Following The Cold Trail (Mission/Req Kaen)

[Toshiwakai Kagari]

"Oh god.. is this... Ugh, not again..." Kagari could see Ruin had trouble with the smell the moment they stepped into the sewers. Fortunately and unfortunately for Kagari, he had spent most of his entire life in Grand Palais. Most of the surroundings were pretty much treated as a giant dumpster by the folk that live there. Plus most of the factories and pipes run through that neighbourhood. You take one whiff outside you're pretty much-inhaling poop. Plus this wasn't the first time he had used a sewer system to get where he needed to. "Just take it one smell at a time. Remind me to tell you how I blew up a bath house once we get some free time..." As they made through wet, slimy and rancid environment; they found a fork in the road. Two tunnels laid before them.


"Well shit..." Ruin's curse slightly echoed around them. Hopefully, no one heard that. "I'd normally say split up, but I have no idea how deep these tunnels go. We may even end up at the top of the peak if we're not careful..." That problem was resolved when Ruin formed two clones, well two Kaen shaped clones. It was his shadow in a 3-dimensional form standing before the two. "So this should be pretty simple, you go left and you go right, any sign of the criminals, dissipate and feed me your knowledge. Run into any giant rats or dare I say it.. ninja turtles, stand your ground and fight. Both shadows nodded and venture forth in the tunnels before them. "Just had to be a smelly ass sewer, didn't it... I think you did this on purpose." Ruin lamented, jokingly. "Didn't you read the job description for ANBU? Doing the nitty gritty dirty work for the village? Well time to earn your paycheck!" Kagari chuckled. "Still...no one would go into a sewer willingly unless you're hiding something...or like to waddle around in filth."

---
As the clones began to scout, one would venture down tunnel after tunnel and go deeper into the system. At some point, it went down the wrong tunnel and a burst of sewage water crashed into it like a tidal wave. The other kept following the path and could hear a conversation at the end of the tunnel. "Z and the idiots are late..."

"I bet they took the usual round up and decided to go on a little 'spree'."

"heh, if they were caught doing that; they'd wish for death to come quicker. Besides, Z ain't like that. He'd been with the gang for a while now."

"Wasn't he opposed to...you know, joining with those guys?"

"We didn't join them, we're just using them."

"How? Half the time we just get sent out collecting cash for them...I know we're collecting a lot and I've barely even seen that money in our hands. How is that helping us?"

The two would continue to argue about gang administration apparently. They were distracted by their conversation. The shadowy clone would be able to hide for a while in the darker parts of the tunnel. What ever shall it do?

 

[Kaen]

"Let's just say the smell of human excrement and miscellaneous body odors aren't exactly a small part of my life..." Kaen's gaze ventured off, staring deep into the blackness that the underground tunnels provided. Flashes dashed through his mind as he recalled the earlier portion of his life, held captive with his sister in that place. After a few moments he would shake his head and turn his focus back to Joker. "I'll be fine, however. I've learned to accept the fate that was bestowed upon my past. I am in control of my future now. Today I will be earning my pay, as you said."

---

Meanwhile with one of the clones...

"How? Half the time we just get sent out collecting cash for them...I know we're collecting a lot and I've barely even seen that money in our hands. How is that helping us?"


The first clone had been listening in for a short while now, gathering information for his original self. The clone nodded to himself and released himself making a lightly audible -poof- as it dissipated, returning to Kaen back with Joker.

---

Kaen's eyes lit up with surprise. His plan seemed to work perfectly, his clone had pinpointed the criminal's hideout with precision and speed. One of my clones found the hideout, they are expecting Z and the others. Seems you were right about Z and his gang, they really are just expendable pawns in all this. Kaen paused a moment, contemplating the route of attack. "While I'm not personally opposed to a direct route, charging in and laying waste to their base, I feel like we still don't have the whole story. I say we arrive as Z and his gang. What do you think?" Albeit late, Z would be expected and wouldn't rise any suspicions. Joker and he could potentially extract more information before jumping the surprise on them and finishing this mission.

---

Meanwhile with the second clone...

He had wandered far and deep into the sewer system. The range was beginning to effect his chakra makeup, being so far away from his creator. He would be alright for a while longer, he would continue to press forward, not aware that his counterpart had already located the objective. Dropping through a hole in the sewer, he found himself on yet again another level of the sewer. These ones looked older and unused for the most part. The smell was a little different here as well. Less human and more beast, with a hint of... cheese? The light was nearly non existent here, had it not been for the faint hue of light that came from a small fire he had lit in his hand, he would not have seen anything. A shadow moved and caught his attention, something else was down here with him...

