Missions Under the Sun (P)

Spoiler:

Kouzai intent to help his village was, well a little lack luster. Several of the missions on the board, were rather drab and boring. He decided the best job would be, ironically guard duty. He had hoped he could slip away and possibly take a nap somewhere, or doze off in a tree. Except, well Suna was hot, being a desert and all, but the heat was almost unbearable at times. People here drank tea during the day to keep cool. Guard duty in the middle of the day, no thank you. But a job was a job, no matter what, even one such as this.
Approaching the guard house, Kouzai introduced himself to the Guard Captain, a gruff man, who really was more ninja than anything. He used words like “jib” and “yall” perhaps he was from another part of Suna. Being a Samurai, Kouzai was however, at a disadvantage, since he could use or utilize Ninjutsu in such a way, he was given the gate guard duty. Standing in front of the entrance to Sunagakure, trying to look like well, trying to look menacing, however he was failing. It was the middle of the day, hot as all hell; well hell might be a relief from this unrelenting heat. The ground was white and cracked; all the water has evaporated leaving just salt and some sand. No one was coming during this time, an hour or two passed and Kouzai was already dopey eyed. He tried leaning against the wall, but it burned him something fierce. How the heck did Ninja stand for this? Kouzai must have nodded off at least 3 times during the next few hours, not a single person, his face sunburned, his hands and arms, sunburned, but the worst of all was the back of his neck. As he stood, it felt like the sun hadn’t even moved. When suddenly someone tapped him on his shoulder, he jumped, startled by it all. Turning around, he saw another pair of guards, ready to take his position. They chuckled a bit, making some references to pathetic Samurai and their ilk. Kouzai’s next assignment was to patrol Sunagakure. Patrol, in the middle of the day, who would be so brazen enough as to steal in the middle of the day. In fact, who would be so brazen enough to do anything in the middle of the day? His head hung low, he was mentally tired, from the sun beating down on him, unrelenting for around 6 hours or so, now he was going to walk around. There was no hustle or bustle of Sunagakure, just dead, a few people sitting in some small shops drinking tea, freaking hot tea in the middle of the day, at 500 degrees or whatever bloody temperature was reasonable for Sunagakure during this time of year. His footsteps became dogged; there was a group in front of him, a total of 6 of them walked around the streets. The 5 kept talking, laughing and generally just not paying attention. Not that Kouzai paid much attention; he mainly looked at the ground and tried to count the blisters on his feet. The sun had started to go down, he was almost begging for the sweet relief of nightfall. The streets grew busier, shops opened back up, people began their nightly routines. It was an interesting sight all in all; they each had their own ritual. Some put the canvas up first, others wash the stands first, some even prayed first. Kouzai tried to find it interesting, but his eyes kept darting to chairs, benches and even some old couches people left out. The sun reached the horizon, and it was time to say goodbye, and good night. The little patrol made its way back to the barracks; Kouzai gave a small report, to which the guard captain just laughed. Calling him lazy good for nothing, but he got paid, and being paid was quite nice. Kouzai took a quick shower in the barracks and then left for the leaving. A fist full of cash, he somehow felt more energized. Returning home for the night, tomorrow was a new day.

Spoiler:

The clang of metal on metal rang through the night air, as Kouzai was slowly pounding on and on on his anvil. It was hard, being out in in foreign lands, desperate to make ends meet. Long nights, and cool mornings make it extremely difficult. He wasn't crafting anything in particular, just making sure his tools were as straight as possible. It helped him relax and get a good night sleep. His eye's grew a bit heavy and he stepped back, leaving down on the warm bench, warmed from the last lingers of the furnace. His breath grew slower, he started nodding off, it must have been around 11 pm, as the sounds of the city had all but faded. At first the neighbors complained about his clanging and banging around at night. They had eventually grown used to it, and some even complimented him and said it helped them fall asleep. It must have been roughly 1 am when the last embers were dying out, with a sudden clash. It sounded exactly like metal pipes and pieces falling to the floor from his shelf.  With a sudden jump, Kouzai reached for a sword that wasn't by his side. He never had his swords by his side when he was working the forge. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw what appeared to be someone no older than him, snatch something from the middle shelf, tanto's and butcher knives, also bolts and some left over scrapes. Fumbling, still half asleep, Kouzai nearly tripped over his apron, he was using it as a blanket. Grabbing his trusty weapons, he fumbled once again, kicking the apron to the side.

The little thief, noticing at the weary shop-keep was up and at-um, started to move out from the shelves and did a small dance around the anvil. Kouzai, coming up to the anvil, also did that little dance, trying to keep the theif in the shop. "Hey, what are you doing. Get the heck out of here. AND PUT THAT BACK" Kouzai wasn't really thinking clearly, this was the first time he's ever been robbed. The thief took off down the street, Kouzai barely made it out of the shop, before the boy was half way down the street. "WHY YOU LITTLE BASTARD", he yelled, taking off after him. It wasn't so much being robbed, but that little prick was so dam fast.

Kouzai wasn't going to let this punk beat him, Kouzai was out in a flash, his sort sword like lightning as he was in stride with the thief, slashing out at that stupid punk. Catching both the thief off guard, cutting the cloak around their face, as he slashed away at it. Tumbling backwards, the thief's cloak feel, and it was a that of a woman. Her hair was light brown, her eyes piercing green, as she had a darker features. Kouzai was stunned for a moment, he wasn't expecting to catch like he did, and was even more surprised too see a girl his age, quite a looker as well. Sensing his hesitation, her leg swiped out, and Kouzai landed with a thud.

Taking off running again, Kouzai shock quickly wore off, as the thief was ahead of him. Whipping out his scabbard, he caught her legs as she tripped and fell. The small tanto went spiraling into the ground ahead of her. Kouzai was up and snatched it up, as the girl bit the dust. He could hear the guards huffing towards him, yelling stop, thief, hold it right there, it was all mainly just for show. Grabbing the girl up, she looked at Kouzai, her eyes wide and almost tearful. Kouzai just stared at her, as they took her away. A large man came over to check on Kouzai, muttering about no good foreigners, causing all sorts of ruckus in the wee hours.

Spoiler:

Kouzai was walking along the roads of Sunagakure. If he had not lived there, he could have probably got lost on his way to the kage's office a while ago. Catching an elephant, and a rhyno will surely be the easiest part! And of course, that was an exaggeration. Who in their right minds would do it anyways? Kouzai knew that he was in his right mind or so he thought he was. Why was he doing this again? Oh right. For a sword that has a titanium blade. Surely, this mission will not be as bloody as B-rank mission since it's a C rank mission anyways and the kage would not surely wanted to kill him... maybe he'd like to though. Kouzai shook his head at the thought of the kage wanting to kill him. He cannot die in this mission! He needs to be the strongest samurai ever! But before that... a lot of training must be held by him and also a lot of missions to be a Chuunin.

His dark brown orbs suddenly spotted a sudden ruckus going on from... somewhere that he really didn't go at since people are making fun of him on that area. Then he heard a roar... a really loud roar. Kouzai had immediately guessed on what was making all the ruckus and was having second thoughts whether if he should capture it right now or wait until it leaves the area. Another roar, and everyone on the area that was neither too far nor too near from Kouzai had started run away while others are on high places. He heaved a heavy sigh and walked casually to that area as his right hand was tucked inside the pocket of his pants, holding on something. When he was on the place from where the lion was running... in circles. He wondered why and when it immediately saw him, it ran from him and the young Genin swiftly pulled out the yarn of ball from his pocket and threw it to the lion. Lions are cats but bigger. He hoped that the trick will work or else...

His soul were lifted high when it worked on the lion, it played on the yarn for a few moments then turned its attention towards Kouzai again. And now... he only have one idea on his mind. Run! And so he did ran away from the lion as fast as he could. He grabbed a raw meat on a grill and was lucky enough that the chef wasn't facing him or he'll get into more trouble. Then as he was still running, he grabbed a fishing rod from a sushi place that was placed outside the sushi stand and hooked the raw meat on the fishing rod. The raven haired genin stopped in his tracks and hoped that his plan will work as he had expected the outcome will be. As the lion was already one meter from him, he jumped on its back and sets himself comfortably on the lion. But the animal was kind of out of control and ran from places to places randomly, trying to get rid off Kouzai from its back but he wouldn't let himself fall down. He used the fishing rod and stirred the pedal so that the raw meat was on the lion's eye level.

It started to run to the meat and was attempting to take a bite on it but was actually failing. Kouzai moved the wooden rod to the direction of the zoo until they've reached the place Kouzai lets himself fall sideways on the ground and run away with the raw meat as the lion chased him for the meat. When he had reached its cage, he threw the raw meat, along with the fishing rod, inside the lion's cage then it was locked by some zoo keeper. "That was a lot of effort." He said and was kind of disappointed that he didn't see anyone get eaten, then again that would be pretty gruesome to behold.

Rules say you can repeat a mission once a day, so I'm repeating Catching a Thief

Sunagakure had a charm all its own. It really wasn’t as horrific as everyone said, sure things did get dusty and sand got everywhere. The village had its own charm, it wasn’t rigid as Samurai Society, with it’s towering well, towers, and it’s almost aggressive stance towards foreigners. This was a village built as a trading commodity, one which centered on trade and exchange of goods. Kouzai was headed for the central office, he wanted a permit to set up shop as a blacksmith, he knew also that he was looking for a spot to set up, someplace quiet, he was more of a night person than anything, and didn’t want to have issues keeping people up at night. He made his way down some winding ally’s; it was easy to get lost in this city. In fact, he was already getting lost in the crowd. He side-stepped down a small path to get some breathing room, with all the dust people kicked up, it was hard to see. Walking a little bit, he overheard some yelling, ”Stop, I said stop thief” . Kouzai turned just in time to see a figure wrapped in a cloak crash right into him, knocking him and the figure over. He took a bit of a wallop to the head, as he felt some pressure on his chest, as he opened his eyes, a figure swirling in front of him. Scrambling, the figure kicked him in the chest and got up in a dead run. Kouzai rolled over, his sides hurt, but he got to his knees, and then finally stood. Breathing heavy, he yelled as well. “Oi, you punk, knock that off” a little more labor in his breath. He took off running, another thief, this world was horrible. He started to make his way after them. He wasn’t any faster than the punk kid who bowled him over, but the kid had a head start, and was moving through the city like a dream. Kouzai was knocking into people, yelling for them to get out of the way. Kouzai caught a glimpse of the thief, carrying something a bit large and heavy, slowing them down just enough he figured. He really put on the speed now, doing his best to catch up, he tried to grab the cloak a few times, but was jostled out of the way. Finally he yanked hard; perhaps much harder than he anticipated, as the cloak flew back into his face, the thief did not come along for the ride. Tossing the cloak aside, Kouzai caught the sneak ducking down an ally. Kouzai went after, hitting that same ally, snug between two buildings, older, sandstone, well worn, this must be the old part of town. Hearing the footsteps, he gave chase, rounding the corner to see, well to see something that surprised him. It was a young woman, in fact the same woman from earlier, the thief who stole from his shop. She had hit a dead end, perhaps she didn’t know these streets as well as she lead on. He was dumbfounded, just standing there, between her and the wall. She was holding a large wrapped item bundled in cloth. [color=green] “You again, what are you following me? Come to get revenge for me taking your pathetic tools” [/color ] she chided him. Following her, he didn’t even know she was here, why was she here, she was supposed to be in jail. “Who told you I was here, I busted my ass helping them, and you end up following me, perv” She said, again Kouzai had no clue what was going on. But he heard more and more footsteps behind him, coming up on the ally. “Good work, this thief has been causing trouble all over the city” the guards came, moving towards her, she gave up. She gave him the dirtiest look Kouzai had ever seen. The guards arresting her, taking her hopefully to jail this time for sure. Man, Sunagakure is a crazy place, the world is insane. The ninja world worked so differently than Samurai, Kouzai was beginning to think perhaps non-involvement was the best solution.

Spoiler:

Kouzai sat in the shadow of Sunagakure's market street, wrapped in his cloak as he cradled an acoustic guitar in his lap. His deft fingers danced across the neck of the instrument as he plucked away a flamenco-style melody. It was around mid day and his notes were permeating through the small crowd that moved up and down the street. Every now and then someone would pass close by and toss a few coins his way, forming a scattered pile at his side. At first he'd been a bit surprised by the gesture, he didn't have anything set out to make it look like he was begging but people just kinda assumed it when they saw him sitting on the curb. Having been sitting out for over an hour now, he didn't pay them any mind though, just letting the money accumulate around him without a thought.

In this case, the charity of Suna's people was still helping him though, it made him seem less out of place. He wasn't there for money, he was there for a job. The merchants of the city had submitted some complaints about a small band of people that were trying to extort money from them. To his understanding they weren't exactly very good at it, but it was probably for the best to take care of them before they figured out how the game worked. His job here was simple, he just had to... convince them to give it up. And that brought him to his current situation. Even as he continued to play, his cold gaze kept shifting around, looking for any sign of his targets. The reports said that they never tried anything when they saw a shinobi nearby, so he had decided to try to hide in plain sight. No one ever paid beggars any mind if they didn't have coin to give.
As time went on, the crowds began to thin out and Kouzai shifted into a more sombre tune that Ivan had taught him back at the Sandpit. Apparently it was a song about a man who returned home after a war to find it destroyed, a sad story that tended to evoke powerful imagery when performed properly. There were lyrics that went with it, but the boy had a hard enough time finding his voice for normal conversation, singing was a bit beyond him for now. Besides, he liked the guitar melody just fine on its own. Nearing the end of the song, he noticed a group of four people turn onto the market street, glancing about suspiciously as they walked down towards one of the stalls. As he hoped, they passed him right by, not even offering a second glance as he kept playing. His cold blue eyes leveled on the group, letting his fingers keep working purely on muscle memory through the last few phrases.

They approached a stall a little ways down the street, a merchant that was busy starting to pack some of his goods away for the day. Kouzai had gathered that the man was selling some metal crafts; bracelets, chains, and such. The merchant was in the middle of hefting a box onto the top of a cart when the youths sidled up to his stall. When the man turned around and saw them his expression immediately changed to one of exasperation. "Oh great, not you lot again. Can't you see I'm busy here? Go bugger off will you?" The apparent leader of the group slipped behind the counter and stared the man down. "Oh I don't think so, we're serious this time. You made us look like fools last time, but now we're going to get what's owed to us." The merchant didn't seem at all phased by the threat, turning away to load another box into his cart. "Last time you brats ran off with your tails tucked between your legs as soon as a chuunin came 'round the corner. Why should I think this time will be any different?"

"Because, like I said, this time we're serious." The leader made a gesture with his head towards one of the others. The man in question reached out for one of the merchant's displays and gave a forceful tug, ripping it from its stand and throwing the goods out across the sand. Kouzai plucked his final note just after the clash rang out down the street, drawing it out for a moment before setting his guitar aside. There was no longer any shadow of a doubt that these were his targets, which meant it was time to get to work. The merchant's expression shifted more towards anger than any sort of fear. "Well great, I hope you know you'll be paying for all of those now." One of the three on the other side of the stall chuckled at his response. "No, you'll be paying us. Don't you get it? Look around, do you see anyone coming to help this time? You're going to give us what we came for."

Kouzai chose that moment to tap on the kid's shoulder, amused slightly at his poor choice of words. "Huh?" He spun around to see the boys emotionless visage gazing up at him, pausing in confusion just long enough for Kouzai to throw a kick into the side of the man's head. The hard impact sent him spinning back through the air, landing face down in the sand a few feet away. The other three all turned to face him, just as surprised as the other had been about his sudden appearance. The leader stepped back around the cart, an indignant look in his eyes. "Who the hell are you?" Kouzai just shrugged, gazing out from beneath his hood. His headband was hidden beneath the thick fabric, so there was nothing to immediately identify him as a shinobi.

The kid continued to approach until he was just a foot or two away, looking down at Kouzai's blank face with fire in his eyes. The man he'd hit was already scrambling to his feet, his cheek slightly swollen. "You know what? I don't care. Do you really think you can just walk over here and hit one of my friends? Allow me to return the favor." The leader reared back and threw a punch at him, but to Kouzai's eyes it was so horribly telegraphed that it could barely be called a threat. He shifted to the side just enough to clear the boy's fist then threw a jab into the center of his face before grabbing his extended arm and throwing him into the center of the street. The boy managed to stop himself from falling, but as he spun around he revealed a fresh stream of blood that was trickling down his face from his nose. "What the hell are you lot doing? Get him!"

Kouzai's nearest foe made a rush at him, but the shinobi diverted the strike in a similar fashion to the previous one, throwing the boy into his leader with little difficulty. As the two tumbled to the ground in a heap, his two remaining foes drew knives from their pockets and advanced at the same time. Though they were armed, they seemed to air much more on the side of caution than their comrades. After they closed the distance, they struck out one at a time with their weapons in an attempt to keep the genin on the defensive. It was a perfectly fine tactic, but they still didn't really have much training. Kouzai danced around their blades, purposefully leading them away from the merchant's stall while he bought some time until one of them made a mistake. One of the pair hesitated for a moment after the other finished a strike, leaving his friend open just long enough for him to take advantage of. Kouzai ripped off his cloak and threw it at the boy who had hesitated before shifting to the other. He grabbed the boy by the wrist and twisted violently as he stepped in closer. He hyper-extended the boy's arm before dropping an elbow directly onto the joint. A sickening crack filled the air as the arm bent back at an unnatural angle, the boy collapsing to the ground as he let out a pained scream.

Kouzai kicked the knife he dropped to the other side of the street then moved in on the kid who was struggling to get free of his cloak. He grabbed hold of the fabric and pulled it away, coming face to face with the boy with the swollen cheek. He locked eyes for just a moment before swinging forward and headbutting him directly in the face. As he stumbled back, clutching at his head, Kouzai had a brief moment of rest. Without his cloak on, his pale, scarred skin was exposed to the harsh sunlight. He immediately noted how uncomfortable it felt, but hoped that this wouldn't last long enough for it to be an issue. As the first two untangled from each other and climbed back to their feet, the leader took note of the headband that Kouzai had tied around his arm. He could see the conflict in the boy's eyes, weighing his own safety with that of his pride. As he looked to the whimpering boy at Kouzai's side, it seemed his self preservation was winning out. "Shit, run!"

A thin smile cracked through Kouzai's usual mask as the three that were still standing started to run. His job wasn't to chase them off, it was to make sure they gave up, so he wasn't allowed to just let them run off. Before they made it ten feet, he'd channeled a mass of chakra to his sword and swung. Unaccustomed to such a swift attack and running as fast as he could, the leader of the group lost his legs and fell face-first onto the ground. Another soon joined him, but the third had managed to stay upright by slowing to a crawl.

The shinobi wasted no time in putting the implement to work, lashing out at the last man standing. The chain tore through the air before it found the boy's leg, wrapping his foot in its cold embrace. Kouzai delivered a kick against his target's momentum, striking him hard in the face for the third and final time. The impact spun him about on the frictionless surface, eventually bringing him to rest against the wall of a building, out cold. They were just starting to regain their balance when he reached them, the sun casting his shadow over the pair despite his small stature.

With panic in his eyes, the leader of the group did the only thing he could think of and rushed him. Though it was just as obvious as before, the genin didn't try to dodge this time, his smile widening just before the boy's fist made contact. He was engulfed in a cloud of smoke at the moment of impact, the attack striking a form in the center of the smokescreen. It took a moment for the dust to clear, but when it did Kouzai was still standing there, or at least he appeared to be. The leader of the kids bit into his lip, tears forming at the edges of his eyes at the pain that shot through his arm. He imagined the boy felt like he'd just punched a concrete wall right about now, recalling how much it hurt when the clone had punched him during his training.

The boy stood frozen in place for a few more seconds until his resolve finally gave out, crumpling back to the ground as he clutched at his hand. The kid beside him decided to try to make a break for it again, but Kouzai would have none of that. He lashed out with his chain from the rooftops, rebounding it against the ground so that it wrapped around his target's torso and pinned down his arms. After using his chakra to direct it around several times, he hopped over the edge of the building and hooked the chain over a flagpole on his way down. Using the pole as a fulcrum, his momentum lifted the boy into the air, dangling him several feet above the ground. The bound youth continued to shout and struggle, but he ignored it, turning instead to the one that had been leading the band.

He knelt down to eye level, the boy still cradling his injured hand. Kouzai doubted that it was broken, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt like hell. His spirit broken, the kid just stared at him, a mixture of anger, fear, and indignation in his eyes. The genin answered back with his normal hard gaze. "Done?"

"What the hell does it look like?" The boy spit back, gesturing to his injuries. Kouzai shook his head.

"Not that. Done bothering people?"

"Why the hell does it even matter? Even if I did its not like anyone takes me seriously."

"It's dangerous."

"Like you even care! Look what you did to us, why should I think you're the least bit concerned?"

Kouzai's eyes hardened. He made sure he had the boy's undivided attention, a pulse of chakra producing a gust of wind from his wrist that he put to the kid's neck. He stared directly into his eyes, almost as if daring him to try to look away. "I could kill you." He let the words hang in the air for what felt like a short eternity before the blade withdrew back into his arm. "I didn't, You're lucky. Understand?" The boy didn't respond, simply nodding his head up and down several times. Kouzai stood back up and turned away, walking back towards the merchant that the boys had accosted. "Good. Go to sleep."

"...but-"

He went over to retrieve his guitar and strapped it to his back before gathering up all the coins that were laying around. After stopping to throw his cloak back on, he returned to the metal merchant, who looked on with a slightly concerned expression.

"All done."

"Yes, I can see that... you might have overdone it a little, but I guess the message is more likely to stick this way... so... good work?" Kouzai shrugged then tossed the man the sack of coins he had collected. "Cover losses, right?" The man didn't seem to understand his meaning, so he made a gesture towards the crafts that had been scattered across the sands. "Oh, right. Why thank you, that's rather generous. Feel free to take anything you like." He cocked his head to the side for a moment then nodded, turning to the displays that were still left out. His eyes scanned across them until he found something he liked, a round pendant stylized with a drawing of a white wolf. "That one." He pointed it out to the merchant, who opened up the case and retrieved it for him. "Ah yes, a fine pick. Here you are." Kouzai took the pendant and immediately put it on before giving the man a quick bow and starting down the street. The post wasn't far so his clone was on its third trip. He figured he might as well help out, grabbing the last unconscious kid and dragging him down to the guard post to report a job done.

2564 Words

Spying on Muraders

The sand around Kouzai shifted as he crawled forward, his body half covered by the loose grains. He held his breath, not daring to make a sound as a group of six or so men came around a large outcropping of rock and into view. They had appeared so suddenly, barely giving the boy enough time to hit the dirt before they were upon him. As stealthily as he could, he shifted into the shadow of a nearby rock and adjusted his hood to hide his face. He couldn't afford to be spotted, not now. So he lay completely still in the sand, wrapped in a cloak different than his usual attire. This one was designed as camouflage, colored the same as the dunes around him with the outside covered by a thin layer of sand. Sure it was heavier than normal, but its effectiveness could not be questioned. He peered out of a tiny gap between the fabric of his hood and the sand, vision slightly warped by a pair of goggles that he wore to protect his eyes in the desert.

He counted six men, all armed with various forms of weaponry: some had swords, one had an axe, one was completely covered with knives, and another just had a pair of bulky gauntlets covering his fists. The most important detail to him however, was the red bandannas that they all wore somewhere on there bodies. He watched as the dawdled about for a minute or two, a seventh man joining the rest. He had messy black hair and a pike strapped to his back, the others seemed to greet him with disdain. "What are you doing here? " As the man turned Kouzai could see his eyes were sharp, brown orbs that seemed to have constant motion. He could tell from a glance that the man was schemer, the fact that he couldn't hide it a testament to either inexperience or ego. He reminded Kouzai of a snake. When he responded to the man, his voice held a higher mocking tone to it. "Me? Why I'm here to make sure you lot don't make a disgrace of us. I happened to be nearby when you made a visit into the village back there." The man shook his head and clicked his tongue. "I must say, sloppy job. You left a few alive." The rest of the men visibly tensed as he spoke.

"Its a good thing I was there to clean up after you, isn't it? You should be praising me honestly, but luckily I'm above all that. You're gratitude is enough for me." The man who had spoken up first just shook his head and started walking again/ "You still talk too much, Nas, and I still don't like you." Kouzai tensed slightly as the group moved towards him, Nas standing in place for a moment with his arms out before following. "Oh, you wound me Gregor. What would Cleaver say if he knew you were treating the man that fixed your mistakes with such disdain." The lead man kept moving, passing within a few feet of where the genin lay. "He'd tell me to deal with our 'work place disturbances' in the normal fashion. Is that a place you want to go Nas?" There was no answer from the other man. "...Yeah, I didn't think so. Lets get moving, we've got alot of ground to cover to get back to base by nightfall."

Lucky for Kouzai, it seemed that the exchange had distracted them enough that they hadn't noticed him. The group kept moving past him and along the edge of the great rock plateau that rose out of the desert to his side. The boy lay motionless until they had disappeared around the edge of the rock face, finally letting himself breath normally as he climbed back to his feet. The bandannas identified the group as members of the Chimeras, a group of raiders that had been becoming more active as of late: his targets. The village council had retrieved a tip that the Chimeras were gearing up for some sort of large scale operation, one that might even target Sunagakure itself. His job wasn't to deal with them, just to act as a scout and learn whatever he could about their movements, to confirm or disprove the information that was given to the village. Kouzai had been combing the desert for three days before he finally happened upon them, as close of a call as it might have been. He was told that stealth was paramount in this mission. If the group had spotted him, he would have had to try to kill them all and start over from scratch, which was easier said than done because of the fairly large number of missing-nin the Chimeras had among their ranks.

Still, it seemed luck was on his side, not only had he avoided detection, but had also found a party that was heading back to their headquarters. All he had to do was follow them back and report what he saw. Once again, it was easier said than done, but it was better than another few days of searching by himself. Deciding the best plan was to follow them from the high ground, Kouzai immediately went to work scaling the cliff face of the plateau. He was traveling very light, just enough rations for a week of bare bones subsistence, and a handful of shinobi tools. He didn't even have his scythe with him since it would have been too hard to keep concealed as he moved around. The metal was just as likely to catch the sun and alert someone to his presence, so he just left it behind: if everything went south he could always just run away and try again the next night.

After reaching the top of the cliff, Kouzai raced after his targets, footsteps light and silent against the flat rocky surface. It didn't take long for him to catch up,the band was moving at a fairly slow pace. He peeked over the edge once to confirm their location, then ducked back over the rock. If he just had to track these people, he could do it by sound. And so the boy crept along the cliff above his targets, tracking their movement through the sound of footsteps of their idly conversation. It was a slow process to be sure, but it wasn't like there was a way to speed things up. Minutes soon turned to hours, the group passing the time by talking about this or that. From what he could gather, they had just finished raiding an outlying settlement a few hours before. They had seized as many supplies as they could, transferred them to another unit, and were currently on their way back. If the man named Naz was telling the truth, not a single soul had been left alive at the village. Occasionally they would let slip some information about their recent movements and Kouzai would take notes on his pad. As it was his primary job here, he also kept a tally of how many combatants the group had, the count currently holding at seven.

Eventually the group came to an opening in the rock face, the plateau opening up into a maze of canyons. They hung around the opening for a moment or two before turning into the labyrinth. Kouzai noted the location on a map he had with him and waited until it was clear to jump the gap to the other side of the canyon. He took note of each path they took, charting out the maze as he went. At one point the group crossed paths with another that was on their way out before stopping in a sizable chamber to take a break. Kouzai noted the ten people in the second group before taking up a position over looking their resting spot.

After about ten minutes, he had started to get bored of just waiting, so he flipped to another page in his sketchpad and started to draw what he could see. The leader of the company, the one named Gregor, looked like a viking of old, long red hair that streamed into a lengthy beard that was well kept despite the harsh environment of the desert. He even had a battle axe lashed to his back to complete the image. Kouzai wondered if he did it on purpose, or if that's just how things turned out. Though he wasn't great at portraits, he did his best to capture the man's likeness, sketching out the make-shift camp around them too. They had quite a decent haul for the size of their company, each man carrying a sizable satchel that were all currently stacked in a pile. He could see a bunch of provisions in one, another completely full of water stocks, and another stuffed full of various weaponry and ammunition. He could only assume these were left over from the village raid, whatever they couldn't pass off to the other group they'd met with.

As he paused to take a drink from his canteen, Kouzai noticed that one of the members was missing, he was only coming up with a count of six. As first he wondered if they were just standing under him, his perch was quite high up after all, or maybe they had gone off with the second group, though he hadn't noticed such a thing. As he pondered the situation, he suddenly became aware of someone's breathing behind him. "Why, what have we hear? I thought I smelled a rat, the guys will get a real kick out of this." His muscles tensed, frozen in spot for a moment before slowly turning around. Nas' lean figure loomed over him, his eyes full of glee as he raised a finger to his mouth, signaling the boy to keep quiet. He slinked closer, pike pointed at Kouzai's chest. The genin mentally cursed his carelessness, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender. Nas snickered under his breath, reaching out to pluck the sketchpad from the boy's hand. "How long have you been trailing us, little rat?" He just gave the man an icy stare, one eye peering out from beneath his bangs. Nas shrugged, flipping through the pad with an amused smile on his face. "Quite the artist aren't you? I can understand wanting to draw someone as glorious as myself, but you could have just asked you know. Either way, I think I'll be keeping this." He snapped it shut and made a gesture with his weapon. "Get up."

