Not So Friendly [M/Shizue]

[Lang]

SPOILER: Click to show

Friendly intervention
Rank: C
No. of Participants: 2
Details: A group of thugs have been terrorizing the village streets at night, making them no longer safe for those who walk during the midnight hour. They've been said to lurk near the market district so starting there is your best bet. Permission to use force is given, but do not underestimate them; they may not be shinobi but they will more than likely be armed. Bring them to justice!

It was either a very brave group of thugs, having the guts to prey on civilians of a ninja village, or incredibly stupid; Rael was inclined to believe the latter held true. What struck him as odd though was the fact none of the ANBU that could be found frequently patrolling the rooftops, hidden from public, bothered to intervene. Either they deemed the task below their station, which in his opinion sounded rather snobby, or they purposely left the chore to 'little Genin' like himself. If the latter was true, he wasn't particularly bothered, so long as they paid him to be clearing the streets of filth.

It sounded like a simple enough task, yet mission HQ deemed it necessary to send two ninja, albeit both low-ranked. His partner was not unfamiliar to him; he'd met Oki Shizue just days ago, the latter becoming the newest member of Team Yokumaru around the same time. Despite this, both of them were still little more than 'acquaintances', rather than 'teammates'; perhaps having several missions together under their belt would develop a closer bond between the two. Whenever all three Genin, including Kagirinai, had open slots in their respective schedules that coincided with each others', perhaps they could ask for another small assignment to accommodate the trio, no sensei included.

The time was currently a quarter to twelve; very late by anyone's standards. It was a cloudy evening, enough to hide away the moon, and so the only lights guiding Rael's path as he made his way to the meeting point were those emanating from street lamps, or filtering through blinds and curtains belonging to restaurants that were willing to stay open at this ungodly hour. Their quarries were said to be lurking about the market district, and so it was arranged for the two Genin to meet at a small soba stall approximately three blocks away. The white-haired youth hoped this little jaunt would not take them unnaturally long; he'd rather have the opportunity to catch a few zzz's than spend all night wandering around outside.

Being the first to arrive at the destination point, Rael clasped both hands together, trying to look inconspicuous for a non-existent audience as he waited next to the stall, politely declining a bowl of soba from the elderly gentleman behind the stand. He was barely recognizable from his usual self, aside from the telltale white-locks and unchanged teal eyes. Dressed in a ragged brown kimono and sandals that appeared to be falling apart, he looked less like a proud Genin of Kirigakure, and more like one of the homeless infants that occasionally escaped from the orphanage. Nowhere in sight were his usual gear; was he perhaps going into this mission empty-handed?

[--Shizue--]

Whether or not she could say if these thugs were smart had yet to be determined, however with the fact that the activity that they had kept continuously grew that meant they were doing something right. Regardless, the fact that they were terrorizing the market district was simply unforgivable and down right dastardly. Shizue personally wanted to shove her stiletto as far down their throats as she possibly could. However this would have to be done a little more discretely than that.

Kagirinai had been busy perhaps, or maybe the Mizukage just didn't see a reason to send all three of them, but Shizue was to meet up with Rael in the market district. From what the instructions said, by a soba shop. That was fine, it would make it seem a little less conspicuous than meeting in an alley somewhere like some drug deal or something of the sort. With it being so late however, that probably wouldn't have mattered. But the meeting place was fine. It was a nice landmark for their 'base' so to speak.

Though normally all about dressing to show off her refined tastes, Shizue played it down tonight in order to blend in with the crowds of the market district. After all, coming in her normal garb would have aroused too much suspicion, even from the common folk of the street. So instead of her normal, she wore a long dark blue, albeit dusty looking kimono with a lighter blue obi. There was no design however. Her tabi were an off white, as if dirty, and her sandals, though still having some cushion and height remaining, also looked to be on their last leg.

However she wore the clothing tight enough to accentuate her body. After all, regardless of garb as a kunoichi her strongest weapon in a world ruled by men was, of course, her body. Even her hair, normally falling down along her shoulders, had been pulled back into a high, fanned bun with a ribbon the same light blue color as her obi. This only proved to show off her neck and hints of her collarbone. Of course she still came prepared.

