The Start of Something Good (Masuyo's Squad)

Come on, come on, if I did the math right then it should land on Red 21... Yami's focus was honed in on the roulette wheel, the ball rolling around tantalizingly with the chance of great reward. Seconds passed though it felt like an entire minute to the old merchant. And then...

"Red 21!" Yami's face lit up in surprise, some real and some feigned, raising his arms in the air as his number was called. The people gathered around the wheel cheered at the sight, this being the third such call he had made since he sat down a few minutes ago. The man behind the wheel sounded enthused, but Yami could see in his eyes the anger he was beginning to feel. It was amusing to the old man that he'd get so angry over such a trivial thing as a game. It's not like it was his money that was being lost, it was the business' money that was being sapped by Yami like a leech.

With a satisfied groan he would reach over and collect his total earnings. "I suppose it's time I got going then. Can't push my luck." Every time he won, he had just laid the money back down for another bet. After three victories, he was walking away with much more than he had sat down with. Eight full, five pound bags of silver. Ryo was not the only thing used for payment in this town. The big deals were done with silver, gold, and salt since an ounce of any of those substances was worth many thousands of ryo. This place just happened to be one of those places, though that wasn't exactly an accident. Yes, the establishment would not be happy with losses like that.

This particular building was a casino and restaurant hybrid. The owners were foolish enough to not put a cap on their roulette wheels, not believing anybody would get lucky enough often enough for the winnings to become that big of a deal. But they had never encountered Yami before, and he didn't want them to ever do so. So he left before the heat could be deployed. Not that he was complaining, he had managed to walk away with close to one million ryo worth of silver from three quick games. Not a bad haul, and just enough to buy some more cargo on the way back home. This time it'd be something good and expensive, something that'd make him a pretty penny when he got back.

First though, he needed to find that which belonged to him. And in order to do that, the shinobi from Konohagakure would have to find him first. Going after his property alone probably wasn't a good idea, especially when you aren't young and spry anymore. A few minutes away from the spectacle he had created, Yami turned down an alley and produced a scroll from a seal etched into the inside of his index finger. He unrolled it quickly and placed all but one sack of silver onto it. On the scroll was a seal written ahead of time for this very purpose, and within ten seconds of producing the scroll it would be back inside the seal on his finger. The eighth sack sat on his hip, acting as his coin purse.

The old merchant was wearing thick woolen pants dyed black, a result of spending so much time on a boat. One needed something thick to stay warm in the tumultuous waters of the sea to the Land of Fire's east. Black leather boots polished to a shine covered his feet, with the interior being fur lined for comfort and insulation both. His pants were held up with a fine quality, black leather belt with a katana resting on his left hip. The sack of silver and his coin purse of regular ryo sat on his right hip. This was all mostly covered by a jacket created out of the skin of some kind of reptile. It was a dark red color and had the texture of alligator leather. The tails of the jacket were long, ending below the knees. Buttons run the length of the front, with only those in the middle being done up. The rest were left open to make travel easier and to let him breathe easier. The craftsmanship of this piece was evident, obviously costing a princely sum to obtain. A white shirt was worn underneath this fine piece of attire, hiding the bare flesh beneath.

His hair was let free, falling to his shoulders. It was black in color with streaks of gray throughout it. His face had only a few wrinkles, apparent when he smiled when the smile lines and crows feet appeared. To most he appeared to be a man in his late forties or early fifties, though everyone who guesses so is surprised to find out that they're off by a couple decades.

Yami left the alley the same way he entered, searching for somewhere to eat. He had purposefully not given an exact location within Tanazku Town. The shinobi Konoha sent needed to be able to at least find their customer if they had any hope of helping him, so this was a test of sorts. The distinguishing jacket was a result of him wanting to stand out, to try and help them a little bit. He had grown accustomed to trying to be as discreet as possible, so if he didn't do something like this he was afraid that he'd be too hard for them to find. Of course, as shinobi that likely didn't matter much. If they put their mind to it, they could find him. And it would have to be their mind, for Yami had learned a few tricks in his long life. That included how to suppress his chakra signature, something he practiced at almost all times. Paranoia was warranted in his line of work though, everybody targeted merchants. Easy money for a thief, usually.

He wandered for a couple more minutes before deciding, choosing an outdoors restaurant he had never been to before. Within minutes he was seated and enjoying a cup of the finest sake the place had to offer at the finest table in the pleasant dusk air. The chair under him was padded richly, being very comfortable. It was supposed to be a table for six, but he had requested it to himself. After all, the three different four course meals he had ordered meant he needed a lot of room to try it all. Another drink of the sake prompted a satisfied sigh from the Hozuki as he scanned the horizon, examining the sunset. "And now I wait."




-chakra is suppressed

A little delayed than expected, as a result from the test Masuyo held for her Genin at dawn, the squad would eventually make it to Tanzaku town in one piece. It was roughly dusk as they arrived, spending nearly the entire day traveling. It was mostly the low priority of their travels. In a real emergency Masuyo could arrive in a mere couple hours. Her footwear consisted of standard black sandals fitted for comfort and security. With the toes and heel left exposed they provided additional balance, while the rest of the foot up to the ankle was protected by the thick nylon material of the sandal. The soles of the sandals are reinforced with hardened material to resist heavy impacts and weathering. She wore a pair of loose fitting black pants with the bottoms near her ankles taped securely in white bandage wrap. This provided balance and reinforcement to her ankles while closing off the ends of her pants. In addition, more bandage wrap was wrapped around her right thigh which allowed a navy blue holster to be strapped over comfortably. Around her waist she wears the basic utility belt which carries two green holsters on her right side along with a tool pouch around her back side and a canteen to the far left.

