Dealing with Loose Ends

[Michi]

It was a narrow ally, the kind that if you extended your arms on both sides you would be touching both walls. It was dimly lit and abandoned less a large man through which barely any light could be seen on either side because his body occupied the full expanse of the passageway and a woman. She was blonde and pretty enough to use use the term as a descriptor despite the fact that she was pushing thirty which was the time most women started letting themselves go. She was well-dressed, too nice for this seedy region of Sunagakure. She was backing away from this behemoth of a man, stumbling over her own heels. "No! Get back! Get Away from me!" She yelled, the scrape of her heel and the bounding of her heart the only response heard. He reached for her and she let out a scream. The scream could be heard for blocks, but in this neighborhood that was not an uncommon circumstance. In these dark corners of society there is no justice, only relative indifference over what is not theirs.

The man picked the woman up by the collar and tossed her aside, her back colliding with the brick wall to her left. The slap of flesh against stone was audible from afar, but despite the painful impact the woman was still conscious but groggy. "Please... don't... You don't have to... I won't say anything!" She begged as she struggled to stand. The man, whoever or whatever he was seemed undeterred by the woman's plea as he reached down and brought her to her feet by her neck. Her back and head pressed hard against the brick wall, his hand clenched tightly around her neck. He did not require two, only one. She struggled, but only for a moment, a look of terror frozen in her blue eyes. She stared forward but saw nothing, her body limp in his hand the giant beast of a man reached with his free hand to his waistband where sheathed was a small blade.

Maximizing this at 4 players to keep things running. Feel free to enter. Simple start, but nothing is ever simple.

 

[Sekuro]

Night had fallen, Kagemaru had managed to sneak his way into Sunagakure and was no going around seeing the sights. He kept to the shadows because he didn't want his glowing eyes to catch the attention of others. It was fairly harder then it used to be when he could use his blind fold to hide the light they emitted. But he could no longer see through his blindfold so he was forced into this situation. He could tell the area he was in was fairly poor. The buildings were run down, unkempt. Kagemaru knew he was in the slums. In his case, he liked areas like these. You knew what to expect. It was the posh nicely lit and well taken care of areas that you had to be careful of. Sure, in this kind of area you could be mugged, but in those fancier areas there were more sinister things going on like corruption of governments. Though tonight he was in a slum and the yell of a female was what snapped him back to the reality of the situation.

He wasn't a hero. He'd long since abandoned any thought that he belonged in any morality scale. Life was several shades of gray and the notion that it was black or white was childish at best. However, he was not above helping someone in need should he feel the need and in Kagemaru's current situation, he knew no one in this village. Perhaps helping this woman in need would provide him a friend in an unfamiliar place. On the other hand, this could be a trap. Luring in kindhearted individuals to save the proverbial damsel in distress only to have that person taken advantage of as well.

That was the kind of man Kagemaru was. Cautious to a fault. In his younger days, he'd have scanned the area looking for anyone who may have been hiding so that he could verify his theory on this situation being a trap for any do-gooders around. But his eyes lacked that power now. He watched from above a tall building in the shadows. If anyone looked his way from the streets below, they would see nothing but the glowing eyes of a predator. As the hulking brute of a man lifted the woman up by the neck, Kage could feel the tugging of his conscious again. "Help the woman" it told him. Should he get involved though? He'd only JUST snuck into this village and getting involved in something like this could bring attention his way. Something he didn't need in his life. But on the other side of the coin, he had come to Sand to find something that gave him life again. Saving this woman could be that thing that sets him back on the path of being a man with a mission again.

The choice was made.

Standing from his pitch black hiding spot atop the run down building, Kagemaru descended in the form of several black crows. His signature traveling technique Flock of Shadows, allowed him to move behind the hulking figure. Once the birds came together, his body would be revealed wearing a tan body cape that he had wore upon entering wind country. But it hid the rest of his body. The only piece of him that was visible was his face, glowing eyes, and his dreadlocks that flowed in all directions to give off a menacing presence.

She's kinda cute. I think I'll take her off your hands. You can just call me Mr.Steal yo gurl. Kage would then make an attempt at removing the mans hand from the woman. However, he expected a reaction so cautious as he was prepared to counter.

Spoiler

Actions if needed
- Byakugan is permanently activated
- Flock of Shadows used RPly
- Body Switch if attacked
- Quick Reaction w/ Eight Trigrams Tenketsu Strikes Mastered

[Marked for Training]

 

[Michi]

For once, this was not a crude trap intended to lure do-gooders into a dangerous situation. The woman was out cold and seconds from death when Kagemaru arrived. The awesome power of the byakugan one curious thing, the woman was unlikely a shinobi. She had the faintest traces of chakra in her coils, untrained and untapped she did not possess a hidden reservoir of power. The man, on the other hand, had indicators of training but perhaps not the training of a shinobi. Many shinobis are taught to train their whole body and have the propensity to do anything from manifesting elements from nothing to enhancing their own body with enough effort and concentration. This man seemed to have a pedestrian chakra system throughout most of his body, the exception being his arms. He was a large man, his arms as large as a woman's waist, much like his legs, his chakra coils were disproportionate to the shell that housed these coils. Engorged, dangerously so, there was even evidence that chakra was leaking from his body. There was no indication of preservation, this man if trained was extremely reckless with his chakra or he was incapable of containing the raw energy his upper extremities possessed.

The man did not see Kagemaru who stuck to the shadows, his back to the stealthy shinobi the woman was seconds from death when Kagemaru descended into the alleyway behind the massive man. He was significantly larger than Kagemaru, respectively from afar the woman could have been perhaps considered small rather than average. This man was likely close to ten feet in height, an unusual measurement even in a land full of men and women capable of manipulating nature itself to their will. Shadowy wings ensconced the foreign good Samaritan as he made his position known.

She's kinda cute. I think I'll take her off your hands. You can just call me Mr.Steal yo gurl.

