Corrupting the Innocent [Plot]

[Kawaguchi Daishin]

[atrb=border, 0, true][atrb=vAlign, top] NOTES ! TAGS. Daishin & Rika WORDS. 445 | 2500 LYRICS. this is war, 30 seconds to mars. NOTES. Good Luck ^^

to the soldier, the civilian, the martyr, the victim. THIS IS WAR Daishin squinted at the ruffled slip of paper that he clenched between his fingers. The shadows of the creases made by the morning sun that rendered the text slightly harder to read. But Daishin already knew what was written on that paper. It was merely a receipt, proof that his subordinates successfully identified and contacted the right genin. The crumbled slip read: Kano Rika. Age twelve. Nicknamed "Toukijo." Genin, Ichibuntai. It would be this unsuspecting girl who Daishin summoned to meet him at Takigakure's training ground 1-A, closet to the village. The roar of the infamous waterfall echoed nearby, but the trees that enshrouded the area slightly muffled it. The ground was a clearing made in the woods when Takigakure first founded its academy, and small stumps still dotted the area. The grounds roughly measured up to thirty yards in diameter, making for a rather wide circle. Daishin stood on one of these stumps, his back facing the rising sun. His attendant was not with him that morning. He wanted to do this alone. That way, Kano Rika's reactions and performance suffered no pressure from anyone but himself. And there would be pressure. Daishin planned to make an example of Kano Rika today. But first, he decided to test her combat skills. If she met or exceeded Daishin's expectations, then nothing negative would follow, and Daishin could carry on with his day knowing that the academy had done its job. But, if she fell short, Daishin would not be kind or forgiving. They were now at war, after all. When Daishin became a genin, he instantly joined the village's war effort and, while he only joined small skirmishes or ambushes, he had to fight for his survival and kill to protect his squad. If Kano Rika did not convince Daishin on that morning that she was prepared to do the same, then what could he expect from the other genin? More importantly, how could Takigakure resist another incursion by the Great Nations if its newest additions to its military might lacked the resolve and will to fight back, no matter the price? Regardless of how Rika performed, Daishin would not let her leave with her childish innocence intact. Arriving late would immediately disqualify her from having a chance at meeting his expectations. After all, Daishin had personally instructed two ANBU shinobi to summon her on time that morning. They would not escort her to the grounds, but they would give her at least an hour of time beforehand to prepare herself. That itself would be her first test. But she would come. If a genin refused the Hanchou, they would not be a ninja for long.

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[Kano Rika]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true] and if it ends today well i'll still say that you shine brighter than anyone It was quite the surprise for the twelve year old that she had been summoned by the Hanchou of Takigakure himself. It was a great honor, of course, and Rika was looking forward to talking to him... but at the same time she couldn't help but be nervous. What if she had done something wrong and he was going to punish her, or what if she was being tested and she failed? She didn't want to make the man angry or disappoint him by not living up to his expectations. All the time between when she had been told of the summons and when the members of ANBU arrived to make sure she would get to the meeting on time was spent worrying about the reason behind this meeting and whether or not she was going to be able to do whatever he wanted her to do. Rika had considered bringing him a gift of some sort, but what would one give to their leader, and would he even want whatever she would bring? In the end she decided to just show up, no gift and no bird in tow. Gentou wouldn't like being left behind, but she felt it was for the best. Rika wanted to make sure she looked her best, so she spent some extra time brushing her hair, and made sure to tie her bow in such a way that it was neat and straight instead of sloppy as it usually was. She arrived at the training ground with five minutes to spare, and as soon as the Hanchou came into her line of sight she offered the man a deep bow to show her respect. "Hello, Hanchou-sama." she spoke politely, but in a shaky tone. He would be able to tell how nervous she was through her tone alone, no doubt. words 310 tags daishin notes 310/2500

made by akemi

[Kawaguchi Daishin]

[atrb=border, 0, true][atrb=vAlign, top] NOTES ! TAGS. Daishin & Rika WORDS. 813 | 2500 LYRICS. this is war, 30 seconds to mars. NOTES. Used 1 Kunai | 9/10 left

to the soldier, the civilian, the martyr, the victim. THIS IS WAR Six minutes before Rika had to arrive, Daishin folded the crumpled slip of paper he held in his right hand and stuffed it into his item pouch. With the soothing, consistent roar of the waterfall, the Takigakure Hanchou closed his eyes and briefly let serenity envelope him. And yet, despite the seeming lack of stress and action, Daishin's history of battle forbid him from completely discarding his guard. While his eyes shut themselves off from the bright morning beauty around him, his ears remained alert for the slightest, unnatural sound... ...like the rustle of grass beneath hurried feet. At last, Kano Rika had arrived. Slowly, Daishin opened his eyes and gazed down at the nervous girl whose hair was as blue as the waterfall that gave the village its name. Because he stood on one of the many stumps in the training grounds, Daishin towered over her. Daishin had positioned himself this way deliberately. If Rika could overcome subconscious mental pressure, then she could certainly fight against the same sort of stress on a larger level--like fighting an overpowering opponent on the battlefield, where defeat is not an option. "Hello, Hanchou-sama," she spoke in polite nervousness. "Hello, Toukijo," he replied nonchalantly, before quickly bringing his right arm behind his back, into his item pouch, and slinging his index finger around the ring of a kunai's hilt. In one fluid motion, he flung his arm back in front of him, which pulled the kunai out from the pouch. Daishin then removed his index finger from the ring and, using the momentum of his arm swing, let the kunai loose. It soared through the space between himself and Rika at average speed. Daishin did not aim for a specific part of Rika's body, only in her general direction. This sudden attack would be Daishin's introduction. He was neither kind enough to start with pleasantries nor accommodating enough for Rika's anxiety. He would not inform her of her reason for meeting him beforehand. If she was not quick or decisive enough to act on the spot, either based on instinct or practice, than she would not be worthy of such information, and Daishin would not even continue with the test.

