For the Sake of Our Village [Open/Caution]

[Morishige]

"Splish. Splish. Splish." spoke the puddles beneath his feet. It was a evening filled with wet, cold rain. The sun was setting and the night prowled ever closer. The sound of the slums were bittersweet. The sounds of life struggled to maintain hope in a place where death often visited.

A man walked down an avenue filled with junk and debris on either side of him. His face was hidden by a cowl that he pulled up over his head to shield him from the rain, but there was something unnatural about the shadows that twisted and turned about in front of his face. Almost as if a light were shined directly towards him that it wouldn't be able to penetrate it. He obviously wanted to keep his identity a secret.

His was searching for something or someone, that much was certain. Whenever he came across a beggar or child running through the street, this mystery of a man would stop to speak with them. But each time they would reply with some kind of negative gesture: a shake of the head, a shrug of the shoulders, a disappointing "No sir.". But the man was patient and pressed ever onward in his search. It had gotten a lot harder to find this sort of work as the market for it disappeared a long time ago.

But he was confident he would find someone who knew what he was looking for. It was just a matter of time before he found them...or they found him? Or was it possible his search would end in vain that night? Anything was possible.

 

[Moyamaru]

The amount of time he had spent within the village since his return from an extensive mission was still in it's infancy. It was very rare for the youth to have free time so whenever some seemed to drop into his lap, he would take it with emotionless glee. The rain drops struck his form with the same intensity they had been striking the surrounding however Hosuto would not have been able to tell if he did not observe the rain for himself. The young shinobi wore two layers of cloaks, the first being a high collared jacket which was insulated enough to keep his body warm within the climate of the region. The second was a hooded coat that was specifically tailored to be waterproof, causing the rain to simply flick along the material. For the most part nothing caught his attention as he traversed through the lesser traveled alleyways and avenues of the village, not truly wanting to engage the general populace.

Pressing the flesh of a small apple against his lips, Hosuto's teeth soon broke the apples surface and embedded deep into the fruit. Coring out a decent chunk of the apples side, his jawline showed evidence of chewing as his body came to standstill. Behind the goggles that hid his eyes from physical view, Hosuto had caught a glimpse of something that was unusual. A man, still a few paces from him, maintained a somewhat warped personal shadow. In the world of shinobi nothing like this would be implausible or impossible, but it was enough of a new experience for the youth that it made him stop in his tracks and attempt to evaluate mentally.

As he stood there, the direction of his gaze focused onto the man walking with the weird shadow a single kikaichu would run calmly across his neckline shielded by the shinobi's clothing.
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[Morishige]

Minutes came and went, the searching wasn't producing any viable results. "I doubt it, but perhaps my shroud is causing people to think that I am untrustworthy." he thought to himself as he moved along. To his right, a black cat jumped from a window and began to walk along side him. They seemed to stare at each other off and on for a while before the cat turned down an alley and disappeared from sight. If the man was a cat whisperer, the feline didn't mention anything life changing. At least one could assume as much; his pace and general stance didn't change at all.

Some time later, he approached a tavern and stepped inside, ignoring the usual removal of his hood. But he did shake his head and shoulders to try and get most of the excess water that lingered on him to fall to the floor. He looked for anyone he knew. Unfortunately he usually didn't hang around this part of the village, so that search within his search came up empty as well.

He found a seat at a table along one of the walls and ordered some food from the waitress. It had been a long day. He needed his energy replenished. As he waited, his eyes scanned the TVs around the place. There was a bout at the Colosseum that caught his interested so he focused unseen eyes in that general direction.

 

[Moyamaru]

There was something amiss, be it for a rational reason or something more sinister, but for now nothing truly stood out as alarming to him. There was however plenty of reason to question the intent posed if not to ensure the security of the country and feed his own personal curiousness. Tilting his head slightly, his eyes tracked the man's movements from beneath shaded goggles, following each step with enthusiasm. Although he was a trainee, the amount of time he had spent within the program was well out of the normal span of time it usually took for a recruit to move on to full anbu status. This was because of who Hosuto was and who he was linked to, the later being the Raikage himself, which meant that he spent more time honing his skills than he did rushing to be promoted. One aspect of his focused training was the ability to perceive potential threats and should need be investigate. Shifting both his palms into his jackets outer pockets, he'd shadow the man enough paces away that he wouldn't arouse any suspicion and frequently veered away from the same path to engage with small conversation among locals before picking up the trail once again.

