It's Never Calm in the Strom

[Sato]

Taking a deep breathe Sato looked out over the village. The day was cloudy, and a chance of rain hung over the village. The gray sky’s were not at all what one would consider appealing unless you favored rain. Finally letting out the breathe the solemn expression of the man took in the village. Even under construction it was a pretty impressive sight with a few canals and water falls scattered here and there. Stepping off the roof, he dropped like a rock between two buildings as distant thunder rolled.

Moments later he was strolling with the small crowd on the streets. People trying to finish some last minute things, or covering construction sites. Even some of the buildings that were half constructed were now covered with large waterproof sheets to prevent the water from flooding the building frame. Believe it or not flooding was a serious potential problem in the hidden waterfall.

The streets began to clear and people were clearly taking the incoming storm as a sign to take the day off. That was fine with Sato, maybe it would mean he got an easy and carefree mission today. Albeit a little rained out, but was rain ever a bad thing?

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Mission Begin!

Village Patrol Duty
Rank: C
Description: "Now that we have been reborn onto the world once more, the eye of the public will be able to - and shall - penetrate the home we one revered as invisble to the world. But fear not, for we are not bred weak. Each and every one of us come from the falls, for we are the Brotherhood! We are, in essence, safe in each other's hands; should peril come forth while scouting, a true warrior of Waterfall will know what to do. Just make sure to keep the streets of Taki safe."
Restrictions: Unlimited / 1+ Genin
Rewards: 50 EXP / 1,000 Ryou

-Mission Taking Place on the Streets of Takigakure no Sato

[Sato]

The darkness of the clouds had increased incredibly and so subtly one hardly noticed until it was too late. Another rattling boom that seemed a good ways off still rang out, and a few drops found their way to the earth. Only the beginning of what was to come, and most had taken care to be off the streets by now, save perhaps a few stragglers.

Turing the corer Sato hoped to complete this street course he had mapped out in time to be safely in a building up high so he could watch over the village and remain dry… if all proved to work out to his advantage. The streets had become clearer and clearer, void of life in the coming rain as the sprinkles began to fall. But something odd caught Sato’s eye as he rounded this corner…

He saw the back of a young women, a girl barely old enough to be out of the ninja academy, which given the villages recent re-birth was incredibly unlikely that there’d already be real graduates. Plus she had the unprepared dress of a civilian and walked with no rush with no umbrella but a school bag. What was such a girl doing out at this time? Just as he was about to mark it off and continue on before the rain got worse, she turned a corner and almost instantly a group of…. Unfriendly looking men emerged form an ally way and followed after her.

Sato stopped, rain falling on his solemn face.. This could not be good. He wished he could just keep going, chalk it up to his paranoia, but he couldn’t.
“Dammit all…”

Sato couldn’t just let it be. He found himself on the roof of the building to his right, and moving swiftly over the gaps of the adjacent buildings to catch up to the curious situation and suspects. He might not be positive, but he had suspicions… and he had bad luck with being in the right places at the wrong time… Hopefully he was completely wrong on this case… Then maybe he’d still have enough time to get off the streets himself before all hell broke loose.

[Sato]

He got to a roof top in time to peer over the edge and see the crowd of men, possibly 6 in all, the roughest the streets could offer. They had caught up to the young lady and were harassing her with insults, gestures and suggesting things that’d make any fine lady blush. Sato was still a good block or so away, but as they passed a covered building things took the worst possible turn.

One of the men got to close and decided to get hands, and she reacted instinctually as she should have and slapped him. But that was all it took to set off the savages. They swarmed her like ants, and her screams were muffled by dirty hands almost as soon as they were made. Off her feet they dragged her off the streets and into a canvas covered half build building.. Thunder cracked and the rain began to really pour, as if the sky fell out.

Sato’s normally expressionless face went stark white. ”What happened to the boring normal night of Patrol Duty?!” He was off, running as fast as he could over the buildings and their obstacles to the building. It was a tall one, maybe 8 or 9 stories. Only half complete. A structural skeleton with it’s floors half set in and much of the construction stuff left there. In fact many of the walls weren’t up thus the massive water proof canvas that was in place to protect from the rain.

Here, Sato’s moment of truth would be showcased. He had to save her, or was he already too late?

[Sato]

Running over the rooftops and rain, he made a final jump at the 5th floor of the half constructed building, drawing his tanto and swiftly slashing a hole and tucking his body into a ball. HE had slashed a perfect hole in the waterproof canvas and landed on a dusty floor in a roll, springing up, re-sheathing his blade and hitting his back to a support pillar for cover as he assessed his surroundings.

The area was mostly dark, but the canvas wasn’t light blocking and light form the storm filtered in, brighter through the slit like hole in it which also leaked a bit of rain water. They weren’t up here, down he must go then. He moved as much in darkness as he could, keeping silent because as far as he knew they didn’t know he was here, and he didn’t know where they were. So he needed them to make noise and not care about discovery so his job would be easier.

