koyome chimed in, pulling up the sleeve of her jacket to show off the Land of Iron brand on the bicep of Kurago, her puppet body. "They're supposed to be in these caves somewhere, I don't suppose you saw any? Or anything else worth mentioning?" she asked, continuing on from where Tokita started, secretly flaring her byakugan at the same time to inspect the guard for his own brand. After that debacle of a first mission Koyome felt justified indulging in a little paranoia.

KageYuuki KageYuuki godjacob godjacob InsaneAsylum InsaneAsylum
 
WHISPERING PUPPETS
Location : The Gallery
Time : 18.00

The room Akari entered was probably the biggest one in the building she had seen so far. The gallery was as large as a dojo's training room with ceiling that seemingly higher too. Inside was another loads of various kind of puppets displayed. Though unlike the ones in the corridor, the puppetmakers had no restrain in designing the ones that he displayed here. At the center, there's a 10 feet wooden buddha with 100 arms spread around his back, each with functional joints that enables all of its limbs to be moved. In the corners of the room there's dozens of wax puppets in various pose, manga fans would probably recognize them as characters from 'Meitantei Mateo', a manga series about a detective specializing in supernatural cases, which had been in hiatus for the past 4 weeks. In one of the corner was a real-scale diorama depicting a massive black gaping maw emerging from the floor to snatch on unsuspecting skeletons on the surface. One other puppet that might draw Akari's attention was hanging on the ceiling, a long serpentine blue dragon made entirely of yarn coiling around the room. There's no sense of theming in the gallery as each puppets seemed to have a story of its own but its clear each one had a lots of love put into their creation and they're cared very well, every nooks of the puppets barely had any dust on them.

Akari wasn't in a rush so she managed to wire the room, but, just a few minutes after she left the room the bell rings. Not only one or two, but all of them. All chimes simultaneously as if someone was deliberately triggering them all. Though, when Akari come into the room she would find none of her traps ensnare anything. Instead she would see the same green-haired maid effortlessly balancing herself on the wire, using it to elevate herself while cleaning one of the buddha's hand with a duster.

"Ah, is this your work, dear guest? Quite impressive I would say, but please don't forget to remove it before going home later. Master Ouzen will be furious if he sees this." The woman seemed to be in thought briefly.

"Say, would you mind helping me clean some of these things? I would like to help you with the investigation but the real me tasked me with the most boring job imaginable." She said with her head tilting towards the puppets.

Ganryu Ganryu

----------------------------------------

Location: Dining Room

"Hah. Finally, someone that understands my frustration." The old man nodded at approvingly at Koyome.

"Yue is the only staff here so no need to rush about that. Listen well, kids. I will tell you how I deduce the existence of this mysterious person in my house. The clues I have been collecting up to this day..." He tapped his forehead twice, emphasizing the brilliance of what he would disclose to the mokunoha. Though, before he started anything the chimes of several bells immediately snatched his attention. He turned his head to his maid.

"Yue, what is that noise? It comes from the gallery!" The puppetmaker tensed up, eager to check the noise. Though contary to him, the maid didn't seems to have any intention to budge.

"That's just my clone, master. She is cleaning the puppets right now."

"Cleaning puppets... with bells?"

"That's right, no need to get worked up. Please continue the deduction."

The old man was unsatisfied with the explanation but he's still more eager to show off his intelligence. He cleared his throat before finally starting his story.

"Three weeks ago, I ordered a total of 25 apples to be delivered here and I personally checked the amount to be correct. Yue put 10 apples in a bowl here, on the table in this very room." He pointed towards a spot on the table, presumably the spot where the apples were usually placed.

"However! One day I came here to eat my dinner only to see 7 apples in the bowl! 7! I have only ate 2 of it, and I know Yue only eat fruits straight from the fridge. Just to be sure, I checked every single trash bin in the house and... bingo, there's no leftover of that particular apple in any of them. It just... vanish. This is the first fragment of chaos that I notice." Mr. Ouzen paused for a few moment to let his explanation sinked in, and probably for a bit of dramatic effect too.

"The second fragments! 17 days ago I opened the medicine cabinet to get my medicine, then I noticed there's only 10 painkiller tablets left! There should be 13 left! I barely use it for anything! I also noticed a few more medicines missing within the next few days so I highly suspect a junkie has been entering my home!"

For the next minutes, the old man went rambling about seemingly very detailed things. Explaining how the angle of a table have turned as if someone carelessly bumped into them, or the tissue paper on the living room decreased. Even the maid silently let out a yawn as Mr. ouzen keeps talking.

"A week ago. When I was trying to sleep, I heard a thud coming from the front of the house, like, someone just fell from the roof but no screaming or anything like that. If only I can use my damn legs this whole case would be solved by now. Hmph. Next day I checked outside and I'm sure there's a spot out there with its grass parted away. I'm sure of it."

"Then, the last fragment. The unforgivable sin. Have you seen the buddha puppet in gallery? Ah, I guess not. That was one of my best masterpiece, crafted from the finest wood imported from across the sea. My friend from the army commissioned it from me but alas, he never come back home from his mission... Anyway, the puppet has a hundred arms but 5 days ago I noticed one of the hand was twisted unnaturally, someone was trying to USE it! I'm sure of it! And I will no let anyone touch my puppets!!"