In coming to the tavern, Hosuto did not initially walk inside but stood outside in the rain, mentally configuring everything he had observed up to this point and initially ruling out any motives of malice. Still within his head he simply wanted to know what it was the being had been searching so hard for, questioning so many general people that it had to have meant that whatever the man was searching for there was a hope the locals knew about it. Tilting his head slightly, his thoughts would cement a belief that the person in quesiton was either new to this sector of the village or was a foreign body altogether. Still undaunted by the rain fall, he would trek into the Tavern, standing at the doorway a few moments as his eyes scanned the inside. Given the weather outside the inside of the building was a bustle of activity as patrons who had sought refuge from the deluge were enjoying other's company and plenty of alcohol. Personally he had no opinion of the place or it's purpose in a thriving society, he being a male maturing slowly into a man with a single objective in life, had no interest in assets that deviated him from that path. Whether or not the target of his observation knew of his appearance from the very beginning or not, Hosuto did not hide but walked straight up to the table acquired by the man. Coupled with his unique appearance and hood, Hosuto would have been an individual who was obviously not a typical citizen. His body was layered with cloaks and jackets while maintaining a high collar and hood which along with his dark tinted shades made seeing his actual face impossible. The boy was obviously a shinobi, if the fact that he had somewhat of a cloth gourd strapped to his back and visible belt pouches sewn along the side of his coat's waistline.

"Taking a break from your travels I would assume, a man of your habits would not seem to mind company"

Hosuto took a seat on the opposite side of the table from the man after he talked, without waiting for an answer from him. This was not done out of disrespect but due to calculated reason. He had given droplets of information on himself in that one statement that would tell him if the man he was dealing with was of a certain caliber or not. Though not unlike his target, Hosuto also found his side gaze partially interested in the daily colosseum match up being broadcast, but there was no mistake that eyes still remained upon the unknown patron.
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[Morishige]

Our mysterious man looked up to the person who had approached the table after walking in just a few moments before. The shroud of twisting shadows turned to look up and take in this individuals likeness. It definitely was unique. But in a world of ninja, of which the man surely was, nothing was really surprising anymore. He didn't particularly want people sitting with him, at least, he assumed people wouldn't with his current garb. But a shinobi was different than your regular joe off the street. A cool, calm voice would come to respond to him.

"I was hoping to have a meal alone, but if you insist, Shinobi-san."

His face turned back to the bout going on the television. Of course, his mind was also a stir after a shinobi had taken an interest in him. Just what was he going to ask, and what would our mysterious man respond with? After all, he was nearly positive that this was going to end up more of an interrogation than a conversation giving who had sat down next to him.

 

[Moyamaru]

Having already found his zone of comfort within the booth, Hosuto's gaze never left their target of interest. Regardless of his physical appearance, despite the lack of visual confirmation the mysterious man would have been capable of reading the shinobi's calm demeanor. If this had been a situation in which he was pursuing this man under orders of the state, the air surrounding Hosuto would have been different. Glancing towards a passing hostess, the young shinobi caught the woman's attention why a simple finger gesture, prompting the woman to converge to the table. As she poured a single cup of coffee, black, Hosuto spoke rather calmly towards the man.

"Inevitably it seems that my own natures causes me to become, sidetracked. You see I took notice of what you were doing en-route and it struck my curiosity."

As the hostess withdrew from the table, he would correct his resting posture and sit straight up in mimicry of aristocratic nobles. His tone became somewhat more serious as it had been time to delve headfirst into the nature of his presence. Calmly adjusting his high collar, he'd take a slow sip of his black coffee breeding a moment of silence between the two as if purposely ingraining time to consider what was being said and what would be said. After about a ten second time laspe, the cup was rested onto the table..

