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The streets of Kirigakure no Sato were brimming with life as people flowing up and down the street like two rivers. The sound of store owners bickering and customers hustling them for a good bargain. Needless to say, it was also during this hectic period of time during the day that petty thefts would occur whilst the store keepers are distracted. Most of the time, the store owners would not even notice their merchandise was gone until it was too late and the culprits long gone.

Luckily for this particular store owner, Ichiban Tenshu, had caught a glimpse of the thieves that have been stealing from his wagashi^{(Japanese sweets)} store. The only reason Seijūrō had chosen to undertake this mission was the underlying motive of receiving some sweets for a swift apprehension of the thieves. Even Sei had been hard-pressed not to steal from the wagashi store back in his home village, but after being scolded and punished by his sister Sei was to scared of her to steal food ever again. After navigating through a seemingly endless wave of locals, the Genin had arrived at the front of the store where Ichiban-san was already waiting for him. The teenager could tell from the look on the older fellow's face that he was not amused at the turn of events.

"I specifically told them not to send a brat for this!" Sei was unsure how he should respond to the shopkeeper's greeting but there was no reason to hold any sort of enmity toward the client...yet.

"Ichiban-san, just because I'm young doesn't mean I can't handle this mission." Ichiban looked at Sei before massaging his forehead and groaning. He still seemed unconvinced with the teenage shinobi, but his body language showed that he was willing to compromise just to deal with the problem at hand.

"Whatever, look, all I need you to do is bring these criminals in and teach them a lesson, alright? I saw one of the thieves being about 4'5 so it should be a child who did it, but I'm also pretty damn sure that he or she is not alone. Go look around and see if you can catch them. I have my hands full at the moment back in the shop; I don't have time for this nonsense, I'm busy enough as it is working and now I have to deal with little brats stealing from me as well!?" The short man returned back into his dwelling, leaving Seijūrō to his own devices in order to find these kids and bring them in to apologize and pay for the stolen wagashi.

"Well, what's the worst that could happen?" Sei was very good when it came to handling younger children; having grown fond sometime during his residence within the village. But first, he had to figure out where to start looking for this group of troublemakers. The playground seemed like a good location to start searching, if anything some of the other kids might know something. There wasn't much for the Genin to work with, but it was a start.

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.

As Sei approached the gentleman, he could feel the unwavering orbs that trailed his every move. It didn't take long for the other male to greet the young Genin, causing him to stop in his tracks. An audible click could be heard as a small flame flickered to life within the man's gloves; lighting his cigarette and placing it in his mouth as he continued to speak to Seijūrō.

The Genin took a moment to register everything he had just been told as the man exhaled a shroud of smoke from his nose. This shinobi, Hozuki Ekita, seemed sincere enough in his introduction. There was little reason to doubt his words, although Sei did raise an eyebrow when he mentioned his surname being Hozuki. The teenager had heard about the clan before, although most of what he heard was nothing more than old wives' tales about how the clan's ancestors were spirits of the sea.

What he did know for a fact, however, was that their structural anatomy was different from that of a normal human being due to their Kekkei Genkai, allowing them to hydrate their cells and liquidate their body parts to avoid harm. Not only that, but they can also use their liquid build like a Suiton user would manipulate water. To work with one in this new team...things were going to be a little bit more interesting from here on out.

"Fujiwara Seijūrō, a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Hozuki Ekita. I'm here for the same reasons you are...well mostly the same reasons anyways." said Seijūrō said with a coy smile on his face. He still had half a mind to kill the person that had been responsible for breaking into his apartment, but he must restrain himself from making it seem like he is a psychopath.

"I doubt the people that orchestrated this meeting are going to appear tonight though; this seems to be a rudimentary approach to get us to know each other first before forming this new cell that was mentioned."

The implications of being part of a team now hadn't exactly hit home in Sei's mind until he made that statement. While he had always been somewhat of a lone wolf when it came to performing his objectives and duties, he knew that he would eventually have to open up more to the concept of working with others. It didn't help, however, that Sei has high expectations of others and quick to reprimand his teammates back in the Academy whenever they had fallen behind or jeopardize their objectives due to their ineptness. The Genin despised incompetence as much as he despised those that dared to speak ill about his loved ones. Yet...he couldn't help but feel that this was going to be different. If Ekita was half as competent as he was well-dressed, then perhaps there was a shimmer of hope in the future. If not...then Sei will simply continue to bear the burden of the entire squad onto his shoulders once again.

Name: Fujiwara Seijūrō
Account: Link.
Jutsu/Technique Cost: 1075
EXP: 1615^{[pre-transaction]} | 540^{[post-transaction]}
Chakra Pool: 500^{[pre-transaction]} | 1575^{[post-transaction]}

♦ RAITON JUTSU

Raiton, or 'Lightning Element', takes the form of electrical and lightning based attacks. An affinity based on electricity created by oneself, it grants the user the power to alter various elements of nature carrying some sort of electrical charge. Raiton jutsu usually involve shocking, blinding, paralysis, and other quick strikes and ailments. When used in conjunction with metal based weapons, the power becomes amplified. While not a useful release for defensive purpose, its offensive prowess is what makes it a deadly and effective. Finally, lightning is most effective for middle to long-range attacks.

