It was a typical night in the Grand Palais. Businesses were humming on through the night, the masses flowed through the streets like blood through veins, and lights made night as if day. Moving from shadow to shadow, a masked figure made his way unseen and unheard up to the rooftops. They would serve as his untraveled road, free from witnesses as he made his way across the length of the district into the darker regions, where most dared not tread. It was no secret that the far reaches of the Grand Palais had been developing into a sort of haven for criminals and undesirables. Rather wisely, the new ANBU Captain had tasked the top ANBU of each caste to enter the area and develop intel on any such activity without being detected. Apex, one of Sunagakure's ANBU, was one such agent.
He wore the form-fitting armor of Sunagakure's ANBU corps, and a mask as all who entered into the enigmatic branch were made to do. His mask held no bird or beast, but a sort of clockwork puzzle design. Once, he was known as the Lie, a testament to his abilities in genjutsu and certain reality-altering techniques. It was a sort of tongue-in-cheek reference, calling himself the Lie. The new Captain, however, found Apex a more fitting name. Given the meaning, the ANBU it was assigned to was compelled to prove it true.
The lights grew dimmer as he traversed the rooftops unseen, making it clear that he was near his intended target. Once he was at the location as reported, he stopped and scanned the area. Oddly enough, it was almost dead silent. A lone two-story building was lit, but no sounds could be heard and no shapes could be discerned through the windows. After moving around the perimeter and verifying there were no sentries or traps lying in wait, Apex moved to the building's roof to give a closer listen.
Still...nothing.
The masked man hung himself upside-down from the ledge of the roof, peering into the window to look and listen.
Nothing.
In one swift transition, Apex spun around and landed inside, crouching low and moving to the nearest wall. It was clear that something wasn't right. Every single light was on, yet not even the slightest sound could be heard. The ANBU moved from room to room, searching for anything telling or useful, and to his surprise, even the rooms of the house were devoid of furniture or decoration. It was as if the place was abandoned. But...if so, why would the lights be on?
The silent agent moved to the stairs, treading softly as he moved down, peeking carefully around the corner to check for anything downstairs. Eerily enough, it was the same as the second floor. No bodies, no furniture, no sound...no...anything.
It wasn't until checking a pantry that he heard the sound of voices. The room had to be a mere four-by-eight feet, yet...he heard voices. Something was most definitely going on.
A careful check of the floor revealed a sliding panel - an obvious cover for what turned out to be a hidden stairwell into a basement floor. The voices grew louder, giving evidence to the fact that he was getting closer to the source. A long unlit hallway led into a room lit by torches, allowing Apex plenty of shadow to hide within. The closer he came, the more became apparent. There were four men. One was younger, two sounded middle-aged, and one - with a hoarse voice - sounded much older. As Apex came to the end of the hallway, he used the Dark Displacement jutsu to merge with the shadows completely, removing him from detection.
Wisely, he decided to utilize the Snapshot jutsu utilized by ANBU to collect evidence in the form of recorded memories.
"...how many are we talking about, Jirou?" the gruff middle-aged man asked.
"Fifteen...maybe more, depending on how quickly we can move them," a raspy voice answered.
"Rokubo asks about quantity when he should be asking about quality. What are their ages?" the younger voice interjected.
"Always so inquisitive, Shinzo. They range from ten to twenty, all young, all healthy girls," the raspy voice, Jirou, noted with a grin audible in his speech.
"This is acceptable. I will pay you on behalf of my clan to have them sent out of the country," the older voice spoke, "Be sure, however, that if the village authorities catch on to your movements, I have nothing to do with this business."
With a chuckle, the raspy Jirou replied, "Of course! Of course, Lord Takeshiro! Most of the girls taken had no family to speak of, and the others...well, aside from some inquiries, they were from families of little note or sway, so I do not foresee any real trouble."
Apex was tempted to forget his mission...a rare thing for the cold, calculating man. But this time...he simply wanted to kill them all. Slave traders, kidnapping girls to smuggle out of Sunagakure...they were disgusting and undeserving of life. But he knew well enough that if he slaughtered the men, there would be little chance of finding the girls and returning them to safety and freedom before they were moved over the borders.
