Finding Stolen Stuff (Yurei, possibly Hikari)

Mission Link

Tomoko looked at herself one more time in the mirror, making sure her uniform looked proper. She was wearing a dark blue long sleeved shirt with her Flak jacket zipped up over top of it. Her Hoshigakure headband was resting on her collarbone, glistening slightly as she had somewhat recently cleaned it. And her pants were the same dark blue as the shirt and covered her legs entirely. The kunoichi had recently heard that some shinobi had a tendency to wear simple shirts and pants under their flak jackets, at least the ones that didn't try to stand out anyway. While Tomoko wanted to look good in her uniform she definitely didn't want to draw attention to herself, not while she was on duty anyway. She'd much rather people viewed her as 'just another Chuunin' as opposed to keeping tabs on her.

Satisfied that her uniform was fine for the mission she was going on Tomoko tied her hair back in a bun, even the strands she normally kept down to frame her face. She was going on a B-Rank Mission today, she needed to worry about function over form. She was going on a mission with another Chuunin, with possible support from a Jounin as well, Tomoko would have to give it her all just to try and keep up. It had only been recently that the kunoichi had come to the realization she wasn't as skilled as her rank implied, and while she did aim to change that fact she also knew that until then she'd have to do her best to ensure it wasn't obvious to everyone else.

Leaving her house with a quick farewell to her mother Tomoko started to head for the crime scene designated in the mission briefing she got. Apparently some thief had robbed a shrine recently and left nothing behind but a trail of white powder. The robbery in itself wasn't the reason this matter was being handled by more than simply a genin team, the white powder trail had been spotted in many crimes scenes. Some of them were believed to be solved however, which had led to a few interesting theories. One of them was that the white powder trail was the M.O. of an organization, another that all the heists were the same person and that whomever it was had just managed to frame someone else every time. Another was that it was simply a coincidence that a number of thieves possessed the same M.O. and that many of them were probably just imitating the others rather than actually plotting along with them. Tomoko really hoped it was the last one, she wasn't quite sure if she wanted to tango with a criminal organization or a master thief.

The briefing Tomoko had received had told her to be at the robbed shrine at 8 a.m. but she had decided to be a bit early to ensure her squad mate(s) wouldn't have to wait on her. 15 minutes early, Tomoko would wait outside if the other Chuunin wasn't already there.  

WC: 510

Yurei lay against a sakura, sheltered from the rising sun by the shade’s embrace. Pink petals fell from the sky like snow, landing on the alabaster Uchiha’s silk kimono. The coat bore a silvery color, and, on his left, was a cyan pattern mimicking that of stylized waves. The petals slid smoothly off of the young man as he soon, sighing. Another mission, nothing particularly new, and nothing as eventful as what had occurred recently was to be assigned to him today.

The Chuunin took a small scroll from his kimono and unraveled it, placing his light, skeletal fingers on the wrinkled and withered parchment. He read it silently to himself, first identifying the meeting place. As he began to walk to his destination, the young man continued, his eyes shifting from one side of the scroll to the other in rapid succession. It appeared there was a thief on the loose, one fixated on stealing from the holy shrines of Hoshigakure.

Yurei quickly rolled the scroll up and placed it in his belt, resting comfortably between it and his waist. His hand tensed as he walked. More thieves. Fantastic. Theft such as this brought Yurei’s blood to a boil, but there was a strange apathy to it, something he had not noticed in himself before. For the briefest of moments, the Uchiha deserved nothing more than to deny the mission, forget it. These villagers deserved nothing better, and the prospect of holy artifacts and what came with them only threatened conflict.

Yet, Yurei suppressed these thoughts, denying them. That was not what a shinobi was – a shinobi was to help people no matter who they were. Right? The Uchiha pursed his lips. But what about those who do not deserve it? How far can help go before you’re aiding the wrong person?

The white-haired Uchiha loathed these villagers, the village itself. But he had a duty to defy this world, and ignoring those in need would only mold him into a product of its malice. That’s what Kenshin was, and he could not allow himself to become that – no matter who asked for help.

But there remained a question within him, something bubbling up to the surface more and more. What judgement would there be if aid is constantly given to the wicked? There wouldn’t be justice at all. These people hated shinobi, and vice versa, but ultimately the decision was made to satisfy the village’s request.

The thought sickened Yurei – aiding the village that betrayed him, but he had to continue. There was nothing to lose from participating in this mission, and it only served to strengthen the young man for the trials ahead.