Within her obi lay her smaller weapons while her dagger was positioned in her sleeve. Her wakizashi however, was no where to be seen. Regardless of weaponry she was still quite prepared, and the smile on her face as she finally neared the soba shop was proof enough. However Rael would notice that even in a more somber, common folk look Shizue still had a regal kind of beauty----or at least notice it as much as a child would.

"I've been looking everywhere for you." She started, reaching out to grip Rael on the shoulder, quickly winking once. "Come, it's getting late and Mother will be worried. Let us go..."

If Rael would oblige her request the two would begin to walk away from the soba shop that way they could discuss their mission away from any prying ears. Even that of the old man at the soba shop could potentially be a liability. One could never be too certain after all.

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[Lang]

Minutes ticked by in silence, only broken once by the Genin refusing another offer of soba. Just before she would have registered as 'late' however, Rael caught sight of his female companion making her ways towards his location, dressed infinitely less provocatively(?) than during their initial encounter, but standing out no less. Perhaps she just naturally possessed an aura which made people look twice; he suspected it came with being a kunoichi. Regardless, he made no gesture of protest as she guided him away by the shoulder, hiding his dislike for the physical contact for appearance' sake.

"Sorry, nee-chan." Somebody kill me now.

Returning the slightly disappointed vendor's wave with a halfhearted smile, the two plain-looking (or him, rather) Genin made their way down the street, venturing further and further away from nearby viable sources of lighting. They were still some distance away from the thugs supposed usual hangout, and thus safe from prying ears for the time being. Nevertheless, Rael waited until they were out of immediate earshot before looking up over at his 'sister' from the corner of his eyes. "How do you want to resolve this; subtle like expected, or loud to send the other problematic groups a message?"

It was much more in line with their profession to take out the culprits without leaving a mess. That, and he had considerably more experience handling issues in the 'cloak and dagger' manner, as opposed to rushing in and smashing everything in sight; leave that to a certain Raiton-user he knew by reputation. However, creating a public scene and making an example of the thugs might also be a viable solution, since it would force the countless gangs and troublemakers around the village to reconsider pulling anymore crap. He doubted it would last long, but public spectacles did make a lasting impression.

For a minute, the boy wondered if it would be possible to use the same tactic he and Jett pulled against the forest-dwelling bandits last week, then reconsidered. He doubted the Mizukage would appreciate them destroying a third of the village street and potentially injuring any civilian parties.

That, and I don't think I have nearly enough tags this time to pull it off. Or the money to foot the repair bills.

[--Shizue--]

Once they were out of ear's reach Rael wasted no time in getting down to business. Normally Shizue would find that quality quite endearing in a fellow shinobi. Not to say that she didn't find it that with him, but being so young, not even in the double digits mind you, it almost had her worried. Made her wonder if Kagirinai was just as business oriented despite his usual timid and quiet demeanor. Kids these days.

Perhaps tomorrow if we are all free I'll take the two of them out and do something...fun.

Despite the thought of 'fun' being odd for her after so long, she quickly dismissed the thought in order to think of Rael's preposition. He brought up a good point. Being subtle and working from the shadows had always been the duties of a shinobi while carrying out their marks and missions. However, also making a loud entrance and trouncing the thugs would send a message to any others that could be in the area. Both had their advantages and both had their flaws.

"Honestly, as much as an impression going in full force could potentially make I think finding the lot of them dead in the morning would cause more of a scare." An almost sadistic smirk dared to pull at her lips before she quelled the urge. Murdering the thugs in the middle of the night to be found in the morning would be a shock and send fear into others under the pretense of what if they were next? Would someone just come in one night and slaughter them? If not that night, what about the next night?

It was much better than a ruckus.

That decided Shizue continued to walk forward towards the particular part of the market district that the thugs were said to dwell in, hopefully with Rael close in toe. Once they were a little over a block away she would stop and duck into a tight alleyway nodding for Rael to follow. They had the advantage not only in skill and haggard appearance but of who they were. She was a woman and he was a child. It made things so much easier.

"Men like this prey on women while taunting and kicking children around. They won't know what hit them. Act as helpless and normal as possible Rael in order to lure them out. At this time of night and with this sections reputation we should be audience free."

Now all that was left was to slip back out and round the next corner and it was go time.

