Not so safe (Mission, Taishi)

Mission specs:

They had been walking for a while now, the snowy parts of the Iron Country had delayed their trip but Taishi and Levi had finally reached their destination which was located in the Land of Iron. Even though it took them a bit longer than expected it was still morning when they arrived. Maybe it was for the best, the Nara figured they should avoid attracting any unnecessary attention so they only had to take those inside the building into account. At first sight everything looked normal, it was a building like every other. Slowly the two of them would make their way closer to the building that held the money Taishi and Levi were after. The brute had already informed Levi about the crew protecting the money, so he knew it wouldn't be that easy. If they were lucky enough there would only be a couple of guards, but that was if they hadn't upgraded their manpower. They would find out soon enough.

"So far there seems to be no movement." He would say to his companion, it could mean that they weren't expecting any visitors. Or most of them were just inside the building, close to the money. When going over on how they would approach the situation, Levi figured he would act as a supporting role since he hadn't that much offensive techniques in his arsenal yet. As a member of the Nara clan he possessed the Shadow Imitation Jutsu which allowed him to merge his own shadow with the one from his target. By doing so he would force the other person to mirror his own movements which meant that they would be controlled by Levi. It could act as both an offensive and a defensive move, but depending on how many people there were he wouldn't be able to take them all on with only this technique. So he was hoping that Taishi had some useful jutsu or tricks up his sleeve. "So how do you want to do this?"

(WC: 335)

After leaving his partner and Alice's new toy Ryal didn't take Ikki very far. The duo had traveled to what must have once been a library due to the numerous bookshelves yet they were now nearly baren. Either someone didn't want them to be able to educate themselves or they once possessed something of value causing the assailants to destroy everything until they got it. How sad but at least this was a place that saw few people and would be easy to discuss plans in. The little woman that sat behind the counter was sipping her tea without a care. It was a man who came from a back room that was cause for concern, he held a large wood staff, probably a broom, and didn't appear to be expecting anyone. Naturally, Rui had hidden his headband after Valen had disappeared with Alice, he was lucky the ashen haired male didn't notice and wasn't about to run the risk of anyone else seeing it. It'd be a pain in the ass if any Konoha ninja came asking about a blond with a Kumo headband.

So the Shinkou gave the man a smile as he waved at both him and the old woman before making his way over to a table for two. The white haired boy with him would have to take a double take when the shopkeeper went back to whatever had been doing before their arrival. Rui was gone and noticeably older, pink haired, blue eyed with pink pupils Ringo had taken his place. As the male walked over to the table Ikki would also notice that his black hoodie was now a grey 3/4 sleeve crew neck shirt with an open black vest. Keeping Rui's height and voice the mute would have no choice but to believe this was Ryal's true form as the Shinkou grabbed a book lying open on the table and told him to write everything there was to know about himself. The pinkette had already flipped through the pages to see that each of them was blank despite the cover and spine engraved with the title. This was obviously apart of the attack, passive aggressive yet effectual. Just as Ikki was flailing about to sign that he had nothing to write with the obaasan placed a pen in front of him while her son had been forced to serve them tea.

She smiled the entire time so she must not have minded the way they planned to use the book. It's possible that the pen was hexed to make a copy of everything written but that was a chanced they'd have to take. If nothing other than to avoid being a body without a name it'd be worth it. So as he sipped his tea Ikki would write then Ryal would read when the book was flipped, a few cups later and Ryal would know every detail of his life as well as a makeshift sign language dictionary. Of course, these were just Ikki's interpretation of words, therefore, the chances of them being accurate were very slim. Due to the lack of color and hidden sun, Ryal couldn't tell what time it was but there was a change in the air, perhaps a temperature drop. Or paranoia, whatever it was the pair had been sitting too long and needed to move. Saying a final thank you and goodbye to their hosts the two would leave, with the book in Ryal's possession, and head to the rendezvous point.