The bezerker, spun around with a speed and agility that betrayed his size and plunged his blade into the woman's chest before he threw her like a projectile at Kagemaru. Ever the cautious self-preservationist, Kagemaru evasily evaded the attack, the woman's limp body broke through the unfortunate log that was left in his wake and the woman as well as the splintered remains of the wood crashed into the far brick wall. The wall itself cracked, splattered with fresh blood pouring from the woman's fresh wound. The wound was not a fatal blow, as the narrator of this post is unsure of Kagemaru's medical expertise but just because someone is injured does not mean they require a medic. She could use one, surely. But her life would not be preserved due to their presence nor would it be lost now hopefully thanks to Kagemaru's intervention... maybe.

Kagemaru was quick, quicker than the giant or perhaps his size made him more mobile in these cramped quarters. The force of the Hyuuga's attack sent the silent attacker back twenty feet. This did not seem to damage him as much as it seemed to piss him off. The bezerker learned forward and started to charge Kagemaru.

What Happened:

• Byakugan notices something aberrant about the man's chakra.
• The man stabbed the girl and then flung her at Kagemaru, she is not dead just hurt and unconscious.
• Kagemaru evaded the flying body attack with body switch.
• Kagemaru successfully stuck the attacker and sent him back 20 feet.
• The silent bezerker is charging Kagemaru.

Attack List Next Round (similar to but not actually): Suplex followed by Submission with the intent of crushing your bones. If either fail, he rips out a hunk of wall of used that as a projectile and performs something similar to Meteor Breaker.

 

[Sekuro]

Things turned rather quickly for the Hyuuga in a foreign land. Upon confronting the admittedly large man Kagemaru was able to evade his attack. This berserker's size effectively masked the speed at which he was able to attack, however years of training taught the advanced Hyuuga to never underestimate your opponent. Hoping to quickly incapacitate the large man, his tenketsu strikes struck home effectively. Kage was a bit proud that he was still in fighting shape as it had been a fairly long time since he was in actual combat.

Upon sending the hulking mass of a figure a decent distance away he took the time to enter a serious fighting stance. Not taking his eyes off his opponent, Kagemaru was still able to see that the woman was still alive, albeit unconscious. In truth he would have liked to have caught the woman but his reaction was just that, a reaction and thus he only had time to evade. She was bleeding, and unsure of the severity of the wounds. Currently he was debating on if he needed to take her and flee or if he had the time to play with this titan of a man. In accordance to his earlier notions of thinking, he didn't want to get caught here as his position in this village wasn't exactly lawful. For now, the girl seemed to be in no immediate danger and he wanted to test something out. If he couldn't cause this man to go down with his next few actions, he would consider taking the girl and making an exit. After all, perhaps he could gleam from her why she was in this peculiar situation. Kagemaru had traveled in search of a purpose, perhaps this was that purpose.

After taking his fighting stance the brute lunged at him and Kagemaru could feel his heart jump. The excitement of a fight always filled him with joy and he couldn't help but let a smirk escape his face.

Not the talkative type? You should re-.... A fairly large arm crossed his neck with the intent on flattening him to the ground. And it did. Or rather a clone of himself. Stunt Double was a fairly useful technique and due to Kage gleaming that the man was no shinobi, he figured it was safe to assume that he wouldn't notice Kage switch himself out with a clone. The clone was hefty enough to take the hit but once the man grabbed the clone to break it. And as the clone exploded into a cloud of smoke from the crushing strength of the large man's arms, Kagemaru had already lunged into a rather powerful taijutsu of his own.

Spoiler

Actions:
Stunt Double to attempt to dodge the attack + Elemental Clone (Taijutsu)
- Quick Reaction w/
- Jutsu Creator: Fist of Balance (Fist of Sin (Wrath)/ Fist of Virtue (Patience charged to the max)) in an attempt to hit him as hard as possible while in Jyuuken stance in hopes of causing some internal damage.
- Kaiten prepared if attacked.

 

[Michi]

Not the talkative type? You should re-....

The giant-man made not a sound as he crushed the life from the... clone? Yes, it was nothing more than chakra laced with imagination, somehow feebly tangible it shattered in his hands. Could jutsu's shatter, rather than disappear in a puff of smoke? Not that there was any time to contemplate the physics involved with such things, a powerful pair of attacks were launched at the rampaging bezerker. He made no effort to evade the attack, has his fist impacted the great man squarely he would feel as if he punched the side of a mountain. His body gave way inches, Kagemaru's punch was simply that powerful. More so than the strike a normal shinobi of similar stature would. Regardless, the main remained steadfast and resolute despite an impact that could have shattered stone. He did have a weakness however, something only his eyes could tell him.

The savage attacks from the mute monster did not relent, in fact he seemed enraged at the tiny quick man before him. The tiny... breakable... crushable man. The titan laced his fingers together and brought his fists crashing onto the ground, sending shock-waves from the impact point. Cracked formed on the ground as the earth seemed to roll like a wave of water on a lake. All-in-all the mammoth man was not particularly bright, making noise and causing property damage even if in the slums would likely bring about even more attention from the locals and nobody wants that. He would need to be put to rest soon. His gargantuan hand reached for the woman's leg once again. If successful he would fling her by her ankle at Kagemaru a second time.

What Happened?

• The giant attacked a clone and broke it.
• Kagemaru punched the bezerker HARD. The bezerker is uncanny in how durable he is.
• The giant struck at the ground, causing the ground to shatter and damage the immediate area and whoever was on the ground would suffer AOE (B Rank) damages.
• The large man attempts to again use the woman to attack Kagemaru.
• He is demonstrating a limited thought-pattern by now as well as a few preferences in his attacks that might be considered.

 

[Sekuro]

Kagemaru was cursing himself for not training as he should have. He hit the gigantic man with perhaps his most devastatingly physically strong attack he had in his taijutsu arsenal and the man moved but inches. It was disheartening to Kagemaru as he'd never seen anything like it. That slight moment of weakness was enough for the large hulking figure's attack to cause debris to fall upon Kagemaru. It didn't hurt that much but it gave the giant enough time to refocus his attention on the woman. This was an issue as he had initially got himself in this situation to SAVE her.