[Lang]

It was certainly an...odd experience, being herded around like some hapless young child; he wasn't too sure that he enjoyed the feeling. Despite such misgivings, he listened attentively to his teammate's view on the matter, acquiescing with a small nod. Her idea had merit, especially the dread of suspense could do well towards keeping other troublesome parties in check. Just as well; he sort of missed the old days, assassinating figures and leaving them in grotesque positions to be found by the cleaning lady or in public places the next day, creating a nice stir and something for him to read over the morning newspaper.

His mind now wholly on the mission, Rael followed Shizue wordlessly as they continued towards the marketplace, keeping both eyes on the lookout for any late-night stragglers they might come across. It would be disastrously ironic for them to be attacked by a different group of culprits before even reaching their objective; he wondered if their pay might be doubled if that were the case. Unfortunately, nothing of the sort occurred, and Shizue ducked into a dingy alleyway just when they were a block away. Unsure just what else she wanted to cover before they made their move, he followed suite without question.

The brief explanation on how their prey worked was entirely unnecessary, but he listened without complaint or interrupting. Get a bunch of filthy animals interested long enough for the pair to deal with them in one fell swoop? No problem. If they were going for the silent killing route, he would have preferred using 'Kirigakure no Jutsu' and blending it with the village's natural mist. From there, it was be a simple matter of quietly picking them off one by one, letting each criminal listen to the death rattles of his allies through the haze and being unable to do anything about it. Too bad those days were long behind him.

Oh well, this works too I suppose.

Needing no further prompting from Shizue to act 'helpless' and 'normal', Rael just inclined his head and rushed out from the alley, spontaneously bawling at a volume just loud enough for people within a block's vicinity to hear. "Wah! Nee-chan, I hate you!" The rapid pitter-patter of his tiny feet against the cobblestone street sounded out in the night, Rael keeping a normal human's speed until, just as he was about to pass the last corner leading into the marketplace, he tripped and went skidding five feet across the ground. Before he could get up, a slow but steady pair of footsteps him from the side, stopping right above the Genin practically down on his face.

"Well, well. What do we have here?"

[--Shizue--]

Off he went, darting out of the alley and exclaiming that he hated his 'Nee-chan'. It was a good act but for some reason Shizue couldn't help but think that there was some truth to the statement. From what she could read of Rael, despite his age, he didn't particularly like being associated as a child or be treated like one either. Sooner or later she was sure she would hear about it from him, but until then she would just have to act on his set up. So far now she watched.

Whether or not the trip was deliberate, the noise was enough to rouse the attention of someone. Her cerulean eyes narrowed as a taller man, who was somewhat on the buff side but with a bit of a stomach came waltzing out from around the corner like he owned the place. It could, of course, be an over zealous civilian. However with the colored bandanna wrapped around his upper arm it was quickly deduced that he was one of their targets.

Biting her lip and blinking her eyes, Shizue managed to produce some tears to gloss her eyes over as she would then follow after Rael by darting out from the alleyway. "Wait! Come back! It's too dangerous for you to run off like this!" And with that said she would have to skid to a halt as she neared them, giving off an air of fear as she circled towards her 'brother' and knelt down by him. The whole while the man was smirking and had his all too thickly muscled arms folded over his chest.

"I'm sorry for the trouble sir. Please excuse my little brother. But we'll be on our way now..."

As she stood while attempting to help Rael up, the man simply laughed and shook his head. He unfolded his arms and wagged a finger at them while his smirk became wider. "Now, now. You know who's turf this is? I can't just let you come through here like you own the place....that is...." He would take a step closer and reach out, grabbing Shizue's arm and yanking her close to him. "....You have some kind of payment."

She stayed silent as he pulled her in close and sniffed along her neck and into her hair, exhaling with an almost too pleasured moan. Seeming helpless, she draped her arms around his neck and he took the invitation. His lips found her neck and he roughly began to kiss along it, though for only a few moments. A sickening 'slush' sound as well as the sound of something snapping could be heard as his body went rigid. Within moments he fell to the ground and the cause of his behavior and source of the sound apparent now.

In her hand, seemingly slipped from her long kimono sleeve was a dagger in which she had stabbed into the back of his neck and into the upper part of his vertebrae. He was paralyzed while also slowly beginning to bleed out. Kneeling down the dagger would then pierce through his skull, killing him. Shizue ripped the blade back out and looked back to her partner. "This one was drawn out, which means the others shouldn't be too far behind. Run and go hide. Somewhere preferably high. I'm going to scream and when they come, start picking them off from your perch."

