Part-Time Job

Today starts a special period  in Allegro’s development as a ninja. It was a warm early morning the sun had just started to peak over the horizon in the distance. The sun was definitely going to be bright today. Our star, Allegro was already dressed, looking prepared for a long trip. He wore his usual garb: A robe with long droopy sleeves a black pants that reached his calves. He wore ninja scroll holster on his back to store all his literature while on the go. He also wore a sense of determination on his face. He was heading towards the village gates, smoothy passing through the flow of traffic in the village. He especially liked to take the urban route on his days off from missions, training, and the like. He was now well acquainted with many villagers, particularly the shop owners and tradesmen. He bought and sold, and even invested in markets, slowly fortifying the small business economy in Konoha. He had come to work about 10 different part time jobs outside of being a full-time Leaf ninja. These were all sorts of oddball jobs: nightclub/brothel bookeeper, festival performer, ninja shop operations, stock keeping, street entertainer, etc etc. One could say Allegro was very active in the community and was very skilled at doing what he loved and making some money from it. 

When he reached the gates of the village, which seemed to swing wide open just for him, the sun touched his dark brown skin. The look of gumption in his eyes would be enough to inspire anyone who met his gaze to live their best life. He was on a mission. Not an official one, no. But a personal mission. He was setting a course to Tanzaku Town, the economical pride and joy of the Fire Country. It was said to be the only town in all the nations to have the economic prosperity of a major village without the need of a shinobi government force. And what would the young Uzumaki have any business doing there, exactly? Well that was obvious. He was going to hone his skills a business man.

He hit the old dusty trail heading outside the village and outward into the greater beyonds of the Fire country. It was a particularly peaceful time in the village because the shinobi from the Mist Village that were once occupying Konoha had recently left. The air of animosity had finally left as if a thick mist cleared up. Allegro was deciding to use this time of peace to his leisure and would use it to become smarter. He had an ambition, you see. To be the biggest and brightest star in the world. He was not quite sure of how to do that. Pop stars were not exactly frequent in the shinobi era. However, that didn’t deter our dread locked friend. He gathered through the powers of common sense that the individuals gain fame and notoriety through several different mediums: prowess as a shinobi, like the Hokage, or the Sannin. Or there was the fame that came with having a lot of wealth and/or power. Allegro thought either of those options were fine. But he wanted to achieve his fame a different way. He wanted the world to love his music.

The trees and forest grew less and less dense the further Allegro traveled. He passed a river where the fish were so abundant, they fought with each other for some space in the river. He waited until the timing was perfect, and then used his senbon to pick two whole fish fresh from the river. They were each about the size of his arm, now nailed to the trunk of a tree, flopping their last few flops of life left. He started a camp fire and roasted the fish. By the time they had a golden brown color, he whisked the fish carcasses away from the flame’ reach and blew on them until they were cool. They were perfectly seasoned, and tender to the touch. The prickly bones were exposed and flesh torn away in an instant. Allegro’s stomach was full, and he threw dirt in the campfire to put it out and keep walking. He continued the long stretch of path through the forestry and wildlife while reading a book.

The book was interesting; it detailed the greatest Hokage to ever lead Konoha, and member of the Uzumaki Clan. He read about his mastery of the shadow clone technique, the rasengan, and his mastery of senjutsu. He even read about the Tailed Beast within the man, and how he came to be a jinchuuriki of not just one, but all 9 Tailed Beats through the use of Uzumaki Fuinjutsu. What interested him the most about the novel, however, was what an exemplary leader he was. Allegro wanted the same thing for himself. His music would speak volumes on his behalf, and would fill the hearts of anyone who heard it. He wanted to have the power to make his enemies see the light, make the sick well again, and even unite the nations. He eventually set up another camp site and read the book until he fell asleep. He woke up in the middle of afternoon and could see his destination on the horizon. He got excited and scurried down the hilly sections of the forest. 

