The Suna Knight Returns (Open)

[Raizo]

Kasha - Demon of the ANBU

The filth of Suna was ever present. The Grand Palais was once a creation meant to bring light to the subterranean village. Instead, its bright lights allowed a massive shadow to grow within the depths. Following the prison release, the seedy location only grew. Gangs, violence, drugs, it was all on the rise. Corruption was always buried deep in the heart of the village, under the cover of the normal operations, and came more to light in the following of the Cabal invasion. While the world is publicly questioning the motives of the Fukui head, there was another who had their sights set firmly on a noble of the Aburabuta household.

"What do you know about Hirotomi?"

Before the figure could answer the question that was asked, he would find his body descending from the rooftop and slamming firmly into the alley way within the Black Bazaar. Most would ignore the ruckus, as it had been common practice within these parts to not get wrapped up in the misfortune of another. Most instances were gang related punishment, so involving oneself would only paint a target on their own back. This was not a friendly, care-for-your-neighbor community. Dog eat dog was the rule.

"I...I... don't... I don't!!!"

The man on the ground would squirm and plead. The one standing over him, a figure draped in a red cloak, dressed and all black and adorned with a white mask with a demonish face drew upon it would tilt his head as if unsure or questioning the response.

"Liar."

Kasha's would lunge down on his prey, gripping the man by the collar of his shirt and yank him back up into the air.

"No! No! Seriously, no, I don't! I was only paid to make sure you got there! We were paid by someone, no Hirotomi. No guy with long hair. It was a different guy. He just paid and said where to be and what to do, that if we saw you to communicate it back to him. That was it. He wasn't wearing a suit or nothing, he looked like he was one of us, not a business man. He found me in the Snake's Den."

"I see."

Kasha would release the man allowing him to drop back to his feet and stand on his own for a split second, but within that same second his right arm would dart forward slamming into the gut of the man. The force of the punch would push the defeated punk back a few feet, sending his eyes rolling up into the back of his head before finally crashing to the ground. He was no longer needed.

"I guess I could use a drink."

It was time to head to one of the area drinking holes, the Snake Den.

 

[Sand Council]

The Snake Den

A bar found in one of the most criminally dense portions of Sunagakure. The barkeep here was a woman most people called Sobo. A tough broad who did not take any shit, that likely being the reason The Snake Den was even open in the first place. Legitimate places of business such as this, despite considering their choice clientele, do not usually last this long. This bar had been in this same site for over 30 years, one of the few establishments that was ultimately unscaved during the Cabal attacks in fact. Traditionally garbed with far too much make-up on for a woman her age, it would not be in someone's best interest to notify her of this fact. She is a chain smoker, she is never seen without a lit cigarette clenched between her teeth. Do not complain about this habit, she would be libel to put out the cancer-stick, sure... but more than likely it would be in your drink or in your eye.

The rest of the bar, less the barkeep was filled with the usual rowdy type that frequented such an establishment. Mostly men drunk off their success, their ambition and of course the watered-down booze they enjoyed as a reasonably inflated cost. The stench of humanity was thick here, bathwater was not a prerequisite for entry. There was some shoving, a few threats being pushed about, but for the most part this was a rather sedate evening. A card game had started up in the back corner in fact. The worn-edged deck of playing cards were laid face-down on the rough uneven table surface. Wads of yen in the center of the table and of course a wedding band and what would appear to be a well-made forgery of a luxury watch in the center pot. Ante up, the dealer ordered as he slapped yet another face-down card in front of the trio of players.

There was a barmaid, a tall slender woman who seemed to be half-assing her job but nobody seemed to notice. She was a minority in a space like this, being a woman under 80 who did not look like she would stab out someone's eye for looking at her cross. She made her rounds, dropping off frosted mugs of cheap booze and making small talk. At this present time she was standing in the back corner, content to not try hard. She had a disinterested look on her tan face as she listened to the men play their game of cards. When one of them looked up from their hand back at her, she wandered off behind the bar and took another pitcher of beer to a thirsty table before she made her way to the back of the room once again.

Everything came to a stop, the chatter and the drinking when a non-regular entered the bar. All eyes turned to the masked man and one of the men in the back yelled out who the fuck is this asshole?

OC: Do you mind?

 

[Raizo]

Kasha - Demon of the ANBU

The location was not attractive, it was not welcoming and it was more than likely not sanitary. What it was, and what made it function, was open. There was not a high standard in this area, the vermin were rather easy to appease, even if they lacked most of the respect to sustain and support any of the legitimate(ish) businesses that did spring up. He would enter, realizing that his attire would probably draw some attention.