"Check it out man, a human down here..." It's voice echoed, reverberating off the stone and metal tunnel. Kaen's clone tensed up, had he found the base and he happened into an ambush? Should he return or should he stand and fight? He had no time to find the answer as he felt the blow of a hard wooden weapon. The nun-chuck struck so hard he nearly poofed just from the impact. A strange shadow peered down at him as he lay on the damp floor. "Suh little dude, I think you went a lil too deep." Kaen's clone rolled away and scrambled to his feet. What in the world was this thing? Rubbing his eyes to get a clearer picture, he realized it was still too dark. He increased the flow of chakra into the flame and brightened up the room. What he saw would forever haunt him... "Woah dude, can you like, do magic or sumthin?" A strange, green humanoid stood across the room. It wore an orange face mask, though it did little to hide what was clearly obvious. "A... turtle?" The words made his heart sink into his stomach, it was exactly as he had feared... Were these the masterminds behind all of this?!


[OOC MFT]

 

[Toshiwakai Kagari]

A few minutes would pass, the duo patiently waiting for the Ruin's scouting run to finish. His head snapped at attention, it seemed he had found something. One of my clones found the hideout, they are expecting Z and the others. Seems you were right about Z and his gang, they really are just expendable pawns in all this. Kagari nodded, the ANBU duo hadn't made their way up the entire "chain of command" just yet. "While I'm not personally opposed to a direct route, charging in and laying waste to their base, I feel like we still don't have the whole story. I say we arrive as Z and his gang. What do you think?" Kagari pondered for a moment, scratching his chin. "Not a bad idea, we still have the cash that they collected from the shops so that should be our ticket in. I'm assuming you'll use your clone as the third member." It was an excellent idea, using a henge in order to infiltrate the base. The tricky part is acting the part, however. "I hope you studied Big Z's mannerisms when you were interrogating him because you're going to act like him." Kagari henged into one of the two henchmen that were following Z when they were going around town.

"You'll be fine...Just use that natural charisma when you hit on that smoothie stall girl." Henchmen Kagari spoke.


---------------------------
"A..Turtle?" Shadow clone Kaen spoke. "Turtle? NAH, Bro, we're Mutant turtles! There's a dif!" The 7-foot turtle with the orange mask then proceeded to pose with his hands, in front of the clone. "Mikey, you're going to scare the human away...." A new figure appeared from the shadows and began to walk towards the duo, this time a purple mask wrapped around his head. "Sorry about my brother, he gets a bit too loud sometimes."

"Whatever Donnie! Dab on the haters!" The orange masked turtle then "dabbed", making the purple masked turtle roll his eyes and cringe. "So, what are you doing down here? Humans don't ever come down here unless they're lost..."

 

[Kaen]

"So, what are you doing down here? Humans don't ever come down here unless they're lost..." Kaen's shadow clone took a slight step backwards. Clone or not, the tales were true and this was something to be concerned about. How were these things created, could they be the masterminds behind this entire mission, why haven't they attacked yet? So many unknown factors in play here, Kaen's clone couldn't afford to take a misstep here. "Look, there's no logical reason for you to ignore us, we aren't going to harm you..." The second one took a half step forward, sending the clone's mind into a befuddled scramble. His understanding of reality was becoming frayed with this newly discovered species and it's mind was acting on impulse now. Kaen's clone did a single backflip towards the tunnel he had came in, sending a flurry of kunai towards the pair of turtles. Mikey and Donnie, as they mentioned earlier, quickly readied their weapons and with much ease, dispatched the oncoming kunai. Kaen's clone began to for a flurry of hand-seals but was abruptly interrupted. "I'm warning you, you don't want to mess with us..." A fairly larger sized mutant turtle grabbed the clone from behind in a sort of reverse bear hug, preventing him from continuing his seals. The clone's eyes bulged in fear, knowing full well he had failed the mission his creator has assigned him to... "Raphael, don't hurt him! He could have valuable information we could ascertain to get us one step closer to finding "Him"." "What makes you so sure this punk works for the shredder?! And who made you leader anyways?!" A forth turtle emerged from the shadows, just how many of them were there?! "Put the human down, Raph... We already have enough on our hands. Fine, whatever. Splinter made you the boss, as you wish..." The burley one released the clone in a sarcastic manner. Kaen's clone slowly backed into a corner, the turtles were walking ever closer... He was done for!

-POOF-

"Woah dude... Was that human dude a wizard bro?!"

"You're absolutely incorrigible Mikey... That was what the humans call "Shinobi" they can wield a powerful force known as chakra. So actually... I suppose you're not so far off from the truth. It is a little bit like magic... Hmm... More data is needed"

---

Meanwhile back with Kaen and Joker...

"Not a bad idea, we still have the cash that they collected from the shops so that should be our ticket in. I'm assuming you'll use your clone as the third member." As expected, Joker was quick on the ball. They were becoming a fine pair, Joker and Kaen. "Correct, with the correct sequence of jutsu, I believe we should have no issue getting in." Now all that was left was for Kaen to manually recall his clone. Kaen begun to form the release seal. color=#0080FF]"I hope you studied Big Z's mannerisms when you were interrogating him because you're going to act like him."[/color] Kaen wondered if Joker knew what he had done back there. Consuming another's soul might have seemed a little demonic if not inhumane. A mundane soul such as his would have little to no defenses internally, a weak soul if you would. Kaen might have difficulty extracting information from a shinobi such as Joker, but a lowly human like Z? No problem, his fresh memories were as good as his. A simple mannerism should be no issue. "And done, I don't think imitating Z is going to be an iss--..." The sudden flow of information from Kaen's clone rushed into his mind. The data the clone had attained was surprising to say the very least. Should he tell joker?! No... He wouldn't believe him even if he did, he would just think he was trying to pull a fast one on him. Kaen shook his head and pushed the frightening information to the back of his mind to process later.

