[Daigo]

Given Our Due

    

    The act of getting in and out of the Lightning Country was somewhat familiar by now for Daigo, disguise or not, but rarely did he make a point of recklessly entering the country without good reason or without a good alter ego. His outfit, disguise, and all around look were far from the best he had done, but far above average, and high quality in all the right places. Getting onto the shores was a matter some work to make sure to cover his tracks, getting into bear country with much lower security, then procuring a boat openly into the lightning country, as close to Kumo as he could get.

    Once on dry land for a second time, he went straight to the gates of Kumogakure and began producing identification via scrolls, something he had gotten rather good at creating and finding those willing to help legitimize, rather illegally mind you. The guards at the gate were meeting with one Naoki Ren, documented as a wandering shinobi formerly a resident of Bear Country, but no affiliation to its shinobi village. His clothing fairly basic with an off white coat hanging around his waist and down to his legs, partially torn at the top as if to indicate the number of battles it had seen. Underneath a skin tight shirt with a neck going all the way up to his chin, long sleeved down to thin black gloves on his left, and down to the elbow of his right. His right arm looked to be a complete prosthetic created for a shinobi, though fake, near impossible to tell outside of thorough examination and proper knowledge. Jet black hair framed his face, a tanned complexion from years of travel, and a piercing blue left eye, as the right was covered with a ninja eye scope.

    According to his documentation he was a shinobi the equivalent of a high ranking Chuunin, and was carrying nothing for weaponry but two kunai, and a kakute (ring) with a single spike, worn on the middle finger of his prosthetic right hand. The rest of his gear was nothing more than blank tags.

    Once he had explained his reasoning for being in the village was looking for work in the way of missions, the looks he received were shifted between odd from one guard and relief from another, one being somewhat weary and the other seemingly thinking much less of it, he was eventually let inside. A few stops, questions, looks at his identification, and waves later, he was finally in front of a desk being and handed a scroll and quickly being waved aside. Apparently he was to wait outside for someone, not told for how long, not told exactly who, but the waving away became heavier the longer he stood. Eventually ending up standing outside of front of the office, feeling a bit awkward just standing and waiting. In the meantime he was reading through the scroll he was handed, just enough information to know it was a mission worth taking, but surprised at how much information was surely left out.

    So far the only thing he had managed to gather from this entire circumstance was the mission office was run by someone impatient, and the locals certainly liked to stare.

[hirana kizumi]

Murahira Chitose was not overly pleased that this mission had been contracted out to a foreigner, but she understood that times were tough, and they could use all the help they could get. That the man was from Bear Country gave her pause, but she had scrutinized the provided documentation and noticed nothing particularly suspicious or odd about the individual Naoki Ren—he was not a current or former operative of Hoshigakure, and seemed to be exactly as he presented himself: a wanderer in search of work. The Raikage was permissive of wannin, having some eccentric fondness for these wayward world travelers, and so Chitose, while irritated, could find no fault with the assignment. She had been contacted as soon as the mission was assigned—clan leadership had made it explicitly clear that none of their contracts were to be completed without a Murahira on duty, and she was the foremost available who was qualified to take on a B-rank. Chitose made her way down to the office, forgoing her traditional SOKA wicker mask in favor of presenting as a standard Kumogakure shinobi. She bowed briefly in greeting to the clear and obvious foreigner waiting outside the mission office. "Naoki Ren?” It was less a question, more a confirmation. "I apologize for the wait. I am Murahira Chitose, and I will be accompanying you on this mission. What questions do you have about the assignment—have you spent much time in Kaminari no Kuni before?” Better to understand what kind of person she was working with before they set out for their destination. Her hesitation expanded to the delicacy of the mission in question; while Suzumaki Kotaru was no true noble, only a man with new-money tastes and a large estate, taking him in would need to be handled with care. The Urumi Six would undoubtedly prove to be an irritating counter-force as well, and she did not want to enter a fight with an unknown at her back.

Daigo -- 326

LAIKA OF THQ

SPOILER: Click to show

GIVEN OUR DUE
MISSION RANK: B
NPC REQUIREMENT: Yes
PARTICIPANTS: 2-4
DESCRIPTION:

Suzumaki Kotaru, a wealthy "noble" of Kaminari no kuni has taken advantage of the generosity of the Murahira. As prolific moneylenders, they have many clients, and occasionally one goes sour - such as Suzumaki Kotaru.