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[Zaraki ☣Inari]

[OOC: If you think my justification for entering Takigakure is impossible or illegal under any circumstance according to our set sysems, please PM me with said reasoning and i shall remove this post, and the plot for it.]

→ I'm back. The air around this place tasted foreign, but it held that unmistakable touch of nostalgia that gave it proof of being his one and only homeland - born and raised. His hands trembled in anticipation. Deadly anticipation. He was an innate coward when it came to dangerous situations, often running away than confronting them head on, and this was mainly the reason he could be seen as a coward, not only for leaving his village, but also for not engaging in a single fight in his attempt to flee. He did not fight for his freedom, he ran for it. It was like a weak refugee of a country attempting to cross the border into another border - there was no thought of battle or fighting to survive - all that was thought about was running away. Yet here he was, displaying to the world that Zaraki Inari was not a Inert individual when it came to fighting for freedom. Let's do this.

---

→ It was a Sunday morning, and Inari sat about two Kilometer to the west from Takigakure border hidden borders. Laying down and bathing in the suns light was his first goal of the day, and his last would be a shock to society. It was not too often that the coward, arrogant, and abnormally crafty Sliver Flash would embark on an endeavor that could be life threatening, hell, even in the military, he completely refused anything that seems like unavoidable fights, and requested he be removed from the task force, if that had not worked, he would always stay in the back, acting as defensive support or ahead as a recon unit as not to dirty his hands with needless blood. This was public information on his shinobi record, so it had a definitive impact on others opinions of himself. Even in reports, it would state that Inari would always find another course of action to finish a mission, be it to capture an assassination target and having someone else end his life or defend, and would disable the enemy without killing them even if forced to.

~Shush, shash, shu.

Its time. His eyes opened as the sounds of a traveler passed by him. He glanced at the traveler, and the traveler glanced at him. It was over in seconds. The young traveler was tied to a tree, and Inari held in his hands his documentation, including birth certificate and I.D. Since the traveler was not as scared as Inari would presume from a possible bandit, it would be safe to assume he was used to this treatment, yet he must contain his I.D if he wanted to enter villages without being suspected as a national criminal. However, there was one thing left to do. He sat down, and begun to talk to the traveler, telling him a bullshit story of what he had to do and why, allowing the traveler to think he was simply a bandit with the wrong occupation and wanting to change, not wanting to kill him or take his stuff. So he talked. They talked. For about 30 minutes, telling one another stories of the past, one was utter bull, while the other had a sense of sympathy. He discovered that it was not an uncommon occurrence for him to get mugged, cause this was war times.

When it ended, Inari thanked the traveler, and the traveler was bewildered that his efforts and words to sway Inari was all for naught, and it was. Inari wanted to learn his speech mannerisms, stories about his life, and get exact to precise measurements of his physical traits, even familiarizing with him about unique birthmarks to see if he possessed any - he did - and that was all part of his plan. Knocking the traveler out cold, placing more than enough cash for him to settle down in his pouch, and of course for the exchange of his I.D and birth certificate as well as information.

"Now to begin."

---

→ He was now at Takigakure border, albeit the actual hidden village was...well hidden. There was a town that had access to the village through a tunnel route, but that was privy knowledge to those who have served in the shinobi force knows, everyone else, civilians of Takigakure usually venture through the normal route, however, he had to use a guise to get through the primary defense. The main reason he could not go straight through the village was that he will actually need the I.D of a Takigakure Civilian, something he could not just pick up off the road he could a normal traveler. It was simply easier and less dangerous to go through the tunnel, as it was less guarded due to its secret nature.

"I.D, and reason for visit?" The initial guard asked Inari, but he was not Inari. He was Nagamichi Zatou, traveling scholar with a IQ of 160, and major in architecture and technologies of the future - the goodness of Henge no Jutsu. He handed the guard the I.D with a strained look as if he was tired of performing this countless times, they should have a runner to inform other towns that he is coming, and yes, snotty as hell. "I'm here to study the unique features of your buildings, and gain knowledge of your basic technology in hopes that this little town can offer some insight and inspiration of my future invention, and i will not go into it deeper, cause your tiny guard brain probably cannot process the in-depth version."

The guard displayed intense disgust towards Inari, and that was the response he wanted, cause the more disgust you have for an individual that seems as the common scumbag i have to handle on this job, the more their mind is taken off common notable suspicious activity. Although he released known to the untrained eye, but it was best to decline suspicion regardless, like from the overly large bag he carried on his back. He could've went to the way of hyperactive, annoying scholar, but that was not the personality of the traveler, and it's best to act like he acted if this man was familiar with him in any way, such as a revisit.

His entrance to the village was easy, but he needed to act fast, if the true scholar woke up, and ventured to the nearest village in hopes of salvage with his money with his story, there is bound to be a report about a transformed individual entering the village causing a wide-spread search and perhaps a lockdown, but he had two hours at the very least. It was enough time to recover the lost chakra and travel to Takigakure.

---

→ The tunnel entrance was as he suspected - guarded. There was but a single guard, probably more on rotation, and it came to his mind that someone like the intelligent Daishin would not keep it completely unguarded, and a frontal insult will probably set off alarms. He scoffed in disappointment. Albeit being a good distance apart, it seemed the guard heard it and reacted. "Who's there?" Inari almost balled out laughing due to such a cliche line from a guard, but contained himself. This situation was bad. If the guard got too suspicious, he could raise an alarm, and then his entire plan would fall into shambles. Well. Time for confrontation.