Well, am I really that weird of an appearance? I mean for this area? I can't be the only jackass dressing up, right?

He would remain silent. His mask afforded him having to actually show his face to any of the thugs that gathered in this den. He would, ignoring the silence, begin to scan around the room until someone yelled question who he was.

Could break his hand and say something menacing. That would be cool.

Kasha would instead opt to ignore the random outburst and slowly make his way to the bar. Behind it was a woman, who had seen better years, who seemed to be the barmaid.

How did she luck into this job?

One of the things he learned during his wild teen years was that the person behind the bar seemed to always have the dirt on the locals and the area. If this place was indeed one where Aburabuta's underling did his recruiting for thugs to draw Kasha to the Desert Crown, then there was a high probability that this woman would have some idea of who he could "talk" to next. He would continued, calmly to the bar and take a seat.

"Excuse me, I'll take whatever is cheap."

No reason not to utilize the bar.

"Also, have you ever heard of someone named Hirotomi or someone recruiting for crimes to be conducted in the Desert Crown?"

No beating around the bush. It was time to see if being forward was the way to this woman's heart.

-----------------
OOC: Oh my, a wild council controlled NPC?! Haha I relish in the opportunity to play with someone =]

 

[Sand Council]

OC: Well, you were looking hard enough.

IC: The older woman had a permanent scowl on her face, further accentuated by the deep ceases over her cheeks and the deep red painted lips. The barmaid made her way up to the bar, she pulled a rag from her cleavage and started to wipe the bar down wordlessly. The barkeep gave Kasha a stern look before she shooed the barmaid with a flick of her hand. "We do not serve your kind here,"</B><i></i> she grumbled as she wiped a clean glass dry. "More for your safety than my peace of mind,"<i></i> she shrugged as she pointed behind Kasha with her drying rag.

The patrons had already risen behind the vigilante, a length of chain in the hands of one, a knife in another, and a bat in the hands of a third. There was a burly man to the back that donned a pair of brass knuckles and a fifth that had a suspicious bulge near his ankle. His lower leg exposed, it was a holster for a gun.

"Guys... Move the tables and chairs, I don't want you breaking my shit," she sighed. They were like big, smelly kids.

<B>"Yes man,"<i></i> one of the men replied as if he was taking the instructions of a teacher.

The barmaid backed away, she started scrubbing the far end of the bar behind Kasha. Her gaze half averted as she watched the scene unfold.

Kasha had questions, but sadly he was not getting any answers. "I have no problem sharing, but sadly my customers value their privacy."<i></i>

 

[Raizo]

Kasha - Demon of the ANBU

It seemed he was not going to get his drink. Her response was not all that welcoming, but he didn't expect too much in all honesty.

My kind? People in masks? A maskist?

She did not seem hostile, that was reassuring. She didn't seem open to share, that was not as reassuring. She would then point, drawing his attention to the group of gentlemen that were now beginning to gather behind him. It seemed he had some customers of his own to attend to, but before he could she would bark out to the thugs and have them rearrange the room.

They listen to her...

He would remain seated while looking over the rogue gallery before him. It seemed pretty standard, various sizes of jerks with weapons. Poor attitude, poor hygiene and low intelligence were all things he also assumed ran in association with these silly men. His hand would raise, with his index finger extended.

"One moment, fellas."

He would slide up from his seat and rest his back against the bar.

"So are you asking me to go somewhere more private? Pretty fresh for a first date."

His finger would then lower as he motioned for the gang of onlookers before him to "begin". He wanted to dance, but with so many dance partners he wanted to allow them the chance to lead so as to not step on anyone's toes.

I don't blame her. She has rapport with these mutts, but spilling to me would cause her to lose their trust or be targeted for death. Not sure what spell she has over them, but she did say she would share if it wasn't for them... guess I gotta clean up a bit.

 

[Sand Council]

The thugs had gathered around Kasha, but unlike those kung-fu movies where each of the "bad guys" attacked one at a time. There was no such thing as honorable combat here. "Got this," the smelly one announced. Which one was that? Well, the one with the brass knuckles reached out to grab Kasha. In comparison, Kasha looked like a teen in comparison to the burly brass-knuckle bearing man. His trunk like limbs tattooed. He was going to try to physically restrain Kasha from behind. Hold the ANBU smartass in place and give his friends a couple of free shots.

The other guys had no reason to hold back, armed with blunt, sharp and dangerous objects alike they all came at Kasha at once. As for their success or relative failure, that would be for Kasha's author to determine. From behind the counter the barkeep frowned. "Don't bleed too much on my floor," She sighed as she dried another glass as if the scene regardless of the ANBU being a victim or a loser, as if this was a nightly spectacle. The barmaid had taken the far barstool, a book on the rough bar it was open to a blank page and she was scribbling notes.

