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Tanjiro NazarCitizen
Ryo : 500
A Failed Investigation
Mon Apr 22, 2019 2:02 pm
The day was cold and foggy in the village of death and corruption but to most people it would seem to be like any other day, but today was special! Today was the day all of Sugimoto’s planning would finally come into fruition. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Sugimoto would start making his way out of bed. Ever since the day he came back from that mission to retrieve art for Lord Hoshinori from his thieving son, Sugimoto’s mind has been plagued by the runic blade he saw in the lords study and the implications it may bring. His perception was still cloudy as he made the short trek from his room in the orphanage to the shared bathroom. The sun had yet risen above the horizon, so he was the lone soul up at this hour. He brushed his teeth and did the normal morning ritual, he wanted to get out of the orphanage before Mother Abigail had a chance to corner him.
She was related to Lord Hoshinori and that could mean she was potentially connection to his family's murderers. He came back to the orphanage just a few nights before, he took some time away to deal with the repercussions of the raider mission. To Sugimoto it seemed ever since his parents death everything he did would dissolve into meaningless violence with a good chance of death. He felt as if his emotional state was in complete turmoil, his only two states of being consisted of ether feeling hollow to the core or complete anxiety and anger. Yet the drills and lessons his mother and father taught him forced him to continue being cautious. So he decided to come back she he could keep an eye on Mother Abigail and what she may be planning. It was hard balancing his internal rage and suspicion of his supposed caretaker while also trying to maintain a facade of normalcy. He had to maintain the ruse just until he was ready to strike, but he understood that patience was key.
After finishing the morning essentials Sugimoto would head back to his bed and pull out the chest were he kept his Shinobi gear and proceed to put it on. As he slipped on his katana and sheath to his side he could not help but conjure up the runic blade from memory. If the sword he saw in the lord’s study was indeed a Yamato clans bonded runic sword, that would mean he would have finally identified his clans ancient enemy. He was conflicted about how he felt about this, on the one hand he would be happy to have found out who his clans and families murders where. But that would come at a high cost, most of the people Sugimoto has managed to make a personal connection to are related to this clan. From the investigation he started into the Hoshinori clan Sugimoto has found out that Mother Abigail is the Lord's older sister,while Ken was the Lord’s estranged younger brother. The reason why Ken used Kanta as his last name was because Ken hada falling out a few years ago with the Lord and was forbidden to use the clan name from then forth. So from the very beginning he could have been falling right into a trap, or it could be fate playing with sick irony.
After putting on his gear Sugimoto would just sit on his bed and think for a moment, his right hand would rest on the hilt of katana by his side. His father told him stories of how the Yamato clan use to fight with mighty arms and armaments that were world renown during their time. But every Yamato had weapon bonded to them, something they themselves forged. This weapon was the embodiment of the crafters soul, it was more than a tool or merely a weapon. It was a instrument to enact the will of its wielder. The hunk of metal that hung by his side was just a tool and a weapon, he wanted to forge a bond but he knew nothing about how this process was done and knew of no one who could teach him. Maybe if he found that runic sword from the lords, he could try to re engineer it so he could learn about its secrets.
Sugimoto would pull himself from the bed and head out of the orphanage, he had a to continue his investigation into the Lords affairs before he could sneak in and find the blade. But has he was heading through the orphanages kitchen a familiar voice would call out to him. Sugimoto wanted to avoid this but he spent to long thinking about Yamato blades. Mother Abigail walked into the kitchen from the door behind him. She would stop him in his tracks, and offer him some food. Sugimoto tried to dismiss her with a “I got to start some shinobi work, so I can’t stay.” But Abigail was having none of it and would pull him to sit down at the kitchen table. Before all of this, he thought of her as mysterious but kind. That has all changed, he could never tell if she was genuine or just trying to trick him. The concern in her voice felt real, and the way she looked at him made him feel like she was wanting his well being. But he could never fully trust her, do to her hated lineage.
Mother Abigail was cooking eggs and pork rinds while she talked over her shoulder to Sugimoto. She would talk in a tone that seemed like she cared and would ask “Have you been sleeping well? I know you have been waking up quite early as of late and in the line of work of a shinobi sleep deprivation could get you killed.” Sugimoto could not tell if that was intended to have a double meaning or was he just being paranoid. So he sat there and assured her that he was getting enough sleep but she did not seem convinced. Would would transfer the food from the stove top to a plate and place it in front of Sugimoto, then she move to sit in the chair across the kitchen table from him. She would lean in and ask “I know you are going through a ruff patch, I got one of my contacts within the leadership to send me a copy of your mission report. I am so sorry that one of your first missions ended like that. Do you want to talk about it?” She said the last with a bit of pleading in her tone. But Sugimoto would shake his head and say “No, I really do have to get going. There are things I have to do before the battle with the missing ninja. Thank you for the food.” She still looked concerned as Sugimoto got up placed his dishes into the sink and headed out to start his day.
