Not on my watch (IO, Kotetsu, Miyamoto)

Mission: Stop the Assassin

It would seem there was a problem in Hoshigakure at the moment. There was news of a growing number of shinobi casualties in Hoshigakure this month. None of those killed were done so while on missions, so they were likely being targeted and killed. To date, 3 Genin, 2 Chuunin, and 1 Jounin have been attacked and killed. Based on the reports, all of them had the same general cause of death. Nothing else about them was the same though, other than they were shinobi of Hoshigakure. That concerned Kotetsu. Not for himself, because he was one of the more proficient and dangerous men in Hoshigakure currently, but for the rest of the current shinobi population. This would only serve to increase tensions between Shinobi and civilians in the village, no doubt because the murders would likely be pinned on some of the more zealous factions that oppose shinobi being in the village. That needs to be prevented since the goal is to have all people of Hoshigakure working together.

It was shortly after Kotetsu had woken up when he received the mission scroll tasking him with tracking down the culprit and bringing him to justice, dead or alive. The Winter Knight of Hoshi had no issues with that. He wasn't going to let someone undermine what little progress had been made so far towards closing the rift between Shinobi and the civilian population of the village. There was no information on what the assassin looks like, so Kotetsu would need to be vigilant in order to prevent additional casualties. It wouldn't just be him apparently. According to the mission scroll, there would be at least one more shinobi joining the mission, with Kotetsu being the squad leader for this mission. 'I wonder who it will be...' Kotetsu thought to himself as he got his gear ready for the mission. 'Why don't they ever let me know who will be joining me...'

WC: 322

He awoke with a jump as a familiar rapping upon his window sounded throughout the room.  His head was clear, but as he went to the window to grab the scroll that was waiting for him he felt a looming sensation.  It was almost familiar as he opened the window and took the scroll into his right hand as a breeze swept through his room catching his shirt on its course through the area.  As he opened the scroll he read it silently to himself as he shook the remaining amount of rest from his bones;  It seemed that the mission he was chosen for was of the highest order, being that it was S-Ranked and required Miyamoto to have a Jounin as team leader it became clear how dangerous the mission was to be.

"The meeting place is right near the outskirts of the village so that prying eyes cannot see and no unwanted noise can be made."  He said to himself in a studious manner as he threw the scroll onto the bed as he began to change out of his night clothes and into his shinobi gear.  

He took a few minutes to look at the mirror to see the scars that now adorned his body, the freshest ones coming from his now missing mentor, Kyousuke Snow...the Kage of the Village.  It was a gift though as he used the new addition to his body in the way of nature chakra that reacted with his blood and new additions to make his body ripple and change upon his command.

"Thank you, Master Snow...I will not squander this gift."  He would say to himself quietly before dressing himself in his shinobi gear, taking his weapon pouches and Tsume's sword with him in lieu of his Kanabo on this run.  The last piece of the puzzle was the Manipulation Fabric that he activated and watched as it formed a cloak over his shinobi gear.  He looked more like a military unit than a shinobi.  

He set out for the meeting place as it did not take him long, the scroll in a pouch at his back so that he did not lose track of the mission.  Once he arrived at the meeting place he looked around to see if he could spot the Jounin that was to be his leader on this mission.  He wondered if it may have even been Valen that they assigned to him.

WC:400

Kotetsu made his way to the designated meeting location for the mission. It was on the outskirts of the village, so that there was less potential for the briefing to be discovered by their target. Kotetsu had arrived early because he wanted to make sure that there would be no one else in the area that would disrupt the meeting. It was a relatively nice day, all things considered. The temperature was bearable for it being early morning. The Sun was still rising, and the blue sky had a couple small clouds that drifted by, the wrong colour and type for them to be rainclouds. Not that Kotetsu really cared about whether or not rain clouds were in the sky. If he wanted to, the Winter Knight of Hoshi could summon up rain clouds and cause the change in temperature that he wanted. That was not necessary at this time however. The weather was pleasant enough that he could simply sit in the shady branches of a tree near the meeting spot where he could observe his team arrive without being seen or heard, while being able to stay out of the sun. He had also suppressed his chakra signature so that no one would be able to detect him should they have those particular talents.

He didn't have to wait long for someone to arrive. He recognized the shinobi that was in the clearing as Miyamoto Terumi, a Chuunin. The younger shinobi looked around, as if to see if anyone else was there. 'Interesting...' Kotetsu thought to himself. 'I wonder if it's just him or if more people are coming...' Kotetsu smiled and waited a few minutes to see if anyone else would show up before leaving the comfort of the tree he was in and landed on the ground silently a few feet away from Miyamoto. "Hello Miyamoto." The Winter Knight of Hoshi would say to the other Hoshi nin. "It's nice to see you again. I'm guessing you're here about a mission relating to some unfortunate casualties among our standing forces in Hoshigakure, correct?" There would be only one correct answer here, if the answer to Kotetsu's question was no, then the Jounin would firmly insist that Miyamoto find somewhere else to be. Should the answer be yes, Kotetsu would nod and ask one more question; "Do you know if anyone else is supposed to be making their way here?" 'No doubt the two of us could likely handle the situation by ourselves...' Kotetsu thought to himself while he waited for Miyamoto's response. 'However it wouldn't be a bad thing to have more assets to help corner the assailant...'