While doing so the Shinkou noticed the chakra signatures of his partner and Levi way closer than they should be. He was sure that this was no mistake as Ikki had met his gaze confirming he also sensed them. It didn't take long for Ryal to pinpoint them and he approached cautiously so they weren't given away. He'd heard what the short one said and guessed that they were up to something he'd let Taishi explain what when the brute greeted him.

WC: 668

Taishi walked quickly, though he would keep the rookie close just in case. After all, he didn’t want to have to explain how anything bad had happened to the guy while under Taishi’s supervision. The snow and bitter cold winds made travel fairly unpleasant, though with his cloak around him only his face felt the weathers sting. The sun would still be on the rise, an easy way to determine what direction they were heading in, though it tried to hide away behind clouds. Such would flood the day with a grey dreariness that could only be described by the brute as unfortunate. Based on where it was creating silver linings, it probably hadn’t been too late in the day. Honestly it didn’t even seem to be midday, which meant they were ahead of schedule despite their inability to move at a proper pace.
 
As they approached the small town, the wandering brute would speak up. “Now there are a couple of ways we could do this. There is the fun way, and then there is the stealthy option. If you want the truth I’m all for going in without a second thought and taking everything they got by force. Of course I’m open to hear an alternative if you got one.” He would focus on their surroundings, making sure that there weren’t any people tailing them or listening in to take back to the gang for reward.
 
Once they started into the town, he would direct Levi to where the building was. There was no movement outside, the building perfectly camouflaged into its surroundings. Nothing out of the ordinary, nor any armed men outside. While it was possible that they found a new location, Taishi really doubted it. They felt untouchable here, and pride would get the better of them this day.
 
When asked about how they wanted to do this, Taishi would feel the chakra of his partner “R” and that mute of Alice’s. Seeing someone approaching that he didn’t recognize, Taishi would tell Levi, “Let’s go, kid. Best not to loiter.” They hadn’t known each other for long, but he hoped the man could understand his meaning here. It was incredibly suspicious if they hung around outside of the building and discussed the assault. He was all for going in guns blazing but he didn’t want them catching wind and preparing for the attack. 

As he got closer to the approaching pair he would feel that they were his allies, despite Ryal’s odd appearance. “Small world after all, huh?” He would jest lightly with a grin, “You lookin’ to score some easy money? It’d be good to have you watchin’ my back.” He would say to the pink haired one, knowing fully who it was. Levi might be confused at the situation, but he’d let Ryal choose how to react to the man. Other than the four of them, nobody else was in the immediate area.
 
“Four buildings back on the right. A gang of thugs are holding on to some cash they got from shakin’ down the locals. Probably light security, so they aren’t gonna have it for long.” The grey brute would add, possibly adding clarity to the situation and as to why they were there. “You in?”


If Ryal agreed to take part in this assault Taishi would nod, his approval apparent. “So kid, how about you? You ready to do this?” He would ask Levi. Now, if Levi wanted to do things the stealthy way, he’d let Levi describe his thoughts on how they might do it. Of course if Levi simply wanted to bust down the door and kick the shit out of some thugs, Taishi would explain just that to Ryal. 

WC: 619

The answer the brute would give the short Nara was one he had expected. Taishi confirmed he preferred to go in guns blazing, taking everything by force. Levi wouldn’t mind such an approach as his companion seemed full of confidence. And to be completely honest, Levi felt more at ease if Taishi was with him as he would act like the muscles of the group. The Nara started thinking about a plan of action that would suit both of them when Taishi suggested to move to a less suspicious place if they didn’t want to give away what they were up to.
 
Following behind the grey brute they could notice two individuals approaching them from the distance. Not recognizing them immediately Levi was keeping his guard up, hoping they had no bad intentions. As the pair was getting closer to Taishi and Levi, the Nara would notice that one of them was Ikki the mute, Alice her bodyguard. The last time he saw him he was leaving with Ryal, the white haired male who was part of the crew. But when he took a closer look to see who was accompanying Ikki, he would spot a pink haired older looking guy. Strange, could something have happened to Ryal? Or did Ikki do something to get rid of him? None of these scenarios were true as Levi saw how familiar Taishi was acting towards the pink haired individual. So it looked like it was Ryal after all, maybe he used the transformation technique to hide his true identity, avoiding to get recognized by anyone he had encountered before, or it could be something else but he figured Ryal would explain soon. So for now Levi would just greet both of them, knowing all too well Ikki wouldn’t be able to respond.
 