The shinobi took a deep breath, moving his fingers through his now shoulder-length hair. It bared resemblance to that of a porcupine, stylized in a spiked fashion despite being its natural state. Before him was another chuunin – one he did not recognize. She was a kunoichi, and she sported a bun and a chuunin flak jacket. Yurei was not one to socialize with others, recent events had only served to create more distrust within himself, but this woman seemed approachable enough.

Yurei briefly glanced at the sky. It was nearly eight o’clock. “Hello,” he said softly, removing his arm from his silky sleeve. The Uchiha placed his arm between the openings of his kimono, using his belt as an arm rest. “My name is Yurei. I assume we’ll be completing this mission together?” His voice was somewhat distant, but there was a tinge of curiosity tethered within it.

WC: 594

One of the other shinobi was slightly early as well. Tomoko felt his presence before she saw him. Whomever it was had a potent chakra, the kunoichi hadn't even been trying to detect anyone yet she felt him as soon as he entered her sensory range. Turning in the direction of the powerful chakra Tomoko's light blue eyes could make out a white haired boy.  He seemed a bit younger than Tomoko but she wouldn't let that fool her. A lot of young children were extremely skilled shinobi, and that young teens chakra gave her a clue that he probably was at least more skilled than she was.

The boy was wearing a very nice silk kimono. Rather than question his choice of mission attire Tomoko couldn't help but admire his decision to wear such a robe on missions. Tomoko loved to wear kimono's to festivals but honestly wasn't that good at putting them on. She often had to have her mother assist her. She briefly mused about whether she wished women's kimonos were as simple as men's. On the one hand she probably could wear them more often like this shinobi was but on the other she much preferred the style of kimonos such as her own. Sure they were harder to put on but she liked the way they looked on her.

She gave Yurei a smile as he introduced himself before doing so in kind, "Nice to meet you Yurei, I'm Tomoko." The kunoichi's voice was cheerful, hoping to make a good first impression in spite of the other shinobi seeming somewhat distant. She understood that a shinobi's life often led them to be antisocial, she had just been fortunate enough that it had yet to take it's toll on her yet.

Now that he was closer Tomoko realized he was even skinnier than she was. He was slightly taller than her yet she guessed they were about the same weight. His skin was also much lighter than hers. She was pale, but his skin was actually white. He definitely had a unique appearance, but not in a bad way.

"It seems we're going to be partners for this mission. You ready to go in?" Tomoko would motion towards the door to the shrine as she asked the question, and if Yurei was ready she'd open the door to the shrine within. It seemed fairly clean, save some white powder that trailed around the floor. Tomoko didn't visit many shrines but she believed this one was very elegantly built. She wondered what sort of valuable artifacts it had housed before the thief had made off with them.

She hadn't seen the keeper of the shrine yet but Tomoko hoped to find them soon to see how they were faring. It wasn't quite 8 o'clock yet, perhaps they weren't arriving until then. Tomoko hoped they'd get here soon so she and Yurei would be able to return their artifact soon before it was damaged by the criminal. It seemed rather cruel to steal something that another person held in such reverence. Tomoko imagined that to someone who truly believed the religion this must be devastating. And while she had never dealt with having her own religious beliefs assaulted in such a way before she did know what it felt like when someone took something you cared about.

WC:559
TWC:1169

Yurei gave a thin smile, bowing slightly as the Kunoichi introduced herself. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Tomoko,” he responded, his smile fading into a neutral expression. The alabaster-skinned shinobi opened himself up to the chakra around him, feeling this new chuunin’s presence. Her chakra wasn’t particularly potent, and, for a moment, the Uchiha theorized if she had instead specialized in Taijutsu or something of its nature. Or perhaps she was still finding her strong suite. Were it not for Yurei’s initial goal, genjutsu would not have come as easily to him as it did.

This woman’s appearance was incredibly sound given the circumstances, a mark of a serious shinobi. Yurei could tell that she treated her job with the upmost dedication, but the fair Uchiha never gained much from flak jackets. Chuunin dissatisfied him. He wanted something more. Something to make a greater change, a position with more influence. No one wanted to hear a chuunin rant about peace and speak praise of his genjutsu. There was simply no respect tied to him. But now that plan had changed.
The pale shinobi scanned his new acquaintance with his silvery eyes, noting her general appearance. Her skin was fair, her eyes a captivating blue. She possessed a sort of fair beauty, but Yurei had little time to focus on such things.

