[takeda sadako]

Sadako was no stranger to the Himin Machi—her daily runs through the village took her through the streets of the slums on a regular basis—but for all her comfort in navigating through this soggy bottom of Amegakure, she looked no less out of place. A shinobi wasn’t necessarily a rare sight down here, with how strong the police presence was, but a teenage girl with enough expendable income for well-fitted, expensive-looking athleisure stood out like black paint on white canvas. Everyone under the Takeda umbrella was some flavor of cousin or aunty or uncle to Sadako—the actual blood ties didn’t matter, just that they were all kin of the same clan. Yuudai was one of those kinds of cousins; fuck if she knew where the family tree connected, but he was one of their own, so he was mostly alright in Sadako’s book. With her hitai-ate worn loosely around her neck and her neoprene hood drawn up over her head, Sadako stuck out like a sore thumb as she waited to link up with Yuudai. They’d gotten slapped with a mission to deal with one of the black-market dealers who had been stepping out of line, a guy that most people in the Himin Machi knew as The Bear. As far as she understood it, they would just need to pop in and give him a talking-to about not causing problems for the police force. It seemed unlikely that a seasoned middle-aged tradesman would take kindly to two teenagers telling him how to run his business; but Sadako was itching for a decent fight, and was privately hoping that he would not be cooperative once they found him. Though, of course, they needed to find him. Talk to some of the locals, get the info they needed to track him down, and then deal with whatever came about as a result of the conversation they had with The Bear. All in all it seemed like a relatively straightforward mission, and it was nice to not be doing shitty escort work for dumb babies for once in her gods-damned life.

Shiba Yuudai -- 357
1/15

LAIKA OF THQ

SPOILER: Click to show

DESCRIPTION:

While there are no gangs in Amegakure, that doesn't mean there's no black market for goods that most people in Amegakure can't obtain through legal means. While the black market can never be eradicated, it does need to be kept in check from time to time. For this purpose, go down into Himin Machi and track down one of the black market dealers that's starting to become more and more of a pain for the regular Amegakure police force.

[Shiba Yuudai]

[nospaces][break][break][break]

Life is what you make it.

[break] WC 266 | TWC 266

[attr="class","nicotemp"]
Yuudai would be walking his way through the slums of Amegakure, an area he was all too familiar with. He had spent a lot of time around these parts getting into trouble during his youth, after his adoptive father Yuusuke died. Although now things were different as he was no longer a kid looking to make trouble or looking for a way to fend for themselves, instead he was now a shinobi of Amegakure here to complete a mission.
[break][break]
The mission he was assigned was to go into the infamous black market and have a conversation with a dealer known as The Bear. The black market was good and bad for Amegakure, however some of the dealers like bear helped to push things more towards the negative side, and it was for this reason that Yuudai along with his cousin Sadako was being sent to straighten him out.
[break][break]
As he walked through the slums Yuudai would look very much in line with the other people filling the area, as he did not wear his ninja armband that day(or most days for that matter). Making his way he would see Sadako in the distance, making his way over to her with a smile upon his face. As he made his approach he would say "Yo yo! Sadako what’s good my sista from another mista? Its been a while since we have been face to face yes?” Yuudai would then look around as he waited for her response, as he looked around his mind thought on how they should carry out this mission.

---

SPOILER: Click to show

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[Googlefont=Playfair Display]

[takeda sadako]

Yuudai was mostly alright in Sadako’s book—she’d take a knife to the back for him, same as she would anyone she considered family—but that didn’t spare him from the terrible fate of Sadako thinking he was incredibly cringe. She visibly grimaced as he greeted her, everything about his cheery attitude and the way he spoke to her grating against her nerves. "Yeah,” she said, rolling her eyes as unsubtly as she could manage. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, eager to get moving. "It’s been a while. Should’ve been longer.” She jerked her head, gesturing for Yuudai to follow her as she started walking down one of the side streets. He might have outranked her, but he was still her dumbass cousin, and she’d never been shy about calling the shots when it suited her. "Word on the street is that The Bear’s mostly been dealing in unsanctioned chakra-reactive protective gear and fake IDs, funneling it out of the city and selling to criminal orgs outside of Amegakure,” she said. "The cops aren’t too worried about the fake IDs, since they’re pretty easy to spot if you know what to look for, but the gear is the real problem. The cops already talked to him a few times to crack down on it, but he just keeps comin’ back with more shit, so it’s our turn now. Shouldn’t be too hard as long as he’s not a dick about it when we show up.” She made a few more turns, and eventually came out in to an alley with little stalls set up, tarps laid out with different kinds of goods, everything from CDs to kitchen knives to rain jackets to kunai. "Should talk to some of the locals,” Sadako said. "You take point on asking. People don’t like me.”