He walked slowly from his wall that protected him from the guards view, now being completely within it. "Ah! You, this is a restricted area!" He ignored the guards efforts inform him of the areas importance, and continued to venture around as if studying the stones and wood of the nearby location. "You! Blondy! THIS IS A RESTRICTED AREA!" His words, albeit heard, went intentionally unnoticed. Hoping the guard would rush him and force him outwards, and he did. Typical. The guard rushed towards him, grabbed him by his shoulder and violently turned him around, acting with a flabbergasted face was easy enough, "This place is restricted, you need to leave. Now." His voice was clear on that, and Inari, as Zakou, gave him a clearly understood headshake, with a sleight of hand touch at the his torso, allowing the Jutsu-shiki to swivel towards his back-side unnoticed. He ran off in a frantic and believable rush. As if he was scared, tch, like he would ever be.

---

→ He waited a hour, silently letting the guard believe the incident was nothing more than a normal occurrence if incompetence, and allowing him to recover the chakra lost by the placement. After the hour mark had passed, it was over in a flash. He had struck the guard at the base of his skill with a sharp blunt force blow that should immediately disable him by knowing him unconscious. Now to rush.

---

→ The pathway of the tunnel was clear, but what he had to worry about now was the guard protecting the exit/entrance inside Takigakure. Meh. He knew what he would do. He performed a henge, probably not of the Caliber of 30 minutes of gathering worth, but after studying every angle of the guard for a hour, and getting close up, visual and vocal matches were done, and as he had a stagnant speech pattern, that should be easy to copy as well. When he got the end, there was a guard, and he looked at Inari with bewilderment. "Why aren't you at your post?" He asked. "..." The guard got closer in anger that Inari was not replying, "WHY AREN'T YOU AT YOUR POST?" He shouted, getting closer and put his hands on his shirt. "Cause i do not have one." The guard was completely shocked, and then he received a shock to his nether-regions without any warning, and another sharp blow to the base of his skull. Inari had the want nor time to handle the explanatio, and so completely disregarded his previous plan in its entirety and taking advantage of the close-up situation.

He was now in Takigakure near the entrance/slash by the E-2 Training Grounds, and the other guard which he suppressed earlier, the one which had a Hirashin tagged upon him remained tied to a tree through found wire within the village he had entered as Zakou. The tunnel was no more than 350meters apart, making him capable of noting the distance between the entrance of one place and the entrance of the other appropriately. Never know, this piece of information could prove to be his escape. He ventured onwards under the guise of shinobi ranking.

---

→ Traversing through the village was easy. Transforming into a ANBU was even easier. The ANBU was a mysterious group of individuals that those with trained eyes would always see traverse Takigakure under some "Special Orders." As such, they are commonly left alone when performing their duties, not engaged to, or engage to anyone outside of their current task. It was perhaps the easiest henge to date, as all it required was the visual image of an ANBU, and he could move without restrictions at his own speed - his top speed - in search for a single person.

It took some time, perhaps a hour before he found Daishin in the Takigakure Training Grounds A-1, the one closest to the village, but he did not enter the location closest, he was near E-2, so it took some time to search everything. He cancelled the henge, there was no need for it any longer. However, he rested a bit in the trees, watching from afar, attempting to recover whatever chakra he could before going into conversation with Kawaguchi Daishin, a man known for his ruthlessness. This would be displayed as a little girl came, seemingly speaking to Daishin, and then suddenly, a kunai pulled out from Daishin and thrown at the kunai with flawless standing form. Inari's eye widened with surprise and as if on habit, instinctively moved towards them, more specifically, he was in between the two, the kunai thrown in his grip by its grip, and his crimson eyes staring towards Daishin with intensity of a thousand wars.

"Trying to take a life for your experiment? Kawaguchi Daishin." This conclusion, albeit completely wrong in actuality, was the only conclusion, as the sudden entrance with his inability to hear what they were talking about, with the fact Lords rarely, if never, take students and trained them personally, and Daishin was known for his experiments - the most notable reason.



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[Dialogue Text]: QUICKSAND
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[Kano Rika]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true] and if it ends today well i'll still say that you shine brighter than anyone Whatever Rika had expected out of this meeting, it certainly had not been to have the village Hanchou pull out a kunai and throw it at her. For one long, uncertain moment, the girl was frozen out of surprise and fear. It was a quite fortuitous occurrence, really, that someone appeared in the nick of time to save her not only from injury, but likely Daishin's wrath as well - if she had failed to catch or block the kunai due to her anxiety, he probably would have had some scathing words to say, and it wouldn't surprise her if he had just sent her home and found another genin to offer this opportunity to, whatever it was. Still, it was kind of odd that this ivory-haired man had appeared out of nowhere like that... who was he, and why was he there? Rika was grateful that he had saved her from the embarrassment of disappointing her leader, of course - the thought that Daishin might want to kill her in order to use her for his experiments did not even occur to her innocent mind; all she saw was a test to prove whether or not she was worthy of the Hanchou's attention. So the strange man's words made little sense to the girl. To be honest, she wasn't sure what to do now - an unexpected guest in this sort of situation tended to throw a wrench into whatever plans were made. Rika couldn't imagine that the Hanchou would be very happy about this... Instead of saying anything, Rika just turned her nervous gaze on her leader and waited for him to handle the situation. She didn't want to step out of line and address this strange visitor if she wasn't supposed to... words 301 tags daishin notes 611/2500

made by akemi

[Kawaguchi Daishin]

[atrb=border, 0, true][atrb=vAlign, top] NOTES ! TAGS. you WORDS. 1172 | 2500 LYRICS. this is war, 30 seconds to mars. NOTES.