The kunoichi would point up high and nod. Once he would leave, she inhaled and let out a blood curdling scream---however it seemed controlled, as if she only screamed loud enough for anyone around the block to hear. Perfect to draw the rest out....

It's play time...

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[Lang]

As Rael lay flat on his belly, the Genin expected a meaty palm to come down and pluck him straight off the ground, lifting the boy and having him dangle in front of the perpetrator. From there, it would be easy access to any of the man's frontal vitals to put him out of commission. Instead, judging by the second set of footsteps moving in from 6 o'clock, his partner wanted a piece of the immediate action. Fine by me, he thought, as Shizue knelt next to his prone form and 'helped' him up, before being grabbed by the filthy degenerate that started pawing at her. The medic was about to reach out and grab the filth by his ball sack before literally crushing them, but the kunoichi beat him to the punch, and in a more decisive manner.

Her assessment of the group's straggler was sound, and Rael saw no reason to argue. The 'sniping' method she wanted him to use was inapplicable though, simply because he was carrying neither kunai nor shuriken; however, he'd manage without them. Giving the woman a curt nod, he abruptly leaped all the way up to the highest adjacent rooftops (10 m), latching onto the ledge with his hands, rather than land on his feet and crack the immediate area. Pulling himself up over the side, the boy silently hurried down the length of the buildings, and not too soon; his partner's high-pitched scream came almost immediately after, prompting him to pick up the pace. Down below, a group of three other figures rushed towards Shizue's location from an adjoining street, rounding the corner and coming into view of the kunoichi just as Rael got into position directly behind and above their band of misfits. In the darkness, it was nigh impossible for them to see the crumpled form of their comrade lying close to the single woman.

"Hey hey, pretty lady, heard ya screaming a mile's away. Are ya lost?"

"Where the fuck is Dai, didn't he come down this way earlier? He's gonna miss out on some fine ass.

"Aw, who gives a damn about him! Means less sharing this pus-"

Whatever else the last speaker was about to say about their new playmate, his train of speech was broken upon making a startling realization. As the trio drew closer, "Mabui", a balding male with a paunch similar to their 'missing' friend, seemed to finally notice the motionless heap at Shizue's feet. Even in the dark, it would just be possible for the kunoichi to make out his puzzled expression, before it morphed to one of shocked recognition, immediately followed by intense rage.

"Holy shit, this bitch killed Dai! You fucking whore, I'm gonna-!"

A sudden, sharp gurgle was heard, one made by none of the four as-yet healthy individuals surrounding Dai's corpse. In the darkness, fingers twitched, joints creaked, and a shaky exhale of breath cut through the evening air, as the man presumed to be dead stirred. He shakily rose to his feet, much to the surprise of his companions, and likely the kunoichi as well. Seeing his companion struggling back to his feet, Mabui moved in closer to give the guy a shoulder to lean on and try to help him up.

"Kami, the fuck happened to you Dai?" he spluttered, seeing at this close range the blood pooling at their feet and still flowing from his horrendous wounds. "Wha-"

And that was when both of Dai's hands closed around the convict's neck and snapped it with a wet crack.

---

1. Okami no Sora [Rising Sky Emperor] // 'C' Rank // Mid -> Low [T1 Iryou Mastery]
2. Shikon no Jutsu [Dead Soul Technique] // 'A' Rank // x2 High -> High [T1 Iryou Mastery]

[--Shizue--]

Shizue shook her head helplessly, trying to prove her 'innocence' of killing their friend, gang mate, or whatever else you wanted to call them. She took a few steps back, bringing her arms in front of her defensively, but meekly. It was your stereotypical action that a scared woman would pull off in such a situation. After all what could she do against three strong men like the ones before her. After all, what they wouldn't know wouldn't kill them...maybe.

"No, no..." She started, sniffling. "H-He came to me and was t-talking but then b-b-blood went everywhere and he fell and---"

Her voice stopped and her eyes widened. It couldn't be. No way could any man move after having a blade shoved between his vertebrae. Let alone should he be even breathing considering the giant wound she had made in his head thanks to the dagger she herself had put there before ripping it back out in cold blood. But here he was standing. This time, she truly did take a step back in fear as one of the men stepped forward to speak with his friend.