Kagemaru wasn't sure he would make it in time but at least he had some sense knocked into him. Comparing his first attack's results to his second attacks, the strike on the man's chakra was much more effective then the more physically damaging strike. He had a plan and now was the time to enact it. Getting up as best he could from the rubble of the earthquake the body of the girl was flung his way and he decided to take the hit. Her being flung into him would surely soften the blow she would receive had he simply dodged her. But overall she had been flung with a tremendous force and that much force sent Kagemaru back into the stone wall of one of the buildings that housed their little brawl. He took the hit and then as fast as he could Kage threw down a smoke bomb. The brute was quick but Kage was faster and more nimble. The smoke bomb was meant to distract the man as Kage attacked him but it then occurred to him that he could no longer see through smoke. That was absolutely frustrating but years of training wouldn't deter him. Kage jumped up in an attempt to get the girl to safety. Jumping from one building to the next and back again, his goal was to get to the top of one of the buildings in an attempt to place the woman out of immediate danger. If his progress was halted in any way Kage held no immediate attachment to the woman and would strike the man as best he could in the knees. The brutes strength seemed to lie in his upper body, even his chakra coils told this story. The giant's weakness must lie in his legs.

Spoiler

Actions:
- Catch the woman in an attempt to keep her from sustaining any more injuries.
- Throw smoke bomb
- Attempt to flee upwards to the top of the buildings.
- If stopped in any way, Kage would dodge using Body Switch + Micro chakra bomb
- Quick Reaction + Called Shot Legs (maximum of 3)

 

[Michi]

Kagemaru got the girl, in the literal sense as she was flung into his mid-section. It was a good thing too, considering she would likely not survive serving as a bludgeoning instrument or projectile for very long. The stone building behind Kagemaru cracked on impact. A cloud of dust erupted behind the foreign shinobi holding the unfortunate, unconscious woman in his arms. She was likely of some importance or concern considering the fact that she was no longer moving. For some reason this man wanted her dead.

Kagemaru threw down a smoke bomb and an inky fog covered the narrow passageway. Befuddled within the obscurity, the behemoth let out the first sound uttered in Kagemaru's presence. It seemed more like a roar than a battle-cry from within that caused the walls of the building adjacent to tremble. The giant blindly swung into the mist, but his meaty fist hit nothing but air and an unfortunate wall that his fist broke through. He did not see Kagemaru until he crested the building, finally escaping the dark haze. The bezerker's fist broke the ground beneath him and grabbed hold of a hunk of solid earth that he hurled at the escaping pair. Kagemaru droipped the woman on the rooftop as he evaded the attack in a puff of smoke leaving behind a microchakra bomb in his wake. The chakra bomb detonated assumably on impact sending a halo of pure energy out in every direction. Proving harmless for the attacker and perhaps mildly scalding if at all for the unconscious woman on the rooftop. At least there was some meager distance for the brute to close before he could grab hold of her again.

There was some logic in what Kagemaru was about to do, break the legs so that he could not carry such a massive frame. This in essence would work if he did not wish to be pursued, but also his arms being the basis of his power while likely not his durability would have also rendered him incapable of fighting. The Hyuuga struck the strongman thrice, causing the tendons and ligaments in his legs to sprain and his tibia start to crack. Open-palmed, he tried to smash Kagemaru into the ground.

What Happened?

• Kagemaru caught the girl.
• The smoke-bomb obscured Kagemaru's temporary retreat.
• The giant tried to strike/grab kagemaru in the smoke - MISSED!
• The giant hurled a hunk of earth at Kagemaru once he reached the rooftop. Kagemaru evaded the attack with bodyswitch and a micro chakrabomb exploded the clod of earth but dropped the woman in the process on the rooftop.
• Kagemaru attacked the giant's legs - causing fractures to his legs. The giant cannot run away or adequately pursue Kagemaru or the woman.

 

[Sekuro]

His plan had succeeded at its base level and now was the time to decide on fight or flight. The Hyuuga could tell he injured the giant and it would hinder it's capability of giving chase. However, the warrior in him wanted to continue the brawl as it had been too long since he felt the thrill of heated combat. A temporary stand off from the brute gave Kagemaru time to remember his reason for being in this situation in the first place. The intention was to save the woman.

Another smirk escaped his mouth before Kagemaru would taunt the giant once more.

You shouldn't skip leg day bro. A quip that was meant to further enrage the behemoth into attacking him. The Hyuuga planned to take advantage of his rage and confuse the giant once attacked with his Flock of shadows technique. Once activated the resulting clones and the giants confusion would further buy Kage some time to escape with the woman who was currently unconscious above a building.

Actions:
Taunt giant into attacking.
Dodge with flock of shadows hoping the clones confuse the giant
Snap shot the giant
Shadow dance the girl
Attempt to leave with the girl
If allowed, using fist of virtue to heal the girl. (my only healing attack)

 

[Michi]

OC: Bad post from a delerious Shiori~

IC:
You shouldn't skip leg day bro.

Engaging in banter against a thug?

CHECK

Use of an overly dramatic super-power/signature move?

CHECK

Save the girl?

CHECK

So this is what it is like to write for Stan Lee. Only missing the spandex and the mask. Wait, he used to wear a blindfold. Thankfully we are not getting too cliche. The beast of a man, however, was a lowly mook and took the bait. The behemoth lowered his head and charged. The grouping of clones emerged from the shadows, distorting reality and making a sure target impossible for the giant. He charged the center of the clones crashing through the wall they stood in front of. A cloud of rubble and dust littered the narrow alley. The bezerker, unscathed but dusty and mildly disoriented. A cacophony of screams echoed from the inside of the building he just broke through, a 'gentleman's club' as if that was a place for civilized men to congregate. This was Kagemaru's out and he took it, the limp woman in his arms and whisked her away.

It was strange to say that Kagemaru's only healing technique involved violence. As if one was adding insult to injury, he decked the unfortunate woman. They say time heals all wounds, but perhaps in this case violence does also. The woman let out a weak cough as her eyes fluttered open.

What Happened?

• The giant attacked Kagemaru and crashed through a wall and is in a whore house acting like a bull in a china closet.
• Kagemaru escaped with the girl.
• Kagemaru punched her back to consciousness.

 

[Sekuro]

Things were wrapping up nicely. Kagemaru had saved the girl from death by ogre, successfully hindered its ability to give chase to him while he carried the woman to safety and also revived her with a taijutsu that was known to restore vitality to those through a combination of chakra and pressing the right point on the body. He was no practitioner of medical jutsu but he kept this one technique if ever he needed to heal himself or someone else. In truth, it was Kagemaru's first time using this technique as a healing method.

