SHOPLIFTERS, BEWARE! [Modded Mission]

[Tatsuo]

After his great performance on the last mission, Takejo was a shoe in for this mission. A local grocery store had been having trouble with shoplifters as of late. While it was expected in a business, but when they start losing literal hundreds of merchandise within a month it's about time to get a shinobi involved. Even if it was just an academy student to keep eyes on thing. People are much less likely to expect a small shinobi anyways.

When Takejo finally showed up to the shop, he would be greeted by an older man who was leaning over the counter. Smoking a pipe as he kept vigilant eyes around the shop. Lots of trinkets and stuff hung from the ceiling and walls. Despite having the stock of a typical grocery stock. They also had some more strange items, such as canned eyes of newts. Dried alligator hearts. Other than that, it would look like your typical grocery store.

When approached, the old man would say "So you're the kid they sent us?" he said eyeing him down for a bit. "I suppose it's better than nothing. Tell me, are you any good at being a ninja? I just need you to tell me if you see anything, don't need you to actually fight or anythin.." He sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "I can't believe kids nowadays, stealing stuff like this." The man tapped the counter a few times before standing up straight and shaking his head. "Back in my day, I could've left the damn register open and no one would take a penny. Its gotta be kids these days, the past generations would've never done anything like this." he said continuing on his uncomfortable rant for probably too long. "You got any questions?" he asked at the end of the typical 'kids these days' speech.

 

[Arashi Takejo]

Arashi sat silently at the edge of the clearing he had spent the dawn practicing. It was morning already and the sun was rising in the sky. The streetlights were starting to switch off and people would soon be commuting from home to work. However the boy’s mind was on something else, as his arms worked in a robotic manner as he wiped his blades. It was an important day day for him. It would be his second official mission ever. It was strange when he thought about it. He was happy that he was going on another mission, but he also wondered if this mission would involve any actual perilous activities. Kinda dumb when you think about it, given that he was an academy student and all that. Surely they wouldn’t give him a combat mission, would they? A part of him thought he wasn’t ready for that yet. Brushing aside the useless thoughts, he packed up his gear. Washing his face at a public tap nearby, he started his final cool-down exercises. It was a good thing he had got a goodnight’s sleep the night before which was quite uncharacteristic for him but it definitely helped with the fatigue.


As he finished his stretching, he felt something was wrong. It was as if time had paused. Birds seemed to move in slow motion and even more weirdly, he was apparently standing upside down. A searing pain ripped through his head and he knew it was one of his fits again. He closed his eyes for a few seconds and concentrated hard. His problem seemed more messy than usual for some reason which perplexed him. This was his first fit in days and it was growing worse even though the frequency was diminishing. He rubbed his eyes to forgo any hints of his dazed demeanour. Sorting himself was a must but that would have to wait for another day. He couldn’t let it distract him, not today. He made a final check of his gear and attire. Fortunately they were all ready to go. He washed up once again real quick, and donned his Jacket, something he had gotten way too familiar with. He imitated a gun with his hand and a small pebble launched from his index finger, knocking down an apple from the nearby tree. After grabbing the fallen apple and saying a small prayer to his parents and foster parents who were in heaven hopefully, he was on his way to the place which apparently needed his services.


It was a local grocery store in maple town, where the owner was apparently having major issues with shoplifters. Finding his way to the store, with aid from pedestrians, he finally arrived at his destination. The shop looked a bit older than the other ones around it. Walking inside past a welcome sign, he arrived at the cashier’s counter. He was greeted by an older man who was smoking a pipe. Taking a look around, he saw tons of stuff. Some common day to day items along with other more rarer things, a few of which Arashi hadn’t seen before. The old man explained that he needed Arashi to keep a watch on the stuff in the store and look out for any mischievous offender. According to him, the culprits were most likely young kids. Addressing the shopkeeper he said,


“Don’t worry Shopkeeper-san. They probably sent someone from the academy to maintain discretion. I may not have a headband yet, but I am almost as good as any average Genin.” He finished with a smile. It was a humble brag, but he didn’t think it was untrue. The old man grunted and sighed a bit, complaining how the younger generation was becoming more reckless and irresponsible. Turning towards Arashi, he asked if he had any doubts about the job. After looking around the store for a while Arashi asked,


“Just a few questions, if you don’t mind. When did the sequence of shopliftings start occurring? Do you suspect anyone in particular? And I see you keep a wide variety of items so other than the money in the cash counter, are there items in the shop which are quite expensive?” He hoped the answers to these question would help him come up with a good solution on how to approach this.