"I wish to know what you were questioning the locals about, it must be something you are truly lost on to be asking such a wide array of individuals without discrimination. I have this belief that you may just be new to the area and are simply lost or sight seeing. Then to I also have another belief...my question to you is how may I assist you."
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[Morishige]

The shady sir listened to what he had to say and exhaled loudly after he finished. He had only assumed as much. It wasn't an unlikely outcome of his search, but one he hoped that wouldn't have happened. Still, best not to perturb a shinobi.

"I only sought the help of so many because none were giving me the answer I needed. And it's a simply question that anyone in this particular area might know. Thought I may have overestimated the average beggar...

But since you are offering, you wouldn't happen to know of any doctors in the area? I'm in need of one for an operation."

His food came shortly after and he quickly started eating with the wash stained knife and fork that had been given to him. The pieces of metal would disappear into whatever mouth was hidden behind the shadows and come back clean as if food had never been on them in the first place. The sound of chewing would have been audible had it not been so loud in their location; there was something human behind the darkness, that was for certain.

 

[Kazu]

Kotsuko mumbled to himself as opened the tavern doors, dripping wet and miserable looking. He was not a patron of this bar by choice or tradition — the young man rather hated the rain, and had managed to slip inside seeking sanctuary from the hellish outpouring that was going on outside. He'd occupied a vacant table, peeling off his overcoat and placing it on the chair behind him. His black long sleeve shirt looked splotchy to say the least, and he didn't look all that happy about it. He promptly ordered a hot cup of coffee, and a glass of whiskey which he planned to mix together. A traveler had told him of such a concoction not long ago, and he figured that trying it might get him out of such a bad mood. Fishing out a small black book and a pen from a sealed compartment of his jacket, the young man began scribbling with a rather sour scowl on his face. He really didn't seem like a fan of the rain.

When his order arrived, the young man put his pen down and closed his book as he took in a deep breath. Sighing just as deeply, the young man rubbed the bridge of his nose with his finger and thumb. Hopefully a hot drink would cheer him up. He mixed the drinks together, along with a bit of fresh cream he'd asked of the waitress after he forgot to order it initially. This rain was really putting him off of his game. With his drink finally made, the young man felt that he would be able to relax a bit, and perhaps wait out this nightmare of a storm. It wasn't until he'd sat back into his seat, trying his hardest to release all the built up tension that he had, that he heard the doors open up. That wasn't the odd part, though — the man who walked through the doors seemed to be using some sort of jutsu to conceal himself. Where a face would have been, there seemed only to be a writhing mass of shadows, perfectly concealing the man under a hood. How intriguing. Kotsuko's eyes followed the newcomer as he found himself a seat in one of the tables next to the wall. He was clearly a shinobi, but why he felt the need to hide his identity was rather interesting. Kotsuko could think of a few reasons why someone wouldn't want to be identified, though very few of those reasons could be considered good. He watched the man with a sense of deep interest as this hooded spectre seemed to order something. It didn't seem long before a companion appeared, taking the seat directly opposite of him. Well now, this was an interesting development.

Kotsuko wondered what exactly was taking place here. He was a little too far away to eavesdrop in on their conversation, but it seemed to him like something was going down. And if there was anything he was looking for right now, it was something interesting to pass the time. This seemed as good of a candidate as any. Taking a sip of his alcoholic coffee, the young man wondered whether it would be okay for him to light a cigarette in here. His table did have an ash tray, so he figured it would be fine. Pulling out a white cigarette, the young man lit the bundle of paper with a metal lighter he'd pulled out of his pocket. Taking in a breath of the smoke, the young man resigned himself to sneakily watching the scene unfold. He began to think as to how he might be able to hear what they were saying without them noticing him. Maybe he'd just pick up his things and move closer? No, that was just a tad too obvious. For now, he'd have to lay low and merely watch the scene unfold. Maybe he'd get a good chance soon. For now he would observe, his dark grey eyes studying their every movement.