Sugimoto would head out of the orphanage and make his way through the village of Kumo. The sickly sweet scent of death still lingered in the tainted air, it was a ever present reminder of the new life he lead. Sugimoto knew that what he was planning would not technically be considered “sanctioned”, but it had to be done. He needed to find out once and for all who his ancient enemy was, he need a target for his rage. So he walked through Kumo, quickly making his way to the bar to meet Fumihiro. It was now time for the next step of his plan, he has spent the last few days researching information on the Hoshinori clan. The clan fit the criteria, they were a ancient clan within Kumo. They have been mentioned in recordes going back hundreds of years. Plus it seems the Hoshinori clan has their hands in a lot of businesses, they control a lot of infrastructure. They control the carpenters guild, blacksmiths guild and other groups that have their hands in businesses that repair and maintain the village. So they have made their clan’s money from cleaning up after all the wars of Kumo from over the years.
Sugimoto also found out that the Hoshinori clan may have made some deal with the last true Kage of Kumo, Mortarion. Sugimoto had a hard time finding out the exact details of this deal, but he find some paperwork that referenced a deal between the lord of the Hoshinori clan and Mortarion. He wanted to figure out more about this deal but time was of the essence. While out scouting the clans mansion Sugimoto saw serfs packing up a carriage for some kind of long trip. Later that same day the Lord Hoshinori left the village that carriage, probably to escape the war with the missing ninja. So now was the best time to sneak in and investigate the lords study for that runic sword. This forced Sugimoto to ramp up his timetable but it would be well worth it, to mitigate the risk of Lord Hosinori finding out about him. Lucky for Sugimoto, he was going to meet one of the key cogs in his plan at the bar he was just walking into.
This bar seemed like any other disreputable joint in a dying village, it was a shabby tavern called “The Tipsy Shinobi”. The tavern may have been nice at one point, but with years of mismanagement and disrepair seemed to leave nothing but a bar, everything else was dust covered and dilapidated. But yet at the bar sat Fumihiro, the Lord Hoshinori’s drunkard for an heir. Sugimoto has been keeping an eye on the foolish lad, he seemed to work, sleep, drink at any bar that wouldn't kick his ass out. He would then finish most days by heading of too the red light district. The man was a fool, no, a useless fool that would tell the “Masked Shinobi” anything he asked for after a few cups a sake. Even though It was really early in the morning, it seemed Fumihiro managed to pass out from the night before and the barkeep let him sleep it off on the bar. So Sugimoto would take in a deep breath and head over to the drunk, the masked shinobi would give the sleeping mans shoulder a quick jolt. It did not seem to be very effective at waking up the drunk lad. “Jeez, how drunk did he get last night? He is out cold!” were the first thought that ran through the mind behind the mask. “Guess it’s gotta be the hard way then.” So the ninja would casually walk behind the bar and make his way to the sink, no one would stop him since the barkeep probably went to sleep hours ago. Then he would fill a bucket full with the the mucky water that the barkeep left some dishes in and would proceed to dump the buckets contents onto the head of the soundly sleeping young lord.
The shock of the slightly slimy and surprising cold water nearly drowning the young lord would work wonders at waking him up. Fumihiro would jump up while gasping for breath but his legs would give out and knock the stool from underneath him. Still drunk, the young lord would move around frantically as he tried to reorient himself to his less than dry surroundings. Leaning over the bar the masked shinobi would ask quizzically “Have you come back to the living?” The first anwer the masked shinobi got from the now wide awake and seemingly quite pissed off young lord, would be a simple but direct “What the Fuck!” Sugimoto heard something creaking from above, after a few second the barkeeps voice would yell from his upstairs apartment “You payed to stay but if you keep screaming this fucking early in the morning, I am going to kick your ass right out the door. Go to sleep!” Fumihiro would mouth the words sorry before turning a angry gaze to the shinobi, he would address the masked alarm clock in hushed but clearly pissed off tone “Why the how did you find me and what why would you pour water on me?” He still seemed to be too drunk for Sugimoto to get any real information out of him so he would have to let the fool sober up. “I will come back once you more coherent, you better be sober enough to talk the next time I find you or gross cold water will be the least of your worries.” With those words said the masked shinobi left leaving the drunk fool sober up.
Leaving the bar and heading back into the village streets Sugimoto needed to work out the next part of his plan. The Hoshinori clans mansion was like a maze, it would be impossible once inside to navigate safely throughout the building without getting caught. But through his investigation, Sugimoto figured out that Riyo’s father built the manson years ago. So he was on his way to Riyo’s house, he was going to see if he could find blueprints and use that to map out his way into the Lord’s study. How was he going to convince Riyo to help him out? Should he just let Riyo know it was him? Na, that would potentially expose him to getting caught. So he would probably just continue with the story that he has been feeding Fumihiro.