Kouzai did as instructed, slowly rising and taking a step forward so that he wouldn't be visible from below. "Move, you're going to get me a pretty penny when I give you to cleaver." He swept sideways with the point of the pike to punctuate his words. The boy just stared back, unmoving. Nas scowled. "I said move, we're going to go meet some new people." He held his ground, tilting his head to the side as if asking a question. Nas cocked an eyebrow at the gesture. "What, are you shy or something? I guess I can understand, I am quite the-" Kouzai took advantage of his hot air to suddenly strike out, one hand grabbing the haft of the man's spear as he stepped into his guard. He planted his elbow squarely on the man's solar plexus, knocking the wind out of him before shifting to an uppercut. As his fist connected with the man's chin, he sent a pulse of chakra through his arm, the force in his skin expanding out into a small gust of wind from his wrist. The wind expanded up through his skull, a bit of grey matter escaping as it cleared the cranium.

Kouzai held it there for a brief moment, lowering Nas to the ground before ripping his arm back violently. He glared down at the corpse, the blood stained blade had broken off and was lodged in place, freezing any blood in place before it could drain out. "Talk too much." Within the span of two seconds, the man's world had completely turned on him. Kouzai wondered if he had even seen it coming, though his attitude seemed to suggest the thought of failure had never even occurred to him. Regardless, Kouzai take his sketchbook back, setting it off to the side before he went to work stripping the man's cloak and bandanna. Whether he knew it or not, the snake had helped the shinobi out. He switched out his cloak for the one Nas had been wearing, cutting a bit off the bottom with a kunai to make sure it wouldn't trail along the ground. After tying the bandanna around his neck, he returned to his perch above the Chimera's camp and removed a tally from his notes. At least from a distance, he could pass as one of their number, something that would come in handy once they actually reached the camp.

As the group packed up and got ready to start moving again, Kouzai heard one of them ask about Nas. Gregor just kinda grumbled. "Probably slunk off somewhere, Honestly I couldn't care less. Come on, lets go."
Kouzai sprinted from cover, a glint of steel appearing in his hand an instant before he lashed out. This was his best chance, he had to take it. The kunai in his hand found its mark, digging into the flesh of his target's neck before the boy rolled backwards, carrying the fresh corpse with him to the ground. He pressed himself down flat as a bright light washed over him, continuing to pass by without incident. He let out a breath that he had been holding in, shifting the body behind the nearest rock before finally climbing back to his feet. The sky was dark, night having come just before the band he was tracking arrived at their main camp: a mass of tents and wagons set up in a great bowl shaped chamber in the center of the plateau.

The security had gotten much tighter as he made the final approach: guards stationed atop the cliff, regular patrols, and search lights that constantly scanned over the camp perimeter. Kouzai had been in hiding for nearly an hour, just waiting for a chance to take up a position. The timing was incredibly narrow, having to make it between all of the different moving parts. He eventually decided he wouldn't be able to get by without taking one of the guards out. So he waited until a shift change the timed his strike between the spotlight's search pattern. It had been a bit of a gamble, but it seemed to have paid off. He stood up straight as the spotlight washed past again, its path still uninterrupted. Because he'd stolen the bandit's clothes earlier, he could simply take the place of the guard he killed and no one would give him a second glance as long as he didn't make a scene.

Kouzai stood in place, waiting for the next searchlight pass before getting to work. He flipped out his book and immediately started taking down notes of what he saw. The camp was actually quite massive, much larger than originally estimated at least. Luckily for him, it was quite well lit even in the darkness, torches and other light sources scattered about. He counted 31 guards in total patrolling the outer wall and 10 more operating the lights. The camp itself consisted of upwards of thirty large tents and as many as seventy smaller ones. His eyes scanned back and forth over the tents, trying to take measure of how many people he could see. It was hard for him to keep track of all the movement, but he counted over a hundred, a bit worrying considering how many were probably out of sight.

He made a quick sketch of the camp layout, noting which tents the Chimeras were busy loading supplies and cargo inside of. The mess tent was easy to identify, but the weapon and ammunition stores took a bit longer. He traced patrol routes he could see, marking the light patterns as well. Soon enough his map was a cluttered mass of annotations and dotted lines, the boy trying to economize on his space as much as possible. As he was marking what he deduced to be the main sleeping quarters, he caught sight of something that seemed a bit out of place. While bandits had a tendency to kind of shamble about and generally act like commoners, Kouzai saw a very different sort of man. He carried himself like nobility, an almost regal air about him. He did not mingle with the others, but walk through them, everyone parting from his path the instant they noticed him. Even from as far away as he was, Kouzai could hear the man's voice, hard like steel and commanding in tone as he addressed those around him.

If ever there were to exist a king of bandits, the man was him. As the thought occurred to Kouzai, he flipped to the next page of his notebook and started drawing the man, sharp eyes trying to catch as much detail as possible. He was a man of stature, tall with a cleaned shaved head that had a pair of scars wrapping down from the top of his head to his right cheek. His features were hard, as if sculpted, including an rather impressive jawline. He wore light metal armor, plain in design but clearly well made. A broadsword was strapped to his back, the blade about three inches wide. Most importantly though, was the shinobi headband that was hung loosely around his neck. Kouzai couldn't make out what symbol was on it from where he stood, but the light that reflected off it revealed a deep groove down the center; the mark of a missing-nin. He might not of known wear the man was from, but someone at the village would. He flipped back through his notes before turning back to picture just after he finished, labeling it with the name he heard Nas use earlier. Cleaver.

Kouzai took another few minutes to grab whatever other information he could manage, his sketchbook more full of words than pictures at this point. As he closed the pad and slipped it into his vest, his gaze lingered on Cleaver for a bit longer. Something about the man seemed familiar to him, but he just couldn't put his finger on it. As the searchlight passed over him, he could have sworn the man's eyes found him, staring into his own for that briefest of moments. Cleaver lingered on the spot but by the next time the light came around, Kouzai was already gone. He had all the information he was going to get, and he didn't like what he had seen at all. Whoever the missing-nin was, he had gathered quite the host behind him, and the arsenal made it look like they were gearing up for war.
Kouzai dashed across the top of the plateau, slipping his camouflaged cloak on as he moved. He'd stopped by Nas' corpse on the way to swap out his disguise for the thing's he'd stashed away on the trip in. Since he had been studying the patrol paths for so long, slipping through the line on his way out was much easier than the infiltration had been. Now that he was out, there was no one to get in his way, just a shadow passing through the night. As he moved along, he wondered just how the village was going to deal with the veritable army he stumbled across. He guessed the best way to deal with it would probably be to try to assassinate the leader, this Cleaver. Bandits were bandits, and if no one was there to hold them together they'd likely just fall to pieces bickering with each other. There would probably be a new mission when posted after he made his report, though he definitely want to be the one to do it. Who ever tried to take down that man would likely have a hell of a fight on their hands.

As Kouzai reached the end of the plateau, he launched himself over the edge and into the sands below. A cloud of dust rose up around him, but he didn't stop moving, still going at full speed in an attempt to clear the area as fast as possible. After a few minutes of running, he began to slow down considerably, the exertion of trudging through the sand finally catching up with him. He slowed to a walk and used the stars above to adjust his path towards Sunagakure. As much as he would have liked to just go to bed, duty demanded he get back to the village with his information as soon as he could. Even still, the cold winds of the desert tore at him almost as if to deter his course. It was going to be a long walk home.

3528

Spoiler:

Sunagakure had many different districts. There were administrative areas controlled by large businesses. There were residential areas. There were areas controlled by large clans and wealthy land owners who took their investment in this supernatural military very seriously. Then, there was the shopping district.

You could find anything in the shopping district. Various sushi stands littered the area. What did you expect, barbaqued ribs? Fishing runs the economy in this country. They export fish and people come to the Land of Wind just to try rare delicacies, like spiders, scorpions and such. The sex trade also brought in economic stability. Whether it was a gentleman's club, a whore house or a trafficking ring, you could find them all with relative ease. Of course, these kinds of organizations had ways of filtering out unwanted customers. Shinobi tools sold well in most shinobi countries and particularly well in shinobi villages. Price gouging was simply outrageous. Kouzai frequented the area whenever he could, but in all honesty this was the reason that his collection of kunai and shuriken was so important to him. That was part of the reason why he was on this mission. It looked like he had already spotted his targets.

Scum like this made him sick. Those who can't support their own village are trash. Those who actively oppose their own village are worse than trash. When he had heard of the disturbance, he assumed it was a couple of street punk orphans. These guys were older than him. How disgraceful! Didn't they have any common sense?

He had caught them trying to harass the butcher. They seemed genuinely shocked when their attempts at coercion only yielded a knife swung through the air. What did they expect? The people of Sunagakure were not pushovers. The same could be said about the entire country. That was what made the Land of Water incredible even in moments of turmoil. Even people like this, for all of their wrong doing, had the will of water.

"Hey!"

Kouzai was actually surprised by the authority in his own voice.

"What do you want, kid?" Initially, they did not appear to show any animosity towards him.

"I'm here to remove you from this area."

It was at that moment that the atmosphere of the scene changed.

"You and what army?"

Kouzai's only response was a come hither movement of the hand followed by the likes of a wuxia movie. Like mooks in a wuxia film, they all eventually came at our hero one at a time. They weren't shinobi. If they were, they might not have fallen for such a rudimentary taijutsu. They hadn't even noticed that Kouzai had moved from where he was standing. As long as he disarmed them before they reached the line which they would hurt him, they never would. Each one of them was disarmed in the same way. In no time at all, they all lay on the ground and Kouzai disabled his mighty fists to the stomach. The first one to show even a bit of remaining fighting spirit was kicked in the jaw immediately. They seemed to get the message. Once the regained control of their breathing, they turned tail and ran. Well, they hobbled away to be accurate. It was more of a strategic retreat than anything else. This was not over not by a long shot. Kouzai knew that sometime down the road they would come back for him, and try and inflict the pain. Kouzai was slightly nervous by that, he had some money saved up, perhaps it was time for him to obtain a weapon.

Spoiler:

Kouzai looked at the mission he had for a moment, and started to move it to his own little tune that he hummed. He felt his blade, in its sheath, bounce at his hip and the knife in his boot stay completely still. Shortly after, he arrived to what would seem to be the shop. He decided to look around and asked the shopkeeper if there were any tells of whom stole the thing in question. He was told about a scar that happened to be upon the man's head, so he nodded and moved away. He scanned the crowd, which was fairly easy with how tall he was. He looked for about ten or so minutes before spotting a scar that looked like the one, and a very nervous man to go with it.

"What are you doing?"

The thief turned to see the tall man standing, and quickly thought up something.

"Uhm, I'm taking this to my mother."

Kouzai laughed and grabbed the man's wrist, knowing this was the man. He then pushed the man down and then sat next to him, and decided to explain something to this man.

"Why did you push me?"

A fair question to ask, Kouzai figured, but Kouzai merely explained that he could easily deduct that he was the thief from earlier today. It was basic deduction, even a simpleton like him could do it. The thief scrambled up and started to run, to which Kouzai followed and stated, "Don't run! I don't want to hurt you. If I must, I should warn ye. I could probably cut you in half...right now." He then jumped forward, avoiding any Civilians, and tackled the man, before going in his own boot and grabbing his knife and stabbing the man in the thigh. With a yell of pain, the thief clocked Kouzai right in the jaw, stunning him and giving him time to get up and try and hobble away.

Holding his sore jaw, he moved his hand around to get some of the pain out, yawning once or twice to make sure everything working properly. Getting up, he saw the thief hobbling away, trying to bush through groups of people, his leg bleeding. Kouzai ran after him and tackled him to the ground. The thief again, yelping out in pain, as Kouzai him him hard with the tackle, using his knee to land on the thiefs stab would. The punk thought he was so clever. "See. This is what happens when you don't go peacefully. You get stabbed and now I have to carry your arse to jail." He picked up the, now bleeding, thief and started walking, humming as he did. He wasn't exactly loving of the crowd, but he had his mission. He, not disliked per-say, to do these missions, as they involved crowds, but they did provide money. A lot of it more often than not.

He soon came upon the jail, in which he spoke, at length, with the guard and got the thief in. This poor guy probably didn't know that Kouzai was who he was, but it was the theifs fault it happened. He stole first. It wasn't that he felt bad, no, he just wanted to lay down and think and play Go some more. It's just that he needed money, really. Not that being a ninja was bad. Being a ninja was fun; usually. Even training, as little as he did, was extremely fun due to his humming that he often did. You'd be amazed how good one can do with their own harmony... and beat. The beat helped the most. Ironic really.

Spoiler:

"Damn kids," the black haired Samurai would utter as he noticed some of the graffiti that the local kids have been spraying all over the place. These things were all over the place and his mission was to clean them up. With haste Kouzai completed his other assignment and then he headed out to get paint, brushes and cleaning tools so that he could clean up this mess. Since he started the last mission first, he was also able to finish it first and thus it was up to him to prepare the stuff that was needed for the mission. Luckily his parents renovated recently and thus they had some paint left from that time. Getting cleaning products was not so hard either, his mother was willing to share some as she knew that he could not afford buying any. Kouzai was basically doing this mission alone while his partner did the delivery, they would go onto the next mission right afterwards. Anyways, with his cleaning products and paint ready for action, the young black haired Samurai known as Kouzai would start his assignment. Since he found himself coming right next to a graffiti, he decided to take care of that one first and then go look for some more. It was a simple yet hard one to clean. Based on what he could observe, the black haired young male realized that this was not something he could clean with simple cleaning products. Nope, only white paint could help him with something like this. The walls on which these things were painted on were white so it was only natural for him to simply paint them with white color. Then again, the only kind of color that Cid had was white so that was the only thing he could do about it. Buying paint was not an expense covered by the mission so he had to obtain it on his own. Since all he was given was this damn white stuff, that was all he could use.

Up and down, up and down, the brush would move. The young black haired Samurai male known as Cid would move that brush and with each stroke he would get closer and closer to the goal at had. The bucket which contained the paint would get emptier with each passing moment as the young black haired male would as quickly as possible cover the graffiti with it. It would not take him too long before he was done with the first one, the one that made him put quite the effort into it. The other ones were not so large as this first one and with each passing one he would need less and less effort to completely cover them with white paint. Soon enough the bucket that was once rather heavy would feel so light and he would no longer need much effort to carry it around. After a couple more of them it was completely emptied and the young black haired male was sorta confused as to how he managed to spend it up so quickly. The black haired Samurai was in luck, even though he had spent the whole bucket of paint, there were still some nice people who lived in the area that offered him their own paint. These older folks also invited him to their house, which he had to refuse since he was in a rush to complete this mission. They were rather sad about it, but they understood how important was this to the young Genin. He was still a rookie who needed to prove himself by completing such boring tasks. Either way, after he had finally gotten some more paint he would go back to using it in order to cover the graffiti. The young black haired male noticed that there were only a few left and he realized that this would all be over soon. That actually gave him more motivation and once more the brush moved, covering more and more graffiti with each stroke. Eventually they were all gone and the Samurai boy was able to return the stuff he borrowed and head to the meeting place.

Spoiler:

Even though he was not actually intending to do any missions after his meeting with the rest of the team, the young black haired youngster named Kouzai decided to do a mission after all. He was sorta broke and he needed some stuff to buy so doing missions alone seemed like the fastest way to get things done. Now that there was a team for him, missions would be easier to do in groups. But, this was a rather simple one and he wanted to get it done as soon as possible. There just was no need for him to involve the rest of the team as then it would be far too easy and not even worth doing anymore. It involved him taking care of some animals that they used for medical research. Kouzai was not too fond of using animals for such purposes, but it was something that had too be done for the good of the village. It was far better than like testing them on humans. Indeed, the animals had to do it instead. It did not take the young black haired male to reach this testing facility as the meeting place for his team was not so far from it. It was a rather plain place, a building in white, nothing special about it. He was sad as he knew that this was not going to be so exciting. One would always prefer to have a much more exciting task as their first mission, but exciting stuff took longer to complete and he did not quite have the time to do so. Due to that he decided to take this rather simple and unexciting mission instead. Something was far better than nothing. To the facility he came in his somewhat older clothing as he did not wish to get his newer clothing dirty. This task required him to deal with animals and so he knew that he was gonna get his clothing dirtied up. Due to that it was far better for him to get his older clothing dirtied over his new ones.

The inside of this facility to which the young black haired boy know as Kouzai had arrived was fairly simple as well. Most of the people had the typical uniform of Sunagakure Medical Corps with the Wind symbol on the hat of their uniform. Kouzai himself had visited the hospital on numerous occasions so such uniforms were not out of the ordinary for him. It was a building located nearby the Sunagakure hospital, but not quite in the same area so he never actually visited this place before. With a calm and relaxed expression he would seek out the person who was in charge of handling the animals so that he could get things started. Luckily the people there were so nice and they were happy to point him towards the right person. Once he found this person he was ready to begin his duties. He had hoped that this little assignment would not take too long as there were other things that he had to do afterwards. The short duration of it was the main reason for him taking it. There were a lot of animals located in this facility, far more than the young black haired Kouzai had expected to see. In all due honesty he was expecting a bunch of lab rats ready for drug testing or something, but he got a lot more. Instead of just them lab rats, which the facility was actually filled with, it also had fishes for medical ninja in training to practice on, some dogs and a bunch of farm animals that they were testing to improve their production. Luckily for Kouzai, he was only in charge of taking the lab animals that were being used for research. There wasn't really that much of those so he did not spend that much time taking care of them. One by one he would take out and then clean their cages, give them water and food. After dealing with all of them he would simply put them back. He was careful enough not to touch any of the rare ones and he made sure not to let anyone free. After he was done, he left.

Fortnight Events

Kouzai had begun training much harder recently, the light within his eyes has grown and he saw some end in sight. Finally a chance to prove and test his worth, and after much saving and scrimping of his money, he finally was able to learn some rudimentary techniques to enhance his combat prowess, and it already paid off. Not only was he stronger, he was tougher and faster. Now all he needed to do with obtain a weapon worthy of his nomenclature. He had begun reading the mission board, and wanted to try and take on something a bit more challenging. Something to prove his skills as a Samurai, that they were equal and comparable to that of a shinobi. Noted for his hard work, and nose to the ground attitude, he seemed to find that compliment rather uninspiring. He wanted to be known for doing something, something unique and worthy of the village. His eye spotted something, investigate the fog. Fog in the desert was certainly strange; perhaps it was low lying steam as he initially thought. Investigating it would be slightly complicated, as it was now the middle of the day. Kouzai needed to set up a trap, and then follow through with that trap. He gathered up some items and readied himself for the next step.



Heading south, to the lower gate of Sunagakure, he went at dusk, when the light level was behind him, making him hard to spot against the suns backdrop. He moved pretty quickly through the streets. Passing through the gate, he gave a subtle nod to guard, the man barely noticed him, not much importance on people coming out of the village Kouzai supposed. His footsteps fell slower and slower, he could see it, the mist or fog whatever it was. There was no place to hide out in here, Suna was a desert and the south side had very little in the way of hiding line of sight. He learned about that recently, keeping the opponent in his line of sight was extremely important, especially so for a Samurai. Kouzai wished he could sense chakra, because this sure as heck felt like it was something done with chakra. It wasn’t natural like this to have a cool mist appear in the middle of the desert, where did the water come from. Kouzai continued to investigate the strange formations, he couldn’t quite put his finger on it, and it wasn’t familiar at all. Yet at the same time, water was his element. He had hoped for something cooler, but you get what you get in the ninja world, he had to make the best of it, he really wanted something like fire, fire was fun. Kouzai spent around an hour searching through the mist, he couldn’t find anything or anyone, no sign of it. He decided it was time to admit his limitations and return and let the mission giver know what was going on. He took a bit of time to make his way back; the mist was dense and hard to make his way through. Once he came to a clearing, he realized he was quite a bit from the gate, as he hustled back to the gate and to the northern part of the village. He was lost in thought most of the way there, as he kept wondering just what created the mist, or who, where he, where in Suna. He finally made it back to the barracks, where he reported everything to his commanding officer; he was worried that something else might occur. The officer told him that this series of events has been happening for quite some time and that most people think it is harmless, and that it would be nice to know just what exactly caused these things. He left then for the night, heading to his home; he wondered just what in the world was going on in Suna lately. Kouzai make his way back to his home, the allure of the mists was fresh in his mind. Getting himself ready for bed, he thought about reading up on the current subject, to see if historically any cases of mists appearing in Sunagakure were likely or even recent memory. He started to doze off when a loud knock came at his door.



Rap, rap, rap, in quick succession. It was followed by some moving footsteps, before another set of knocking. “Samurai-dono, please wake up, we need you to tell us about the mist” a voice came though his small house, it was gruff and sounded familiar. Kouzai still have asleep tumbled out of bed, before whirling around and smashing his foot into the table, he fell to the ground and clutched his foot. The knocking came again, this time he could hear more people outside, it sounded like 2 men. “Samurai-dono, are you alright, we heard a crash, open the door”. Rolling to his feet, Kouzai opened the door, dressed in his pajamas, the guards stopping short of entering his room. “Samurai-dono, get dressed, there is a person out in the mist, we believe them to be responsible for causing this disruption, we want you to come with us.” , they said. Kouzai turned and got dressed as quickly as possible. The 3 of them then moved quickly through the quiet streets of Sunagakure. One of them took to the roof tops, what a freaking show off, why were all ninja like that, trying to one up each other for some odd reason or just plain show off some skills. Kouzai had studied a bit of ninjutsu, it was about 80% mental, and the rest was hand signs, unlike swordsmanship, which were about 80% physical and the rest mental. No remember combinations or such. Kouzai knew the devastating effects of ninjutsu, and did his best to remember the little training he had, he might need it out in the field. He hoped that he could finally purchase the materials for the sword he wanted, as making it would be a challenge for him. They finally reached the lower southern gate, Kouzai immediately noticed that there was more mist than there was last time. Perhaps because it was at night, and cooler, they rounded the gate and were finally outside of Sunagakure proper. Kouzai saw a man with a pair of white robes, a pair of robes was odd, and perhaps it was finally his training kicking in, but a pair meant two robes, which means there might be another person out there. The guards started shouting, and the man took off. Kouzai cursed a bit, why can’t they you know, be ninja and try a silent approach. Then again, they were just guards. The guards gave chase, as did Kouzai, but not before they started to get lost in the mist. Kouzai soon lost the guards as well; they all took off in different directions it seemed. Now it was serious, Kouzai was alone in the mist, and possible with two assailants somewhere around. This most likely was an elaborate trap to flesh out Sunagakure and put it in a position of weakness. Kouzai wasn’t sure, but he tried to remember the basic’s, gather the group, fight together and single out an enemy and aim for them, otherwise a war on multiple fronts cannot be won, well unless you had someone as dangerous as the Kazekage.



So, the first step was too find the guards, Kouzai carefully retracted his steps, the lucky part was, Suna was a desert, any moisture and you can end up with mud. The footprints were hard to see in the mist, but you could see them if you got close enough, plus being lower to the ground was also an advantage. Kouzai never before realized just how the training was useful and not just random tidbits meant to give comfort to the young ninja in training. He followed them all back to just before the mist when everyone spread out a bit, perhaps it was a natural inclination, but Kouzai realized if he just stayed with one, followed them he wouldn’t be in this mess, he’d have someone watching his back. He found one set of footprints, and followed it through the mist, realizing just how powerful and dangerous a sight disadvantage really could be. He heard shouting up ahead, calling the other guards name, asking him where he was, and why no one was answering. Coming up to the man, Kouzai calmly stated that they needed to stick together, and that the guard started to panic because the senior officer had gotten lost and wasn’t answering. Kouzai asked when was the last time he saw the senior officer, and if he could find his way back there. Together, they both made their way back through parts of the mist, and the guard said it was around here. Kouzai told him to keep an eye out while he looked at the ground and tried to find some tracks. After a few minutes of figure it in, Kouzai and the guard took off in the direction of where they figured the senior officer headed. Kouzai carefully followed the tracks, and they didn’t call out in the deep mist for the guard, even though Kouzai knew he was worried about him.

Spoiler:

Kouzai intent to help his village was, well a little lack luster. Several of the missions on the board, were rather drab and boring. He decided the best job would be, ironically guard duty. He had hoped he could slip away and possibly take a nap somewhere, or doze off in a tree. Except, well Suna was hot, being a desert and all, but the heat was almost unbearable at times. People here drank tea during the day to keep cool. Guard duty in the middle of the day, no thank you. But a job was a job, no matter what, even one such as this.
Approaching the guard house, Kouzai introduced himself to the Guard Captain, a gruff man, who really was more ninja than anything. He used words like “jib” and “yall” perhaps he was from another part of Suna. Being a Samurai, Kouzai was however, at a disadvantage, since he could use or utilize Ninjutsu in such a way, he was given the gate guard duty. Standing in front of the entrance to Sunagakure, trying to look like well, trying to look menacing, however he was failing. It was the middle of the day, hot as all hell; well hell might be a relief from this unrelenting heat. The ground was white and cracked; all the water has evaporated leaving just salt and some sand. No one was coming during this time, an hour or two passed and Kouzai was already dopey eyed. He tried leaning against the wall, but it burned him something fierce. How the heck did Ninja stand for this? Kouzai must have nodded off at least 3 times during the next few hours, not a single person, his face sunburned, his hands and arms, sunburned, but the worst of all was the back of his neck. As he stood, it felt like the sun hadn’t even moved. When suddenly someone tapped him on his shoulder, he jumped, startled by it all. Turning around, he saw another pair of guards, ready to take his position. They chuckled a bit, making some references to pathetic Samurai and their ilk. Kouzai’s next assignment was to patrol Sunagakure. Patrol, in the middle of the day, who would be so brazen enough as to steal in the middle of the day. In fact, who would be so brazen enough to do anything in the middle of the day? His head hung low, he was mentally tired, from the sun beating down on him, unrelenting for around 6 hours or so, now he was going to walk around. There was no hustle or bustle of Sunagakure, just dead, a few people sitting in some small shops drinking tea, freaking hot tea in the middle of the day, at 500 degrees or whatever bloody temperature was reasonable for Sunagakure during this time of year. His footsteps became dogged; there was a group in front of him, a total of 6 of them walked around the streets. The 5 kept talking, laughing and generally just not paying attention. Not that Kouzai paid much attention; he mainly looked at the ground and tried to count the blisters on his feet. The sun had started to go down, he was almost begging for the sweet relief of nightfall. The streets grew busier, shops opened back up, people began their nightly routines. It was an interesting sight all in all; they each had their own ritual. Some put the canvas up first, others wash the stands first, some even prayed first. Kouzai tried to find it interesting, but his eyes kept darting to chairs, benches and even some old couches people left out. The sun reached the horizon, and it was time to say goodbye, and good night. The little patrol made its way back to the barracks; Kouzai gave a small report, to which the guard captain just laughed. Calling him lazy good for nothing, but he got paid, and being paid was quite nice. Kouzai took a quick shower in the barracks and then left for the leaving. A fist full of cash, he somehow felt more energized. Returning home for the night, tomorrow was a new day.

Spoiler:

The clang of metal on metal rang through the night air, as Kouzai was slowly pounding on and on on his anvil. It was hard, being out in in foreign lands, desperate to make ends meet. Long nights, and cool mornings make it extremely difficult. He wasn't crafting anything in particular, just making sure his tools were as straight as possible. It helped him relax and get a good night sleep. His eye's grew a bit heavy and he stepped back, leaving down on the warm bench, warmed from the last lingers of the furnace. His breath grew slower, he started nodding off, it must have been around 11 pm, as the sounds of the city had all but faded. At first the neighbors complained about his clanging and banging around at night. They had eventually grown used to it, and some even complimented him and said it helped them fall asleep. It must have been roughly 1 am when the last embers were dying out, with a sudden clash. It sounded exactly like metal pipes and pieces falling to the floor from his shelf. With a sudden jump, Kouzai reached for a sword that wasn't by his side. He never had his swords by his side when he was working the forge. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw what appeared to be someone no older than him, snatch something from the middle shelf, tanto's and butcher knives, also bolts and some left over scrapes. Fumbling, still half asleep, Kouzai nearly tripped over his apron, he was using it as a blanket. Grabbing his trusty weapons, he fumbled once again, kicking the apron to the side.

The little thief, noticing at the weary shop-keep was up and at-um, started to move out from the shelves and did a small dance around the anvil. Kouzai, coming up to the anvil, also did that little dance, trying to keep the theif in the shop. "Hey, what are you doing. Get the heck out of here. AND PUT THAT BACK" Kouzai wasn't really thinking clearly, this was the first time he's ever been robbed. The thief took off down the street, Kouzai barely made it out of the shop, before the boy was half way down the street. "WHY YOU LITTLE BASTARD", he yelled, taking off after him. It wasn't so much being robbed, but that little prick was so dam fast.