He found a hole in the floor and fell through it like a shadow, landing in a crouch soundlessly and side leaping to a shadow to take account of the floor and listen. Nothing, more construction underway, a few skeletons of walls and different equipment. So he went through the same hole that also lead down to the next floor. On number 4, he heard something.

Muffled screams, but looking around he could see no movement and it sounded far away. He fell to his knees and put his ear to the floor, and the sound, although not much, was closer. So further down he must go. He had to find her, stop them! He had already spent too much time away from the group… he had to move faster!

[Sato]

Finally! He neared the third floor, and upon near the edge of a hole in the floor wide enough to fit, say a piano, he kneelt down, careful to remain hidden in the shadows and peered down to the floor below. There he saw what he’d been searching for. The young women was bleeding from her hairline and she held on of her eyes closed due to some pain that was unknown to Sato. She sat on the floor, fear all over her face, her hands bound over her head.

The men were speaking just out of eye sight, but they seemed to be discussing what to do next, some were yelling, something about this was too far, others telling them to stop being scared and man up. Whatever their group struggle, this could only be bad for the girl.

After a particularly heated defense that they should just leave her and go, one of the men responded with a tone filled with anger,
”You leave if you want Denka, but if you do you’ll regret it! You’ll be next and you know the gang doesn’t allow for quitters! Go make yourself useful and scout the area. This place is a death trap!

A few gruffs and a volunteer and two sets of foot steps could be heard walking away as the conversation continued at a much less heated pace, and a more sinister tone and giggles began. Sato slipped onto the floor unnoticed and took to the shadows, They ad started a fire not fare form the women in a metal bin to provide some light, but it helped cast shadows which Sato could use to his advantage.

He easily got into the upper beams of the ceiling, and suing the shadows he moved to fin the two who’d left to scout the building. He found them with ease, they were not being quiet at all, obviously talking about how they disapproved with the others decision and wanted to just kill the girl now and leave her body… equally not alright in Sato’s book.

He made his way above them, and waited for his chance, when something he’d forgotten about gave him away.. a drop of water fell form his clothes, and hit one of the men on the head. He froze, and his comrade froze to look at him in confusion. The one who’d felt the drop slowly lifted his head to see the source of the water.. better now then never.. Locking eyes with the solemn, wet ninja above him, Sato could only say one thing in a low tone, barely audible…

“Boo…”

[Sato]

”What the He..”
He didn’t get to finish the sentence for Sato fell from the celling, and delivered a punch to the man’s face, rendering him on his ass. Landing over the body he lunged forward to tackle the other man in his shock and punch him so hard in the face, after moving to a straddle over the man’s chest, that the man’s face gave a satisfying crack as some bone broke and his head bounced off the stone floor hard enough to leave him unconscious.

With two down he now had to worry about the other 4… great. The last mission had left Sato on the short end of the number games as well. So in order to overcome he’d have to use his mind. Luckily for him this time he had the advantage of not being known. He had a plan, although he wished it were a little better, he had no choice, for the girls sake, but to work with what he was given.

So he pulled up one of the unconscious men and began dragging him back towards his comrades and the damsel in utter distress. Setting up his little ploy was easy enough, he simply got close enough to hear the other men talking about their terribly disgusting plans and then threw the body at a stack of bricks, causing them all to topple in a noisy cascade. Sato at the same time jumped up, into the shadows of the rafters.

The others fell silent and it didn’t take long for 2 of them to come to investigate… Only two? The others might have gone to watch the girl.. that was no good. They stepped out, spacing themselves apart and searching in the near darkness. Here Sato had another advantage, he’d grown use to the dark, while they had the light of the fire so their eyes had to adjust.

The storm was growing outside, rain pounding and echoing through the building on the canvas cover, thunder rattling above. The time was now or never to strike these two, before their eyes had time to adjust. His window of opportunity was growing slim, the time to act was now!

[Sato]

His prey had grown close, but they were starting to avoid obstacles better so he had to move fast, while he still had the advantage. Jumping with the enhanced strength in his legs form his Gamabushi heritage, Sato flung himself down and toward the one of the men. He turned to see in time to let out a strangled gasp as Sato’s feet collided in the man’s chest, the weight and momentum too much for him. A slight give and crack of a bone, possibly a rib or two was heard and his pained sound.
”Agghhh”

As the man fell back, Sato riding him down, both feet planted on his chest as he fell, he looked to the other man who was now charging at him with a pipe he must have found lying around. Sato couldn’t move quick enough and the man swung the pipe like a bat into the genin’s stomach and flung him off the falling man. Sato hit the dry wall, busting through it with his weight mostly. But it hurt all the same and he had a splitting pain in his stomach and side.