Shiba Yuudai -- 306
3/15

LAIKA OF THQ

[Shiba Yuudai]

[nospaces][break][break][break]

Life is what you make it.

[break] WC 238 | TWC 504

[attr="class","nicotemp"]
Yuudai would hear Sadako saying that it should have been more time between them seeing each other, causing him to fall to the ground in a comedic fashion. Within the confines of his own mind though he was struck by a sign that said loser instead of just falling over. Picking himself up he would laugh a bit before noticing the girl’s gesture for him to follow. *Well I guess I’m a genin for today haha. I didn’t know Sadako passed her chunin exam lately…* Just a small joke he would make to himself, as he dared not make it out loud.
[break][break]
Yuudai would simply follow behind Sadako, listening to her speak on the situation of the mission they were taking on. Yuudai would let out a slight yawn as he listened, hearing how they were here because the cops had failed. Sadako would then instruct Yuudai to take point in asking locals about this Bear person. She had stated that people didn’t like her, which is why Yuudai would be doing the talking.
[break][break]
Yuudai would chuckle a bit before saying "Maybe people would like you more if you acted a bit more like a nice young lady…” He knew he had something bad coming but he would try to ignore his inevitable fate. He would quickly move towards a stall where he would approach the merchant saying "Sir can I have a few minutes of your time?”

---

SPOILER: Click to show

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[Googlefont=Playfair Display]

[takeda sadako]

She looked on with a bland, unimpressed expression as Yuudai toppled over. Clearly he thought he was the world’s gift to comedy, clowning around like he did, and Sadako adamantly refused to betray the fact that she was entertained. Only the barest twitch of the corner of her mouth slipped out of her control before she whirled in place to start walking. It was fortunate for Yuudai that he kept his little joke to himself—Sadako’s piss-poor performance at the chuunin exams was still an open wound, and with the Kusagakure exams looming ever closer on the horizon, she was getting more and more wound up about proving herself this time. She’d completed step one—she’d mastered the Devil Bringer, kind of—but based on what she’d seen in Akazaya, she wondered if she’d grown enough since Kuwana to cut it as a chuunin. What happened if you failed two chuunin exams? Did they just kick you out entirely? Sadako’s mood darkened. Yuudai, by contrast, was a fuckin’ ray of sunshine. "Fuck off,” she grumbled, though it was without any real heat; he was right, and she knew it. Yet another thing that had been weighing heavy on her shoulders as of late. She couldn’t fix her face, so she hid it instead, fishing a plain black facemask out from one of her jacket pockets and firmly hiding the lower portion of her face. With her hood up and her nose and mouth covered, only her eyes were visible. Hopefully it would be enough. The merchant Yuudai approached was selling an array of paper goods: books and scrolls mostly, but poorly hidden beneath a pile of backstock was a laminated page that seemed to suggest more stock was available, if you knew to ask. "Aye, for a price,” the merchant said, a twinkle in his eye. He stroked his beard thoughtfully, eyeing Yuudai up and down. "What kinda reader are ya, boy? Action-adventure? Science fiction? Comics?” He craned his head to the side to get a look at Sadako. "What about yer big sister over there? She looks like the type to enjoy a steamy romance, if ya know what I’m sayin’. Heh heh.”

Shiba Yuudai -- 367
5/15

LAIKA OF THQ

[Shiba Yuudai]

[nospaces][break][break][break]

Life is what you make it.

[break] WC 240 | TWC 744

[attr="class","nicotemp"]
The merchant of the stall began to speak to Yuudai, saying that he could answer the question for a price. The merchant would then begin to try and upsell to them, inquiring on the two’s book preferences and calling Sadako his sister. Yuudai would let out a sigh before mumbling to himself "I hate that you people are so money hungry…” before weaving 4 hand seals and clinching his right fist. These hand seals would probably look familiar to Sadako as they were the seals used for their clan kekkai genkai; the devil bringer.
[break][break]
With his arm now transformed into the devil bringer, Yuudai would use his bolstered strength to grab the merchant by the collar and lift him in the air. "Yo listen dude. Im good on what you’re selling, I just want a answer to the question so we can be on our way. If you hurry it up with an answer there may be a tip in it for you.” Yuudai would then release his grip allowing the man to fall down to the earth, flat on his butt.
[break][break]
Yuudai was familiar with the slums, growing up nearby within an orphanage. He always hated the place, or rather more so the people within said place. The people here filled with greed and selfishness, he wanted to get this over with quickly in order to not run into any of the ruffians from his time before the clan.