to the soldier, the civilian, the martyr, the victim. THIS IS WAR Daishin could not have predicted this outcome. Not even a village Hanchou would expect a one-on-one combat test with a genin to evolve into a reunion with an S-rank Nukenin. However, Daishin knew better than to mistrust the vision bestowed upon his widened, bewildered eyes. Standing between him and Kano Rika was none other than the Silver Flash, Zaraki Inari. For a brief moment, only silence and incredible tension followed after Inari's words. The roar of the waterfall could not even be heard over the intensity that filled the small space between the Hanchou and Nukenin. After what could not have been more than a few seconds, but what felt like an excruciating eternity, Daishin finally replied. "...Zaraki Inari..." he said softly. His voice lacked any hint of hatred or fear. It sounded almost apathetic. Yet Daishin's eyes clearly conveyed incredible suspicion. Regardless, he did not move from atop his stump. "Kano Rika, please take a few steps back. My plans for you must wait, for now." Whether or not Rika believed Inari's false assumptions, or if she was too scared to move, mattered not to Daishin. He had warned her. Keeping his attention on Inari, a shinobi of prowess equal to or exceeding Daishin himself, became his top priority. Crimson eyes locked with his hazel glare. With each caught in the other's sights, something was bound to erupt...but what? "To think that someone like you would voluntarily return," Daishin scoffed. His meaning did not refer to Inari's status as a Nukenin, but rather his known inclination to flee from risk and avoid combat. Truthfully, Daishin could not understand why Inari would not only return to Takigakure, but appear directly in front of its leader. Clearly, he had plans and felt confident enough in his power to execute them. Daishin decided subconsciously, as if by a survivalist instinct, that he would stall for time until ANBU eventually sought him out. To carry out this tactic, he would refrain from engaging Inari unless necessary. Two powerful shinobi should not resort immediately to violence, after all. With their shared history, there was much to talk about. "Why have you come back?"

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[Zaraki ☣Inari]

→ He gripped the Kunai in his hand tight enough for emit a metallic crunching sound. He wanted nothing more than to throw this Kunai at Daishin due to his suspicions of his intentions for the young genin that stood behind him. However, he was not here for revenge or to fight, something he would very much like to avoid at all cost, no, he was here for more important matters, and he knew his time was limited severely. There was no mistake in his mind that reinforcement will appear, or shinobi will venture here, notice him, and attack him on sight in a misunderstanding mess of defending their leader from a dangerous traitor. Traitor. He did not like that label. Not once did he ever do anything that would betray Takigakure, well, other than stealing their jewels of course, but never did he betray his village and put it in harms way under any circumstance, and he had not planned to do so.

Although he could, such as revealing its location, giving them access to the blueprints of the village, and detailed information on fellow shinobi, something that would be worth millions of Ryo to Takigakure's enemy, Sunagakure to be exact. With that, they could slice the alliance that Takigakure had with Kusagakure with a sneak attack right at their heart. As Takigakure is perhaps several times smaller than Sunagakure, they would not last a week with the full enemy smashing at their gates - perhaps not even a day.

Back to the matter at hand, there he was staring into the hazel eyes of his former leader that he once served under. Daishin spoke, telling Rin that his plans with her needed to be delayed, and Inari grip tightened even more as a response as well as a scowl being formed directed at Daishin. His anger, something that is not seen too often, was hard to hide currently. Perhaps it was harder to hide due to his fear of this entire situation. Daishin's surprised words were to be expected. It was incredibly rare for a Nukenin such as he to come back to his Village; moreover, face the Hanchou himself during which.

He grabbed the bag attached to his right shoulder, loosened it, and threw it at Daishin's feet. "Several Reasons." His words deep and sunken in a distinctive voice of seriousness. "One, to return that back to you, with interest." What laid at Daishin Feet was the jewel Inari had taken when leaving the village, with extra Ryo to sweeten the pot. The only reason he took it was to fund his survival, money was essential to traveling alone, but after selling it, he simply stole it back. It was his thing. He would honor his words in a solid purchase, but there is nothing in the contract saying its protected by or from him, and that is why he is a thief.

"Two, i want you to remove me from Takigakure's Prey List. " His main reason for approaching in such a manner. The only one who could, or should, have the power to remove or call down the dogs that were constantly after Rogues were none other than the individual who held the pinnacle of political and physical power. "In exchange, i will not become an enemy of Takigakure, information about the village will never be released, including its location, and I shall allow you to have me on retainer for merc jobs." Not to mention, he wanted to show Daishin that he could've slit his throat at any time if he wanted.

He lowered his arms, lost the scowl, and got into a neutral posture. "With that, it's a win-win situation for us both."

[Dialogue Color]: 78866B
[Dialogue Text]: QUICKSAND
[Dialogue Template]: "Words"
[Word Count]: [2704/---]
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[Kawaguchi Daishin]

[atrb=border, 0, true][atrb=vAlign, top] NOTES ! TAGS. Kano Rika, Kawaguchi Daishin, & Zaraki Inari WORDS. 1977 | 2500 LYRICS. this is war, 30 seconds to mars. NOTES. Interesting proposal/plot, no?