Now that the four of them were reunited it was time to get them up to speed on what Taishi and Levi were planning, hoping the other two were willing to join them. Once they had explained the situation to Ryal and Ikki and they agreed to join their mission, Levi would explain with what he came up with, hoping the others approved of his approach. Now that there were four of them in stead of just Taishi and Levi there were going to be slight changes to his plan, but it would still work nonetheless.
 
During his time as a shinobi of Konohagakure no Sato he was used to coming up with a plan regarding the tactics since he was acting as second in command in his former squad. It wasn’t his first time planning a strategy so he would make sure to come up with something all of them could agree on. Since he was the one to recommend how things should go from now on, the Nara decided he should be the one to make the first move, acting like a distraction for the rest of them. And so he would begin explaining his plan to Taishi, Ryal and Ikki.
 
“Alright, this is what I came up with.” He suggested he would go first and try to make contact with the thugs as he would act as if he was a lost traveler looking for help. The other three could use this as an opportunity to take a closer look and see how many guards there were. Once Levi had successfully provided an opening they would then be able to enter the building and take the money by force. “No offense but if one of you were to go and knock on the door they would immediately know that something was wrong, given how each of you look. And it’s not like our friend over here would be able to speak.” He would say when pointing at Ikki. “Where I on the other hand look less suspicious and have more something like a poor lost traveler.”
 
When he was done explaining how he would create an opening for the others Levi would then tell them to follow him as the plan was being set in motion. Hoping they would trust him on this he would make his way to the building, telling them to get ready and suppress their chakra as much as possible. With the three of them hidden but close by, Levi would now knock on the door, waiting for one of the thugs to show up and answer. It didn’t take long for one of them to come out, asking what he was doing here. It was a rather ugly looking fella, looking pissed as if he didn’t want to be bothered. Taking a quick look to see how many there were Levi would see no more than seven of them and he was hoping the others were able to see them as well. “Pardon the intrusion good sir, but I am but a humble traveler lost on his way and I was hoping you would be able to show me the directions.” He would say to this thug who was responding with telling Levi to get lost.
 
When he was trying to close the door in his face, the guard would then be surprised that he wasn’t able to move. Without him noticing Levi had formed the rat hand seal which he used to activate the Shadow Imitation Jutsu, making the ugly bastard unable to move. Not knowing what was going on he tried to alert the others but it would be too late since it had given Taishi, Ryal and Ikki the time to enter the building.

(WC: 925, TWC: 1260)

While getting closer he noticed that his partner started to leave the spot he and Levi had been standing. Surely he could sense him, they had to be moving to avoid suspicion as two more people joined their huddle. The man would return Taishi's facial expression, it was so easy to smile with this face maybe it was the hair... "Do you even have to ask?" The pink haired man would answer the brute's question with one of his own. He would follow that up with details on the situation and why they were hiding before. "Sounds easy enough." He'd reply before the brute would turn to Levi and ask the newcomer how he wanted to proceed. It looks like Taishi was in the middle of evaluation the shorty's abilities by letting him lead a heist. It was a good way to waste time while they waited for Alice to kidnap them again. Ryal would've done the same but her unpredictability made it too great a risk, however, with more people, there were greater chances that someone would snatch the goods before they teleported. Ryal would slightly glance at the white haired mute to his side, if he had any ideas he didn't try to communicate them with the only motion he made was to return the greeting Levi had given them.

