[Uchiha Hotaru]

[googlefont=Roboto]

INTIMIDATION 脅迫

The clouds of Arashi ran into the river country like stallions, carrying the hoofbeats of rain through the valleys of Kawa no Kuni. Drops dripped from vibrant greenery and into the lush grasses below before bleeding onto an earthen path littered with muddy footprints. Along the path was an old shrine of a forgotten god, a small spire no bigger than a child that was overgrown with moss and neglected. Crumbled ruins of the top lay broken on the ground in front of it.

Many who had found themselves on the path that Hotaru followed did things for the money. A commodity that was often taken for granted under the umbrella of the shinobi village where basic comforts were exchanged for servitude. The Uchiha however had valuable skills in medicine and those comforts continued to fall in his lap. He could keep with his convictions.

He wore an old rebreather mask that had lost its function to conceal beneath his eyes, with a hood thrown up to conceal above them. He didn’t trust in henge alone, preferring practical disguises to that of ninjutsu. He had done his best to look like an Amegakure shinobi. His goal was to intimidate the owner of the orphanage in the wilderness down the road, and then spy on their meeting with the organization from Kaze no Kuni to make sure that the contract was not signed to transfer children to that region.

He didn’t anticipate much trouble with civilians, but he was sure Sunagakure probably had a vested interest in making sure they had plenty of children to fill the ranks of the academy. Even if they didn’t Amegakure might think the same thing and come to cause trouble. As a precaution he had spent a good sum of money to hire the services of a bounty hunter of some renown from the region. He had given her details about the mission, but little information about himself or where he resided, or the reasons behind it.

With an umbrella in hand he waited at the shrine for his hired hand. They were about a mile away from the orphanage further down the beaten path. He hadn’t been waiting very long, only about ten minutes. He did worry that the mercenary might not show up, but even if she didn’t he would press on alone if he had to.

He hadn’t acted in a long time. He was nervous to say the least.

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[Hozuki Sango]

The humidity was brutal, dark clouds rolled in on the horizon with no signs of slowing down. As the storm developed in the distance, two or three miles if Sango had to guess, birds flew over head going the opposite direction. Their instincts drove them away, nature recognized a bad situation when it presented itself. 

She stopped in front of the beaten path, exotic varieties of floral at the base signalling its presence. The colors of the flowers popped; bright blue, reds, purples and yellows all popped out together as a bright spot in anyone’s vision. They were planted in a peculiar way though well done nonetheless. It looked off to Sango but she figured it was the weather and her eyes working to trick her, she scoffed and forgot about her worries with a gulp of cherry blossom sake from her flask.

If you squinted, the outside corners of the temple were in sight. The surrounding area was relatively quiet, the nearby village seemed to take care of the landscaping up until this point in the road. The center was something of a farmers market three times a week, allowing both locals and foreigners to coexist and share their wares. A series of jobs here and there handled by the Ginken led to a working relationship building between Sango and some businessmen that liked her work. She was getting information from a small-time vendor merchant with less than ethical practices and all of those involved as their main source. He went dark a couple weeks before Hotaru appeared with Outer Circle Members whispering about events in Kaze No Kuni. Strange. 

She liked Hotaru for the most part, straight to the point and effective in his communication. Her disguise wasn’t much better than her employer but it would work. 

Emotions tucked away, footprints left themselves in her wake as she made her way to the shrine on the dirt path. His silhouette came into view shortly, her face mask and hoodie obscuring all but her eyes. Both headwear were the color of a deep forest, blending well with the dense plants that surrounded them both.. Sango’s intention and readiness for the coming situation oozed out of her eyes, the Uchiha knew she was who he was waiting on. 

She stopped about fifteen feet away from him, head turned to the shrine with her eyes scanning the aged stone. Sango noted the run down walls that had lost the faith of its followers and the favor of its intended patron. A sad metaphor for things that lose their usefulness. 

Facing Hotaru, Sango ended up walking past him with her eyes straight ahead to their destination. After creating some distance, she gestured to him to follow with a wave of her hand. 

"Oi--”, She looked over her right shoulder, "Make sure you tie up any loose ends from this, or I will.”

[Han]

The two would meet but their objective lied further ahead, a mile away. A thirty-minute walk, or an eight-minute run if they were quick about it. The nature of the area was lazy but destructive, abandoned. The two would find themselves carving their own path, befitting that of the nature that surrounded them, or a quicker pace to achieve what they had set out to do faster.