OC: Fight sequence, GO!

 

[Raizo]

A little background music if you will
Kasha - Demon of the ANBU

"Oh..."

It seemed that she did not feel the need to play coy with him, which was not unheard of but this woman seemed almost removed from the situation.

That is a familiar annoying feeling...

The biggest of the bunch would take hold of him, it seemed that he was going to be held in place for all the other thugs to take their turns.

"Sharing is caring."

His message was not meant to commend the lowlifes for their supportive tactics. It was more intended, which would probably be completely missed, for his own views on this situation. He wanted to share with these lovable goofballs, just as much as they wanted to share with him. As the big guy tightened his grip and the others started to move forward, there would be snap go off within Kasha (Opening Gate 1) . His body would tremble as chakra came rushing up out of his body in a visible, intense burst (Aura Burst). The aura would engulf the poor giant that had the ANBU in his midst, and those approaching would get enough of a taste to brush them back for a moment. Once the big one loosed his grip, Kasha would slip out and rush forward.

"Ballroom blitz."

His words would be muttered under his breath as he raced forward towards the first cutie pie he could reach. His arms would lunge forward and wrap around the head of the man as Kasha would pull up with his might while launching up from the ground. His current momentum would carry his body upwards and send his knee ramming into the nose of the poor soul with an unforgiving impact. While the body of the man would now be tumbling backwards, Kasha would extend his body as another snap would occur within him (Opening Gate 5).

"It was electric."

And within that split second of his next muttering, Kasha would seem to fade out of focus as he rushed forward once more. There was a man he had seen earlier with some holster on his side, this man was about to meet the ANBU. Kasha would be upon the man, who, in a panic, would reach for his holster. Before he could complete his movement he would be wrapped up by the masked man and hurled over his back. The man would be slammed head first into the ground, causing it to crack slightly from the impact. After finishing his suplex he would once more fade out of sight as he rushed around the room.

"Miss me?"

He would once more appear next to the giant brute who had once tried to hold him in place. Without wasting a motion, Kasha would leap upwards slamming his first into the jaw of the man. Due to the power of the opened gates, and his natural knack of hitting hard, the impact would pull the giant up off his feet. The first punch would be quickly followed up with a chain of less intense but quicker strikes that would seem to push the man up higher in the air, as if causing him to levitate, until finally it would seem like everything would pause. Hovering in a timeless moment would be the masked man and the giant bad man. It would seem like time was hung in this moment for hours, but in all actuality it would have only been a second. Kasha would quickly unleash one final strike, raising his leg high into the air, almost kicking the ceiling, and send it rushing down into the head of the man. The entirity of this process was part of a special technique he had perfected once unlocking his chakra gates (Ura Renge).

The giant would come slamming into the bar, shattering the poor fixture, and sending a cloud of debris up and outward throughout the room. Kasha would come down gracefully and land softly upon the ground has his masked face would look outward towards the rest of the patrons.

"Anyone else care to dance with the devil in the pale moon light?"

Just leave you turds, I am more interested in her anyways.

Deep down, he hoped his inability to heed the warning of the barmaid, who was obnoxiously scribbling away in a book, would get her to give him the attention he wanted.

----------------
OOC: All moves not accompanied by links were Hachimon moves and can be found here: http://www.ninpocho.com/viewtopic.php?f=108&t=5506

 

[Sand Council]

OC: Phone post - sorry.

IC:
That was a massive ass kicking, the kind you would expect to see on animal planet when a flock of flamingos try to take on a hippopotamus and fail spectacularly. The barkeep watched the display with passing interest until Kasha had the stupidity to break her bar. Her pencil thin eyebrows twitched at the sight of her bar room filling up with a cloud of debris. As the smokescreen started to clear you would be a rather perturbed woman scowling.

She let out a horrible sound, a primal bellow if you will in response to Kasha's careless destruction. She pulled out a fan, it was not the kind that one would hope to see at a tropical resort where scantly clad women would fan some lucky man. This one was made of metal and had a serrated edge. This was probably one of the reason she commanded this kind of respect from these goons.

In the back of the room, at the far end of the bar the blonde barmaid was sitting with her head down in the cloud of smoke. She was blinded by the offensive cloud. She let out a series of hacking coughs as she clapped her book closed.

"Ruka, get the mop out. As soon as this smoke clears I am going to be teaching this ANBU prick some respect." The elderly and armed barkeep announced.