"Ahem... Sorry what was I saying?" It was obvious he was shaken up about something. The sudden realization that mutant turtles, ninjas by their demeanor, were lurking beneath the village was worrisome. "You'll be fine...Just use that natural charisma when you hit on that smoothie stall girl." Kaen would nervously smile, he just needed to remain calm and everything would be ok. "Yeah, you're right. We got this! Now let me just..." Kean would Perform a transformation jutsu and transformed himself into that loudmouth Mozu from earlier. "Right, now to just... Hmm, ahem.. There, that should just about do it..." Kaen had disguised his voice to that of Mozu. "Now I just need to..." A few signs later and another familiar poof and there were two Mozu now. Kaen, and a clone. Kaen would then perform the handseals required for another transformation and would shed the visage of Mozu and take on the identity of Z, the leader. "Hmmm... Ummm Ahem... there we go. Now you go and we can be on our way."

Assuming Joker did his part and transformed into the third henchman, Kaen would nod towards his clone disguised as Mozu. The clone would pickup the bag of money and hold it close. The trio would then make their way towards the hideout. They would soon arrive, Kaen, or Z rather would give a nod towards the disguised Joker. "Z" would give two heavy thuds to the metal doorway...


[OOC Used transformation to appear as Mozu, then recast my clone jutsu. Per clone rules, they appear as whatever you appear as. Then reused transformation to appear as Z]

 

[Toshiwakai Kagari]

Kagari watched as Ruin adopted the persona of Big Z, along with his clone adopting one of the henchmen; Mozu Kagari recalled. His voice and looks were correct, typical of a normal henge. It was the speech patterns and mannerisms that Ruin and Kagari had to watch out for. The duo would only know if their disguises worked once they get past the two guards and deeper into what may be a complex. Even then, maybe some of the more senior members might catch onto their disguise. "Hmmm... Ummm Ahem... there we go. Now you go and we can be on our way."<i></i> Kagari nodded and transformed into the last henchmen. "I'll try not to let you do most of the talking..." With that, the clone-mozu bent down and grabbed the sack of money, ready to make their subtle entrance.

---

A trio of three large men stopped at a large metal door, with small eye slits for viewing. The leader, rasped the metal door three times and awaited an answer. The slit opened and someone's eyes peered through, "Finally! We thought you got lost or somethin!" The slit closed and lock mechanisms could be heard from the other side unlocked. The door swung open with two guards, a few feet lower than big z were at the entrance. "The other boys were getting wonderin where you were! Come on, boss man wants you in quickly, he wanted to speak to ya." The trio walked in, with the door being shut behind them and locked by one of the guards.

As they continued down the path, they would see a decently sized underground lair for what seemed like a small time gang. They were currently in the main gathering area, various goons sat on improvised chairs and stools talking and sharpening their blades. One was getting a tattoo on the right side of his neck, some sort of tribal design. There were various weapons stacked on one side of the room unorganized, a mix of sharp weaponry like swords to clubs and farming tools. A few of them were training, either doing push-ups or punching a wooden doll. There were a few halls leading somewhere, leading to living quarters and hopefully a bathroom. The guard that greeted the trio was leading them down a hallway, the end with a metal door. The guard spoke up, "Hang on, boss will be with ya in a sec." He knocked twice to notify they have arrived.

 

[Kaen]

The trio of "thugs" found their way to the hideout's door. Typical in appearance, large metal with a small slidable slot to get a view of the outside. With a loud -Clang- the slot slid open to reveal a pair of squinting eyes staring back out at the three men. "Finally! We thought you got lost or somethin!" The slot slammed closed and numerous seemingly overly complicated locks could be heard clinking and sliding on the other side of the door. The heavy door swung open for the trio of men to enter. A pair of smaller thugs greeted them. "The other boys were getting wonderin where you were! Come on, boss man wants you in quickly, he wanted to speak to ya." Kaen, disguised as Z would simply nod. No sense in messing up a voice mannerism at the entrance. The duo would close and secure the door once Joker, Kaen and his close were inside. Kaen was grateful that these were lowly humans. They would never be able to see past a transformation such as this. But these were just the grunts. The higher the chain went, the more likely they would encounter highly trained help. Something as big as this surely had to have someone competent near the head of the beast.