WC: 442
TWC: 764

The air around the designated meeting place was heavy, the smell of the wind blowing through made him feel at ease for once while he waited at the meeting place.  He was ready though, and the easy feeling he had was soon washed away as he used his chakra sensory skill to feel out the area.  There was just background presence, nothing to out of the ordinary. It was odd that it was that quiet, and he had not felt since the tournament a few months back lurking near.  He did not really know who it belonged to since he did not memorize any chakra signatures during that time, but he nevertheless felt that the mission was about to start.

That is when Kotetsu, the Jounin of special circumstance showed up on the scene.  He was the reason for the large mass of chakra that Miyamoto was sensing. A smile would creep across his face as he would nod to the man as he aproached.  His greeting seemed more refined as if he was playing a bit part in a show.  A return of greetings was in order as he did only have a few precious seconds before any questions began to flow out.
"Yo, Kotetsu...long time no see.  Settling into your role in the village then?"  He would ask just before being asked if he was there for the mission and if any others were coming to aid them on this mission.
"Yeah, I am here for that matter..."  He would say as he produced the mission scroll to Kotetsu before answering his second question.
"It seems as though it is just me and you on this go round.  We should probably find out the details about the murders before beginning our search.  There has to be something that won't be circulated to the public out of fear ya' know?"  He said in an inquisitive manner as he tried to remember the first site of the murder.


"I believe our first murder was a Jounin near the Gardens.  It might be a drop-off point, and if anyone saw anything they might be tight-lipped about it, so what do you propose we do since you are the leader of this mission?  Miyamoto would ask as he was ready to get down to business.  He felt the wind change as a slight grin spread across his face,  he did not know why...but the thrill of the hunt was making him almost drool at the fact that he can get to use some of his new techniques.

WC:410/810

Miyamoto looked up at Kotetsu, nod, and smile at him. "Yo, Kotetsu...long time no see.  Settling into your role in the village then?" Kotetsu would smirk and nod in return. “Definitely. It was unexpected, but the chance to show what I can do was appreciated. It also worked in my favour which I don’t mind.” Miyamoto also didn’t waste time and pulled out his mission scroll, saying "Yeah, I am here for that matter..." Kotetsu would acknowledge the younger shinobi’s statement with a nod. “Good, this should make things easier. I’m confident in my ability to take care of the matter by myself, but having additional manpower is always welcome.” He wasn’t trying to boast, even though his skill had improved drastically since the last time he had seen the Chuunin from the Terumi clan.

In response to Kotetsu’s question about additional support, Miyamoto responded with "It seems as though it is just me and you on this go round.  We should probably find out the details about the murders before beginning our search.  There has to be something that won't be circulated to the public out of fear ya' know?" The Winter Knight of Hoshi nods in agreement. “Indeed, I’m willing to bet that our Queensguard teams likely have done some form of investigation. It wouldn’t hurt to ask them if there was some information that was available for them to give us.” ‘Assuming they did any investigating…’ Kotetsu thought to himself. ‘For all we know, they may not have done anything since they’re not handling the mission themselves…’

Kotetsu didn’t get much time to think about it, because Miyamoto started talking again, about the mission itself this time. "I believe our first murder was a Jounin near the Gardens.  It might be a drop-off point, and if anyone saw anything they might be tight-lipped about it, so what do you propose we do since you are the leader of this mission?” Kotetsu stood there for a moment, thinking about the situation; all of the deaths were in and around the Water Gardens, which meant that the assailant likely had a hiding spot in the area. Speaking to people that found the bodies, as well as examining the area itself. “We should speak with the Queensguard to see if they have any leads that we can check into. Also looking at gate records to see who’s come and gone in the last week or so.” Kotetsu paused for a moment. “It also wouldn’t be a bad idea to look over the Water Gardens and training grounds for areas that would be easy to attack from without being seen.”

WC: 439
TWC: 1203

Kotetsu seemed well informed as well even more than Miyamoto when it came to this matter. It could be because of his lack of involvement in the village affairs for a moment while he straightened out his own life after his failed mission. Though as Kotetsu spoke about the queens-guard and how they may be in the know about something, something felt off to Miyamoto. He thought of the next words to use carefully as he did not want his partner to have any doubts that he could perform on the mission.