A black mesh shirt is worn under a common long sleeve black top having a red seal of fire placed on the outsides of each sleeve towards the upper arm. Over that was a fitted green flak jacket provided by Konoha's armory. The jacket was zipped up and secure firmly on her body. Worn on both arms were a pair of custom crafted arm guards gifted to Masuyo. The banded steel design covered the backs of her hands to her elbows leaving a soft spot of leather to allow wrist movement. Around her neck Masuyo wears her forehead protector as a collar. The black cloth is tied in a knot around the back side of her neck with the steel plate facing the front for identification. The steel plate has Konoha's emblem engraved on the front. Masuyo has straight black hair which extends down to her mid back. Two strands of hair drop down touching her chest which leads into her bangs, those being cut shorter and swept to the side. She stands at 5'9 weighing approximately 145 lbs. Her fair skin is complimented with her voluptuous form which is completed with a pair of hazel eyes.

Entering the city limits of Tanzaku town Masuyo paused, hands grasping the straps of her backpack as her eyes scanned across the horizon. There were not too many people. At least not nearly as much as Konoha, but being a tourist location it was still fairly busy. "We must find our client. It just dawned on me that he didn't give us a meeting location. I guess he plans on testing us, since our goal is to help him locate some personal prizes. As it stands, this man is roughly six-four, long 'salt and pepper hair', and frequently wears sunglasses. I would say with those details he's roughly middle-aged. His name is Yami Hozuki." Masuyo let her Genin intake the information and have a chance to process what she just said. Detail was important, and logically approaching the situation was just as valuable.

"I highly doubt we will find him in any of the residential parts of this town. He is a foreigner, after all. Downtown will be our best bet. We will start there. Let's go." Masuyo was less enthusiastic than before taking the task and giving the vibe that their mission has just started. Questioning denizens around town was useful. Having a uniform and a name for oneself made the average citizen pay more attention and take the questioning seriously. As for her Genin they may or may not learn that soon, though given some of their equipment that may change some opinions.

Upon reaching the downtown area where the majority of the attractions, vendors, casinos, and hotels resided, Masuyo would begin making her rounds as the men working some of the food stalls. After questioning the fifth stall owner, with no results, she also managed to obtain a large box of beef Yakisoba and two Yakitori skewers. "Damn, no luck yet." Masuyo did not want to have to resort to drastic measures, which would include them scouring the rooftops of the town. Taking a bite from her skewer she munched on two pieces of chicken, chewing a bit to make room for a heavy dosage of the noodles. Her cheeks were full like a chipmunk storing nuts as she worked to devour her food. She would use her respite to gaze along the downtown area repeating the description of the man in her head and trying to find similarities.

The Remainder of their trip since lunch wasn’t as hard as Sera had expected her armoured boots, legs and thighs didn’t really bother her since she had gotten use to them and readjusted their straps at lunch.  Sera wore a off red more burgundy coloured jumper styled combat attire. With mesh that covered over where a large opening at her chest would be. Thought the curvatures of her body still clearly showed it was clear she was battle ready, mech covered her arms and Metal Covered from her upper thighs down to her black boots she had picked out for the mission specifically.  Her long Black hair tied back in a long ponytail with a simple Red Ribbon.  A Large Nodachi hung along her back angled so that she could tilt it to the side to unsheathe its massive length. Fashioned on her Neck similar to Masuyo’s headband Seras Konohagakure headband would be tied loosely over her neck.

Sera wandered into the town with Mausyo and the rest of her squad, the town it self was unique for most towns she had ever been to, keeping in mind she hadn’t traveled far in her life time, this was fairly exciting for her and the multitude of people hustling and bustling around made it seem that much neater.  It dawned on her that she didn’t exactly know anything about the mission, which seemed odd maybe it was simply because it was their first mission and Masuyo didn’t want to overwhelm them off the start of maybe Sera was overwhelmed and missed the details.   She knew they needed to get to Tanzaku town, and they had indeed made it.

No sooner then after that thought crossed her mind Masuyo gave a short description of the person they were suppose to find. Being told that downtown was the best odds, sera would follow Masuyo to the downtown area and after she started to question stalls, Sera would take it upon herself not to stand awkwardly behind her sensei and be useless.  Instead she moved to the other side of the road, opposite of Masuyo  Sera would ask the citizens and shop owners if they had seen anyone with the description that Masuyo gave them.   The First shop keeper she had asked seemed confused by her wording of the question but  after correcting it they quickly seemed to understand though no luck was the be had.

Moving down to the stalls further down the street and keeping near Masuyo or at least within view Sera would continue the Search. “ excuse me,  I was hoping you could answer a question or two for me? “ she asked looking a shop owner, which they would nod in acceptance. “ I am looking for a man. Who ha. . . .  “ but before she could finish, one of the people next to her started breaking off “ Well if your looking for a man I can be of service.” Sera would look almost Surprised as her emerald coloured eyes wandered from the shopkeep to the man who though her was funny.   He had a wide toothy grin but wasn’t much of a looker, he seemed to be a labourer of sorts, though he was unkept and sera could smell a hint of Alcohol on his breath.  She would bow her head to the shopkeep “  Thankyou for your time” she would say quickly and turning away  to Retreat a bit closer to her sensei.

Sera would continue the investigation despite feeling a little more venerable, a bit more forceful she would ask people if they had seen a man matching the description that Masuyo gave them almost word for word,  with little luck,  but as she was getting to the end of the small street that Masuyo had started on,  a woman approached Sera and told he that she had seen a man by the description but it was a while ago and she didn’t know where he was heading or where he had went.    Though it was not much  Sera made sure to thank the older lady and smile politely before heading back to Masuyo  across the street “ Sensei Masuyo, it seemed that he was in fact sighted here though no one knows where he vanished too. “  she would report.  Taking a second to look down the street and pick out the man that had made her uncomfortable. Before turning her attention back to Masuyo awaiting instruction she would ask “ what’s are new move?”

The trip since lunch towards their way to Tanzaku Town left Taichi with a bit of surprise, considering his winded condition from running all over the village like a lunatic in the morning, you'd think the kid would be out of it but instead, Taichi is feeling oddly energetic when they had finally arrived upon the town. He tends to keep his body in peak, physical condition for his taijutsu to be at it's best but it's as if he felt a new level of energy overlap what he used to previously have over the weeks, it felt like his stamina had gotten an increase.