As they ventured further into the complex, they would get a good view of what they were up against if they failed somehow, unless of course Joker decided everyone would not be permissive to survive this day... They seemed to be of the rough sort, but human all the same. Their simple weapons would proof futile against the might of two highly trained shinobi such as himself and Joker. Even if Joker wasn't a natural fighter, Kaen was something of a professional in this matter and could pick up Joker's possible slack. They eventually found themselves down a hall and met with another giant metal door, so cliche. It's like all the gangs have a book they pass around. Criminal organizations for dummies and a bonus section on decor. "Hang on, boss will be with ya in a sec." Again Kaen would simply nod, his clone silent for now. The large door would swing open slowly, it was dark and difficult to see inside. The guard that led them there ushered them and closed the door behind them. Inside was nearly pitch black, it smelled dank and dusty. Kaen would take a few steps forward before being met with a sudden flash of light directed at the trio. It was blinding in comparison and they would need to raise their hands to shield their eyes from the brightness. Seems the boss man likes to remain enigmatic and protect his or her identity. The path was growing ever more complicated and dangerous, the trio would need to tread lightly from here on out. All that was left was wait to be addressed by his "superior".

 

[Toshiwakai Kagari]

The trio stepped inside, blinded by the bright lights that forced them to squint and cover. They could only see the silhouette of the boss, what looked to be a large man sitting. One could feel his presence take the entire room, truly he was the one who seemed like he held all reigns. But from what Ruin understood and overhearing the conversation between the two henchmen; this man was answering to somebody. Still, if Kagari and Ruin tried anything right now, they'd get caught unless they acted quickly and swiftly. Furthermore, they needed the information in the boss' head; what did they exactly gain from the ball at Suna?

Finally, he spoke after a few seconds of silence. "You three sure took your time to get here. I was worried you were off spending our hard earned taxes." The man then reclined in his chair and tapped the desk rhythmically with his fingers. "Why were you delayed?" He asked. His voice wasn't deep and low like Z's was, but lighter and very confident. Middle aged? Maybe. "Did you run into trouble? Our boys said that because of the recent influx of foreign ninja, security stepped up a bit." Again, there was a bit of silence. Kagari looked at Ruin, hoping he would speak up soon. "Well...did you three become mute while you were out collecting?"

 

[Kaen]

The tension that reverberated around that tiny room was thick, thick enough you could cut it with a kunai. All that the trio could distinguish was the silhouette of a man, the leader of this establishment for still not "top dog". What seemed like an eternity of anticipation, drawn out by the overwhelming presence of this presumed "man". Of all the hardships a person had to face, none was more punishing than the simple act of waiting, or at least that was how Kaen felt at times. Thankfully the moment had passed and the man's voice carried swiftly to their ears. "You three sure took your time to get here. I was worried you were off spending our hard earned taxes." Kaen glanced to his clone and then to joker before returning his gaze to meet "the boss". He seemed displeased, not surprising how late they surely were. Or at least the real ones would have been. "Why were you delayed?" Something in his voice told Kaen this wasn't your average thug that rose to fruition and power, no. He sounded more... educated. It made sense really, no ordinary riff raff could manage such lowly life forms such as who the trio was impersonating.

The figure head was seemingly growing ever more impatient with the trio's silence. Kaen's mind was racing, thinking of anything he could say that might not sound suspicious. "Did you run into trouble? Our boys said that because of the recent influx of foreign ninja, security stepped up a bit." The tension was coming to a climax, their continued silence only compounding on the suspicions of their nature. Joker's gaze burned into the back of Kaen's head. He needed to say something... now."Well...did you three become mute while you were out collecting?" Kaen cleared his throat a bit, attempting to sound a bit nervous. That's what any underling would do in this sort of situation, right? "N-no sir. Our delay was for the exact reason you described..." kaen paused a moment, taking a chance at what behavior he noticed during their little interactions. He would glance at his clone with a slight scowl and continue. "Idiot here opened his fat mouth again and some security types overheard him and tried to run us down. There was just the two of them, they followed us down a back alley where we took care of them. They won't be an issue, neither with them or dipshit here." Kean sent a mental que to his clone to attempt to legitimize this whole scenario. His clone started to speak up a bit; "I said it was my bad, Z. I was just wonderin' what all dis money was foh anyways. I thought th--" Kaen, with what little plan he had, kept to his on the spot plan of trying to coax information out of the head boss. He would cut his clone off mid sentence with a swift smack to the back of the head. "Shut your trap, Mozu. You disrespect me and him," Kaen pointed to himself and then gestured towards the shadow of a man, the boss. "when you talk out of line like that. Now shut your damn mouth." Kaen ran his fingers through his hair backwards and exhaled to give the appearance of relieving stress. "I apologize for his rudeness, these simpler minds... tough bastards, but thicker than a bowl of oatmeal, ya know?" Now to wait and see how his plan would pan out, would their ruse be discovered, would they attain the information they wanted. Find out next time on Drag-- wait, wrong thing...

 

[Toshiwakai Kagari]

Ruin's ploy using the clone and himself to act out an exchange in front of the shadowy man was brilliant, Kagari thought as he observed there silently. The boss himself didn't react immediately, and there was no way to tell what his reaction would be. He tapped his fingers on the table again rhythmically, sitting in silence. "As long as you bring in results, I don't care. Still, I hope you took care of that "security" issue, we don't need tourists wandering where they don't belong. Also turn off those damn lights!" On que the bright fog lights shut off and now the boss' identity was plain as day.