Some ways away tucked away near a mountainside and forest. Overgrown and mostly destitute. The windows did not even seem to have glass laid into them. Children ran around outside, barefoot and malnourished. The orphanage stood. It was a looming behemoth of a structure, yet it seemed to not fully possess the resources that it required to take care of its children one hundred percent of the time. Though more funding was soon to come in to take care of them as they could very well be the future of a country. Exciting news for the head of the orphanage indeed.

The trees rustled in the winter breeze all around it, ushering an occasional recognition of the cold for those in and outside of the building. The barefoot children did not seem to notice, however, as they climbed trees and hung upside down from branches playing as children often would.

Some more stoic and reserved sat and read books and scrolls instead. Others trained their fighting without form, rhyme, or reason. With no training, they could only do what they imagined was their best.

The headmaster stood outside watching the activity, he was older with a wispy white mustache, but a full head of hair. His hands were clasped behind his back and he leaned forward ever so slightly to support his aching and aging back.

"Hiromi-chan, watch yourself up there." He chided gently at one of the girls who had climbed up high into a nearby tree.

Hozuki Sango Uchiha Hotaru

Made by Riley at THQ!

[Uchiha Hotaru]

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"Should we play our parts correctly, there will be little to tie,” Hotaru responded. "If the headmaster believes Amegakure will do him harm over this deal, the contract will dissolve.”

The mission had explained as much, though again the reason behind his actions were a mystery. The most likely scenario from an outward glance was that he was trying to sabotage Sunagakure specifically. In reality his goals were much more broad.

"No matter what happens, do not harm the orphans,” he said. "In the unlikely event of a shinobi team arriving, i’d like to avoid killing anyone if it can be avoided.”

Normally, he would approach by way of stealth, but in this instance he wanted to be seen and feared by the man in charge of the facility. He would walk alongside Sango with his umbrella now folded and carried in hand, the rain had settled while they made their trip. With the gas mask on his face and the heavy coat he was indistinguishable.

There was a squalor about the place that they approached. It made sense that the man was seeking a way to improve their lives, but Hotaru wouldn’t allow them the chance to sell their souls for comfort. He signaled for Sango to stop with a single hand, and the two would loom outside of the orphanage within sight of the headmaster.

"Keep your eyes peeled,” Hotaru asked of Sango while waiting for the headmaster to react to their presence. "Take a more beneficial position if you’d like.”

Hozuki Sango

[Hozuki Sango]

Hotaru was such a bore.  

What was the point of hiring her if he didn’t want to throw down? It made no sense to Sango. A deep sigh escaped, kicking dirt in the air as a small gesture of defiance. She spat on the dirt path, silently cursing her inquisitive mind. 

What was their purpose here?  

The way they walked into view of the orphanage without concern, at a distance it seemed as if they were arriving based on appointment. The pair paused, exchanging words and showing patience in front of the headmaster.  

"You can deal with the boring bits, I’ll keep watch of our surroundings,” Sango took some steps back, her appearance covered still by the face mask and hood covering. With her eyes visible, she folded her arms and scanned the landscape for sudden movements or odd characters that disappeared into the foreground. The courtyard looked normal, a large koi pond off to the side was the most notable feature.   

Something seemed off to Sango, keeping in mind to look behind them. Were they early to something?  

She waited alongside Hotaru to find the truth.

[Han]

The children kept playing although some of them who were closer to the gates would note the arrival of two strangers and would flee the area. The man in question did not have the best vision in the world, so he did not immediately notice the two. Although, when the children scattered and started running and a particularly rambunctious young boy came up to tug on his vest, he would point over towards the two at the gates.

"Strange men!" Nevermind that one of them was in fact, not a man, the boy didn't really see beyond the fact that they were scary and looming. And since in the youth's mind women were less prone to being scary, these two were men for the time being.

This made the elder look up, the headmaster would peer allowing his vision to swim into focus as he realized that there were, in fact, two individuals standing at the entrance of his orphanage.

"Oi! What are you two doing here? Looking to adopt I'd hope or else I'd say scram." They didn't appear to be on any official business and frankly, he didn't care much for strange visitors especially as ominous as these two were. They didn't even have the common decency to come up, make themselves known, and introduce their names. How extremely rude!