"The likelihood of the QG stepping in on this matter is likely to be nill I am afraid. From my own personal run-ins and the change of power from the previous monarchy to a Kage...we are more likely to find a kid that has done this rather than someone from the outside world. Not that I am implying a child could have done the acts, but those bastards have their heads up their asses worrying about dissonance within their own ranks they probably think it is good that someone is targeting shinobi." Miyamoto said as he thought about the words his partner had said about the training grounds, gate logs, and even around the water gardens.

"We are not far from the gate as it is currently, let's start there to see if we can see anyone other than traders and refugees entering the gate. The list should be short if it is any kind of emissary from another country. That is my idea, but I will differ to you in this situation since you have more experience than I." He said with no ill will or malice in his voice as the wind in the area shifted to the south slowly. Colder and if any indication for weather phenomena was correct, then rain was on its way.

WC:310/1,120

It would appear that the Terumi Chuunin did not share his optimism about dealing with the Queensguard. "The likelihood of the QG stepping in on this matter is likely to be nill I am afraid. From my own personal run-ins and the change of power from the previous monarchy to a Kage...we are more likely to find a kid that has done this rather than someone from the outside world. Not that I am implying a child could have done the acts, but those bastards have their heads up their asses worrying about dissonance within their own ranks they probably think it is good that someone is targeting shinobi." He said to the Winter Knight of Hoshi. Kotetsu didn't really know much about the Queensguard themselves other than that they were, or still are, the equivalent of ANBU units in Hoshigakure. The fact that they would be as biased as everyone else in the village was disappointing. 'I would have thought better than those that are supposed to be the supreme protection in the village...' Kotetsu thought to himself with a sigh. 'Perhaps that's where I will need to direct my focus after this is all said and done...Talking with Kyousuke and Valen into letting me rebuild the Queensguard...' He shrugged. "That's rather unfortunate." He said to Miyamoto. "I had not heard anything in regards to them myself, but I haven't bothered learning more about them because I figured they would be one of the only groups that would be unified. Oh well, I guess that is not to be, for now at least. It might not hurt to speak with them anyways, but I won't hold my breath that they have any useful information."

Miyamoto brought up a good point at that moment; "We are not far from the gate as it is currently, let's start there to see if we can see anyone other than traders and refugees entering the gate. The list should be short if it is any kind of emissary from another country. That is my idea, but I will differ to you in this situation since you have more experience than I." Kotetsu thought about it for a few moments. 'It's not a bad idea...' Kotetsu thought to himself. 'We need to see the gate records so we can rule people out for the investigation...' "That would likely be the best place to start. However I wouldn't rule out traders or refugees, unless we can find people to vouch for them. More or less anyone we cannot vet there and then, we would need to find them or people that know them and find out where they were on the days of the murders." It was standard investigative procedure. No one is automatically ruled out unless there was proof available to remove them from the equation. There was several factors that could be playing into the happenings currently, and Kotetsu hoped that they would be able to get this sorted out quickly, before another shinobi was killed in cold blood in the streets he calls his new home. "We should head over there now then." The Yuki Jounin says to Miyamoto before heading off in the direction of the gates.

WC: 536
TWC: 1739

Kotetsu seemed to take his answer in stride as he showed his experience as being someone trained to investigate. However, it seemed that the queensguard comments bothered him somewhat at least judging by his demeanor anyway. Then as he spoke of going to the gate to invest time in looking over the logs, Miyamoto would nod in agreement before turning to follow him towards their first goal.

The walk was not a long one and allowed Miyamoto a moment to talk to Kotetsu as he had ideas in his head he had yet to lay out on paper and work on them.

"Aside from the mission Kotetsu, what do you do outside normal shinobi work? Is there a specific trade you are invested into or have a hobby with. I know it sounds odd, asking you this at the beginning of a mission, but I have not had a lot of time to be social with anyone since the tournament..." Of course, his motives were a bit hidden in his questions, he knew nothing of his partner other than he was a strong shinobi that received a special invitation for a Jounin ranking assignment after the tournament.

If Kotetsu answered him, he would respond in kind, but on the chance that he did not then Miyamoto would take it as if he did something unprofessional while on the job and he would keep quiet for now as he began to let his mind wander on the mission. There was nothing that intrinsically tied the murders other than that they were shinobi. Something like that usually proves to be espionage from another country and their shinobi, but for all that he knew...the countries were quiet for a few months now. Of course, it could also be the people, or a rogue shinobi working for a domestic unit hell-bent on stopping the shinobi way of life from spreading through random acts of violence and terror.

They would soon arrive at the gate and with it a very well equipped guard building where the village entry and exit logs were contained. The two would walk in among the guards stating "official business" as their reason for being there as Miyamoto would let Kotetsu do the talking for now as Miyamoto surveyed the room. He activated the Mind Eye of the Kagura technique to keep an eye on the three guards and to also act as a makeshift lie detector if they tried to hide anything as Miyamoto concentrated he moved in close and barely spoke in a whisper to Kotetsu before he would start his investigation.