OC: Vision obstructed for the two conscious employees.You have either KO'd or incapacitated the men you were fighting, filling the bar with murmurs and groans. The other customers here have decided to bout mess with tho Hachimon. So, what will you do Batman... Errr... I mean Kasha.

 

[Raizo]

Kasha - Demon of the ANBU

Vision was limited, the older woman was armed and the room seemed to be as less open to continuing with their all out brawl. Her barking, her weapon, which was hard to fully make out in the debris but definitely looked big, and her confidence during all of this meant that she was to be treated serious. Her age and her sexual binary did not factor into this moment, Kasha was all for equality.

"Hello."

Hidden within the cloud of dust, Kasha's body would be emitting its own steam, a side effect of the strain his body was experiencing while opening the gates. The steam would only intensify as Kasha lowered his body in a sprinting stance. Still running on the high of have two gates opened, Kasha would push off from the ground, tearing through the flooring as his body rush forward like a rocket. With his speed and the coverage of the dust, Kasha would attempt to slip out of sight (attempting to enter Stealth). If he synced up everything properly, he would not be seen as he neared the back of the old weapon wielding woman and a strike would lunge out at the back of her neck with the hopes of incapacitating her and ending this current bloodlust she was craving (Shadow Step Strike - Special Action).

Upon a successful strike he would reappear behind the woman and simply say,

"Is it me you're looking for?"

If, however, the woman's skill was at a higher level and she was able to read the attack and guard or parry, Kasha would utilize his Body Flicker technique to evade any sort of counter or attack his way. This would place him back at the scene of the crushed bar with a sour mood and a decision for what song he would need to finish this moment.

He still had questions to ask afterall.

 

[Sand Council]

And in this case Roku would be a flamingo. The old woman would not be as easy to deal with as the men her bar serviced. She did not flinch, except to wince when Kasha broke through her floor. Kasha came up behind her and without turning she swatted at the masked vigilante with her metallic fan as if he was a gnat. She did not hit him of course, as he moved swiftly out of harm's way. "Your fancy shinobi tricks mean shit to me. You and your kind are all alike, barging into my place of business and pushing my customers around. Damaging my livelihood. Treating us like criminals because of where we are, who I chose to service." The old woman announced as she flicked her wrist and her fan left her hand. It would spin about in a rapid fashion, the trajectory slightly angled like a boomerang. Millimeters before hitting the far back wall the fan would return, possibly cutting into or through Kasha if he stood in her path.

Kasha was not very good at making friends. His violent proclivities obvious by the number of injured around him. The look of fear of several of the customer's faces as several attempted to silently make their way to the door. The barmaid replied to the old crone, "I have heard of him before mam... he is the vigilante Kasha." Perhaps it was a warning or an introduction. "I cannot express the outcome of this altercation in advance," she commented as she folded her hands on top of her tome. "Also, I cannot see a thing over here," she complained as she slid her bar stool back from the counter. The sound of the legs over the uneven floorboards made this transition obvious.

"So a criminal who wants to be named a hero," the barkeep announced as she caught her metal fan. "I always imagined the devil to be... taller." Her lip crept upward into a lop-sided smirk as she prepared for her next attack.

 

[Raizo]

Kasha - Demon of the ANBU

It would seem that he had partially calculated that this woman was more than meets the eye based on her ability to command the rank and file. Her ability with the weapon would cement it. She not only reacted extraordinarily fast, but her throwing of the weapon was pretty awe inspiring for someone of her age.

Maybe she is hiding her true appearance.

Kasha would cautiously leap out of the way of the incoming fan, while remaining against the bar. She seemed rather intent on fighting and her words did not give the impression that she cared for him or seeing this end peacefully. That was his fault, no doubt. Then there was the matter of the other voice. Something about it was naggingly familiar. He would have liked to explore her some more to see if his suspicion was correct.

Annoying...

"6'2" ain't short."

His body was still emitting it pulsing wave of steam as he plopped down on the nearest bar stool.

"I came here looking for answers about an individual. I apologize you feel persecuted, but if you are deemed in cahoots with the individual in question then I have no remorse for you, your ilk, your patrons or your livelihood."

His tone was no longer playful.

"We can continue this, you can flex your muscle as you seemed rather skilled. You may hurt me in the process, but I will make two promises."

He would raise 2 fingers.

"First, you will not be able to kill me."

He would lower one finger.

"Second, my fight isn't about defeating you so I will go all out and destroy this very building around you."

Both fingers would lower as would his hand as he folded his arms across his chest.