The point was that she was now conscious and in route to a location that they should be safe from unless there were means of them being tracked that he was unaware of. However, Kagemaru was trained in counter surveillance and taking into his visual handicap of no longer being able to see through objects, the best place for them to be right now was somewhere wide open with little cover. He could still see very far and Kage had taken the precaution of recording the chakra of the giant man with a Snapshot this would prove useful later as Kage had plans of tracking the man down. Once he decided that he didn't want to kill the giant man, Kage realized that tracking him to his base of operations; or home; would be a better solution in the long run. However, he would only do that based on the information he would receive from the woman who now owed Kagemaru her life. He would hold her to that if need be.

Not taking the time to actually look at her, he kept his eyes forward and focused on finding a location that would suit his needs. Though he could see her perfectly fine without actually looking at her. Through the air as he continued to leap from structure to structure, Kage decided that now was a good a time as any to strike up a conversation with the woman.

I'll save you the trouble of asking me who I am. You don't need to know. But what -I- wanna know is why you were being attacked by that... thing. People like him don't just walk around the streets picking fights with pretty ladies like yourself cause its a great way to stay in shape. He looks like he lifts enough as it is. So feel free to fill me in on the if not, he's still back there playing around with a bunch of other ladies but I'm sure he wouldn't mind swapping them for you. Straight to the point as ever and with a stern sense of him being an asshole. Kage had no time to play the nice guy. Nor did he want to wast time playing the pronoun game. He wanted straight and detailed answers so to expedite her response he threw in some threats to show that he wasn't exactly a knight in shining armor.

No matter how bright his eyes shined in the dark.

 

[Michi]

OC: A continuation of my work-shift delirium. I have old-school comics on the brain.

Spidermaru... Spidermaru... does whatever a spider do. Spiiidermaruuuu!​

IC:

Seeing Kagemaru when you fist make up could be quite jarring. Being woken up because Kagemaru punched you back into consciousness IS quite jarring. She opened her eyes wide and let of a shrill scream of terror. They were moving fast over rooftops and alleyways, the ground distant and rolling past her at a dizzying rate. "Ohmigod don't drop me!" She shrieked. Panicked, she flailed her arms risking death not by descent but rather by the potentially abrupt halt involved in her landing. She felt nauseated in this state of abject terror, a bitter burning sensation at the back of her throat as the gall made her way up the gullet. "I'm, gonna puke..." she warned as her stomach did flip-flops inside of her and she faced away from Kagemaru having at least that much of a presence of mind as she dry heaved but thankfully her gastric contents stayed put.

I'll save you the trouble of asking me who I am. You don't need to know. But what -I- wanna know is why you were being attacked by that... thing. People like him don't just walk around the streets picking fights with pretty ladies like yourself cause its a great way to stay in shape. He looks like he lifts enough as it is. So feel free to fill me in on the if not, he's still back there playing around with a bunch of other ladies but I'm sure he wouldn't mind swapping them for you.

Kagemaru wasted no time with his inquiry or his assurances, all she needed to hear really was that he might bring her back to him. She had no idea who he was, but she did have an idea regarding what he wanted and she was fucking terrified. "No! Please don't" She begged, her body shivering with fright. If they stopped long enough for the woman to stop retching, the jumping and the speed were too much for the civilian. "H-He's trying to prevent me from talking..." She gasped and tried to shake the tears from her face. "I do not get paid enough to deal with this bullshit! I want nothing to do with this war!" She cried. "I... just want to go home," she pleaded, looking back the way she came praying that she was not forced to go back.

What Happened

• The Bezerker was incapable of pursuit.
• The woman gets motion-sick but has thankfully not vomited on you (mostly because I temporarily value her life, but eh if she must due *shrug*)
• She mentions an impending war.

 

[Sekuro]

Things were developing and Kagemaru's curiosity was piqued. However, he was still cautious of the woman as this whole thing could still be a ploy, so he wouldn't let up his interrogation just yet. He would however, stop moving as much and make his way to the ground to halt the woman from further chances of vomiting on him. He didn't have much money these days so the clothes he DID have he prefered to not let them get dirtied so long as he could help it.

If the woman was to be trusted, then judging by her words, there was something going on that held sensitive information. She knew something and that titan of a man was sent to make sure she didn't tell anyone what she knew. This was a scenario you only saw in comics and movies. But this was neither, this was real life and Kagemaru had a role to play. For now, his urge for information was not yet satisfied so he would berate the woman with more questions. She knew he was serious and seemed absolutely scared of seeing that man once more. So using the giant as leverage to make her talk should have greased the wheels for more answers to Kage's yet unasked questions.

What is it exactly that you get paid for? Knowing her profession could prove useful. Afterall, ones job is usually where their skills lie. Kage was as master at infiltration, and information gathering so thats what his missions routinely revolved around back in the Leaf village. Her job would give Kage insight as to what she was capable of.

And what is it exactly that you were being silenced from talking about. And I don't wanna hear no If I tell you they'll kill me bs. Cause fact of the matter is I'm not the good guy here. My curiosity is what saved you tonight. But I could be curious to see what happens if I you get returned to that giant too. A friendly reminder that her life wasn't out of danger just yet. Though Kagemaru was only half lying, he didn't really fashion himself a man that could very well harm women, but he liked to get results. If he didn't get the information he wanted, Kage had the option of tracking down the giant man to wherever it was that he would go; most likely his employers. Kage had taken the snapshot of that man for just such an occasion. Regardless of what the woman said, he may have to track him down anyway.

And why don't you tell me about this war too. I'm new in town. Kinda wanna know what I'm getting myself into. He missed the war over the Leaf village so Kage felt inclined to involve himself somewhat in this war if possible. This village wasn't his own but in the back of his mind he felt it was needed that he do something here. It may have been the guilt of being away on a mission while his home was being ransacked.

Spoiler

Actions:
- Interrogate the woman.

ooc: Fun fact: Kagemaru here is the NC version of Shado aka Kagemaru, a comic character I've created for my own comic that I'm developing. His design and fighting style and mannerisims were based off of partly my own and Spider-Man since he's my favorite marvel hero.