A skinny man, whose voice didn't match his face nor his clothes. Kagari was surprised, he thought the guy would have been similar to most of the gang members; big and brown. "Damn those things make it hot in here! It felt like I was being baked." The man walked towards the trio unaware of their true identities. "We're thinking of doing later a threat video to send out to the city, later on, today, inspire some fear." The man looked a bit to proud of his idea, smirking at the possibility fo instilling some fear among the good people of Kumo. "Anyways which one of you guys have the cash? It's the last payment before our plan starts."

 

[Kaen]

A loud noise signaled the termination of the bright flood lights, instantly the room began to cool. Strange to have such massive lights in a tiny metal room, but he wasn't about to contest such a passing thought with the "boss". Y-yes sir, they were taken care of. You won't hear about them any time soon..." Kaen, disguised as Z, began to "wave" himself after the boss made the comment about it being hot. Of course there wouldn't be a bead of sweat on him, given his on natural body heat. Kaen's clone, disguised as Mozu, perked up at the mentioning of a threat video. A look in his eyes told him that he wanted to try and act the fool again, but Kaen shot him a glare to silence such thoughts. It was true after all, not only were clones a weaker copy of the original, but it seemed they were also weaker in the head. Someone such as this "boss" figure head wouldn't be so daft as to fall for the same trick twice, not at least so soon after the last. Instead, Kaen spoke up himself, it seemed more appropriate given he was the "boss" of their little threesome.

I think that is a grand idea, sir. Fear is the glue that holds society together. It's what makes people suppress their worst impulses. Fear is power..." What the hell was that about? Did that really just come out of Kaen's mouth? He must be listening, imposing his suggestions upon Kaen's mind. Kaen shook his head a bit and coughed. "Mozu has the cash, sir." Kaen would give a nod towards his clone who would then reveal the sizable bag of cash that the earlier, actual tri had collected throughout the town. After he had placed the cash at the bosses feet and returned to his starting position, Kaen got a little bold. They weren't going to make any headway towards the end goal unless he pushed a little. It would only sound like insubordination if it came from his clone again, and Joker already said he would try to remain silent in all this. Taking in a deep breathe, Kaen proceeded headstrong, hoping for the best. "We've been collecting for quite a while now, and personally I feel like my men and I have been doing a pretty good job and well..." Kaen was taking a huge risk right now, gambling the entire mission on the hopes that Z wasn't a big ring leader in all this and had only been a slightly more useful pawn in all this up till now. "I feel like we could be of more use than this petty extortion. Perhaps my men and I could be utilized somehow for your plan, whatever that might be..." Another gamble... For all Kaen knew, Z was already a plan and the boss already shared with him the whole plan, but it was worth the risk. Most big dogs don't usually share critical information with anyone of subpar quality. And from what Kaen gathered, Z was probably the most worth while out of the trio and even he didn't appear that special. It seemed like Kaen was going all in on this, he wanted, no, NEEDED that information to prove his worth to Joker. And well... worst case scenario, there would be a lot of dead thugs on the way out of this sewer.


[OOC MFT]

 

[Toshiwakai Kagari]

The boss man quirked his eyebrow up, his face neutral. He seemed interested at Big Z's proposition, although first, he made sure to collect his funds. He made his way to Mozu and picked up the bag holding the cash. He weighed it in his hand, sizing up the bag before inspecting it and counting the bills. "it's enough but I expected a bit more...You sure you made them understand our 'cause'?" He then plopped the cash down on the desk behind him unceremoniously and sat on the desk; crossing one leg. "As for your men and you, you said you wanted to be more 'instrumental' to our cause. That's quite bold of you to state, but a couple of shakedowns your trio has provided haven't really impressed me much." He smirked, taking the cash in one hand. "Although you do have your uses...I'll tell you what, you do this little task for me and I'll make you in charge of this little operation!"

"What do you say?" The man smiled devilishly, eager to hear Big Z's response.

 

[Kaen]

"Z" would give a nod to the boss's question. What other response could he really give that wouldn't jeopardize the mission. In hindsight, Kaen would have extracted more information from Z in regards to what exactly they had said and done that day. Hopefully that wouldn't come back to bite them in the ass later. The bag made a slight thud as it fell to the floor, seemed like the money wasn't quite as important as he first thought, aside from funding whatever 'cause' they had. Everything was building up to this moment, they were closing in on the answer. This in itself was both exciting and nerve wracking. How much did they really need, what were they going to do once they got what they wanted, why didn't he and Joker agree on a signal for action?! All important questions that were too far gone in the past to seek a remedy for now, they could only trudge forward in the hopes everything worked out smoothly. And worst case, they could always blast their way out of here, though that was the worst case scenario.