"If you care for this business of yours, you must decide; answer my original questions and I will leave without any further destruction or you can decline to answer and continue to make me pay for causing this mess. If you choose the latter, I will uphold my two promises. I will continue to run amok until you are exhausted and there is not a piece of wood left untouched in this structure."

If they were able to see his face that would see the ferocity in his eyes at this moment.

"Do not mistake me as a police of this village, and do not confuse me with a hero. I don't give a damn about you, this location or the people in here. I am a man with a mission and you are currently standing in my way. You are in a cage with a wild animal."

He was not one for making friends, that was clear, but what he was doing was not for friendship or building bridges in the community. He had good intentions but selfish motives. He was no hero. It was now time to see if this woman cared more for her establishment or taking her vengeance on Kasha. Again, not good at making friends but he did have a habit of finding people's buttons. If, however, she no longer cared for her location, he was perfectly fine with ending this.

 

[Sand Council]

Corny joke time:

A man walks into the bar and asks the bartender, "do you have any helicopter-flavored potato chips?" The bartender shakes his head and says, "no, we only have plain."

The old woman was probably the only person in the village that was not being deceitful. She was old but she was also strong, powerful even. Without such inherent and learned skill in a world such as this she would not have survived this long among these 'degenerates' and 'criminals' forgotten, ostracized and feared by society. He made his quip and his threat -- that he would threaten her bar not her body and Kasha would be right. Her weakness was not her physical safety, Kasha was right, in her prime perhaps she could have taken him down but that was decades ago. She begrudgingly lowered her bladed fan to her side and let out a huff of air through flared nostrils. "Making you eat your mask is not worth my livlihood, she ceded. Her bar was almost, but not entirely in ruins just yet.

Some of the patrons in the bar decided to take a stand, perhaps the fear they had was overridden by another sense but the old woman motioned them to stand down. The dust had started to settle and the barmaid had made it to the back door. Her hand curled around the door handle as she wordlessly opened the door.

"So, crime," she glowered, defeated her shoulders slumped. "Aburabuta, no. He does not come here any more," she started. "But his employees drop in on occasion," she continued as she motioned towards one of the men Kasha had just assaulted. Which one could be anyone's guess with the generic motion. "Most of the stuff these boys do here is pretty petty,"</B><i></i> she shrugged to which one of the men that remained in the bar yelled out 'hey!' It was barely more than an objection, she was right after all. <B>"He is not the kind of person any of us would work for unless we were desperate... Pay is good 'nuff, but it usually involves minor jail time." She scowled at Kasha as she added, "what do you want with him? Bigger paycheck?"

 

[Raizo]

Kasha - Demon of the ANBU

It seemed tonight was going to get a bit calmer. His gambit paid off, the woman decided to forgo anymore of this battle and have the chat he was looking for since the beginning. She seemed to be gathering up those that remain and hurried them off while explaining her knowledge of Aburabuta and his workings within this area. It seemed that the original 'informant' was correct about this location and its association with the events that led up to that night. It also seemed that he had used this area for other deeds outside of that night.

Interesting.

"Money? No. I have unfinished business with that man and his manipulation of this village."

His eyes would begin to scan around the room looking for the one that was referred as 'Ruka' earlier. He had some questions he wanted to ask her as well.

"The associate that had been visiting here on behalf of Aburabuta, does he have a name or any idea on his location?"

It was clear he was not going to be able to take the head of this snake just yet, so it would prove vital to learn about the next step to reach Hirotomi. He would look around, he had done a little number on this place and its patronage. It was not something he fully enjoyed, because he did enjoy it to some degree, but he still felt some remorse. Most of those within here could not help that this is how their fate had ended up. Many were put at a disadvantage by the system, by birth, or by mistake. Once you fall in society you almost can never crawl back up to a higher wrung, you are subjected to remain in your place. Hirotomi knew this, and stood at the top of society using these people as tools.

 

[Sand Council]

Another Corny Joke:
A Stone ninja, a priest, a Merchant Lord, an Ancient, the Kazekage and a blonde walk into a bar. The bartender looks at them and asks, "Is this some kind of joke?"

---

"Money? No. I have unfinished business with that man and his manipulation of this village."

Roku replied. She was not going to ask the man who basically destroyed her bar to elaborate. Meanwhile the barmaid slipped through the door and carefully shut it behind her. The bar was starting to settle, one of the patrons lifted a displaced table back onto its legs and slid a pair of chair, now rather scratched, under.

"The associate that had been visiting here on behalf of Aburabuta, does he have a name or any idea on his location?"