"I have the Mind Eye technique activated and will keep an eye on chakra signals in the area, as well as emotions. Do what you have to do." He said as he watched the room and breathed slowly and kept watch until Kotetsu ordered him to not perform his current set of actions.

WC:485/1605

While they walked to the gate, Kotetsu was thinking of possible covers that the assassin could have used to gain entry into the village. 'It's not like there were many options...' Kotetsu thought to himself. 'Hoshigakure doesn't see a lot of foot traffic...' That actually could work in their favour though, since it would mean there isn't a lot of names they would need to verify. His thoughts were interrupted however by his teammate asking him a question. "Aside from the mission Kotetsu, what do you do outside normal shinobi work? Is there a specific trade you are invested into or have a hobby with. I know it sounds odd, asking you this at the beginning of a mission, but I have not had a lot of time to be social with anyone since the tournament..." His forge was a relatively new aspect of his life, so he wasn't surprised that it wasn't particularly well known yet. Not that it really mattered because the Terumi should really be focusing on the mission. The Winter Knight of Hoshi decided to humour the younger shinobi with an answer. "I recently opened a blacksmith actually. It's in the market district in the center of Hoshi." There wasn't really much to say on the matter as there were bigger things to deal with.
 
The pair of shinobi arrived at the gate and found it with the normal contingent of gate guards. They have a regular rotation, with the occasional switch between other shinobi if one of the regular guards is unable to fulfill their duty for one reason or another. They are let inside the guard house to look at the records, since they are all Chuunin and below, it's not like they can argue with the Winter Knight of Hoshi. They likely wouldn't either, after hearing about his fight in the tournament. The only thing he told them was it was "For an ongoing investigation." And that was all they really needed to know. There were two separate log books for the gates, one for those entering the village and another for those exiting the village. Each entry had a name, description, the reason for their visit to Hoshi, and a date and time for when they entered the village and when they left. 'It would likely be best to look at the records from a day or two before the first murder...' Kotetsu thought to himself as he flipped through the logs. 'I'm assuming the assailant is still in the village, so we can potentially ignore people who have come and already gone...' As he was reading over the records, he heard a soft voice in his ear. "I have the Mind Eye technique activated and will keep an eye on chakra signals in the area, as well as emotions. Do what you have to do."
 
Kotetsu would nod over his shoulder at Miyamoto. He would then respond quietly in return. "I have all I need here, we can leave." He didn't want to go over his findings in front of the gate guards so he would wait until they got outside and away from the guards. With that said, he would stand up and leave the gatehouse, heading into the village itself.
 
WC: 541
TWC: 2280

His technique caught that their chakra showed no signs of lies, but anxiousness that the pair were there for an investigation. Overall though as soon as Kotetsu got what he needed he told Miyamoto in a hushed tone that they are finished there. So it was with a heavy sigh that Miyamoto canceled out the jutsu as he said no words before exiting the building with Kotetsu so that they could go to talk about what findings he had.

Once outside he could see that Kotetsu was waiting for him before making their way towards the village center, probably towards someplace where the two would be inconspicuous as they discussed where to go from there. So far their search was more of a wild chase than anything. The sun was out as it bathed the village in an almost hilarious glow as if it were some holy city in a manga.

Inside of his head, he was having somewhat of a crisis of character as he had an inner monologue moment. If I could do this myself I would, the cases are nearly cold by now as usual when it comes to anything to do with shinobi...we probably won't find the killer, hell if we do...he won't go quietly that is for sure. Kotetsu is competent, but the only factor, that I know of that is, that makes him as fearsome as he comes off is in reputation from the tournament. Hell, I was in a similar predicament, I just was too damn stupid to take the opportunity to attack when I had the chance. Whatever, the thought really is just for simple jealousy most likely on my part and as such I will just shut up and keep quiet, not like he can read my thoughts anyhow.

When he was finished he noticed that he had subconsciously walked behind Kotetsu the entire time and not said a word, it would be awkward if it were not for the nature of what they were doing...it could be taken as thoughts of plans to speculation as to ho the killer was. Miyamoto was dead set that the killer was someone with shinobi training at least...most likely one of those fucking monks that he had run-ins with before. He voiced his thought earlier, so reiterating now would only be a nuisance so he waited till Kotetsu would tell him when they would arrive wherever it was they were heading to.

Soon Miyamoto's eyes began to dart around as he noticed that they were somewhat in a crowded area of the village square. An odd place to be to discuss plans, unless the goal was to make sure you were heard by all...or if one wanted to look as natural to onlookers as possible, either way, he was ready to talk about their next step so that they could get a move on. Once Kotetsu would stop him he would finally ask what he found in the books he reviewed in the guard shack.

WC:500/2,105