Tanzaku town was busy and loud, and it hurt Allegro’s sensitive ears. he put on his headphones and walked down the street. There were villagers running frantically about, making trade deals and the sort. Allegro could not help but smile, he could almost smell the Ryo in their hands. There were also men in suits and high fashion clothing all around on the top balconies and inns. They were the wealthiest men and women from all across the nations to do the same thing. Gamble. Allegro knew the art of gambling all too well. That was how his late mother spent most of her earnings as a cutthroat mercenary, leaving their entire family in deep poverty. He knew gambling to be a sickness worse than alcohol addiction or a stab from a poison blade. He studied individuals as they decided what to do with their investments, their capital. Allegro had to learn how to spend the money he made from his missions wisely. He followed one especially wealthy looking big wig into a building, but was stopped by a security guard at the door. Allegro slipped into the back alley and climbed into a third story window vertically up the wall thanks to the surface walking technique. He weaseled his way through several hallways and past several security guards before he finally caught his eyes on the same rich man from before. The man sat amongst a crowd of other bidders. He had stumbled into some kind of grand arena. Betting on human death matches. 

Allegro grabbed a cloak that was hung off the back of someone’s chair and wore it to better conceal himself. His bright red dreadlocks seemed to sometimes attract attention to himself. The crowd around him started cheering frantically. Allegro looked to the center of the arena to see what all the hullabaloo was about. Whatvever event that was taking place here was just about to start. A man appeared from a cloud of smoke and grabbed hold of a classic looking microphone that dangled from the  ceiling. He spoke majestically about the famed Tanzaku Town and its flourishing environment that invites the wealthiest highest caliber of society. The entertainment for the evening would consist of a symbol of their collective narcissism. They would bet money on two members of the lower economic class who have  failed at their trades and have accrued an immense debt. How cruel. The crowd around the genin did not seem to mind, though. They were cheering and screaming, demanding for the gladiators of the Broke and Hungry Games. 

“Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls. Welcome to Round one of the Broke And Hungry Games! Today in the blue corner, we have our very first challenger, the man who dared to borrow from the mafia and did not return it in full! with the associated interest! He begged for his life like a teenage girl, but instead was granted the chance to fight for his life. How noble.”

Allegro quickly learned that even a legendary town like Tanzaku town had a dark underground scene. It was hard to be this successful financially without doing at least a few shady deals. Allegro wondered if there was an exception. Was there no business person who would not resort to slimy back alley deals and illegal business practices? Before he could get too deep into thought, the challenger came into sight. A large gate lifted in the Blue corner and a shrewd middle age man was pushed out. He was in utter shambles, he had clearly been tortured just hours before being dragged to this stadium. He wore a tattered collared shirt and ripped slacks. He dragged his bare feet to the center of the arena before tripping and falling to his knees. He was cursing the mafia to his last breathe. He was apparently not remorseful about not returning the money. Stealing from criminals was justice according to his ideology. The crowd would soon see how well that would work out for him in a moment while the gate in the red corner began to unlock. From the depths of the red corner came 3 overly muscular men with masks that looked like bulls/oxen. One held a large mace with spikes, and another held a giant war hammer. the final one had metal knuckles with sharp blades at their tips. They were the Ox Triplets, the executioners of this arena. They were rumored to be undefeatable in the ring, and that going up against them meant certain death. Allegro looked onward in disgust, reminded of the savagery that his own family practiced for thrills. Such primal entertainment was beneath him, as it was completely unartistic. 

“Annnnnnnnnd in the Red Corner, our undefeated champions, the Demonic Trinity, the Bringers of Death and Darkness. Moe, Beaux, and Joe, the orphan brothers said to be the spawn bastard children of the devil himself. The devil of the drug trade industry, Mr Taurus, that is!  That’s right, its none other than the Ox Triplets!!!!”

The crowd was getting so loud, his ears began to hurt, even with his headphones on. He tried to move closer to the ground floor and away from the nosebleed seats, which is where the more obnoxious patrons tend to sit. The fight was commenced once the challenger was allowed to select a weapon out of an assortment of tools and weapons for killing. He chose a plain sword. Allegro could respect that. The outcome would be unchanged though. Upon drawing the sword, the trio of burly men cloaked in all black made their move. They kicked the civilian around, not even using their over sized weapons yet. They were toying with him to give the audience a show. At a close listen, Allegro could hear members of the audience raising their wagers on the Ox Trio. It was without surprise that the rich found a way to get even richer off the exploitation of the less fortunate. The indentured contestant found the will to stand up once again, his sword just barely in his hand. He stopped the tremble in his grip around the hilt of the sword and cursed the trio of men, and the entire arena for that matter, before charging in for one final blow. The merciless warriors moved simultaneously in attempt to counter. The mace wielding triplet drove his weapon upward in an uppercut to set the skinny man directly into the air. His sword flew across the stadium and buried itself in the ground just a few meters from where Allegro was standing. As the man rose into the air, the triplet with the hammer was there to meet him. He slammed the poor guy into the ground with the mighty pound of his hammer, shattering the earth beneath him slightly. Lifted the hammer to reveal the man’s shattered figure. Almost every bone in his body was shattered, and yet there were still whispers of life leaving his mouth. “Fuck you guys.” He said with his dying breathes. The third and final giant with the knuckle blades grabbed him by the hair on his head and displayed him like a trophy for all to see before severing his head with the blade on his right hand. The squeamish looked away in fear, but Allegro looked on with closed fists and gritted teeth. He knew this was not right. 