Anyways, Taichi was slightly happy to see the town and it's slightly lively population, he always wanted to visit this town along the way to Konogakure but considering all the quickness and silence they had to do along their way to the Konogakure gates at the time, they couldn't really stop along the way for such a visit, but that was quite a while ago... he's glad he's got the chance now at least, even if it's a mission he has to do.

Taichi wears a beige-coloured shirt with it's bright colour being blocked out by the leather equipment Taichi is wearing which consists of a leather vest, spaulders and arm guards. The visible parts of his shirt are the very bottom linings of the beige shirt and the front and side of the shirts arm sleeves. The waist has a light belt which is keeping the tucked in bottom of the shirt into Taichi's long black pants, the hip pouch is connected nicely to the back of Taichi's light belt, which carries all his ninja tools.

With the footwear, Taichi is wearing black ninja sandals which gives some space between the black pants, exposing some skin at Taichi's lower legs. He also has several holsters, a left leg one containing one kunai, his right leg holster carrying ten shuriken and his waist holster also carrying another ten shuriken. Taichi also wears his forehead protector around the neck.

He rolled his eyes though when Masuyo had stated that the man that hired them to do this mission didn't exactly leave a meeting location, a light frustration could be heard from him when he decided to mimic the guy for doing it. "Oh hey, let me just hire a full ninja squad and not even tell them where to meet me cause I'm an idiot like that!" regardless of his semi-serious rant, he knew that they would have to go hunting for the guy, and tried his best to remember the description that Masuyo gave to the whole squad about how he looked.

Taking the suggestion his sensei had laid out, he went to Downtown with his squad but asked in the more open spaces, he had asked anyone that walked by with most of them either shrugging off his question or just giving a light shake of their head towards Taichi on the question, with no single word given from the questioned people. Taichi however went down a certain alleyway, to notice a peculiar man with odd skin digging through a dumpster. "Uh... excuse me?" to which the man bumped his head against the dumpsters metal lid, placing a hand on where his head is now supposedly hurting and with the other hand on top of the dumpsters top side, swiftly making his feet go over the side of the dumpster and landing both feet on the ground smoothly before turning to Taichi.

"Y-y-y yes!?" Taichi was a bit frozen in place, he had no idea what that was with the man, did he have a massive stutter or is something wrong with him? either way, he told the odd man the details of the man he's looking for, with a light shock expressed on the guy's face before quickly hiding it. "N- no! g-g- go away!" the man said before jumping back in the dumpster... Taichi decided to not pursue it any further, he was honestly a bit creeped out by that guy... what a weirdo, even though the guy expressed some sort of shock to it, Taichi is pretty sure that he's really out of his mind, he doubt he would really know anything about who Taichi's looking for.

He reunited with Masuyo and Sera, hearing their take on the search for the man and hearing they haven't had much luck with finding where the guy is, Taichi shook his head when it was his turn to speak up on what he found. "No luck here either." Taichi had noticed Masuyo eating, but he didn't really judge her or decided to do some smartass remark about it, since they were focusing on the mission currently.

Silence was all that came from Rin with the exception of grass faintly rustling around his steps. Ever since Rin lost his voice he kind of took it upon himself to be quiet until it comes back. However during this trip to Tanzaku Town the kid grew comfortable to being quiet. So far he’s learned to not be drawn to himself, but rather be alarmed of everything else. For what his squad may overlook Rin could focus on seeking hidden creatures and items. These three people that Rin has steadily grown fond of seem to be focus on just getting there, though Rin has a feeling that Masuyo’s guard is never truly down.

The young genin is armed to the teeth as Rin holds the ordinary iron katana in the scabbard clipped onto his belt by a holster. It is positioned at waist level on the left side the sword was, and on the back of Rin’s belt is a sheathed wakizashi that is also holstered onto the belt. The hip pouch can be found on the right side of his belt filled with Rin’s tools including thirteen kunai, twenty shuriken, five explosive tags, five smoke bombs, five chili pepper bombs, and one hundred-fifty feet of steel wire neatly wrapped together to form a steel ball. On his torso is covered by a leather vest with a grey short sleeved shirt and the mesh shirt underneath. Both forearms to his wrists is worn by a pair of steel guards with a loaded kunai mechanism on his right arm. Rin’s shin is covered in leather guards to enable mobility as well as offer some protection. Dark pants with the ends tucked into his guards and holds a holster of one kunai each on both legs. And finally his footwear is a pair of open-toed sandals.

Everyone seems to be wearing their headbands around the neck, but Rin has been wearing the headband around his forehead. His warm black hair covers some of it, but it still leaves the symbol visible clear as day. On his back is the bag of essentials for traveling. Just being outside of the Leaf in general was breathtaking on its own. Traveling to new sights is something Rin longed for since he tires of same forest, same river, and same buildings. However they were not here to view the sights in this town.

According to Masuyo, the guy who hired them never put a meeting place other than he was in Tanzaku Town. A short and precise description of their client was given to the squad. All of them went to the downtown, and though Rin was quite a ways away from the squad he wasn’t too worried about losing them. For one thing he’s keeping notes to where Masuyo, Sera, and Taichi are located while also listening to people’s conversations. Rin doesn’t say anything to the people, and in fact he was like a ghost in this town. Hardly anyone even spared a glance at his direction, however Rin didn’t mind that since he is simply erasing his presence to become less noticable by others. By suppressing his chakra, Rin’s senses become stimulated and for some reason he can see details farther away or hear gossips that are actually being spoken in hushed whispers.

A lot of the conversations was about their mundane lives of how work is boring and tiresome. Some ranted about their slob spouse to whoever was listening. Others were whispering some rather… suggestive words to certain people that Rin could tell makes others uncomfortable. For example when that drunkard stumbled over to Sera and blunt as a brick horribly attempted to ‘conversate’ with her. Even though Rin is meters away from the squad, he could hear everything that is going on. It took him a bit of time, but eventually Rin sorted and discarded useless information until finally he caught something. “...caused quite a stur in that casino. Aye don’t know how much they lost, but it was definitely a lot more than they were willing to lose.”