Ryal's odd new eyes would lock on to Levi when the male began to speak. His eyebrow would raise when the midget said that if Ringo or Taishi were to approach they'd know something was wrong because of how they looked. While this was true for the Shinkou's partner Ryal didn't see how a little boy would be less conspicuous than his current body. It's possible that this guy considered himself some kind of actor but if youth was the selling point Ryal wouldn't even break a sweat returning to the blond hair, red eyed appearance he'd met the guy in. Nevertheless, Ryal wouldn't object, this was a training exercise after all and if the chatterbox really was of the same clan as that bitch he'd get to see more of their jutsu. So with everyone in agreement Taishi, Ikki, and Ringo would move into place as Levi went to knock on the door. Seeing the male make the rat seal the remaining three would charge in; since he would be unable to notify them if he found the cash, Ikki would clear a path for the others to get to the stairs and begin searching the building. If no one else did Ringo would knock out the guy who answered the door on his way in.

WC: 439

The Nara would stay cautious as they approached their allies, his movement fluid but showing tension which honestly was a good sign.  They were criminals, leading lives that were always in danger. One never knows when someone would try and attack them, rob them, or bring them to some sort of prison. Staying alert meant staying alive out here. Ryal would be on board, and Taishi just assumed that the mute not objecting means that he would also be a part of this little heist.
 
The brute would listen to Levi’s plan and having no objections. He was in a far better place than Taishi was to get their attention. Hell if they recognize him it would blow the whole thing up into the air, and that is the last thing they need. Taishi would look over at Ryal, just giving a small shrug showing that he didn’t have any issue. The others didn’t seem to be concerned, and so Taishi would wait and follow along with Levi’s plan.
 
A knock on the door would cause one of the men inside to answer. Of course this would spell doom for them as once the door was open they would quickly rush the door, avoiding bumping Levi who seemed to be using one of his clans shadow style techniques and preventing the thug from moving. Taishi would let the new guy handle his man, this whole ordeal mostly a test of his abilities more than anything else.

Plus, who doesn’t like money?
 
Once inside the thugs would see them and notice that immediately grab weapons. Taishi would run into the first room he encountered, while Ikki and Ringo went forward to secure the route. Taishi couldn’t let them flank the others, or worse gang up on Levi since he wasn’t sure Levi could handle so many targets at a time.
 
One of the gang would thrust his blade at the grey brute, but Taishi would parry and sidestep into his own assault, cutting the man deep in the ribs with his own knife. While it may not have been a fatal wound off the bat, if left untreated the bleeding alone would kill the man. The other man in the room was in shock, not realizing just what he was going to be getting himself into. He would draw his sword and slash at Taishi, though the relatively untrained man wasn’t anywhere close to fast enough to land a blow before three shuriken would embed themselves into his chest, cutting deep enough to strike vitals and kill the man quickly.
 
So it would seem that the men didn’t get any better, or they kept the real threats down in the basement protecting the money. In either event, Taishi would look to make sure everyone was accounted for and then start the next phase.
 
 “They build a vault of sorts underneath that holds most of the cash. I’m gonna tunnel into the floor and see how many men they have guarding the it.” He would say as he ripped up a few wooden planks and sunk into the earthen floor beneath using Hiding Like a Mole. He would poke his head through, making sure to expose little and be in a position where they were unlikely to spot him. It looked like there were four men, each armed with knives and basic body armor. Clearly better armed than the men upstairs, but probably not shinobi trained. They had a man with some sort of crossbow or something guarding the stairs down. Without much room to maneuver it could lead to the person getting hit if caught off guard.
 
Taishi would return and relay what he saw. “Four men, all armed. Guy at the bottom of the stairs is readying a shot at whoever opens that door.”

WC:634

It had begun. Once Levi had successfully immobilized the thug in front of him with his Shadow Imitation Jutsu his three companions took the opportunity to storm inside the building. First to enter were Ikki and Taishi, the mute forced his way through while clearing a path for the others while the brute entered the first room he would find on his path. The last to enter the building was Ringo who came to aid Levi in taking out the guy he had captured with his shadow. The moment the Nara deactivated his Shadow Imitation Jutsu would be the same moment that Ringo knocked the ugly thug out cold, only to follow behind Ikki and Taishi who were in the middle of their own battle. Levi entered the building as well, looking if he could find anything of value or to join his companions in battle. Now that the short man had made his way in he would witness how Taishi was taking out two of his attackers with ease. Even though the thugs didn't seem to be professionals of any sorts, it was still impressive to see the brute handling them. "I can see why Alice chose you to join her crew." He would say while picking up one of the swords of the fallen bandits. 