AtlannianSpy AtlannianSpy Phayne Phayne
 
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F̷̞̪̪̈́̿̑̓͋̉̆̀̐̽̓̀͘e̴̛͇͍̹͓̦̒͋͂̉̿͌̃́̉ą̶̻̲̦͓̟̫̗͎̤̹̍̃̉r̷͕̜͉̜͙̦̭͇̱̮͈̤͇̗͉͆̂̑̊͛̓̓̽͆͋͘͘͝ ̸̛͎͚͈̒̋̿̀́̌̀̊̉̂̀̉̿̍ó̶̫̜͕̣̟̦̝̪̮̋͆̿̂̂͝f̸̲̩̞̤̥͖̠̻͓̺͛͆̅̽̽̽̀̐͘̕͜ ̶̖͎̱̠͐̄̐̊͌̀͑̈̒͐̈́̿̓̑ẗ̷̢̩͖͙̖̰̯̖̮̥̲́̌̚h̷̨̡͓̲̹̯̭̺̯̝̼̩̺͛͛́̒ȩ̸̤̌̿̒̅̔̈́͝ ̸̢̡̢̗̟̬̹̝̝̤͍̫̿̈̔͑̃̃͜ͅͅD̷̖́̆̃̿̋͗a̸͚͆̈̀ŕ̵̡̧̛̰͔̻̬̔͐̎̌̓̎͝ͅk̶̨̨̡̧͚͔͇̹̼̘̼͍̫͕͑̉̓́̚͝



ZackStop ZackStop IG42 IG42

As the pair of samurai led Yanma towards the center of the village, a large, ornate, building could be seen, with fine workmanship crafted into the wood, the corners of the building curved like flames and gilded, worked into images that flowed across into the building itself. Across the roof sprawled into a shou sugi design burned into the woods, looking like the gold had burned it, and the black images relaying theatrical scenes of hell itself across it.

Several Torii gates led towards the estate, passing through each one unnerving as a chill passed that seemed to penetrate even winter clothing as a gust of wind whispered with each step. Blue willow wisps danced at the edges of their visions, but never seemed to exist when stared at directly. At the end were large doors, metal knockers across it, but the moment they approached, the doors opened. Sitting at a desk, the Taisho had a large smile across his face as he raised a hand greeting them, his eyes shut.

"Hey guys, good to see you, Yamna! Sorry about whole, randomly grabbing wrong kid thing... Wait, shit. I mean, greetings to my humble estate, I'm glad to have you. We have a mission we're ordering to be fulfilled."

Inside his office, Yanma would already find one of his peers, Yusuke of Squad Roku, having been invited only a few moments prior. The Taisho would have provided tea as he waited, almost insistently. With Yamna joining them, Kaizo took a sip himself of his cup, only to burn his tongue and undignified stick it out as he rasped for air. The two guards facepalmed, before shutting the door, and leaving the two kids with the Taisho.

Shaking his head, flame tips fluttering like sparks of a fire, the Taisho ruffled through document while biting his swollen tongue.

"A-anybays...." He gulped, and resumed his attempted (and often failed) dignified air.

"We've got bandit problems. They've taken over the bottom parts of the Hojo mine. Normally, I'd send even two mokunoha without concern to this, but in the last hour, I've recieved some reports that have made me bump it up to a B ranked mission. It's a name one of you should recognize as far as bandits go."

His eyes flickered towards Yusuke, opening slightly. "The Kuroinu. Ever since they abducted the heir to the famed Chūseigumi head, they've been quiet. We had assumed they had been wiped out from that incident. It seems we were wrong. I'm more concerned they went from that brash and bold to quiet and biding their time. But why now make a ruckus? And why in the depths of a depleted mineshaft?

I would have asked you to eliminate them. But a scouting mission will do. Find out what they are doing, and report back. We'll see where we go from there. Oh, and you two have my blessing to return here."

Kaizo held his hand up in a handsign as will-o-wisps seemed to solidify into butterflies as they circled the area.

"Yusuke. You've been chosen for this mission based on your history. Few know the Kuroinu as... 'intimately' as you do.

Yanma. You've been chosen for this mission due to your intelligence, and laid back nature. There aren't many in the Land of Iron who value a 'tactical retreat'. I'm relying on you for that.

Don't fail me you two. I'll be counting on you!"

Kaizo flashed a wide smile to the two as he handed the papers over.

"Any questions? Otherwise, formulate a plan, and dismissed. Report back within 24 hours, how you plan on getting into the mines is up to you, they are on the outskirts of Hanamachi at the base of Shishiro Mountain. Good luck."
 

Ōkami Itto
Chaos && Control​

- Somewhere in Wakahirume. . .​
“Tsk.” — Itto felt his arm get yanked to the side, made a sour face when he felt a finger bend the wrong way when the wooden sword shifted in his hand. Ringo damn near slapped the sword out of his hand — “Ugh.” — He groaned, sagging in defeat, punching in a sigh for good measure — “Don’t have to get all aggressive…Just say yer’ explosives ain’t good enough…” — He muttered the last. He’d get her to blow something up, one way or the other.

Itto angled his heels back, came down on the bare floor from his squat, feeling fretful, worried eyes darting around him. A cool breath fanning down the hem of his kimono, as if the wind itself were trying to whisper to him, let him know how stupid he’d sounded just now.

Jomei’s words echoed in his mind, almost mockingly, jabbing at him on the sides sharper than any set of Kunai ever could. Residential area… Slums… Refugees…

An eye twitched, something tugged at a corner of his mouth; maybe he didn’t think all the fine details through — “A’ mean… When ya’ put it like that, maybe ‘s not that great of an idea.” — The pale-head drew the white flag, conceded.