to the soldier, the civilian, the martyr, the victim. THIS IS WAR Zaraki Inari had the nerve to appear before the leader of the village from which he defected, yet anger flared more fiercely in his eyes than in Daishin's. The Hanchou's glare bore more suspicion and surprise than distaste. Aside from stealing a massive amount of wealth from the already economically troubled Takigakure, Inari brought no direct harm to the village. However, Takigakure suffered enough from conflict with the Great Nations that Inari's selfish deed earned him an immense bounty and scorn from most of the impoverished, ill-fortuned citizens that resided within the Hidden Waterfall. And yet, despite the sudden intrusion and intensity of the situation, Daishin resolved to keep with his tactic of stalling for time--which Inari seemed satisfied with. Perhaps their entire encounter could pass without a single blow. Thus, instead of preparing to weave handseals for techniques, Daishin waited patiently instead for Inari's answer to his question: why had he returned? "Several Reasons. One, to return that back to you, with interest." Daishin's eyes followed Inari's hands as they loosened a bag from Inari's right shoulder and flung it at his feet. While Daishin did not flinch when the bag landed in front of him, the Hanchou did hesitate to approach it. Eventually, he stepped off the stump, bent his knees, and kept his back straight in order to fix his vision on Inari while reaching for the bag. He opened it and his eyes expanded to the size of white porcelain plates. So much Ryo filled the sack that it could fund a small portion of Takigakure! It had to be the money Inari stole from the village. Daishin knew better than to ask why he returned it. The Hanchou instantly surmised that the Nukenin had a request to make, with the returned goods meant to sweeten the deal--and Daishin was right. "Two, I want you to remove me from Takigakure's Prey List. In exchange, I will not become an enemy of Takigakure. Information about the village will never be released, including its location, and I shall allow you to have me on retainer for 'merc' jobs." Daishin silently released his hold on the lip of the bag with the Ryo. He straightened himself up until his hazel eyes reconnected with Inari's crimson. "With that, it's a win-win situation for us both." Wrong. It was not the worst scenario, but it could become so much more... "Zaraki Inari...you are one of the most peculiar ninja I have ever met. This behavior of yours certainly reveals that. And you are quite persuasive, too. You almost convinced me." Daishin kept his eyes locked with Inari, as if he would test the Nukenin's merit and honesty through both words and soul-staring glares. "This ruse attempts to persuade me that I can keep the money that the village is owed, removing your debt, with interest. Moreover, it permits you to truly be free, and washes our hands of you as well. However, that is not what I truly want, yet--nor is it actually the case. There is no guarantee that the Ryo you have stolen, or the bag which holds it, is not marked for your Hiraishin no Jutsu. Therefore, these returned funds are not actually secure. If you happen to teleport back to them on a whim and steal them one last time, we would be less prepared to hunt you down--again. This is a risk that I, as a leader of a hidden village, will not take." And now, Daishin would propose his own manner of changing Inari's fate, while accomplishing his own long-term goal. "If you truly want your freedom, your stable security, I have a proposal for you, one that actually will benefit the both of us. You can have your status as a criminal entirely revoked, and even earn back some or all of the very Ryo that you stole, if you agree to assist me with a very important mission--the collection of whereabouts, status, and general information of all Bijuu and Jinchuuriki." It was a shame that Kano Rika, only a genin of the village, remained within earshot of such a high-level conversation. Perhaps Daishin would do something to remedy that problem later... "Should you agree to perform this mission, you will have already earned a portion of your freedom. You would retain your official Nukenin status, but only in name. ANBU would continue to pursue you, but only as a guise. These very same ANBU will instead routinely check-in with you to record your observations and findings, ensuring you are completing your end of the deal. Upon your completion of this mission and the successful recording of all known Bijuu and Jinchuuriki information, then you will earn your true freedom, with a similar bag of Ryo to make it even more meaningful. ...Your response?"

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[Zaraki ☣Inari]

→ The motions of this events went fast, yet, the entire process of Daishin receiving his words and begin to reply was breathtakingly slow. Perhaps it was his perception of time that was altered due to the urgency and danger of the situation, and in its entirety, it was indeed a risky mission of life and death. A gambit of wide proportions and perhaps the first attempt in history to perform this, so yes, perhaps he was weird in doing something like this, perhaps he was stupid in coming here in the middle of the village and hoping to get everything he wanted. Stupidity was only a word that could describe the tip of the ice-berg he had just begin to lick.

"Zaraki Inari...you are one of the most peculiar ninja I have ever met. This behavior of yours certainly reveals that. And you are quite persuasive, too. You almost convinced me."

Inari received those words as a distinct compliment, one he accepted but cared not to display emotion of acceptance, perhaps he'll do so later if they were on good terms, but now was definitely not to time. Daishin's gaze proved that, as the stare itself was as if it was targeting Inari's soul to understand his reasoning for performing this, but he kept quiet.

"This ruse attempts to persuade me that I can keep the money that the village is owed, removing your debt, with interest. Moreover, it permits you to truly be free, and washes our hands of you as well. However, that is not what I truly want, yet--nor is it actually the case.

There is no guarantee that the Ryo you have stolen, or the bag which holds it, is not marked for your Hiraishin no Jutsu. Therefore, these returned funds are not actually secure. If you happen to teleport back to them on a whim and steal them one last time, we would be less prepared to hunt you down--again. This is a risk that I, as a leader of a hidden village, will not take."

Worst case scenario - Daishin refusal of his proposal. Not to mention, his worries and paranoia were warranted as Inari had a habit of selling and stealing, but this was not one of the cases at which he would do something like that. Moreover, why? He would gain absolutely nothing from that, cause in the end, the cycle would only repeat, and not to mention, if his tags were imprinted on a jewel or the bag itself, they could be inspected before being utilized as funds for the village, and so his worries were more of a way to justify something else, something Inari knew would occur - a negotiation. One where he had field advantage, with faulty logic, and Inari's freedom. While Inari had his skills in sealing, space-time ninjutsu, infiltration and espionage, intel gathering of the highest of levels, and an abnormal amount of resources unbeknownst to most - including spies in nearly all major villages.

