On the trail

Kazuo watched the scene unfold with interest. He had half a mind to charge in and save the girl, but that headband she wore kept him silent. Village ninja generally had a very negative disposition towards him, and he didn’t see a reason to help one of them now. The other two, who seemed to be missing ninja, interested him more. Ruthless enough to murder an young girl like that, and single minded enough to rely solely on money as a reward… the kind of people he needed for his work. And at the very least, they were bound to be some good exercise. Not only that, the body of the girl could likely be sold on the black market, just as he had with Johan…
 
Kazuo gripped his face, the memory of his first murder haunting him. He had killed before, of course, but only during missions, when his enemy was the bad guys, and he the good.
 
Shaking his head, Kazuo looked up at the scene unfolding again… One of the men, the one who looked older to him had some kind of tentacle that he used to remove the girl’s heart… He had never seen anything like this. He made a note to stay out of his range, just in case his speed failed him.
 
Though that was unlikely to happen.
 
He was sitting on a tree branch, about ten meters away from them. Silently, he dropped down, placing at his right hand on the hilt of one of his swords at his left hip. The massive arsenal of swords he carried was quite an intimidation factor in his fights, and those who thought he fought with quantity over quality had never felt four blades pass through them at the same time, an unfortunate fate of many of his adversaries. At each of his hips were two blades, stacked on each other so as not to hinder his movement. Over his back were two more blades, in an X formation so he could draw one with each arm. He pulled out the blade he was holding slightly, making an audible metallic sound that would alert the two of them to his presence.
 

”…Y’know, there’s a name for people who kill little girls and take their money. Thugs. Real criminals have standards.” He would say, walking slowly towards them. ”So tell me… how would you like to become something more then just a thug?” He would ask them. ”Follow me, and you’ll be rich beyond your wildest dreams.” He told them, holding out his free hand.

Raian took a bit to study the man, he did not seem like the kind of man to joke about this. Still he had his doubts, it could be a trap, but then again it may not be. He stared at the man again, this time as if he were looking into his soul, and said "I'm in". In his head, it was as if voices were arguing back and forth one saying not to trust the man, the other saying that going with him was the only way to survive. Raian had no second thoughts he and this man were now in a sense, partners.

Kaigo said no words, just walked up to the body of the girl and took whatever she had in her pockets. It wasn't a great haul, but it was better than nothing. He the looked at the man who had killed her, nodding at him before walking away, hoping that the man wouldn't backstab him, as countless others had before.

It was as Kaigo was beginning to walk away that there was a metallic scraping sound, sounding like a sword being drawn against the sheath. Kaigo turned around to see a man, standing there with several swords attached to him at different points on his body. This man seemed to be a threat, Kaigo thought, as he toyed with the thought of attempting escape now. The man with the swords began a speech of standards, and how he should be more than just a thug. He then extended his hand, almost in what seemed to be an offer of...friendship, or partnership.

Kaigo would walk up to the man, showing no clear emotion or reaction. He would take the man's hand to shake it, and say to him "I have standards, they're just...not normal. Nor am I a thug, I have my reasons for taking money where I can get it. Now, I will be your partner, but that is what I am. I will not follow you, I am your equal. Hopefully, that is understood."

Kazuo’s face formed a smirk as one of the two agreed to join him. The other of the two, however, after shaking his hand, expressed that he seemed to think he could be considered equal to him. Kazuo knew how to remedy this. His other hand, still placed on the sword, would suddenly go into motion, a sharp metallic ring echoing through the air as Kazuo used his quick draw technique. The blade would fly towards the man at speeds he couldn’t even fathom, only to be stopped just below the man’s arm, his hand still locked tightly in Kazuo’s grasp from the handshake.
”Let’s make one thing clear. I’m calling the shots here, not you.” He would say to the man, a hostile tone resonating. If he detected no threat from the man, he would release his grip, sheathing his sword again. ”Well, now that that’s settled…” He would speak slowly
 

”My name is Kazuo Kemuri, of the Sen no Ken, and we have much planning to do. If you still want to work with me, then follow my lead, it’s not safe to talk out here. One of you, grab the body, we can make some profit from it on the black market.” He would say, turning and walking away, towards the place he knew the black market to be. The walls had ears there, sure, but at least there weren’t bounty hunters to worry about.

(Exit)

Raian was excited about his new partnership with this man and he'd hoped that the other man, who had helped him kill the girl, would join them as well. Raian watched as the two men stared at each other. His new partner was speaking to the other man, he seemed to be lecturing him, although the words were inaudible.

The conversation seemed to drag on, Raian walked over to the body of the girl, studying it. She was very young, younger than he'd previously thought. It seemed that death brought her youthful features out in a more defined way. Raian picked up her body, slinging it over his shoulder and walking over to his partner, whom he'd just seen start leaving, he followed him

(Exit with the body of Mizuki, claiming D rank missing ninja for killing a genin)

Kaigo stood with dis-interest as the man grabbed his hand, holding it firmly as a blade swooped on his arm at un-comprehensible speeds. Kaigo looked to the man, an eyebrow raised as he went on about how he was the leader. So that was how it was going to be... After the man had finished talking to him, and before letting his grip go, Kaigo would look the man in the eyes and say "You're adorable."

Normally, Kaigo would've kept his mouth shut, but the man had simply tried to hard to scare him into submission. And if there was one thing he wouldn't do, that was submit. The man announced his name as Kazuo Kemuri. Kaigo memorized the name, knowing it would benefit him sometime later. Kaigo decided that he'd still partner with the man, going against his basest desire to start a fight. There were better ways to handle disrespect...

The man that Kaigo had attacked the girl with slung the body over his shoulder, walking off. Kaigo followed after the two, thinking in his head. So, it seemed he had a newfound joint partnership with these two men. He'd just have to watch his back around them. With that thought in mind, Kaigo took off after the two men, wondering what Kazuo had meant about the black market...

~Exit~
~Claiming D-Rank Missing Ninja for Attacking Mizuki~

Approved for Appropriate Rewards