Following quickly behind Taishi, Ringo and Ikki, Levi would then listen as the brute started to explain the position of the remaining thugs while informing them of the fact that there seemed to be a vault which those men were guarding. Soon after, Taishi suddenly began to sink into the floor and part of him had disappeared. Confused with what he was seeing the short Nara would wait for the brute to return. After a couple of minutes Taishi had made his reappearance, claiming the presence of four men who were all armed, one carrying a crossbow of some sort at the bottom of the stairs. Given the position of the remaining four it was easier to defend themselves from any attack coming their way. But Levi and his three companions didn't come this far to be stopped by something like that. Yet again they had to think of some kind of plan to make it out unscathed while going downstairs and taking the money.

Factoring in the guy with the crossbow they hadn't really something else to be wary of. Those only carrying a sword would be no match for them, but they had to be careful not to get hit by whatever the bow was carrying. Taking into account that once they took that one person out, they would basically be able to grab the money. Thinking about their next course of action Levi would throw something into the group, hoping they would share their thoughts on how to proceed. "I could always make a Shadow Clone who I would sacrifice by letting him go first. It would mean the crossbow would waste an arrow or bullet on my clone, which would force him to reload. We could use that time to get close enough to take him out. But that's just one of our options of course."

Levi wasn't really trying to look down on his own clone by carelessly sacrificing him like some sort of pawn, but he had no knowledge of the abilities of his companions besides the basic fighting skills they had shown so far, so it wouldn't hurt suggesting something they could take into consideration. But before he would take any action he would wait and listen to what the others were thinking. "Or perhaps one of you guys have got something useful up your sleeve?"

(WC: 610, TWC: 1870)

Ringo and Ikki would stand by as Taishi did some quick surveillance after the team had taken care of all the threats on the main floor. According to his partner, the men downstairs were better equipped, it was also likely that they would be more experienced in combat than the guys up here who seem to have been hired simply as decoys. Ringo watched as the confused look on Levi's face changed to a thoughtful expression as he took in Taishi's words and tried to come up with a new means of attack. If he was truly as young as his face said he was the surprise would be normal yet you learn to expect that kind of thing in the first month of this lifestyle. Even so, it was still good to see that he was able to recover from it quickly. The words that came from the newcomer's mouth sounded more like a question than, "Hey stand back I'm gonna try something." It even ended modestly only to be followed by, "If you have a better idea let's do that." Did this guy not understand that he was one hundred percent leading this "mission"? Or that the time he wasted asking for opinions gave their mark a chance to flee or strike back? Ryal wasn't normally the type to take the spotlight but when only a few inches of concrete separated him from a target of unknown abilities he was gonna shoot first and ask questions later.

It's far easier to rush in and make a plan based on that reaction from your opponent rather than trying to plan out all the possibilities of multiple options. So as the Nara was asking if they had anything up their sleeves Ringo went and opened the door, it would be a race between his speed and the guy's reaction time. Ryal hadn't gotten that much faster but he was confident and even if the arrow got to him quicker than he could get to the guy it would just bounce back and stab its owner. Now while he wasn't one for weapons it was a lot easier to deal with armored guys if you had one so the pinkette would form the seal of confrontation, creating an invisible whip. If the sign was foreign to the thugs there would be a few seconds daze in which his team, which should still be on high alert, could find a target to attack. If not Ringo would slap them around until the rest of them made it down the stairs.