"If you truly want your freedom, your stable security, I have a proposal for you, one that actually will benefit the both of us. You can have your status as a criminal entirely revoked, and even earn back some or all of the very Ryo that you stole, if you agree to assist me with a very important mission--the collection of whereabouts, status, and general information of all Bijuu and Jinchuuriki."

He listened with interruption. He had no quarrels with his proposition, if anything, if he was on Retainer, he could've done that with a simple request, so it was, in the most simplest form, what Inari wanted. However, it what came next that would only bring forth anger in Inari.

"Should you agree to perform this mission, you will have already earned a portion of your freedom. You would retain your official Nukenin status, but only in name. ANBU would continue to pursue you, but only as a guise. These very same ANBU will instead routinely check-in with you to record your observations and findings, ensuring you are completing your end of the deal. Upon your completion of this mission and the successful recording of all known Bijuu and Jinchuuriki information, then you will earn your true freedom, with a similar bag of Ryo to make it even more meaningful.

...Your response?"

"My response? That's simple: No."

To think he would agree to such a long-term mission with those circumstances was completely insane, and he would simply be an imbecile if he were to agree. It completely defeated his purpose of coming here. Even if it was simply a guise, he wanted Takigakure to be off his tail completely, wash his hands with them, and now even more so with what Daishin was proposing. Essentially, he offered that Inari become a slave for an X-Amount of time, having ANBU check up on him periodically, and if he's incapable of performing the mission, what? Remove him? What would he do since ANBU has tabs on him and he was incapable of proceeding, not to mention, he couldn't do things on his own time-table, something he liked to do with no worries of restraints. Not to mention, the allure of money was not as great as the allure for freedom.

His eyes stared at Daishin watching his every twitch, "You're right. You can't know that i won't betray you, take the jewels back at the most opportune time, perhaps i came back so that you may approach the bag so that i may kill you when you least expected it, maybe have a coup de taet with your inner-most trusted circle. However, i didn't. This is a portion of the reason why i denied your proposal, the most important being the time it'll take to complete and the lack of freedom during which, as i can perform that job with or without my Nukenin Title, i have eyes in the most unsuspecting places." He was right, getting that information would be a cake walk, hell, he was entirely sure that with the K-Scroll Arts, he'll be capable of unsealing and sealing Bijuu, and finish in the matter of months if not a year top.

"So here's my counter offer. No Hunters. No Parole Officers checking up on me. I'll come back here whenever i have information about the Jincuuriki Identity, Location, and Status, as well as the Bijuu's Locations. Keep the Nukenin title on me, i could use it to my advantage as long as no one outside the village knows i'm not being hunted i rather take down foreign shinobi than my own family anyways," he paused for a second as he had just addressed Takigakure as his family, something he hasn't done for about 8 years now, since he was Takigakure's Prodigal Son, "If i come up with nothing, i don't. If i do, i'll tell you. Simple as that. You'll pay me in the amount of RYO every time i come depending on the worth of the information, and i won't be loyal or taking jobs only from Takigakure, you'll just never be at the end of a job." He turned around forgetting the girl that was behind him, perhaps bewildered or fearful of the tension and words being flung around between the two high-level shinobi. She was about 12/13, young in age and mind, interesting.

"With that, you can ask me to perform other missions or side missions as well, and pay me handsomely in return - i have a group to fund. Also," He paused, turning back towards Daishin, "nevermind."

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[Kawaguchi Daishin]

[atrb=border, 0, true][atrb=vAlign, top] NOTES ! TAGS. Kawaguchi Daishin & Zaraki Inari WORDS. 2628 | 2500 LYRICS. this is war, 30 seconds to mars. NOTES. Fun times ahead

to the soldier, the civilian, the martyr, the victim. THIS IS WAR "My response? That's simple: No. You're right. You can't know that I won't betray you, take the jewels back at the most opportune time. Perhaps I came back so that you may approach the bag so that I may kill you when you least expected it, maybe have a coup d'etat with your inner-most, trusted circle. However, I didn't. This is a portion of the reason why I denied your proposal, the most important being the time it'll take to complete and the lack of freedom during which, as I can perform that job with or without my Nukenin Title. I have eyes in the most unsuspecting places." Daishin did not expect Inari to receive his proposition warmly, but he also did not expect a blatant refusal, either. Beneath his black silk cap, the Hanchou's brow furrowed and his eyes squinted in irritation. Did the Nukenin expect to just pay his way into freedom? The fact that he had stolen the money in the first place, and perhaps marked it afterward, rendered such a method unsatisfactory for Daishin. Inari had to offer something else in return. Now that he knew Daishin's goal, would he take that into consideration and negotiate further? Thankfully, yes. "So here's my counter offer. No Hunters. No Parole Officers checking up on me. I'll come back here whenever I have information about the Jinchuurikis' identity, location, and status, as well as the Bijuus' locations. Keep the Nukenin title on me--I could use it to my advantage as long as no one outside the village knows I'm not being hunted. I'd rather take down foreign shinobi than my own family anyways... If I come up with nothing, I don't. If I do, I'll tell you. Simple as that. You'll pay me in the amount of RYO every time I come depending on the worth of the information, and I won't be loyal or taking jobs only from Takigakure. You'll just never be at the end of a job." Daishin mulled over Inari's counter offer as the Nukenin turned his back on him. "With that, you can ask me to perform other missions or side missions as well, and pay me handsomely in return - I have a group to fund. Also...nevermind." By now, Inari faced Daishin again, but this time, the Hanchou's eyes were closed, isolating his thoughts from outside distraction. Inari's offer was not Daishin's most preferred, but it did meet Daishin's ultimate objective--obtain an agent no longer affiliated with the village to gather the information vital for Daishin's goal of obtaining all nine Bijuu. Daishin kept his eyes closed not just because he was deep in thought, but also to conceal his face's reaction to Inari's mention of an 'organization'. Daishin would precisely remember that word...and investigate it, in due time. For now, Inari required a response, and Daishin believed that accepting the counter offer aligned with his interests. "...I did say you were persuasive. Very well. I accept your offer. Besides, having the ANBU coordinating with you does introduce a slight risk of failure. You will maintain your official Nukenin status. I will inform the ANBU leadership of this decision, and they will issue out an order to 'follow but not engage' you. After all, you do use the Hiraishin no Jutsu. Confronting you in open combat is never the best tactic." Daishin then raised his voice, though his tone could not have risen in seriousness. "If at any point you attempt to prematurely earn your payment, or if you steal the very same Ryo you just returned to us, then the arrangement is nullified and the village will hunt you once more--this time, without a second chance. You have been and are once again valuable to us. Don't discard that. Once we shake hands, I will consider this mission official, and will look forward to your first return... Do we agree?"