“It was just the first thing that came ta’ mind.” — He fanned a relaxed hand, shooing away any worries the group might’ve had. Or at least tried to — “Don’t be getting all jumpy ‘bout it.” — It’d be a problem if everyone else had to be on edge because of him. He’d learned the value of a tight-knit team with Roku. Working out of sheer nerves, pinning his trust on complete strangers knowing that someone would have his back.

Of course, back with Roku, they hadn’t exactly been a perfect team— but this somehow didn’t feel as hit-or-miss as it did with Izumi and Yusuke. It somehow felt worse. Sloppier. If he had the words to describe it, it was as if they were the slaphappy handwork of a woodworker. Rushing through a thankless, payless job.

A messy, barely functional Shishi-Odoshi. That’s how he’d describe it — “Since when did I start thinking up analogies…”

The young wolf was brought out of his reverie once Ringo spoke up once again, he gave her a puzzled look as she brought out a handful of coins and laid them out on the floor. As the girl kept speaking, a hand came back inside his kimono, like a turtle into its shell— it came up out of the loose collar to idly scratch at his chin.

The little props she’d set down came to life on his headspace, the coins and caltrops had names and roles all of a sudden — “Hm…” — He had a focused glint in his eye, a glint that burnt out once Ringo banged a picture of Ishii right over their game plan. Itto immediately reeled in, face scrunching up in disgust.

Enkai chimed in, agreeing with Ringo’s plan. Itto’s hands folded over his chest, inside his kimono, he had a begrudging, awful long moment of thought as he stared down at Ishii’s nauseating face. He didn’t have to look at the picture to try his hand at mimicking him. His face was already burned into the back of his mind, mocking him every once in a while, whenever he closed his eyes.

He took a deep huff, threw his head back and closed his eyes — “Long range, huh…?” — It was beyond disgraceful to disguise himself as the man who’d practically spat on his father’s memory, but he was probably the most physically fit to be up-close and personal with the captain when it came down to it.

He had Ishii’s blood in his veins too. Same pale hair. Same red eyes. He could probably pass up for a perfect doppelganger of him — “Tch, man…” — Itto grumbled, bringing a frustrated hand up to bitterly rustle his own hair.

After that, his hands clapped together, he went through a rush of hand signs— Dog, boar, ram, and then, after a sudden cloud of smoke. . .


術 Henge no Jutsu 術
(Transformation Technique)
​

Ōkami Ishii was sitting right next to them, a very heated and annoyed looking Ishii, as if the man in Ringo’s picture had jumped right out of it.

“I’ll be your Ishii, then.” — He sighed, even fixing his voice to sound like the old bastard — “Not ta’ be mean or anythin’, but I can see both of ya’ stick legs from here. If someone’s got ta’ play bait, then that someone’s gonna have ta’ herd captain Yugoro somewhere we can ki..—" — He spared Jomei a quick glance, clearing his throat before coughing into his next words — “Knock ‘em out cold. The three of us, without anyone interferin’.”

Itto clacked the tip of his sword over one of Ringo's coins — “That abandoned factory ya' mentioned could be a good place to catch him off guard. Maybe A’ lure him there, then both of ya’ jump on ‘im.”



Ganryu Ganryu Phayne Phayne Spoiled Bread Spoiled Bread
 
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Family Reunion

Koyome Omozukai, Yukari Satou

Conducting espionage against a Hyuuga is, to a lot of people, an exercise in insanity or at least, foolhardiness. How do you hide from someone who can see through walls? How do you sneak up on someone who almost literally has eyes in the back of their head? Some of the clan’s enemies had had limited success with a particularly cutthroat diplomatic approach: throwing around accusations of lost face and legal recompense to extract concessions even when direct subterfuge had failed.

As freshly minted ge- no mokunoha, Koyome could not leverage the kind of diplomatic weight that would make that approach viable even if her opponent was a single Hyuuga rather than the entire clan. Still there was something to learn from that kind of operation Koyome believed. Namely: that espionage and diplomacy were really two sides of the same coin and you could do quite a lot of both at the same time if you were willing to be shameless about it.

Koyome had her pride certainly, but it was a pointed, quite narrow thing. Koyome was proud of her painstakingly self taught skills, her daringly snatched freedom and her lovingly crafted little killing machines. Outside of those specific areas Koyome did not really care what people thought of her at all, being branded as a worthless cripple had stripped her of any such pretensions.

This was all to say that Koyome was willing to be quite, quite shameless, which was why she found herself knocking on the front door to her new Sensei’s dwelling even though she knew full well that her older cousin wasn’t home.


“Hellloooo? Sensei?” Koyome called out with sickly sweet innocence for the benefit of any neighbors. Meanwhile Koyome had already extended a hair-thin chakra thread to worm its way into the lock on the front door. With the aid of her byakugan to see inside the mechanism it was childs play to push the tumblers into position so that when Koyome knocked on the door it swung open invitingly.

“Oh my, I’d better make sure nothing’s wrong,” Koyome said aloud, continuing on with her script before merrily walking over the threshold.

Why was Koyome breaking into her teacher’s house in the first place? Well that was simple. After meeting Yukari and taking her measure over the course of a mission Koyome was fairly certain that the woman was not some kind of Hyuuga agent here to drag her kicking and screaming back to Konoha, but fairly certain was not completely certain. In the unlikely event that Yukari Sensei was still answering to the clan then Koyome needed proof: ideally some kind of correspondence she could either hold as blackmail or hand off to the samurai to get them to deal with the threat while shoring up her own position.

As Koyome entered, with delicate, cautious steps despite knowing for certain she was alone, she glanced around curiously, wondering what her Sensei’s dwelling would reveal about the woman.