---

SPOILER: Click to show

Jutsu Used
Akuma Sakenomi ( 悪魔酒飲み ) [Devil Bringer]

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[Googlefont=Playfair Display]

[takeda sadako]

"Woah, what the fuck?” Sadako was completely, utterly gobsmacked; Yuudai’s annoyingly cheery demeanor had devolved into violence in the blink of an eye, whipping through the handseals required to use the fucking Devil Bringer at the slightest of provocations. "Woahwoahwoah hey now hey,” the merchant stammered as his ass hit the dirt, holding up his hands in the universal sign of look, unarmed! "No need for violence, friend, I’m just trying to make a living, same as you. I’ll tell you what you wanna know so let’s just all take a second to cool down, alright?” It was rare that Sadako was in the position of being the rational one on a team, but this was apparently her role here. She stepped forward, clapping her hand firmly on Yuudai’s Devil Bringer’d shoulder, the universal nonverbal chill out, man. "We’re looking for the Bear,” she said. "Just point us in his direction and we’ll go.” "Three streets down and to the right,” the merchant replied instantly. "Look for a door with a little blue awning, that’s where he does his business.” "Thanks,” Sadako said, and tugged lightly at Yuudai’s shoulder, whispering, "Let’s go.” They were starting to draw too much attention to themselves, and Sadako was hyper aware of the eyes now following their tracks. She focused on her chakra flow; not doing anything yet, but keeping careful control of it, priming herself in case she needed to jump in to action at a moment’s notice. She pretended not to hear the merchant's mutter of 'fuckin' shinobi,' disdainful and under his breath.

Shiba Yuudai -- 253
7/15

LAIKA OF THQ

[Shiba Yuudai]

[nospaces][break][break][break]

Life is what you make it.

[break] WC 229 | TWC 973

[attr="class","nicotemp"]
After Yuudai had shown that he was not some person the merchant could finesse or upsell to, he would begin to seem more talkative. However one could say this more talkative attitude could be contributed to the fact that he was being intimidated but same difference. Sadako appeared to be completely dumbfounded with Yuudai’s behavior.
[break][break]
After the merchant had told them what they had wanted to know Sadako would tell Yuudai lets go while tugging on his shoulder. With the flex and clench of his right arm, his arm would return to normal before he would look to the merchant and say "You bear in mind not to hold on shinobi on a job…” He would then walk away following behind Sadako. Just as they would begin to walk off the merchant would make a smart remark under his breathe but this would cause Yuudai to react saying "If I come back thru here and you are still here, then you will suffer… Be gone within 30 minutes.” His eyes would glare at the man with an almost evil look.
[break][break]
This however was all an act, simply a way for Yuudai to scare the man. For now he would play the roll of the bad guy while on this mission. He did this for a specific reason… a way for Sadako to stay out of her normally uncontrollable emotions.

---

SPOILER: Click to show

Jutsu Used
Akuma Sakenomi ( 悪魔酒飲み ) [Devil Bringer]

[newclass=.nicotemp b]font-family:bitter;color:#838996[/newclass]

[Googlefont=Playfair Display]

[takeda sadako]

Sadako pretended not to hear the guy’s smart remark, eager to move along and get this job over and done with, but Yuudai entertained no such notion; she tugged again at his shoulder in vain as Yuudai stopped in his tracks to snap back at the merchant, laying a threat at his feet. "Let’s go,” Sadako insisted, her hand sliding down to grab Yuudai’s wrist, and she stomped with militant purpose in the direction that the merchant gave them. As soon as they were out of his earshot she hissed, "What the fuck is wrong with you? This was supposed to be a quiet job and now every asshole in the Himin Machi is gonna know why we’re here and what we want—we’ll be lucky if the Bear is even still there by the time we find him. Are you stupid?” Yuudai’s goal may have been to keep Sadako’s temper on a leash for this particular mission, and he was partially successful… at least in that her temper was directed at him instead of the people around them. It wasn’t that far of a trek to the door with the little blue awning, so if they were lucky, they would have beaten the rumors to The Bear’s doorstep—though Sadako’s hopes weren’t high. She’d expected guards of some kind loitering outside, but the immediate surroundings were suspiciously deserted, and she exhaled slowly as she rapped her knuckles sharply three times on the door, and waited for a response.