Scanning with his eyes through the street until he sees that it was a rough looking man that was doing the talking. Rin still found it strange how he can both hear and spot certain things even when he’s at least twenty meters away. Especially with this bustling noise going around the town. The lady that was conversing with this guy wore a flattering dress of royal purple that slimmed along her body. Possibly to flatter the curves that she possess, but Rin could care less about that. “How can a gambler make a casino take a huge financial blow?” Shaking his head of steel grey hair, the man held a frown on his face which did not suit him. In fact Rin found it funny as a smile curls on his lips. “You get lucky enough anything can happen. He was smart though because he cashed it all in before running off.”

It was a lead, probably not a good one, but it was something that Rin kept in mind just in case the squad turns up empty. His squad was still asking the stalls along the street, and letting them do their magic Rin actually shopped for something. Essentially it was like a general store filled with household items to food. In particular there was sweets that Rin was eyeing at. Sure they were on a mission, and yes Rin was dawdling by purchasing four packs of chocolate bites with four packs of fruity beads. However as Rin will later point out to anyone that sometimes it is best to listen what people are saying versus bluntly squeezing information out of them. “...same guy too. Seemed to be a merchant too, so maybe he could hire us as extra set of hands?”

“Don’t be stupid. Besides where did you even see this man?” Rin’s ears perked up as the exchange of ryo and sweets was being done. Both voices were male, or at least sound heavily masculine from his hearing alone. “I saw him walking around here a while ago, but he seemed a bit lost so i don’t know anymore.” By this time the clerk offered to bag the sweets, but Rin merely shook his head. So far most people who talks to Rin assume that he’s a mute, and for some reason that seems to intimidate these people. ’Is being silent in conversations really scary?’ Rin thought to himself as he walks out of the store with the sweets in hand.

Rin heard it, the sound of rushing feet that grows louder, and already Rin’s body move before he could think. Rin retreated to the side taking cover at a different stall as a trio of teenagers run past him. Perhaps it was instinct or it could be Rin’s paranoia, but he knew for certain they were targeting him. Placing some people between him and those three seem to do the trick since most people try to be subtle unless they have an advantage somewhere. Once they moved to a fair distance as Rin watched them, something else caught his eye. A distraction? It was in one of the restaurants from the looks of it. Through the open window Rin spotted a sole figure that wore a dark red reptilian coat. Most people wear coats that much is certain, but most people from what Rin has seen wears wool coats. As it keeps them warm from the chilly air that Rin is realizing, but after moving around quite a bit Rin was able to ignore it.

So the coat was standing out, and as Rin focused his sight on this figure the genin concluded that is most likely male with… salt and peppered hair. As in dark hair with grey streaks due to the result of age most likely. Rin didn’t want to pin the squad’s hope on something that could be wrong. However something told Rin to find Masuyo which didn’t prove to be hard at all. Kind of hard to miss her, but maybe its his keen eyes too.

Rin was quick and light on his feet as he weaved between the crowd. Dodging that random placed foot from tripping, altering his body slightly to the side to avoid that oblivious child, and yet Rin was only jogging at most. Once Rin got close to his squad if Masuyo wasn’t already paying attention to him Rin will silently reach over and lightly grab Masuyo’s forearm or hand whichever is closer. Immediately upon doing so Rin will point with his other hand towards the direction where he saw the man. Which happens to be the same hand that is holding the bags of sweets as well. If they let Rin do so, the kid will turn Masuyo’s, Sera’s, and Taichi’s hand over to place a bag of chocolate bites and a bag of fruity beads to each member. But ultimately Rin points with a bit more vigor at the same direction towards the restaurant.

Used: Chakra Suppression
Rin’s UA: Mind’s Eye (Boosts Perception by +1 tier when using the Sensory skill, but reduces Constitution by -1 tier.)

Constitution: D > E
Perception: B > A

Everyone was fairly quiet, except Taichi of course. His sarcastic banter was something she ignored. She knew there was a deeper reason behind their client purposely leaving his exact location vague. It was a test of sorts. Given how much he offered them for their mission she would be surprised if a moron actually managed to scrape up that much ryo. Nonetheless Taichi's complaint was more of him talking to himself. He was obedient enough to follow through with their mission. Following their attempts of asking questions they all turned up relatively dry. Masuyo chowed in silence hearing Sera and Taichi's results. Taichi and herself had nothing to contribute. Sera stated their client was here a moment ago, giving them a solid chance he was not terribly far. She doubted the man would intentionally cover his tracks to prolong the mission. If anything, this was a lesson on basic tracking. Lastly Rin would return, the Jounin's peripheral picking up the small, battle-ready lad approaching her out of the passing crowd. He pointed out a small establishment with an outdoor dining area. Looking in the general direction allowed the Chuunin to easily spot their client. "Excellent work, Rin. Use your Sensory to pick up his signature and memorize it if you haven't already." She asked out of precaution if they ever had to find the man again. They were going to travel with him, after all, as this was partly an escort mission. If for any reason he were to get abducted they would have a lead.

Rin also offered her a bag of Sukittoruzu, something she gratefully accepted and stashed in her front pocket. Yakitori and noodles were fantastic street food and had plenty of savory flavors on their own. Sucking down sugary, fruit candies was not just a great mixture. "Let's catch up." Masuyo would toss the remainder of her "snack", no matter how little was left, into the nearest trash bin before taking off in a blur. Masuyo would land precisely on the railing of the outdoor dining space, perched like a bird though with not the weight of one. "Gotcha!" She exclaimed as the cast iron railing made a metallic thud when she touched base, vibrating while she remained surprisingly still in a deep squat. "You must be Yami Hozuki, yeah?" The description of the man was on point. She would be surprised if he wasn't the person they were looking for, and slightly embarrassed.