Despite Yukari having been gone for several hours now, the faint smell of incense still lingered inside. The apartment was a fairly simple space, a far cry from the trappings of the Hyuuga estate. A worn, but cozy looking kotatsu sat in the middle of the floor, the purple quilt slightly frayed around the edges. A stack of books sat on the table beside a kiseru pipe. Most were novels of varying genres, new releases that could be found in the shops in Hanamachi. One book sat outside of the stack, its cover battered but otherwise unmarked. A bookshelf nearby housed a few more novels as well as a collection of scrolls.

A shamisen rested beside a cushion off in the corner, a small box behind it held the bachi and replacement strings. A box made of dark cherry wood was perhaps the fanciest thing in the main room, mother of pearl inlays depicted a pair of cranes on top. Inside its drawers, Koyome would find an ink stone and sticks and various brushes. Likely the source of the calligraphy and sumi-e paintings that decorated the walls.

Shamisen, ink paintings, and calligraphy, it seemed some hobbies from her upbringing stuck with her after leaving Konoha. Though evidence of other, less noble pursuits could be found if Koyome looked. Dice and different decks of cards, as well as novels and art books of questionable content.

Koyome wrinkled her nose at the smell of incense and hummed curiously as her eyes flitted about the homely furnishings, before coming to rest on the unmarked book. Activating her byakugan, Koyome flicked through some of the pages in the unassuming book at lightning speed while still absorbing some of the information.

A konoha bingo book hmm.. Not suspicious as long as its an older edition than when she was supposed to have left Konoha which was…I don’t really recall. A few years before me? Bah. This looks pretty old anyway.

After further consideration Koyome realized even an up to date bingo book could conceivably have been looted from an enemy post defection so it wouldn’t be proof of anything. It was still interesting though. I wonder if that guy we killed is in here. He said his name was Fumio? That probably wasn't his real name though… Koyome mused as she continued to flick through the well worn pages.

Under the section for shinobi hailing from the Land of Lightning, an entry would catch her eye. Haruki Kazehana, his page had been crossed off though the entry was still legible. A jounin that specialized in infiltration, genjutsu, and techniques that centered around the use of rare dream blossoms. The photo was a close match as well.

If Koyome continued her perusal of the book, she’d eventually find her way to entries from her former village. Given the bingo book’s origins, the shinobi listed within were all rogues, traitors to their home village to be killed on sight. Though she may notice one entry marking a shinobi for capture instead. A chuunin kunoichi named Jun Uzumaki, noted for having massive chakra reserves and being skilled in fuuinjutsu, her entry didn’t specify why she was to be brought in alive. But it was crossed off all the same, small spots like water stains marring the page.

A page that looked to be torn from another bingo book was nestled towards the back. A familiar face and name adorning the page: Yukari Hyuuga, the Nekomata Sage. Likely unsurprisingly to Koyome, she was noted to be highly proficient in the clan’s gentle fist techniques. The entry also listed her as being an expert in senjutsu, often blending the two together. Like all the other Konoha entries, it neglected to mention any crimes or known reasons for defecting. Just to eliminate all the same. Reaching the end of the book, Koyome would realize that she didn’t have any entries of her own.

Hummm, that’s encouraging I think. Koyome mused as she read through the relevant entries she could find. While it was conceivably possible that a defection would be faked to insert an agent the clan elders would cut their right hands off before they let a Hyuuga jonin who could use senjutsu as well of all things impinge the clan’s prestige by pretending to defect. If such a thing were to happen the clan would insist on a branch member with a properly sealed byakugan be sent away instead.

that’s what they’re there for after all… Koyome thought with a twisted half smile.

No, all likely signs pointed towards Yukari Sensei’s defection being legitimate. If by some miniscule chance this was some kind of long con infiltration then whatever she was here for had to be so important that she wouldn’t break cover just to haul back an escaped genin. More likely Sensei’s defection was personal, possibly something to do with this Uzumaki if those were really tear marks on that page. Really though any Hyuuga who wasn’t completely brainwashed had ample reason to want to leave.

Carefully Koyome placed the tattered notebook back exactly where it had been and took in her surroundings once more. She had originally been hoping to find correspondence from or to Konoha but that was looking increasingly improbable.

Every good gambler knows to quit when they’re ahead after all, Koyome told herself, sauntering back towards the entrance.

Then again… How often am I really going to get a chance to snoop like this she reasoned, abruptly pivoting towards what looked to be the bedroom. Even if she’s not still reporting to Konoha a little leverage wouldn’t be a bad thing to have in my back pocket~

Unlike the main room and small kitchen area that were meant to be seen by guests, the bedroom was in slightly more disarray. The futon was still unrolled and blankets sat on it in the disorderly heap they’d been tossed into that morning. The quiet ticking of the alarm clock by the bed filled the small room. A vanity housed makeup and perfume. Various decorated hairpins and ties had also been laid out on its surface.

The dresser and the wall it sat against housed most of the room’s decorations. Jade and wooden statuettes of nekomata seemingly stood guard over a lacquered wooden shrine. The inside housed a small stone tablet, a worn photograph of Yukari and the red haired Uzumaki woman, and an old Konoha headband. Despite being folded neatly, the fabric was still visibly ragged and the metal plate badly damaged. The incense burner still housed ashes from the morning.