WC: 428
TWC: 1,535

Levi considered discussing the plan of attack, and while there were times to do so he didn’t seem to realize that for the most part, this was a test for the new guy. Taishi and Ryal have seen their share of situations like this, but Levi was an unknown. Taishi couldn’t be sure how capable the new recruit was without some sort of small test of his abilities. He seemed to have a decent plan, but wasn’t certain of himself in its execution.
 
Hesitation.
 
It could get you killed out here, and so the brute would watch as Ringo took the initiative and dashed down the stairs at the guards. Some might call his actions reckless, but Taishi saw it as complete confidence in one’s own ability. Ringo knew what he was capable of, and in swift motion practically dove on the man using the crossbow. The shot would fire, but Ringo seemed to either be completely unbothered by it or it missed him. Either way it was a fine display of his prowess.
 
Taishi would sprint down the stairs right after, forming the bird seal before reaching the bottom and dropping to a knee. His hand would touch the ground and he would look up with a grin. The body armor may have proctected most of their vitals, but it seemed to leave weak points in the neck area to allow movement of the head. Was this a design flaw? Probably not, as limiting your mobility and field of vision was dangerous. Of course the lack of protection in the area was a weak point Taishi would exploit, not to mention the relative lack of room to move around and the distraction of Ringo and Taishi keeping their attention. He would look up with a grin as spears of earth would shoot out from the stone wall from their blind point and tear gaping holes through their exposed throats. The image wasn’t pleasant, the dripping points of the now red spears living little possibility of their survival.
 
The large metal door securing the money would be a simple obstacle to remove. Taishi would clap and place his hands down, shifting the earth beneath it and lowering enough of it to allow them easy passage underneath it. The door would groan under its own weight, but it would hold fast and was secure enough to not worry about it dropping on anyone’s head.
 
“Grab everything you can and let’s get out of here before more show up. As simple as this may have been, I’d rather not try our luck.” With that said Taishi would fill his various inner cloak pockets and his ryo pouch and keep an eye out while the others did the same. Hopefully they wouldn’t be summoned back by Alice mid score.

wc:466
TWC: 1719/1334 (Mission complete)

Before he even knew what was going on Ringo had already made his way down the stairs, avoiding the arrow coming from the man carrying the crossbow. The phrase "think before you act" didn't really apply to this case since Ringo actually went with the opposite approach. Luckily for him he managed not to get hit by the arrow while he was sprinting down. All fired up by his companion's action Taishi soon followed behind as he started weaving a single hand seal. Now that he had formed the seal of the bird the brute seemed to have activated an Earth style jutsu as multiple earth spears were shooting out of the stone wall, piercing through the throats of the remaining thugs. Those with a sensitive stomach wouldn't be able to bear such a gruesome sight but blood dashing out of a person's body didn't have any effect on Levi anymore. The Nara was already used to the color of red painting the walls. 

While the grey brute performed another one of his Earth style techniques the ground started to shift granting them passage to the vault. Now that they had easy access to the money it was only a matter of time before they would get their hands on it. One by one they were gathering around the safe admiring the big pile of ryo in front of them. The grey brute prompted them to grab as much as they could before time ran out. They had no idea if reinforcements might be heading their way. Following his own example Taishi filled his pockets with all the money he could fit in there. He only had to say it once as both Ringo and Levi began to pick up the goods. The young Nara suggested that the mute could also have his share since he helped them out as well. Maybe he thought he wasn't allowed any and was afraid of what his master Alice might say when she would find out, but Levi told him it was okay to do something for himself once in a while. Levi himself would follow Taishi's advice as he filled his pockets as well. "Don't mind if I do."

Now that the four of them got what they came for it was time for them to leave since they didn't want to run in any more trouble than they already had. Heading to a location closeby it would give them the chance to catch their breath and count their winnings. The mission was a big success but most important was that they all got out unscathed. "So, what's next?" He said smiling at the crew.

Mission complete.

(Exit)
(TWC: 2315)
Claims: 
- Chakra Sensory 2000/2000
- Genjutsu Release 250/250
- Signatures of Taishi, Ryal and Ikki (if allowed)
- Mission reward (2000 ryo, 5 AP)