Before he could rise, The man was through the hole and about to bring the pipe down with a howl of battle charging his attack!
”AAAHHHHHHHH”

But Sato was thinking quicker now, the threat of more pain driving his instincts and his tongue shot out. IN this close distance it easily hit the mans and s and wrapped around the pipe, which form the mouth, was then tugged to the side by Sato, forcing it to fall form the man’s grip. The man’s shock was evident as he looked at the strange tongue around his hand and wrist, in awe and utter disgusting fascination of it not knowing what to really think… He never saw Sato slam his heel right up into his stomach and then grab his collar and side of his head and drive them into and the through a bit of the dry wall.

Four down, two to go.. but as Sato go to his feet, brushing off some rubble form the broken wall, he realized the pain in his stomach and chest wasn’t going away… he might have cracked or sprained a rib.. great! That was going to make this soo much easier.
“Dammit all…”

He got to his feet and adjusted himself, and then head on, making his way in a circle to get a visual on the final two men who stood between that girl and her home and safety, and his peace and quiet. They would go down, even an injured Sato could guarantee that!

[Sato]

Circling around to the back, Sato crouched down to hide and watch the remaining two assholes who’d pick on a defenseless girl. They were scared, panicked that their calls to their comrades were unanswered and that they could see nothing in the darkness escaping the light of their fire. I guess people really did fear what they didn’t know and the dark was a big part of that.

For Sato it was a shield. A way to remain hidden and frighten his enemies. Thunder shook the building and the sound of rushing water could be heard, shaking the very earth and the building itself! When did this happen? Sato dropped down and put and ear to the floor and the sound meeting him was rushing water, the ground shook with it… and they were on the second floor! Could the storm had really gotten so bad that the streets were flooding in some areas? That the entire first floor of this building was flooded and filled with a flash flood river??

Sato wouldn’t know, he was pretty new to the village after all, and events like this were beyond him. But as the men’s panic seem to reach their limits one snapped.
”SHIT! Now we’re trapped in here with whatever it is out there and it’s all because of her! I’m gonna kill her and spare us one problem already! Maybe whatever’s out there will leave if we just kill her!”

Well they did say desperate men did crazy things…. He pulled out a pocket knife and advanced to the girl but Sato was faster. He released a stream of his special oil form his hiding spot, hitting the man square in the chest and face with enough force, and the surprise help as well, to make him stumble back wildly. The stream had stopped and as Sato leaped from his hiding spot to stand between them and the girl, the man stumbled back into the fire can.

Sadly fro him, the oil he was now covered in was highly flammable, and he was instantly lit ablaze and sent screaming at the top of his lungs running into the dark until a splash sounded and the screaming was gone in the instant! The three of them, Sato, the remaining scum bag, and the girl, still bound were left staring after him for a few moments, no one really knowing what to do.. But it made Sato seem like a badass, and the fear was very, very clear in the remaining man’s face as he practically wetted himself when he and the solemn, albeit slightly surprised Sato locked gazes… the final showdown, so to speak

And then, out of now where, the man turned and took off running!

[Sato]

The Toad demons expression became even more shocked at this turn of events, before narrowing. He wasn’t going to get away, not after everything he’d put this girl and Sato through! Looking back at her he held up his finger and spoke through gritted teeth before fighting through the pain in his abdomen to give chase, One more minute…”

Gahh this guy was quick too! He was jumping over things like he was a trained pull vaulter and with the pain in his rib area, Sato was barely keeping up. But then, catching sight of an approaching bar jutting from the ceiling, an idea formed. As Sato came to it, he jumped, grabbing and swinging up to the celling, planting his feet, he launched himself, using his Toad like jumping skills, at the man like a human missile!

Needless to say he hit him, tackling him down, but as they hit the ground and rolled, they both fell though a hole in the incomplete floor and into a river below! Sato had to fight the oddly powerful current to get to the top when he noticed the man had already griped a rafter on the 1st floor for support. Sato was able to work his way to the top of the water and get to the struggling man and haul his soaked ass up, back through he hole and tie him up with some rope he found. Geez this simple patrol duty had become more then it needed to be…

He was able to make it back to the girl, and untie her, but after receiving some praise for her saving a handful of higher ranking shinobi showed up, the storm having given way and the flash floods under control, they came to report a burned and drowned body found on the streets. Low and behold they find Sato and his little mess. “About Damn time...”

After the girls story and Sato’s were compared, and all the men accused were identified as being known criminals in a gang that was trying to start up in the new Taki, Sato was once again dubbed a hero for not only saving the girl, but sending a strong message to the gang that they have no place in Takigakure no Sato! Perfect… just what Sato wanted… more thumbs presented to him for his work… what a terribly strange gesture he thought as he let the medics see to him…

EXIT

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MISSION COMPLETE!

[KEITH]

+66

[adero]

May bonus given.