Kouzai wasn't going to let this punk beat him, Kouzai was out in a flash, his sort sword like lightning as he was in stride with the thief, slashing out at that stupid punk. Catching both the thief off guard, cutting the cloak around their face, as he slashed away at it. Tumbling backwards, the thief's cloak feel, and it was a that of a woman. Her hair was light brown, her eyes piercing green, as she had a darker features. Kouzai was stunned for a moment, he wasn't expecting to catch like he did, and was even more surprised too see a girl his age, quite a looker as well. Sensing his hesitation, her leg swiped out, and Kouzai landed with a thud.

Taking off running again, Kouzai shock quickly wore off, as the thief was ahead of him. Whipping out his scabbard, he caught her legs as she tripped and fell. The small tanto went spiraling into the ground ahead of her. Kouzai was up and snatched it up, as the girl bit the dust. He could hear the guards huffing towards him, yelling stop, thief, hold it right there, it was all mainly just for show. Grabbing the girl up, she looked at Kouzai, her eyes wide and almost tearful. Kouzai just stared at her, as they took her away. A large man came over to check on Kouzai, muttering about no good foreigners, causing all sorts of ruckus in the wee hours.

Spoiler:

Kouzai was walking along the roads of Sunagakure. If he had not lived there, he could have probably got lost on his way to the kage's office a while ago. Catching an elephant, and a rhyno will surely be the easiest part! And of course, that was an exaggeration. Who in their right minds would do it anyways? Kouzai knew that he was in his right mind or so he thought he was. Why was he doing this again? Oh right. For a sword that has a titanium blade. Surely, this mission will not be as bloody as B-rank mission since it's a C rank mission anyways and the kage would not surely wanted to kill him... maybe he'd like to though. Kouzai shook his head at the thought of the kage wanting to kill him. He cannot die in this mission! He needs to be the strongest samurai ever! But before that... a lot of training must be held by him and also a lot of missions to be a Chuunin.

His dark brown orbs suddenly spotted a sudden ruckus going on from... somewhere that he really didn't go at since people are making fun of him on that area. Then he heard a roar... a really loud roar. Kouzai had immediately guessed on what was making all the ruckus and was having second thoughts whether if he should capture it right now or wait until it leaves the area. Another roar, and everyone on the area that was neither too far nor too near from Kouzai had started run away while others are on high places. He heaved a heavy sigh and walked casually to that area as his right hand was tucked inside the pocket of his pants, holding on something. When he was on the place from where the lion was running... in circles. He wondered why and when it immediately saw him, it ran from him and the young Genin swiftly pulled out the yarn of ball from his pocket and threw it to the lion. Lions are cats but bigger. He hoped that the trick will work or else...

His soul were lifted high when it worked on the lion, it played on the yarn for a few moments then turned its attention towards Kouzai again. And now... he only have one idea on his mind. Run! And so he did ran away from the lion as fast as he could. He grabbed a raw meat on a grill and was lucky enough that the chef wasn't facing him or he'll get into more trouble. Then as he was still running, he grabbed a fishing rod from a sushi place that was placed outside the sushi stand and hooked the raw meat on the fishing rod. The raven haired genin stopped in his tracks and hoped that his plan will work as he had expected the outcome will be. As the lion was already one meter from him, he jumped on its back and sets himself comfortably on the lion. But the animal was kind of out of control and ran from places to places randomly, trying to get rid off Kouzai from its back but he wouldn't let himself fall down. He used the fishing rod and stirred the pedal so that the raw meat was on the lion's eye level.

It started to run to the meat and was attempting to take a bite on it but was actually failing. Kouzai moved the wooden rod to the direction of the zoo until they've reached the place Kouzai lets himself fall sideways on the ground and run away with the raw meat as the lion chased him for the meat. When he had reached its cage, he threw the raw meat, along with the fishing rod, inside the lion's cage then it was locked by some zoo keeper. "That was a lot of effort." He said and was kind of disappointed that he didn't see anyone get eaten, then again that would be pretty gruesome to behold.

Spoiler:

"Damn kids," the black haired Samurai would utter as he noticed some of the graffiti that the local kids have been spraying all over the place. These things were all over the place and his mission was to clean them up. With haste Kouzai completed his other assignment and then he headed out to get paint, brushes and cleaning tools so that he could clean up this mess. Since he started the last mission first, he was also able to finish it first and thus it was up to him to prepare the stuff that was needed for the mission. Luckily his parents renovated recently and thus they had some paint left from that time. Getting cleaning products was not so hard either, his mother was willing to share some as she knew that he could not afford buying any. Kouzai was basically doing this mission alone while his partner did the delivery, they would go onto the next mission right afterwards. Anyways, with his cleaning products and paint ready for action, the young black haired Samurai known as Kouzai would start his assignment. Since he found himself coming right next to a graffiti, he decided to take care of that one first and then go look for some more. It was a simple yet hard one to clean. Based on what he could observe, the black haired young male realized that this was not something he could clean with simple cleaning products. Nope, only white paint could help him with something like this. The walls on which these things were painted on were white so it was only natural for him to simply paint them with white color. Then again, the only kind of color that Cid had was white so that was the only thing he could do about it. Buying paint was not an expense covered by the mission so he had to obtain it on his own. Since all he was given was this damn white stuff, that was all he could use.

Up and down, up and down, the brush would move. The young black haired Samurai male known as Cid would move that brush and with each stroke he would get closer and closer to the goal at had. The bucket which contained the paint would get emptier with each passing moment as the young black haired male would as quickly as possible cover the graffiti with it. It would not take him too long before he was done with the first one, the one that made him put quite the effort into it. The other ones were not so large as this first one and with each passing one he would need less and less effort to completely cover them with white paint. Soon enough the bucket that was once rather heavy would feel so light and he would no longer need much effort to carry it around. After a couple more of them it was completely emptied and the young black haired male was sorta confused as to how he managed to spend it up so quickly. The black haired Samurai was in luck, even though he had spent the whole bucket of paint, there were still some nice people who lived in the area that offered him their own paint. These older folks also invited him to their house, which he had to refuse since he was in a rush to complete this mission. They were rather sad about it, but they understood how important was this to the young Genin. He was still a rookie who needed to prove himself by completing such boring tasks. Either way, after he had finally gotten some more paint he would go back to using it in order to cover the graffiti. The young black haired male noticed that there were only a few left and he realized that this would all be over soon. That actually gave him more motivation and once more the brush moved, covering more and more graffiti with each stroke. Eventually they were all gone and the Samurai boy was able to return the stuff he borrowed and head to the meeting place.

Spoiler:

Even though he was not actually intending to do any missions after his meeting with the rest of the team, the young black haired youngster named Kouzai decided to do a mission after all. He was sorta broke and he needed some stuff to buy so doing missions alone seemed like the fastest way to get things done. Now that there was a team for him, missions would be easier to do in groups. But, this was a rather simple one and he wanted to get it done as soon as possible. There just was no need for him to involve the rest of the team as then it would be far too easy and not even worth doing anymore. It involved him taking care of some animals that they used for medical research. Kouzai was not too fond of using animals for such purposes, but it was something that had too be done for the good of the village. It was far better than like testing them on humans. Indeed, the animals had to do it instead. It did not take the young black haired male to reach this testing facility as the meeting place for his team was not so far from it. It was a rather plain place, a building in white, nothing special about it. He was sad as he knew that this was not going to be so exciting. One would always prefer to have a much more exciting task as their first mission, but exciting stuff took longer to complete and he did not quite have the time to do so. Due to that he decided to take this rather simple and unexciting mission instead. Something was far better than nothing. To the facility he came in his somewhat older clothing as he did not wish to get his newer clothing dirty. This task required him to deal with animals and so he knew that he was gonna get his clothing dirtied up. Due to that it was far better for him to get his older clothing dirtied over his new ones.

The inside of this facility to which the young black haired boy know as Kouzai had arrived was fairly simple as well. Most of the people had the typical uniform of Sunagakure Medical Corps with the Wind symbol on the hat of their uniform. Kouzai himself had visited the hospital on numerous occasions so such uniforms were not out of the ordinary for him. It was a building located nearby the Sunagakure hospital, but not quite in the same area so he never actually visited this place before. With a calm and relaxed expression he would seek out the person who was in charge of handling the animals so that he could get things started. Luckily the people there were so nice and they were happy to point him towards the right person. Once he found this person he was ready to begin his duties. He had hoped that this little assignment would not take too long as there were other things that he had to do afterwards. The short duration of it was the main reason for him taking it. There were a lot of animals located in this facility, far more than the young black haired Kouzai had expected to see. In all due honesty he was expecting a bunch of lab rats ready for drug testing or something, but he got a lot more. Instead of just them lab rats, which the facility was actually filled with, it also had fishes for medical ninja in training to practice on, some dogs and a bunch of farm animals that they were testing to improve their production. Luckily for Kouzai, he was only in charge of taking the lab animals that were being used for research. There wasn't really that much of those so he did not spend that much time taking care of them. One by one he would take out and then clean their cages, give them water and food. After dealing with all of them he would simply put them back. He was careful enough not to touch any of the rare ones and he made sure not to let anyone free. After he was done, he left.

Forenight Event

The clang of metal rang out through the night, as Kouzai pounded on the steel, rod iron. Tempering it, reinforcing it, doubling back on the blade, infusing it with his own chakra, the process slowly came about to be something unique. The truth of last night rang true in his own mind, he kept replaying the events over and over again. The mist grew worse as the night went on, he was exhausted from tracking, keeping track of the other guard, and being on high alert.

~Last Night~
It took around 3 hours for Kouzai to finally locate a decent trail, he wasn’t very good at tracking, and everyone was running around, so it was a mess. They were sitting ducks out here, Kouzai needed to grab the senior official and get the heck out of here; he too was carefully making sure he knew how to get back. After following the tracks for around an hour or so, though it was hard to tell, no real way to gauge time after the sun set. They found the senior official, he was clutching onto one of the pair of robes the suspect was carrying, and he was badly beaten up. He had been knocked unconscious; Kouzai and the other guard used the robe as a makeshift blanket, and helped carry him back to Sunagakure proper. Kouzai and the guard kept tripping, not only was the mist incredibly thick, but they were carrying an unconscious human being, which made things even more difficult. After several more hours, they were all exhausted; the senior official came too, finally. He had a broken leg, and needed assistance walking, Kouzai and the guard took turns helping him back. As they finally exited the mist, they were hobbling towards the gates, Kouzai wanted to rush ahead, urging them to move as fast as they could. Finally the senior official spoke. “Samurai-dono, thank you for helping. I saw 3 men in there, I almost caught one of them before they attacked me” His voice horse and almost gasping for air; he likely had a cracked or broken rib as well as his leg. Kouzai hoped this was all it was, just a broken bone or two and some bruising, anymore more serious and it could mean some serious complications. Making it back to the gates, several other guards suddenly appeared and took the senior official away. Kouzai was nervous, but Sunagakure had a decent medical department. Kouzai and the other guard went right away to report to the commanding officer, which was the person above the man that was just taken to the hospital. This was serious, a senior official was hurt in the line of duty, and this matter might even be brought to the attention of the Kazekage himself.

After recounting all the details, Kouzai was asked a series of questions concerning what exactly happened and how the events played out. After another few hours of questioning, it was almost dawn. Kouzai, wearily, exhausted bumbled his way home in the early morning hours, collapsing onto his bed once again, he immediately fell asleep and didn’t wake up until the late afternoon. His body fatigued from the events, his mind clouded with last night’s events, Kouzai needed something to clear his head. He had some extra money to go around; however he wanted to finally create his Samurai sword. He had finally made it out of the rookie stage and was now considered a full fledge Samurai. With his hit of the hammer upon the anvil, each tempering, each reforming, he was building a stronger, more vibrant sword. Kouzai had become a Samurai, and he went about creating his masterpiece. He was also working out all the stress that had found him on this mission. From not being able to catch those men, to becoming lost in the mist, too being unreliable to his fellow Sunagakure ninja. His mind constantly wandered over and over just exactly what was going on.

It was late in the evening, when the alarm rang out. Kouzai didn’t actually hear it right away, he was sound asleep. There was a pounding on the door, it was the guard from the night before, it must have been just before sunrise. He kept pounding on the door, Samurai-Dono, he called, Samurai-Dono he called. Kouzai begrudgingly woke up, the alarms going on. He grabbed his sword, the guard running ahead, faster than Kouzai would have thought possible given last night. Kouzai rushed towards the gates, men were shouting about being attacked. 3 men were present, storming the gates, all with swords drawn, though at this distance, Kouzai couldn’t see what they looked like, but he was sure they were from last night. He charged on ahead, his body full of convictions and vigor. Drawing his sword, he would stop these men here and now. Running out of the gates, Kouzai nestled himself between the three attackers and Sunagakure. His sword out, he was ready, facing them he stared them down like some sort of demon, or devil. “You have no honor, your fate was sealed the second you came to this land” Kouzai said, his voice seething with rage. He could clearly see their headbands, from Kirigakure. Swordsmen from Kirigakure were said to be some of the best in the world, legendary 7 Swordsmen hailed from that region. Kouzai wasn’t sure he was prepared to take on someone of that caliber, but he was instilled with the honor of his forefathers, which would be enough for him to rightfully challenge these vagabonds. The 3 of them came at him, they were very fast, using their movements to try and confuse him. Bobbing in and around each other, it was like a game of cups and balls. Kouzai needed to keep his head, when it was multiple opponents against one, he had too remember the old adverb. Lesson the load, tighten the reigns. Focus on one, kill him and then there are just 2 left. The 3 would most definitely try and get him from all angles, but he needed to get just one. With a twist, he caught one, in the leg, going below their supposed strikes, one would shallowly cut against his back, sore, bleeding but no worse for wear. The one he got in the leg would be down, slower and much less agile, he could focus on the others. The fight would continue like this for another 20 minutes, before Kouzai caught another in his sword arm, perhaps these men weren’t legendary Swordsmen, just some hired goons who happened to never come across a Samurai before. Kouzai would have to use his secretive technique, he had never used it to kill before, only practice. He moved forward at an incredible pace, leaping towards the one remaining swordsman, a afterimage of Kouzai remained behind, like a train. Cutting them vertically, Kouzai blade met shoulder and well some mush after that. The sword he had worked so hard on, was baptized in blood, no longer a virgin, it hungary sliced away the flesh, leaving nothing but a corpse. This was a sight to behold, and slightly sickening sound to Kouzai. His first kill, he had always knocked people unconscious with his fists, but never killed before. This would leave a sour aftertaste in his mouth. Nothing really prepares one for bloodshed like this, even though they tell you.

Spoiler:

Kouzai intent to help his village was, well a little lack luster. Several of the missions on the board, were rather drab and boring. He decided the best job would be, ironically guard duty. He had hoped he could slip away and possibly take a nap somewhere, or doze off in a tree. Except, well Suna was hot, being a desert and all, but the heat was almost unbearable at times. People here drank tea during the day to keep cool. Guard duty in the middle of the day, no thank you. But a job was a job, no matter what, even one such as this.
Approaching the guard house, Kouzai introduced himself to the Guard Captain, a gruff man, who really was more ninja than anything. He used words like “jib” and “yall” perhaps he was from another part of Suna. Being a Samurai, Kouzai was however, at a disadvantage, since he could use or utilize Ninjutsu in such a way, he was given the gate guard duty. Standing in front of the entrance to Sunagakure, trying to look like well, trying to look menacing, however he was failing. It was the middle of the day, hot as all hell; well hell might be a relief from this unrelenting heat. The ground was white and cracked; all the water has evaporated leaving just salt and some sand. No one was coming during this time, an hour or two passed and Kouzai was already dopey eyed. He tried leaning against the wall, but it burned him something fierce. How the heck did Ninja stand for this? Kouzai must have nodded off at least 3 times during the next few hours, not a single person, his face sunburned, his hands and arms, sunburned, but the worst of all was the back of his neck. As he stood, it felt like the sun hadn’t even moved. When suddenly someone tapped him on his shoulder, he jumped, startled by it all. Turning around, he saw another pair of guards, ready to take his position. They chuckled a bit, making some references to pathetic Samurai and their ilk. Kouzai’s next assignment was to patrol Sunagakure. Patrol, in the middle of the day, who would be so brazen enough as to steal in the middle of the day. In fact, who would be so brazen enough to do anything in the middle of the day? His head hung low, he was mentally tired, from the sun beating down on him, unrelenting for around 6 hours or so, now he was going to walk around. There was no hustle or bustle of Sunagakure, just dead, a few people sitting in some small shops drinking tea, freaking hot tea in the middle of the day, at 500 degrees or whatever bloody temperature was reasonable for Sunagakure during this time of year. His footsteps became dogged; there was a group in front of him, a total of 6 of them walked around the streets. The 5 kept talking, laughing and generally just not paying attention. Not that Kouzai paid much attention; he mainly looked at the ground and tried to count the blisters on his feet. The sun had started to go down, he was almost begging for the sweet relief of nightfall. The streets grew busier, shops opened back up, people began their nightly routines. It was an interesting sight all in all; they each had their own ritual. Some put the canvas up first, others wash the stands first, some even prayed first. Kouzai tried to find it interesting, but his eyes kept darting to chairs, benches and even some old couches people left out. The sun reached the horizon, and it was time to say goodbye, and good night. The little patrol made its way back to the barracks; Kouzai gave a small report, to which the guard captain just laughed. Calling him lazy good for nothing, but he got paid, and being paid was quite nice. Kouzai took a quick shower in the barracks and then left for the leaving. A fist full of cash, he somehow felt more energized. Returning home for the night, tomorrow was a new day.

Spoiler:

The clang of metal on metal rang through the night air, as Kouzai was slowly pounding on and on on his anvil. It was hard, being out in in foreign lands, desperate to make ends meet. Long nights, and cool mornings make it extremely difficult. He wasn't crafting anything in particular, just making sure his tools were as straight as possible. It helped him relax and get a good night sleep. His eye's grew a bit heavy and he stepped back, leaving down on the warm bench, warmed from the last lingers of the furnace. His breath grew slower, he started nodding off, it must have been around 11 pm, as the sounds of the city had all but faded. At first the neighbors complained about his clanging and banging around at night. They had eventually grown used to it, and some even complimented him and said it helped them fall asleep. It must have been roughly 1 am when the last embers were dying out, with a sudden clash. It sounded exactly like metal pipes and pieces falling to the floor from his shelf.  With a sudden jump, Kouzai reached for a sword that wasn't by his side. He never had his swords by his side when he was working the forge. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw what appeared to be someone no older than him, snatch something from the middle shelf, tanto's and butcher knives, also bolts and some left over scrapes. Fumbling, still half asleep, Kouzai nearly tripped over his apron, he was using it as a blanket. Grabbing his trusty weapons, he fumbled once again, kicking the apron to the side.

The little thief, noticing at the weary shop-keep was up and at-um, started to move out from the shelves and did a small dance around the anvil. Kouzai, coming up to the anvil, also did that little dance, trying to keep the theif in the shop. "Hey, what are you doing. Get the heck out of here. AND PUT THAT BACK" Kouzai wasn't really thinking clearly, this was the first time he's ever been robbed. The thief took off down the street, Kouzai barely made it out of the shop, before the boy was half way down the street. "WHY YOU LITTLE BASTARD", he yelled, taking off after him. It wasn't so much being robbed, but that little prick was so dam fast.

Kouzai wasn't going to let this punk beat him, Kouzai was out in a flash, his sort sword like lightning as he was in stride with the thief, slashing out at that stupid punk. Catching both the thief off guard, cutting the cloak around their face, as he slashed away at it. Tumbling backwards, the thief's cloak feel, and it was a that of a woman. Her hair was light brown, her eyes piercing green, as she had a darker features. Kouzai was stunned for a moment, he wasn't expecting to catch like he did, and was even more surprised too see a girl his age, quite a looker as well. Sensing his hesitation, her leg swiped out, and Kouzai landed with a thud.

Taking off running again, Kouzai shock quickly wore off, as the thief was ahead of him. Whipping out his scabbard, he caught her legs as she tripped and fell. The small tanto went spiraling into the ground ahead of her. Kouzai was up and snatched it up, as the girl bit the dust. He could hear the guards huffing towards him, yelling stop, thief, hold it right there, it was all mainly just for show. Grabbing the girl up, she looked at Kouzai, her eyes wide and almost tearful. Kouzai just stared at her, as they took her away. A large man came over to check on Kouzai, muttering about no good foreigners, causing all sorts of ruckus in the wee hours.

Spoiler:

Kouzai was walking along the roads of Sunagakure. If he had not lived there, he could have probably got lost on his way to the kage's office a while ago. Catching an elephant, and a rhyno will surely be the easiest part! And of course, that was an exaggeration. Who in their right minds would do it anyways? Kouzai knew that he was in his right mind or so he thought he was. Why was he doing this again? Oh right. For a sword that has a titanium blade. Surely, this mission will not be as bloody as B-rank mission since it's a C rank mission anyways and the kage would not surely wanted to kill him... maybe he'd like to though. Kouzai shook his head at the thought of the kage wanting to kill him. He cannot die in this mission! He needs to be the strongest samurai ever! But before that... a lot of training must be held by him and also a lot of missions to be a Chuunin.

His dark brown orbs suddenly spotted a sudden ruckus going on from... somewhere that he really didn't go at since people are making fun of him on that area. Then he heard a roar... a really loud roar. Kouzai had immediately guessed on what was making all the ruckus and was having second thoughts whether if he should capture it right now or wait until it leaves the area. Another roar, and everyone on the area that was neither too far nor too near from Kouzai had started run away while others are on high places. He heaved a heavy sigh and walked casually to that area as his right hand was tucked inside the pocket of his pants, holding on something. When he was on the place from where the lion was running... in circles. He wondered why and when it immediately saw him, it ran from him and the young Genin swiftly pulled out the yarn of ball from his pocket and threw it to the lion. Lions are cats but bigger. He hoped that the trick will work or else...

His soul were lifted high when it worked on the lion, it played on the yarn for a few moments then turned its attention towards Kouzai again. And now... he only have one idea on his mind. Run! And so he did ran away from the lion as fast as he could. He grabbed a raw meat on a grill and was lucky enough that the chef wasn't facing him or he'll get into more trouble. Then as he was still running, he grabbed a fishing rod from a sushi place that was placed outside the sushi stand and hooked the raw meat on the fishing rod. The raven haired genin stopped in his tracks and hoped that his plan will work as he had expected the outcome will be. As the lion was already one meter from him, he jumped on its back and sets himself comfortably on the lion. But the animal was kind of out of control and ran from places to places randomly, trying to get rid off Kouzai from its back but he wouldn't let himself fall down. He used the fishing rod and stirred the pedal so that the raw meat was on the lion's eye level.

It started to run to the meat and was attempting to take a bite on it but was actually failing. Kouzai moved the wooden rod to the direction of the zoo until they've reached the place Kouzai lets himself fall sideways on the ground and run away with the raw meat as the lion chased him for the meat. When he had reached its cage, he threw the raw meat, along with the fishing rod, inside the lion's cage then it was locked by some zoo keeper. "That was a lot of effort." He said and was kind of disappointed that he didn't see anyone get eaten, then again that would be pretty gruesome to behold.

Spoiler:

"Damn kids," the black haired Samurai would utter as he noticed some of the graffiti that the local kids have been spraying all over the place. These things were all over the place and his mission was to clean them up. With haste Kouzai completed his other assignment and then he headed out to get paint, brushes and cleaning tools so that he could clean up this mess. Since he started the last mission first, he was also able to finish it first and thus it was up to him to prepare the stuff that was needed for the mission. Luckily his parents renovated recently and thus they had some paint left from that time. Getting cleaning products was not so hard either, his mother was willing to share some as she knew that he could not afford buying any. Kouzai was basically doing this mission alone while his partner did the delivery, they would go onto the next mission right afterwards. Anyways, with his cleaning products and paint ready for action, the young black haired Samurai known as Kouzai would start his assignment. Since he found himself coming right next to a graffiti, he decided to take care of that one first and then go look for some more. It was a simple yet hard one to clean. Based on what he could observe, the black haired young male realized that this was not something he could clean with simple cleaning products. Nope, only white paint could help him with something like this. The walls on which these things were painted on were white so it was only natural for him to simply paint them with white color. Then again, the only kind of color that Cid had was white so that was the only thing he could do about it. Buying paint was not an expense covered by the mission so he had to obtain it on his own. Since all he was given was this damn white stuff, that was all he could use.

Up and down, up and down, the brush would move. The young black haired Samurai male known as Cid would move that brush and with each stroke he would get closer and closer to the goal at had. The bucket which contained the paint would get emptier with each passing moment as the young black haired male would as quickly as possible cover the graffiti with it. It would not take him too long before he was done with the first one, the one that made him put quite the effort into it. The other ones were not so large as this first one and with each passing one he would need less and less effort to completely cover them with white paint. Soon enough the bucket that was once rather heavy would feel so light and he would no longer need much effort to carry it around. After a couple more of them it was completely emptied and the young black haired male was sorta confused as to how he managed to spend it up so quickly. The black haired Samurai was in luck, even though he had spent the whole bucket of paint, there were still some nice people who lived in the area that offered him their own paint. These older folks also invited him to their house, which he had to refuse since he was in a rush to complete this mission. They were rather sad about it, but they understood how important was this to the young Genin. He was still a rookie who needed to prove himself by completing such boring tasks. Either way, after he had finally gotten some more paint he would go back to using it in order to cover the graffiti. The young black haired male noticed that there were only a few left and he realized that this would all be over soon. That actually gave him more motivation and once more the brush moved, covering more and more graffiti with each stroke. Eventually they were all gone and the Samurai boy was able to return the stuff he borrowed and head to the meeting place.

Spoiler:

Even though he was not actually intending to do any missions after his meeting with the rest of the team, the young black haired youngster named Kouzai decided to do a mission after all. He was sorta broke and he needed some stuff to buy so doing missions alone seemed like the fastest way to get things done. Now that there was a team for him, missions would be easier to do in groups. But, this was a rather simple one and he wanted to get it done as soon as possible. There just was no need for him to involve the rest of the team as then it would be far too easy and not even worth doing anymore. It involved him taking care of some animals that they used for medical research. Kouzai was not too fond of using animals for such purposes, but it was something that had too be done for the good of the village. It was far better than like testing them on humans. Indeed, the animals had to do it instead. It did not take the young black haired male to reach this testing facility as the meeting place for his team was not so far from it. It was a rather plain place, a building in white, nothing special about it. He was sad as he knew that this was not going to be so exciting. One would always prefer to have a much more exciting task as their first mission, but exciting stuff took longer to complete and he did not quite have the time to do so. Due to that he decided to take this rather simple and unexciting mission instead. Something was far better than nothing. To the facility he came in his somewhat older clothing as he did not wish to get his newer clothing dirty. This task required him to deal with animals and so he knew that he was gonna get his clothing dirtied up. Due to that it was far better for him to get his older clothing dirtied over his new ones.

The inside of this facility to which the young black haired boy know as Kouzai had arrived was fairly simple as well. Most of the people had the typical uniform of Sunagakure Medical Corps with the Wind symbol on the hat of their uniform. Kouzai himself had visited the hospital on numerous occasions so such uniforms were not out of the ordinary for him. It was a building located nearby the Sunagakure hospital, but not quite in the same area so he never actually visited this place before. With a calm and relaxed expression he would seek out the person who was in charge of handling the animals so that he could get things started. Luckily the people there were so nice and they were happy to point him towards the right person. Once he found this person he was ready to begin his duties. He had hoped that this little assignment would not take too long as there were other things that he had to do afterwards. The short duration of it was the main reason for him taking it. There were a lot of animals located in this facility, far more than the young black haired Kouzai had expected to see. In all due honesty he was expecting a bunch of lab rats ready for drug testing or something, but he got a lot more. Instead of just them lab rats, which the facility was actually filled with, it also had fishes for medical ninja in training to practice on, some dogs and a bunch of farm animals that they were testing to improve their production. Luckily for Kouzai, he was only in charge of taking the lab animals that were being used for research. There wasn't really that much of those so he did not spend that much time taking care of them. One by one he would take out and then clean their cages, give them water and food. After dealing with all of them he would simply put them back. He was careful enough not to touch any of the rare ones and he made sure not to let anyone free. After he was done, he left.