WC = 723

 

[Tatsuo]

The old man was a bit disappointing in who they sent, couldn't even afford a Genin, who did they think he was insulting him so. At the end of the day there was nothing he could do however, he would just have to put his faith in Takejo. "Well.." rubbing his chin as he thought about the questions Takejo presented him with. He leaned over the counter, pointing a ragged finger over to a shop on the other side of the street. "You see that shop there? They're my biggest competitor.." the shop across the street looked recently built and honestly more with the times than the homely shop they were currently in. Sliding doors, big glass windows, adverts with pretty women on them. The likes.

"You see... I think it's that shop owners boys.. his oldest son is a big brat. I'm tellin' ya. Once he threatened me while I was taking out the trash. Luckily some nice Chuunin was around to scare him off, but he ganged up on me with him and all of his friends. Back in my day I woulda given 'em the ole one-two i'm telling ya'. But my joints ache and my punch isn't what it's used to. My family has had this shop for generations, i've never once thought about closing business and while its slower.. if they weren't playing so dirty and underhanded I wouldn't have a problem stayin' afloat. But with so much of my merchandise goin' missing i'm wonderin' how i'll keep the lights on."

The man let out somewhat of a defeated sigh as he lent back off the bar and shook his head. "I don't mean to insult ya' but there pretty old ya see? And quite a few of 'em, even if you catch them in the act I don't know if you could stop them. Who knows they might even try jumpin' ya' like they did me in the back alleys." The man shook his head, "I wouldn't ever forgive myself if that ever happened. It might just be time for this old geezer to call it a day.." It was obvious he was at the end of the rope and unless Takejo could do anything about the situation he'd be out of not only his business, but his pride.

 

[Arashi Takejo]

Arashi could sense the swelling feeling of disappointment in the old man’s demeanour. Clearly he was less than satisfied with Arashi, but either of them had little voice or choice on the matter. Arashi was hoping that there was no need for a more experienced Shinobi in the matter, but one thing his teachers stressed upon in the academy was to never underestimate any given task. Apparently the old man did have some suspects for the mysterious shopliftings. Pointing towards a much more modern shop across the street, he claimed they were the old man’s main competitors in the neighbourhood. From the outside, the other shop seemed miles ahead in employing modern technology. The shop itself was almost three to four times bigger than the old man’s. It had huge glass windows, colourful banners and posters. Along with that the automatic sliding doors and the snacks bar seemed like the cherry on top. It seemed almost perfect for a shopping supermart. The first thought that came into Arashi’s mind after his first look was that, why would such an advanced and seemingly rich shop feel threatened by an inferior looking shop. Then he remembered something his brother used to say about the commodity business. According to him, Real quality always outweighed glossy presentation and hence their value was much higher. Obviously he used that logic to plan his underhanded activities, but the statement stuck around Arashi’s mind.


The old man’s prime suspect was the other shop owner's eldest son. Apparently he was a spoiled brat who had tried to intimidate and threaten the old man repeatedly and succeeded more than once, ganging up on him no less. The thought immediately struck a nerve for the young student. He hated filth like these who disrespect elders. Personally he never had any father figure, so Arashi instantly sympathised with the old shopkeeper. The old man was truly in a sticky situation. If his competitor was sabotaging his shop and ancestral business, there was little he could do to retaliate. With a defeated sigh, the old man once again stressed on the fact that the alleged culprits were much older and bigger in size than Arashi. Arashi wasn’t sure what he could say or do to restore the old man’s faith, but he had decided he would at least do all he could to catch the culprits red handed and teach them a lesson. A shinobi could take numerous enemies, including those who were bigger in size. If he couldn’t teach a few spoiled brats a good lesson, then perhaps he should quit his dream of becoming a strong shinobi. Right now, he needed to encourage the old man and reassure him that he was upto the job. Summoning all the confidence he could muster, Arashi said,


“Old man, have a little faith. Shinobi can take on numerous foes larger than them. I dream to become a strong shinobi one day and I have been practising day and night to protect Konoha and its people.” Unwrapping his trusty longsword, Ryuujin Jakka from its cloth covering. “This is a real blade Shopkeeper-san and while I don’t plan to use it other than self defense, I’ll not hesitate to use it to protect someone either. That is what I have been taught. ”


He hoped that showing his blade would restore some confidence in the old man that he was upto the task. One thing was certain though. He would give his best to apprehend the culprits and bring them to appropriate justice.

WC = 589