The answer to that was simple, his lawyer. "Nakamura Kazuhiro," she replied simply. "No idea where Aburabuta's lawyer lives. Would probably be best to go to Aburabuta's estate and ask him." While the old woman would have no way of knowing this, it was Aburabuta's mansion that was 'robbed' in an attempt to lure the vigilante out of the shadows to make a deal. "Have not seen him much since the Cabal attack, but his lawyer was making a fuss about keeping one of the Cabal supporters out of jail, a... Homura, I think and then there was that other incident where he made a formal complaint that went nowhere regarding being attacked by a Merchant Lord. It was in the papers."

Hirotomi was likely still in town, somewhere. He or at the very least his lawyer had to of returned to make those complaints most certainly. It would appear that Aburabuta has a rivalry with Soons Haven, or more specifically at least one of the Merchant Lords. Their quarrel would be far outside of the barkeep's understanding. Still, the old woman had one thought. A thought that would hopefully get this masked asshole out of her bar for good. "Personally, I would try his house. It would be the big one," she instructed emphasizing the word big because that was the thing with Hirotomi. He was a 'big' guy, not in size but rather in resources and he enjoyed flaunting this. "Or," she added simply "you should start looking around the other side of town." The big creeps never hang out in the trenches with lowlifes, this is just where they recruit the desperate and the hungry. Overall they do not know anything about the man beyond what they read in the papers or what they have heard in terms of rumors.

The thing is -- is Kasha asking the right questions?

A solider rarely knows their commander intimately. Where they frequent, who they are friendly with, where their cot is, but they do know one thing better than even the commander's friends. What the mission is.

 

[Raizo]

Kasha - Demon of the ANBU

He would listen to her words and attempt to make all the pieces fit together in his mind. There was a new name, someone he would need to start searching for, then there was the added information. All of it was definitely several pieces short of the whole picture, but he could not expect to get much more. This was a good start. It allowed him to start up a new search and build up a new lead, getting anything at this point was honestly better than what things looked like a few minutes ago. But still, this wasn't enough to really give him a clear next step. The fact that there were gaps in the information didn't make a whole lot of sense.

"So, he sent his lawyer to pay for thugs to rob himself?"

He mused out loud, there was not much to it. Just an absent thought escaping during his processing. His finger would begin to tap on his arm, a reflex during his more rigorous deep thought moments. There just had to be more there.

"Did he ever openly say what all he was wanting? I mean what jobs did he ask for? Robberies? Is that the extent?"

His was a bit flustered and there was not guarantee anything more could be answered by this woman.

"Why the need to hire out of this area?"

He understood her claims from earlier and the persecution the women felt about this area, but the question was still valid.

Why them? Why this place? It can't just be that they are expendable. The way that man slaughtered the men that night, he didn't care about any of them. Even I was another piece to his game board, but for someone that could buy anything and values no one... why choose here? Why them, what was the point of it all.

It was truly a perplexing moment, and what was ultimately frustrating, what he had missed in all of this, was that the female from earlier had left. Feels like that may come back to be an irritation in his future.


OOC: You and your jokes are ridiculous. Do I get another one? Do I need to make jokes?!!

 

[Sand Council]

OC: Nope, I am the funny one here. I am sure you have heard something similar to this one.

A string walks into the Kazekage's Office and asks the Steward to accept his mission request. Sousuke replies, "I'm sorry, but we don't serve strings In Sand."

The string leaves the Kazekage Tower, ties himself in a loop and messes up the top of his hair. He walks back up to the Steward's Office and submits his mission request yet again.

The Sousuke squints at him and says, "Hey, aren't you a string?"

The string says, "Nope, I'm a frayed knot."

---

"So, he sent his lawyer to pay for thugs to rob himself?"

The old lady nodded in affirmation. What better way to ensure you and your property would not be damaged in the process but by hiring the men to do such, them knowing you were also your benefactor. Low risk work for men too dumb to realize the most basic tenant of being a 'bad guy' for hire, when you are pretending to be bad you do not get any leeway. "Pretty much," she shrugged "men who might be dishonest and also dumber than a box of rocks see that kinda work as an easy score. Aburabuta plays the victim, gets a few cuts or scrapes, has something not really valuable 'stolen' but thankfully whatever it was happened to be fully insured. As for the guys, most of the time Aburabuta never presses charges." She explained. Aburabuta owned those men of course, they might not realize it at the time, but in the cases where they 'got away' Aburabuta always kept some soret of proof that he could use at his disposal to put the final nail in any of their coffins. "Except a recent request of his, none of those guys came back," she added not knowing that Roku was familiar with that last event.

"Did he ever openly say what all he was wanting? I mean what jobs did he ask for? Robberies? Is that the extent?"