With a gurgle and sputter the dead one, Dai, reached out and grabbed his friends throat, wrapping around his neck and snapping it. That's when it slowly started to click. Dai's body was attacking his gang members, he was on their side. Rael was an Iryou ninja. She never knew how skilled but this had to be of his doing. In the moments of shock that the other two shared staring at the now limp body of Mabui, she made her move.

Using the same dagger she had used to inflict Dai's death, it slid from her sleeve and she threw it straight back to one of the remaining two men. Unlike his friend Dai, this one went straight into his heart. Blood pumped and spurted from the wound and the man fell to the ground as well. The moment she had released the dagger though she had spent those few needed seconds to run through a few hand seals. From her mouth would spew five needles made of pure chakra at the remaining man. All of them would line up along his throat which would not kill him, but leave him paralyzed as he fell to his knees for Rael's 'servant' to deal with.

Of course as the man she riddled with chakra needles fell, three more men came hurling down the way towards Shizue and Rael[Dai]. Nearly leaping forward she ripped the dagger she had threw into the other man's heart from the wound, turned it, and flicked her wrist to free the blade of access blood before brandishing it forward in a defensive position to the three newcomers that had decided to join their little tirade of a mission.

Hm. The mission description said they were dangerous, this doesn't seem all too bad. Hope Rael can keep up the dead puppet technique he is somehow using. That'll really throw them off...
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1- Flying Nail Mist Pierce: x1 Mid

[Lang]

There was little Rael needed to do himself, aside from keeping tab on the proceedings from his superior vantage point, continuing to manipulate the corpse of "Dai" as it wreaked havoc alongside Shizue. As his living tool (or not, however you looked at it) released its grip around the dead fool's neck, it lumbered towards the remaining two with both arms outstretched, not making use of its original speed but aiming for fear factor instead. As the kunoichi impaled one of them through the heart with her thrown dagger, Dai crouched down next to the mortally-wounded man and sunk its teeth into their neck, tearing out flesh and muscle as it chewed lustily.

From high above, Rael had a perfect view as three more ruffians tore down the street towards and into the fray, though one of them stayed further behind than the others, trying to aim with unsteady hands the crossbow they held. The Genin frowned, and as though telepathically linked to its controller, 'Dai' paused in its grisly feast, ignoring Shizue as she moved in to retrieve her weapon, before rising onto both feet and actually sprinting towards the new trio. It didn't even stop to pay attention to the incapacitated male with a quartet of needles lodged in his throat, and simply backhanded the kneeling idiot out of its way as it charged forward without slowing down.

The two in forward positions branched off, speeding towards Shizue and Dai respectively. One of the assailants crowed in triumph as he plunged his dagger into the latter's chest via a forward stab without any resistance, but was cut short as not only did his victim not keel over, but shot out an arm in response, grabbing them by the neck and hoisting the bewildered male clear off his feet. Behind them, the third (seventh, counting all of them) ruffian finally managed to slide a bolt into the notched groove and had the armed kunoichi centered in his sights. As the projectile was released with a quiet *fwip*, his cocky grin immediately fell when the large frame of one thrown partner abruptly intercepted the bolt mid-flight, then crashed into him and bowling the pair over.

Time to wrap things up.

As the crossbow-using thug struggled to free himself and push his wounded, heavier counterpart off, while the other scrambled to do the same amidst the pain, neither of them noticed the figure falling towards them before it was too late. The hammer kick that slammed into the one on top instantly put him out of his misery, completely pulping the body on contact. With no apparent loss in momentum, the same appendage carried through and landed against the ranged combatant, smearing him into a bloody mess. It took everything in Rael's control to immediately dissipate the chakra surrounding his limb before it touched ground and left a giant crater in the middle of the street. The young iryou-nin didn't appear at all bothered by the fact he was splattered in gore, as he rose from his half-crouched position, ascertaining Shizue handled her own quarry before slowly making his way over to the single 'leftover' he'd backhanded earlier, his 'puppet' following in tow.

---

^{1. Bruising Sky Leg // 'C' rank // x1 Low}