Shiba Yuudai -- 261
9/15

LAIKA OF THQ

[Shiba Yuudai]

[nospaces][break][break][break]

Life is what you make it.

[break] WC 228 | TWC 1201

[attr="class","nicotemp"]
Yuudai would feel Sadako’s heavy hand pull upon his shoulder, before moving down to his wrist and pulling and stomping. Yuudai would then decide to concede and he would allow himself to be pulled away towards their objective. It was obvious that his intent to keep the younger Takeda’s anger at bay was working.
[break][break]
Sadako would then ask Yuudai what was wrong with him, stating that he was blowing their cover for the mission. Little did Sadako know Yuudai had a slight reputation in this part of the village and so he was not very worried about their ‘cover’. He knew that once he got to the Bear the man would not refuse to see him.
[break][break]
"What’s wrong with me? Not a single thing little lady but you got some nerve to speak on my temper and reaction to things hmm?”
[break][break]
He would then carry on forward to the door with the blue awning over it. Once at the door Sadako would knock upon the door where a man would then come and open it saying "What can I help you two with?” Yuudai would clear his throat before politely saying "Tell your boss the Demon Boxer is here to see him. He knows who I am.” The man’s face had said it all as he quickly let the two in saying "Please come in, right this way.”

SPOILER: Click to show

Jutsu Used
Akuma Sakenomi ( 悪魔酒飲み ) [Devil Bringer]

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[Googlefont=Playfair Display]

[takeda sadako]

"I’m not the one threatening fucking civilians with the Devil Bringer—” Sadako hissed, but she couldn’t lay into him like she wanted to—they had a job to do, and precious little time left to do it in. Sadako was absolutely certain that people had witnessed the incident with the merchant, and that The Bear absolutely knew they were coming and what they were coming for. Before Sadako could reply to the guy who opened the door, Yuudai piped up behind her. She rolled her eyes and stepped aside so Yuudai could take the lead, because clearly The Bear had his resume or some shit. Her role had become henchman, which sat just fine with her—she didn’t trust Yuudai to do the talking after that little stint she had, but it wasn’t like she wanted to do it, either. If it all went tits up, that was fine too. At least it wasn’t her fault. They were ushered inside, through a dingy, dimly-lit hallway, and into a back office where a man that one might have predicted would be called The Bear sat chewing on a cigar and flipping through some papers. He was big, as tall as Yuudai even while sitting, and as wide as the pair of them put together. Both of the Takeda cousins were in peak physical condition, but The Bear had something else going on entirely. He glanced up when the pair entered, his eyebrows raising at the sight of Yuudai, barely paying attention to Sadako at all. "Well?” he asked, thick fingers folding down the front of one page. "What’s the occasion, Shiba?”

Shiba Yuudai -- 282
11/15

LAIKA OF THQ

[Shiba Yuudai]

[nospaces][break][break][break]

Life is what you make it.

[break] WC 228 | TWC 1429

[attr="class","nicotemp"]
Even with Sadako being a tad aggressive with her speech towards him, Yudai didn’t pay it much mind. He just assumed they both were letting their clan’s struggle of emotion control come to the front. However they were soon coming into the building being ushered by the man who opened the door, down thru a dim hallway and into a back room. Once their Yuudai would see the huge man that people called the bear, however Yuudai did have a previous relationship with the man as he and the bear both grew up in these slums.
[break][break]
The Bear would address Yuudai asking him what was up to which Yuudai would smile before approaching his desk. Yuudai’s smile would almost immediately turn into a blank face once he got up to the desk, as he would slam his devil bringer hand into the table which would leave it with a big dent in the wood. "How long have I known you bear? Its been almost 10 years or something right? Well to me I would like to believe that make us friends… However I can’t be having my friends causing trouble for the police and other ninja in the village right? Right! So how about we all chill? Nobody is telling you not to make your money, but I’m sure we can do that without causing a disturbance, hmm?”