 

[Michi]

OC: Sorry for the delay. I am not working for the next bit so I should be more timely. Also, called it =)
[col]They were slowing down, "thank Suna" she thought as her belly did somersaults. She clung onto the stranger for dear life fearing also the fall rather than the logical landing pains. What is it exactly that you get paid for? He asked, a more difficult question than she could easily answer because it had everything to do with why that man was trying to kill her.

"I-I work for Merchant Lord Sheena," she stammered as her dry tongue struggled with finding the words. To clarify she worked for a Merchant Lord in Soons Haven, Guchi Sheena the Indebter. Better known as a wealthy banker in Soons Haven, besides money there were few reasons to consider a banker as a target of violence. "I-I just manage her banks here," she clarified. She was not a fighter, she was not even a guard. In fact, she was not directly responsible for anything of importance but the everyday functioning of Sheena's banks in Sunagakure.

And what is it exactly that you were being silenced from talking about. And I don't wanna hear no If I tell you they'll kill me bs. Cause fact of the matter is I'm not the good guy here. My curiosity is what saved you tonight. But I could be curious to see what happens if I you get returned to that giant too.

"I'd be more worried about them trying to kill you too," she replied. She might have sounded a bit snarky with that choice statement but it was not a lie in this case. "I have no reason to not tell you... tell anyone, he might even get off my ass and only someone else's," she reasoned out-loud as her shivering slowed. "I was called by Merchant Lord Sheena to warn the Steward... if he could be found, that the Diamyo was behind the Cabal attack." Her terrified eyes widened as she watched his expression, to see if it had changed. To see if she had given this information to another kind of monster. "I do not know why but the Diamyo called the Merchant Lords into a meeting..." her voice trailed off as her eyes scanned the immediate area. Was he coming, was the giant coming back? Was he going to bring her back to him? He'd be a fool if he did, but he was not hero and hell if she knew if this pearly-eyed man was an even worse fiend. "My boss was pissed and told me to tell someone so that Sunagakure could respond, she has a lot to lose if Sunagakure is destroyed. I have a lot to lose too, but I can find work someplace else," she added. she was not a hero, far from it. She just wanted a nice nine to five with benefits, something she found for the past few years. She did not sign on for this shit.

And why don't you tell me about this war too. I'm new in town. Kinda wanna know what I'm getting myself into.

She was not going to say anything sarcastic and press her luck further. She chewed her lower lip and looked away again, making sure that that thing was not coming. She did not know the extent of the injuries Kagemaru had already inflicted in his legs. There was not way he was going to catch them anytime soon, even if he did know where they were or how far they had gone in this short time. "Just don't let him hurt me..." she muttered warily. "The war that the Diamyo is waging against Sand, since Sunagakure was not destroyed with that team of what... six... seven maybe... but we almost were. What do you think will happen when he sends ten or twenty? Sunagakure will be destroyed unless they are warned and if they are warned I can only assume that their only response would be war." She explained, as her line of reasoning was laid out in front of him. The politics surrounding this potential war go even deeper than that still, she had not yet had a chance to add an additional tid bit of information Lord Sheena gave her the other day.

While the Diamyo might be only interested in the destruction of Sunagakure, Sunagakure likely interested soon in a war with the Diamyo, there was a third variable to consider. There was a rumor going around, it made it into the papers in fact. She wondered if this man had gotten hold of the open letter left the the public painting Merchant Lord Fukui as a mastermind behind the Cabal attack. If she listened to a word her boss had to say, that letter was nothing but slander but a part of her had to wonder if she was simply trying to protect a friend. "I don't have a copy, but there is also a letter circulating with another rumor that one of the Lords was behind the Cabal attack which could incite another war with Soons Haven rather than the Diamyo. I..." she hesitated, but she sure as hell was not going to lie. "Am just a messenger. I do not know if there is any truth in the claims I am making, but that big-scary man is making me think that I might be right. I just have no idea how he would know." Her heart raced as she added that last sentence. She just realized that fact. How did he know to attack her? How did he know who she was? What else does she not know? There was a logical reason for all of this, a plan created with more finesse as time went on as sloppy considerations started to flourish into perhaps something more. Sadly, this information was far from her scope of understanding and way above her pay grade.

|[legend="[b][color=#BF0040]Bio Information[/color][/b]"]

Merchant Lord
Guchi Sheena the Indebter​

Location: Soons Haven
Bloodline/Core Ability: Quick Learner
Age: 19

Physical Description: While beautiful, she is not known for her trademark magenta tresses or lavender eyes. She prefers more masculine high formal military clothing and does not take to any form of traditional female wear. From brass button to woolen jackets and crisp white gloves, she appears more ready to lead an army than a bank. While she is only five feet in height, her only feminine feature being the heels she wears on her otherwise combat-ready leather footwear adds about three inches to her height.

Mental Description: Profit is her goal, while she is capable of waiting for long-term return she is a careful investor and takes great pride in knowing what is a good deal. Her preoccupation with profit while living an above-average but not anywhere near the life her wealth could afford her is perplexing. She is often euphoric about brokering deals, but has known to spiral into a state of angst and fury when arrangements are not made in her favor. While she is able to afford whatever those losses might have been, her strong reaction does not match the rest of her character. She is not known to be greedy, a penny-pincher or one who tries to give to those less fortunate in society. Her ultimate ambition is unknown but with her continued rise in power and wealth has made many of the other Merchant Lords uneasy.

History: Sheena is the youngest of the Soon Merchant Council, and for her age one of the more accomplished of the Soon Merchants. Sheena since an early age has been known to have people indebted to her, and has always made a good return on her loans. Mystery surrounds her origins as there is a great number of inconsistencies in their accounts. It is rumored that Sheena once came from an impoverished house but during her early years she inherited a great wealth as she was the last living relative of a wealthy clan who has all but vanished into the ages. There is an another rumor that Sheena instead of inheriting wealth manipulated a foreign bank into giving her a lead position and thus she acquired the wealth of others and invested it into several ventures which all made tremendous returns. Instead of merely using such riches to simply better herself, she has instead used such riches to invest in others who in return have made a profit in which Sheena has quite a stake in. Those who have failed to make good on their returns to Sheena have been completely ruined and are rarely heard from again.