He has reneged on his agreements and defaulted on his loans. He has shown no intention of repaying the Murahira clan. Understandably, this does not sit well with the Murahira. To deal with this problem, they have contacted Kumogakure for assistance.

Kotaru has hired some dangerous bodyguards known as the Urumi Six. These one-time shinobi have been in his employ for some time and are believed to be as loyal as they are dangerous.

Caution is greatly advised as Kotaru is apprehended. The Urumi Six do not need to be brought in, but a bonus will be provided if they are. Alive is greatly encouraged!

[Daigo]

    The scroll with what information he was provided with, before he was given the real detailed information, was spinning at its center on the edge of his pointer finger for an unnaturally long amount of time. It was nothing more than a trick he had picked up from a former shinobi turned traveler performer, but it amused him to no end. He kept standing there, waiting patiently, but trying to make a point to seem as if he was more restless than he was. Each time someone walked by and as much as looked at him they received a wave, not missing a single person, taking special note to anyone who looked at him longer than others or any that might have went by more than once too obviously. People watching wasn't so much a hobby as it was a paranoid tick, and given he was casually standing in enemy territory twirling a scroll, he was still mentally alert.

    His attention focused very specifically on someone that was making a point to make eye contact and walking right towards him. It didn't take but a few glances here and there to tell what clan she was representing, and likely she'd be the one either giving him details or escorting him on this mission. Never had he seen her before, but she carried herself as if she were multiple feet taller than the short stature she presented.

    Doing his best "polite wanderer in a foreign land" shtick, he greeted her with a wide warm smile, bowing at a near ninety-degree angle before standing up straight slowly as he finally stopped spinning the scroll.

"Good pronunciation, and yes."

    Waving at her dismissively for the apology, he gave a slow nod at her comments. It was certainly a strange thing to let someone outside of the village walk in, grab a mission like this, and walk out with one of their shinobi. Perhaps they were trusting, perhaps this young woman was much stronger than he realized, but he knew how easy it could be to capture her if he needed such a specimen for his future work. Luckily for all involved, she wasn't on his list of current targets, so she would be nothing more than his babysitter.

"I believe my only questions would be in regards to this mission is as simple as it seems. I was given a scroll with what looks like minimal information; capturing a particular target that has refused repayment of loans, and said person has multiple bodyguards with a silly group name."

    Grabbing one end of the scroll, he let it fall open to show what it had on it, which was a bit more than he said, but no more than a few paragraphs long.

"Is there anything here that's missing I need to know about?"

    Raising his left hand he held up his pointer finger, then lightly shook it along with his head.

"As for your second question, I'm afraid not as much as I'd perhaps like to. I've spent more time traveling West, South, and South West of my home lands than here to the East. You might have to hold my hand as far as far as directions go, not literally of course. Unless you enjoy holding hands, then that's a different discussion."

[hirana kizumi]

A soft huff escaped Chitose’s nostrils at Ren’s idle flirtation—unimpressed, but amused despite herself. "Duly noted,” she said wryly. "We will be traveling east, down and out of the mountain range, to the village of Tsurui. It’s not far, a few hours' travel if we don't waste time.” She lifted the edge of the scroll, skimming its contents briefly as if to affirm her own knowledge of what laid within. "It both is and isn’t simple. Suzumaki Kotaru is an ostentatious man with gaudy tastes—his estate is the largest in Tsurui and not difficult to find. We are to collect on his debts, in whatever way is most appropriate once he understands the…” Chitose clicked her tongue, searching for the right word. "...severity of the situation. The Urumi Six are pathetic mercenary lapdogs who believe their minimal shinobi training makes them frightening. They are little better than schoolyard bullies, and the nation will be better for their removal.” Chitose took a moment to check her gear—beneath her dark-blue kimono she wore thick mesh armor, and a bandolier of scrolls and pouches was strapped around her waist. A fine-looking katana was sheathed at her right hip and she wore a bracelet of bells around her left wrist; she peeked inside each of her pouches, silently counting the contents therein. "What is not simple is that this is no work of assassination. Suzumaki Kotaru is worth more to the Murahira alive than dead—we are repossessing his estate and jailing him, not killing him outright. His bodyguards are also more valuable alive, as we believe they may have information and connections with the local yakuza, and it will be better if we can get them to talk.” Once she was sure she was ready and that all her equipment was accounted for, Chitose glanced towards the gate, right back the way Ren came. "I hope that helps to clarify the objective? Are there any other questions you have?” Chitose was eager to start, get the mission and done with and return to her duties... but there was no great rush. Kotaru wasn't going anywhere.

