LONE WARRIOR. [M]

[Seijūrō]

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Name: Lone Warrior
Rank: D
Description: A single bandit captured from a raiding party. Nothing more then your sword and shield barbarian. It’s been confirmed he doesn’t know any jutsu and will more then likely try to strike you down with his blade with wild swings and superior conditioning.

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The sound of rain aroused the sleeping beast from his slumber. His eyelids fluttered a few times before Sei realized that he was awake. He had hoped the nice weather would have lasted longer, alas the village is named Kirigakure no Sato for a reason. As Sei rose up from his bed, he took a look around his room. He never noticed how dark it was when there wasn't sunlight breaching into his room from his window. Then again, even if there was sunlight, his room was rather lackluster in comparison to his peers. The only ornament in his room that would attract attention was the koshirae^{(Japanese sword mount)} holding his katana and wakizashi.

"AKU SOKU ZAN."

Those words echoed in Seijūrō's mind as he read the engravings on the wooden mounts. While the weapons themselves were standard-fare in terms of grade and craftsmanship, they held a deeper sentimental value to him, having been a gift from his "brother", Kondo Isami. The man who taught him kenjutsu. The man whom he respected. Idolized. It has been almost a decade since Sei had last seen his mentor, his family, or any of his friends back in his hometown.

"I wonder how Kondo-san and Mitsuba-neechan is doing." thought the Genin, reminiscing of the past as he continued through his daily morning routines. Before he knew it, the teenager had finished taking care of breakfast and chores for the moment. The only thing left to do was to open the mission scroll that he had picked up from the Mission Compound from the day before. While the mission sounded simple enough, Sei couldn't help but feel there is something bigger to this one. The mission is to dispose of a sole surviving bandit captured from a raiding party that had the unfortunate luck of crossing paths with an envoy protected by a team of Kirigakure shinobi. The bandit had been left alive in order for the Intelligence Division to extract intel out of him. Needless to say, there was not much information to be extracted from his mind and the bandit has since outlived his usefulness.

The only question left is — why? Why didn't the Intelligence Division dispose of him after their torture session? There was little incentive for them to keep the man alive, then again the bureaucracy within this village was so convoluted at times it was better not to think too much about the matter. The most important thing is that Fujiwara Sei was going to be paid for this simple "clean-up" mission.

"Nothing more, nothing less." mumbled Sei as he strapped his katana and wakizashi to the side of his kimono. While it was imperative for a shinobi to look underneath the underneath but sometimes it was just better not to ask the question that you don't want to know the answers to. Retrieving an umbrella from a metal bin near the doorsteps, Sei opened his parasol just as he left the confines of his home out into the downpour.

[Seijūrō]

After a brief and uneventful walk in the rain, Sei ended up strolling down a block filled with old decrepit warehouses and unfinished construction sites. This area used to be bustling with activity and life, but it has been a long time since then. The warehouses, which used to contain durable goods, looked as if they were going to collapse at any moment and the building materials for the incomplete construction sites were left out in the streets to rust. It served as a constant reminder to those of Kirigakure no Sato that there was no hope for that which is stuck in the past, unable to keep up with the ever-changing times of this world. Alas, Sei had not come here for an impromptu history lesson.

He was here for another reason, stopping in front of an abandoned warehouse. It lacked any distinctive features that made it stood out from the other broken-down buildings around him, but he knew it was the one he was looking for. He closed his umbrella and made his way past the broken steel gates and entered the ruins, hoping the place wouldn't cave in while he was still inside. The first thing that the Genin noticed was the air was filled with dust and could smell the sour tint of rust. Rows upon rows of outdated machinery rested dormant; the reddish-brown hue of rust covering over most of the exposed metal parts. If one didn't know any better, they would think that no one has entered the premise in a long time.

But the dust on the ground floor told a different tale; a trail of footprints disrupted the blanket of dust. It was a sign that someone else had been here not long ago. Sei followed the footprints, weaving past the antiquated machines and going down a flight of stairs, eventually coming upon a steel door that seemed somewhat out of place. Unlike the other metal structures, the door seemed relatively brand new in comparison. The teenager turned the handle and immediately recognized the smell which emitted from inside the moment the door cracked open. It was the rancid stench of death.

"Well this is interesting." thought Sei as he entered the room to see the floor and ceilings covered with blood and unrecognizable bodily fluids and matters. Despite the disgusting scene, there were no bodies to be found except for one. From the corner of his eyes, Sei saw a rugged man cradling himself in fetal position in the corner of the room. His leather armor was stained with blood along with the sword and shield that rested beside him. It took a few seconds for the stranger to realize that another being had entered the room.

"Another visitor? Are you going to drill into my mind like the others?" said the bandit, chuckling as he stood up from the floor.

But his laughter came to an abrupt stop as he started to growl: "NO, YOU CAN'T SAVE HER! NOBODY CAN — I WOULD KNOW — I SLIT HER THROAT RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER HUSBAND! YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN THE LOOK ON HIS FACE!"

There was no doubt that the criminal had completely lost his mind, broken beyond any means of repair. The bandit picked up his sword and shield and began to maneuver toward the shinobi. It was time for Seijūrō to put this man out of his misery.

[Seijūrō]

The bandit's movements were careless and wasteful, growling as he approached his target. He was like a cornered beast; there was no telling what the bandit might do in his mad frenzy. Seijūrō did not reach for his katana, however, and began to circle around the deranged criminal.

"Oh yes, that indescribable feeling of ecstasy when you've taken everything away from someone. It makes me feel so hot just thinking about it." mumbled the bandit as he licked the dried blood on his sword and glaring at the shinobi.

"I can tell that there's going to be a special place waiting for you in Jigoku." said Seijūrō as the Genin escaped from the man's peripheral vision. The maniac turned around only to find thin air where Sei should have been standing. He looked around frantically, trying to make sense of what had just happened.

"Where did you go? Come here so I can penetrate your soft skin with my sword." said the bandit before swinging his shield to his left, protecting himself from a kunai that seemingly appeared from thin air. The bandit began to feel his guts churn as his struggle continued. His anxiety continued to grow as he searched around, trying to find where the boy was hiding. He jumped back in fright when the shinobi suddenly appeared in front of his face.

"AKU SOKU ZAN."

"TIME TO DIE!" screamed the bandit, thrusting his sword into Sei. Blood slowly dripped down to the floor, the man smiled and laughed as he looked down at the spot where he had pierced the shinobi. His weapon was firmly stuck inside of the younger male's intestines, but why was there another blade, fresh with blood, protruding out from his chest? The confused bandit could not comprehend the sight before him as his victim vanished in a haze of smoke.

"Aku Soku Zan means "Swift Death to Evil", the code which I abide by. I tell you this because I am not killing you out of mercy, I'm killing you because you are no exception, bandit." As Sei finished his speech, he effortlessly pulled out his katana out from the bandit's body which fell to the ground with a resounding thud. The Genin cleaned the blood of his katana with a flick of his wrist before placing it back in its sheath. A pool of blood began to form under the corpse as Seijūrō made his way out of the room.

Closing the door behind him, Sei felt a sudden change in the air. He knew who it was and showed no hesitation in confronting the new arrival.

"It's done." said Seijūrō as he turned to face the ANBU member. The other shinobi gave a solemn nod before going through a series of handseals. With the final handseal, the door melded with the wall around it leaving no trace that it was ever there in the first place. And just like that, no one will ever know of this incident, this was how business was conducted within the world of the shinobi.

[KEITH]

+50.