There was a mix of celebration and despair among the crowd. He wondered who had been stupid enough to bid in favor of the broke borrower. Allegro thought he had seen his fill of what was going on here, and decided it was time to leave. He turned his back, but would soon be forced to turn back around to face the arena. His ears twitched after hearing who the announcer was introducing next. Everyone in the crowd was animated with excitement for the blood fight except for Allegro, who stood motionless. The blue gate slowly creeps open releasing the next victim. An small, elderly man was regurgitated from the depths of the Blue gateway with excessive force. He struggled to rise to his feet with a wooden cane, only to be roughly greeted by the loud and obnoxious MC.

“And just like that, ladies and gentlemen, we are in ROUND 2 of the Broke and Hungry Games!! Next up, is Challenger #2. John Combs, a 5 star restaurant owner who refused to pay illegal tax in exchange for mafia protection. He took matters into his own hands and killed two mafia goons in self defense. Now he’s here, sentenced to a raw and savage death at the hands of our champions, The OX BROTHERS!”

Even the announcer’s loud voice faded to silence in the leaf genin’s head. His eyes were trained solely on the old man rising to meet his untimely fate. There was a look of regret on his face, like he had something left to protect and nurture. Something or someone to return to. Allegro thought it was pretty messed up to harass, extort, and then kill of the local merchants and business owners whom had just been trying to make a living for their families. It was their contributions to the economy of Tanzaku town that helped make it such a rich market for trade. And yet all the citizens in the crown were jeering at him, egging on the giants to tear him limb from limb. For humans, this audience was not very humane at all. Joe, Moe, and Beaux started to approach the old man, brandishing their weapons for another killing. Allegro was not a politician by nature, but his boy moved on its own. He could not stand idle; there was something about that man that told him to act. By the time the genin vanished from his spot in the crowd, the Trio were lowering their weapons on the old man, raining down a swift and yet painful death, and causing a crash and explosion of earth and dust into the surrounding air.

Allegro would jump out of that cloud of smoke with the old man in his arms. Just in the nick of time. The boy came to a skidding stop and gingerly let the old man stand on his own before turning to face the giants cloaked in black. There was a murmur of confusion in the crowd, and some even boo’d at the realization that the old man had not been maimed. The MC hyped up the sudden appearance of a red haired defender who had appeared to take the place of the old man in this fight. He was literally just running with it, he had no idea who Allegro was. The boy tilted his head to the side, flexing and cracking the bone in his neck. The stadium lights glinted off of his shinobi headband, attracting the attention of some of the bigwigs in the audience. The MC had convinced the audience that old man John Combs had enough money stashed away to illegally hire a Konoha Shinobi. Allegro cauhght the gaze of the old man still shaking in his own boots behind him. He did not seem to understand why the boy had stuck his neck out for him.

“Hey Old man. You own a 5 star restaurant right? So you know a lot about business, marketing, finance, and all that jazz? Really? Well that’s music to my ears! Right then, you won’t be needing the protection from these criminals anymore. I’ll take it from here!”

A wave of pressure fell over the entire stadium as the soft spoken ninja commanded the room with his demeanor. The Ox men were enthralled in the commotion Allegro was making. The audience had started cheering Allegro on instead of showering the triplets with their applause and cheer. This drove them insane, and the three sprinted in Allegro’s direction in a blind rage. Allegro responded by sliding 10 senbon from his sleeves, 5 in each hand. He fired three at the giant with the mace. The needles stabbed through his feet, causing him to fall to his knees and his brothers pass him by. Allegro launched 5 more, striking the giant with the hammer strategically along his left and right arms. The second twin would soon find his grip on the hammer loosening as he held it over his head poised to hammer down on Allegro and the old man. The hammer fell directly down onto the giants head, knocking him down. What came next, Allegro could not stay idle for. He grabbed the elderly man with one arm and lifted the both of them into the air as a sharp blade chopped horizontally in the area they used to be in. The third and final triplet swung his knuckle blades frantically, following the duo in the air by walking vertically up the wall. It seems that even they had basic ninjutsu at their disposal. Missing ninja, perhaps. Allegro clashed blades with the giant, just barely keeping up with his overbearing strength and the old man in his left hand. Their difference in strength sent Allegro and the old man flying towards the center of the arena, dust rising up into a cloud and he can sliding to a stop with his feet, the old man still unscathed. 