The above being information you can automatically know if you want or info you can claim you scared out of her as well so you do not have a wall scared civilian text​

[/legend][/col]

What Happened?

• She told you she works for a Merchant Lord and that the Cabal attack was directed by the Diamyo.
• She also told you about another rumor circulating that one of the -other- Merchant Lords has also been accused of financing the Cabal.
• She feels that this will lead to a war.
• She has no idea how the bezerker figured out she knew what she knew.

 

[Sekuro]

“Sheena… “ His brow furrowed a bit as he placed a hand under his chin and supported it with his other arm as he pondered what she had to do with this situation. It wasn’t the first time Kage had come across that name. Unlike the Stone village, Kagemaru had traversed the lands of Wind Country quite a bit prior to this little excursion into the Sand village. He had heard of her name several times and knew a bit about her as well. They had never met in person but it was looking like it was time to change that. As the woman continued, she remarked that Kage should have feared being killed as well. He didn’t perceive her words as threatening so he would let them slide.

“I’ve died once before, its not that big a deal. Remarking a time previous to this. Kagemaru had been in a state of death for several months on end and had to this day no information on how or why. It was a great mystery to him but he was not concerned with it at the moment. The important aspect he was focused on now was this Sand war situation. The woman continued to explain the situation as best she could and Kage kept quiet as she explained. He could tell she was still shaken from what had just happened. She was using terms that he himself were not familiar with. As she finished, Kage removed his hand from his chin as his pondering was finished.

“First… When I say I’m new in town, I mean I just got here like 3 hours ago. What is this Cabal and what did they do? It may explain why it was so damn easy to get into this village unseen. I’m good… but I EXPECT a village to have someone near my level to catch me.” He was almost lamenting the fact that he snuck in so easily. Though he was actually trying to get in unseen, he would have been just as happy had he been caught as it may have given him a chance to either fight his way in or lie his way in. Either were fun options in his book.

“Second… Who is this Daimyo? Like I said, I was dead for a while so public figures are a bit new to me. But before you answer that… I want you to calm down. That big oaf of a man has pretty much no way of catching us. I took care of his legs before I rescued you. So you can relax a bit. So long as you continue to help me, I’ll keep you safe.” He wasn’t all bad and she HAD just given him a nice bit of information so a bit of reassurance could go a long way. So hopefully he eased her worries a bit and she would be a bit more open to helping him more.

“Third… who knows that you know what you know? You were obviously the target of a hit, meaning you know some sensitive information that people don’t want others to know. Namely myself. That said, if you can tell me who knows you know what you know confusing… I know. we can narrow down who would want you killed. Also… most times, you just follow the money so I’m thinking I go see this Sheena character. I’ve been wanting to meet her for some time now. That said, is there any place we can find you that you can lay low for a while?” Honestly, Kagemaru never thought he’d say those words to anyone in life.

”Your home or any of your reletives are out of the questions. If you’re a target, its only common sense to target your friends or family to see if you show up there as well. So you can either come with me as I track down Sheena, or find a nice hole to hide in until I get back. Either way, I’m interested enough for you to hire me. He would wait a bit for her to answer his questions before he turned to leave, he stopped and looked back at the girl.

”Oh yeah… I’m a mercenary. You’re paying me for keeping you alive. Don’t worry, you can afford it I assure you. We can discuss the price later.” At that point he turned to walk away from the woman. If she followed or not was up to her, or if she decided to stop him or not was up to her. He had already taken a snap shot of her as well so he could track her down no matter where she went now as well.

Spoiler

- Asked more questions
- Snapshot the girl so I could locate her later if need be.
- Began walking away.
- Marked this post for training.

 

[Amagi Saieko]

{OOC: If Kagemaru is spidey then I guess that makes me the black cat just kidding, Sai is joining the thread}

Sai was making her usual rounds in the District, Shaking down her usual customers for any info on the recent group of wanna-be street thugs trying to raise chaos and anarchy , Sai spat on the ground as one of her informants lied to her face. She picked him up by the collar and slammed him against the wall listening to him howl as he thought he was being killed. She didn’t want to do that to him she just needed to shake the info out from him. Sai hated competition this was her turf she alone laced her pockets with the rich and well to do’s money jewels and even their holdings. She only went after the really raunchy types thoe ( you know the type the ones so rich they literally could smoke it and not see a problem with the money being wasted.) Oh she couldn’t help herself from those types. The man Said, “Honest I don’t know anything, common Sai please we go way back.” “Please just let me go all I know is that some big dude is busting up one of the stalls currently.” “I mean common Sai have a heart please.”

Sai let the man down He was innocent after all not the enemy. The enemy was the people that took their money in vain and snuffed it in others faces. They needed to pay, Sai sent chakra to her feet and took off bounding from roof top to roof top. As she was heading in the direction of the stall that apparently some huge guy was busting up. She saw a odd pair on a roof top. Some guy's eyes were glowing and a girl. She couldn’t hear what was being said but from the looks of it wasn’t a midnight meeting of star crossed lovers either in fact both of their cloths were rather out of place her in the slums. Sai knew this town very well since she had to grow up here and those faces not really the ones you see down here.

Sai was curious because if they weren’t making out or on a date then there was definitely something to poke at with a stick or a sword for that matter. Plus she was a shinobi of Suna there’s apparently a giant of a man wrecking a joint further up the least she could do was say hey crefew time kiddos time to kiss him one last time and off you go shoo shoo. Smirking as she went it was good to be in a small amount of authority in this village. Upon landing on a the roof they were on, Sai eyes drew on the man standing there his garb and attire wasn’t Sand at all. So, how are the two love birds tonight hmmm… Just wanted to tell you folks that because of the problems further ahead I’m going to have to tell you to call it a night and make sure y’all get home safely.

 

[Michi]

“Sheena… “ He repeated, she told him what she knew but it was not much considering the the breadth of these matters.

“First… When I say I’m new in town, I mean I just got here like 3 hours ago. What is this Cabal and what did they do? It may explain why it was so damn easy to get into this village unseen. I’m good… but I EXPECT a village to have someone near my level to catch me.”