 

[Moyamaru]

Their impromptu meeting had began to garner some results and even gave rise to more questions regarding the man's shadow entity. Watching him eat, Hosuto did not change much in both his posture and mindset but had admittedly felt a sense of uneasiness after each bite the man took. It was strange and almost otherworldly how through a simple, everyday activity such as eating could be performed in a manner that gave rise to questioning a being's humanity. Even so, he mulled over what was said and possible consequences that would arise if he were to fully assist someone such as this without delving deeper into their reasoning first. His situation was simple yet complicated at the same time in that while he could easily point the man in the right direction, he couldn't do so right off the bat...at least not yet.

"A man of your physical stature must be suffering intolerably to need a doctor when your appearance seems so healthy. You say you are in need of an operation, well I can surely assist your query but there is a question that must be answered to provide the best answer. If you are seeking an operation then I would ask you to explain the circumstance and reason for the operation. This is because in this village those in the medical field are specialists in varied areas and I simply cannot go pointing you to someone ill qualified to handle your surgical needs, could I."

After he finished his response which maintained an equally calm, monotone voice behind it something trigger in the recess of the trainee's mind. It was a feeling he had learned to take head of and one that only seemed to trigger when something simply was out of place. His chest had a shallow feeling present after each breath and although he personally could not pinpoint the source the fact was his mind and body was making a signal. The two were being observed and being far from new to such tactics Hosuto could only surmise that someone or something had picked up an interest in them. His eyes, which had since he sat down remained focused on what was before him resolved the notion that they were being watched from a direction his gaze naturally fell upon, as no one in his current visual range had made enough eye contact to rouse his suspicion. As a waitress passed by them however Hosuto's gaze calmly followed the woman's tracks almost as if to say something to her potentially. Though the true purpose of following her movement was to quickly scan for something out of the ordinary. Rotating almost fully, his gaze from behind his goggles met a person of interest and one whom he had noticed while looking over the patrons prior to even entering the tavern. Turning back without fully settling his gaze upon Kotsuko, Hosuto tapped his finger along the table a few times.

"Seems I am not the only curious soul here today, however unfortunately this business is not for the prying eyes"

Without a cue or any visible sense of movement or change in Hosuto's stance, a small, black shelled kikaichu scurried along his arm beneath his coat sleeve. It would traverse the interior of the trainee's clothing and emerge from under the coattail which rested along Hosuto's thighs. Having been the sole kikaichu given the task at hand, the tiny beetle would scurry against the booth before using it's wings to drift through the air. The beetle would near Kotsuko and fly purposely across his eyesight and depending on if he paid attention to it or not it would even land along the edge of his cheek.

[Optional Scenario for Kotsuko only]

Spoiler

As the teenager found himself attempting to motion the insect away from him to keep it from interfering with his eavesdropping, he would unintentionally trigger a genjutsu devised by Hosuto. Placing his palms along the table, Hosuto would stand away from the booth and glance towards the shaded man. He would extend out his palm and calmly shake hands before vocally at a more audible tone of voice than their previous conversation extend his notion of being able to assure the man's medical problems would be taken care of. Placing both palms back into his coat, Hosuto would calmly and without diversion of his eyes make his exit from the Tavern leaving the man behind to finish his meal. Notably however the man would seem to have become somewhat worried possibly, maybe even not truly trusting the fact that Hosuto could deliver upon his promise of medical help.

 

[Morishige]

The Shadow Man listened to Hosuto speak and nodded his head at some points, but towards the end he shook his head in what appeared to be disappointment.

"See that's the thing, I am much too poor to afford any kind of specialist. I came to this part of town looking for doctors who might be doing it for cheap, or maybe in exchange for favors of some kind." he sighed. Granted he didn't necessarily look poor, and he realized that afterwards. Perhaps a white lie to cover for himself. "See I've got a bit of a gambling problem. I mean I win sometimes, that's how I can afford what I'm wearing, but this last time I lost big and I really only have what's on my back now."

"That should suffice!" he thought to himself. This shinobi spoke much to formally to be a regular in this section of Kumogakure, that much could be true. Unless of course his parents were really anal about it and wanted him to escape from poverty... "Nahhhh." thought the man, restraining a laugh. He was humoring himself far too much.

However, his watchful eye did see Kotsuko enter from behind his mask of shadows. But he was much too busy to pay attention to any single insect that buzzed around, or did he see it and let it play? The world will never know.