Hozuki Sango Uchiha Hotaru

Made by Riley at THQ!

[Uchiha Hotaru]

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Hotaru took a deep breath through his mask and took a step forward towards the man. He examined the headmaster with a careful eye. The old man seemed to have a build that the Uchiha was not expecting and confidence in his voice. He wouldn’t show any outward signs of it, but there was some anxiety building. His heart was racing, and sweat was dripping from his forehead within the rubber gas mask. Hopefully this man had built his physique from years of toil in manual labor and not in developing his chakra.

"Know your place worm!” Hotaru said through the mask, purposely casting his voice in a harsh shrill tone to throw off his usual soft spoken manner of speaking. He would exaggerate each breath through the mask to be as theatrical as possible.

"Nikuya! Teach this old man a little respect before we have our little talk,” he said without looking back to Sango, only ushering her forward with his hand. It was a random name that he had chosen, but he was sure that she would understand that he was signaling her to come and get a bit rough with the elder. He wanted to analyze how the man acted and moved before taking a risk, given he was a better combatant with projectiles than up close and personal.

If he suddenly lost his confidence then he’d call her off, but Hotaru had a bad feeling about the man. He wasn’t going to allow himself to underestimate anyone. He even went as far as to draw a senbon into his hand in case the man began displaying movements that might suggest a degree of shinobi training.

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[Hozuki Sango]

A solid five seconds of silence pass.


Awkward silence, to say the least.


Sango was confused. "You tell me not to do this and that so I can get paid BUT YET HERE--” She stopped herself in a hurry, her voice raised too loud. The look on her face said it all. Who in the hell is she dealing with? She did not want to hurt orphans as much as the next contracted muscle but what if there was collateral damage?


"Yeah let’s rethink that, we need to get him away from the orphans cause I want my money,” she stepped side-by-side to Hotaru, arms folded under her bosoms. Her expectations were flipped on their head, combat did not seem to be to her employer’s like though now she did not know what to do. Her hesitation to jump in had to do with the money, nothing more or less.

She sighed, what a drag. Stepping forward with her eyes keen on the flanks, her left arm behind her back with a hand signal that Hotaru would hopefully understand to stay on watch.


Her walk was slow but assertive. Fists balled up on the sides, anyone could have mistaken her posture to be open and lacking defense. Further analysis showed a different story; her steps were short on the balls of her feet to react fast to sudden movements, arms relaxed for speed and eyes straight ahead at her target that struck danger in the heart of dead men before.


Sango walked slow enough to give Hotaru a chance to make a move, stopping about ten feet away from the old man if nothing was done about her approach. Her job was intimidation, if it got dicey she’d say fuck them kids in a heartbeat.

[Han]

The man had dealt with ruffians before and so when one of them approached, or rather one of them barked at the other to approach he stood his ground. Most of the time, they didn't actually mean business and if they did. He could likely take a few punches, depending on what it was they wanted. What was the point of doing this in broad daylight where children were around. So, he stood there looking quite stern as the woman came up. Nikuya was her name? He'd have to remember that.

"What do you want? I'm not going to ask again. I don't see the point of you standing here, trying to intimidate me... There are children here, if you think I'm going to act as if I will not protect the you are very wrong." The man growled gruffly, he was not the best fighter in the world but to say that he would not protect the children he swore to protect here in this orphanage? Whoever these two were, they were very very wrong if they thought he would stand down from a little shouting and some attempt at an intimidating walk.

He would fold his arms and lift his head a bit.

"So? Will you speak, or are you suddenly mute?"

Hozuki Sango Uchiha Hotaru

Made by Riley at THQ!

[Uchiha Hotaru]

[googlefont=Roboto]

Hotaru sighed beneath his gas mask. What did she think he meant? A couple of punches to the face wasn’t going to cause major collateral damage, and he wanted the man to be afraid for the orphans as much as himself. The random argument in front of the person they were trying to intimidate was sure to cast doubt at them being a professional outfit as well, her focus on payment was a dead give away that they were a merc and not an Amegakure shinobi. Giving away that not hurting the children was part of their mission... In essence the plan was compromised.

"Abort mission, its a fail,” Hotaru said.

Afterwards Hotaru ignited a smoke bomb and body flickered away from the scene.

-Exit Thread-

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