His suicidal lust for adventure would likely be the the madman's doing one day, perhaps not today as he bemoaned his plight - that his death-wish had yet to be satisfied. It told her a lot, even if she was not the inquisitive type. He was a guy that was going to die young, probably. He seemed like the kind to take a few down with him, but that really does not change the ultimate outcome. Still, strange that he did not question the ruin the community was left in. Buildings destroyed, caverns collapsed and the dead still left unburied. "The name we call the group of people that attacked Sunagakure a few days ago. They nearly killed everyone, but there was this big fight in the Toraono Dojo where they caught some of their agents. I don't know if any of them survived," she explained as briefly as possible.

“Second… Who is this Daimyo? Like I said, I was dead for a while so public figures are a bit new to me. But before you answer that… I want you to calm down. That big oaf of a man has pretty much no way of catching us. I took care of his legs before I rescued you. So you can relax a bit. So long as you continue to help me, I’ll keep you safe.”

Her tense shoulders relaxed when she heard that the giant was likely out of range, for now. She nodded in acknowledgement. "The same one we have always had, Daimyō Ishii Shirō. I do not know much about people that far up the food chain," she admitted. When people are that rich, it was hard to tell which end was their face and which was their ass. It was probably the usual Daimyō stuff, being born into the position as a birthright. "Lives in Sora, the capital of Wind Country," she added trying to consider what little she knew. She could not say much, not that there was anything preventing her from doing so. The Daimyō was a rarely mentioned man in Wind Country despite the immense power he possessed.

“Third… who knows that you know what you know? You were obviously the target of a hit, meaning you know some sensitive information that people don’t want others to know. Namely myself. That said, if you can tell me who knows you know what you know confusing… I know. we can narrow down who would want you killed. Also… most times, you just follow the money so I’m thinking I go see this Sheena character. I’ve been wanting to meet her for some time now. That said, is there any place we can find you that you can lay low for a while?”

"Nobody," she replied without thought or hesitation. She was contacted via headset that morning. The statement was brief and of course during business hours, she had completed her workday without incident and it was only after she left work that... that thing attacked her. "I was contacted while I was at work, but I told nobody," she claimed. Shinobis were more capable than she knew, some had an uncanny sense of sight, sound, smell and some even an intuitive sense. All possibilities, but none were the actual circumstance not that she had any way of knowing this. She was not the only person being hunted, she was simply the only person with valuable information thus far being hunted. There were others like her with a direct line to a Merchant Lord, others like her being attacked in some dark ally by men like that. Someone was commissioning their murders. Someone who did not want the blame to fall on the Wind Country government. It was a strange web of convulsed tales and lies, the lady manager an unfortunate fly caught in this trap.

”Your home or any of your reletives are out of the questions. If you’re a target, its only common sense to target your friends or family to see if you show up there as well. So you can either come with me as I track down Sheena, or find a nice hole to hide in until I get back. Either way, I’m interested enough for you to hire me."

"I want nothing to do with this," she insisted, her arms crossed over her chest in a more scared than defiant pose. "I just want to go home, lock my door and wait until someone catches that madman. Do what you want with what I know, I was supposed to tell someone and you count... I guess," she frowned. She was not a hero, she was not cut from the right cloth to ever be one. He mentioned something about hiring him. Hiring him for what? She scraped her foot on the ground nervously as she looked away.

”Oh yeah… I’m a mercenary. You’re paying me for keeping you alive. Don’t worry, you can afford it I assure you. We can discuss the price later.”

Any price is a pittance to pay for life, but she was not rich, only the company she kept was. "I don't have much money," she warned. He turned away, he was leaving. It seemed contradictory to what he was offering. She wondered if this was supposed to be her out, her chance to run. To get away from that brute while his legs were lame and to get away from this thrill-seeker before it was too late. Her face expressed her thoughts, she was never trained to conceal much about herself. She was going to run.

"So, how are the two love birds tonight hmmm… Just wanted to tell you folks that because of the problems further ahead I’m going to have to tell you to call it a night and make sure y’all get home safely."

A woman she did not know announced, her hair prematurely grey. She did not know who she was, but this was perhaps a welcome distraction or a terrible turn of events. She did not know this woman from a merc, an ANBU or even associated with whatever attacked her minutes earlier. She could run, but she was not fast. She could go to the strange woman, but who the hell knows what side she is on, or side with the thrill-seeker and hope for the best. She knew this Kagemaru fellow was probably out for himself, not some benevolent cause, but he had also not hurt her yet. She moved closer to where Kagemaru was perched, mouthing whatever you want when her back was to the woman. She was going to let him answer, it would be easier to let him come up with a story or consent. If she went left and he right it was going to be a mess.

What Happened?

• She mentioned briefly that the Cabal is the unit that attacked Sunagakure.
• She knows little more about the Daimyō besides his name.
• You're hired.
• She was going to run for it when she thought she had a chance, run home and probably get killed but the arrival of a new person has startled her and she would rather stay with the devil she knows.

 

[Sekuro]

It would seem that the Hidden Sand village was going to hell in a hand basket. The woman was frightened and he could tell. He knew she was going to try and run from him and in actuality, Kagemaru would have followed her from a safe distance to see where she went, and if she was attacked. The idea was to hopefully stop anyone attacking her and force them to answer his questions. Hopefully they would be more competent with the English language then the last giant oaf was. The woman answered his questions and Kagemaru was coming to the conclusion that he was placing himself smack in the middle of an internal war. He was surprisingly ok with that. Kagemaru had very little to live for these days. He had no village to call home, he could only assume his family had all been slaughtered in the war that Leaf lost, his friends were gone and he had little to no purpose in life other than to become stronger. But what use was there to become stronger if he had nothing to use that strength for? This was why he would help this woman.

She explained that no one knew that she knew what she knew which was peculiar. If that were the case, then she may be targeted due to her connection to Sheena. All the more reason for him to contact that woman. As he motioned to leave another woman came into their vicinity. This one was clearly trained. Kagemaru could tell by looking at her chakra. He'd play this one a bit far from the best, but hopefully his new patron would understand what he was doing and play along.

Looking to the new arrival, he gave a gleaming stare and responded.

The Cabal has no curfew. Leave us now. His gaze was serious and he was intent on selling the idea that he was actually part of the Cabal. There was a reason for his madness.