Tomoko’s tone piqued Yurei’s interest, if only slightly. She appeared relatively cheery, almost. Even in such conditions as this, her greeting was with warm embrace. Had they met a month ago, this conservation could perhaps be more colorful. For now, however, Yurei maintained focus on this mission that lay before him. It was easier that way.

Yurei responded with a simple nod and a gesture toward the shrine, following Tomoko inside. Nothing had been left behind. The trinkets, the artifacts, all of them had seemingly disappeared. “Hmm,” Yurei hummed, shifting his eyes from side to side as he observed the room. He knelt, reaching for the white powder dispersed on the floor. “What’s this?” he asked. For a moment, Yurei thought it held religious meaning, but given the cleanliness of the shrine and the lack of footprints, this powder must have been placed here on the culprit’s way out or after the robbery had taken place.

The shinobi retracted his hand, meeting it with his chin. “I don’t think the keepers of this shrine put this out themselves, do they? This seems odd.” Yurei stood, stepping just outside of the shrine. “Do you know if anyone has been here before you arrived? Other than the thief.” Yurei kept his statements fairly standard, without much emotional range. His voice carried interest, but that was the extent of his subconscious influence on his words.

Shifting his lips to the corner of his mouth, Yurei thought to ask Tomoko another, more personal question, but found it a distraction and nothing more. Still, he wanted to know more about her. Simply put, she was much brighter than those often around the white-haired shinobi, and, as such, she carried with her what was likely a unique perspective. Add in the lacking chakra, and the potential for a shinobi with little exposure was cooking about.

WC: 1125

The Chuunin’s eyes widened with sudden realization. Yurei turned to the girl with an expression of urgency and regret. “I must apologize, Tomoko. I have another matter I need to attend to. You see, the Jounin tournament will shortly be underway, and must be going. Otherwise, I'm going to be late. I’m sure you can handle this yourself. You seem like a capable enough shinobi,” Yurei said, giving an affirmative nod.

“Again, my apologies,” the white Uchiha said, exiting from the shrine. “Do be careful,” he’d say, offering one bit of final advice.

WC: 1214

[EXIT]

Claiming 1214/4000 words for earth element

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RAbYECBpVA

Gotta be specific friendo

Approved after making you deal with your commitment issues

The boy in the kimono left, and Tomoko was left alone to deal with the shrine keeper once he arrived. She didn't blame him for going, the Jounin exam was important for those who had a chance of passing, but she didn't like solo missions.Thankfully the shrine keeper was rather amicable, even given the situation he was in. He led her through the shrine, showing her where artifacts used to sit and describing their appearances. Urns possessing the ashes of holy men, jeweled artifacts said to be owned by such men, the stolen items were identical to what had been taken in past burglaries involving white powder.  There was only one conclusion that Tomoko could come up with, that the crimes had to be connected in some way. Either the real burglar had never been caught, or all of the burglars were connected in some way.

Tomoko was already certain that she would need to abandon the mission for now and get more back up, but then the shrine keeper showed her another room. He informed her that most of their relics had been contained with this storage room, but when he opened the door it was barren, save for a symbol on the far wall. This wasn't made with powder, but with something wet, and red. Tomoko raised a hand to her mouth to stifle a scream, but the shrinekeeper noticed anyway.

"It's not blood ma'am."

"I know."

She had seen it drawn in blood before. The symbol on the wall was the same was she saw in her father's inn the night she found him and most of her family butchered.  Did that mean that the monsters were in Hoshigakure now?

"I..I'm going to have to go and get back up before I can pursue this further. We'll do everything we can to get your relics back to the shrine." Her voice sounded stiff, forced now. It was hard to maintain her composure. The shrinekeeper either didn't pick up on it or was to kind to pry however, as he simply wished her farewell.

As soon as she stepped foot out of the shrine she activated the body flicker technique and quickly moved atop a nearby building, becoming a blur to the shrinekeeper for a moment that he almost couldn't follow. From there she quickly began hopping from bilding to building, moving away from the shrine as quickly as possible.

She was heading back to mission headquarters, she hadn't completely lost her head, but she couldn't deny that seeing that symbol had put her into a panic that she hadn't felt in years. Hopefully she could find someone else to take this assignment, or at the very least help her finish it.

WC: 454
TWC:1523

Claims:
Soooo we failed the mission. Would I be able to attempt it again some time or no? Also do I still do claims as a mission, or as training.

If mission: 3 stats into speed
If training: 7 stats into speed

and if I could put the WC towards mastering Earth Release: Flying Thrown Stone that'd be cool

Alright, thank you for the clarification!