SPOILER: Click to show

Jutsu Used
Akuma Sakenomi ( 悪魔酒飲み ) [Devil Bringer]

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[Googlefont=Playfair Display]

[takeda sadako]

Yuudai flipped a switch in an instant. Sadako thought he’d been going for the friendly, chatty, you-scratch-my-back-I’ll-scratch-yours approach, but she couldn’t have been more wrong—he busted out the Devil Bringer, again, slamming his fist into the big, expensive-looking, solid wooden desk hard enough to dent it. The Bear was calm, placid and implacable as a glacier. He glanced from his papers to Yuudai and back again before exhaling a low, quiet sigh, and placing the bundle of paperwork down on the surface of the desk. He leaned back in his chair, took the cigar out of his mouth, and gestured broadly at the damage Yuudai had done. "Been a long time, Shiba,” The Bear agreed, quite calmly. "Which is why I am shocked—astounded—that you would step into my office with this kind of disrespect.” Sadako’s eyes were wide and round, her jaw clenched beneath the mask that hid her expression. Her gaze flicked to the door they’d come in from—two more figures had appeared in the doorway, two women leaning casually against the doorframe to observe what was going on. Reinforcements. "I’d be more than happy to have a conversation about chilling with a friend,” he said, and ashed the cigar. "Not a fuckin’ bootlicker. Which are you, Shiba?”

Shiba Yuudai -- 224
13/15

LAIKA OF THQ

[Shiba Yuudai]

[nospaces][break][break][break]

Life is what you make it.

[break] WC 315 | TWC 1744

[attr="class","nicotemp"]
"Disrespect? A boot licker? The only disrespect coming out right now is from you mu dude. I shouldn’t have to come down here because you and your people can run a quiet operation. And I’ve never been the type to lick boots. Listen Bear imma put it to you like this, if you and your people don’t come correct you will force my hand. Next time I have to come down here I won’t just be with my little cousin, you will have me and a whole squad of shinobi here to shut all this shit down.”
[break][break]
Yuudai would then turn to take note of the 2 figures who had come and stood in the doorway thru which they entered. Yuudai would scoff and let off a grin towards Bear as he turned back towards him. "You know I really don’t care about what you folks do, its the slums. But when those big guys in the offices get to speak on you, you should know you are doing something wrong.”
[break][break]
Yuudai would then turn to Sadako before placing a hand on her shoulder and beginning to usher himself and her out of the room. Just as they would push and brush pass the 2 people at the door Yuudai would turn back just once more and say "Just do me this one solid favor… I would hate to turn my old friends it enemies.” Bear would laugh a bit before saying "You know what Shiba, out of respect for Yuusuke you will get grace this time. And I will see if I can make a little less noise, no need of having you shinobi lot in my business.”
[break][break]
With that Yuudai would simply nod while mouthing the words thank you. He would then continue to exit while pushing Sadako in front of him, with him feeling as though this matter had been handled peacefully.

SPOILER: Click to show

Jutsu Used
Akuma Sakenomi ( 悪魔酒飲み ) [Devil Bringer]

[newclass=.nicotemp b]font-family:bitter;color:#838996[/newclass]

[Googlefont=Playfair Display]

[takeda sadako]

Another flurry of words exchanged, and for a long moment Sadako thought the situation was about to blow completely out of proportion—and then there was a laugh and smiles exchanged, and she was ushered out of the room. She did her best to stay stone-faced, her back straight and upright, trying to look more like competent henchman and less like little cousin tag-along. Little cousin, whatever—Yuudai was only a year older than her anyway— Only a year older and twice the shinobi you are, whispered a little voice in the back of her head. Her teeth ground. She at least had the discipline to wait until they were safely away from The Bear’s base of operations before she whirled on Yuudai, temper inexplicably flaring, though she said nothing at first. Just looked at him like a scientist might look at an especially fascinating specimen, dark eyes boring holes into his skull to figure out the secrets he held inside. "You’re insane,” was her final diagnosis. Flatly delivered, but there was an undercurrent of begrudging respect there, as baffled as it was impressed. "I’m putting ’should see a mental health professional’ in my report.” Which, somehow, was all that was left—to make the report. Whether Yuudai wanted to go with her or not, that was up to him, but she was quick to jog right on out of the slums to put the final stamp on this bewildering mission. [exit.]

Shiba Yuudai -- 252
13/15

LAIKA OF THQ