A large shakujo hung on the wall behind the dresser along with various masks. Most were half masks like the one Yukari had worn during the team’s first mission, but a few would cover the entire face instead. An empty peg showed that one had been taken for the day. Behind one of the masks, a white tiger, lingered faint traces of chakra. A seal. The pattern would likely be familiar to Koyome, it was a common seal used to store tools and equipment within scrolls. Though no rules ever said the seals had to be housed within a scroll.

oooh Koyome thought gleefully, although she was still wary enough to stand well clear of the mask and, instead of tampering with the seal directly, extended a handful of chakra threads to carefully trigger it from a distance. {i]I have to admit I always thought these looked kind of cool[/i] thought Koyome, admiring the smooth, porcelain surface of the mask as she worked. Feels like it would be a little ‘hat on a hat’ to wear one when my face is already fake to begin with though.

In a poof, Koyome would have her ill gotten prizes. Books and scrolls came tumbling out of the seal, threatening to crash down on the shrine below. Most of the book titles hinted that their contents contained information on fuuinjutsu and juinjutsu; a well cared for notebook bore no writing on its cover. The scrolls had no distinct titles, only notes of D Rank, C Rank and so on hinting at their contents.

Koyome’s eyebrows rose sharply as she took in the bounty of illicit knowledge before her.
Juinjutsu…like the clan seal? Hrmm I wonder if she’s trying to break it? The idea was appealing to Koyome, although if she was being honest that was mostly out of spite towards the clan elders rather than any sense of charity towards the indentured branch clansmen. It wasn’t like they had given her any more attention than the main branch had after all.

The scrolls and books looked a bit too dense to risk looking through now, so Koyome began stuffing them back into the seal with one hand, even as picked up the notebook and started thumbing through it, hoping it would prove to be more succinct.

The pages within housed a myriad of detailed notes. Complex sealing formulas and theories flipped past, some had notes on points of failure while others were crossed out entirely. Partway through, the handwriting changed. The formulas and theories housed within weren’t nearly as complex, as though the new author had to start from scratch. Though one thing was clear, whoever had been working on this research did intend to unravel or at least alter the Hyuuga’s infamous curse mark.

New faint scents began to mingle with the remnants of incense. The sweet smell of dango and a flowery perfume.


“A clean entry, straight to the point, and careful to return things as close to how you found them as possible.” Yukari stood at the doorway to the bedroom, leaning against the frame. “My only critique is you left the door unlocked. Even if your mark believes they might’ve just forgotten to lock it behind them, they’ll still be suspicious.”

Koyome flinched.

Geh! When did she get here! Koyome screamed internally, twisting around to face her sensei and fixing an innocent smile on her puppet’s face. Then, Koyome remembered that her relative could see right through that if she wanted to and attempted to school her actual, flesh face into a similarly earnest expression. It did not go especially well.

How do facial muscles work again? Ughh, this is why organic bodies are so…-


“Ah! Sensei, yes um. Clearly I still have much to learn about infiltration, which is what I was practicing just now. Yes,” Koyome lied shamelessly.


Yukari gave her a knowing smile. “Well, I’m sure your practice led you to some interesting new information to take in.” She straightened, “why don’t we talk about it once you’ve finished putting everything away? I’m sure you have questions. Tea should be ready in a little bit and I picked up some dango on my way home.” She turned and disappeared back into the main room.



True to her word, the kotatsu had been cleared of books. Tea cups and plates sat around a dark box, the sweet smell of mitarashi dango emanating from within. A kettle sat on the stove with its teapot companion waiting close by.

Koyome slumped a little as some of the tension bled from her body and the puppet strings she was holding taut. It seemed Yukari sensei was down to play softball for now. Soft and sweetball, Koyome’s nose reminded her as the scent of warm and fresh dango invaded her puppet sanctum.

Minutes later and Koyome was seated cross legged at the kotatsu, nursing her mug of tea and staring at the plate of dango with a complicated expression. On the one hand, the smell had awakened her appetite, she had skipped lunch to work on her devices after a quick functional breakfast of… did she have breakfast actually? Such mundane trivialities occasionally escaped even her considerable intellect at times. On the other, equally pressing hand, dango was so, so very sticky.

Eating, or at least eating in an outwardly convincing fashion, while concealed within the belly of a mechanical simulacrum required a bit of a process. Bite sized morsels of food were conveyed up to the mouth of the puppet via chopsticks and then carefully retrieved with chakra threads and there was a funnel attachment for chopsticks. The problem with this process is that some stuff would stick to the sides of the pipe, and the whole puppet would need to be disassembled and cleaned or she would get ants. Koyome shuddered at the thought.

Yukari had relaxed across from her with her own cup of tea, quietly enjoying the warmth of the heater underneath the kotatsu. She quirked a knowing smile and set down her teacup.


“Mitarashi dango is much better when it’s warm.” Yukari reached up, pulling her own mask free and setting it aside on the floor. “You seem to be overthinking things a little bit. Unlike your teammates, I know you’re wearing a mask too. No need to keep up appearances here, hard as it may be to break the habit.”

Koyome opened her mouth and then closed it. Oh right.

With a sigh Koyome let her puppet slump back until its back was on the floor while from its stomach she herself shifted upwards, wriggling herself free of her confines like a molting cicada. Like a freshly molted insect, Koyome emerged seemingly somewhat… diminished: pale, blinking away the light. The puppet Koyome and Koyome herself were twins of a sort but one was a twisted reflection of the other.

Where the outward shell had been designed with a slender, but healthy looking frame Koyome herself was almost emaciated, with gaunt features and bony arms that were not concealed by the very thin shirt she wore. The only part of Koyome that seemed more alive than the puppet she showed the world were her eyes. They were still brown rather than the pale lavender they should have been thanks to the colored contacts she wore, but they were wide, alert and openly calculating, darting around the room as if the girl no longer knew how to make natural eye contact. Despite that in the moments when Koyome’s eyes did meet Yukari’s they flickered with defiance and confrontation and her thin slash of a mouth twitched as though ready to spit poison and scorn back at any sentiment so crass as pity.

