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Post by Tsubasa Masumi on Jun 25, 2013 17:56:23 GMT -5
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555 | [atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,bTable][atrb=vAlign,top][atrb=style, width:300px; background-color:#222; border-right:4px solid #8746AF;] HOLY WATER CANNOT HELP YOU NOW -- That polite request for no future escort missions? Yeah, that had gone so well, it was almost like no one bothered listening to chunin at all. Oh, wait - they didn't. At all. And that would be why the black-haired teen stood outside the Tsuchikage's building, waiting for her client to arrive. She hadn't really expected that they would acquiesce to her request - the mission was more important than a teenage girl's wants. That did not offend her or incense her or coax her to disobey and refuse the mission. Unprofessional behavior did not get one very far in life - and so while she did not want to take this mission, she would, and her conversations with the client would be polite, though not cordial. Any respectable shinobi would do the same.
Masumi was a person that valued her career more than her feelings. Feelings could be fickle, they could lead you astray, cause you to commit yourself to the wrong kind of people. Feelings hardly ever did you any good, and when they did, the price that came along with them was often too high for her liking. Her career might not be totally consistent, and it had a high possibility of leading her into danger, but the risks were well worth the reward of fat paychecks and ridiculous levels of skill that could be used to perform feats beyond the limits of the plebeian masses.
She had expected her client to be a large, burly man, at least a foot taller and three times thicker than she - as her last blacksmith client had been - but her expectations were proven false. A young man who couldn't have been more than twenty-five approached. "I was told to look for a chunin named Maeda-san, is that you?" he asked politely, stretching out his hand. After a moment of delay she took it and shook, causing him to grin. "I was also told that you were kinda quiet. Guess they were right about that. My name's Masato."
Masumi arched a brow. "It's not that I'm truly all that quiet; it's just that, for the most part, I have nothing nice to say and thus prefer to keep my mouth shut so as to avoid causing trouble." Not to say that she was ever a social butterfly, either; the chunin was reserved, did not enjoy sharing details of her personal life with anyone, and simply didn't care about anyone else's lives or interests. The most communicative she ever got was when she was writing or verbalizing mission reports. "I will advise you just as I do any other client: avoid attempting discourse with me unless you have something important to say. I take my job seriously and do not enjoy being distracted while working."
"If you want quiet, it's quiet you'll get, then." Masato agreed easily, not at all perturbed like most others. "I'll tell you more about the man we're meeting later, if that's alright?"
"That is acceptable. Now come, time is money, and I am not in the habit of wasting either." Masumi set off toward the gates, the blacksmith following a few paces behind her. Well, this was off to a better start than she had expected. i've come to burn your kingdom down. |
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Post by Tsubasa Masumi on Jun 25, 2013 18:37:19 GMT -5
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547 | [atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,bTable][atrb=vAlign,top][atrb=style, width:300px; background-color:#222; border-right:4px solid #8746AF;] HOLY WATER CANNOT HELP YOU NOW -- Masumi was pleasantly surprised by the easy, uninterrupted silence that they traveled in. It was refreshing to not have to deal with agitation for once. Perhaps that was due not to her warnings, but to the fact that the blacksmith was mature enough to respect her wishes. He did not seem as ignorant as the usual representative of the masses; he did not speak down to her like one would their other hired help, nor did he complain every five seconds about something that she could not control. Masato seemed to have the cognitive power to actually understand what she told him - a welcome change, if an odd one.
"It will not be long until we arrive at our destination. If you wish to provide me with information, it would be wise to do so now." she said, turning her head slightly to look back at him. The blacksmith had jumped upon hearing her speak, not expecting it after so many hours of silence.
"Right. Well, I've known this supplier for practically my whole life. Tadao's a great guy, he was like a second father to me." Masato began, scratching his facial stubble. "Until a few months ago, anyway. My father died, or was killed, and left the smithy and his business to me. I took over easily, and then suddenly Tadao wanted to get all buddy-buddy with me. Said he'd get me a discount on anything I wanted from him for the rest of my life. But I don't trust him anymore. I'm sure he's up to something, I just don't know what. I want to believe he's looking out for me because he's a family friend, but I get the feeling that there's something strange up with him."
