The Overly Complex Chopstick Ordeal

[Hogosha Kenji]

SPOILER: Click to show

STICK WITH THE GANG
RANK: D
DESCRIPTION: It’s a sad thing that crime is still an ongoing thing in Kusagakure, but to say the least, it occurs everywhere. The village has recently had a few incidents in a certain Ramen shop, the Tofu Dragon. A few punk kids from the village have found chopsticks a craze- some kind of fad. The ones from the ramen hut are emblazoned with the logo of the company, and have been quite a hit with the younger generation of the village. Too much of a hit in fact, as they manage to steal the neatly placed items right before the eyes of the owners! They’ve asked for help in tracking down the kids who did it, the chopsticks are cheap enough to replace, but the village doesn’t stand for thievery!
OBJECTIVE: Track down the chopstick thieves and give them a lecture about their actions!
PAY: 500 Ryo and 100 EXP.

Stealing chopsticks. It was a ridiculous crime. What profit was there from stealing the chopsticks. It's not like they were expensive. And made from a smoothed wood, it wasn't like they were difficult to make. Painting on the logo was the hardest thing, and that was an automated process wasn't it? Nevertheless, Kenji headed down to the Tofu Dragon. It was approaching lunch time, so he figured that on top of it being a good time to catch these guys in action, it was a good time to get something to eat.

Quietly he slipped in, and headed to the front counter, where he would offer his best smile, despite his attitude keeping him from showing such a thing all too often, and made his order. "Green tea and Beef Miso please." As the man behind the counter, the owner Kenji assumed, got the order prepared, he slipped the mission notice onto the counter, and relaxed in his seat. When the man came back with the order, he nodded to Kenji, and spoke in a hushed tone.

"They're not here now, but they come in usually around this time. However, they have also been known to come in during the lull hours, so anytime between now and four in the afternoon. It's more than just a couple of them. I've seen them in varrying groups, so I have no idea how many of them there really are."

Kenji nodded, but kept his silence as he broke apart his chopsticks, then folded his hands together. "Itadakimasu." Quietly, Kenji began eating, and would make himself as inconspicuous as possible. He was just some random person, eating some random ramen, on this random day.... randomly. Something like that... As he sat there people came in and out, none of them catching his attention really, just the usual lunch crowd coming in. The place was rather popular, and had plenty of business. These chopstick thieves obviously hadn't damaged the business, but merely the integrity of the village.

Kenji would catch these guys, and show them what stealing got them. He would also do his best to find all the people involved in this ... Chopstick Theft Ring. Or whatever something so mundane would be called. As Kenji finished his bowl, three kids walked in. The place was packed, so their entry was pretty much unnoticed, unacknowledged, and unseen in general. It was the right thing to do in that situation. They quietly approached the counter, as the owner had his back turned, and took not one, but a handful of chopsticks, each, from the jars on the counter. Kenji watched, through the mask of his hair, not having to turn his head, but simply shift his eyes, to do so. They departed just as silently, and were not noticed by anyone. Save Kenji. He chuckled lightly, and slipped some money onto the counter as the owner turned back around, and saw what had happened. He was angry, and looked to Kenji.

Kenji simply smiled. "I'll be right back." and with that, he would turn to follow the boys that had just left.

[Hogosha Kenji]

Kenji followed the boys silently, once more keeping his head and eyes positioned in a way that it would not appear that he was watching them. However, through the veil of his long hair, specifically his long bangs, kept an eye on the boys, and noted where they were headed. This was all very peculiar, why were they stealing chopsticks, and why was he launching such a complex pursuit, just to catch these petty thieves? Yes chopsticks were no big down on the economy or morale of the village, but he couldn't simply let thievery slide just because the stolen goods were so cheap. He could not get over the audacity of the crime, and could barely keep himself from laughing because of it. It was all so ridiculous!

After following them for a short while, they went into a building that on the village's registry, which he was familiar with due to his clan's ties to the village, was supposedly abandoned, and due for renovation before it could be used for some other purpose. He quietly slipped in, and hung back around a corner, as he overheard the boys approaching and conversing with someone else.

"And these are from Tofu Dragon? Good. Head to Iron Tortoise next."

Seriously? Was this crime that widespread? They were trying to monopolize on this? It took all he had to not laugh out loud. Kenji turned the corner though, and put himself in the doorway, to block any more activity. The eyes of the other guys focused on Kenji, and frowned.

"We need to stop relying on kids to do this. They can't even tell when they're being followed."

"Hmm, perhaps. But this time it won't matter. It's just one guy. Let's just dispose of him."

Kenji did not give them the time to converse, he lept into action, spinning in the air, and delivering a kick aimed for the nearest man's shoulder. It sent him spinning back, and into the wall, where he promptly fell unconscious. The other man would leap into action, trying to catch Kenji off guard, but just as the man's fist was aimed for Kenji's head, Kenji would drop down to the floor, putting his weight to one hand, as he aimed a kick upward, to the man's chin. He flew upward, and tumbled to the floor eventually. Quick, concise. These guys were pathetic, in more than one way. Kenji dusted off his hands, and turned to the boys, who were in a state of utter panic.

"Now kids. You're going to tell me everything involving this ... sad excuse for an april fools joke, and perhaps then I will be lenient on you."

[Hogosha Kenji]

The kids explained, and this time, Kenji could NOT keep himself from laughing. The plan was to steal chopsticks, not just from Tofu Dragon, but from all sorts of restaurants around Kusagakure. Then, they would paint over the printed logos on the chopsticks, and resell them to companies that painted logos onto them. Once the newly painted chopsticks were then sold to the restaurants, they would be stolen again, and the process would continue in a loop. Kenji was laughing uproariously.

"That is positively pathetic! I mean... what profit is there in that!? You spend your profits on the paint to keep this thing going, and you make nothing. This is the saddest example of thievery I have ever heard!"

The kids were quiet, but once understanding dawned on them, they merely frowned at how they were used. Kenji eventually calmed down, collected himself, and patted the boys on the shoulders. "Look kids, I'll go lenient on you because... being taken in like that, is punishment enough. Don't steal. Anything. And try to live a life that benefits you, your family, and the village. As for those guys over there..." He jabbed a thumb to the two knocked out 'brains' of the operation. "I'll take care of them."

The kids were off, hopefully having learned their lessons. Kenji would use some rope that happened to be laying about in the empty building, to tie up the hands of the knocked out men. He would then forge some hand seals, call up the chakra, and summon up gusts of wind, to buffet the ground and pick up not only the two men, but the numerous cases of stolen chopsticks. He would walk out of the building, with the wind carrying the men and chopsticks with him, as he headed to the police station. The men would be turned over, and the chopsticks would be redelivered by the police to their respective restaurants. With such done, he would return to the Tofu Dragon and relay the events of what had occurred.

Kenji assured the owner of the Tofu Dragon that those boys would not be stealing chopsticks anymore, and that hopefully the whole crazy scheme was put to rest. The owner would sign off on the notice Kenji had brought, and with that taken care of, he would depart, to head back to the Atrium, to alert the Kusakage's staff that the mission was taken care of.

[KEITH]

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