Eventually Koyome adjusted to the light and she reached forward to take a dango skewer, carefully levering one of the round, doughy balls off of the bamboo with her teeth to keep from having to say something first.

The look that met Koyome’s gaze had been anything but pity. If she focused long enough, she might even notice that Yukari’s pale eyes had brightened somewhat at finally getting to meet ‘face to face’ so to speak. Her smile was hardly one of guarded pleasantries so common among the clan, but seemed to almost revel in the sparks of anger and defiance that smoldered in her student’s gaze. “I can’t even begin to imagine what kind of a bitch that puppet has to be to try and clean after a meal.” She picked up her own half eaten skewer of dango and pulled another piece free. “Really, it seems more complex than some of the ones I’ve had to fight from Suna.”

Koyome affected a modest shrug that was not terribly convincing and picked up the arm of the puppet she was half sitting in, making a show of examining it for wear and tear.


“It is mostly a question of differing goals. The Suna models are mostly optimized for combat where simplicity is a prized virtue, every moving part is an invitation for something to go wrong just when you don’t need it to after all. Kurago here on the other hand was designed to facilitate my…hrmm, exfiltration and in general needed to be suitable for extended use, which introduced a number of interesting design considerations. I suspect in a more typical puppet much of this would be achieved with fuinjutsu or even ninjutsu.” Koyome said with a bland tone that somehow made it clear that she considered doing so to be something of a cop out on the part of these hypothetical Suna puppeteers. “Ah. But we were going to talk about your work rather than mine I think,”


“A variation on the transformation technique seems to be the norm from what I’ve encountered on the field.” Yukari agreed, pulling the last dumpling from her skewer. “Mmm I suppose we were.” She let the thin piece of bamboo dangle loosely between her fingertips as she chewed. “I’ve been rather expecting this conversation since we first met. Honestly I thought it’d be even sooner.” Yukari shrugged, pouring some more tea for herself. “I can sit around and claim all I wish that I’m not somehow still working for the clan. But we’ve both played their games long enough to know how worthless words can be. Even if I did somehow manage to get past Lady Chie’s barrier, there’s the matter of the Lord Taisho. Now I don’t know if he used that technique of his on you, but his eyes can see things even ours can’t. It’s like someone’s staring into your very soul, your every secret laid bare.” Yukari shook her head, “accustomed as I may be to the byakugan’s glare, that was something I’d rather not experience again.” She picked up another skewer of dumplings. “And what if your own investigation? I’m sure you have questions.”


“He did not,” Koyome said bluntly, not sure if she should be relieved or offended that she didn’t rate such an inspection. “That sounds… unpleasant,” she said, settling on relieved. Such a technique would be useful though, maybe having that in their back pocket was why the samurai had been able to preserve their more forthright traditions instead of resorting to the shinobi model of espionage focused warfare. “There’s really only one question that comes to mind though,” Koyome continued, picking up her mug of tea with two hands and taking a careful sip. “Even if you can figure out how to undo the clan seal, what will you even do with that knowledge? The clan, even the Leaf itself will hardly just let you walk in and take away their toys?”

Yukari hummed, “No, they certainly won’t. But the desire for freedom is a powerful thing, isn’t it? The want to break out of the cage the clan seems intent on keeping everyone in. We’re not the only ones that wanted out, we’re just the ones that managed to slip out.” She sighed, watching the thin ribbons of steam rise from her tea. “To be honest, I haven't the damndest idea yet. The moment word gets out that someone can break the seal, the main branch will only tighten their grip on everyone. I could maybe spirit away one or two of the branch members that were on my side before I left. Assuming they weren’t . . . dealt with. If the war continues like it is, I should be able to find at least a single opening.

Yukari shook her head, leaning back to rub her eyes. “It’s not something I can do alone, that’s for damn sure. Even with help, watching the clan burn might just be an impossible dream.” A bitter chuckle escaped her lips. “Worst case and this was all for nothing . . . then maybe I can leave the Land of Iron a new byakugan user. There’s a reason I went through the trouble of writing down all of the clan’s techniques.”


Koyome shrugged and stared at her tea, silent for several seconds. “I don’t really consider it my business anymore, the clan lost interest in me and I lost interest in them in turn,” she said, her voice theatrical in its casualness. “Even if it would be nice to see those old bastards choke on their shitty seal its not my problem to deal with. But if I was going to bother with the whole mess then I would try and spoof the seal somehow: make a version that appears legitimate from the outside but that the bearer can turn off when they’re ready. You could ambush or meet up with branch clan members over time and send them home with the spoofed seals, or even teach them how to do it to each other. Then we they have a critical mass of people with the fake seal they can murder all the elders in their beds or..whatever it is they want,”

Koyome shrugged again, still not making eye contact. It was an interesting thought experiment but nothing more. Although if it could somehow be orchestrated and the Hyuuga branch convinced to bring their strength to the Land of Iron wouldn’t that be a major boon that would see her reputation skyrocket?..No, no, no that was far too much trouble. Koyome had gone to all this trouble to get away from that nest of vipers! Inviting them here was madness! Wasn’t it?


Yukari hummed, tapping her nail against the table as she thought. “A fake seal… Yes, that could be doable. Or at least breaking it in a way that leaves the brand visible still. And with the war going on, it’s likely we’ll end up crossing paths with branch members on the field. Plant the seeds in one and let the roots spread on their own…” Another hum, “it’s certainly a viable option. I think I’m getting close to unraveling the seal too. At least, the portion that gives the main branch all their control over someone. Putting it to proof is gonna be the hardest part I think.”