Daigo -- 340

LAIKA OF THQ

[Daigo]

"You seem to know just where we are going and just who to talk to. I'll leave the directions to you, and the talking too most likely."

    From the sounds of things, this simple mission was in fact likely to turn into a fight, which he had to immediately mentally prepare for. In most cases he would have much preferred to deal with things in any other way but that, but if whoever this Kotaru was had hired thugs then they'd almost certainly be looking for a fight for the sake of a fight. He had seen their kind in Yuki, in Kiri, and they were all the same and equally moronic. 

"So I would ask this; are we talking about removing them in the sense of capture, or permanent removal? I have no qualms in either direction but I'd like to be clear."

    His attention turned to his temporary handler, making note of all the pieces of gear she was showing, wondering which were more often used. His gear for the most part was near entirely hidden, what little of it he had chosen to bring, but he knew well enough that it was the gear that was easiest to reach or pull out that often came into play first or perhaps even most preferably. 

"That's understandable. I didn't assume we would be assassinating this Kotaru, but it's the others I'm curious of the fate of, but if they are more valuable alive, then I'll keep that in mind. Certainly means less effort to incapacitate them than the alternative."

    Looking towards where she did, he stepped back and made a motion as if letting her walk ahead, nodding in response.

"I am thoroughly clarified and ready to head out when you are."

[hirana kizumi]

"Capture if possible,” Chitose confirmed. What went unspoken: a dead man has no debts he can pay. "Though the only further point of clarification that I have to offer is that I will likely need you to be the face of this endeavor, should we wish to resolve it fully nonviolently. Any Murahira passing through Tsurui is undoubtedly observed and noted by the Urumi Six, and my visual presence at your side will only escalate matters. I will need to focus on maintaining a transformation technique and listening carefully when we arrive.” For any Kaminari no Kuni native, listening carefully was indicative of the kind of focus required by sensors: the Murahira clan’s preternatural capacity for hearing both chakra and tangible sound was well-known throughout the village and country. Whether or not a foreigner was familiar with their abilities likely depended on how worldly they were; as it stood, Chitose saw no need to elaborate further. The ability was both a blessing and a crutch: had Naoki Ren been using a transformation technique, he might have been sussed out, but his more practical methods of disguise left his deception invisible to Omori eyes and silent to Murahira ears. She led the way out of the village, mostly back the way Ren had come, though she took a right turn where Ren had taken a left and traveled east, as she’d stated before. The journey would only take a couple of hours at the pace Chitose set, which was fast but not brutal, though the prevalence of road that they were following was perhaps indicative that they were taking the scenic route instead of whatever shortcuts might allow a shinobi to descend the mountain faster—secrets she was unwilling to share with a foreigner. Chitose was not often one for filling silence with idle conversation, but curiosity bade her speak. "What brings you from west, south, and southwest?” she asked. Part personal curiosity, part professional obligation; no self-respecting SOKA operative would skip the opportunity for a little friendly interrogation. "There’s no wanting for work in Kaminari no Kuni, but it seems a far way to travel for that reason alone.”

Daigo -- 364

LAIKA OF THQ

[Daigo]

"I'll do what I can. I'd certainly prefer the social approach over trying to take on six people with only two of us."

    Along with his skill of physically blending in, he was also what you might call a social chameleon if not a social chimera, as he could fit near any situation, if not multiples at once. He often had to listen over talking, watching over acting, and even now he was very little of his natural self. He was quiet as they walked, as was his mission companion, but it allowed for him to assess what he had already seen mentally, and take in more of what he was seeing on the way there. This country and this village were primary targets two-fold, so the more he could map out the better.

    

    He was always just a bit behind her, but to the side so she could always see him, and so he could always watch her. Any time she looked back he wanted to know it, any time she was looking around he wanted to see what she was looking for, picking it all apart. His thoughts were cut off as she spoke up after quite a long time, almost surprising him, but he turned his head to show he was fully listening, not at all surprised by her curiosity however.