The figure head then proposed a deal of sorts, though it seemed sketchy as hell and gave Kaen a strange feeling of doubt. This entire scenario just wasn't panning out 100% to his liking. One moment it felt like they were in the clear and the next it appeared like the boss saw straight through them. For all he knew, he could ask him to kill one of his 'men', like his clone or Joker. Though the mission was still at hand and no matter the route they were presented with, they HAD to move forward. The boss asked his last question, smirking boldly behind his desk. He knew something... But what other choice did Kaen have? A. Abort and get out alive or B. Press forward and hope for the best. Obviously A was not an option, not with so much on the line. "Whatever it is, I'm sure my men and I can take care of it, for the 'cause". You name it, it will be done." Again, Kaen took a calculated risk. There was no way for him to completely understand what was going on inside this guy's head without risking their cover. For now they had to play along and run with whatever he threw at them.

 

[Toshiwakai Kagari]

"Okay then, if you're up to the task..." The man then proceeded to walk over to his desk and pull out a wrapped parcel. "I want you...to deliver this to the embassy where all the village delegates are meeting currently..." The package itself was heavy for its small size. You couldn't really tell what was inside, other than that it was wrapped hastily to hide its contents. However, you could feel the heat coming from the centre. "Now don't look inside, that's an order...Because if you do, you might just chicken out." The skinny man then walked over back to his desk and took a seat. "You do this for me, then you're in. Now get going, that package needs to get there on time." Disguised Kagari had a gut feeling that whatever was inside wasn't any good, especially if the task was that simple. A delivery to the embassy where all the huge village delegates were meeting? Either this guy thought the people he was working with were actual idiots or were willing slaves.


Kagari placed a hand on Big Z's shoulder, prompting him to exit the meeting as quickly as they could. They've been here long enough to the point where their ruse would be discovered. It was time to leave.

 

[Kaen]

Yes! They were in. By the grace of Mother Suna herself, somehow everything was coming to fruition. This boss figure was going to entrust to them a very important mission that would get them into the 'fold'. "I want you...to deliver this to the embassy where all the village delegates are meeting currently..." Although the package was small in size, it had a surprisingly hefty feel to it. While the hastily wrapped parcel was covered and Kaen could not see within, the sheer weight and heat that radiated off of it gave Kaen more than a few ideas as to what the contents could be. Kaen turned it from side to side for a moment before relaxing it to his side, holding it with one arm. "Now don't look inside, that's an order...Because if you do, you might just chicken out." Kaen, or 'Z', would give a nod of assurance. color=#008000]"You do this for me, then you're in. Now get going, that package needs to get there on time."[/color] It was then that Kaen would fully realize the situation this guy was attempting to place them in and already the gears were turning in his mind. Joker placed a hand on Kaen's shoulder giving him the signal to withdraw. Kaen would take a step forward, the gears still turning within. "I can assure you, sir..." Another step forward. My men and I will not let you down..." One more step forward. This package will find its way to the appropriate location and fulfill your wishes." A final step and Kaen was upon the boss and his desk. Kaen would stretch out his free hand to shake the boss man's hand. "I look forward to becoming more involved with the 'cause' and with you, sir." The boss figure, assuming that Z was either a willing martyr or simply an idiot, shook Kaen's hand, sealing his fate. In the process of skin to skin contact, Kaen would absorb a miniscule amount of blood from the pores of his hand onto his own. Being what he was gave him various levels of opportunity to get what he needed, and a willing handshake would prove the easiest, non-detectable method of doing just that. The others out there would raise more of an alarm, but it wouldn't matter when the time came...

Kaen would then turn and exit with Joker and his disguised clone, closing the door behind him. Under whispered breath, Kaen would talk to Joker as they walked back towards the exit. "As you might have surmised, I'm pretty sure this is what we think it is." Kaen was referencing to the bulky package that he carried with him. I have a plan, but you need to get out of here first. I would hate for you to get caught up in this mess." What exactly was Kaen meaning by all this, if the package really was what they thought it was, then surely that would spell certain doom for not only the denizens of this underground gang hideout, but Kaen himself. "And before you try and argue with me, don't. I have a plan, I will be fine. But I need you to be gone from this place because... well just trust me. I can see this through..." The trio were already at the front door, ready to leave as the boss had instructed. "Hey, I'll catch up with you two in a minute, I left something back in the office. Just wait for me up top" Clearly a ruse meant to make things appear like everything was still kosher. After Joker said whatever he might have had to say, he and Kaen's disguised clone would exit, finding their way back to the surface. A few minutes later after Joker and Kaen's clone resurfaced, his clone would begin to act strangely. It appeared to be in pain and then poof, it was gone...

---

Back below...