Kasha continued to question her. It seemed like a lot of effort was being made to find a single slimy businessman. "Mostly insurance fraud stuff, the occasional fake mugging to help press some new policy. But there used to be a few regulars who used to do some sort of transport work for him. Never asked... never cared. A few real quiet kidnappings, but most of that stuff happened outside of Sunagakure. In fact, Aburabuta got himself kidnapped a few weeks ago but that was not the work of any of these guys." She was of course referring to a kidnapping that he relegated to his trusted inner circle in hopes of defaming one of the Merchant Lords. It failed spectacularly because his inner circle men were still a bunch of bumbling baboons. "He made a stink about it, was even in the paper. His lawyer made a formal complaint even to the Council over it," she explained, her tone miffed. She was not actually giving him any news here, some of this stuff was public knowledge at this point.

"Why the need to hire out of this area?"

"Look at us," she answered with a frown. "You came in here, destroyed my livelihood because I might be associated with a bad person... do you think anyone is going to hunt you down and lock you away? Nobody gives a crap about us, too poor to do anything about it and not respected enough to have anyone defend us. We do shot-jobs that get us locked away because what else is there for us. We don't have the skill set to be a shinobi and if any of us did... they'd forget their roots in no time and do the same crap you do." While she included herself in these statements, it was rather obvious that she was in a class of her own above most of these drunkards. If she ever was a shinobi, she was far past her prime, the deep lines drawn about her face suggested a hard life but perhaps not all of it was in the Black Bazaar.

To answer an internal query, the woman who left took good notes. She did not stay for everything, there was too great a risk for compromise. Her henge flickered, but only for a moment to reveal a cropped cottony bob and more average features. The book she carried under her arm was clasped tightly against her side. There was something about bars and information. Sometimes all you had to do was sit there and wait for someone else to ask all the right... or wrong questions. The Oracle's transformation would persist, she looked either direction to make sure that nobody saw the brief falter in such a remedial skill. She had places to go, men to watch. Kasha was not the only person interested in Aburabuta after all.

 

[Raizo]

Kasha - Demon of the ANBU

He would listen once more, it seemed there was indeed some more information to pull from this location, but it seemed that all of it was soon to be wrapped up. He needed to ask one last question before he could resolve this entire business with the Snake Den and its patrons. They had been surprisingly helpful. Moments ago it looked like this was going to be a free for all and now it had brought about some very insightful answers, while still leaving a lot of shadows on Hirotomi and his doings.

"The jobs that people didn't come back from; was it the kidnapping requests or was it something else?

He just needed this final piece of clarification before he could make an accurate assessment on his next step. Another tid bit of information that seemed to stand out was that his kidnappings were supposed to take place outside of Suna, except for his own. Clearly the reason for that lied in his true motives and his own attempted kidnapping was either to provide proof of innocence for himself or was plotted by those he was working against. Hirotomi did mention others within Soons Haven actively working against the village, which would probably be more accurate at it being people actively working against Hirotomi. He didn't care about the village, he didn't care about the people in it. As he awaited the follow up response to his question, Kasha would raise up from his seat and slowly bring one hand into his cloak. It was about time to resolve this matter and the people who had witnessed it.


OOC: Corny, bro! Also, short post is short, but I need that clarification and then will make my grand exit!

 

[Sand Council]

OC: I sir am a LADY! *huffs* And another joke to continue this theme. Makes my posts feel longer.

A stinky man walks into a bar. Unfortunately it isn’t of soap.

---

"Robbery... a robbery of his own place," The old woman replied. It seemed like nothing of actual interest to her, it was just another one of Aburabuta's jobs. Considering the fact that the village almost blew up, their lack of return was notable but far from astonishing. "They were some small time hoods, they robbed a few other places first before Aburabuta's lawyer contacted them. They were making off with some valuable's in that rich part of town." She waved her hand in a circle, forgetting the name of the most wealthy and affluent district in the village. A place she would never go and a place where she would never belong.

He would start to get of, and the old woman's shoulder would sag. As if an immeasurable, invisible weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She would not stop him from leaving, nor would she say good-bye if he decided to leave. More relieved than anything else. If he did in fact leave, she would call out "Ruka. Ruka!" She would look about the bar, wondering where that woman went. "A week on the job and she has already run off... well, that is twice as long as I would have thought anyone else would have lasted," she muttered to herself out loud. "Will get the dam broom myself."

[Allowing 'Kasha' Leave of Thread if he Chooses to Do So]

 

[Raizo]

OOC: Sorry, your Shiori was showing in your last post so I had to take a friendly jab... wait, I swear you posted from your actual account last time. Am I losing my mind!?