After his brush with the swordsmen at the gates, Kouzai had dedicated himself to training, he knew the ranks himself. First it was Student, then Apprentice, then Samurai, Captain and finally Shogun. Kouzai was of the Samurai rank, and working hard to become of Captain Rank, however he wasn’t quite there. Kouzai spent his time between his armor and his training, day in and out. Which is why, when the Officer of the guard came to him, it was startling, he was focused on his duty and honor? They had hatched a plan, in order to use the Kirigakure and information they found against their enemies. Kouzai hadn’t heard much of the news since the attack, he had defeated the three bandits that had Kirigakure’s headbands on them, and retreated back into Sunagakure to get treated for his wounds. The Officer sat Kouzai down, and began to discuss the series of events that had occurred since then. Upon the death of the supposed leader, they found a note that indicating that once the mission was complete, they were going to meet up at an oasis somewhere out east of Sunagakure. Now, this is where Kouzai came in, the men who attacked Sunagakure were swordsmen, which is why the officer decided that Kouzai was too dress up in the garb of the deceased swordsmen leader and meet at this oasis. Kouzai was slightly hesitant, this was a dangerous mission, and he would have no back up. There was no honor is sneaking around and infiltrating a rogue organization. As such, Kouzai knew the heavy implications; he would be forgotten if he failed the mission, considered a rogue samurai, and village traitor. His honor would be tarnished if he did this mission; his breather in the court would know he played ninja, even for a bit. He would be doing his village a service, which would most likely be enough to keep him from being isolated and considered ronin. He thought about it, why couldn’t someone else do it, why couldn’t they get a ninja, why was it him. However, the more he thought about it, the more he realized it wasn’t just about him; it was about sacrificing himself for his village, doing his best for the village he pledged his fealty too. Kouzai agreed to do it, he would play dress up, and he would sneak around and pretend to be a ninja pretending to be in a gang of bandits, all for Sunagakure. He thought of it a little like a learning expedition, he would learn how the ninja world operates, and become better at stopping them should they harm Sunagakure. His outfit was that of one of the dead officers, the hole patched and the blood stains removed. He put on the Kirigakure headband, and in the dead of night, headed out towards the Oasis. He had studied the map a bit, only holding a small lantern to make sure he avoided falling, or worse, snakes. Kouzai hated snakes, or in reality, he hated poisonous, venomous creatures. They had no honor. They attacked, then retreated and waited. More and more Kouzai was concerned about his honor; becoming a full-fledged Samurai can do that to a person. He did want to do this for his village, to see what he had started through to the end. The walk was long and tiresome, he kinda was shuffling towards the end, and it was boring more than anything. No noise, except for an occasional soft breeze that stirred the sand.

Kouzai came upon the camp; it really was in the middle of nowhere, just an oasis. He could see one other lantern bobbing up and down, so he walked towards it. A voice called out to him “I didn’t think you would make it, did you do what we asked”, the voice was gruff and cold, do what they asked. Kouzai had no idea, and thinking on his feet was hard enough in this situation, but he had to endure. That was at least something the Samurai code told him. Kouzai walked a little closer; he at least wanted to see the man that was talking to him. He approached the ninja, his light still bobbing in his hand. He was nervous, sure, who wouldn’t be in such a situation. “The fact that you are alive means the mission was a failure” The man said, lunging towards Kouzai, his reaction time was impressive. Kouzai didn’t know exactly how fast, but it was sure faster than Kouzai. Kouzai barely had time to raise his sword to block the ninja. The force of the blow knocked him back several yards. His back hit the ground, and the first thing he noticed was that he fell in a puddle. He looked on at the ninja; he was holding a water sword. Kouzai had to remember what all the information they Suna team had gathered. The man’s he was supposed to meet with named Shunzu, any other information was unknown to him. Kouzai had to piece together the puzzle that eluded him. The man was fast, faster than Kouzai, and from the looks of it, he used water ninjutsu, two things that worried Kouzai. However, there was one advantage Kouzai had over this ninja, they were in a desert, and the water would quickly be absorbed into the soil, making his style less effective. With the headbands found, and now this ninja utilizing water release, the possibility of it being Kirigakure was more and more likely. He needed answers, and he knew he wasn’t going to get it from Shunzu. He had to find out, but how, could he trick this man into revealing his source? Nothing was making much sense, attacking Sunagakure, the force was very small, and perhaps it was a distraction, meant to cause confusion. Why would they need a distraction? Who was the real target? Kouzai needed to step up his game here, and it wasn’t going to be sitting on the side lines. With his sword in hand, his back wet from the puddle, Kouzai lunged forward, delivering the Secret technique he was taught, Moonlight. Leaving an afterimage of himself, he struck hard at the ninja, not as fast, but that afterimage was perfect for this type of foe, easily distracted and most likely didn’t know or understand the secret techniques. Kouzai would breech him with a slash across his sword arm, the one holding the water sword. Surprised at what transpired, Shunzu stumbled back, his water sword dissipating. Standing tall, Kouzai pushed his sword at the ninja’s neck, a small prick came from it, and his serious face masked his fear and trepidation. “Who do you work for?” His voice, louder that he intended, but perhaps it still made the point across. “Lord Zabuza will have your head” was his reply, spitting as he said it, though Kouzai pushed his sword a little deeper, causing him to choke on his spit. It was mildly amusing how that worked, the ninja trying to be so cool, yet unable to finish his process. “Where can I find him, tell me what you know” Kouzai said, this time his voice more stable and even toned. However, Shunzu did not tell Kouzai where Zabuza was, after a few more rounds of kill me nor don’t, you won’t get anything. Kouzai decided to bring back Shunzu to Sunagakure for interrogation. However, Kouzai didn’t have much in order to transport Shunzu back, so cut of the man’s foot and one hand, then dragged him back to Sunagakure, bleeding profusely, screaming in agony and in the end, barely alive. Sunagakure could extract the required information, and Kouzai could finally be finished with this nightmare.

FNE 4B Poser

Spoiler:

Kouzai intent to help his village was, well a little lack luster. Several of the missions on the board, were rather drab and boring. He decided the best job would be, ironically guard duty. He had hoped he could slip away and possibly take a nap somewhere, or doze off in a tree. Except, well Suna was hot, being a desert and all, but the heat was almost unbearable at times. People here drank tea during the day to keep cool. Guard duty in the middle of the day, no thank you. But a job was a job, no matter what, even one such as this.
Approaching the guard house, Kouzai introduced himself to the Guard Captain, a gruff man, who really was more ninja than anything. He used words like “jib” and “yall” perhaps he was from another part of Suna. Being a Samurai, Kouzai was however, at a disadvantage, since he could use or utilize Ninjutsu in such a way, he was given the gate guard duty. Standing in front of the entrance to Sunagakure, trying to look like well, trying to look menacing, however he was failing. It was the middle of the day, hot as all hell; well hell might be a relief from this unrelenting heat. The ground was white and cracked; all the water has evaporated leaving just salt and some sand. No one was coming during this time, an hour or two passed and Kouzai was already dopey eyed. He tried leaning against the wall, but it burned him something fierce. How the heck did Ninja stand for this? Kouzai must have nodded off at least 3 times during the next few hours, not a single person, his face sunburned, his hands and arms, sunburned, but the worst of all was the back of his neck. As he stood, it felt like the sun hadn’t even moved. When suddenly someone tapped him on his shoulder, he jumped, startled by it all. Turning around, he saw another pair of guards, ready to take his position. They chuckled a bit, making some references to pathetic Samurai and their ilk. Kouzai’s next assignment was to patrol Sunagakure. Patrol, in the middle of the day, who would be so brazen enough as to steal in the middle of the day. In fact, who would be so brazen enough to do anything in the middle of the day? His head hung low, he was mentally tired, from the sun beating down on him, unrelenting for around 6 hours or so, now he was going to walk around. There was no hustle or bustle of Sunagakure, just dead, a few people sitting in some small shops drinking tea, freaking hot tea in the middle of the day, at 500 degrees or whatever bloody temperature was reasonable for Sunagakure during this time of year. His footsteps became dogged; there was a group in front of him, a total of 6 of them walked around the streets. The 5 kept talking, laughing and generally just not paying attention. Not that Kouzai paid much attention; he mainly looked at the ground and tried to count the blisters on his feet. The sun had started to go down, he was almost begging for the sweet relief of nightfall. The streets grew busier, shops opened back up, people began their nightly routines. It was an interesting sight all in all; they each had their own ritual. Some put the canvas up first, others wash the stands first, some even prayed first. Kouzai tried to find it interesting, but his eyes kept darting to chairs, benches and even some old couches people left out. The sun reached the horizon, and it was time to say goodbye, and good night. The little patrol made its way back to the barracks; Kouzai gave a small report, to which the guard captain just laughed. Calling him lazy good for nothing, but he got paid, and being paid was quite nice. Kouzai took a quick shower in the barracks and then left for the leaving. A fist full of cash, he somehow felt more energized. Returning home for the night, tomorrow was a new day.

Spoiler:

The clang of metal on metal rang through the night air, as Kouzai was slowly pounding on and on on his anvil. It was hard, being out in in foreign lands, desperate to make ends meet. Long nights, and cool mornings make it extremely difficult. He wasn't crafting anything in particular, just making sure his tools were as straight as possible. It helped him relax and get a good night sleep. His eye's grew a bit heavy and he stepped back, leaving down on the warm bench, warmed from the last lingers of the furnace. His breath grew slower, he started nodding off, it must have been around 11 pm, as the sounds of the city had all but faded. At first the neighbors complained about his clanging and banging around at night. They had eventually grown used to it, and some even complimented him and said it helped them fall asleep. It must have been roughly 1 am when the last embers were dying out, with a sudden clash. It sounded exactly like metal pipes and pieces falling to the floor from his shelf.  With a sudden jump, Kouzai reached for a sword that wasn't by his side. He never had his swords by his side when he was working the forge. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw what appeared to be someone no older than him, snatch something from the middle shelf, tanto's and butcher knives, also bolts and some left over scrapes. Fumbling, still half asleep, Kouzai nearly tripped over his apron, he was using it as a blanket. Grabbing his trusty weapons, he fumbled once again, kicking the apron to the side.

The little thief, noticing at the weary shop-keep was up and at-um, started to move out from the shelves and did a small dance around the anvil. Kouzai, coming up to the anvil, also did that little dance, trying to keep the theif in the shop. "Hey, what are you doing. Get the heck out of here. AND PUT THAT BACK" Kouzai wasn't really thinking clearly, this was the first time he's ever been robbed. The thief took off down the street, Kouzai barely made it out of the shop, before the boy was half way down the street. "WHY YOU LITTLE BASTARD", he yelled, taking off after him. It wasn't so much being robbed, but that little prick was so dam fast.

Kouzai wasn't going to let this punk beat him, Kouzai was out in a flash, his sort sword like lightning as he was in stride with the thief, slashing out at that stupid punk. Catching both the thief off guard, cutting the cloak around their face, as he slashed away at it. Tumbling backwards, the thief's cloak feel, and it was a that of a woman. Her hair was light brown, her eyes piercing green, as she had a darker features. Kouzai was stunned for a moment, he wasn't expecting to catch like he did, and was even more surprised too see a girl his age, quite a looker as well. Sensing his hesitation, her leg swiped out, and Kouzai landed with a thud.

Taking off running again, Kouzai shock quickly wore off, as the thief was ahead of him. Whipping out his scabbard, he caught her legs as she tripped and fell. The small tanto went spiraling into the ground ahead of her. Kouzai was up and snatched it up, as the girl bit the dust. He could hear the guards huffing towards him, yelling stop, thief, hold it right there, it was all mainly just for show. Grabbing the girl up, she looked at Kouzai, her eyes wide and almost tearful. Kouzai just stared at her, as they took her away. A large man came over to check on Kouzai, muttering about no good foreigners, causing all sorts of ruckus in the wee hours.

Spoiler:

Kouzai was walking along the roads of Sunagakure. If he had not lived there, he could have probably got lost on his way to the kage's office a while ago. Catching an elephant, and a rhyno will surely be the easiest part! And of course, that was an exaggeration. Who in their right minds would do it anyways? Kouzai knew that he was in his right mind or so he thought he was. Why was he doing this again? Oh right. For a sword that has a titanium blade. Surely, this mission will not be as bloody as B-rank mission since it's a C rank mission anyways and the kage would not surely wanted to kill him... maybe he'd like to though. Kouzai shook his head at the thought of the kage wanting to kill him. He cannot die in this mission! He needs to be the strongest samurai ever! But before that... a lot of training must be held by him and also a lot of missions to be a Chuunin.

His dark brown orbs suddenly spotted a sudden ruckus going on from... somewhere that he really didn't go at since people are making fun of him on that area. Then he heard a roar... a really loud roar. Kouzai had immediately guessed on what was making all the ruckus and was having second thoughts whether if he should capture it right now or wait until it leaves the area. Another roar, and everyone on the area that was neither too far nor too near from Kouzai had started run away while others are on high places. He heaved a heavy sigh and walked casually to that area as his right hand was tucked inside the pocket of his pants, holding on something. When he was on the place from where the lion was running... in circles. He wondered why and when it immediately saw him, it ran from him and the young Genin swiftly pulled out the yarn of ball from his pocket and threw it to the lion. Lions are cats but bigger. He hoped that the trick will work or else...

His soul were lifted high when it worked on the lion, it played on the yarn for a few moments then turned its attention towards Kouzai again. And now... he only have one idea on his mind. Run! And so he did ran away from the lion as fast as he could. He grabbed a raw meat on a grill and was lucky enough that the chef wasn't facing him or he'll get into more trouble. Then as he was still running, he grabbed a fishing rod from a sushi place that was placed outside the sushi stand and hooked the raw meat on the fishing rod. The raven haired genin stopped in his tracks and hoped that his plan will work as he had expected the outcome will be. As the lion was already one meter from him, he jumped on its back and sets himself comfortably on the lion. But the animal was kind of out of control and ran from places to places randomly, trying to get rid off Kouzai from its back but he wouldn't let himself fall down. He used the fishing rod and stirred the pedal so that the raw meat was on the lion's eye level.

It started to run to the meat and was attempting to take a bite on it but was actually failing. Kouzai moved the wooden rod to the direction of the zoo until they've reached the place Kouzai lets himself fall sideways on the ground and run away with the raw meat as the lion chased him for the meat. When he had reached its cage, he threw the raw meat, along with the fishing rod, inside the lion's cage then it was locked by some zoo keeper. "That was a lot of effort." He said and was kind of disappointed that he didn't see anyone get eaten, then again that would be pretty gruesome to behold.

Spoiler:

"Damn kids," the black haired Samurai would utter as he noticed some of the graffiti that the local kids have been spraying all over the place. These things were all over the place and his mission was to clean them up. With haste Kouzai completed his other assignment and then he headed out to get paint, brushes and cleaning tools so that he could clean up this mess. Since he started the last mission first, he was also able to finish it first and thus it was up to him to prepare the stuff that was needed for the mission. Luckily his parents renovated recently and thus they had some paint left from that time. Getting cleaning products was not so hard either, his mother was willing to share some as she knew that he could not afford buying any. Kouzai was basically doing this mission alone while his partner did the delivery, they would go onto the next mission right afterwards. Anyways, with his cleaning products and paint ready for action, the young black haired Samurai known as Kouzai would start his assignment. Since he found himself coming right next to a graffiti, he decided to take care of that one first and then go look for some more. It was a simple yet hard one to clean. Based on what he could observe, the black haired young male realized that this was not something he could clean with simple cleaning products. Nope, only white paint could help him with something like this. The walls on which these things were painted on were white so it was only natural for him to simply paint them with white color. Then again, the only kind of color that Cid had was white so that was the only thing he could do about it. Buying paint was not an expense covered by the mission so he had to obtain it on his own. Since all he was given was this damn white stuff, that was all he could use.

Up and down, up and down, the brush would move. The young black haired Samurai male known as Cid would move that brush and with each stroke he would get closer and closer to the goal at had. The bucket which contained the paint would get emptier with each passing moment as the young black haired male would as quickly as possible cover the graffiti with it. It would not take him too long before he was done with the first one, the one that made him put quite the effort into it. The other ones were not so large as this first one and with each passing one he would need less and less effort to completely cover them with white paint. Soon enough the bucket that was once rather heavy would feel so light and he would no longer need much effort to carry it around. After a couple more of them it was completely emptied and the young black haired male was sorta confused as to how he managed to spend it up so quickly. The black haired Samurai was in luck, even though he had spent the whole bucket of paint, there were still some nice people who lived in the area that offered him their own paint. These older folks also invited him to their house, which he had to refuse since he was in a rush to complete this mission. They were rather sad about it, but they understood how important was this to the young Genin. He was still a rookie who needed to prove himself by completing such boring tasks. Either way, after he had finally gotten some more paint he would go back to using it in order to cover the graffiti. The young black haired male noticed that there were only a few left and he realized that this would all be over soon. That actually gave him more motivation and once more the brush moved, covering more and more graffiti with each stroke. Eventually they were all gone and the Samurai boy was able to return the stuff he borrowed and head to the meeting place.

Spoiler:

Even though he was not actually intending to do any missions after his meeting with the rest of the team, the young black haired youngster named Kouzai decided to do a mission after all. He was sorta broke and he needed some stuff to buy so doing missions alone seemed like the fastest way to get things done. Now that there was a team for him, missions would be easier to do in groups. But, this was a rather simple one and he wanted to get it done as soon as possible. There just was no need for him to involve the rest of the team as then it would be far too easy and not even worth doing anymore. It involved him taking care of some animals that they used for medical research. Kouzai was not too fond of using animals for such purposes, but it was something that had too be done for the good of the village. It was far better than like testing them on humans. Indeed, the animals had to do it instead. It did not take the young black haired male to reach this testing facility as the meeting place for his team was not so far from it. It was a rather plain place, a building in white, nothing special about it. He was sad as he knew that this was not going to be so exciting. One would always prefer to have a much more exciting task as their first mission, but exciting stuff took longer to complete and he did not quite have the time to do so. Due to that he decided to take this rather simple and unexciting mission instead. Something was far better than nothing. To the facility he came in his somewhat older clothing as he did not wish to get his newer clothing dirty. This task required him to deal with animals and so he knew that he was gonna get his clothing dirtied up. Due to that it was far better for him to get his older clothing dirtied over his new ones.

The inside of this facility to which the young black haired boy know as Kouzai had arrived was fairly simple as well. Most of the people had the typical uniform of Sunagakure Medical Corps with the Wind symbol on the hat of their uniform. Kouzai himself had visited the hospital on numerous occasions so such uniforms were not out of the ordinary for him. It was a building located nearby the Sunagakure hospital, but not quite in the same area so he never actually visited this place before. With a calm and relaxed expression he would seek out the person who was in charge of handling the animals so that he could get things started. Luckily the people there were so nice and they were happy to point him towards the right person. Once he found this person he was ready to begin his duties. He had hoped that this little assignment would not take too long as there were other things that he had to do afterwards. The short duration of it was the main reason for him taking it. There were a lot of animals located in this facility, far more than the young black haired Kouzai had expected to see. In all due honesty he was expecting a bunch of lab rats ready for drug testing or something, but he got a lot more. Instead of just them lab rats, which the facility was actually filled with, it also had fishes for medical ninja in training to practice on, some dogs and a bunch of farm animals that they were testing to improve their production. Luckily for Kouzai, he was only in charge of taking the lab animals that were being used for research. There wasn't really that much of those so he did not spend that much time taking care of them. One by one he would take out and then clean their cages, give them water and food. After dealing with all of them he would simply put them back. He was careful enough not to touch any of the rare ones and he made sure not to let anyone free. After he was done, he left.

FNE #5B
The way back to Sunagakure took forever, the man, Shunzu as he called himself, went in and out of consciousness. Kouzai wasn’t 100% sure that he would survive the trip back, but he figured Sunagakure can always do something for people. Sometimes he awoke and started screaming, those times really freaked Kouzai out, just woke up screaming bloody hell. Making it back to Sunagakure, Kouzai was exhausted, it was his first real time being attacked like that, and he managed to make it out alive. The second he was able to see the gates, ninja were around him, taking the body off of him, and helping him walk inside. Shunzu disappeared, his screams effectively silenced, and for the remainder of his life, that was the last time Kouzai saw that man. Stumbling into the guard house, he showered, cleaned the blood off of himself, and went home. Only late did he realize that he had slept for something like 3 days, with 0 disturbances. It was on the 4th day that a loud banging was heard at his door. Staggering to his feet, his stomach rumbling and churning, not even get up to eat he thought. It was the officer, back to full health it appeared. He took Kouzai out, handing him a few dollars for his trouble, took him to a nice place to eat, and eat he did. Meanwhile, the officer told him what they had learned from Shunzu that he was working for Zabuza of Seven Swordsmen fame. Kouzai had a small lump in his throat; he knew that name from somewhere. Since Kouzai was so familiar with the case, he was asked what happened. Kouzai recounted what had transpired with Shunzu, the fight, the very little information he said, and how Kouzai managed to bring him back to the village alive. This was most likely a miracle as Kouzai had no knowledge of the body, and didn’t have any clue how to help the man survive. Kouzai was then told that Sunagakure was in talks with Kirigakure, and that they were sending over a top ranked jailer to help with the case, that if Zabuza was really in Sungakure, then Kirigakure wanted him either back in prison or dead. Either outlook was acceptable. The jailer was willing to work with the Sunagakure team that handled the incident, as information was power in this case. However since Kouzai was the only one to have gone this far, he was told it was his duty to assist the Jailer in any way he could. He would be arriving in 3 to 4 days, depending on weather conditions out in the ocean by Kirigakure. Kouzai was told to get ready and sharpen his skills; going up against a legendary swordsman was going to be the fight of his life, or hopefully of Zabuza’s.

The thought of that was actually pretty terrifying to Kouzai, the thought of going up against such an opponent. He didn’t really know what Zabuza looked like, but all he could imagine was Shunzu coming at him, his heart racing and head pounding, the thought of being killed, dying a virgin Samurai, he’d be laughed at from beyond the grave and in the mortal world by his fellow Samurai. Kouzai perhaps was mostly afraid of that aspect, it terrified him in a way that most things couldn’t, honor was about having both the upstanding attitude of a man, and being a Samurai with morals and principals. Kouzai kept these thoughts racing through his head, over and over again they circled, and he needed a distraction. What he needed to do was build. Kouzai took to the smiting section, buying steel and rod iron, he was going to build himself something to protect from the deadly strikes of one of the legendary seven swordsmen. Pounding as hammer met steel, the hot coals and blazing furnace served as fuel for his terror and fear, as it slowly ebbed away into the nothingness that was the dull roar of metal on metal. It must have taken him roughly 2 days to finish the set of armor, it gleamed beautifully. He spent hours polishing it up, adding the finishing touches to its wondrous glam.

It took another 2 days for the hunter ninja sent from Kirigakure to arrive. He was an interesting man; a bit gruff and short with his words, arrogant would most likely be the best way to describe him. He wasn’t worried about Zabuza, apparently he had been specifically chosen to come here, and he specializes in hunting down and capturing opponents such as this. He was known as the jailer, a devious opponent who is in charge of the jail in Kirigakure. Kouzai wasn’t a fan of that person, and in fact was a little scared of him. He just oozed that calm senseless thought that was totally foreign to him, like maybe a viper or snake, possible a spider waiting prey. He barely spoke to Kouzai, only to ask him questions regarding what was going on, or what had happened.

After gathering all the information, and interrogating Shunza, which Kouzai wasn’t present for, thankfully, he had heard it was brutal with a capital B. They set off, at first the jailer was hesitant to let Kouzai come along, but some “gentle” assistance from Sunagakure forces allowed it to occur. Much to Kouzai’s dismay, he was hoping that they would forget he existed, and send someone else to go about and handle it. They left, it was the middle of the day, and apparently the jailer didn’t understand that it was hottest in the middle of the day, in the desert. But they left anyway. The heat was almost unbearable, Kouzai lugging his own armor, sword and the items the jailer brought with him. They arrived at the oasis, and took a rest, the jailer looked around, but he was obviously flustered from all the heat.

The plan was simple, go out at night, catch the swordsman, take him back into custody, and return him to jail in Kirigakure where he belongs. If Kouzai would buy the jailer time, he could trap him in a genjutsu and effectively seal the deal. So that was supposedly the plan. Night approached and Kouzai readied himself, his armor getting its first test run, his sword ready, the plan was sound enough. Kouzai would charge the compound while the jailer would attack from afar, nothing like putting one’s life in danger for another nation to get the blood pumping. As he entered the compound, a mist slowly rose; similar to the ones he saw at the gate, this was not good. He wasn’t a sensor, and if it got any deeper, he could be in real trouble. In fact, he was in real trouble, going up against such a legendary swordsmen with nothing but himself, foolhardy.

Kouzai readied himself, he would strike at the first shadow or movement he saw, take them out quick and clean, let them suspect you weren’t capable with a sword at all then strike hard. What was the saying, strike like the snake in the grass, not the mole in the ground? Kouzai couldn’t remember. He stalk around, sword drawn, carefully waiting. It happened so far, there was a kunai at his throat and a sword around his body. No sound, just silence in the mist. If it wasn’t for his armor, Kouzai would have surely been a goner; the armor began sucking up the chakra, as did his own sword. It must have come as a surprise to the ninja attacking him, to have his strength sucked out in such a manner. Kouzai however, noticed the dip and took full advantage. His elbow came back; his head came back, clashing right into the ninja. Whipping around, he swung out with his sword and the ninja was gone. Just vanished into the mist, and Kouzai needed to vanish into the mist as well.

There was a loud bang, followed by several other bangs, and suddenly the mist disappeared. It was over within 10 minutes, Kouzai couldn’t believe it. The mist disappeared and suddenly the compound really wasn’t a compound but more like a camp. The jailer stood in the corner, Zabuza was chained up, looking out into the distance. Kouzai wondered what happened, but he didn’t want to ask, just in case something bad had occurred. Was Genjutsu really this powerful? That man was pretty dangerous all in all. He shouted something about well-done holding him off long enough for everything to work. But that was more hollow words than anything else. The job was done, and Kouzai was told to return to Sunagakure with word that Zabuza was taken into custody and all would be well in Sunagakure, Kirigakure had solved the problem for us. Which was a very odd way of putting it.

The trek back to Sunagakure was much less than previously, Kouzai was lighter, he held an air about him of perhaps little confidence or arrogance. Kouzai was part of something that would most likely be a part of history. He reported to the officer what had occurred, and the swiftness of the take down, Kouzai was informed that Zabuza was not an expert in genjutsu in the slightest and that was why it was so easy, not to worry. All those good things that supposedly make you feel good at night etc etc. Kouzai wasn’t so impressed, however he was tired all of a sudden, it seemed the day’s events and what transpired were a bit of stretch for him, sleep would be his solace now.

Spoiler:

Kouzai sat in the shadow of Sunagakure's market street, wrapped in his cloak as he cradled an acoustic guitar in his lap. His deft fingers danced across the neck of the instrument as he plucked away a flamenco-style melody. It was around mid day and his notes were permeating through the small crowd that moved up and down the street. Every now and then someone would pass close by and toss a few coins his way, forming a scattered pile at his side. At first he'd been a bit surprised by the gesture, he didn't have anything set out to make it look like he was begging but people just kinda assumed it when they saw him sitting on the curb. Having been sitting out for over an hour now, he didn't pay them any mind though, just letting the money accumulate around him without a thought.

In this case, the charity of Suna's people was still helping him though, it made him seem less out of place. He wasn't there for money, he was there for a job. The merchants of the city had submitted some complaints about a small band of people that were trying to extort money from them. To his understanding they weren't exactly very good at it, but it was probably for the best to take care of them before they figured out how the game worked. His job here was simple, he just had to... convince them to give it up. And that brought him to his current situation. Even as he continued to play, his cold gaze kept shifting around, looking for any sign of his targets. The reports said that they never tried anything when they saw a shinobi nearby, so he had decided to try to hide in plain sight. No one ever paid beggars any mind if they didn't have coin to give.
As time went on, the crowds began to thin out and Kouzai shifted into a more sombre tune that Ivan had taught him back at the Sandpit. Apparently it was a song about a man who returned home after a war to find it destroyed, a sad story that tended to evoke powerful imagery when performed properly. There were lyrics that went with it, but the boy had a hard enough time finding his voice for normal conversation, singing was a bit beyond him for now. Besides, he liked the guitar melody just fine on its own. Nearing the end of the song, he noticed a group of four people turn onto the market street, glancing about suspiciously as they walked down towards one of the stalls. As he hoped, they passed him right by, not even offering a second glance as he kept playing. His cold blue eyes leveled on the group, letting his fingers keep working purely on muscle memory through the last few phrases.

They approached a stall a little ways down the street, a merchant that was busy starting to pack some of his goods away for the day. Kouzai had gathered that the man was selling some metal crafts; bracelets, chains, and such. The merchant was in the middle of hefting a box onto the top of a cart when the youths sidled up to his stall. When the man turned around and saw them his expression immediately changed to one of exasperation. "Oh great, not you lot again. Can't you see I'm busy here? Go bugger off will you?" The apparent leader of the group slipped behind the counter and stared the man down. "Oh I don't think so, we're serious this time. You made us look like fools last time, but now we're going to get what's owed to us." The merchant didn't seem at all phased by the threat, turning away to load another box into his cart. "Last time you brats ran off with your tails tucked between your legs as soon as a chuunin came 'round the corner. Why should I think this time will be any different?"

"Because, like I said, this time we're serious." The leader made a gesture with his head towards one of the others. The man in question reached out for one of the merchant's displays and gave a forceful tug, ripping it from its stand and throwing the goods out across the sand. Kouzai plucked his final note just after the clash rang out down the street, drawing it out for a moment before setting his guitar aside. There was no longer any shadow of a doubt that these were his targets, which meant it was time to get to work. The merchant's expression shifted more towards anger than any sort of fear. "Well great, I hope you know you'll be paying for all of those now." One of the three on the other side of the stall chuckled at his response. "No, you'll be paying us. Don't you get it? Look around, do you see anyone coming to help this time? You're going to give us what we came for."

Kouzai chose that moment to tap on the kid's shoulder, amused slightly at his poor choice of words. "Huh?" He spun around to see the boys emotionless visage gazing up at him, pausing in confusion just long enough for Kouzai to throw a kick into the side of the man's head. The hard impact sent him spinning back through the air, landing face down in the sand a few feet away. The other three all turned to face him, just as surprised as the other had been about his sudden appearance. The leader stepped back around the cart, an indignant look in his eyes. "Who the hell are you?" Kouzai just shrugged, gazing out from beneath his hood. His headband was hidden beneath the thick fabric, so there was nothing to immediately identify him as a shinobi.