The story he told Fumihiro was that he was a Kumo Shinobi investigating the claim that a potential missing ninja is targeting elites from the village to kill and compromise for the future invasion. So he was investigating around lord Hosinori’s house so possibly find this missing ninja, he could not let his mission be revealed. So he needed all of his cohorts complete silence on all matters involved with this investigation. It was still early in the morning so traversing the streets of Kumo were much quicker than they would be during the day. Only minutes to traverse most of the village, Sugimoto would find himself standing before the awesome house of the carpenter Riyo. Every time he came to this house it always impresses him, from one craftsman to another the work he did on this home was phenomenal.
Sugimoto would walk up to the house, ready to knock on the front door when he heard the sound of work coming from Riyo’s backyard workshop. So he would start to make his way to the back of the house. Riyo’s workshop was just as impressive as his house, it had all the necessary woodworking tools plus some extra tools that just made things easier. Riyo was at a workbench using some sanding tool to smooth out a long two by four. Sugimoto would walk up to Riyo, since Sugimoto had his mask on Riyo would not be able to recognize him. Sugimoto needed to keep this personal mission as far away from his name as possible, so keeping his identity hidden was a must. So the masked shinobi would walk up to Riyo and call out in a tone that did not sound like his normal voice “Hello, Are you Riyo? I have a favor to ask of you.” The older man would look up from his work to see who was addressing him. Riyo was covered in wood dust and would take a second to dust himself off, once he was satisfied that he was dusted off he would address the masked man that stood before him. Riyo would eye him up and down, taking note of the mask and the Kumo headband tied around his arm. He looked like he was summing up his own opinion on the ninja that stood before him, then he would address the ninja. “Yes I am Riyo, how can I help you?”
The masked shinobi would smile behind his mask, Riyo seemed to not recognize him, so that was going well. He knew choosing his words carefully was of the utmost importance, he could not reveal to much information on his plans. So he was probably going with the story he told Fumihiro. So with his thoughts lined up the masked shinobi started spinning his tale. “I am here on official Kumo business and we need you help with something. But everything said must be held in confidence, before you agree to help you need to promise me you can keep everything confidential?” Riyo would look quizzically and answer “I am willing to aid the shinobi of Kumo, also if secrecy is necessary I can keep my lips shut. Yet I am unsure of what I could possibly do to help, but I will do what I can.” The masked ninja walk around the workshop while listening to the old carpenter, his workshop was full of half finished projects and a pile of scrap wood he used to make the training poles that the ninja destroyed at the training grounds. After the old man finished his words, the masked ninja would turn from his surrounding and address the confused carpenter. “I am conducting a secret investigation and I heard you may have the blueprints of the Hoshinori estate. I am going to need it for my investigation, so could you go and get it for me?”
Riyo looked slightly taken aback at the request quizzically asking “Sure but, why would you need that. You could just go there and….” The masked shinobi would cut off the old man “Sorry, but I can not go into details. So can you go get it for me?” the masked ninjas tone made that statement seem less like a question and more like a demand. Riyo would give a slight bow and say “Of course I can please follow me.” and with that Riyo would lead the shinobi to his work shed. Once inside the old carpenter would walk over to a pair of ornate oak cabinets, he would then open the left one up and start to rummage through it for a few moments. While he was looking through the papers Riyo would start some idle talk. “You know my great grandfather built the Hoshinori estate many years ago. Both of our families have been living in the village of Kumo for hundred of years. Ahh here it is.” He would then pull out a folded piece of paper. Closing up the ornate cabinet and bringing the folded paper to the table that laid to the right of the room. Riyo would then unfold and lay out the paper on the table, beckoning the shinobi over. “This is the Hosinori estate blueprints you wanted. Is there anything else you need?” Rio stated then asked as he seemed to try and goad some more information out of the masked shinobi. However the ninja did not take the bait and just scooped up the blueprints, the masked shinobi would give Riyo a small nod and say “Thank you for your help and remember everything here must be kept in confidence!” Riyo would give the shinobi a small bow and say “I will keep this a secret you have my word.” Eyeing the old carpenter from behind his mask he would only leave after he believed he would keep his word and he headed back out to continue his investigation.
Sugimoto walked away from Riyo’s workshop and unconsciously touched the pocket that held the blueprints. With it in his possession he could easily navigate the labyrinthine like building. He could try and just infiltrate the Hoshinori estate now but he wanted to get some more insider information form the drunk Fumihiro. So the masked shinobi made his way back to “The Tippy's Shinobi” he hoped Fumihiro sobered up enough for him to get what he needed from him. The sun directly overhead let Sugimoto know that it as around midday, “That drunkard Fumihiro should have sobered up a little by now.” Sugimoto thought to himself as he walked down another street.
