Family Matters (Mission)

[Kildred]

Many things ran through his head as he walked the long and lonesome stretch of road that led up to Roji's mansion, but at the forefront of Usio's mind was his loathing of the man who dared share his family name. Letting out a deep sigh, he tried to shake off his negative thoughts. If any good was to come out of this, he'd have to remain as civil and cordial as possible. Taking off his headband, he placed it within his pants pocket and moved towards the gate. As elaborate and beautiful as it was, it gave off the simultaneous feeling of being denied, as if anyone who stood before it wasn't worthy. A few dogs barked at him, which seemed to get someone's attention, as the door opened and a head peeked out. "Who is it? Who's there?"

His voice shook with each syllable. Obvious frightened, or paranoid. Likely both. Usio called out to him, identifying himself. Holding back the anger in his voice was more difficult than he expected, but Roji didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary. He simply muttered under his breath until he came to some kind of realization. Walking out, while keeping a close eye on his surroundings, Roji moved to unlock the gate, then shuffled him inside. Quickly locking it again, he ushered Usio into the imposing home without wasting any time. The two walked through four rooms before he decided that it was time to catch up. "Yes, yes. Now then, how are you, my boy? Still working on your parent's farm? Are they well?"

Usi looked around the room as he answered. Extravagant paintings adorned the walls, placed strategically next to ornate vases. The chairs seemed expertly crafted, placed on either side of an equally decadent table. It made him sick. "Yeah. We're doing as well as can be expected, what with the reconstruction going on and all." He tried to tread carefully, as he didn't know when he should bring up the subject of Roji's ill-gotten gains. There was some kind of social protocol here, he was sure. Roji nodded, as if contemplating something. Usio sat forward, looking down at the tableware. It was fancy too. Goddammit.

[Kildred]

Roji's hands seem to constantly be wrapped around themselves, rubbing constantly as if he were expecting something that he did not want to occur. Usio decided not to bring up anything untoward just yet. "How about you, Uncle? We haven't seen you in a while. How have you been?" He seemed surprised at the question, staring at him for a bit before nodding. I guess no one ever actually asks him about his well-being anymore. Just as well... They would spend a bit of time talking, and as they did, Roji seemed to become increasingly relaxed. Having someone to actually talk to seemed to do wonders for him.

Now seemed as good a time as any. "Well, I'm afraid that this visit hasn't exactly been casual in nature. I have come today to talk to you about...your wealth, and the way you came into it." Roji paled visibly, stuttering a bit before finding an excuse. "Be that as it may, my boy, I'm afraid I am expecting company. I have many errands to run today, and I have hired...assistance. Best you be off!" Usio simply shook his head. "If you have errands, I suggest you get to them. I shall help you." Roji opened his mouth to protest, but could not find his voice as Usio removed his headband from his pocket and tied it to his head.

Faced with this revelation, Roji swallowed and moved to grab his keys. While he may not have liked the situation he was in, if he didn't leave now, he'd starve. The two walked outside, Roji locking several things as they did, and exited the gate. The long and winding road back to the city seemed longer than ever, and threatened to increase their journey with every step. The situation only made Roji more nervous, his breath haggard and wheezing with every step. "Calm yourself, Uncle. No harm will come to you while you are under my care... He looked to the man, who sheepishly looked back. "...unless you give me reason to allow it so. Now, about your wealth..."

[Kildred]

When they finally reached the threshold of the city, Usio could practically feel the glares of the villagers as they passed them by. It likely didn't help the fact that they knew who he was as well. Words like 'filthy', 'disgusting', and 'wretched' were attributed to the both of them. Roji glanced around nervously, obviously fearful of what was likely deserved retribution. "So, Uncle. Where is it you would like to go first?" The question was delivered deadpan, as if to force home the fact that he disapproved of his presence, even if he was on a mission. "Um, t-the grocery. I need to restock on food." Usio grunted in response, slowing to walk beside the quivering man.

Cuss, curses, and cross faces assaulted them along their way to the store, which was more than Usio had hoped for. When they entered the shop, the usual greeting was halted mid-way through and replaced with a scowl. Usio payed it no mind, but it seemed to have an effect on the recipient. As Roji gathered the food he needed for the coming month, Usio noted the prices of the items he gathered. He had an inkling as to what would happen when they reached the checkout, given the receiving they had gotten. His uncle seemed to be more concerned with filling his basket and watching for people who might do him harm than caring about the prices. Typical.

Sure enough, when the items were rung up, the price came up to about four times the listed price. Roji complained, but got nothing more than a shrug and some comment about inflation. When he looked to Usio for assistance, the clerk also looked at him. "I'm here to protect your well-being, not your wallet. Don't look at me." This surprised not only Roji, but the clerk as well, who gave a smirk of appreciation. Distancing his immediate family from Roji was a small and necessary step to ensuring the continuing purchases from the farm's customer base. Roji sighed and paid the amount, his face becoming even more depressed after not receiving help when he expected it. Usio was always one to help family, but Roji would have to fix his mess himself.