The kid continued to approach until he was just a foot or two away, looking down at Kouzai's blank face with fire in his eyes. The man he'd hit was already scrambling to his feet, his cheek slightly swollen. "You know what? I don't care. Do you really think you can just walk over here and hit one of my friends? Allow me to return the favor." The leader reared back and threw a punch at him, but to Kouzai's eyes it was so horribly telegraphed that it could barely be called a threat. He shifted to the side just enough to clear the boy's fist then threw a jab into the center of his face before grabbing his extended arm and throwing him into the center of the street. The boy managed to stop himself from falling, but as he spun around he revealed a fresh stream of blood that was trickling down his face from his nose. "What the hell are you lot doing? Get him!"

Kouzai's nearest foe made a rush at him, but the shinobi diverted the strike in a similar fashion to the previous one, throwing the boy into his leader with little difficulty. As the two tumbled to the ground in a heap, his two remaining foes drew knives from their pockets and advanced at the same time. Though they were armed, they seemed to air much more on the side of caution than their comrades. After they closed the distance, they struck out one at a time with their weapons in an attempt to keep the genin on the defensive. It was a perfectly fine tactic, but they still didn't really have much training. Kouzai danced around their blades, purposefully leading them away from the merchant's stall while he bought some time until one of them made a mistake. One of the pair hesitated for a moment after the other finished a strike, leaving his friend open just long enough for him to take advantage of. Kouzai ripped off his cloak and threw it at the boy who had hesitated before shifting to the other. He grabbed the boy by the wrist and twisted violently as he stepped in closer. He hyper-extended the boy's arm before dropping an elbow directly onto the joint. A sickening crack filled the air as the arm bent back at an unnatural angle, the boy collapsing to the ground as he let out a pained scream.

Kouzai kicked the knife he dropped to the other side of the street then moved in on the kid who was struggling to get free of his cloak. He grabbed hold of the fabric and pulled it away, coming face to face with the boy with the swollen cheek. He locked eyes for just a moment before swinging forward and headbutting him directly in the face. As he stumbled back, clutching at his head, Kouzai had a brief moment of rest. Without his cloak on, his pale, scarred skin was exposed to the harsh sunlight. He immediately noted how uncomfortable it felt, but hoped that this wouldn't last long enough for it to be an issue. As the first two untangled from each other and climbed back to their feet, the leader took note of the headband that Kouzai had tied around his arm. He could see the conflict in the boy's eyes, weighing his own safety with that of his pride. As he looked to the whimpering boy at Kouzai's side, it seemed his self preservation was winning out. "Shit, run!"

A thin smile cracked through Kouzai's usual mask as the three that were still standing started to run. His job wasn't to chase them off, it was to make sure they gave up, so he wasn't allowed to just let them run off. Before they made it ten feet, he'd channeled a mass of chakra to his sword and swung. Unaccustomed to such a swift attack and running as fast as he could, the leader of the group lost his legs and fell face-first onto the ground. Another soon joined him, but the third had managed to stay upright by slowing to a crawl.

The shinobi wasted no time in putting the implement to work, lashing out at the last man standing. The chain tore through the air before it found the boy's leg, wrapping his foot in its cold embrace. Kouzai delivered a kick against his target's momentum, striking him hard in the face for the third and final time. The impact spun him about on the frictionless surface, eventually bringing him to rest against the wall of a building, out cold. They were just starting to regain their balance when he reached them, the sun casting his shadow over the pair despite his small stature.

With panic in his eyes, the leader of the group did the only thing he could think of and rushed him. Though it was just as obvious as before, the genin didn't try to dodge this time, his smile widening just before the boy's fist made contact. He was engulfed in a cloud of smoke at the moment of impact, the attack striking a form in the center of the smokescreen. It took a moment for the dust to clear, but when it did Kouzai was still standing there, or at least he appeared to be. The leader of the kids bit into his lip, tears forming at the edges of his eyes at the pain that shot through his arm. He imagined the boy felt like he'd just punched a concrete wall right about now, recalling how much it hurt when the clone had punched him during his training.

The boy stood frozen in place for a few more seconds until his resolve finally gave out, crumpling back to the ground as he clutched at his hand. The kid beside him decided to try to make a break for it again, but Kouzai would have none of that. He lashed out with his chain from the rooftops, rebounding it against the ground so that it wrapped around his target's torso and pinned down his arms. After using his chakra to direct it around several times, he hopped over the edge of the building and hooked the chain over a flagpole on his way down. Using the pole as a fulcrum, his momentum lifted the boy into the air, dangling him several feet above the ground. The bound youth continued to shout and struggle, but he ignored it, turning instead to the one that had been leading the band.

He knelt down to eye level, the boy still cradling his injured hand. Kouzai doubted that it was broken, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt like hell. His spirit broken, the kid just stared at him, a mixture of anger, fear, and indignation in his eyes. The genin answered back with his normal hard gaze. "Done?"

"What the hell does it look like?" The boy spit back, gesturing to his injuries. Kouzai shook his head.

"Not that. Done bothering people?"

"Why the hell does it even matter? Even if I did its not like anyone takes me seriously."

"It's dangerous."

"Like you even care! Look what you did to us, why should I think you're the least bit concerned?"

Kouzai's eyes hardened. He made sure he had the boy's undivided attention, a pulse of chakra producing a gust of wind from his wrist that he put to the kid's neck. He stared directly into his eyes, almost as if daring him to try to look away. "I could kill you." He let the words hang in the air for what felt like a short eternity before the blade withdrew back into his arm. "I didn't, You're lucky. Understand?" The boy didn't respond, simply nodding his head up and down several times. Kouzai stood back up and turned away, walking back towards the merchant that the boys had accosted. "Good. Go to sleep."

"...but-"

He went over to retrieve his guitar and strapped it to his back before gathering up all the coins that were laying around. After stopping to throw his cloak back on, he returned to the metal merchant, who looked on with a slightly concerned expression.

"All done."

"Yes, I can see that... you might have overdone it a little, but I guess the message is more likely to stick this way... so... good work?" Kouzai shrugged then tossed the man the sack of coins he had collected. "Cover losses, right?" The man didn't seem to understand his meaning, so he made a gesture towards the crafts that had been scattered across the sands. "Oh, right. Why thank you, that's rather generous. Feel free to take anything you like." He cocked his head to the side for a moment then nodded, turning to the displays that were still left out. His eyes scanned across them until he found something he liked, a round pendant stylized with a drawing of a white wolf. "That one." He pointed it out to the merchant, who opened up the case and retrieved it for him. "Ah yes, a fine pick. Here you are." Kouzai took the pendant and immediately put it on before giving the man a quick bow and starting down the street. The post wasn't far so his clone was on its third trip. He figured he might as well help out, grabbing the last unconscious kid and dragging him down to the guard post to report a job done.

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Spoiler:

The sand around Kouzai shifted as he crawled forward, his body half covered by the loose grains. He held his breath, not daring to make a sound as a group of six or so men came around a large outcropping of rock and into view. They had appeared so suddenly, barely giving the boy enough time to hit the dirt before they were upon him. As stealthily as he could, he shifted into the shadow of a nearby rock and adjusted his hood to hide his face. He couldn't afford to be spotted, not now. So he lay completely still in the sand, wrapped in a cloak different than his usual attire. This one was designed as camouflage, colored the same as the dunes around him with the outside covered by a thin layer of sand. Sure it was heavier than normal, but its effectiveness could not be questioned. He peered out of a tiny gap between the fabric of his hood and the sand, vision slightly warped by a pair of goggles that he wore to protect his eyes in the desert.

He counted six men, all armed with various forms of weaponry: some had swords, one had an axe, one was completely covered with knives, and another just had a pair of bulky gauntlets covering his fists. The most important detail to him however, was the red bandannas that they all wore somewhere on there bodies. He watched as the dawdled about for a minute or two, a seventh man joining the rest. He had messy black hair and a pike strapped to his back, the others seemed to greet him with disdain. "What are you doing here? " As the man turned Kouzai could see his eyes were sharp, brown orbs that seemed to have constant motion. He could tell from a glance that the man was schemer, the fact that he couldn't hide it a testament to either inexperience or ego. He reminded Kouzai of a snake. When he responded to the man, his voice held a higher mocking tone to it. "Me? Why I'm here to make sure you lot don't make a disgrace of us. I happened to be nearby when you made a visit into the village back there." The man shook his head and clicked his tongue. "I must say, sloppy job. You left a few alive." The rest of the men visibly tensed as he spoke.

"Its a good thing I was there to clean up after you, isn't it? You should be praising me honestly, but luckily I'm above all that. You're gratitude is enough for me." The man who had spoken up first just shook his head and started walking again/ "You still talk too much, Nas, and I still don't like you." Kouzai tensed slightly as the group moved towards him, Nas standing in place for a moment with his arms out before following. "Oh, you wound me Gregor. What would Cleaver say if he knew you were treating the man that fixed your mistakes with such disdain." The lead man kept moving, passing within a few feet of where the genin lay. "He'd tell me to deal with our 'work place disturbances' in the normal fashion. Is that a place you want to go Nas?" There was no answer from the other man. "...Yeah, I didn't think so. Lets get moving, we've got alot of ground to cover to get back to base by nightfall."

Lucky for Kouzai, it seemed that the exchange had distracted them enough that they hadn't noticed him. The group kept moving past him and along the edge of the great rock plateau that rose out of the desert to his side. The boy lay motionless until they had disappeared around the edge of the rock face, finally letting himself breath normally as he climbed back to his feet. The bandannas identified the group as members of the Chimeras, a group of raiders that had been becoming more active as of late: his targets. The village council had retrieved a tip that the Chimeras were gearing up for some sort of large scale operation, one that might even target Sunagakure itself. His job wasn't to deal with them, just to act as a scout and learn whatever he could about their movements, to confirm or disprove the information that was given to the village. Kouzai had been combing the desert for three days before he finally happened upon them, as close of a call as it might have been. He was told that stealth was paramount in this mission. If the group had spotted him, he would have had to try to kill them all and start over from scratch, which was easier said than done because of the fairly large number of missing-nin the Chimeras had among their ranks.

Still, it seemed luck was on his side, not only had he avoided detection, but had also found a party that was heading back to their headquarters. All he had to do was follow them back and report what he saw. Once again, it was easier said than done, but it was better than another few days of searching by himself. Deciding the best plan was to follow them from the high ground, Kouzai immediately went to work scaling the cliff face of the plateau. He was traveling very light, just enough rations for a week of bare bones subsistence, and a handful of shinobi tools. He didn't even have his scythe with him since it would have been too hard to keep concealed as he moved around. The metal was just as likely to catch the sun and alert someone to his presence, so he just left it behind: if everything went south he could always just run away and try again the next night.

After reaching the top of the cliff, Kouzai raced after his targets, footsteps light and silent against the flat rocky surface. It didn't take long for him to catch up,the band was moving at a fairly slow pace. He peeked over the edge once to confirm their location, then ducked back over the rock. If he just had to track these people, he could do it by sound. And so the boy crept along the cliff above his targets, tracking their movement through the sound of footsteps of their idly conversation. It was a slow process to be sure, but it wasn't like there was a way to speed things up. Minutes soon turned to hours, the group passing the time by talking about this or that. From what he could gather, they had just finished raiding an outlying settlement a few hours before. They had seized as many supplies as they could, transferred them to another unit, and were currently on their way back. If the man named Naz was telling the truth, not a single soul had been left alive at the village. Occasionally they would let slip some information about their recent movements and Kouzai would take notes on his pad. As it was his primary job here, he also kept a tally of how many combatants the group had, the count currently holding at seven.

Eventually the group came to an opening in the rock face, the plateau opening up into a maze of canyons. They hung around the opening for a moment or two before turning into the labyrinth. Kouzai noted the location on a map he had with him and waited until it was clear to jump the gap to the other side of the canyon. He took note of each path they took, charting out the maze as he went. At one point the group crossed paths with another that was on their way out before stopping in a sizable chamber to take a break. Kouzai noted the ten people in the second group before taking up a position over looking their resting spot.

After about ten minutes, he had started to get bored of just waiting, so he flipped to another page in his sketchpad and started to draw what he could see. The leader of the company, the one named Gregor, looked like a viking of old, long red hair that streamed into a lengthy beard that was well kept despite the harsh environment of the desert. He even had a battle axe lashed to his back to complete the image. Kouzai wondered if he did it on purpose, or if that's just how things turned out. Though he wasn't great at portraits, he did his best to capture the man's likeness, sketching out the make-shift camp around them too. They had quite a decent haul for the size of their company, each man carrying a sizable satchel that were all currently stacked in a pile. He could see a bunch of provisions in one, another completely full of water stocks, and another stuffed full of various weaponry and ammunition. He could only assume these were left over from the village raid, whatever they couldn't pass off to the other group they'd met with.

As he paused to take a drink from his canteen, Kouzai noticed that one of the members was missing, he was only coming up with a count of six. As first he wondered if they were just standing under him, his perch was quite high up after all, or maybe they had gone off with the second group, though he hadn't noticed such a thing. As he pondered the situation, he suddenly became aware of someone's breathing behind him. "Why, what have we hear? I thought I smelled a rat, the guys will get a real kick out of this." His muscles tensed, frozen in spot for a moment before slowly turning around. Nas' lean figure loomed over him, his eyes full of glee as he raised a finger to his mouth, signaling the boy to keep quiet. He slinked closer, pike pointed at Kouzai's chest. The genin mentally cursed his carelessness, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender. Nas snickered under his breath, reaching out to pluck the sketchpad from the boy's hand. "How long have you been trailing us, little rat?" He just gave the man an icy stare, one eye peering out from beneath his bangs. Nas shrugged, flipping through the pad with an amused smile on his face. "Quite the artist aren't you? I can understand wanting to draw someone as glorious as myself, but you could have just asked you know. Either way, I think I'll be keeping this." He snapped it shut and made a gesture with his weapon. "Get up."

Kouzai did as instructed, slowly rising and taking a step forward so that he wouldn't be visible from below. "Move, you're going to get me a pretty penny when I give you to cleaver." He swept sideways with the point of the pike to punctuate his words. The boy just stared back, unmoving. Nas scowled. "I said move, we're going to go meet some new people." He held his ground, tilting his head to the side as if asking a question. Nas cocked an eyebrow at the gesture. "What, are you shy or something? I guess I can understand, I am quite the-" Kouzai took advantage of his hot air to suddenly strike out, one hand grabbing the haft of the man's spear as he stepped into his guard. He planted his elbow squarely on the man's solar plexus, knocking the wind out of him before shifting to an uppercut. As his fist connected with the man's chin, he sent a pulse of chakra through his arm, the force in his skin expanding out into a small gust of wind from his wrist. The wind expanded up through his skull, a bit of grey matter escaping as it cleared the cranium.

Kouzai held it there for a brief moment, lowering Nas to the ground before ripping his arm back violently. He glared down at the corpse, the blood stained blade had broken off and was lodged in place, freezing any blood in place before it could drain out. "Talk too much." Within the span of two seconds, the man's world had completely turned on him. Kouzai wondered if he had even seen it coming, though his attitude seemed to suggest the thought of failure had never even occurred to him. Regardless, Kouzai take his sketchbook back, setting it off to the side before he went to work stripping the man's cloak and bandanna. Whether he knew it or not, the snake had helped the shinobi out. He switched out his cloak for the one Nas had been wearing, cutting a bit off the bottom with a kunai to make sure it wouldn't trail along the ground. After tying the bandanna around his neck, he returned to his perch above the Chimera's camp and removed a tally from his notes. At least from a distance, he could pass as one of their number, something that would come in handy once they actually reached the camp.

As the group packed up and got ready to start moving again, Kouzai heard one of them ask about Nas. Gregor just kinda grumbled. "Probably slunk off somewhere, Honestly I couldn't care less. Come on, lets go."
Kouzai sprinted from cover, a glint of steel appearing in his hand an instant before he lashed out. This was his best chance, he had to take it. The kunai in his hand found its mark, digging into the flesh of his target's neck before the boy rolled backwards, carrying the fresh corpse with him to the ground. He pressed himself down flat as a bright light washed over him, continuing to pass by without incident. He let out a breath that he had been holding in, shifting the body behind the nearest rock before finally climbing back to his feet. The sky was dark, night having come just before the band he was tracking arrived at their main camp: a mass of tents and wagons set up in a great bowl shaped chamber in the center of the plateau.

The security had gotten much tighter as he made the final approach: guards stationed atop the cliff, regular patrols, and search lights that constantly scanned over the camp perimeter. Kouzai had been in hiding for nearly an hour, just waiting for a chance to take up a position. The timing was incredibly narrow, having to make it between all of the different moving parts. He eventually decided he wouldn't be able to get by without taking one of the guards out. So he waited until a shift change the timed his strike between the spotlight's search pattern. It had been a bit of a gamble, but it seemed to have paid off. He stood up straight as the spotlight washed past again, its path still uninterrupted. Because he'd stolen the bandit's clothes earlier, he could simply take the place of the guard he killed and no one would give him a second glance as long as he didn't make a scene.

Kouzai stood in place, waiting for the next searchlight pass before getting to work. He flipped out his book and immediately started taking down notes of what he saw. The camp was actually quite massive, much larger than originally estimated at least. Luckily for him, it was quite well lit even in the darkness, torches and other light sources scattered about. He counted 31 guards in total patrolling the outer wall and 10 more operating the lights. The camp itself consisted of upwards of thirty large tents and as many as seventy smaller ones. His eyes scanned back and forth over the tents, trying to take measure of how many people he could see. It was hard for him to keep track of all the movement, but he counted over a hundred, a bit worrying considering how many were probably out of sight.

He made a quick sketch of the camp layout, noting which tents the Chimeras were busy loading supplies and cargo inside of. The mess tent was easy to identify, but the weapon and ammunition stores took a bit longer. He traced patrol routes he could see, marking the light patterns as well. Soon enough his map was a cluttered mass of annotations and dotted lines, the boy trying to economize on his space as much as possible. As he was marking what he deduced to be the main sleeping quarters, he caught sight of something that seemed a bit out of place. While bandits had a tendency to kind of shamble about and generally act like commoners, Kouzai saw a very different sort of man. He carried himself like nobility, an almost regal air about him. He did not mingle with the others, but walk through them, everyone parting from his path the instant they noticed him. Even from as far away as he was, Kouzai could hear the man's voice, hard like steel and commanding in tone as he addressed those around him.

If ever there were to exist a king of bandits, the man was him. As the thought occurred to Kouzai, he flipped to the next page of his notebook and started drawing the man, sharp eyes trying to catch as much detail as possible. He was a man of stature, tall with a cleaned shaved head that had a pair of scars wrapping down from the top of his head to his right cheek. His features were hard, as if sculpted, including an rather impressive jawline. He wore light metal armor, plain in design but clearly well made. A broadsword was strapped to his back, the blade about three inches wide. Most importantly though, was the shinobi headband that was hung loosely around his neck. Kouzai couldn't make out what symbol was on it from where he stood, but the light that reflected off it revealed a deep groove down the center; the mark of a missing-nin. He might not of known wear the man was from, but someone at the village would. He flipped back through his notes before turning back to picture just after he finished, labeling it with the name he heard Nas use earlier. Cleaver.

Kouzai took another few minutes to grab whatever other information he could manage, his sketchbook more full of words than pictures at this point. As he closed the pad and slipped it into his vest, his gaze lingered on Cleaver for a bit longer. Something about the man seemed familiar to him, but he just couldn't put his finger on it. As the searchlight passed over him, he could have sworn the man's eyes found him, staring into his own for that briefest of moments. Cleaver lingered on the spot but by the next time the light came around, Kouzai was already gone. He had all the information he was going to get, and he didn't like what he had seen at all. Whoever the missing-nin was, he had gathered quite the host behind him, and the arsenal made it look like they were gearing up for war.
Kouzai dashed across the top of the plateau, slipping his camouflaged cloak on as he moved. He'd stopped by Nas' corpse on the way to swap out his disguise for the thing's he'd stashed away on the trip in. Since he had been studying the patrol paths for so long, slipping through the line on his way out was much easier than the infiltration had been. Now that he was out, there was no one to get in his way, just a shadow passing through the night. As he moved along, he wondered just how the village was going to deal with the veritable army he stumbled across. He guessed the best way to deal with it would probably be to try to assassinate the leader, this Cleaver. Bandits were bandits, and if no one was there to hold them together they'd likely just fall to pieces bickering with each other. There would probably be a new mission when posted after he made his report, though he definitely want to be the one to do it. Who ever tried to take down that man would likely have a hell of a fight on their hands.

As Kouzai reached the end of the plateau, he launched himself over the edge and into the sands below. A cloud of dust rose up around him, but he didn't stop moving, still going at full speed in an attempt to clear the area as fast as possible. After a few minutes of running, he began to slow down considerably, the exertion of trudging through the sand finally catching up with him. He slowed to a walk and used the stars above to adjust his path towards Sunagakure. As much as he would have liked to just go to bed, duty demanded he get back to the village with his information as soon as he could. Even still, the cold winds of the desert tore at him almost as if to deter his course. It was going to be a long walk home.

3528

Spoiler:

Starting his missions at the highest tower of Sunagakure, Kouzai gazed through the sandstorm, albeit difficult to see. He maneuvered his right hand to enter into his right flak pocket on his chest. He removed the mission scroll; taking another gander at it to decide his next course of action before returning the scroll to his pocket. He knelt over the top of the cylindrical building, which had many small windows plotted about it. He made sure the greenery wouldn’t disturb his line of sight; as he tried to remember any defining features of the man which attacked him. He was covered entirely, and only his blue eyes were apparent. The amount of shinobi with blue eyes was a stark realization. However he remembered the information that Sunagakure’s Hunter-nin had given him prior to receiving the mission. He ended up meeting with them about the corpse that he sent to the afterlife after an apparent attack on his clan’s character.

The Yuzuwari clan was a smaller clan without as much infamy as the Kazekage. The defining characteristic of the clan seemed to be the garb which they used to cover their entire heads. The hunter-nin was capable of designating that characteristic because no other clan in Sunagakure wore such garments. Plus Kouzai was able to remember that distinctly about him. They also wore their headbands on their shoulder’s rather than their heads. Peering over the ledge he was able to spot some shinobi who fit this exact description. The Kazekage ensured that they would be kept in the dark; the fact that they were now being investigated was kept a closely guarded secret. The Kazekage clan was already aware that something like this might take place. Other clan’s would be jealous of their return because their ancestors fought and died when the Kazekage clan attacked back then. There was likely to be discontent amongst some the village’s clans at the return of the Kazekage.

This would serve to boost the Kazekage clan’s loyalty to the Kazekage, and the new regime. Some still wished the village was the blood sandstorm. Kouzai thought them to be barbarians. No one should want the village to revert to such a state. There were many members which left the village, including the seven swordsmen of the sandstorm. There were no longer any members left, and the swords were still out in the world up for the picking.

Regarding the matter at hand Kouzai quickly formed hand seals; remembering the details of the shinobi he slaughtered, he used the academy transformation technique to transform into him. His usage of the technique was flawless, and he took on the exact appearance of the shinobi, even remembering the way he spoke. He scaled the building with his chakra, using a tiger seal as he walked down the building. His chakra was adhering him toward the building until he reached its base. He approached the group under his disguise. Without him having to speak a single word the group of three immediately welcomed him. “Mitomi, you’re back! Did you get that thing done?”

Kouzai thinking quickly spoke, “Yea that little peon was no match for me. He surprised me, but I took him out.”

“Good, your mission is complete then. We’ve been trying to get rid of that little shit forever,” Kouzai was annoyed on the inside, but he knew he needed to keep up his disguise. “Let’s go somewhere where we can talk Mitomi.”

“Alright,” Kouzai replied.
Following along with the group, Kouzai tried to remain kosher under his disguise; as he didn’t want to attract any unnecessary attention, but he had to keep a sense of normalcy about his being. For the most part, he wanted the three of them to do the most talking, so he could pick out bits of information as they spoke to enhance his cover. They seemed to be completely fooled into thinking Kouzai was their lost clan mate. In fact, the person known as Mitomi was now deceased. As they continued with their small talk Kouzai noted the names of each one in the group. They were named Raza, Kiso, and Tyko Yuzuwari. After having gained this insight, Kouzai disguised as Mitomi, found their way back to the Yuzuwari clan’s hideout. Their hideout was located at a small den on the outskirts of the village. Kouzai simply followed their lead, and waited for them to say something about how quiet Mitomi was being. Based on their reactions this guy was always the quiet type because they didn’t show any sign that something was out of the ordinary with him. They all seemed to hate the Kazekage clan, and it became more apparent as they sat around a round table with their parents sitting at either end. The father spoke from the far end of the table, almost hiding in the shadows. This made Kouzai a bit nervous but luckily for him none of these were high level ninja. Their parents were just Chunin, and thus Kouzai’s flawless disguise allowed him to fit right in without alerting them.

The father spoke, “So Mitomi did you execute your part of the plan?”

“Yes sir,” Kouzai spoke. He knew this was the father based on the how often the other brothers and sisters spoke about him. They even called him father in his presence. Kouzai was shocked how nonchalant these people were, and there only seemed to be a handful of them in the clan. “Good Mitomi, I knew you had it in you. Our mission is to defame that god forsaken Kazekage. I didn’t tell you this before but; I sent you on that mission for a reason. Our ancestors once fought against them, and they seem to think bygones will just be bygones. With that little shit Kouzai gone they’ll never know what hit them!”

“Why didn’t you kill him yourself father?” Kouzai replied. “It’s far too dangerous for the mastermind to go out on the attack. Our mission isn’t finished,” he laid out a document on the table, “this is our mission.” Kouzai hoisted up the piece of paper, and quickly crafted a reason for him to keep it. “Since I completed my mission, don’t you think I should hold on to this father?”

“Go ahead Mitomi, you’ve earned it.”
After accepting the document, Kouzai under his disguise rose from the table, “I’m gonna head out guys. Catch you all later.”

He easily slipped from the table following a nod from the rest of the members seated inside the cavern. Receiving the document was indeed his signal to take his leave as he began to feel a bit awkward at how easy it was to fool them. But he knew he had made it out avoiding suspicion. Forming a hand sign as he left the entrance to the Yuzuwari’s hideout; he created a apprentiance having his transformed appearance. The task of the apprentiance would be to observe the hideout so he could keep multiple tabs on those entering and exiting. He knew Mitomi’s siblings wouldn’t be far behind, and he would use the apprentiance of himself transformed to keep better track of them from another vantage point. Finding a tall ledge with a vantage point that targeted the exit of the place Kouzai moved his actual body. Using his chakra to adhere toward the ridge he scaled it upwards until he felt comfortable. Using another transformation via a single hand sign he became part of the ridge himself. His apprentiance did so likewise but as a bush just outside the cavern.

He waited until a member of the Yuzuwari exited the den, and he would follow them keeping his distance; and this time under a new disguise. He transformed himself into an average looking shinobi as he tracked behind Raza Yuzuwari. The other’s never seemed to leave their hideout so Kouzai wanted to see what he was up to. He left his apprentiance back where it was as his actual body continued to track this member’s movements. From Kouzai’s transformed eyes Raza seemed rather docile. What he was doing was nothing out of the ordinary for a Sunagakure shinobi. He simply ventured from place to place until he ended up at the library. He was likely trying to verify that Mitomi had fulfilled his part of the mission. Kouzai didn’t have time to view the document he just studied this shinobi’s movements. Once Raza was in the library Kouzai felt it prudent to change his disguise before he entered. This time he took on the appearance of a school teacher. Inside it seemed Raza didn’t have a specific purpose. He just meandered around as though he was searching for something. That something was tracking him at this moment.
Time meandered forward and Kouzai was beginning to drift off as a grabbed a book from the shelf. He was still secretly watching his target without flaw as he seemed to search the library up and down. Kouzai knew that he was looking for him because this was his favorite spot, and unknowingly to Raza he was actually in this place. Kouzai closed the book whilst still under his disguise as Raza headed towards the exit of the building. Kouzai would do another transformation before following him outside the building. He ensured that the document was carefully tucked away in his Sunagakure flak jacket. He managed to place his right arm into his pocket just to ensure that it was tucked away safe and sound. Then he proceeded toward the exit under his new guise.

He soon exited the building making sure his target was still within his sight. His apprentice had done the same leaving his perch outside the cave and meandering as a normal citizen amongst the ground of Sunagakure folk. His real body followed Raza as he moved back toward the den from which he came. Kouzai transformed back into Mitomi but he would not enter the cave. Instead he intercepted him as Mitomi before he reached the cave. “Hey Raza what ya up to?”

“Oh nothing, just making sure that Kazekage is actually dead. I didn’t see him at the library so I was going to confirm that with Dad.”