“Haaah,” Koyome sighed, looking exasperated. “I really can’t say I’m looking forward to any sort of family reunion but I guess I can see it being worth my while to pitch in,” Suddenly, like a white serpent one Koyome’s pale arms darted forwards towards the center of the kotatsu, snatching away the final skewer of dango. “Consider this a down payment I suppose,” Koyome said impishly, taking a delicate bite.

KageYuuki KageYuuki
 
Team Nadeshiko: Dealer's Choice

Once again Nadeshiko Toyotomi found herself seated in the dining room of the cozy little guest house Minshuku Hidarisou, awaiting the arrival of a mostly new team of eager young minds to teach. Nadeshiko had not really intended this as any kind of poetry or irony, it was just that the Minshuku had nice tea and, being near the Western gate it was conveniently located for her purposes. Once again Nadeshiko would be leading her young charges out of the city. Perhaps if all went well it would not be the last time with this group.

Nadeshiko sighed and scolded herself internally for being melancholy. The soldier's life was not for everyone and it was most especially not for every child. It was probably for the best that those two had discovered that for themselves early on and moved on to more peaceful occupations. It was always sad to part ways with students though, even if it was ultimately for a good reason.

Nadeshiko took a sip of her tea and re-centred herself. it wouldn't do to begin a mission with a distracted heart, especially not with children present. The business before her and her new team wasn't particularly dangerous, but shinobi, any shinobi could always be slippery. Thoughtfully, Nadeshiko glanced up at the charming little antique clock t6he guesthouse's proprietor kept on the wall. The children weren't late, yet. the letter she had dispatched to them with the details of their upcoming mission. They were all to meet here at 7am, which was still ten minutes away and the children had been instructed to pack for a few days, as the mission would take them to the somewhat distant tradiing city of Shizunamori. Hopefully the children would be well prepared, for the road ahead was sure to herald unexpected dangers.

Ganryu Ganryu Nilionis Nilionis Blitzkrieg Bob Blitzkrieg Bob
 
Ringo Nakano (Chaos & Control mission)
Location: The dark room

"Hmm..." Ringo looked back and forth between the picture of Isshi and the newly transformed figure in front of her. She almost expect for herself to take the role since most samurais she had seen rarely use these kinds of technique, especially from someone like Itto, but this was a welcomed surprise for her.

"That's not half bad, brute boy. Forming a detailed figure with a single picture alone." Ringo gave him a few small claps.

"The pieces has fallen into their respective place. We have our bait and our location. Blue boy, I mean, Enkai, you are going with us to beat the captain. We're in this together, and we're going to end this together. You, me, and this random ass uncle." Ringo snickered while pointing at Itto. She then looked at their client.

"Mr. Jomei, you will have two important tasks then. First is to kick any present homeless bums out of the factory, make sure none of them still lingers before our fight. The second one is to distract your co-workers from following he captain to the site. Buy them drinks, transform into the kage and start dancing on the street, or just straight punch them in the face. Whatever. You know them better than us three combined. Do what you think is best."

Ganryu Ganryu Phayne Phayne Haze- Haze-
 
Akari Tone - Team Nadeshiko
AtlannianSpy AtlannianSpy Nilionis Nilionis Blitzkrieg Bob Blitzkrieg Bob


A cold wind blew as morning lightly slowly crawled across the sky, turning the dark hues of blue to a faint pink as the sun chased the stars away, the half moon losing it's radiance to dawn, Akari watching with awe in her eyes. It was the simple things that were beautiful. Why own a painting when you could watch it unfold?

The snow was starting to thin as spring approached, the trees more barren of snow, and the chill air much easier on her.

As she continued to watch memorized, the door next to her on the porch opened, her mother staring, before asking a poignant question. "Didn't you have an early morning mission with Nadeshiko sensei this morning? It's a bit of a walk to Hanamachi from here."

Akari blinked for a moment as another breeze blew past. Then she blinked harder as the words started to sink in... She didn't have a mission til the beginning of the week. Akari's brows furrowed as she fidgetted with her fingers. And today was -

Her eyes shot wide open, and in an instant, Akari lept off the bench, leaping into the air. For a moment, her feet flickered blue as they traced the ground she had just been on, redrawing the ground in the air with a 'boing' as she jumped again to the second story, opening the window into her room.

Double Jump

Her mother sighed, the tips of her fingers massaging her temple as the sound of a tornado could be heard in the house, flickering back and forth at high speeds. A moment later, Akari was bursting out of the front door, before her mother caught her by the back of the neck.

"Akari! Pajamas! Change into your work gear. Also forgot your arrows, and your travel pack. Breakfast is on the table."

---------------------------------------------

As Nadeshiko sat drinking tea, the door to the tea house exploded open, a ragged Akari running forward with a piece of toast in her mouth as she stumbled forward, before tripping on her own feet, and collapsing as the piece of toast went tumbling forward on the floor as she face planted on the ground, spear sized arrows spilling out across the ground as the 'THUD' echoed. Her travel pack fell on her head, smothering her.

On the bright side, Akari had gotten much faster, and was technically on time after having rushed...

The dark side was literally everything else. Perhaps some things, like the members of Nadeshiko's squad changed. Other things like Akari... did not.
 