The Uzumaki looked up from his perched position throw his dreads with an intense expression on his face. The three giants had risen to their feet and were coming for round two. Allegro used the unsettled dust cloud around him as a chance to hid the old man. He threw his cloak over the man, gesturing for him to keep quiet. He then sped off to meet with the trio of pursuants. He traded fists and blades, occasionally getting knocked off his feet by the power of one of their mighty blows. This went on for several moments, slowly wearing the genin down to the losing end of the fight. Allegro stood on one knee panting as the brutes came running towards him. Allegro found the will to keep moving and crammed out four hand seals. He inhaled a large breathe and then expelled a super sonic stream of sound that shook the entire underground arena. The sound completely overpowered the buzz of the crowd and the conical sound beams hit the three giants like a brick wall. The three of them held their ground and inched forward towards Allegro. He understood that he needed more power to overtake them and cranked it up a notch in power. He persisted with the jutsu until it reached his full power with it. By the time the jutsu stopped, the giants would be completely deaf, and possibly bleeding from the ears. One out of the three brothers was down for the count thanks to the sound wave technique. It was the brother with the hammer.

The other two sought to avenge their brother by surrounding Allegro and readying their gigantic weapons to strike. He weaved the signs for a substation technique before swapping places with the metal hammer the fallen giant had left behind. Allegro left two explosive tags on either side of the hammer so that they would detonate when the remaining two brothers struck the hammer thinking it was the genin. Allegro would appear standing over the hammer giant as the explosion detonated in a fiery cloud of smoke. All in the crowd were in awe, and the MC was screaming at the top of his lungs, as per usual. 

“Ahhhh?! I cannot believe it! For the very first time, our underworld champions, the Ox Triplets have been defeated! And by some kid, at that! This has…never really happened before. I’m not sure what to do”

The crowd cheered for the new champion while some had a look of anger on their faces. Those were clearly the ones who had gambled in favor of the giants. Allegro returned to the old man  hidden under the cloak now that the coast was clear for the moment. He escorted him out of the arena as fast as he could, before the mafia affiliated members in the crowd got any funny ideas. It was only after he had made a flashy escape with a smoke bomb did a group of men barrel out a ton of money, gold, and jewelry. This was Allegro’s prize winnings for besting the underworld champions. How unlucky for him to forget it there.

The genin led the old man back to his restaurant, located deep in the heart of Tanzaku town. It was a pretty swanky place; patrons came dressed in suits and evening gowns and all that jazz. He carried the old man to his back office where they both had time to calm down and get situated. The genin boiled a pot of tea and poured a cup for the man, who was now sitting on the floor with his cain laid by his side. He stroked his beard as he contemplated how he would thank the genin for all of his help. He had plenty of time to think over what the genin had asked of him back in the arena. This kid had an interest in managing a shop of his own some day. He just needed someone to show him the ropes. The old man, when he was finally ready, spoke to  his savior. Allegro, soft spoken as ever sat across from the old man tending to his injuries without saying a word.

“Hey kid. I just wanted to say thanks for helping me out back there. Those mafia bastards have been giving me trouble ever since I opened up. You see, it had always been my dream to run and operate my very on world class kitchen. One that people travel all over the world to eat my food. I wanted it to become famous. And it did, for a while. Thats when those bastards showed up. They started shaking me down and destroying restaurant property when i refused to pay their ‘protection tax’. Can you imagine? The nerve of those fools. Anyway, I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind sticking around for a while. maybe I can hire you as a body guard”

The boy listened to the man’s story. That cleared up a lot of the questions that was running through his mind since he was standing in the crowd watching the fight. He played with his dreads for a while, pondering the new information he had received. The old man kinda just stared on awkwardly, wondering why the boy all of a sudden did not speak. Finally Allegro shook his head no, refusing the old man’s offer. The man looked shocked at first, but soon realized that Allegro was not finished. He gestured with his hands in a way that implied that what the old man was suggesting was illegal. He had recalled what the announcers had said in the arena when the genin entered the scene. The private contracting of village shinobi was illegal and warranted death to both factions involved. That was the last thing any of them needed. Still though, Allegro thought the offer was very tempting. He would be in the mix of one of Tanzaku towns most successful restaurants and he would be able to pick up on all the management skills the old man could offer. But there has to be a loophole somewhere.

