Helping Out With Protection | Mission |

Mission Assignment:

Lightning almost never strikes twice in the same spot. At least, that’s what Shiro would always like to believe. The patter of rain outside of his house made it harder for some to travel along the many muddy roads. He knew it would be a great task to replace those same roads with something more concrete. Stone pathways or just regular old roads would do them well in the future. Yet at this specific time and place, there was a problem to be solved. Information had come to Shiro swiftly about a certain wealthy couple living near the main city. They had received death threats by some for their interactions with the current Mizukage. The mission also detailed that his good friend Reizo would also be accompanying him on this assignment. Breathing a heavy sigh of relief that he got to do another mission with his partner. He shuffled around inside of his house, gathering his essential belongings for most missions. Yet this time, he wished not to cover himself with a coat or jacket. Instead, he’d simply allow himself to remain drenched in water. Mainly as a way to show that he did not care for apparel, that any time or any place he was willing to go at it with anyone. He packed 3 Kunai inside of his pockets, along with a smoke bomb and even a few senbon inside of his back pocket. He could still utilize his Gentle Blade techniques through the use of a Kunai, but he felt that it would be unnecessary to bring his sword along as a result. Inspecting the rest of his apparel, the black shirt tightly fitting around his body. Shiro was off in search of where Reizo was, hopeful that he had already made it towards where the Old couple was.

A slight pit stop certainly wouldn’t have hurt during his travel, his Byakugan could see pretty far all around him, allowing him to notice that Reizo was making his way towards the old couple. At least from what he could tell, it would be interesting that instead Shiro was the one being late for this kind of meeting. The crowds all around him stared slightly whenever he entered shops or buildings. He was the previous Mizukage, his appearance could not be mistaken, especially with the new scar on his face. It was at least something that made him look different, the healing given to him by one of the Kirigakure Medical ninja after his recovery had been rather keep as to not make much in the way of scarring. Yet it left him feeling that he had not proved himself on the battlefield against such an overwhelming opponent. His thoughts, his feelings, all of them rested on his students. Which was why he was at a weapons shop, mostly to buy back the Senbon he had broken within the spar with him and his sister. Which is why he was here, also doing some kind of shopping right before helping the couple do their own. Yet the Senbon on display felt a bit overpriced, it wasn’t anything that would destroy his wallet. So he’d pay for them, they were sharp, pristine, definitely of a higher quality then regular Senbon. It would hopefully help his sister in a pinch whenever she needed them. Her use of pinpoint accuracy in their fight was truly astounding. He’d have to learn something like that in the future.

After purchasing the Senbon, he’d also pocket them as well to hide that he was running slightly late because he had decided to purchase something. Rushing from rooftop to rooftop, the pattering of rain on his head had his hair matted down, yet it allowed him to face the thrill of rushing through the rain. Somersaulting in the air before landing on another rooftop, a soft chuckle escaped his lips before yet again he was off. Small puddles splashing underneath his feet before he landed right near the group of three, his landing was soft, graceful even. His trained senses showing him that no one was stained or even caught by his sudden appearance. Yet with a swift nod towards Reizo, they were off in this job at protecting these two from any kind of assailants. His Byakugan is already picking up a few people trying to pass through the crowd, one of them holding onto a small, almost rusted kunai. The man must have been old, his face wrinkly like a sack of old leather. The business couple would have been trying to pick out small bits of fruits from the vendors, while Shiro and Reizo could see that a whole group of three was already arriving to try and take out the married couple. When they noticed that two shinobi were there, one of them being the foreigner and the failure of the previous kage. The Old man who was with them had thrown his Kunai wildly, Shiro noting that the man seemed to have some basic training in the shinobi arts. Yet He’d catch the Kunai before it’d make it past his body. Pocketing the Kunai before motioning the three of them to come at him and Reizo, curious if his fellow Shinobi had picked up anything new while they were busy with their own lives. His Hands glowing with a slight amount of Chakra, right as the three would rush towards them. Street fights and brawls were certainly commonplace within Shinobi society. Yet something like this being organized must have meant the hatred for these people was because of his defeat and the new Kage.

Shiro rushed towards the biggest of the three, the man had long hair and a long pointy beard. He was built like a fortress. Muscular veins popped around his arms and body when he made a strike attempt at the previous Mizukage. Yet the punch felt slow to him, right as he reacted swiftly with a sudden kick to the mains stomach, before slamming an open palm strike directly towards his face to knock him out. The other two would have focused on Reizo, before being defeated by him. The two Shinobi would put them into bindings, using various forms of rope and sashes and wires to wrap all of them up neatly for the police force to arrive and take care of these would be assassins. While for the rest of the day Shiro and Reizo would thankfully have no other troubles regarding the Business man and his wife.

WC:1084

It was unusual for Shiro to be late, and yet that was the case this time around. Reizo arrived at the elderly couple before Shiro had even reached the ex-Kumo nin's sensory range. Reizo decided to hang around for a little bit until his partner arrived. He was being very active, so active. He was the most active shinobi in the village at this time, of that there was no doubt. He deserved to idle around for some time every now and then, surely.