Akari Whispering Puppets
AtlannianSpy AtlannianSpy Phayne Phayne Spoiled Bread Spoiled Bread


Akari sat staring at the blank block of wood she'd brought to whittle, expecting some boring parts of the stakeout, trying to decide the best pose for it, studying the grains of wood, determining what was supposed to be inside, not even drawing knife yet. Such a state could take hours before she figured it out. So many factors went into it. Yet, before she could start, the 'jingle' of her bells started.

Akari instantly bolted up, the seals on her body bursting with chakra to propel her forwards, even if a bit painful to suddenly shoot chakra out of her points with no build up. It was her entire style, a little burn from it was nothing, but the seals of 'Ama-no-Iwato's Hidden Sunlight' were something she was still adjusting to.

She flickered down the hallway, 'boings' heard as she used her double jump to build up speed, bursting into the room to try and catch the culprit... only to find her snare not only NOT used, but the maid having used her bell set up to climb up to higher points in the room to dust.

Akari was going to fast to stop, and looked below her to see her foot stepping straight into the snare herself. With a sudden 'yoink', she went skyward, her momentum bringing her crashing into the ceiling, before dangling back and forth upside down by her ankle, feeling like the wire would rip the entire thing off.

"Ugh..." She moaned as he eyes flickered, adjusting to the maid.

Even if she had seen the traps... why would she ring every single one...? Akari held back tears at her trap being ruined. Even if it wasn't the maid, whoever it was now knew there was bells here. Why would she ring them all and alert someone? It ruined her plan...

Akari wasn't smart. She didn't have a lot of plans. Let alone back up plans... this one seemed perfect. It was this or talking to people. She wanted to bawl, she didn't have expertise in either!

Then again, at least she hadn't been signed up to a train mission. She'd heard Izumi had been and had actually laughed at her.

Two archers both in indoor missions.

Sighing in defeat, she flung some wires at a duster, and began to dust while hanging upside down where she could reach.

Then the question echoed again.

Why... WOULD the maid ring all the bells? She seemed to be upsetting me on purpose, why not the master of the house...? But what does she gain. And asking for my help's almost like she doesn't want me doing something.

Suspicious.

Then again, maybe it was just the blood flow to Akari's head. She eyed the book series that seemed incomplete. 'The Maid did it' seemed awfully like a plotline...

Akari flinched as she worked up courage. Just a simple question. J-just talking with someone.

"D-do you like Meitantei Mateo'?"

Wait... crap. I don't read it. How am I supposed to keep up this conversation? I only know it's a detective series, but I hate reading... all the word's on a page are so hard to keep straight... it's like they're dancing and I can't ever keep my place, and keep confusing one word for another. It's like I'm reading a totally different sentence than everyone else...
 
Koyome Omozukai- Whispering Puppets
Well that was a whole lot of nonsense, Koyome thought bitterly, keeping the outward expression of her puppet one of solemn concentration as she nodded along with the old man's rambling. Koyome flinched at the sound of a loud crash and...ringing bells? Koyome flared her byakugan to peer through the walls of the manor to see Akari, tangled up in a mess of wire and bells that...she had apparently set.

When did she even leave let alone set all that up? Koyome wondered, feeling a throbbing headache settle in behind her temples. Why can't people jsut do what they're told? this is why puppets are obviously superior!

Dismissing Akari's antics for now, mostly because she had no idea what to about any of that, Koyome refocused her attention on what she had just learned. Honestly it wasn't much. If anything the old man's story pointed to his maid being a bit sloppy and taking a few household goods for personal use then blaming it on an intruder to avoid being chewed out. It didn't even really rise to the level of being fireable, let alone a crime if that was what was going on, most people would just ignore this stuff. Still the old man was the one who was paying for the mission so he was the one who needed to be satisfied. It was still technically possible this was the work of an intruder, even if their motive was... pretty opaque at this point.

Maybe the maid is the target? Koyome speculated, her eyes flicking to the woman from behind the safety of her false body. Someone could be driving a wedge between the two of them to leave the old man bereft of support? Seems like such a terribly roundabout to go about it though.. Koyome considered herself a student of subtlety and manipulation but this just seemed tedious. So what to do about all this? Koyome could keep trying to interrogate the old man and his maid to see if some kind of sequence of events would emerge, but there wasn't any guarantee that either of them had a complete picture of what was going on or would be willing to share it.

It was annoying to admit, but Akari probably had the right idea, they needed to lay some kind of trap and see if they could catch the culprit in action, whoever the where. Something a bit more...elegant than just stringing up bells randomly would probably be necessary though.

Koyome had her puppet smile politely at the old man. "This has been very informative Mr. Ouzen. I believe our next move should be to scout the perimeter of the mansion grounds for signs of intrusion," Koyome turned to Enkai, giving him a significant look. "We should go collect Akari and head outside, I'm not sure how much more we can learn inside like this. By the way, you should be prepared to deploy your steam release if anything happens, it was very effective last time at confusing our opponents."

What Koyome really needed to do was leave her body behind while her puppet appeared to leave the mansion along with the rest of the team, so that the culprit would feel free to act again, but she couldn't do so under the watchful eyes of a former shinobi turned maid. Not without a suitable distraction at least. Fortunately, without really planning any of this Koyome had primed Akari earlier to act as a distraction. As Koyome got up and left to meet up with Akari she extended an invisible thread to snake towards the other girl ahead of her own pace, to tug on Akari's sleeve just like she had mentioned before the mission had begun. Hopefully the other girl would provide enough of a reaction that Koyome could slip out of her puppet body and hide in a closet, especially if Enkai provided a steamy smoke screen at the same time.

Ganryu Ganryu Phayne Phayne Spoiled Bread Spoiled Bread
 
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