"Oh my god, that is absolutely delicious," Yami crooned as he chewed on the gyoza that was a part of one of the many meals he had ordered. This restaurant served large portions of whatever you wanted for an increase in price, so of course he had made sure to supersize everything he had ordered. This platter of gyoza alone had fifteen on it, not even counting the large platter of spring rolls and another of Agedashi dōfu. "My god, as long as I live I will never tire of eating," he continued mumbling happily to himself while chewing a second gyoza. He was trying to get as much of it down as he could before the Konoha squad showed up, as he planned to share his good fortune with them tonight. Winning that much puts one in a good mood after all.

It was as he was picking up a third gyoza with his chopsticks that Masuyo made her dash for his location. Her landing and announcing her presence did not startle him, though he paused before eating his prized appetizer. With a flick of the wrist, the gyoza would find its way headed towards Masuyo. While it would be quite amusing to see it land in her face, Yami would be disappointed if it did that. He expected her to catch it, or at least deflect it, something. Everybody was different.

"Was it the coat?" The question was asked with a smile, obviously a joke. He knew it was the coat, that sly old man. "Try that. It's incredible," he said with a flourish of his chopsticks and with high enthusiasm. His chopsticks dipped down and picked up the fourth that was quickly eaten by the merchant. He rolled his eyes a little, enjoying himself a little too much. "See, that's just... wow. I'm glad I picked here to eat." Assuming the rest of them had caught up by this point, Yami motioned for the squad to sit at the table with him.

There were chopsticks placed at each seat, meaning each would have a set with one extra in case anybody was overly clumsy and dropped theirs. "All of you, feel free to eat. I ordered enough for everybody. We're going to have a long day tomorrow." Once they sat down, Yami would continue. "Alrighty, so tell me a bit about yourselves. I like to know the people I'm going to be working with before we go, you know, risk our lives over some pieces of metal." Yami's eyes were alight with curiosity, almost shining with a hunger to know more about his shinobi-for-hire. He would wait to see if any of them would pipe up or if they were busy taking after him and digging into the wonderful meal in front of them. Should any want some, the sake was sitting in a jug in the middle of the table with glasses for all. One should be wary though, this stuff is particularly powerful.

Taichi grabbed his own fruity beads and chocolate bites, but quickly clenching the fist that carried his share and placed it gently into one of his pockets to eat for later, he didn't exactly have a sweet teeth currently and wanted to wait for that urge to kick in, and that's when he would go eating it. Nevertheless, Taichi gave a light nod to Rin as a indication of thanks, not knowing whether or not the kid would pick up on it as such and hoping that he wouldn't think Taichi is just taking it for granted.

After Rin grabbed Masuyo's forearm and pointed towards the building of where the man they're looking for supposedly is, he's wondering why Rin hadn't upfront talked about it? now that he really thought about it, Rin hasn't talked at all during this whole mission so far and Taichi really wondered as to why that could be, he just tried to ignore it for now and just merely assumed that Rin was just being reserved or shy around the squad, something that Taichi was oddly respecting and wouldn't push Rin for it.

Taichi soon after went along with Masuyo, though not quite as fast as her to the establishment that Rin pointed at, soon seeing the man fit the description they were looking for, the thing that made Taichi's mind wander off however is that the alleyway where he talked to a specific weirdo earlier had claimed he didn't see the guy anywhere, even though the alleyway is just one corner away from where the guy is! He would have to find that guy later and find out why he lied about it, but that's probably for another time should he ever encounter the weirdo again, for now he'll just put his focus towards the mission.

Taichi was expecting something... grand from the client that hired them, but all they got was some cheesy joke. "Really? this guy?" he thought to himself, having a rather negative opinion of him until the guy offered them some of the food he's eating, to sit alongside him which quickly changed Taichi's child-like opinion. "Or not... maybe he ain't so bad." he couldn't really complain, free food is free food and he's the guy paying for it, how could Taichi not be positive about that?

It didn't take long for the blond-haired individual to delve into the delicious food that was laid before them, grabbing a spring roll and taking his time eating it, he heard Yami's question but didn't think on it until he realised no one was answering. "Oh... ah, I guess I'll introduce myself." Taichi quickly swallowed the last of the spring roll he was eating and cleared his throat afterwards. "My name is Taichi, of the Kotōshura Clan. If you don't know about the clan, we basically specialise in explosive jutsu, though I'm afraid I don't have the power to do that yet." his grandpa had said the exact words to Taichi once, "You'll learn explosion release when you're ready." with no why after the said saying, Taichi could only imagine that he's waiting for Taichi to either mature or grow up into a man, either way he knows he won't be getting it anytime soon.

He wasn't expecting to say much else, he only wanted to drop his name and clan since last time he tried to be a bit more open, Masuyo drilled into the three of them for being who they are, but that's an argument for another time, before Taichi would continue on the spring rolls though, he pointed towards Rin as Taichi is slightly curious about the kid. "How about you? you're an Uchiha, right?" he heard tales about the sharingan but he'd imagine it'd be even cooler to see it in actual action, though sadly... even to this hour, Taichi is completely oblivious as to why Rin couldn't talk and tried to force that question on him to break his silence, believing there isn't anything wrong with him.

It seemed that everyone appreciated the gesture about the sweets. To some it might have been a waste of ryo, but Rin couldn’t speak as far as he knew. Rin also wanted the team to know that he does care about them so this gift was a silent expression. Plus it was a small distraction since sometimes when someone encounters a dead end they just need to take a step back and analyze everything that has happened thus far. Luckily Rin was able to hasten that process by leading them to the right guy.

Masuyo was the first to encounter their client and pretty much announced herself to everyone. Yami Hozuki flicked a gyoza at Masuyo. Rin saw it as they were entering the restaurant, but Rin has a feeling that she would just catch it before it could hit her face. So he wasn’t going to worry about it as the rest of the squad approached the table. Yami motioned to the table while speaking about providing enough food for everyone. However Rin’s eyes was not on the table, but rather he was looking around the establishment and eavesdropping in some mundane conversations that did not interest him.