Masumi took a moment to process the information. "You believe he is behind your father's death and wants to use the connection of blacksmith and supplier to control you or otherwise do you wrong." she surmised. It was simple, really, not something it took a genius to figure out. "It is not difficult to put the pieces together. Although, you might wish to consider that he is not the only one working against you. Obviously suspicious behavior is more often than not a red herring to distract from the true culprit."
"I didn't even consider that." He was stumped into silence for a few moments. "Would breaking all personal ties with Tadao help? Should I find I different supplier? I'm clueless as to how all this stuff works."
"I cannot tell you what is necessary until I have observed the situation firsthand." Masumi brushed an errant strand of hair out of her eyes. "Do you believe your life is in danger?"
"No. Yes. I don't know." Masato looked as if the thought of death made him feel ill, something the chunin did not understand. Death was just another part of life, one that all beings had to face eventually. "I don't think Tadao could kill me, but if he really is working with others..."
"Then this meeting could be the death of you." she finished. "Do not worry. I will protect you. I am more than capable of killing a man." i've come to burn your kingdom down. |
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Post by Tsubasa Masumi on Jun 25, 2013 19:44:49 GMT -5
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576 | [atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,bTable][atrb=vAlign,top][atrb=style, width:300px; background-color:#222; border-right:4px solid #8746AF;] HOLY WATER CANNOT HELP YOU NOW -- The teahouse in which the meeting would take place was small and quaint, with a relaxed atmosphere that would make most people feel comfortable almost instantly. Not her. The chunin was entirely focused on the mission at hand, which made it impossible to relax; and in fact, even if she had not been on a mission, she would have found it difficult to relax. The place was certainly homey enough, but becoming too complacent could be the death of you. "If he offers to buy you food or drink, decline." she murmured as they headed back to the private section where Tadao waited.
"Hey, Masato! So you've finally got yourself a pretty little lady, have you?" A large, jovial-looking man clapped her client on the back grinning widely. "It's about time, don't you think?"
Masumi did nothing to deny the claim, a slight smile sliding onto her face. Following her example, Masato just grinned and nodded. "She wanted to meet you, so I brought her along." he lied, and though he was not as practiced in the art of deception as the shinobi, the man did not question the veracity of his words. "Let's get down to business, Tadao."
"Heh, of course, son! Do you want anything to drink? My treat." the man offered. Masato was quick to decline, and Tadao simply shrugged. "Now, what I have to offer you? It's ten times better than any deal I ever offered your father. I like you. I think we can go far together."
Tadao launched into a long rant about what he would do for Masato, and though he listened intently, Masumi was focused on watching Tadao's facial expressions and discreetly surveying the area around them, trying to find any suspicious characters observing the meeting. She saw nothing out of the ordinary, but did not believe that that was the case; her sight was not infallible, nor was she, and it was possible that something had escaped her. The man excused himself to use the restroom - it seemed he had been hitting the bottle long before they arrived - and Masato looked relieved to have him gone for a moment.
"Did you see anything?" he asked in a hushed tone.
"Nothing suspicious." she replied. "Tadao is either an incredible actor or incredibly drunk. I lean towards the latter. I do not think he intends any ill will - at the moment, anyway. You will leave this encounter unharmed unless someone makes a move quickly."
"But you still think something will happen?"
"If there is truly someone who wishes you dead, they will try until they succeed or die themselves."
Tadao returned and shinobi and client immediately quieted down. He grinned, thinking it nothing more than a quiet discussion between lovers that was not for the ears of others. He winked at Masato, who offered him a sheepish look in return.
"So, is this settled, Masato? Do we have a deal?" Tadao asked eagerly.
"So long as you can answer one question for me." Masato leaned in and beckoned for the other man to do the same. "Swear to me on your life that you have never and will never plot to cause me any harm."
Masumi wanted to hit him. If you knew there might possibly be plans against you, you kept quiet and vigilant; you did not let a possible conspirator know that you knew, no matter how drunk he was. i've come to burn your kingdom down. |
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Post by Tsubasa Masumi on Jun 25, 2013 20:31:27 GMT -5
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469 | [atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,bTable][atrb=vAlign,top][atrb=style, width:300px; background-color:#222; border-right:4px solid #8746AF;] HOLY WATER CANNOT HELP YOU NOW -- "Why would I... I would never, I swear!" Tadao looked offended at the mere thought of putting the man he thought of as a son in danger.