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[Zaraki ☣Inari]

→ Inari did nothing but listen after his counter-proposal. There was a moment when Inari assumed the entire deal will be denied and Daishin will attack him, but even then, Daishin knew of his capabilities, one of which was the potential to bring down even the strongest shinobi with simply a Kunai or take down a village in the matter of minutes. His mind was attentive to every word, every emotion displayed, every possible movement Daishin made, and he was running out of time. When Daishin finished speaking, Inari grabbed the Kunai gripped from Daishin and threw it at his feet. His expression didn't show relief, but it was about time to leave, and the words from Daishin was assuring, but there was always a chance he could just be waiting for reinforcements, if reinforcements were to come, and have a better chance to subdue him.

"Agreed." Was all he said before leaving with a jump into the near by trees. There was nothing more needed to be said, or the need for official handshakes, his words should suffice. Moreover, he still had some disdain towards Daishin due to his experimentations on humans, and it had crossed his mind of the girl - her fate was now in the air, especially since she head this conversation and is the only witness. Nevertheless, his mission had been completed. Now all he needed to do was...finish the construction of his organization.

[EXIT]

[Dialogue Color]: 78866B
[Dialogue Text]: QUICKSAND
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[Word Count]: [4,156/---]
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[Kano Rika]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true] and if it ends today well i'll still say that you shine brighter than anyone Rika had stepped aside - sprawled out on the ground pretty far away from Daishin and the ivory-haired man, but not far away enough that she couldn't catch snatches of the conversation that was occurring. She got the feeling that this was something not meant for a genin's to hear, and so the girl did her best to tune them out, but curiosity got the best of her in the end. It took her a while to recall why the man seemed so familiar - he was a rogue from their very own village, a very notorious one at that... why would he randomly pop up in front of the village's leader and not intend to attack him? For a long moment she was worried for their safety, but the moment passed when she figured that if he planned on making a move, he wouldn't be standing around, talking... probably. Rika was trying to discreetly sneak peeks at the men, and saw the rogue toss a bag at Daishin's feet. What could be inside? But then she thought one of them might have seen her looking out of the corner of his eye, and she turned her gaze to the trees, watching a leaf slowly drift its way down to the ground in front of her. ...remove me from Takigakure's prey list... Was he trying to negotiate some kind of deal with the Hanchou, in order to save his own hide? Rika couldn't blame him for not wanting to be hunted down, but... it was kind of his own fault for going rogue in the first place. He made his bed, and he should have to lie in it, not talk his way out of it like this. If Daishin would even listen to him.. from the leader's tone, that didn't seem to be the case, but the tide of conversations could turn swiftly. They were arguing, but doing it quietly; Rika nearly flinched when the rogue turned and looked at her, making a point to look away. She knew she shouldn't be here for this sort of thing, but what was she supposed to do? Daishin had only told her to step to the side, not to leave, and she was afraid of inciting his wrath if she left the training ground to give the two some privacy. It felt like ages passed before they reached an agreement and the nukenin sped away, their strange meeting over. Rika stood and approached Daishin - more nervous now than she had been before, having witnessed something no genin would be allowed to see. "D-Do you still want me here, Hanchou-sama?" After something like that, Rika thought he might want to cancel these plans he'd made - making an agreement with a rogue shinobi seemed more important than spending time with a little girl. "A-And... I-I swear on my life that I won't say anything to anyone about this." Really, it was the thought of getting in trouble simply for being around during the conversation that was frazzling her at the moment. And she knew that if she ever let slip that she had seen the Hanchou making a deal with a nukenin from their own village, she would likely end up dead - an altogether unpleasant fate. words 558 tags daishin notes 1169/2500

made by akemi

[Kawaguchi Daishin]

[atrb=border, 0, true][atrb=vAlign, top] NOTES ! TAGS. Kawaguchi Daishin & Kano Rika WORDS. 2995 | 2500 LYRICS. this is war, 30 seconds to mars. NOTES. I'm down to go back to our original plan :3