As Taichi and, assuming Sera follows, Rin sat down across from Taichi and Sera. Even when he is eating some bowl of udon noodles with chopped pork marinated in a rich sauce that was quite tangy and sweet. Perhaps it is because this is his first time being outside of the village, but Rin’s attention was at their surroundings. It seemed that Yami was asking the personal questions. Similar to what Masuyo had asked them during their training. Taichi was the first to chip in on that, and while it might seem that Rin’s attention is elsewhere he is still listening. The part where Taichi reveals about his clan’s specialty was an interesting fact. Now that Taichi is directing the questions at Rin, for once Rin did speak. However Rin’s voice is deeper than it used to be. “Yes…”

It felt strange to speak again even though it has only been roughly 12 hours since he lost his voice. Rin’s left hand reached up and lightly touched his throat, but it does nothing to the scratchy feel in his throat. “Rin Uchiha…” The boy can feel that his voice is trying to quit on him again so Rin stopped there. Rin reached for a spring roll and begins to chew on it. Though Rin did take this time to use the sensory field, and when he touches the table with his right hand Rin expands the field two-fold. Everyone that is living holds a signature with a measure of potent chakra. The only exception is when someone is dead or that object is plant, rock, etc that contains nature energy. One thing that stands out though is that when Rin looks over at Yami’s direction with his hazel blue-green eyes. There is simply nothing there, but Rin already knows what it is or at least he strongly believes to now. “Suppression…”

Used:
Sensing Technique -.5

Stamina: 39.5/40

Perception: B > A

Masuyo's landing was anything but quiet, though her purpose was not to make noise. That being said she was semi-surprised to find a dumpling be tossed towards her face as a reaction. Masuyo was not one to waste food. In fact, the moment Yami let go of the dumpling, it was already hers. With little effort she moved her head and caught the gyoza in her mouth halfway between her teeth as she moved it entirely in her mouth with her tongue. "Sorta." She said regarding his statement, mouth full as she chewed. The dumpling was certainly superior in quality versus the street food she consumed moments before. It was enough to work up another appetite, her stomach responding to the stimulation by preemptively expanding knowing its host's eating habits very well at this point.

Yami called for introductions, something Taichi was quick to jump the gun on. Masuyo did not mind. It simply meant she got a head start on her goodies. She fixed herself a rather generous plate, while sneaking in a few bites here and there during so. As she did Masuyo would tune in to what the others were saying. Taichi gave a rather generic response, not really delving into the "tell me about yourselves" part. Masuyo encouraged her students to improve on their character during their first training session, though it seemed all of that went out the window. She was not exactly mad or disappointed, though she expected a little more effort at this point.

Then of course following Taichi was the youngest of the group, Rin. He mustered up a somewhat pathetic response, one that was almost insulting to Masuyo as his sensei, and Yami who inquired. A short-hearted struggle of his full name, followed by the words "suppression." Her eyebrows furrowed as she yanked and twisted Rin by his ear. "Don't be rude to our host." She said sternly in a somewhat hushed tone like a mother punishing her child at the Mall. She'd let go, letting his punishment simply be that. Instead, Masuyo would pick up after him as she smiled. "I'm Masuyo Kaede, squad leader of this task. I am a former Jounin of Iwagakure, and current Chuunin for Konoha. I like hiking and camping, and just about anything that gets my blood flowing." She kept her details simpler than before, not going too in depth about her personality. She would pick up a spring roll with a pair of chopsticks before inquiring. "And what about you, Yami? If I recall correctly, Hozuki is from Kirigakure." She left off on that note allowing him to take the floor, Masuyo resuming mass-consumption of the food before them. A day of eating light certainly worked up a powerful appetite.

OOC NOTE: In the interest of getting the primary part of this plot rolling around I'm gonna speed the timetable up a bit so we can get to the meat of it by the time Sera returns.





"Sorta my ass..." Yami grumbled quietly to himself at Masuyo's remark on the gyoza. Her and her squad seemed very eager to enjoy the meal. It was likely that they hadn't eaten much yet today. Probably just some provisions and a bit of water. Nothing compared to what was in front of them now. The old merchant was glad that the food wasn't all going to go to waste, with all the shinobi from Konoha having a good appetite. The first one to speak up belonged to the Kotoshura clan. Yami nodded with an impressed look on his face. "Explosion from the Land of Earth, a very interesting kekkei genkai. Be sure to master that when you can, I've heard it can be particularly deadly in the hands of a skilled user," Yami remarked in return to Taichi's short description. The other boy was a bit more shy, though Yami's sharp eyes and ears picked up on what was going on.

The old man gave a small smile when Rin made his few little comments. "Ah yes, puberty is a rough time for a boy. Your voice just doesn't know what it wants to do," he said carelessly. He was not offended at Rin's lack of a response, it just meant he'd have to learn more about him as they went through the mission tomorrow. Masuyo scolded her genin before more ceremoniously answering his question. She had a tidbit of interesting information that caused the old merchant's eyebrow to twitch up. A former Iwagakure jonin working as a chuunin for Konoha? An Iwagakure bloodline within the squad? This was certainly one interesting group of shinobi Konohagakure had sent him. They were probably using him to see if they were worth anything. They would definitely find out soon, that was one thing he was sure about.

Masuyo inquired about his own background, to which Yami smiled again. "I wouldn't worry about getting your blood flowing. That's a good possibility tomorrow," he remarked first. He paused here to take a drink of the excellent sake, savoring the taste of his favorite drink. "Yes, the Land of Water is my homeland. I chose to set up shop in the clan rather than become a shinobi. I was never really cut out for fighting, you see. More of an... economically minded individual. Made a lot of money, lost a lot of money. Saw a few tricks and learned a few of my own." He stopped here to fill his plate with food and changed the subject to various topics of small talk while eating and drinking.

Once everybody had had their fill, Yami would raise his hand to call everybody's attention. "I hope you all enjoyed the meal as much as I did. But, now I think I should probably fill you in on what we're doing tomorrow," he began. Once everybody had provided their full attention to him, Yami would continue. "I hired some people to track my belongings for me a few weeks ago. My knives were stolen from my ship one night when I was out buying merchandise to ship to the Land of Water. Killed a couple of my crew in the process. They found my knives five days ago which is when I sent for a squad from Konohagakure. There's an old temple a few hours walk from from Tanzaku Town to the north. I've visited that temple before when I was a much younger man, so I know where it is. If my men were right, there should only be a handful of people there guarding them." Yami paused here again to let them all process the information. "I want my knives back. They're very valuable, and you will be rewarded handsomely if you get them back for me. Any questions?"