Soooooo, the man continued to eat until his plate was mostly clear. He wished for more but, he had to play the poor man now. And a poor man didn't order more.

 

[Kazu]

The young Ko simply sat in his seat, sipping his hot beverage as he eyed the two sitting across the room from him. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he felt a strange familiarity to this situation. He wasn't quite sure what it was, but something seemed off to him. Pondering the situation, Ko noticed an odd insect hovering around him. He went to swat it away, only for him to realize a second later that he knew this species. His eyes quickly homed in on its movements as he observed it closely. This was a kikaichu, the signature bug of the Aburame Clan. The young boy had done research on them before, so he remembered their anatomy and distinct features very well. Keeping it in sight, the young man would bring a small and unnoticeable tendril of his iron sand out to intercept the bug, ensnaring it in a small and hollow sand sphere. It would be cut off from whoever was the original host of this particular bug, meaning the young man wouldn't quite be detected yet. Just as he was about to bring it closer to him so that he could examine it, though, the younger boy who was talking with the shadow man seemed to get up and walk away. He spoke a little loudly, just enough so that Ko could hear that they were talking about medical issues. Did this man require a physician? Interesting, the young man thought to himself. Taking another sip of his drink, the young man wondered how best to approach this man. If he was to do it, now would be the time. His hand closed around the iron bubble he'd made to ensnare the kikai that had wandered too close, and he remembered quite quickly what it was he needed to do. Just because the seat was open, doesn't mean he was home free—there was an Aburame around here, and Kotsuko needed to find out who. He would need to track down the source of these insects, and determine who it was that was so interested in him. Setting the little bauble down, the young man knew the kind of strategy he would take. He hid a handseal underneath the table, releasing his magnetic chakra in powerful waves.

From the gourds he kept around the back of his waist, small streams of iron sand began to slither up and dissipate. This sand was smooth, fine, and above all incredibly tiny. It wouldn't be easy to notice it right away. Spreading his sand out, the young man was going to find his hidden Aburame friend with a little ninjutsu magic of his. He would coat the room with his iron sand, leaving no space unfilled with his weapon of choice. The T.V.s in the tavern would crackle and change color from all the magnetic chakra around them, their colors distorting into a brilliant rainbow hue as any of the magnetic chakra drew close enough. Closing his eyes, the young man would activate a technique of his that would allow him to see the surrounding area's metals—he intended to use the area where there wasn't any metal to see specific shapes and people. With this active, he could precisely pinpoint the location of even a small kikaichu flying back to its host. As he searched around the room, though, something strange became apparent to him: there was a person still sitting across from the shadow man. But, he'd seen the younger boy leave...

Something was wrong here. Ko wasn't quite sure what, but he knew something was wrong. There was still someone there with the shadow man, and for some reason he couldn't see him. This definitely getting more interesting. Opening his eyes, the young man brought all of the sands back towards himself. Sealing them back into his carrying gourds, Ko finished the last of his drink as he got up from his tables. He ignored the bewildered looks of patrons complaining about the T.V.'s now off-color screen, and walked straight towards the table with the shadow man. He had a grin on his face as he faced this mysterious figure and spoke. "Pardon me, but I couldn't help but overhear your conversation earlier. I think I might be able to help you. Do you mind if I join you?" Ko's eyes slid to the side, looking directly at where the figure he'd detected, but couldn't see, were. "Well, you and your friend that is." He decided to try something bold, perhaps to unnerve and keep them on their toes. Not waiting long for an answer, the young man sat himself down next to the invisible man as he placed his coat on the hangar just outside their booth. Settling into his seat, Ko began again. "Would anyone like to explain why I can't see the person sitting next to me? Or should I assume we merely have a phantom guest? I'd rather be talking one on one with you, my dear friend." Kotsuko addressed his last sentence at the shadow man directly. He was eager to hear what this man wanted, and how he wanted it. It wasn't often a man like this was seen in the village, so the young man wanted very much to see what his goals and methods were. Perhaps he could be of use to the young man.

 

[Kazu]

[ooc: Considering Zack is dead, I'm going to just void and Topic Left this thread.]

 

[Morishige]

[Voided!]