"I just had to make sure. Now we have a deal." Masato responded, smiling. "And if that's all, we really should be going..."
"Yes, yes, go on, you two. If I need to talk to you again I'll come to Iwagakure for a visit." Tadao responded, taking another long drink of rice wine.
"Goodbye, then. Until next time." Masato stood and stretched, taking the lead while Masumi followed behind him until they left the teahouse.
For a while longer, they walked in silence. Then Masumi told him, "Your decision to reveal what you knew was not a wise one. You should never tip your enemy's hand unless you know you can one up them."
"You're right - I'm sorry. But I just had to ask him." Masato tried to explain why he had done it, but it would never be excusable in the chunin's eyes. "Tadao's many things, but he has never been a liar. I thought that if he made me that promise, I might be able to rest easy."
"Never lied, hmm? Not once, ever, in his entire life, at all?" Masumi responded, a hint of incredulity in her tone. "Can you see inside his head and find his truths? No - you cannot - and until you can you should assume he is a liar through and through."
She began to gradually increase her pace, and Masato did the same, though he was curious as to why. They were moving quite fast, and he was having a bit of trouble keeping up, but he knew it would not be wise to complain. Masumi wasn't a fool, he knew that much about her; if she was sticking to this quick pace, there had to be a good reason.
When he figured it out, it felt like his heart had frozen in his chest. She had seen something - someone - that was after the two of them. Logically, he knew that he probably wasn't in very much danger - the teenage girl beside him was a shinobi, and seemed to be a pretty good one, at that. He had faith that she could take care of any problem they encountered.
And it wasn't like he was helpless; back about a decade ago, he too had been a shinobi - a scrawny twelve-year-old genin, but a shinobi nonetheless. Masato had a decent amount of physical strength and still remembered some of his ninja moves, so it wasn't like he would have to stand there and hide behind the girl if they were attacked.
Still, he hoped that whoever was pursuing them didn't catch up. i've come to burn your kingdom down. |
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Post by Tsubasa Masumi on Jun 25, 2013 21:01:55 GMT -5
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431 | [atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,bTable][atrb=vAlign,top][atrb=style, width:300px; background-color:#222; border-right:4px solid #8746AF;] HOLY WATER CANNOT HELP YOU NOW -- "Masato-san, if I tell you to run, obey me without question." she spoke up suddenly.
He nodded, mouth set in a grim line. To be honest, the order made him feel a little less worried about his own skin, and it would free him from the possibility of taking off because he was a coward, which had definitely been an option in his mind.
"Now." she told him. He took off as fast as he could, noticing as he passed her that she was forming hand signs and her pale skin was turning dark as the result of whatever the technique was. But Masato didn't dwell on it; he focused his whole being on running towards the Iwagakure gates, which weren't in sight but would be soon enough.
Masumi's speed surprised the two pursuers, neither of which were Tadao. Most likely, they were thugs he had hired to do the dirty work he was too cowardly to approach himself. People like that frustrated her greatly; she knew from experience that the only way to get things done right was to do it yourself.
The two men dared to laugh when they realized their enemy was a slim teenage girl. Yeah, she was a shinobi, but that didn't mean she was any good.
"You are fools." she sneered. "And I am your death." A quick Shunshin placed her directly in front of the taller of the two men, and she slammed her diamond-hard fist into his windpipe, collapsing it and causing him to choke. He wasn't able to react before she snapped his neck just as she had done to some wild dogs on a previous mission - and those dogs had put up a better fight than the dead man laying on the ground.
His partner looked like he had just seen a devil, and he turned tail and fled. But he had no chance, of course. Another well-timed Shunshin put her in front of the man, who stumbled back, tripped over a tree root, and fell flat on his rear. It was a simple matter to send a kunai flying into his throat.
Masumi, as calm and collected as ever, ended the doton technique that had given her immense strength, retrieved her kunai, and strode back to the path.
She caught up with Masato shortly before he arrived at the Iwagakure gates. "They are dead." She looked him over again and shook her head. "Mind your choice of company in the future. I do not wish to have to save your life again." i've come to burn your kingdom down. |
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[M:3290:120750:]