-Still suppressed

At first, Taichi was worried about eating too much in-front of the squad but when he started to see Masuyo really going to work, eating away at whatever she could, it seems like she really had no restraint on it. "Damn, the woman can eat..." he thought, while eating what's offered on the table with his own set of chopsticks, he listened carefully to Rin until the Hozuki had noted that Rin's going through puberty, to which Taichi felt slightly bad since he basically tried to force Rin to talk when he couldn't. He would apologise about that later though, as he didn't want to interrupt the person currently speaking which is Masuyo, though a very light chuckle escaped him when she mentioned "Anything to get the blood flowing" which he didn't doubt.

Nothing was said so far from Sera though, he didn't inquire on it still when other people were still talking, even though the guy had offered free food to the whole squad, he still kind of rubbed Taichi the wrong way. He did appreciate the comment about explosion being a solid kekkei genkai, but nonetheless Taichi felt an inexplicable caution around this guy. 

Then finally came the mission details, the guy seemed to fail giving the squad a location to meet so he had hoped this was a good explanation of what they had to do compared to that little detail, and after paying full attention to it and hearing the entire story, it still felt off to him, as if there was something the Hozuki weren't telling them, who would go to such an extent to retrieve a bunch of knives? the guy said they were valuable, but if they're apparently in a temple guarded by people who will supposedly be their enemies, did it originally belong to them? Taichi's guessing that the knives originally belonged to the guys at the said temple, but the squd are the ones being paid to get it back so he'd be quiet about that thought. He kept his silence when inquired about having any questions.

It seemed that no one caught what Rin was trying to say as Masuyo lashed out. Sharp painful tug from the ear was all Rin needed to be quiet and he winced from the pinch. Rin’s ear began to heat up as he tenderly rubbed the area that was pinched. Still the boy is certain that their client is suppressing his presence so Rin can’t get a read on Yami nor recognize the signature chakra. Another problem is that unless he’s forced to perform ninjutsu or strong techniques Yami could maintain that indefinitely. As Rin would know from experience since he takes advantage of that sometimes.

If anything Yami is sharp on what is happening, or rather anyone who goes through puberty would know it. Rin goes back to eating the delicious food since who knows when he’ll get another chance to feast like this. While doing so Rin suppresses his presence as well and thankfully it holds the same effect on heightening his senses. The taste is better by two-fold, and just about everything seems either slow to his sharp eyes or when Rin focuses on a slight movement in the chair it is like time slows down. It was weird for Rin as this experience was still new to him. ’How come it took until yesterday to work like this?’ The boy thought to himself as he questions why his senses took so long to improve. However, Rin soon regrets the enhanced hearing as it was hard to ignore some people.

“...that boy said he is Uchiha right? I’m not the only one who heard that?” Rin paused eating as he only listened to what was being said maybe three tables away from them. A giggle could be heard from the same direction, and especially with Rin’s focused attention he concluded there were two people sitting together.

“I heard that too. Pretty sure it is just some joke because there is no way that twerp can be an Uchiha. They’re all handsome and beautiful that it is breathtaking to be in their presence. This kid doesn’t have that in him.” Well that was rude, or so Rin would have thought if he didn’t piece it together. Though it was wrong with the way that woman put it, she did hold a point that Rin’s features is just a bit too different from the Uchiha. For one thing no one in the Uchiha family even has hazel eyes. Then these two gossip female started to poke holes on how shabby Rin looked with the armor and just being very insulting to Rin. The funny thing the boy thought is that the two were whispering yet to him it sounded as loud as if they were yelling next to him. Still he did look at himself and thought that maybe he really was inferior compared to his kin.

Once Yami was inquiring about questions regarding of their mission tomorrow. Hardly anyone spoke up, and Rin knows that they’re heading to a temple. They were to retrieve a pair of identical knives from some people, but the problem is that Rin doesn’t know who they are. “Who are we dealing with? Shinobi? Mercenaries?” Rin posed the question as mercenaries can be bothersome yet easier to deal with than trained shinobi. Even if those shinobi are rogue, dealing with veteran mercenaries is a little bit easier in Rin’s mind. “Also can you give us a description of these knives we’re supposed to get?” Though Rin’s voice is a bit raspy the boy is exerting a bit more effort to make his words clear and string them along smooth enough to make sentences. Rin would love to inquire about how to get in without being seen if possible, but if it was easy to spot it would be a bad idea after all.

Chakra Suppression - No Cost

Perception: B > A (UA)

Masuyo indulged, though not as greatly as anticipated due to her recent, prior helpings. Food would inevitably be left over if not mopped up by Yami. He briefed them in on their objective. They were after a rather unique prize, one Masuyo did not anticipate. An economically focused Hozuki with 'sacred' knives... Masuyo was rather curious as to why he held them to such high value, and what significance they had. Masuyo was indifferent when it come to weaponry. In the end, a tool was a tool. It served its purpose, and if damaged, were to be replaced. She did not believe in cherishing a sharpened piece of iron. To put a high price on an object such as that was silly to her, but Masuyo did not bother to inquire. In the end, the man was paying them for their part. Masuyo and her squad were simply mercenaries to do Yami's bidding.

Rin began to speak, though his voice was a bit harsh. Masuyo found his mannerisms...unique to say the least. Masuyo has been through puberty, and grew around her peers who were male. Rin was a unique case, not being able to speak time from time. "It doesn't matter what we may encounter. You should always be on your guard. Though, if you must know, we can expect enemy Shinobi. Seeing as some of Yami's crew was murdered this is not a simple retrieval. We can expect conflict." Part of Masuyo was regretting taking her Genin along. Seeing as half of her squad couldn't even pack spare underwear said a lot, but until then she would see how things rolled out. Once Yami finished contributing, Masuyo would inquire. "I appreciate the food. We will be ready to head out when you're ready." If that was all Yami had to offer, Masuyo would depart with her Genin to a hotel where they would rest for the night, and leave in the morning to where Yami designated them to meet.