“Oh well I guess I’m gonna go find me something to eat,” Kouzai disguised as the Shinobi Mitomi took off in the opposite direction. His apprentice had made it back in enough time to transform into the bush. He watched as Raza entered the den, revealing his disguise, he followed behind the shinobi Raza silently as to not attract any attention. He transformed again into an ornament; disguising himself as some of the decoration inside the den. Since it was a shadow and not the real Kouzai, he mitigated the risk if he were ever found out. But apparently these people were truly idiots.
Kouzai’s clone was keen on listening in on any other information the Yuzuwari had to reveal, but things seemed to simmer down a bit. It appeared as though everything was in writing and the document was the key to their whole plan. Without it they seemed to be lost. The Yuzuwari’s confidence that the Mitomi could kill the Kazekage was superficial at best. It must have amazed them to think he could kill such an opponent. The fact that they had Raza go out to confirm only made things that much better.

On the cliff outside where Kouzai had the greatest vantage point it was getting late. They sky had darkened and the sandstorms were settling stagnant. He would conclude his mission; the apprentice bursting into white smoke as the Yuzuwari slept in their den. His mission was accomplished, and there was nothing left for the Kazekage to do but to collect his reward.

The information returned by his clone granted him nothing new. It was just a precaution, and a way to syphon more intelligence. He tracked the Yuzuwari all throughout the day; unravelling their silly little plan against the Kazekage. He would return the document to the Sunagakure hunter-nin and allow them to handle the situation from there forward. He even notified the Kazekage of the accomplishment of his mission. Now he would have free time to do whatever he wanted.
[2038]

Spoiler:

Spoiler:
Spying on Muraders

The sand around Kouzai shifted as he crawled forward, his body half covered by the loose grains. He held his breath, not daring to make a sound as a group of six or so men came around a large outcropping of rock and into view. They had appeared so suddenly, barely giving the boy enough time to hit the dirt before they were upon him. As stealthily as he could, he shifted into the shadow of a nearby rock and adjusted his hood to hide his face. He couldn't afford to be spotted, not now. So he lay completely still in the sand, wrapped in a cloak different than his usual attire. This one was designed as camouflage, colored the same as the dunes around him with the outside covered by a thin layer of sand. Sure it was heavier than normal, but its effectiveness could not be questioned. He peered out of a tiny gap between the fabric of his hood and the sand, vision slightly warped by a pair of goggles that he wore to protect his eyes in the desert.

He counted six men, all armed with various forms of weaponry: some had swords, one had an axe, one was completely covered with knives, and another just had a pair of bulky gauntlets covering his fists. The most important detail to him however, was the red bandannas that they all wore somewhere on there bodies. He watched as the dawdled about for a minute or two, a seventh man joining the rest. He had messy black hair and a pike strapped to his back, the others seemed to greet him with disdain. "What are you doing here? " As the man turned Kouzai could see his eyes were sharp, brown orbs that seemed to have constant motion. He could tell from a glance that the man was schemer, the fact that he couldn't hide it a testament to either inexperience or ego. He reminded Kouzai of a snake. When he responded to the man, his voice held a higher mocking tone to it. "Me? Why I'm here to make sure you lot don't make a disgrace of us. I happened to be nearby when you made a visit into the village back there." The man shook his head and clicked his tongue. "I must say, sloppy job. You left a few alive." The rest of the men visibly tensed as he spoke.

"Its a good thing I was there to clean up after you, isn't it? You should be praising me honestly, but luckily I'm above all that. You're gratitude is enough for me." The man who had spoken up first just shook his head and started walking again/ "You still talk too much, Nas, and I still don't like you." Kouzai tensed slightly as the group moved towards him, Nas standing in place for a moment with his arms out before following. "Oh, you wound me Gregor. What would Cleaver say if he knew you were treating the man that fixed your mistakes with such disdain." The lead man kept moving, passing within a few feet of where the genin lay. "He'd tell me to deal with our 'work place disturbances' in the normal fashion. Is that a place you want to go Nas?" There was no answer from the other man. "...Yeah, I didn't think so. Lets get moving, we've got alot of ground to cover to get back to base by nightfall."

Lucky for Kouzai, it seemed that the exchange had distracted them enough that they hadn't noticed him. The group kept moving past him and along the edge of the great rock plateau that rose out of the desert to his side. The boy lay motionless until they had disappeared around the edge of the rock face, finally letting himself breath normally as he climbed back to his feet. The bandannas identified the group as members of the Chimeras, a group of raiders that had been becoming more active as of late: his targets. The village council had retrieved a tip that the Chimeras were gearing up for some sort of large scale operation, one that might even target Sunagakure itself. His job wasn't to deal with them, just to act as a scout and learn whatever he could about their movements, to confirm or disprove the information that was given to the village. Kouzai had been combing the desert for three days before he finally happened upon them, as close of a call as it might have been. He was told that stealth was paramount in this mission. If the group had spotted him, he would have had to try to kill them all and start over from scratch, which was easier said than done because of the fairly large number of missing-nin the Chimeras had among their ranks.

Still, it seemed luck was on his side, not only had he avoided detection, but had also found a party that was heading back to their headquarters. All he had to do was follow them back and report what he saw. Once again, it was easier said than done, but it was better than another few days of searching by himself. Deciding the best plan was to follow them from the high ground, Kouzai immediately went to work scaling the cliff face of the plateau. He was traveling very light, just enough rations for a week of bare bones subsistence, and a handful of shinobi tools. He didn't even have his scythe with him since it would have been too hard to keep concealed as he moved around. The metal was just as likely to catch the sun and alert someone to his presence, so he just left it behind: if everything went south he could always just run away and try again the next night.

After reaching the top of the cliff, Kouzai raced after his targets, footsteps light and silent against the flat rocky surface. It didn't take long for him to catch up,the band was moving at a fairly slow pace. He peeked over the edge once to confirm their location, then ducked back over the rock. If he just had to track these people, he could do it by sound. And so the boy crept along the cliff above his targets, tracking their movement through the sound of footsteps of their idly conversation. It was a slow process to be sure, but it wasn't like there was a way to speed things up. Minutes soon turned to hours, the group passing the time by talking about this or that. From what he could gather, they had just finished raiding an outlying settlement a few hours before. They had seized as many supplies as they could, transferred them to another unit, and were currently on their way back. If the man named Naz was telling the truth, not a single soul had been left alive at the village. Occasionally they would let slip some information about their recent movements and Kouzai would take notes on his pad. As it was his primary job here, he also kept a tally of how many combatants the group had, the count currently holding at seven.

Eventually the group came to an opening in the rock face, the plateau opening up into a maze of canyons. They hung around the opening for a moment or two before turning into the labyrinth. Kouzai noted the location on a map he had with him and waited until it was clear to jump the gap to the other side of the canyon. He took note of each path they took, charting out the maze as he went. At one point the group crossed paths with another that was on their way out before stopping in a sizable chamber to take a break. Kouzai noted the ten people in the second group before taking up a position over looking their resting spot.

After about ten minutes, he had started to get bored of just waiting, so he flipped to another page in his sketchpad and started to draw what he could see. The leader of the company, the one named Gregor, looked like a viking of old, long red hair that streamed into a lengthy beard that was well kept despite the harsh environment of the desert. He even had a battle axe lashed to his back to complete the image. Kouzai wondered if he did it on purpose, or if that's just how things turned out. Though he wasn't great at portraits, he did his best to capture the man's likeness, sketching out the make-shift camp around them too. They had quite a decent haul for the size of their company, each man carrying a sizable satchel that were all currently stacked in a pile. He could see a bunch of provisions in one, another completely full of water stocks, and another stuffed full of various weaponry and ammunition. He could only assume these were left over from the village raid, whatever they couldn't pass off to the other group they'd met with.

As he paused to take a drink from his canteen, Kouzai noticed that one of the members was missing, he was only coming up with a count of six. As first he wondered if they were just standing under him, his perch was quite high up after all, or maybe they had gone off with the second group, though he hadn't noticed such a thing. As he pondered the situation, he suddenly became aware of someone's breathing behind him. "Why, what have we hear? I thought I smelled a rat, the guys will get a real kick out of this." His muscles tensed, frozen in spot for a moment before slowly turning around. Nas' lean figure loomed over him, his eyes full of glee as he raised a finger to his mouth, signaling the boy to keep quiet. He slinked closer, pike pointed at Kouzai's chest. The genin mentally cursed his carelessness, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender. Nas snickered under his breath, reaching out to pluck the sketchpad from the boy's hand. "How long have you been trailing us, little rat?" He just gave the man an icy stare, one eye peering out from beneath his bangs. Nas shrugged, flipping through the pad with an amused smile on his face. "Quite the artist aren't you? I can understand wanting to draw someone as glorious as myself, but you could have just asked you know. Either way, I think I'll be keeping this." He snapped it shut and made a gesture with his weapon. "Get up."

Kouzai did as instructed, slowly rising and taking a step forward so that he wouldn't be visible from below. "Move, you're going to get me a pretty penny when I give you to cleaver." He swept sideways with the point of the pike to punctuate his words. The boy just stared back, unmoving. Nas scowled. "I said move, we're going to go meet some new people." He held his ground, tilting his head to the side as if asking a question. Nas cocked an eyebrow at the gesture. "What, are you shy or something? I guess I can understand, I am quite the-" Kouzai took advantage of his hot air to suddenly strike out, one hand grabbing the haft of the man's spear as he stepped into his guard. He planted his elbow squarely on the man's solar plexus, knocking the wind out of him before shifting to an uppercut. As his fist connected with the man's chin, he sent a pulse of chakra through his arm, the force in his skin expanding out into a small gust of wind from his wrist. The wind expanded up through his skull, a bit of grey matter escaping as it cleared the cranium.

Kouzai held it there for a brief moment, lowering Nas to the ground before ripping his arm back violently. He glared down at the corpse, the blood stained blade had broken off and was lodged in place, freezing any blood in place before it could drain out. "Talk too much." Within the span of two seconds, the man's world had completely turned on him. Kouzai wondered if he had even seen it coming, though his attitude seemed to suggest the thought of failure had never even occurred to him. Regardless, Kouzai take his sketchbook back, setting it off to the side before he went to work stripping the man's cloak and bandanna. Whether he knew it or not, the snake had helped the shinobi out. He switched out his cloak for the one Nas had been wearing, cutting a bit off the bottom with a kunai to make sure it wouldn't trail along the ground. After tying the bandanna around his neck, he returned to his perch above the Chimera's camp and removed a tally from his notes. At least from a distance, he could pass as one of their number, something that would come in handy once they actually reached the camp.

As the group packed up and got ready to start moving again, Kouzai heard one of them ask about Nas. Gregor just kinda grumbled. "Probably slunk off somewhere, Honestly I couldn't care less. Come on, lets go."
Kouzai sprinted from cover, a glint of steel appearing in his hand an instant before he lashed out. This was his best chance, he had to take it. The kunai in his hand found its mark, digging into the flesh of his target's neck before the boy rolled backwards, carrying the fresh corpse with him to the ground. He pressed himself down flat as a bright light washed over him, continuing to pass by without incident. He let out a breath that he had been holding in, shifting the body behind the nearest rock before finally climbing back to his feet. The sky was dark, night having come just before the band he was tracking arrived at their main camp: a mass of tents and wagons set up in a great bowl shaped chamber in the center of the plateau.

The security had gotten much tighter as he made the final approach: guards stationed atop the cliff, regular patrols, and search lights that constantly scanned over the camp perimeter. Kouzai had been in hiding for nearly an hour, just waiting for a chance to take up a position. The timing was incredibly narrow, having to make it between all of the different moving parts. He eventually decided he wouldn't be able to get by without taking one of the guards out. So he waited until a shift change the timed his strike between the spotlight's search pattern. It had been a bit of a gamble, but it seemed to have paid off. He stood up straight as the spotlight washed past again, its path still uninterrupted. Because he'd stolen the bandit's clothes earlier, he could simply take the place of the guard he killed and no one would give him a second glance as long as he didn't make a scene.

Kouzai stood in place, waiting for the next searchlight pass before getting to work. He flipped out his book and immediately started taking down notes of what he saw. The camp was actually quite massive, much larger than originally estimated at least. Luckily for him, it was quite well lit even in the darkness, torches and other light sources scattered about. He counted 31 guards in total patrolling the outer wall and 10 more operating the lights. The camp itself consisted of upwards of thirty large tents and as many as seventy smaller ones. His eyes scanned back and forth over the tents, trying to take measure of how many people he could see. It was hard for him to keep track of all the movement, but he counted over a hundred, a bit worrying considering how many were probably out of sight.

He made a quick sketch of the camp layout, noting which tents the Chimeras were busy loading supplies and cargo inside of. The mess tent was easy to identify, but the weapon and ammunition stores took a bit longer. He traced patrol routes he could see, marking the light patterns as well. Soon enough his map was a cluttered mass of annotations and dotted lines, the boy trying to economize on his space as much as possible. As he was marking what he deduced to be the main sleeping quarters, he caught sight of something that seemed a bit out of place. While bandits had a tendency to kind of shamble about and generally act like commoners, Kouzai saw a very different sort of man. He carried himself like nobility, an almost regal air about him. He did not mingle with the others, but walk through them, everyone parting from his path the instant they noticed him. Even from as far away as he was, Kouzai could hear the man's voice, hard like steel and commanding in tone as he addressed those around him.

If ever there were to exist a king of bandits, the man was him. As the thought occurred to Kouzai, he flipped to the next page of his notebook and started drawing the man, sharp eyes trying to catch as much detail as possible. He was a man of stature, tall with a cleaned shaved head that had a pair of scars wrapping down from the top of his head to his right cheek. His features were hard, as if sculpted, including an rather impressive jawline. He wore light metal armor, plain in design but clearly well made. A broadsword was strapped to his back, the blade about three inches wide. Most importantly though, was the shinobi headband that was hung loosely around his neck. Kouzai couldn't make out what symbol was on it from where he stood, but the light that reflected off it revealed a deep groove down the center; the mark of a missing-nin. He might not of known wear the man was from, but someone at the village would. He flipped back through his notes before turning back to picture just after he finished, labeling it with the name he heard Nas use earlier. Cleaver.

Kouzai took another few minutes to grab whatever other information he could manage, his sketchbook more full of words than pictures at this point. As he closed the pad and slipped it into his vest, his gaze lingered on Cleaver for a bit longer. Something about the man seemed familiar to him, but he just couldn't put his finger on it. As the searchlight passed over him, he could have sworn the man's eyes found him, staring into his own for that briefest of moments. Cleaver lingered on the spot but by the next time the light came around, Kouzai was already gone. He had all the information he was going to get, and he didn't like what he had seen at all. Whoever the missing-nin was, he had gathered quite the host behind him, and the arsenal made it look like they were gearing up for war.
Kouzai dashed across the top of the plateau, slipping his camouflaged cloak on as he moved. He'd stopped by Nas' corpse on the way to swap out his disguise for the thing's he'd stashed away on the trip in. Since he had been studying the patrol paths for so long, slipping through the line on his way out was much easier than the infiltration had been. Now that he was out, there was no one to get in his way, just a shadow passing through the night. As he moved along, he wondered just how the village was going to deal with the veritable army he stumbled across. He guessed the best way to deal with it would probably be to try to assassinate the leader, this Cleaver. Bandits were bandits, and if no one was there to hold them together they'd likely just fall to pieces bickering with each other. There would probably be a new mission when posted after he made his report, though he definitely want to be the one to do it. Who ever tried to take down that man would likely have a hell of a fight on their hands.

As Kouzai reached the end of the plateau, he launched himself over the edge and into the sands below. A cloud of dust rose up around him, but he didn't stop moving, still going at full speed in an attempt to clear the area as fast as possible. After a few minutes of running, he began to slow down considerably, the exertion of trudging through the sand finally catching up with him. He slowed to a walk and used the stars above to adjust his path towards Sunagakure. As much as he would have liked to just go to bed, duty demanded he get back to the village with his information as soon as he could. Even still, the cold winds of the desert tore at him almost as if to deter his course. It was going to be a long walk home.

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Kouzai sat in the shadow of Sunagakure's market street, wrapped in his cloak as he cradled an acoustic guitar in his lap. His deft fingers danced across the neck of the instrument as he plucked away a flamenco-style melody. It was around mid day and his notes were permeating through the small crowd that moved up and down the street. Every now and then someone would pass close by and toss a few coins his way, forming a scattered pile at his side. At first he'd been a bit surprised by the gesture, he didn't have anything set out to make it look like he was begging but people just kinda assumed it when they saw him sitting on the curb. Having been sitting out for over an hour now, he didn't pay them any mind though, just letting the money accumulate around him without a thought.

In this case, the charity of Suna's people was still helping him though, it made him seem less out of place. He wasn't there for money, he was there for a job. The merchants of the city had submitted some complaints about a small band of people that were trying to extort money from them. To his understanding they weren't exactly very good at it, but it was probably for the best to take care of them before they figured out how the game worked. His job here was simple, he just had to... convince them to give it up. And that brought him to his current situation. Even as he continued to play, his cold gaze kept shifting around, looking for any sign of his targets. The reports said that they never tried anything when they saw a shinobi nearby, so he had decided to try to hide in plain sight. No one ever paid beggars any mind if they didn't have coin to give.
As time went on, the crowds began to thin out and Kouzai shifted into a more sombre tune that Ivan had taught him back at the Sandpit. Apparently it was a song about a man who returned home after a war to find it destroyed, a sad story that tended to evoke powerful imagery when performed properly. There were lyrics that went with it, but the boy had a hard enough time finding his voice for normal conversation, singing was a bit beyond him for now. Besides, he liked the guitar melody just fine on its own. Nearing the end of the song, he noticed a group of four people turn onto the market street, glancing about suspiciously as they walked down towards one of the stalls. As he hoped, they passed him right by, not even offering a second glance as he kept playing. His cold blue eyes leveled on the group, letting his fingers keep working purely on muscle memory through the last few phrases.

They approached a stall a little ways down the street, a merchant that was busy starting to pack some of his goods away for the day. Kouzai had gathered that the man was selling some metal crafts; bracelets, chains, and such. The merchant was in the middle of hefting a box onto the top of a cart when the youths sidled up to his stall. When the man turned around and saw them his expression immediately changed to one of exasperation. "Oh great, not you lot again. Can't you see I'm busy here? Go bugger off will you?" The apparent leader of the group slipped behind the counter and stared the man down. "Oh I don't think so, we're serious this time. You made us look like fools last time, but now we're going to get what's owed to us." The merchant didn't seem at all phased by the threat, turning away to load another box into his cart. "Last time you brats ran off with your tails tucked between your legs as soon as a chuunin came 'round the corner. Why should I think this time will be any different?"

"Because, like I said, this time we're serious." The leader made a gesture with his head towards one of the others. The man in question reached out for one of the merchant's displays and gave a forceful tug, ripping it from its stand and throwing the goods out across the sand. Kouzai plucked his final note just after the clash rang out down the street, drawing it out for a moment before setting his guitar aside. There was no longer any shadow of a doubt that these were his targets, which meant it was time to get to work. The merchant's expression shifted more towards anger than any sort of fear. "Well great, I hope you know you'll be paying for all of those now." One of the three on the other side of the stall chuckled at his response. "No, you'll be paying us. Don't you get it? Look around, do you see anyone coming to help this time? You're going to give us what we came for."

Kouzai chose that moment to tap on the kid's shoulder, amused slightly at his poor choice of words. "Huh?" He spun around to see the boys emotionless visage gazing up at him, pausing in confusion just long enough for Kouzai to throw a kick into the side of the man's head. The hard impact sent him spinning back through the air, landing face down in the sand a few feet away. The other three all turned to face him, just as surprised as the other had been about his sudden appearance. The leader stepped back around the cart, an indignant look in his eyes. "Who the hell are you?" Kouzai just shrugged, gazing out from beneath his hood. His headband was hidden beneath the thick fabric, so there was nothing to immediately identify him as a shinobi.

The kid continued to approach until he was just a foot or two away, looking down at Kouzai's blank face with fire in his eyes. The man he'd hit was already scrambling to his feet, his cheek slightly swollen. "You know what? I don't care. Do you really think you can just walk over here and hit one of my friends? Allow me to return the favor." The leader reared back and threw a punch at him, but to Kouzai's eyes it was so horribly telegraphed that it could barely be called a threat. He shifted to the side just enough to clear the boy's fist then threw a jab into the center of his face before grabbing his extended arm and throwing him into the center of the street. The boy managed to stop himself from falling, but as he spun around he revealed a fresh stream of blood that was trickling down his face from his nose. "What the hell are you lot doing? Get him!"

Kouzai's nearest foe made a rush at him, but the shinobi diverted the strike in a similar fashion to the previous one, throwing the boy into his leader with little difficulty. As the two tumbled to the ground in a heap, his two remaining foes drew knives from their pockets and advanced at the same time. Though they were armed, they seemed to air much more on the side of caution than their comrades. After they closed the distance, they struck out one at a time with their weapons in an attempt to keep the genin on the defensive. It was a perfectly fine tactic, but they still didn't really have much training. Kouzai danced around their blades, purposefully leading them away from the merchant's stall while he bought some time until one of them made a mistake. One of the pair hesitated for a moment after the other finished a strike, leaving his friend open just long enough for him to take advantage of. Kouzai ripped off his cloak and threw it at the boy who had hesitated before shifting to the other. He grabbed the boy by the wrist and twisted violently as he stepped in closer. He hyper-extended the boy's arm before dropping an elbow directly onto the joint. A sickening crack filled the air as the arm bent back at an unnatural angle, the boy collapsing to the ground as he let out a pained scream.

Kouzai kicked the knife he dropped to the other side of the street then moved in on the kid who was struggling to get free of his cloak. He grabbed hold of the fabric and pulled it away, coming face to face with the boy with the swollen cheek. He locked eyes for just a moment before swinging forward and headbutting him directly in the face. As he stumbled back, clutching at his head, Kouzai had a brief moment of rest. Without his cloak on, his pale, scarred skin was exposed to the harsh sunlight. He immediately noted how uncomfortable it felt, but hoped that this wouldn't last long enough for it to be an issue. As the first two untangled from each other and climbed back to their feet, the leader took note of the headband that Kouzai had tied around his arm. He could see the conflict in the boy's eyes, weighing his own safety with that of his pride. As he looked to the whimpering boy at Kouzai's side, it seemed his self preservation was winning out. "Shit, run!"

A thin smile cracked through Kouzai's usual mask as the three that were still standing started to run. His job wasn't to chase them off, it was to make sure they gave up, so he wasn't allowed to just let them run off. Before they made it ten feet, he'd channeled a mass of chakra to his sword and swung. Unaccustomed to such a swift attack and running as fast as he could, the leader of the group lost his legs and fell face-first onto the ground. Another soon joined him, but the third had managed to stay upright by slowing to a crawl.

The shinobi wasted no time in putting the implement to work, lashing out at the last man standing. The chain tore through the air before it found the boy's leg, wrapping his foot in its cold embrace. Kouzai delivered a kick against his target's momentum, striking him hard in the face for the third and final time. The impact spun him about on the frictionless surface, eventually bringing him to rest against the wall of a building, out cold. They were just starting to regain their balance when he reached them, the sun casting his shadow over the pair despite his small stature.

With panic in his eyes, the leader of the group did the only thing he could think of and rushed him. Though it was just as obvious as before, the genin didn't try to dodge this time, his smile widening just before the boy's fist made contact. He was engulfed in a cloud of smoke at the moment of impact, the attack striking a form in the center of the smokescreen. It took a moment for the dust to clear, but when it did Kouzai was still standing there, or at least he appeared to be. The leader of the kids bit into his lip, tears forming at the edges of his eyes at the pain that shot through his arm. He imagined the boy felt like he'd just punched a concrete wall right about now, recalling how much it hurt when the clone had punched him during his training.

The boy stood frozen in place for a few more seconds until his resolve finally gave out, crumpling back to the ground as he clutched at his hand. The kid beside him decided to try to make a break for it again, but Kouzai would have none of that. He lashed out with his chain from the rooftops, rebounding it against the ground so that it wrapped around his target's torso and pinned down his arms. After using his chakra to direct it around several times, he hopped over the edge of the building and hooked the chain over a flagpole on his way down. Using the pole as a fulcrum, his momentum lifted the boy into the air, dangling him several feet above the ground. The bound youth continued to shout and struggle, but he ignored it, turning instead to the one that had been leading the band.

He knelt down to eye level, the boy still cradling his injured hand. Kouzai doubted that it was broken, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt like hell. His spirit broken, the kid just stared at him, a mixture of anger, fear, and indignation in his eyes. The genin answered back with his normal hard gaze. "Done?"

"What the hell does it look like?" The boy spit back, gesturing to his injuries. Kouzai shook his head.

"Not that. Done bothering people?"

"Why the hell does it even matter? Even if I did its not like anyone takes me seriously."

"It's dangerous."

"Like you even care! Look what you did to us, why should I think you're the least bit concerned?"

Kouzai's eyes hardened. He made sure he had the boy's undivided attention, a pulse of chakra producing a gust of wind from his wrist that he put to the kid's neck. He stared directly into his eyes, almost as if daring him to try to look away. "I could kill you." He let the words hang in the air for what felt like a short eternity before the blade withdrew back into his arm. "I didn't, You're lucky. Understand?" The boy didn't respond, simply nodding his head up and down several times. Kouzai stood back up and turned away, walking back towards the merchant that the boys had accosted. "Good. Go to sleep."

"...but-"

He went over to retrieve his guitar and strapped it to his back before gathering up all the coins that were laying around. After stopping to throw his cloak back on, he returned to the metal merchant, who looked on with a slightly concerned expression.

"All done."

"Yes, I can see that... you might have overdone it a little, but I guess the message is more likely to stick this way... so... good work?" Kouzai shrugged then tossed the man the sack of coins he had collected. "Cover losses, right?" The man didn't seem to understand his meaning, so he made a gesture towards the crafts that had been scattered across the sands. "Oh, right. Why thank you, that's rather generous. Feel free to take anything you like." He cocked his head to the side for a moment then nodded, turning to the displays that were still left out. His eyes scanned across them until he found something he liked, a round pendant stylized with a drawing of a white wolf. "That one." He pointed it out to the merchant, who opened up the case and retrieved it for him. "Ah yes, a fine pick. Here you are." Kouzai took the pendant and immediately put it on before giving the man a quick bow and starting down the street. The post wasn't far so his clone was on its third trip. He figured he might as well help out, grabbing the last unconscious kid and dragging him down to the guard post to report a job done.

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Kouzai intent to help his village was, well a little lack luster. Several of the missions on the board, were rather drab and boring. He decided the best job would be, ironically guard duty. He had hoped he could slip away and possibly take a nap somewhere, or doze off in a tree. Except, well Suna was hot, being a desert and all, but the heat was almost unbearable at times. People here drank tea during the day to keep cool. Guard duty in the middle of the day, no thank you. But a job was a job, no matter what, even one such as this.
Approaching the guard house, Kouzai introduced himself to the Guard Captain, a gruff man, who really was more ninja than anything. He used words like “jib” and “yall” perhaps he was from another part of Suna. Being a Samurai, Kouzai was however, at a disadvantage, since he could use or utilize Ninjutsu in such a way, he was given the gate guard duty. Standing in front of the entrance to Sunagakure, trying to look like well, trying to look menacing, however he was failing. It was the middle of the day, hot as all hell; well hell might be a relief from this unrelenting heat. The ground was white and cracked; all the water has evaporated leaving just salt and some sand. No one was coming during this time, an hour or two passed and Kouzai was already dopey eyed. He tried leaning against the wall, but it burned him something fierce. How the heck did Ninja stand for this? Kouzai must have nodded off at least 3 times during the next few hours, not a single person, his face sunburned, his hands and arms, sunburned, but the worst of all was the back of his neck. As he stood, it felt like the sun hadn’t even moved. When suddenly someone tapped him on his shoulder, he jumped, startled by it all. Turning around, he saw another pair of guards, ready to take his position. They chuckled a bit, making some references to pathetic Samurai and their ilk. Kouzai’s next assignment was to patrol Sunagakure. Patrol, in the middle of the day, who would be so brazen enough as to steal in the middle of the day. In fact, who would be so brazen enough to do anything in the middle of the day? His head hung low, he was mentally tired, from the sun beating down on him, unrelenting for around 6 hours or so, now he was going to walk around. There was no hustle or bustle of Sunagakure, just dead, a few people sitting in some small shops drinking tea, freaking hot tea in the middle of the day, at 500 degrees or whatever bloody temperature was reasonable for Sunagakure during this time of year. His footsteps became dogged; there was a group in front of him, a total of 6 of them walked around the streets. The 5 kept talking, laughing and generally just not paying attention. Not that Kouzai paid much attention; he mainly looked at the ground and tried to count the blisters on his feet. The sun had started to go down, he was almost begging for the sweet relief of nightfall. The streets grew busier, shops opened back up, people began their nightly routines. It was an interesting sight all in all; they each had their own ritual. Some put the canvas up first, others wash the stands first, some even prayed first. Kouzai tried to find it interesting, but his eyes kept darting to chairs, benches and even some old couches people left out. The sun reached the horizon, and it was time to say goodbye, and good night. The little patrol made its way back to the barracks; Kouzai gave a small report, to which the guard captain just laughed. Calling him lazy good for nothing, but he got paid, and being paid was quite nice. Kouzai took a quick shower in the barracks and then left for the leaving. A fist full of cash, he somehow felt more energized. Returning home for the night, tomorrow was a new day.