 

[Amagi Saieko]

Sai was just trying to be polite and help these two unsuspecting people know about a possible bad situation. Upon the girl seeing her she looked like a ghost and turned around to face the man she guessed trying to ignore her. Of all the fucking nerve (really) and people say I’m rude she thought. Her eyes had stayed on the man however since I mean common its not every day you see glowing eyes like that. Not to mention you could really feel a sense of pressure here. She couldn’t put her finger on it but she smelled blood. He wasn’t the best guy in this shit hole she called home. He was the one who chose to respond to her, “The Cabal has no curfew. Leave us now.” Sai registered this information and a white flash seared in her own eyes. The group that had been pushing in on her turf down here, the only group that she hated more than the rich slobs she stole from on a daily basis.

“Im, sorry what did you just say?” Cause im sure what you just said wasn’t and cant be exactly what I’m thinking you said…..and just in case it is. Im going to tell you wrong fuckin answer!!!! This guy either was really confident or really fuckin stupid…..He was siding with Suna’s enemies in Suna knowing full well what would happen if he announced that and of all people he chose to do it in front of sands shinobi and one that had enough know how to literally level several levels of this place. Her temper was rising she felt her cheeks and ears growing hot. The nerve of this guy. Sai hopped off the ledge of the roofs sill and on to the roof itself where the two stood. Sai took out her scythe and the blade slammed into the roof. She cocked her head and cracked her knuckles been a while since she felt this excited. Her hands were shaking in anticipation for the next few moments the last time she had this strong of a competitor she was in school with her master.

She looked at the girl and said “I hope to sands your not with him, cause if you are not I recommend sweetheart that you run far….. and I mean far away cause what’s about to go down here will either completely decimate this sector and possibly the district or the city itself. Her eyes activated there prisms just in case. All the girl would see is glowing white hot coals in Sai’s eyes. Her eyes refracted the light from the neon signs around them. Sai meant business here and a baka of a girl that was at ground zero of this fight might want to rethink her position here.

This fight was going to be messy and either very long or really fast and very damaging to everything around them. Sai gripped her Scythe (Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi). Turning back to the man sai spoke again smirking , ”Don’t tease me with a good time, and not follow through common big guy come dance with me in the pale neon lights!!!!



Bullets in the coffin:
Sai Hates the cabal
Unknown glowing eyed guy says hes from the cabal
Sai warns the girl to run cause it was about to get ugly down here in the slums
Kagemaru and Sai were about to dance a deadly game

 

[Michi]

Kagemaru got it right, her attack was a preemptive measure that happened just in the nick of time considering. Someone had a great deal invested in the woes of Sunagakure, but the truth was certainly not something that they wanted released. Well, not that truth at the very least.

The Cabal has no curfew. Leave us now.

Her jaw dropped. What did he just say? She took a step back, her eyes wide with fear and confusion. She looked at the woman as rage painted over her imperious features. She shook her head side to side, rotating palms facing Saieko as she mouthed the word 'no' several times over. No, NOT the Cabal. Nothing to so with the Cabal. Who are the Cabal. Never heard of them. Why did she have to get mixed up in whatever this death-wishing lunatic was into? And why did he have to taunt the random person that was probably an overbearing shinobi considering the fact that there was no 'curfew' in effect and they were being sent off to bed.

“Im, sorry what did you just say? Cause im sure what you just said wasn’t and cant be exactly what I’m thinking you said…..and just in case it is. Im going to tell you wrong fuckin answer!!!!"

The indignant woman shouted as she pulled out a scythe - from where was anyone's guess considering it was previously 'away' and slammed it into the roof. Likely the first instance of collateral damage this district would see over the next several minutes. "Heeee's joookinnng" She laughed nervously as she tried to determine the safest place to scurry to. The safest place being another district.

“I hope to sands your not with him, cause if you are not I recommend sweetheart that you run far….. and I mean far away cause what’s about to go down here will either completely decimate this sector and possibly the district or the city itself."

A sentiment the angry glowy-eyed woman reinforced. Since when did her eyes glow? There was something wrong with that Mercenary's eyes as well. She just wanted to go home. "He has no idea what he is even talking about, he just got here." She explained, her voice somewhat defiant but she was more scared than anything else. "But, fighting him is not..." She was going to warn her that Kagemaru punches things REALLY hard, but she would figure that out for herself soon enough. Her shoulders slumped as she nodded her head in the direction of Zensunna. "I am heading home," she relented as she made her way to the roof's edge only to realize a minor problem. They were nowhere near the ground. Why would a shinobi want to travel on rooftops anyways?

She was going to try to lower herself down and hope that she did not break a leg in the process.</B>

[Attempts to Leave Topic]​

<B>

What Happened?

• She is running away, or attempting to flee the topic.

 

[Sekuro]

"Aggressive... " Kagemaru mused as a smirk escaped his mouth. The new arrival was quick to anger at the mention of the Cabal. Ironically enough, this was what he wanted to see. The woman he was supposedly protecting had no spine. But she was a civilian in a world of shinobi, Kagemaru didn't actually expect much from her. Easing his stance and relaxing his gaze Kage sought to calm the situation before he had to lay hands on the over zealous woman.

"Chill out lady, I wasn't serious. I just needed to see where you allegiance lie. Lucky for you we're not actually at odds right now. At any rate, this woman was attacked by a Cabal thug and I took care of it. She needs looking after for the time being. " He hadn't lost sight of his initial goal but the woman was not making this easy. Turning to her he spoke once more.

"Look lady, you keep trying to leave and you're going to get yourself killed. If you have a death wish, that's fine but you're not allowed to die until you pay me for saving you. " The price he had in mind was not monetary in nature but more in the form of a favor that he would use to accomplish his goals. That said, the new arrival was a potential ally. She was combat ready and had guts, not to mention shiny eyes that nearly rivaled Kage's.

"I'd rather not fight someone who isn't directly against me, but you're more than welcome to throw the first attack and see where that decision takes you. " Pausing a moment for dramatic effect.

"OR, you could help me investigate and possibly aid your village. I lost my village to a similar issue, so I know those feels. " The options had been laid out and the ball was in the woman's court.

Spoiler

- Stopped the woman from leaving.

Edit: I had posted the above from my phone earlier today. I've edited it to be in line with my previous posts now that I'm on my computer.