EXP: 275

♦ KENJUTSU

The ability to fight with the sword is one of the most sacred of arts. There are many different swordstyles, but the most basic of all forms is usually considered to be Kenjutsu (Sword Arts). While the techniques are generally fairly simple to understand and use, they are by no means to be considered weak or underpowered. In fact, they stand as a testament to some of the most powerful attacks within the world.
Kenjutsu itself is broken down into two arts: Battoujutsu and Iaijutsu. The first, Battoujutsu, is a style that focuses almost completely on offense, sacrificing many defensive qualities just for the ability to rapidly cut, slash, and kill the opponent. On the flipside of that, Iaijutsu is a style that focuses primarily of defense through evasion, parry, and riposte. While the masters of Kenjutsu are incredibly proficient at one style, they may only learn the basics of the other style due to a conflict of training and utility.

EXP: 225^{(pre-transaction)} + 800^(cost) = 1025 EXP^{(post-transaction)}

♦ MASTERY

Stamina Reduction I

The Stamina Reduction mastery allows the user ultimate control over their martial arts, to the point they can control wasteful movement and use that to eliminate delays in execution, as well as extended longevity. In the end, it determine how much Stamina is used, so much so that they can lower the stamina consumption of all mastery jutsu. When first learned, the user can cast jutsu of the Mastery class for one Stamina consumption tier less than normal. Each time re-acquired, cost continues to drop by one less tier each time.

Fortune seemed to be on Seijūrō's side tonight. He found the leader of the gang cowering in fear and hiding near a pile of garbage in an alleyway: a fitting place for one such as himself to reside.

"PLEASE DON'T HURT ME! I'M SORRY! PLEASE JUST LET ME GO!" the man continued to beg for his freedom until Sei knocked him out with a chop to his neck.

"For a small-time thug, you sure keep some interesting company." said Sei as he dragged the hog-tied thug out from the alleyway and back to the main street. He noticed that a group of locals had formed around the gang members that he had tied up against a utility pole. One of them being the ojisan he had encountered earlier at the restaurant as he smacked one of the thugs around with his cane.

"Don't beat them up too badly, Kuri-san. They're going to need whatever they have left after the "rehabilitation" division is done with them." said Sei with a smile on his face as he approached the locals who began to cheer for the shinobi who had stopped the thugs from causing more havoc in their neighborhood.

"Arigatō, now these streets will be safe like it used to be before these idiots barged in." said the old shopkeeper before an ANBU member appeared in front of the locals and surveyed the aftermath of the scene before walking up to Sei and placing his hand on his shoulder.

"Fine work, Fujiwara-san. ANBU had received intel shortly before our arrival that a Yakuza head from the Kaminari no Kuni and has been residing within Kirigakure no Sato for the past few weeks. He has come to our village to avoid arrest from his former village and changed the name of himself and his men and start anew here. From the looks of it, you've managed to put a stop to his attempts at restarting his criminal empire."

"You people are just teasing me now by being so formal aren't you?"

"Why does everyone call me Fujiwara-san?!"

"I beg your pardon?" asked the ANBU with a slight hint of confusion at what the Genin was referring to.

"Never mind, I'm going to call it a night; I'll pick up the payment for the mission tomorrow." said Sei before yawning and stretching his arms out. The ANBU nodded and took the "luggage" from Sei who began to make his way home.

"Going to take a nice hot shower and..." before Sei could finish his thought, he was interrupted by the growling of his stomach. He realized that he hasn't eaten anything since lunch and was starving again.

"I wonder if Minado is still open right now, I could really go for some of their delicious dango."

---

[MISSION COMPLETE]

Shunpo is a very basic foot technique that allows the user to move faster than the eye can see. For the trained eyes of a normal shinobi, tracing a Shunpo is not very difficult and without some form of distraction, using it would be akin to suicide. However...for the poor unarmed son of a bitch that was currently standing about 5 meters from Sei, he might as well have a sign on him stating "Please hurt me."

The man didn't even completely register the fact that Sei was standing directly in front of him before he felt a blunt object striking the side of his chest with enough force to knock the wind completely out of him. The sound of ribs cracking under the pressure was sickening. The teenager could see the look of fear in the man's eyes before he dropped to the floor and screaming in agony. Unluckily for the thug, Sei had chosen not to use the sharp side of his katana, preferring to incapacitate these low-lives. By the time the other thugs realized what had just happened, Sei had already concealed his katana back in his sheath and lowered his stance.

He could see the shock he had instilled the remaining thugs. He chuckled before stating, "So tell me...how confident are you in taking me down now?"

A few of them came running to the aid of the fallen comrade, but their movement was unrefined and disjointed. One of them lunged at Sei and swung his lead pipe, hoping to hit the Genin before he could react. But to him, it was as if the object descending upon his forehead was not even moving at all. With a simple sidestep; Sei positioned himself to the side of the attacker and decking him in the chin with a left hook. The man's jaw was contorted after the blow signifying that Sei had probably dislocated the man's jaw.

No time to ponder on the matter, three more incoming. Sei reached into his kimono and retrieved a kunai. The first one came in with a sloppy sideway slash with his knife. The shinobi parried with his kunai, stopping the motion midway before delivering a sidekick to the thug's chest sending him flying back and crashing into another thug. The last thug continued to blindly rush in but Sei was more than prepared for the hooligan. Dropping to the ground, he swept the ground with his leg as soon as the man got in range, knocking him down on his back before stomping on his forehead to put the thug out of commission.

"Five down, five more to go." Sei thought as he examined the battle that had just unfolded. Needless to say, the odds were not in their favor. But it will only get harder from here for the Genin.

"This is unacceptable! GET HIM!" yelled the leader as the remaining four of his goons drew out their katana and encroached upon the lone wolf with care.

"Well you four seemed to be better-armed than those first five. I guess it's time for me to even the playing field."

Sei made a handseal causing a Bunshin to appear right next to him from a cloud of smoke. Both of them bend their knees and place their hands over their katana; waiting for the moment to strike.