Remaining in the shadows, he stored the memory and moved back along the path he came by. The men below were too focused on their business to even think to pay attention, this...Jirou the kidnapper, Rokubo the purchaser, Shinzo the 'connoisseur', and Lord Takeshiro the customer. As Apex leaped from the window and back into the night, he began to make his way home to file his report on all four men and their practices.
The Captain would want to see what he had seen...
[WC: 939]
He wore the form-fitting armor of Sunagakure's ANBU corps, and a mask as all who entered into the enigmatic branch were made to do. His mask held no bird or beast, but a sort of clockwork puzzle design. Once, he was known as the Lie, a testament to his abilities in genjutsu and certain reality-altering techniques. It was a sort of tongue-in-cheek reference, calling himself the Lie. The new Captain, however, found Apex a more fitting name. Given the meaning, the ANBU it was assigned to was compelled to prove it true.
The lights grew dimmer as he traversed the rooftops unseen, making it clear that he was near his intended target. Once he was at the location as reported, he stopped and scanned the area. Oddly enough, it was almost dead silent. A lone two-story building was lit, but no sounds could be heard and no shapes could be discerned through the windows. After moving around the perimeter and verifying there were no sentries or traps lying in wait, Apex moved to the building's roof to give a closer listen.
Still...nothing.
The masked man hung himself upside-down from the ledge of the roof, peering into the window to look and listen.
Nothing.
In one swift transition, Apex spun around and landed inside, crouching low and moving to the nearest wall. It was clear that something wasn't right. Every single light was on, yet not even the slightest sound could be heard. The ANBU moved from room to room, searching for anything telling or useful, and to his surprise, even the rooms of the house were devoid of furniture or decoration. It was as if the place was abandoned. But...if so, why would the lights be on?
The silent agent moved to the stairs, treading softly as he moved down, peeking carefully around the corner to check for anything downstairs. Eerily enough, it was the same as the second floor. No bodies, no furniture, no sound...no...anything.
It wasn't until checking a pantry that he heard the sound of voices. The room had to be a mere four-by-eight feet, yet...he heard voices. Something was most definitely going on.
A careful check of the floor revealed a sliding panel - an obvious cover for what turned out to be a hidden stairwell into a basement floor. The voices grew louder, giving evidence to the fact that he was getting closer to the source. A long unlit hallway led into a room lit by torches, allowing Apex plenty of shadow to hide within. The closer he came, the more became apparent. There were four men. One was younger, two sounded middle-aged, and one - with a hoarse voice - sounded much older. As Apex came to the end of the hallway, he used the Dark Displacement jutsu to merge with the shadows completely, removing him from detection.
Wisely, he decided to utilize the Snapshot jutsu utilized by ANBU to collect evidence in the form of recorded memories.
"...how many are we talking about, Jirou?" the gruff middle-aged man asked.
"Fifteen...maybe more, depending on how quickly we can move them," a raspy voice answered.
"Rokubo asks about quantity when he should be asking about quality. What are their ages?" the younger voice interjected.
"Always so inquisitive, Shinzo. They range from ten to twenty, all young, all healthy girls," the raspy voice, Jirou, noted with a grin audible in his speech.
"This is acceptable. I will pay you on behalf of my clan to have them sent out of the country," the older voice spoke, "Be sure, however, that if the village authorities catch on to your movements, I have nothing to do with this business."
With a chuckle, the raspy Jirou replied, "Of course! Of course, Lord Takeshiro! Most of the girls taken had no family to speak of, and the others...well, aside from some inquiries, they were from families of little note or sway, so I do not foresee any real trouble."
Apex was tempted to forget his mission...a rare thing for the cold, calculating man. But this time...he simply wanted to kill them all. Slave traders, kidnapping girls to smuggle out of Sunagakure...they were disgusting and undeserving of life. But he knew well enough that if he slaughtered the men, there would be little chance of finding the girls and returning them to safety and freedom before they were moved over the borders.
Remaining in the shadows, he stored the memory and moved back along the path he came by. The men below were too focused on their business to even think to pay attention, this...Jirou the kidnapper, Rokubo the purchaser, Shinzo the 'connoisseur', and Lord Takeshiro the customer. As Apex leaped from the window and back into the night, he began to make his way home to file his report on all four men and their practices.
The Captain would want to see what he had seen...
[WC: 939]