The large, metal door slammed shut as Joker and his clone left him to his own devices. Kaen would retreat back towards the inner section of the complex, the package still in tow. What he was about to do would surely amaze and surprise his potential audience. Along the way he would continue his 'process' giving each figure he saw along the way a look. A look that would forever seal their fates and their lives. It would be most fortunate that Joker would not be here to witness this as what he was doing might be seen as devious and vile and well... just downright evil. But a power, a boon, a gift, they must all be embraced and executed to their fullest potential. Each person affected by his 'gift' would raise the suspicion further and further. The first looked around in confusion, not sure as to what exactly had happened. It didn't hurt, yet they knew something was amiss. Soon everyone had experienced the strange sensation, a feeling that something was off, and Kaen, or Z rather, was the only one that seemed to be just fine, still walking his way through the complex. This and the fact that his illusion was beginning to falter, with so many people effected at once, it proved very difficult to uphold the illusion. He only had a few moments left before he was truly discovered...

But he had done it, he had used his gift to attain the blood of each and every person within this place. At least the ones he could see. And the ones he didn't spot, well... What he was about to do would probably rid them of this world all the same. Now at the center of this hideout, Kaen would drop his guise alerting everyone that had been following him up until this point. There were a few gasps of confusion and surprise, but they all raised their arms in response. Thankfully thugs were idiots and allowed him to monologue a bit. "Hear me now! Though you may not understand it now, your boss has issued a command." A few looked in confusion, what command? Kaen raised his hands to his face and ingested the pure essence and blood of every single soul he found along the way, the 'boss' included. His skin turned a deep black ebony shade, emphasizing the crimson iris' of his eyes. "You alone will bear witness to the true power of Mother Suna and her chosen few. I am her conduit, a beacon of light in the darkness that is this world. And you..." Kaen bit his fingers, deep, causing the blood within to flow. Everyone reacted to the wound as if they themselves were bitten. It was a strange sight to behold, but Kaen began to etch upon the stone floor a peculiar insignia, talking all the while. "You will all become a part of her plan. Fear not if you do not know the graces of our true god, Mother of Suna, Queen of all the Ancients. You won't have to worry for much longer..." Kaen's curse was complete and he was linked with all those he had taken from. Kaen ripped open the package with haste and revealed its contents. Just as he suspected... With a quick blast of fire, it caught fire. The failsafe kicked in and then...

---

Back up above...

The clone had been gone for only a few seconds, surely confusing Joker. And then a curious noise... A rushing noise was quickly surfacing throughout the tunnel system. If Joker peered his head into the manhole, he would need to remove it promptly lest he felt like scorching his brain away. A rather large plume of fire abruptly burst through the opening. The spout of fire lasted only a moment, but it told Joker everything he needed to know. All signs pointed to the same confusion, Kaen had done exactly as suspected and was now dead... Or at least would be if he wasn't what She had made him into that fateful day. Surely Joker wasn't as heartless as most other Anbu may have been. Though they were Anbu, the death of a comrade was still something, however small it may be. Hopefully he would mourn for a moment before attempting to leave the site. Either way, Another sound would be heard in the distance. The light pat pat pat of footsteps coming ever closer. What might have first thought to be an enemy... was Kaen. Emerging from the hole, Joker might feel the need to shield his eyes. Kaen was completely naked. The explosion from such a close proximity destroyed not only the location within, but his clothes off his back. He was covered from head to toe with black soot and scorch marks. For whatever reason, Kaen had survived it all. "So that went well... you don't happen to have a change of clothes, do you?" Surely Joker would have questions, and hopefully some new clothes to match...


[OOC Here's what happened. Kaen used his Jashinism technique to take the blood of everyone inside, linking them all to him. Then after drawing his curse circle, sealing the link, he detonated the bomb. His Jashinism passive kicked in saving him from KO/Death and thus returning to the surface relatively unharmed]

 

[Toshiwakai Kagari]

Big Z stepped forward, took the package from the man. Kagari could almost see a sly look from Ruin's face, as he stepped forward reaching for a handshake from the boss. Z gave some assurances to him, promising that the delivery would be made. Kagari, could see Ruin had a plan, and from his experience in the ball it was going to be a deadly plan. The two of them stepped out of the office, but first Kagari made sure no one was paying too close attention. "As you might have surmised, I'm pretty sure this is what we think it is." Kagari nodded. "I don't know what's more unbelievable, that he thinks we're stupid enough to willingly die or that he'd give us a bomb." Ruin, got in close, "I have a plan, but you need to get out of here first. I would hate for you to get caught up in this mess." Kagari's expression sunk. "What do you mean in this mess? What exactly are you going to do? You know what...never mind. Just make sure you get out of this alive, I'd hate to be writing that you died in the after action report." Kagari sighed and made his way back to the entrance to the compound. Ruin, in his big z voice faked that he forgot something in the compound. Kagari, still in his henge waved back and exited the compound. Once he was out of sight, dropped his henge and made his way quickly back to the surface.