[Kildred]

With the groceries in hand, the two left the store and made their way to the east side of the city. Roji indicted that he wished to visit the park that was there, as he had fond memories and he had so few chances to visit nowadays. One could only wonder why that is. The park was empty, much to their relief. As Roji sat on a bench and looked over the expanse of land, Usio kept a quiet lookout. Apparently, this was the time that Roji looked for some kind of redemption. "Usio..." The name was called with so little force that he barely registered it being said at all. "Where did I go wrong?"

Where, indeed. Perhaps it wasn't evident right now, but surely he had some idea. "The entire village is up at arms with anything regarding you. Only you know the answer as to why. If you don't, I suggest you figure it out real quick. Needing a chaperone for your entire life does not sound appealing." What irritated him was that he did not know specifically what Roji had done to garner his wealth. He never bothered to find out, and didn't even know his uncle was wealthy until people started berating him for it. "What I do wish for you to know is that you are not the only one suffering for your actions."

Roji looked at him in surprise. "I am sure Mother kept tabs on you, since you are family, so she must have some idea as to how you got your money. She never said a word to my father and I. Still, you must realize that you are not the only one with the Yamamoto name." Roji's eyes widened, the truth of the matter hitting him. "No, she...why would she be targeted? She had nothing to do with-""Do you really think they care? You did something so repulsive that the whole village is angry, and they need a scapegoat. The name 'Yamamoto' is now synonymous with 'criminal'. Usio didn't get a chance to finish, as three men entered the park, weapons in hand.

[Kildred]

The men sneered and called out, announcing their arrival and saving Usio the need to turn around. With his back turned, he ran through a number of hand seals and activated his Doton Ryouuken. Their footfalls registered within him, and kept his awareness spiked. He turned and kept a hand on his hip, as if to downplay their threat. "Can I help you gentleman? I have an idea as to what you actually want, but I must tell you that it's a bad idea. The general response was that of being outnumbered and out-skilled. That may have been true, but he still had ninjutsu to fall back on. "Very well. Let's even the odds a bit, shall we? He made a few hand seals, summoning two clones of rock to either side of him. Looking back at Roji, he nodded back to alert him to retreat further.

The clones made their own hand seals, but they didn't seem to have any effect. The three men, armed with iron pipes of various sizes, all advanced and attacked. Usio fended off his attacker by punching the pipe with his knuckle duster. The longer pipe reverberated, causing a split-second distraction that allowed him to punch him in the stomach. The clones each were hit by the two other men, but had no visible damage done to them. They each proceeded to grapple and fight with them. With his own opponent reeling, Usio jumped back a distance and braced his feet. Exhaling sharply, his body flew forward quickly, added by his shunshin. With the extra speed, he slammed his fist into the man's face and sent him sprawling back into the wall. With him taken down, it was a simple matter to take down the other two.

With all three laying against the wall of the building opposite the park, Usio and the two clones lined up each of the men. All went through the same hand seals, building needles in front of them and shooting them into the men's clothing. With them effectively pinned down, Usio dismissed the clones and moved to Roji, who had come back from his hiding spot. "Come. We should return to your home." Roji only nodded, giving a last glance to the downed men before moving towards the street. "Good to see you've become a fine ninja for Kusagakure.""Too bad I can't say the same about you being a villager."

[Kildred]

They finally arrived back at Roji's mansion. He fumbled with the keys a bit, but managed to unlock the front gate without too much trouble, given the bags he was carrying. Usio himself carried a fair amount of the groceries purchased. They walked into the house and moved to the kitchen, where they placed all of the items in their respective areas. Most of them were non-perishables, for obvious reasons. With this, his mission was complete. He retrieved his mission slip from his pocketed, Roji signing with a bit of disdain. Placing it back into the pocket, he set for his final conversation with the man. "I don't know what you did, but it made you quite a bit of money. So, why? Why did you do whatever it was to get this much wealth? Roji sighed and looked out the window.

"I...wanted to help my country. We've been beset by so many wars and attacks that the land itself suffers. I won't tell you what it is I have done, but suffice to say it was a quick and easy way to get money. I had planned to use it to fund our village and build up our country to defend it from future battles. However..." He hung his head low as he recalled some old memories. "When word got out of how I got the money, I was condemned. There aren't any laws against it, but everyone believed me to be morally corrupt. Now, all I can do is send for purchases from other countries and try to buy food. This house and all the goods inside of it are all I have to show for my loyalty."

Usio sighed. "I could say that you're lying, but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. If what you say is true, then while your heart was in the right place, your execution was very poor. His words were nothing Roji wasn't aware of, but they stung nonetheless. "If and when you want to make reparations, send me a message. I shall help. The only way I believe you can right this is to finish what you intended. You should donate most, if not all, of your money to the village itself, then go to work around the village and help with the rebuilding." What he really wanted wasn't so easy, however. "Rebuilding our reputation will likely take longer than the rebuilding of our country, but we must start somewhere."

Roji appeared deep in thought. It was obvious he had grown accustomed to having money and being able to buy whatever he pleased. It might take him quite a while to come to a decision. With nothing left to say, Usio said his goodbyes and left the mansion. With this new knowledge, he felt a little better about his uncle, but his stance about helping him would remain until he decided to give up his wealth.

-Thread end

[KEITH]

+60.