Kasha - Demon of the ANBU

Her response was something he was not expecting and yet was almost painfully obvious.

That night.

He knew what the job was, which meant that the big picture to take from this moment was the identity of the one spending the money for Hirotomi and the kidnapping jobs. There had to be something there, that had to be something he could make use of. The information alone, the fact that a formal report was filed, meant that information was out there. This information would require less of a beating. It was now time to settle up for his nightly fun. This woman had passed his trial run. Out of his cloak would be a stack of Yen that he would place on a remaining half of the bar. The amount would be well enough for her to feel better about the damage he had actually done to her establishment.

"This is for the inconvenience."

He had no reason not to settle his debt. He did not care what she ultimately used the money for, he hoped the best but understood that immediate introduction of money for those less fortunate isn't always spent wisely. It was not his concern how she used it.

"I will place an anonomous work order to tend to the actual building repairs. Use the money to aid with paying that and any unneeded stress I have caused you. Just because this place is littered with filth doesn't mean it shouldn't exist. Thank you for allowing me to relieve some stress."

He would begin to make his way to the exit, which probably delighted the others in the bar. Before he made it just but a couple steps out the door he would here her call out to a "Ruka". This would not only pique his interest but send him immediately storming back into the bar.

"Ruka, your help, she has only been with you for a week? Could you describe her, her work ethic, if she gave any details about herself outside of this job?"

It was a hunch he had almost given up on, but one he figured to poke at before he completely exited this establishment. The one known as 'Ruka' had already disappeared and deep down he did not think she would ever return to this location, at least not under the same alias.

Tricky little bird.

 

[Sand Council]

OC: Then more time for jokes.

What do you call a basement full of women? A whine cellar.

---

IC:

The bar let out a near unanimous sigh of relief as Kasha started to make his exit. A stack of yen slapped onto the table was dedicated to repairing this dilapidated structure. Kasha was not wrong to assume that money in destitute hands would likely not go where intended but they always did seem to find a way to survive. For her, it would go back to the bar directly although not necessarily for direct repair. Some chakra-sapping seals would actually do her bar a world of good. The money was half spent in her mind before the masked vigilante spun about on his heels and marched back to the bar.

"Ruka, your help, she has only been with you for a week? Could you describe her, her work ethic, if she gave any details about herself outside of this job?"

The old woman slid the cash into her bra before she answered. No man's hand has been there in some time, and likely would not be for some time more. Safest place in the bar per her assumption. "Yeah, a week," she confirmed, her narrow lips drew into a lopsided quizzical expression. "Most only last a day or two, she was the girl serving drinks when you came in," she pointed out. The girl (pictured to the left) appeared to be young, younger than the woman Roku had met previously. Long brown hair and hazel eyes, the only thing that truly stood out about her was the fact that she was a scantly clad attractive woman at least in this form. That was the kind of woman you wanted to pour your drinks, listen to your woes and to drunkenly tell your secrets to. She stood out, but that was not always a bad thing when it came to gathering intelligence. "Nice girl, insisted on working from open to close. She had a thing for writing of course, not sure if she was a student or a starving novelist tho. A few of the guys here asked, she just said 'notes' but with fancier words. Thankfully she did not talk much, barely understood what she was saying half the time." She complained, almost a regular chatty-Cathy now that her bar was paid for and she had the opportunity to bitch about her errant help.

The old woman let out a half laugh as she thought to herself. Funny how men are always chasing some skirt. "Would not think you were the type to break up a bar and then chase some pretty girl," she mused. "But, I do know something about her I'd be more than happy to share if you would be willing to do something for me." The woman was looking for a bribe, but it was not in the form of cash. "I have always found Sennin Toraono to be a handsome beast of a man, promise me a picture of him that I can hang in my bar and I will tell you what little I know." The older woman blushed as she made this admission, but a trivial request such as hers for information she would give anyways now that the barmaid had nothing more to offer her considering the fact that she was gone and when girls leave they never come back.

If Kasha made her the promise the old woman's expression would be as delighted as a cranky barkeep's could be, and if he declined she would appear disappointed but in either case the information would be shared because... screw Ruka. Women were catty, and this barkeep was no exception. "A few of the guys tried to follow her home one night, they lost track of her when she ran down an ally near that new Library they are building on the surface." A new structure was under development, spearheaded by Sennin Toraono in fact. While he was not an Oracle, he was making a valid attempt to rebuild the order. What would this woman want with this new building? Perhaps she lived nearby. "Also," the barkeep added as she grabbed a coat from a peg on a wall behind her bar. "She forgot her jacket," the old woman announced. Perhaps there would be some information to be learned from this artifact.