10 minutes passed and there was no sight of Ruin. Only his clone and Kagari were sitting there waiting for their third. Kagari then noticed that Ruin's clone begun cringing in pain, and then suddenly winked out of existence. This worried kagari abit, thinking that the original Ruin was in a spot of trouble. He heard what sounded like a muffled explosion, which was confirmed when he felt the earth rock just a bit. "Tell me he didn't..." As he made his way to the manhole, he could start to feel the heat rise out of the sewers. Confused, he peered over and noticed a fireball heading straight towards him; jumping back and avoiding getting his face engulfed in flames. A few seconds later, Ruin climbed out of the manhole as if he was a newborn child, completely naked and covered in ash. "So that went well... you don't happen to have a change of clothes, do you?" Kagari facepalmed, "You damn idiot...Here take this for now." Kagari ran over to the side of a dumpster and grabbed a discarded blanket. It was large enough to well, cover Ruin's dignity or what was left of it. "Just pretend you're homeless for now, let's get out of here." The two would make their way out of the alleyway and Kagari would lead them back to where they started, back at the fruit smoothie stand. They were getting strange looks by a few bystanders, but they choose to ignore the duo.

Kagari, placed down two smoothies, once again ordering the same thing a few hours before. "So...You wanna tell me what happened?"

 

[Kaen]

Kaen chuckled a bit towards Joker's name calling, if he was anything, he would be just that. A foolhardy, headstrong idiot with a fiery tendency. Kaen would wrap the blanket around his loosely, just enough to cover up the important bits and followed his partner out of the alley. "Just pretend you're homeless for now, let's get out of here." Kaen snickered further. Easy enough, I suppose. Shall I dig myself up a tiny cup and beg for money too?" Kaen joked with... Joker. Funny saying it like that, but Kaen followed him none the less all the way back to the original fruit smoothie stand they first rendezvoused at earlier. It felt like such a long time, but really only two hours had passed.

Albeit the number of strange looks they were receiving, Joker would ignore the fact that Kaen was essentially breaking a few laws with his 'indecent exposure'. Kaen picked up the smoothie that he presented to him and pressed for information. "So...You wanna tell me what happened?" Kaen glanced around a bit to be sure nobody was paying attention. Satisfied that people were doing their best to avoid their gazes meeting his general direction, he would continue. "Well... there are some things about me that you don't know. Everyone in our... organization all have a few 'unique' talents that bought them entrance into our grand order. And no it's not because of my superb looks." Kaen gave a wink to the girl that he had been flirting with a few hours earlier. She blushed at the site of his stark nature. "Without going into too much detail, not only do I pack some literal firepower, I'm sturdy. I devised a plan that would assure no survivors thus ending this trail then and there. Even the 'boss' was dealt with. The place was dismantled and we survived. I would call that a success, wouldn't you?" There was a chance that Joker might not be satisfied with his description, but going into such detail would hold more weight than what could be so casually discussed in a place like this.


[OOC MFT]

 

[Toshiwakai Kagari]

"Well... there are some things about me that you don't know. Everyone in our... organization all have a few 'unique' talents that bought them entrance into our grand order. And no it's not because of my superb looks." Ruin would proceed to wink, drawing a sigh from Kagari as he knew who that playful wink was targeted to. The smoothie girl was having trouble keeping her eyes to herself and maintaining her composure. "Without going into too much detail, not only do I pack some literal firepower, I'm sturdy. I devised a plan that would assure no survivors thus ending this trail then and there. Even the 'boss' was dealt with. The place was dismantled and we survived. I would call that a success, wouldn't you?" Kagari was a bit unhappy with that result, while they did dismantle an organization Kagari wanted to dig deeper and deeper. What was once a lead was now but ashes and dust; all that work of trailing a bunch of thugs only leading to an explosion. Technically, this mission was a success; it just didn't satisfy Kagari's curiosity. "In the eyes of our superiors, it was a success. We located a terrorist organization who threatened innocent lives. Now all that's left of them are ashes..." Kagari took a few sips from his fruit smoothie. "That doesn't satisfy me though. What kind of organization has the balls and the resources to even attempt what they ordered us to do. You felt it couldn't you? That package had some sort of energy inside it, like compressed chakra." Kagari leaned back and stroked his chin. "All this did was give me more questions than answers..." Kagari sighed once again, then got up from his chair and patted ruin on the shoulder. "Still good work. I need to compile the report, and that's going to take all afternoon." Kagari cringed at what awaited him at his hotel room, despite being trained killers; you still had to do paperwork. he walked over to Ruin and patted him on the shoulder, "Take care now and get some clothes you bum. I'll see you soon...hopefully." With that Kagari made his way back to his to the lodgings, to try and rest.

[MISSION END]
[TOPIC END]

 

[Kaen]

Joker was right, the way it ended wasn't exactly what they wanted. No further Intel was ascertained which means the cold trail was now frozen, at least unless there was some sole survivor somewhere in there that would carry on the torch. But that scenario was entirely unlikely given how Kaen went about his business down there. With a pat on the shoulder and a sweet farewell, Joker went along his way to compile the necessary paperwork, in triplicate probably. Kaen was glad he was somehow getting away scott free, other than a small memo he may or may not have to compile upon his arrival back home. But first things first, lets find some clothes before he gets arrested and interrogated or something horrible like that...

[OOC Mission completed/exited]