to the soldier, the civilian, the martyr, the victim. THIS IS WAR Before Daishin even reached out his hand, Inari decided that he heard enough of the proposal to agree. He flung Daishin's kunai at the ground in front of the Hanchou, close to the bag full of Ryo, and then disappeared as quickly as he arrived. Daishin bent down and retrieved the kunai, dropping it back into his item pouch. The money remained on the ground, flattening the grass beneath it. "Hmph. I suppose it's been settled," Daishin muttered to himself. Rika's emergence from her prone position and subsequent approach caught his attention. After he had flung the kunai at her, and after Inari's sudden intrusion, Daishin would forgive her for being more than a little shocked. "D-Do you still want me here, Hanchou-sama? A-And... I-I swear on my life that I won't say anything to anyone about this." "..." "Hanchou-sama!" Four Takigakure ANBU emerged from their concealment in nearby trees. Now that Inari had left, the roar of the waterfall reverberated in Daishin's ears once again. For a moment, he had forgotten that he stood in one of the village's training grounds, and that the ANBU had known of his meeting with Rika. The ANBU's approach reminded Daishin of where he was, and helped him recognize the easing of tensions in Inari's wake. "Th-that was..." "Zaraki Inari. How did he get in the village?" "Several shinobi have been found unconscious, including one ANBU agent." "...I see. That's fine. Do not pursue. Have your head Taichou meet with me shortly. Dismissed." "Hah!" the ANBU shouted in confirmation before scattering back into the village. He then turned his attention back to the nervous, anxious genin that stood next to him. "Yes, we will resume. And you will forget about all that has just transpired... I attacked you earlier to test your reaction. I will forgive you for your current state, based on the events that just unfolded. However, from this moment on, I will be testing your combat abilities. Do not worry--I have no intention of...'experimenting,' save for gauging your ability as a genin. When I determine our exercise concluded, I will then inform you of why we are doing this. As Takigakure Hanchou, I order you--come!"

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[Kano Rika]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true] and if it ends today well i'll still say that you shine brighter than anyone The appearance of four members of the ANBU only served to startle Rika even more. They carried on a hushed conversation with the Hanchou, obviously about the breach of the village's security that had just occurred, and the girl stood to the side and tried not to pay attention to their conversation. She felt awkward and out of place, even more so than she had earlier... After what seemed like almost an eternity to the skittish girl but was in reality a minute or so at most, the ANBU departed, and the Hanchou addressed her again. "Forget what, sir? I don't remember anything unusual happening." She smiled nervously at him; at the very least, she would not disappoint him by revealing this secret, even if she failed the rest of his test. Which she thought was more likely than not- she was easily spooked and, more than that, all she could really do was perform the basic academy techniques, a low-level fuuton technique, and... Well, she knew how to perform the summoning technique, but despite having signed the village's contract for emperor penguins, she hadn't managed to summon anything worthwhile as of yet. So her combat skills consisted of basic techniques that wouldn't even fool another genin, and her very average ability to throw shuriken and kunai. "I trust you, Hanchou-sama... 'cause if I can't trust the village's leader, then who can I trust?" She didn't have any fears that he would experiment on her, despite what the rogue Inari had thought. Taking a deep, shaky breath, Rika formed a few hand seals and breathed out a gust of wind that, at the moment, was silent. Upon gathering a little speed, it would start to make a whistling noise that grew louder and louder the longer it went. Though she doubted that it would distract Daishin's attention for even a moment, it was the best tactic she had at the moment. Once the noise grew loud enough, the girl pulled a couple of kunai out of the equipment pouch she wore and tossed them at the Hanchou. words 358 tags daishin notes 1527/2500, 87% chakra used kibarashi no kaze

made by akemi

[Kawaguchi Daishin]

[atrb=border, 0, true][atrb=vAlign, top] NOTES ! TAGS. Kawaguchi Daishin & Kano Rika WORDS. 3,434 | 2,500 LYRICS. this is war, 30 seconds to mars. NOTES. Used the Kage Shuriken no Jutsu, 2 Shuriken | Chakra %100

to the soldier, the civilian, the martyr, the victim. THIS IS WAR "Forget what, sir? I don't remember anything unusual happening." "Don't play around. A 'yes' would have sufficed," Daishin barked. "Now come!" Daishin's eyes squinted in concentration, watching Rika inhale deeply. "I trust you, Hanchou-sama... 'cause if I can't trust the village's leader, then who can I trust?" ...That's exactly what you must learn, child, Daishin thought to himself. Rather than just chide Rika for her remark, he would use force and harsh experience to teach her that she should not trust anyone--not even him, if she could help it. Daishin bent his knees, ready to spring. However, the Hanchou instead remained motionless. At first glance, Rika expelled nothing from her mouth. When she inhaled and formed her handseals, Daishin felt unsure whether she planned to use a Katon no Jutsu or a Fuuton no Jutsu. While he heard no sounds from Rika's technique, the forceful submission of blades of grass, which bent forward as if a wave crashed over them, meant that the genin's technique was a Fuuton no Jutsu. Its silence irked the Hanchou. How could the wind hurt him if it was too weak to even cause noise? However, after traveling through the air for a few yards, the wind picked up speed. A sharp whistling noise echoed throughout the training area. Daishin felt the wind slam against his clothes, but it still felt like natural, calm wind. The breeze washed over and passed him, inflicting no damage. The Hanchou almost turned around, in suspicion that something else should have happened to the wind after it flowed past. That was exactly what Rika would have wanted, and Daishin did not fail to catch her arms' movements with his eyes. She grabbed and tossed two kunai at him. So, the wind was a distraction? I see... Unafraid of whatever else the genin hid beneath her sleeves, Daishin charged her. He did not even reach for another kunai to deflect Rika's own. When the Toukijo's weapons neared him, Daishin simply relied on his masterful reflexes to contort his body around their projected paths. The kunai flew past him and stabbed the earth with a dull thud. After dodging the kunai, Daishin reached into his item pouch and grabbed two shuriken, holding them together between his right index and middle fingers. When Daishin threw the shuriken, they lined up perfectly with one another. If Rika was not perceptive enough, she might not recognize that two shuriken soared through the air at her, instead of one. And flying at her, keeping pace behind the path of the shuriken, was Daishin, ready to engage the Toukijo in a basic taijutsu scuffle.

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