[Exit?]

The boy named Rin suddenly pipe up, forgetting his issues for a moment to ask Yami a few questions about the mission. His sensei answered before Yami could however, and the old merchant would stay quiet as Masuyo answered the questions for him. She was spot on with her analysis, as he would expect from a supposedly jonin level shinobi. He had his doubts about this squad, but they were what Konohagakure sent him so they were what he would make work. Yami didn't have to answer anything after all, and that was okay with him. Masuyo inquired about whether that was everything after thanking him for the food. Yami simply gave a light smile and waved his hand at her a couple times.

"I believe that's everything for now. We'll leave tomorrow at dawn. Just meet me at the northern entrance to Tanzaku Town and we can be off." Yami dug around in the purse of silver he had on his hip and plucked out a few coins. He flipped them to Masuyo for her to catch, the amount being more than enough to pay for her and her squad to get a couple good rooms at a decent hotel. "Allow me to pay for accommodations. A good night's sleep is always a good thing to get the day before you have to do something important. I suppose a mission is important for a shinobi, so a good night's sleep is the least I can do," he said. With that, Yami would depart after Masuyo and her squad had left for their hotel to begin making his own preparations. He doubted very much that he would be sleeping at all tonight.



[exit]

Despite all the nice gestures and actions that this Yami guy is doing for the group, he still felt a bit... off in some way to Taichi, as if he's doing it with some ulterior motive in mind. There's probably not much he can really do to investigate that though and he'd probably get shunned if he were to bring it up to the group, Taichi found the aspect somewhat exciting that this is their real, first mission as ninjas but at the same time, he's somewhat anxious and scared of what might come, even if it's a few shinobi or mercenaries like Rin mentioned.

He did appreciate that everything was being paid for by their client but still, it just felt way too good to be true. He might share this thought later on with Rin later on tonight but for now, he'd keep his lip sealed about it and would give a proper thank you to him. "Thanks for the food and accommodation, we'll definitely need it." Taichi felt like he added, he'd play nice for now as there's not much reason for him to be a lemon on anything.

Once that was done, Taichi would depart along with his squad to the hotel that they're retiring at for the evening, to get a much needed good night's sleep.

(Exit)

Just like that Rin’s questions were shot down like it was question need not asked. Of course being on guard at all times is helpful, but charging in blind is reckless in Rin’s opinion. All they know for certain is that Konoha squad was to get into this temple and steal a pair of identical knives. And Rin never got a description of these knives either other than they’re supposed to be a one of a kind pair. It really did feel like what Rin assumed when he first met this squad that his voice is never going to be considered.

So Rin sighed before going back to just eating the rest of his food. He honestly already wanted to be out of here, but it was an impulsive thought that later as Yami spoke to Masuyo the boy calmed down. Rin wanted to prove himself in some way that he can do this mission, but it would seem like his voice doesn’t matter to this squad. It certainly puts a disheartening thought in the boy’s mind. Once Yami flipped the silver coin, which Rin normally would find surprising about the coin, the genin didn’t really had the mindset to find things fascinating as he stood up to his feet and respectfully bowed to Yami. For once Rin was glad his voice was nearly gone because he did not want to speak.

Silently Rin followed behind the squad to exit the restaurant. Wherever they were going Rin didn’t really care. Suddenly this mission wasn’t going to be as thrilling as he originally thought it would be. Now once again Rin feels like the sore thumb in the team because everyone else was perfect except for him. Another sigh escapes from his lips as once again Rin feels like nothing has changed.

[exit]

After Reporting to Masuyo sera had stuck around as Taichi reported almost the same thing as she had, lastly it was up to Rin,  Sera knew of his Sensory skills, and hoped that out of everyone he would be the one to find their Client.  When he had Returned he passed out candy, which sera would nod her head in thanks as she was hand a package, quickly stashing them into her bag, it would provide a nice snack for later.  Rin had pointed out a way and Sera followed with the rest of the Squad.

Masuyo had been the first to approach Yami, the client who seemed to keep himself well fed, insisted on feeding Masuyo as well. After a small exchange of words from their Squad it was Sera’s turn to Introduce herself   to which she replied “ Sera O’tem, Sir It’s a pleasure to me you.  I am a Kenjusuist, which makes me more of a front liner.  Im the first of my family to join Konohagakure.,  you will have our nothing but our best I assure you.” Sera would bow her head Respectfully towards Yami.  It wasn’t so much that she was not interested in telling more about herself, but Struggling to keep the line between Professionalism and still trying to be Friendly.   Having joined the meal that was offered to them Sera would again nod towards Yami  showing her appreciation for the situation.   It seemed slightly odd to her that their Employer would try to bond with them,  it wasn’t like he was Spewing a sad story and asking them for their help out of pitty he was paying them and on top of it, shared his meal and then would go on to pay for their rooms overnight

Sera would follow their group fairly quiet, this was the real deal, she would have to bring all she had to make her village proud and keep her comrades safe,  she refused to be as useless as she was in training and worked damn hard to have a more prepared then before.  She felt her leg were heavy from her armour, though they didn’t ache anymore the weight was still hard to get use to and slowed her more then she would admit.   They moved hotel and before parting ways with Yami  Sera would nod towards him yet again “ Thankyou for everything,  Rest well, we will see you tomorrow “ Sera would say throwing in her smile to add a more friendly approach to her farewell.  She was starting to get more accustom to Yami and her squads  Mission Persona’s.

Sera would make her way to which ever room she was appointed by Masuyo, a bed, would be nice after the long day of Travel.  She could look through her bag and do a quick inventory. Before bed she would strip of her armour and keep minimum cloths depending on who she was staying with.  Before getting into bed. Grabbing the ~chocolate bites from the pocket of her bag she ate half the package before putting them away and resting up for the night.

[exit]