"Your country and your village. I so rarely get to interact with friendly shinobi. Even other countries that allow me access are still rarely welcoming."

    The best lie was one based in truth, and in truth he was here for both the country and the village. He certainly ran into plenty of friendly shinobi in Yuki, but so few it felt like outside of the village, even among allied villages. There was a heaviness in the air in so many as of late that there was a paranoia hidden behind every smile. He couldn't say there wasn't that same paranoia hanging in Kumo, at least not openly.

"Traveling to many of the closer villages and countries is unique, I will say. Taki is a strange place that is far from as welcoming to wandering shinobi and offers very little work. Iwa is mixed but they are certainly a paranoid lot. Kusa is also a little strange but they prefer their own. Konoha, well let's just say that sadly they don't take kindly to strangers of the shinobi variety. Some of said countries are better than their villages, but the sentiment certainly radiates from outside of their villages and permeates their views on wandering shinobi, as if not being attached to a shinobi villages makes us untrustworthy. It's certainly tiring."

[hirana kizumi]

Chitose nodded, nonverbal but clearly appreciative that the volunteer thrust into this particular assignment at least seemed to understand the value of discretion. There was a time and a place for passion, but it was certainly not when outnumbered and on your enemy’s home turf. In his observations, Naoki Ren would have been able to note that there was not much in the way of looking that Chitose seemed to employ, though her fluffy ears seemed constantly in motion, much in the way of an animal’s. Twitching, swiveling, flicking; the occasional tilt of her head or perk of her ears to catch a sound better; all the hallmarks of a predator that relied not on sight but on sound to observe her surroundings. "Oh?” A prompt for him to continue—part curiosity on her part, part amusement, as she was so rarely accused of being friendly. Perhaps the bar was just that low. Whatever glances she threw him would seem largely social, a kind of nicety developed by nurture rather than by nature, though each time she looked at him when she spoke to him there would be the tell-tale shift of her eyes to his hands, his hips, his sleeves: all the places where people commonly stowed their weapons. "You’re well-traveled,” Chitose observed. "The Raikage will be glad to know that we have a reputation for being something close to welcoming. Do you intend to stay long, then? Or do obligations call you elsewhere?” If there was anything he was willing or able to share about his travel experiences, Chitose would gladly engage him for the length of the journey: she was not terribly expressive, but she was polite and curious, probing for stories and mentally mapping Naoki Ren’s globetrotting adventures while remaining as careful as she could to stay on the kinder side of the line between conversation and interrogation. Many miles down elevation at the foothills east of the Kumogakure mountain range was the village of Tsurui. Chitose paused when the village’s buildings became clear on the horizon, and took a moment to perform a basic transformation technique: when it was done, she looked like herself, sans fluffy tail and vulpine ears. She tucked a few strands of her bob behind one of her now-human ears with a faint wrinkle of her nose. "That should suffice,” she said. "We’ll go to his place of business first—he won’t want to cause a scene in front of his patrons. Appearances are everything to men like him.” His place of business would reveal itself to be, of all things, a bookstore: disproportionately grandiose to the rest of the town, the kind of place of scholarly pursuits most often only found in capital and mercantile cities. The source of his debts, perhaps? Based on the exterior it was clear that quite a bit of money had been sunk into this place, though it did seem exceptionally well-maintained.

Daigo -- 491

LAIKA OF THQ

[Daigo]

    Of the many things he dragged behind him as labels, well-traveled was certainly one that wouldn't be a surprise to anyone that knew him even minimally. Traveling for the Kage, for the village, for his own curiosity, and for situations such as these. He didn't always travel so much, at least not to other villages, but he certainly put a lot of ware and tear on his shoes following the other Nakajima ahead of him. This persona of his was much easier to portray than others might have been, but there was very little he had to lie about, and the more grounded in truth his lies were, the easier they were to keep track of.

"Do you know the term given to shinobi like me? They call us Wanderers, some use the term of Wandering Shinobi. Those without a shinobi village of our own."

    His focused stayed forward, as did his eyes for the most part, even as he spoke.

"Undecided. I try not to plan that far ahead unless I absolutely need to. Is that more curiosity, or perhaps your asking me to stay."