Spoiler:

The clang of metal on metal rang through the night air, as Kouzai was slowly pounding on and on on his anvil. It was hard, being out in in foreign lands, desperate to make ends meet. Long nights, and cool mornings make it extremely difficult. He wasn't crafting anything in particular, just making sure his tools were as straight as possible. It helped him relax and get a good night sleep. His eye's grew a bit heavy and he stepped back, leaving down on the warm bench, warmed from the last lingers of the furnace. His breath grew slower, he started nodding off, it must have been around 11 pm, as the sounds of the city had all but faded. At first the neighbors complained about his clanging and banging around at night. They had eventually grown used to it, and some even complimented him and said it helped them fall asleep. It must have been roughly 1 am when the last embers were dying out, with a sudden clash. It sounded exactly like metal pipes and pieces falling to the floor from his shelf.  With a sudden jump, Kouzai reached for a sword that wasn't by his side. He never had his swords by his side when he was working the forge. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw what appeared to be someone no older than him, snatch something from the middle shelf, tanto's and butcher knives, also bolts and some left over scrapes. Fumbling, still half asleep, Kouzai nearly tripped over his apron, he was using it as a blanket. Grabbing his trusty weapons, he fumbled once again, kicking the apron to the side.

The little thief, noticing at the weary shop-keep was up and at-um, started to move out from the shelves and did a small dance around the anvil. Kouzai, coming up to the anvil, also did that little dance, trying to keep the theif in the shop. "Hey, what are you doing. Get the heck out of here. AND PUT THAT BACK" Kouzai wasn't really thinking clearly, this was the first time he's ever been robbed. The thief took off down the street, Kouzai barely made it out of the shop, before the boy was half way down the street. "WHY YOU LITTLE BASTARD", he yelled, taking off after him. It wasn't so much being robbed, but that little prick was so dam fast.

Kouzai wasn't going to let this punk beat him, Kouzai was out in a flash, his sort sword like lightning as he was in stride with the thief, slashing out at that stupid punk. Catching both the thief off guard, cutting the cloak around their face, as he slashed away at it. Tumbling backwards, the thief's cloak feel, and it was a that of a woman. Her hair was light brown, her eyes piercing green, as she had a darker features. Kouzai was stunned for a moment, he wasn't expecting to catch like he did, and was even more surprised too see a girl his age, quite a looker as well. Sensing his hesitation, her leg swiped out, and Kouzai landed with a thud.

Taking off running again, Kouzai shock quickly wore off, as the thief was ahead of him. Whipping out his scabbard, he caught her legs as she tripped and fell. The small tanto went spiraling into the ground ahead of her. Kouzai was up and snatched it up, as the girl bit the dust. He could hear the guards huffing towards him, yelling stop, thief, hold it right there, it was all mainly just for show. Grabbing the girl up, she looked at Kouzai, her eyes wide and almost tearful. Kouzai just stared at her, as they took her away. A large man came over to check on Kouzai, muttering about no good foreigners, causing all sorts of ruckus in the wee hours.

Spoiler:

Kouzai was walking along the roads of Sunagakure. If he had not lived there, he could have probably got lost on his way to the kage's office a while ago. Catching an elephant, and a rhyno will surely be the easiest part! And of course, that was an exaggeration. Who in their right minds would do it anyways? Kouzai knew that he was in his right mind or so he thought he was. Why was he doing this again? Oh right. For a sword that has a titanium blade. Surely, this mission will not be as bloody as B-rank mission since it's a C rank mission anyways and the kage would not surely wanted to kill him... maybe he'd like to though. Kouzai shook his head at the thought of the kage wanting to kill him. He cannot die in this mission! He needs to be the strongest samurai ever! But before that... a lot of training must be held by him and also a lot of missions to be a Chuunin.

His dark brown orbs suddenly spotted a sudden ruckus going on from... somewhere that he really didn't go at since people are making fun of him on that area. Then he heard a roar... a really loud roar. Kouzai had immediately guessed on what was making all the ruckus and was having second thoughts whether if he should capture it right now or wait until it leaves the area. Another roar, and everyone on the area that was neither too far nor too near from Kouzai had started run away while others are on high places. He heaved a heavy sigh and walked casually to that area as his right hand was tucked inside the pocket of his pants, holding on something. When he was on the place from where the lion was running... in circles. He wondered why and when it immediately saw him, it ran from him and the young Genin swiftly pulled out the yarn of ball from his pocket and threw it to the lion. Lions are cats but bigger. He hoped that the trick will work or else...

His soul were lifted high when it worked on the lion, it played on the yarn for a few moments then turned its attention towards Kouzai again. And now... he only have one idea on his mind. Run! And so he did ran away from the lion as fast as he could. He grabbed a raw meat on a grill and was lucky enough that the chef wasn't facing him or he'll get into more trouble. Then as he was still running, he grabbed a fishing rod from a sushi place that was placed outside the sushi stand and hooked the raw meat on the fishing rod. The raven haired genin stopped in his tracks and hoped that his plan will work as he had expected the outcome will be. As the lion was already one meter from him, he jumped on its back and sets himself comfortably on the lion. But the animal was kind of out of control and ran from places to places randomly, trying to get rid off Kouzai from its back but he wouldn't let himself fall down. He used the fishing rod and stirred the pedal so that the raw meat was on the lion's eye level.

It started to run to the meat and was attempting to take a bite on it but was actually failing. Kouzai moved the wooden rod to the direction of the zoo until they've reached the place Kouzai lets himself fall sideways on the ground and run away with the raw meat as the lion chased him for the meat. When he had reached its cage, he threw the raw meat, along with the fishing rod, inside the lion's cage then it was locked by some zoo keeper. "That was a lot of effort." He said and was kind of disappointed that he didn't see anyone get eaten, then again that would be pretty gruesome to behold.

Spoiler:

"Damn kids," the black haired Samurai would utter as he noticed some of the graffiti that the local kids have been spraying all over the place. These things were all over the place and his mission was to clean them up. With haste Kouzai completed his other assignment and then he headed out to get paint, brushes and cleaning tools so that he could clean up this mess. Since he started the last mission first, he was also able to finish it first and thus it was up to him to prepare the stuff that was needed for the mission. Luckily his parents renovated recently and thus they had some paint left from that time. Getting cleaning products was not so hard either, his mother was willing to share some as she knew that he could not afford buying any. Kouzai was basically doing this mission alone while his partner did the delivery, they would go onto the next mission right afterwards. Anyways, with his cleaning products and paint ready for action, the young black haired Samurai known as Kouzai would start his assignment. Since he found himself coming right next to a graffiti, he decided to take care of that one first and then go look for some more. It was a simple yet hard one to clean. Based on what he could observe, the black haired young male realized that this was not something he could clean with simple cleaning products. Nope, only white paint could help him with something like this. The walls on which these things were painted on were white so it was only natural for him to simply paint them with white color. Then again, the only kind of color that Cid had was white so that was the only thing he could do about it. Buying paint was not an expense covered by the mission so he had to obtain it on his own. Since all he was given was this damn white stuff, that was all he could use.

Up and down, up and down, the brush would move. The young black haired Samurai male known as Cid would move that brush and with each stroke he would get closer and closer to the goal at had. The bucket which contained the paint would get emptier with each passing moment as the young black haired male would as quickly as possible cover the graffiti with it. It would not take him too long before he was done with the first one, the one that made him put quite the effort into it. The other ones were not so large as this first one and with each passing one he would need less and less effort to completely cover them with white paint. Soon enough the bucket that was once rather heavy would feel so light and he would no longer need much effort to carry it around. After a couple more of them it was completely emptied and the young black haired male was sorta confused as to how he managed to spend it up so quickly. The black haired Samurai was in luck, even though he had spent the whole bucket of paint, there were still some nice people who lived in the area that offered him their own paint. These older folks also invited him to their house, which he had to refuse since he was in a rush to complete this mission. They were rather sad about it, but they understood how important was this to the young Genin. He was still a rookie who needed to prove himself by completing such boring tasks. Either way, after he had finally gotten some more paint he would go back to using it in order to cover the graffiti. The young black haired male noticed that there were only a few left and he realized that this would all be over soon. That actually gave him more motivation and once more the brush moved, covering more and more graffiti with each stroke. Eventually they were all gone and the Samurai boy was able to return the stuff he borrowed and head to the meeting place.

Spoiler:

Even though he was not actually intending to do any missions after his meeting with the rest of the team, the young black haired youngster named Kouzai decided to do a mission after all. He was sorta broke and he needed some stuff to buy so doing missions alone seemed like the fastest way to get things done. Now that there was a team for him, missions would be easier to do in groups. But, this was a rather simple one and he wanted to get it done as soon as possible. There just was no need for him to involve the rest of the team as then it would be far too easy and not even worth doing anymore. It involved him taking care of some animals that they used for medical research. Kouzai was not too fond of using animals for such purposes, but it was something that had too be done for the good of the village. It was far better than like testing them on humans. Indeed, the animals had to do it instead. It did not take the young black haired male to reach this testing facility as the meeting place for his team was not so far from it. It was a rather plain place, a building in white, nothing special about it. He was sad as he knew that this was not going to be so exciting. One would always prefer to have a much more exciting task as their first mission, but exciting stuff took longer to complete and he did not quite have the time to do so. Due to that he decided to take this rather simple and unexciting mission instead. Something was far better than nothing. To the facility he came in his somewhat older clothing as he did not wish to get his newer clothing dirty. This task required him to deal with animals and so he knew that he was gonna get his clothing dirtied up. Due to that it was far better for him to get his older clothing dirtied over his new ones.

The inside of this facility to which the young black haired boy know as Kouzai had arrived was fairly simple as well. Most of the people had the typical uniform of Sunagakure Medical Corps with the Wind symbol on the hat of their uniform. Kouzai himself had visited the hospital on numerous occasions so such uniforms were not out of the ordinary for him. It was a building located nearby the Sunagakure hospital, but not quite in the same area so he never actually visited this place before. With a calm and relaxed expression he would seek out the person who was in charge of handling the animals so that he could get things started. Luckily the people there were so nice and they were happy to point him towards the right person. Once he found this person he was ready to begin his duties. He had hoped that this little assignment would not take too long as there were other things that he had to do afterwards. The short duration of it was the main reason for him taking it. There were a lot of animals located in this facility, far more than the young black haired Kouzai had expected to see. In all due honesty he was expecting a bunch of lab rats ready for drug testing or something, but he got a lot more. Instead of just them lab rats, which the facility was actually filled with, it also had fishes for medical ninja in training to practice on, some dogs and a bunch of farm animals that they were testing to improve their production. Luckily for Kouzai, he was only in charge of taking the lab animals that were being used for research. There wasn't really that much of those so he did not spend that much time taking care of them. One by one he would take out and then clean their cages, give them water and food. After dealing with all of them he would simply put them back. He was careful enough not to touch any of the rare ones and he made sure not to let anyone free. After he was done, he left.

Spoiler:

Starting his missions at the highest tower of Sunagakure, Kouzai gazed through the sandstorm, albeit difficult to see. He maneuvered his right hand to enter into his right flak pocket on his chest. He removed the mission scroll; taking another gander at it to decide his next course of action before returning the scroll to his pocket. He knelt over the top of the cylindrical building, which had many small windows plotted about it. He made sure the greenery wouldn’t disturb his line of sight; as he tried to remember any defining features of the man which attacked him. He was covered entirely, and only his blue eyes were apparent. The amount of shinobi with blue eyes was a stark realization. However he remembered the information that Sunagakure’s Hunter-nin had given him prior to receiving the mission. He ended up meeting with them about the corpse that he sent to the afterlife after an apparent attack on his clan’s character.

The Yuzuwari clan was a smaller clan without as much infamy as the Kazekage. The defining characteristic of the clan seemed to be the garb which they used to cover their entire heads. The hunter-nin was capable of designating that characteristic because no other clan in Sunagakure wore such garments. Plus Kouzai was able to remember that distinctly about him. They also wore their headbands on their shoulder’s rather than their heads. Peering over the ledge he was able to spot some shinobi who fit this exact description. The Kazekage ensured that they would be kept in the dark; the fact that they were now being investigated was kept a closely guarded secret. The Kazekage clan was already aware that something like this might take place. Other clan’s would be jealous of their return because their ancestors fought and died when the Kazekage clan attacked back then. There was likely to be discontent amongst some the village’s clans at the return of the Kazekage.

This would serve to boost the Kazekage clan’s loyalty to the Kazekage, and the new regime. Some still wished the village was the blood sandstorm. Kouzai thought them to be barbarians. No one should want the village to revert to such a state. There were many members which left the village, including the seven swordsmen of the sandstorm. There were no longer any members left, and the swords were still out in the world up for the picking.

Regarding the matter at hand Kouzai quickly formed hand seals; remembering the details of the shinobi he slaughtered, he used the academy transformation technique to transform into him. His usage of the technique was flawless, and he took on the exact appearance of the shinobi, even remembering the way he spoke. He scaled the building with his chakra, using a tiger seal as he walked down the building. His chakra was adhering him toward the building until he reached its base. He approached the group under his disguise. Without him having to speak a single word the group of three immediately welcomed him. “Mitomi, you’re back! Did you get that thing done?”

Kouzai thinking quickly spoke, “Yea that little peon was no match for me. He surprised me, but I took him out.”

“Good, your mission is complete then. We’ve been trying to get rid of that little shit forever,” Kouzai was annoyed on the inside, but he knew he needed to keep up his disguise. “Let’s go somewhere where we can talk Mitomi.”

“Alright,” Kouzai replied.
Following along with the group, Kouzai tried to remain kosher under his disguise; as he didn’t want to attract any unnecessary attention, but he had to keep a sense of normalcy about his being. For the most part, he wanted the three of them to do the most talking, so he could pick out bits of information as they spoke to enhance his cover. They seemed to be completely fooled into thinking Kouzai was their lost clan mate. In fact, the person known as Mitomi was now deceased. As they continued with their small talk Kouzai noted the names of each one in the group. They were named Raza, Kiso, and Tyko Yuzuwari. After having gained this insight, Kouzai disguised as Mitomi, found their way back to the Yuzuwari clan’s hideout. Their hideout was located at a small den on the outskirts of the village. Kouzai simply followed their lead, and waited for them to say something about how quiet Mitomi was being. Based on their reactions this guy was always the quiet type because they didn’t show any sign that something was out of the ordinary with him. They all seemed to hate the Kazekage clan, and it became more apparent as they sat around a round table with their parents sitting at either end. The father spoke from the far end of the table, almost hiding in the shadows. This made Kouzai a bit nervous but luckily for him none of these were high level ninja. Their parents were just Chunin, and thus Kouzai’s flawless disguise allowed him to fit right in without alerting them.

The father spoke, “So Mitomi did you execute your part of the plan?”

“Yes sir,” Kouzai spoke. He knew this was the father based on the how often the other brothers and sisters spoke about him. They even called him father in his presence. Kouzai was shocked how nonchalant these people were, and there only seemed to be a handful of them in the clan. “Good Mitomi, I knew you had it in you. Our mission is to defame that god forsaken Kazekage. I didn’t tell you this before but; I sent you on that mission for a reason. Our ancestors once fought against them, and they seem to think bygones will just be bygones. With that little shit Kouzai gone they’ll never know what hit them!”

“Why didn’t you kill him yourself father?” Kouzai replied. “It’s far too dangerous for the mastermind to go out on the attack. Our mission isn’t finished,” he laid out a document on the table, “this is our mission.” Kouzai hoisted up the piece of paper, and quickly crafted a reason for him to keep it. “Since I completed my mission, don’t you think I should hold on to this father?”

“Go ahead Mitomi, you’ve earned it.”
After accepting the document, Kouzai under his disguise rose from the table, “I’m gonna head out guys. Catch you all later.”

He easily slipped from the table following a nod from the rest of the members seated inside the cavern. Receiving the document was indeed his signal to take his leave as he began to feel a bit awkward at how easy it was to fool them. But he knew he had made it out avoiding suspicion. Forming a hand sign as he left the entrance to the Yuzuwari’s hideout; he created a apprentiance having his transformed appearance. The task of the apprentiance would be to observe the hideout so he could keep multiple tabs on those entering and exiting. He knew Mitomi’s siblings wouldn’t be far behind, and he would use the apprentiance of himself transformed to keep better track of them from another vantage point. Finding a tall ledge with a vantage point that targeted the exit of the place Kouzai moved his actual body. Using his chakra to adhere toward the ridge he scaled it upwards until he felt comfortable. Using another transformation via a single hand sign he became part of the ridge himself. His apprentiance did so likewise but as a bush just outside the cavern.

He waited until a member of the Yuzuwari exited the den, and he would follow them keeping his distance; and this time under a new disguise. He transformed himself into an average looking shinobi as he tracked behind Raza Yuzuwari. The other’s never seemed to leave their hideout so Kouzai wanted to see what he was up to. He left his apprentiance back where it was as his actual body continued to track this member’s movements. From Kouzai’s transformed eyes Raza seemed rather docile. What he was doing was nothing out of the ordinary for a Sunagakure shinobi. He simply ventured from place to place until he ended up at the library. He was likely trying to verify that Mitomi had fulfilled his part of the mission. Kouzai didn’t have time to view the document he just studied this shinobi’s movements. Once Raza was in the library Kouzai felt it prudent to change his disguise before he entered. This time he took on the appearance of a school teacher. Inside it seemed Raza didn’t have a specific purpose. He just meandered around as though he was searching for something. That something was tracking him at this moment.
Time meandered forward and Kouzai was beginning to drift off as a grabbed a book from the shelf. He was still secretly watching his target without flaw as he seemed to search the library up and down. Kouzai knew that he was looking for him because this was his favorite spot, and unknowingly to Raza he was actually in this place. Kouzai closed the book whilst still under his disguise as Raza headed towards the exit of the building. Kouzai would do another transformation before following him outside the building. He ensured that the document was carefully tucked away in his Sunagakure flak jacket. He managed to place his right arm into his pocket just to ensure that it was tucked away safe and sound. Then he proceeded toward the exit under his new guise.

He soon exited the building making sure his target was still within his sight. His apprentice had done the same leaving his perch outside the cave and meandering as a normal citizen amongst the ground of Sunagakure folk. His real body followed Raza as he moved back toward the den from which he came. Kouzai transformed back into Mitomi but he would not enter the cave. Instead he intercepted him as Mitomi before he reached the cave. “Hey Raza what ya up to?”

“Oh nothing, just making sure that Kazekage is actually dead. I didn’t see him at the library so I was going to confirm that with Dad.”

“Oh well I guess I’m gonna go find me something to eat,” Kouzai disguised as the Shinobi Mitomi took off in the opposite direction. His apprentice had made it back in enough time to transform into the bush. He watched as Raza entered the den, revealing his disguise, he followed behind the shinobi Raza silently as to not attract any attention. He transformed again into an ornament; disguising himself as some of the decoration inside the den. Since it was a shadow and not the real Kouzai, he mitigated the risk if he were ever found out. But apparently these people were truly idiots.
Kouzai’s clone was keen on listening in on any other information the Yuzuwari had to reveal, but things seemed to simmer down a bit. It appeared as though everything was in writing and the document was the key to their whole plan. Without it they seemed to be lost. The Yuzuwari’s confidence that the Mitomi could kill the Kazekage was superficial at best. It must have amazed them to think he could kill such an opponent. The fact that they had Raza go out to confirm only made things that much better.

On the cliff outside where Kouzai had the greatest vantage point it was getting late. They sky had darkened and the sandstorms were settling stagnant. He would conclude his mission; the apprentice bursting into white smoke as the Yuzuwari slept in their den. His mission was accomplished, and there was nothing left for the Kazekage to do but to collect his reward.

The information returned by his clone granted him nothing new. It was just a precaution, and a way to syphon more intelligence. He tracked the Yuzuwari all throughout the day; unravelling their silly little plan against the Kazekage. He would return the document to the Sunagakure hunter-nin and allow them to handle the situation from there forward. He even notified the Kazekage of the accomplishment of his mission. Now he would have free time to do whatever he wanted.
[2038]

Spoiler:

Spoiler:
Spying on Muraders

The sand around Kouzai shifted as he crawled forward, his body half covered by the loose grains. He held his breath, not daring to make a sound as a group of six or so men came around a large outcropping of rock and into view. They had appeared so suddenly, barely giving the boy enough time to hit the dirt before they were upon him. As stealthily as he could, he shifted into the shadow of a nearby rock and adjusted his hood to hide his face. He couldn't afford to be spotted, not now. So he lay completely still in the sand, wrapped in a cloak different than his usual attire. This one was designed as camouflage, colored the same as the dunes around him with the outside covered by a thin layer of sand. Sure it was heavier than normal, but its effectiveness could not be questioned. He peered out of a tiny gap between the fabric of his hood and the sand, vision slightly warped by a pair of goggles that he wore to protect his eyes in the desert.

He counted six men, all armed with various forms of weaponry: some had swords, one had an axe, one was completely covered with knives, and another just had a pair of bulky gauntlets covering his fists. The most important detail to him however, was the red bandannas that they all wore somewhere on there bodies. He watched as the dawdled about for a minute or two, a seventh man joining the rest. He had messy black hair and a pike strapped to his back, the others seemed to greet him with disdain. "What are you doing here? " As the man turned Kouzai could see his eyes were sharp, brown orbs that seemed to have constant motion. He could tell from a glance that the man was schemer, the fact that he couldn't hide it a testament to either inexperience or ego. He reminded Kouzai of a snake. When he responded to the man, his voice held a higher mocking tone to it. "Me? Why I'm here to make sure you lot don't make a disgrace of us. I happened to be nearby when you made a visit into the village back there." The man shook his head and clicked his tongue. "I must say, sloppy job. You left a few alive." The rest of the men visibly tensed as he spoke.

"Its a good thing I was there to clean up after you, isn't it? You should be praising me honestly, but luckily I'm above all that. You're gratitude is enough for me." The man who had spoken up first just shook his head and started walking again/ "You still talk too much, Nas, and I still don't like you." Kouzai tensed slightly as the group moved towards him, Nas standing in place for a moment with his arms out before following. "Oh, you wound me Gregor. What would Cleaver say if he knew you were treating the man that fixed your mistakes with such disdain." The lead man kept moving, passing within a few feet of where the genin lay. "He'd tell me to deal with our 'work place disturbances' in the normal fashion. Is that a place you want to go Nas?" There was no answer from the other man. "...Yeah, I didn't think so. Lets get moving, we've got alot of ground to cover to get back to base by nightfall."

Lucky for Kouzai, it seemed that the exchange had distracted them enough that they hadn't noticed him. The group kept moving past him and along the edge of the great rock plateau that rose out of the desert to his side. The boy lay motionless until they had disappeared around the edge of the rock face, finally letting himself breath normally as he climbed back to his feet. The bandannas identified the group as members of the Chimeras, a group of raiders that had been becoming more active as of late: his targets. The village council had retrieved a tip that the Chimeras were gearing up for some sort of large scale operation, one that might even target Sunagakure itself. His job wasn't to deal with them, just to act as a scout and learn whatever he could about their movements, to confirm or disprove the information that was given to the village. Kouzai had been combing the desert for three days before he finally happened upon them, as close of a call as it might have been. He was told that stealth was paramount in this mission. If the group had spotted him, he would have had to try to kill them all and start over from scratch, which was easier said than done because of the fairly large number of missing-nin the Chimeras had among their ranks.

Still, it seemed luck was on his side, not only had he avoided detection, but had also found a party that was heading back to their headquarters. All he had to do was follow them back and report what he saw. Once again, it was easier said than done, but it was better than another few days of searching by himself. Deciding the best plan was to follow them from the high ground, Kouzai immediately went to work scaling the cliff face of the plateau. He was traveling very light, just enough rations for a week of bare bones subsistence, and a handful of shinobi tools. He didn't even have his scythe with him since it would have been too hard to keep concealed as he moved around. The metal was just as likely to catch the sun and alert someone to his presence, so he just left it behind: if everything went south he could always just run away and try again the next night.

After reaching the top of the cliff, Kouzai raced after his targets, footsteps light and silent against the flat rocky surface. It didn't take long for him to catch up,the band was moving at a fairly slow pace. He peeked over the edge once to confirm their location, then ducked back over the rock. If he just had to track these people, he could do it by sound. And so the boy crept along the cliff above his targets, tracking their movement through the sound of footsteps of their idly conversation. It was a slow process to be sure, but it wasn't like there was a way to speed things up. Minutes soon turned to hours, the group passing the time by talking about this or that. From what he could gather, they had just finished raiding an outlying settlement a few hours before. They had seized as many supplies as they could, transferred them to another unit, and were currently on their way back. If the man named Naz was telling the truth, not a single soul had been left alive at the village. Occasionally they would let slip some information about their recent movements and Kouzai would take notes on his pad. As it was his primary job here, he also kept a tally of how many combatants the group had, the count currently holding at seven.

Eventually the group came to an opening in the rock face, the plateau opening up into a maze of canyons. They hung around the opening for a moment or two before turning into the labyrinth. Kouzai noted the location on a map he had with him and waited until it was clear to jump the gap to the other side of the canyon. He took note of each path they took, charting out the maze as he went. At one point the group crossed paths with another that was on their way out before stopping in a sizable chamber to take a break. Kouzai noted the ten people in the second group before taking up a position over looking their resting spot.

After about ten minutes, he had started to get bored of just waiting, so he flipped to another page in his sketchpad and started to draw what he could see. The leader of the company, the one named Gregor, looked like a viking of old, long red hair that streamed into a lengthy beard that was well kept despite the harsh environment of the desert. He even had a battle axe lashed to his back to complete the image. Kouzai wondered if he did it on purpose, or if that's just how things turned out. Though he wasn't great at portraits, he did his best to capture the man's likeness, sketching out the make-shift camp around them too. They had quite a decent haul for the size of their company, each man carrying a sizable satchel that were all currently stacked in a pile. He could see a bunch of provisions in one, another completely full of water stocks, and another stuffed full of various weaponry and ammunition. He could only assume these were left over from the village raid, whatever they couldn't pass off to the other group they'd met with.

As he paused to take a drink from his canteen, Kouzai noticed that one of the members was missing, he was only coming up with a count of six. As first he wondered if they were just standing under him, his perch was quite high up after all, or maybe they had gone off with the second group, though he hadn't noticed such a thing. As he pondered the situation, he suddenly became aware of someone's breathing behind him. "Why, what have we hear? I thought I smelled a rat, the guys will get a real kick out of this." His muscles tensed, frozen in spot for a moment before slowly turning around. Nas' lean figure loomed over him, his eyes full of glee as he raised a finger to his mouth, signaling the boy to keep quiet. He slinked closer, pike pointed at Kouzai's chest. The genin mentally cursed his carelessness, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender. Nas snickered under his breath, reaching out to pluck the sketchpad from the boy's hand. "How long have you been trailing us, little rat?" He just gave the man an icy stare, one eye peering out from beneath his bangs. Nas shrugged, flipping through the pad with an amused smile on his face. "Quite the artist aren't you? I can understand wanting to draw someone as glorious as myself, but you could have just asked you know. Either way, I think I'll be keeping this." He snapped it shut and made a gesture with his weapon. "Get up."

Kouzai did as instructed, slowly rising and taking a step forward so that he wouldn't be visible from below. "Move, you're going to get me a pretty penny when I give you to cleaver." He swept sideways with the point of the pike to punctuate his words. The boy just stared back, unmoving. Nas scowled. "I said move, we're going to go meet some new people." He held his ground, tilting his head to the side as if asking a question. Nas cocked an eyebrow at the gesture. "What, are you shy or something? I guess I can understand, I am quite the-" Kouzai took advantage of his hot air to suddenly strike out, one hand grabbing the haft of the man's spear as he stepped into his guard. He planted his elbow squarely on the man's solar plexus, knocking the wind out of him before shifting to an uppercut. As his fist connected with the man's chin, he sent a pulse of chakra through his arm, the force in his skin expanding out into a small gust of wind from his wrist. The wind expanded up through his skull, a bit of grey matter escaping as it cleared the cranium.

Kouzai held it there for a brief moment, lowering Nas to the ground before ripping his arm back violently. He glared down at the corpse, the blood stained blade had broken off and was lodged in place, freezing any blood in place before it could drain out. "Talk too much." Within the span of two seconds, the man's world had completely turned on him. Kouzai wondered if he had even seen it coming, though his attitude seemed to suggest the thought of failure had never even occurred to him. Regardless, Kouzai take his sketchbook back, setting it off to the side before he went to work stripping the man's cloak and bandanna. Whether he knew it or not, the snake had helped the shinobi out. He switched out his cloak for the one Nas had been wearing, cutting a bit off the bottom with a kunai to make sure it wouldn't trail along the ground. After tying the bandanna around his neck, he returned to his perch above the Chimera's camp and removed a tally from his notes. At least from a distance, he could pass as one of their number, something that would come in handy once they actually reached the camp.

As the group packed up and got ready to start moving again, Kouzai heard one of them ask about Nas. Gregor just kinda grumbled. "Probably slunk off somewhere, Honestly I couldn't care less. Come on, lets go."
Kouzai sprinted from cover, a glint of steel appearing in his hand an instant before he lashed out. This was his best chance, he had to take it. The kunai in his hand found its mark, digging into the flesh of his target's neck before the boy rolled backwards, carrying the fresh corpse with him to the ground. He pressed himself down flat as a bright light washed over him, continuing to pass by without incident. He let out a breath that he had been holding in, shifting the body behind the nearest rock before finally climbing back to his feet. The sky was dark, night having come just before the band he was tracking arrived at their main camp: a mass of tents and wagons set up in a great bowl shaped chamber in the center of the plateau.