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84 words

^ that post is so true btw

Reizo was caught in the rain while awaiting the former Mizukage. If watches had been invented, Reizo would surely be checking his right about now. He wasn’t used to being the one waiting, and quite frankly it didn’t feel good. This feeling of course would never stop him from running late, but it would give him slight pause from now on whenever he would subject someone else to this indolence. Reizo apologized to the elderly couple and was about ready to suggest he could handle the mission alone and they could depart when the senbon sneak crept up on them in the torrent. ”You sure kept us waiting, huh,” Reizo would say sarcastically as the white haired maniac joined the trio.

No sooner had Shiro joined than all eyes were on the group. For a ninja, Shiro sure attracted a lot of attention just by existing in this village. It always seemed to prove more troublesome than helpful at that. The villagers had still not totally exonerated him for his dishonorable defeat against the foreigners and that sentiment weighed heavily on the group as they uneasily navigated the shifting crowd.

Given the rain, everyone looked more or less the same in their hooded garments with exception to Shiro and Reizo. Shiro opted to embrace the rain and forgo any rain gear whatsoever, while Reizo was a bit more conservative donning a mute purple-black poncho but leaving the hood off for better visibility. The damp conditions raised the chunin’s awareness of his overgrown bangs as he was struggling to keep the hair out of his eyes during the downpour.

Shiro would be the first to notice their assailants thanks to his Byakugan. Despite Reizo’s sensory capabilities, everyone seemed more or less the same to him in these conditions- a mass of NPC gray-men with no redeeming or standout qualities of their own. The first of these would-be assassins flung a kunai in the direction of the two boys which Shiro pocketed with ease before hunting down the largest of the gang.

While Shiro’s approach was to be aggressive and counterattack, Reizo prioritized the objective; i.e. protecting the couple who were browsing a vegetable stand. Despite the kunai whizzing through the air, hardly anybody noticed and even fewer people cared. They were accustomed to violence and the kunai itself could hardly be seen or heard thanks to the percussion of the droplets against the muddy stone street. It wasn’t until Shiro lunged at the mass monster that people began to shift and create space for the ensuing brawl. Yet despite the obvious hazard posed by the gang fight, people continued to shop and ignore the confrontation. Violence was so normalized in this part of town that the population had accepted it as part and parcel of the village atmosphere. People simply shuffled around and created space for the 2 groups to fight.

Reizo immediately took position between the elderly couple and the 2 assailants. One was an older gentleman who had thrown the aforementioned kunai. Despite his advanced age, Reizo could distinguish him as the more dangerous threat of the two. The other was a small girl, possibly a child if not a short teenager. In her hands she was clutching a ball of some sort, possibly a grenade. Not wanting to find out what this child had in store, Reizo appeared next to her in a flash and disabled her with an immobilizing seal by touching the back of her shoulder. He wasn’t about to be charged for assaulting a child and thought to use the safer disabling option in his arsenal before turning to face the old man. He was slightly shorter than Reizo and incredibly lean, donning a pair of circular sunglasses and a mute gray kimono. His full head of slicked back silver-white hair was kept meticulously out of his face, contrasting with Reizo’s more wild and mangled blonde locks.

In one step, the old geezer closed the 5 meter gap between the two, prepping a potentially devastating corkscrew punch. Astounded by the agility of the old nut, Reizo was taken by surprise initially. Had the old man been in his prime, there was no doubt it would’ve been a close fight. However, as it were, Reizo could still react effectively despite his initial hesitations. Defending with a simple parry and sidestep, the foreigner soon gained the advantage by circling around behind the experienced assassin.

By this point, people began to stare not at the fight, but at the unblinking girl that Reizo had petrified with his seal. They simply stared, afraid to approach the girl to see if she were even alive or if she had been turned to stone where she stood. The gawking from the crowd allowed Reizo to swiftly depose the old man with a chop to the back of the neck without anyone paying any mind, the man collapsing in a heap on the muddy ground- his sunglasses half sunk into a dirty puddle.

Rejoining with Shiro, Reizo would assist him in apprehending the ne'er do wells. Once they were sufficiently tied up, the blonde confiscated the bomb from the little girl and pocketed it. Perhaps it could be a little souvenir on his nightstand to remind him of the time Shiro showed up late. After the two patted the assailants down and confiscated any further dangerous items and weaponry, Reizo released the seal he had placed on the little girl. Up close, he could tell that she was certainly no older than 14 and that the paralysis seal was in fact the most prudent decision he had made since joining Kirigakure.

The rest of the bodyguard duty proceeded uneventfully with the couple thanking the two partners for their services. With all of that taken care of, Reizo could head home and dry off from the deluge. With a simple nod, the foreigner would signal to the Hyuga that it was a job well done. It was a long and wet walk home, the rain a constant reminder of his new tropical residence.

[EXIT]

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1020 word + 84 = 1104 total

CLAIMS:
4000 ryo + 2000 chunin bonus = 6000 ryo
20 AP (mission) + 22 AP word count
Max Stat Discount: Demonic Illusion: Flower Garden 750/750
Discipline 188/188

Reizo Shōyu wrote:

[EXIT]

—--------------------------------
1020 word + 84 = 1104 total

CLAIMS:
4000 ryo + 2000 chunin bonus = 6000 ryo
20 AP (mission) + 22 AP word count
Max Stat Discount: Demonic Illusion: Flower Garden 750/750
Discipline 188/188

Approved