     There were no clear signs of a single weapon on his entire person. He had thought to carry a Katana for at least show, but any extra weight he felt would have only annoyed him after a time. The false prosthetic was enough to get used to, but there were no knives or swords, no clubs or katana. Any tools he carried were the same as any other shinobi and small, able to be carried in the pouches he didn't bother concealing.

    When she finally paused, he paused, almost in exact step with her, showing just how closely he was paying attention even if it seemed otherwise. He took a long moment to get a look at her transformed state, the longest he had looked at her at one time since they had met, then turned away, nodding as if confirming something unsaid, to himself.

    Another nod followed in confirmation of her words, staying quiet now as he tried to plan how he thought this might go, what he might say, and of course what he might do in the worst case situations. If he had to fight, he'd certainly have to be careful of what he showed, of what power he'd hold back, but for now he'd see how far his words could carry the situation. He did at least appreciate the scenery of the bookstore, one that no doubt would hold a special place to the person in charge of it, and certainly not somewhere they'd want to fight or have a fight break out. It would certainly be a shame if a flame were to ignite in the middle of such a flammable building, and he'd not hesitate to make such a threat if things did go south.

    As he was to be the one doing most of the talking, he took the lead, trying to flag down someone that looked to work there, as he cleared his throat. In a calm almost hushed tone, he spoke up. With a slight bow towards whoever was there to speak to, he put his hands behind his back. As he stood back up, he pulled out three slips of paper from his waistband and pushed them out of sight into an opening between the hand and wrist joint of the prosthetic right arm in a quick motion, clearly well rehearsed to not be seen..

"Excuse me, but could you please point me towards the owner of this beautiful gathering of knowledge? They should be expecting us."

[hirana kizumi]

Chitose barked a laugh; she was charmed despite herself. Slowly, without being fully cognizant of the shift, as they traveled to Tsurui she found herself warming up to Naoki Ren, his disarming charisma working its magic even on someone as consummately professional as Chitose. She didn’t quite notice how closely he was paying attention to her, instead distracted by how intently he looked at her after she transformed; she grew suddenly self-conscious, uncomfortable with her own appearance without her vulpine features. She shook off the feeling, falling back into the safety of focusing on the task at hand, but the self-consciousness lingered. She followed in Ren’s wake, assuming her role of very normal, non-vulpine traveling companion with quiet confidence. One of the booksellers responded to Ren’s call for aid, a fresh-faced young man with his long dark hair pulled back into a ponytail and vibrant red glasses perched upon his nose. "Ah, yes, of course!” the bookseller said, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "May I ask for your name and the nature of your visit? Suzumaki-shacho does like to be appropriately prepared for his meetings. If you’d like to have a seat or browse around the store I’d be happy to let him know that you’re here, and come fetch you when he’s ready.” A number of plush, luxurious-looking armchairs were scattered around the bookstore; Chitose was busying herself inspecting the shelves, and while she did a decent job of keeping of the guise of an average browser, she was listening intently for any use of chakra or the sound of something going amiss.

Daigo -- 268

LAIKA OF THQ

[Daigo]

    Giving a light bow, then extending his hand for them to shake as he introduced himself, a wide smile formed, slowly spreading across his face.

"My name is Naoki Ren. I've come to speak to Mr. Suzumaki Kotaru in regards to a business matter I'd prefer not to speak on openly, as he will no doubt understand."

    Giving a soft nod, he pointed at one of the seats nearest to what looked like a back room entrance and smiled wide once more.

"I don't mind sitting and sitting and waiting. These seats look awfully comfortable after all. Please do inform him it's an urgent matter, time sensitive, and in the meantime I'll be waiting patiently."

    He didn't as much as even look towards Chitose let alone acknowledge her presence, as he moved to the back of the store, as far as their was seating, and took a seat. It was a slow decent, perfect posture even as he lowered himself down, looking high class and official. Folding his hands in his lap, he sat up straight and watched the man walk away, smiling the entire time, never taking his eyes off of them, or whatever door they went through.

    For however long it took he sat there, never breaking his contact with that door, not browsing the store, not reading , just staring with that smile, despite keeping tabs on anyone or anything that moved anywhere near him in his peripheral vision or anyone he heard shuffling.