The restaurant soon opened as usual and guests started flooding in for their reservations. The old man looked out the window of his corner office to oversee his restaurant’s operations. Allegro noticed a small stage from through the window with a  microphone set up, but no one on it. Allegro rose to his feet with excitement. He had an idea. Without alerting the manager, Allegro rushed out of the office and into the busy restaurant. The manager got worried and followed him. What was the kid up to? Allegro calmly walked up to the stage where a spot light soon found him. The restaurant had a soft buzz of chatter and dim lighting. This was quite the swanky place. Allegro summoned his acoustic guitar from his scroll, bringing a cloud of smoke with it. That started to get some of the audiences attention.What came next, was a soft strum of the guitar that seemed to emit a comforting wave throughout the entire shop. He continued with a series of intricate chords and notes to create a mellow vibe. The patrons turned around in their seats to see Allegro play. It was probably the only thing besides their food good enough to keep their attention. When his piece was finally over with he received a standing ovation from the entire crowd. The old man was among them, giving a dramatic slow clap and looking him dead in the eye from the other side of the building. Those two had a mutual understanding  of how they could see to the restaurant’s continued safety.

And so, the two agreed that Allegro would be hired as a part time employee of the restaurant. His job title? Allegro was the restaurants resident musician, tasked with helping to set the mood for the restaurant and in most cases attract a larger crowd. Since his employment, Allegro had helped the restaurant do exceedingly well, largely because the owner could charge more because he now had live entertainment. The boy was recieving minimum wage, but the smile on his face every time he clocked in was proof that he did not care about the money. He made more on his ninja missions anyway. What really gave the job value to the boy was the fact that he got to play his beautiful music, and the fact that he was the shop owner’s understudy. He was slowly learning everything it took to run a shop from open to close. He would study hard and take notes each night, staying past closing time with the shop owner. The two had built a very close bond with each other, trading stories and adventures, and even going on a few of their own. They often times left the restaurant to gather food ingredients or new decorations to make the interior and exterior more appealing to the public. It turns out that there was a lot more to running a shop than Allegro initially thought. The two often times ventured to the World Library located not too far from Tanzaku town to research more business methods that would improve their revenue. The library was huge beyond imagination, and there were way too many books to read. However, he was never the type to shy away from a challenge.

The biggest challenge came one day after the restaurant closed for the evening and the very last of the patrons were just about to leave. Allegro was sweeping the restaurant floor diligently so he could get to his next business lesson. Even though it was pretty late at night, he old man had promised Allegro that they would burn the midnight oil and go to the World Library to study. They were interrupted however when a few poorly dressed goons barged into the restaurant. They explained that their boss didn’t like how successful they were becoming without paying tax to him. By their logic, it is by his grace that the restaurant is even allowed to function, and that should be incentive enough for the old man to pay. The old man clenched his fist, but then turned around to get the safe from his back office, where all the money was located. Allegro, still sweeping in the corner and observing the entire encounter could see the old man’s resolve to pay up. He did not want any harm coming to the store that he invested so much time and love into. Allegro could now relate to that feeling, now that he knows what its like to labor and sweat just so the shop could stay afloat. Allegro could feel the old man’s pain and burden. He let go of the broom, allowing it to drop to the floor. By the time the broom did touch the floor, Allegro would appear directy in between the hoodlums demanding compensation. A few brief chops and knees to the gut later, Allegro stood over the fools, silent as usual. He pointed to the door, making his demands quite clear to the men who had overstayed their welcome. They ran out the door, swearing and promising that this was not their last encounter. Allegro helped the old man to take a seat with a warm smile on his face. As promised, no harm would come to this restaurant so long as he was an employee here.

[5,022 WC]
+25 Stats
C Rank Fuinjutsu Breaking Learned (2000/2000)
B rank Fuinjutsu Breaking  Learned (3000/3000)

Approved my guy

Approved