The security had gotten much tighter as he made the final approach: guards stationed atop the cliff, regular patrols, and search lights that constantly scanned over the camp perimeter. Kouzai had been in hiding for nearly an hour, just waiting for a chance to take up a position. The timing was incredibly narrow, having to make it between all of the different moving parts. He eventually decided he wouldn't be able to get by without taking one of the guards out. So he waited until a shift change the timed his strike between the spotlight's search pattern. It had been a bit of a gamble, but it seemed to have paid off. He stood up straight as the spotlight washed past again, its path still uninterrupted. Because he'd stolen the bandit's clothes earlier, he could simply take the place of the guard he killed and no one would give him a second glance as long as he didn't make a scene.

Kouzai stood in place, waiting for the next searchlight pass before getting to work. He flipped out his book and immediately started taking down notes of what he saw. The camp was actually quite massive, much larger than originally estimated at least. Luckily for him, it was quite well lit even in the darkness, torches and other light sources scattered about. He counted 31 guards in total patrolling the outer wall and 10 more operating the lights. The camp itself consisted of upwards of thirty large tents and as many as seventy smaller ones. His eyes scanned back and forth over the tents, trying to take measure of how many people he could see. It was hard for him to keep track of all the movement, but he counted over a hundred, a bit worrying considering how many were probably out of sight.

He made a quick sketch of the camp layout, noting which tents the Chimeras were busy loading supplies and cargo inside of. The mess tent was easy to identify, but the weapon and ammunition stores took a bit longer. He traced patrol routes he could see, marking the light patterns as well. Soon enough his map was a cluttered mass of annotations and dotted lines, the boy trying to economize on his space as much as possible. As he was marking what he deduced to be the main sleeping quarters, he caught sight of something that seemed a bit out of place. While bandits had a tendency to kind of shamble about and generally act like commoners, Kouzai saw a very different sort of man. He carried himself like nobility, an almost regal air about him. He did not mingle with the others, but walk through them, everyone parting from his path the instant they noticed him. Even from as far away as he was, Kouzai could hear the man's voice, hard like steel and commanding in tone as he addressed those around him.

If ever there were to exist a king of bandits, the man was him. As the thought occurred to Kouzai, he flipped to the next page of his notebook and started drawing the man, sharp eyes trying to catch as much detail as possible. He was a man of stature, tall with a cleaned shaved head that had a pair of scars wrapping down from the top of his head to his right cheek. His features were hard, as if sculpted, including an rather impressive jawline. He wore light metal armor, plain in design but clearly well made. A broadsword was strapped to his back, the blade about three inches wide. Most importantly though, was the shinobi headband that was hung loosely around his neck. Kouzai couldn't make out what symbol was on it from where he stood, but the light that reflected off it revealed a deep groove down the center; the mark of a missing-nin. He might not of known wear the man was from, but someone at the village would. He flipped back through his notes before turning back to picture just after he finished, labeling it with the name he heard Nas use earlier. Cleaver.

Kouzai took another few minutes to grab whatever other information he could manage, his sketchbook more full of words than pictures at this point. As he closed the pad and slipped it into his vest, his gaze lingered on Cleaver for a bit longer. Something about the man seemed familiar to him, but he just couldn't put his finger on it. As the searchlight passed over him, he could have sworn the man's eyes found him, staring into his own for that briefest of moments. Cleaver lingered on the spot but by the next time the light came around, Kouzai was already gone. He had all the information he was going to get, and he didn't like what he had seen at all. Whoever the missing-nin was, he had gathered quite the host behind him, and the arsenal made it look like they were gearing up for war.
Kouzai dashed across the top of the plateau, slipping his camouflaged cloak on as he moved. He'd stopped by Nas' corpse on the way to swap out his disguise for the thing's he'd stashed away on the trip in. Since he had been studying the patrol paths for so long, slipping through the line on his way out was much easier than the infiltration had been. Now that he was out, there was no one to get in his way, just a shadow passing through the night. As he moved along, he wondered just how the village was going to deal with the veritable army he stumbled across. He guessed the best way to deal with it would probably be to try to assassinate the leader, this Cleaver. Bandits were bandits, and if no one was there to hold them together they'd likely just fall to pieces bickering with each other. There would probably be a new mission when posted after he made his report, though he definitely want to be the one to do it. Who ever tried to take down that man would likely have a hell of a fight on their hands.

As Kouzai reached the end of the plateau, he launched himself over the edge and into the sands below. A cloud of dust rose up around him, but he didn't stop moving, still going at full speed in an attempt to clear the area as fast as possible. After a few minutes of running, he began to slow down considerably, the exertion of trudging through the sand finally catching up with him. He slowed to a walk and used the stars above to adjust his path towards Sunagakure. As much as he would have liked to just go to bed, duty demanded he get back to the village with his information as soon as he could. Even still, the cold winds of the desert tore at him almost as if to deter his course. It was going to be a long walk home.

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Spoiler:

Kouzai sat in the shadow of Sunagakure's market street, wrapped in his cloak as he cradled an acoustic guitar in his lap. His deft fingers danced across the neck of the instrument as he plucked away a flamenco-style melody. It was around mid day and his notes were permeating through the small crowd that moved up and down the street. Every now and then someone would pass close by and toss a few coins his way, forming a scattered pile at his side. At first he'd been a bit surprised by the gesture, he didn't have anything set out to make it look like he was begging but people just kinda assumed it when they saw him sitting on the curb. Having been sitting out for over an hour now, he didn't pay them any mind though, just letting the money accumulate around him without a thought.

In this case, the charity of Suna's people was still helping him though, it made him seem less out of place. He wasn't there for money, he was there for a job. The merchants of the city had submitted some complaints about a small band of people that were trying to extort money from them. To his understanding they weren't exactly very good at it, but it was probably for the best to take care of them before they figured out how the game worked. His job here was simple, he just had to... convince them to give it up. And that brought him to his current situation. Even as he continued to play, his cold gaze kept shifting around, looking for any sign of his targets. The reports said that they never tried anything when they saw a shinobi nearby, so he had decided to try to hide in plain sight. No one ever paid beggars any mind if they didn't have coin to give.
As time went on, the crowds began to thin out and Kouzai shifted into a more sombre tune that Ivan had taught him back at the Sandpit. Apparently it was a song about a man who returned home after a war to find it destroyed, a sad story that tended to evoke powerful imagery when performed properly. There were lyrics that went with it, but the boy had a hard enough time finding his voice for normal conversation, singing was a bit beyond him for now. Besides, he liked the guitar melody just fine on its own. Nearing the end of the song, he noticed a group of four people turn onto the market street, glancing about suspiciously as they walked down towards one of the stalls. As he hoped, they passed him right by, not even offering a second glance as he kept playing. His cold blue eyes leveled on the group, letting his fingers keep working purely on muscle memory through the last few phrases.

They approached a stall a little ways down the street, a merchant that was busy starting to pack some of his goods away for the day. Kouzai had gathered that the man was selling some metal crafts; bracelets, chains, and such. The merchant was in the middle of hefting a box onto the top of a cart when the youths sidled up to his stall. When the man turned around and saw them his expression immediately changed to one of exasperation. "Oh great, not you lot again. Can't you see I'm busy here? Go bugger off will you?" The apparent leader of the group slipped behind the counter and stared the man down. "Oh I don't think so, we're serious this time. You made us look like fools last time, but now we're going to get what's owed to us." The merchant didn't seem at all phased by the threat, turning away to load another box into his cart. "Last time you brats ran off with your tails tucked between your legs as soon as a chuunin came 'round the corner. Why should I think this time will be any different?"

"Because, like I said, this time we're serious." The leader made a gesture with his head towards one of the others. The man in question reached out for one of the merchant's displays and gave a forceful tug, ripping it from its stand and throwing the goods out across the sand. Kouzai plucked his final note just after the clash rang out down the street, drawing it out for a moment before setting his guitar aside. There was no longer any shadow of a doubt that these were his targets, which meant it was time to get to work. The merchant's expression shifted more towards anger than any sort of fear. "Well great, I hope you know you'll be paying for all of those now." One of the three on the other side of the stall chuckled at his response. "No, you'll be paying us. Don't you get it? Look around, do you see anyone coming to help this time? You're going to give us what we came for."

Kouzai chose that moment to tap on the kid's shoulder, amused slightly at his poor choice of words. "Huh?" He spun around to see the boys emotionless visage gazing up at him, pausing in confusion just long enough for Kouzai to throw a kick into the side of the man's head. The hard impact sent him spinning back through the air, landing face down in the sand a few feet away. The other three all turned to face him, just as surprised as the other had been about his sudden appearance. The leader stepped back around the cart, an indignant look in his eyes. "Who the hell are you?" Kouzai just shrugged, gazing out from beneath his hood. His headband was hidden beneath the thick fabric, so there was nothing to immediately identify him as a shinobi.

The kid continued to approach until he was just a foot or two away, looking down at Kouzai's blank face with fire in his eyes. The man he'd hit was already scrambling to his feet, his cheek slightly swollen. "You know what? I don't care. Do you really think you can just walk over here and hit one of my friends? Allow me to return the favor." The leader reared back and threw a punch at him, but to Kouzai's eyes it was so horribly telegraphed that it could barely be called a threat. He shifted to the side just enough to clear the boy's fist then threw a jab into the center of his face before grabbing his extended arm and throwing him into the center of the street. The boy managed to stop himself from falling, but as he spun around he revealed a fresh stream of blood that was trickling down his face from his nose. "What the hell are you lot doing? Get him!"

Kouzai's nearest foe made a rush at him, but the shinobi diverted the strike in a similar fashion to the previous one, throwing the boy into his leader with little difficulty. As the two tumbled to the ground in a heap, his two remaining foes drew knives from their pockets and advanced at the same time. Though they were armed, they seemed to air much more on the side of caution than their comrades. After they closed the distance, they struck out one at a time with their weapons in an attempt to keep the genin on the defensive. It was a perfectly fine tactic, but they still didn't really have much training. Kouzai danced around their blades, purposefully leading them away from the merchant's stall while he bought some time until one of them made a mistake. One of the pair hesitated for a moment after the other finished a strike, leaving his friend open just long enough for him to take advantage of. Kouzai ripped off his cloak and threw it at the boy who had hesitated before shifting to the other. He grabbed the boy by the wrist and twisted violently as he stepped in closer. He hyper-extended the boy's arm before dropping an elbow directly onto the joint. A sickening crack filled the air as the arm bent back at an unnatural angle, the boy collapsing to the ground as he let out a pained scream.

Kouzai kicked the knife he dropped to the other side of the street then moved in on the kid who was struggling to get free of his cloak. He grabbed hold of the fabric and pulled it away, coming face to face with the boy with the swollen cheek. He locked eyes for just a moment before swinging forward and headbutting him directly in the face. As he stumbled back, clutching at his head, Kouzai had a brief moment of rest. Without his cloak on, his pale, scarred skin was exposed to the harsh sunlight. He immediately noted how uncomfortable it felt, but hoped that this wouldn't last long enough for it to be an issue. As the first two untangled from each other and climbed back to their feet, the leader took note of the headband that Kouzai had tied around his arm. He could see the conflict in the boy's eyes, weighing his own safety with that of his pride. As he looked to the whimpering boy at Kouzai's side, it seemed his self preservation was winning out. "Shit, run!"

A thin smile cracked through Kouzai's usual mask as the three that were still standing started to run. His job wasn't to chase them off, it was to make sure they gave up, so he wasn't allowed to just let them run off. Before they made it ten feet, he'd channeled a mass of chakra to his sword and swung. Unaccustomed to such a swift attack and running as fast as he could, the leader of the group lost his legs and fell face-first onto the ground. Another soon joined him, but the third had managed to stay upright by slowing to a crawl.

The shinobi wasted no time in putting the implement to work, lashing out at the last man standing. The chain tore through the air before it found the boy's leg, wrapping his foot in its cold embrace. Kouzai delivered a kick against his target's momentum, striking him hard in the face for the third and final time. The impact spun him about on the frictionless surface, eventually bringing him to rest against the wall of a building, out cold. They were just starting to regain their balance when he reached them, the sun casting his shadow over the pair despite his small stature.

With panic in his eyes, the leader of the group did the only thing he could think of and rushed him. Though it was just as obvious as before, the genin didn't try to dodge this time, his smile widening just before the boy's fist made contact. He was engulfed in a cloud of smoke at the moment of impact, the attack striking a form in the center of the smokescreen. It took a moment for the dust to clear, but when it did Kouzai was still standing there, or at least he appeared to be. The leader of the kids bit into his lip, tears forming at the edges of his eyes at the pain that shot through his arm. He imagined the boy felt like he'd just punched a concrete wall right about now, recalling how much it hurt when the clone had punched him during his training.

The boy stood frozen in place for a few more seconds until his resolve finally gave out, crumpling back to the ground as he clutched at his hand. The kid beside him decided to try to make a break for it again, but Kouzai would have none of that. He lashed out with his chain from the rooftops, rebounding it against the ground so that it wrapped around his target's torso and pinned down his arms. After using his chakra to direct it around several times, he hopped over the edge of the building and hooked the chain over a flagpole on his way down. Using the pole as a fulcrum, his momentum lifted the boy into the air, dangling him several feet above the ground. The bound youth continued to shout and struggle, but he ignored it, turning instead to the one that had been leading the band.

He knelt down to eye level, the boy still cradling his injured hand. Kouzai doubted that it was broken, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt like hell. His spirit broken, the kid just stared at him, a mixture of anger, fear, and indignation in his eyes. The genin answered back with his normal hard gaze. "Done?"

"What the hell does it look like?" The boy spit back, gesturing to his injuries. Kouzai shook his head.

"Not that. Done bothering people?"

"Why the hell does it even matter? Even if I did its not like anyone takes me seriously."

"It's dangerous."

"Like you even care! Look what you did to us, why should I think you're the least bit concerned?"

Kouzai's eyes hardened. He made sure he had the boy's undivided attention, a pulse of chakra producing a gust of wind from his wrist that he put to the kid's neck. He stared directly into his eyes, almost as if daring him to try to look away. "I could kill you." He let the words hang in the air for what felt like a short eternity before the blade withdrew back into his arm. "I didn't, You're lucky. Understand?" The boy didn't respond, simply nodding his head up and down several times. Kouzai stood back up and turned away, walking back towards the merchant that the boys had accosted. "Good. Go to sleep."

"...but-"

He went over to retrieve his guitar and strapped it to his back before gathering up all the coins that were laying around. After stopping to throw his cloak back on, he returned to the metal merchant, who looked on with a slightly concerned expression.

"All done."

"Yes, I can see that... you might have overdone it a little, but I guess the message is more likely to stick this way... so... good work?" Kouzai shrugged then tossed the man the sack of coins he had collected. "Cover losses, right?" The man didn't seem to understand his meaning, so he made a gesture towards the crafts that had been scattered across the sands. "Oh, right. Why thank you, that's rather generous. Feel free to take anything you like." He cocked his head to the side for a moment then nodded, turning to the displays that were still left out. His eyes scanned across them until he found something he liked, a round pendant stylized with a drawing of a white wolf. "That one." He pointed it out to the merchant, who opened up the case and retrieved it for him. "Ah yes, a fine pick. Here you are." Kouzai took the pendant and immediately put it on before giving the man a quick bow and starting down the street. The post wasn't far so his clone was on its third trip. He figured he might as well help out, grabbing the last unconscious kid and dragging him down to the guard post to report a job done.

2564 Words

Spoiler:

Kouzai intent to help his village was, well a little lack luster. Several of the missions on the board, were rather drab and boring. He decided the best job would be, ironically guard duty. He had hoped he could slip away and possibly take a nap somewhere, or doze off in a tree. Except, well Suna was hot, being a desert and all, but the heat was almost unbearable at times. People here drank tea during the day to keep cool. Guard duty in the middle of the day, no thank you. But a job was a job, no matter what, even one such as this.
Approaching the guard house, Kouzai introduced himself to the Guard Captain, a gruff man, who really was more ninja than anything. He used words like “jib” and “yall” perhaps he was from another part of Suna. Being a Samurai, Kouzai was however, at a disadvantage, since he could use or utilize Ninjutsu in such a way, he was given the gate guard duty. Standing in front of the entrance to Sunagakure, trying to look like well, trying to look menacing, however he was failing. It was the middle of the day, hot as all hell; well hell might be a relief from this unrelenting heat. The ground was white and cracked; all the water has evaporated leaving just salt and some sand. No one was coming during this time, an hour or two passed and Kouzai was already dopey eyed. He tried leaning against the wall, but it burned him something fierce. How the heck did Ninja stand for this? Kouzai must have nodded off at least 3 times during the next few hours, not a single person, his face sunburned, his hands and arms, sunburned, but the worst of all was the back of his neck. As he stood, it felt like the sun hadn’t even moved. When suddenly someone tapped him on his shoulder, he jumped, startled by it all. Turning around, he saw another pair of guards, ready to take his position. They chuckled a bit, making some references to pathetic Samurai and their ilk. Kouzai’s next assignment was to patrol Sunagakure. Patrol, in the middle of the day, who would be so brazen enough as to steal in the middle of the day. In fact, who would be so brazen enough to do anything in the middle of the day? His head hung low, he was mentally tired, from the sun beating down on him, unrelenting for around 6 hours or so, now he was going to walk around. There was no hustle or bustle of Sunagakure, just dead, a few people sitting in some small shops drinking tea, freaking hot tea in the middle of the day, at 500 degrees or whatever bloody temperature was reasonable for Sunagakure during this time of year. His footsteps became dogged; there was a group in front of him, a total of 6 of them walked around the streets. The 5 kept talking, laughing and generally just not paying attention. Not that Kouzai paid much attention; he mainly looked at the ground and tried to count the blisters on his feet. The sun had started to go down, he was almost begging for the sweet relief of nightfall. The streets grew busier, shops opened back up, people began their nightly routines. It was an interesting sight all in all; they each had their own ritual. Some put the canvas up first, others wash the stands first, some even prayed first. Kouzai tried to find it interesting, but his eyes kept darting to chairs, benches and even some old couches people left out. The sun reached the horizon, and it was time to say goodbye, and good night. The little patrol made its way back to the barracks; Kouzai gave a small report, to which the guard captain just laughed. Calling him lazy good for nothing, but he got paid, and being paid was quite nice. Kouzai took a quick shower in the barracks and then left for the leaving. A fist full of cash, he somehow felt more energized. Returning home for the night, tomorrow was a new day.

Spoiler:

The clang of metal on metal rang through the night air, as Kouzai was slowly pounding on and on on his anvil. It was hard, being out in in foreign lands, desperate to make ends meet. Long nights, and cool mornings make it extremely difficult. He wasn't crafting anything in particular, just making sure his tools were as straight as possible. It helped him relax and get a good night sleep. His eye's grew a bit heavy and he stepped back, leaving down on the warm bench, warmed from the last lingers of the furnace. His breath grew slower, he started nodding off, it must have been around 11 pm, as the sounds of the city had all but faded. At first the neighbors complained about his clanging and banging around at night. They had eventually grown used to it, and some even complimented him and said it helped them fall asleep. It must have been roughly 1 am when the last embers were dying out, with a sudden clash. It sounded exactly like metal pipes and pieces falling to the floor from his shelf.  With a sudden jump, Kouzai reached for a sword that wasn't by his side. He never had his swords by his side when he was working the forge. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw what appeared to be someone no older than him, snatch something from the middle shelf, tanto's and butcher knives, also bolts and some left over scrapes. Fumbling, still half asleep, Kouzai nearly tripped over his apron, he was using it as a blanket. Grabbing his trusty weapons, he fumbled once again, kicking the apron to the side.

The little thief, noticing at the weary shop-keep was up and at-um, started to move out from the shelves and did a small dance around the anvil. Kouzai, coming up to the anvil, also did that little dance, trying to keep the theif in the shop. "Hey, what are you doing. Get the heck out of here. AND PUT THAT BACK" Kouzai wasn't really thinking clearly, this was the first time he's ever been robbed. The thief took off down the street, Kouzai barely made it out of the shop, before the boy was half way down the street. "WHY YOU LITTLE BASTARD", he yelled, taking off after him. It wasn't so much being robbed, but that little prick was so dam fast.

Kouzai wasn't going to let this punk beat him, Kouzai was out in a flash, his sort sword like lightning as he was in stride with the thief, slashing out at that stupid punk. Catching both the thief off guard, cutting the cloak around their face, as he slashed away at it. Tumbling backwards, the thief's cloak feel, and it was a that of a woman. Her hair was light brown, her eyes piercing green, as she had a darker features. Kouzai was stunned for a moment, he wasn't expecting to catch like he did, and was even more surprised too see a girl his age, quite a looker as well. Sensing his hesitation, her leg swiped out, and Kouzai landed with a thud.

Taking off running again, Kouzai shock quickly wore off, as the thief was ahead of him. Whipping out his scabbard, he caught her legs as she tripped and fell. The small tanto went spiraling into the ground ahead of her. Kouzai was up and snatched it up, as the girl bit the dust. He could hear the guards huffing towards him, yelling stop, thief, hold it right there, it was all mainly just for show. Grabbing the girl up, she looked at Kouzai, her eyes wide and almost tearful. Kouzai just stared at her, as they took her away. A large man came over to check on Kouzai, muttering about no good foreigners, causing all sorts of ruckus in the wee hours.

Spoiler:

Kouzai was walking along the roads of Sunagakure. If he had not lived there, he could have probably got lost on his way to the kage's office a while ago. Catching an elephant, and a rhyno will surely be the easiest part! And of course, that was an exaggeration. Who in their right minds would do it anyways? Kouzai knew that he was in his right mind or so he thought he was. Why was he doing this again? Oh right. For a sword that has a titanium blade. Surely, this mission will not be as bloody as B-rank mission since it's a C rank mission anyways and the kage would not surely wanted to kill him... maybe he'd like to though. Kouzai shook his head at the thought of the kage wanting to kill him. He cannot die in this mission! He needs to be the strongest samurai ever! But before that... a lot of training must be held by him and also a lot of missions to be a Chuunin.

His dark brown orbs suddenly spotted a sudden ruckus going on from... somewhere that he really didn't go at since people are making fun of him on that area. Then he heard a roar... a really loud roar. Kouzai had immediately guessed on what was making all the ruckus and was having second thoughts whether if he should capture it right now or wait until it leaves the area. Another roar, and everyone on the area that was neither too far nor too near from Kouzai had started run away while others are on high places. He heaved a heavy sigh and walked casually to that area as his right hand was tucked inside the pocket of his pants, holding on something. When he was on the place from where the lion was running... in circles. He wondered why and when it immediately saw him, it ran from him and the young Genin swiftly pulled out the yarn of ball from his pocket and threw it to the lion. Lions are cats but bigger. He hoped that the trick will work or else...

His soul were lifted high when it worked on the lion, it played on the yarn for a few moments then turned its attention towards Kouzai again. And now... he only have one idea on his mind. Run! And so he did ran away from the lion as fast as he could. He grabbed a raw meat on a grill and was lucky enough that the chef wasn't facing him or he'll get into more trouble. Then as he was still running, he grabbed a fishing rod from a sushi place that was placed outside the sushi stand and hooked the raw meat on the fishing rod. The raven haired genin stopped in his tracks and hoped that his plan will work as he had expected the outcome will be. As the lion was already one meter from him, he jumped on its back and sets himself comfortably on the lion. But the animal was kind of out of control and ran from places to places randomly, trying to get rid off Kouzai from its back but he wouldn't let himself fall down. He used the fishing rod and stirred the pedal so that the raw meat was on the lion's eye level.

It started to run to the meat and was attempting to take a bite on it but was actually failing. Kouzai moved the wooden rod to the direction of the zoo until they've reached the place Kouzai lets himself fall sideways on the ground and run away with the raw meat as the lion chased him for the meat. When he had reached its cage, he threw the raw meat, along with the fishing rod, inside the lion's cage then it was locked by some zoo keeper. "That was a lot of effort." He said and was kind of disappointed that he didn't see anyone get eaten, then again that would be pretty gruesome to behold.

Spoiler:

"Damn kids," the black haired Samurai would utter as he noticed some of the graffiti that the local kids have been spraying all over the place. These things were all over the place and his mission was to clean them up. With haste Kouzai completed his other assignment and then he headed out to get paint, brushes and cleaning tools so that he could clean up this mess. Since he started the last mission first, he was also able to finish it first and thus it was up to him to prepare the stuff that was needed for the mission. Luckily his parents renovated recently and thus they had some paint left from that time. Getting cleaning products was not so hard either, his mother was willing to share some as she knew that he could not afford buying any. Kouzai was basically doing this mission alone while his partner did the delivery, they would go onto the next mission right afterwards. Anyways, with his cleaning products and paint ready for action, the young black haired Samurai known as Kouzai would start his assignment. Since he found himself coming right next to a graffiti, he decided to take care of that one first and then go look for some more. It was a simple yet hard one to clean. Based on what he could observe, the black haired young male realized that this was not something he could clean with simple cleaning products. Nope, only white paint could help him with something like this. The walls on which these things were painted on were white so it was only natural for him to simply paint them with white color. Then again, the only kind of color that Cid had was white so that was the only thing he could do about it. Buying paint was not an expense covered by the mission so he had to obtain it on his own. Since all he was given was this damn white stuff, that was all he could use.

Up and down, up and down, the brush would move. The young black haired Samurai male known as Cid would move that brush and with each stroke he would get closer and closer to the goal at had. The bucket which contained the paint would get emptier with each passing moment as the young black haired male would as quickly as possible cover the graffiti with it. It would not take him too long before he was done with the first one, the one that made him put quite the effort into it. The other ones were not so large as this first one and with each passing one he would need less and less effort to completely cover them with white paint. Soon enough the bucket that was once rather heavy would feel so light and he would no longer need much effort to carry it around. After a couple more of them it was completely emptied and the young black haired male was sorta confused as to how he managed to spend it up so quickly. The black haired Samurai was in luck, even though he had spent the whole bucket of paint, there were still some nice people who lived in the area that offered him their own paint. These older folks also invited him to their house, which he had to refuse since he was in a rush to complete this mission. They were rather sad about it, but they understood how important was this to the young Genin. He was still a rookie who needed to prove himself by completing such boring tasks. Either way, after he had finally gotten some more paint he would go back to using it in order to cover the graffiti. The young black haired male noticed that there were only a few left and he realized that this would all be over soon. That actually gave him more motivation and once more the brush moved, covering more and more graffiti with each stroke. Eventually they were all gone and the Samurai boy was able to return the stuff he borrowed and head to the meeting place.

Spoiler:

Even though he was not actually intending to do any missions after his meeting with the rest of the team, the young black haired youngster named Kouzai decided to do a mission after all. He was sorta broke and he needed some stuff to buy so doing missions alone seemed like the fastest way to get things done. Now that there was a team for him, missions would be easier to do in groups. But, this was a rather simple one and he wanted to get it done as soon as possible. There just was no need for him to involve the rest of the team as then it would be far too easy and not even worth doing anymore. It involved him taking care of some animals that they used for medical research. Kouzai was not too fond of using animals for such purposes, but it was something that had too be done for the good of the village. It was far better than like testing them on humans. Indeed, the animals had to do it instead. It did not take the young black haired male to reach this testing facility as the meeting place for his team was not so far from it. It was a rather plain place, a building in white, nothing special about it. He was sad as he knew that this was not going to be so exciting. One would always prefer to have a much more exciting task as their first mission, but exciting stuff took longer to complete and he did not quite have the time to do so. Due to that he decided to take this rather simple and unexciting mission instead. Something was far better than nothing. To the facility he came in his somewhat older clothing as he did not wish to get his newer clothing dirty. This task required him to deal with animals and so he knew that he was gonna get his clothing dirtied up. Due to that it was far better for him to get his older clothing dirtied over his new ones.

The inside of this facility to which the young black haired boy know as Kouzai had arrived was fairly simple as well. Most of the people had the typical uniform of Sunagakure Medical Corps with the Wind symbol on the hat of their uniform. Kouzai himself had visited the hospital on numerous occasions so such uniforms were not out of the ordinary for him. It was a building located nearby the Sunagakure hospital, but not quite in the same area so he never actually visited this place before. With a calm and relaxed expression he would seek out the person who was in charge of handling the animals so that he could get things started. Luckily the people there were so nice and they were happy to point him towards the right person. Once he found this person he was ready to begin his duties. He had hoped that this little assignment would not take too long as there were other things that he had to do afterwards. The short duration of it was the main reason for him taking it. There were a lot of animals located in this facility, far more than the young black haired Kouzai had expected to see. In all due honesty he was expecting a bunch of lab rats ready for drug testing or something, but he got a lot more. Instead of just them lab rats, which the facility was actually filled with, it also had fishes for medical ninja in training to practice on, some dogs and a bunch of farm animals that they were testing to improve their production. Luckily for Kouzai, he was only in charge of taking the lab animals that were being used for research. There wasn't really that much of those so he did not spend that much time taking care of them. One by one he would take out and then clean their cages, give them water and food. After dealing with all of them he would simply put them back. He was careful enough not to touch any of the rare ones and he made sure not to let anyone free. After he was done, he left.