Finally standing before the bar he could hear a slight bustle coming from the open windows, if the place was open it was more than likely that Fumihiro would be inside drinking. Opening the door and walking inside, the masked shinobi saw a colorful assortment of individuals. They seemed to be your typical group that you would find in a bar, there was local hobo who managed to beg for enough ryo to buy a drink and a cigarette. There also was a laborer from the shadier side of town and he was just at a table in the corner drinking a beer while a few empty cups laid around him. And sitting at the bar was the man he was looking for, Fumihiro was slumped over his drink of whiskey while he swayed on his stool. The masked shinobi would pull out the stool next to Fumhiro and take a seat. “Hello Fumihiro, So it seems you did not listen my orders!” The masked shinobi would grab Fumihiro’s drink and pour it over his lap, this made the drunk man fall from his stool and land ass first on the ground. Then the masked shinobi would take the cigarette from the mouth of the hobo and flick it into the down man's pants. It caught fire and the drunken lord screamed and swatted at the flames. “O’ look, it seems like the liar’s pants have just caught fire!” the masked shinobi scoffed. “Here, let me help you put that out” Sugimoto would stand up from the stool and start to stomp out the flames that coated the lords trousers from belly to knees. It would not surprise the masked shinobi if some priceless family heirlooms may have been damaged during this endeavor. But with in a few moments of some good O’ stomping, the flames finally were doused.
Sugimoto was kinda pissed, he wanted to get a little more information before he broke into the manson but this man was useless. He knew he made a big enough show, so he needed to get out of here and plan for the next step. The ninja through a sack of ryo onto the bar just in front of the bar keep. “Take this and if the lord tries to buy any more liquor make sure he gets none of it.” With that he would lean over the lord who was writhing in pain and say “Now the next time I see you, you better be sober!” The lord just nodded his head and whimpered a “Yes you crazy ninja, I promise I will be sober! I swear!” the ninja just felt like he needed the last word, so he could scare the fool. “I not sure if your body could handle another fire so keep your word this time.” With that said, the Masked shinobi would make his way back into the village.
He was making his way towards the Hosinori estate, Sugimoto was tired of waiting and he was ready to get some answers. The sun was beginning to set and night was starting to take hold of the tainted village. By the time he made it to the mansion the moon was illuminating the sky above. The shinobi watched the house for a while but he learned little that would help him with his objective. So when he believed most of the Serfs inside were asleep he would make his way to the outside window. If the blueprints were right, he should be just underneath the window to the sun room. He would use his surface walking technique to climb up the side of the building. Peaking over the window ledge the shinobi made sure the room inside, once he was sure the coast was clear he would use a kunai to shimmy open the latch that locked the window. Sneaking his way inside, the ninja would use his quiet footsteps jutsu and slowly make his way through the halls. The blue prints made it possible to navigate the maze like house with relative ease. He saw none of the serfs as he walked the halls and with in a few moments he managed to get himself to the Lord’s study.
The door seemed locked but luckily for him he had a set of three lockpicks he made just for this occasion. Jimmying the first pick into the lock the ninja plays around until he hears a snap. One lock pick now broken, the masked shinobi would pull out his magnet on a stick. Using this small contraption would allow him to pull out the broken lockpick pieces from inside the locking mechanism. He would then attempt it again with his second lockpick, fiddling around until he heard the familiar snap. The ninja would rinse and repeat the same process to retrieve the broken lockpick pieces. Now with his last lockpick in hand he would try again, this time he would succeed. Now that the study’s door was open the masked shinobi would make his way into the study but what he found pissed him off. He found nothing, the room was empty. The lord packed up everything and left, Sugimoto saw the lord pack up but he did not think he would take everything. This whole investigation was a bust he would have to try again but for now he needed to get out of here. Sugimoto escaped the same way he came in and left without a trace, but unfortunately for Sugimoto a set of eyes appeared from the darkness.
WC 4271
Claims 21 stats
Barrier Confining Technique (1500/1500)
Rainbow Fort Seal (1500/1500)
Kamaitachi (1000/1000)
She was related to Lord Hoshinori and that could mean she was potentially connection to his family's murderers. He came back to the orphanage just a few nights before, he took some time away to deal with the repercussions of the raider mission. To Sugimoto it seemed ever since his parents death everything he did would dissolve into meaningless violence with a good chance of death. He felt as if his emotional state was in complete turmoil, his only two states of being consisted of ether feeling hollow to the core or complete anxiety and anger. Yet the drills and lessons his mother and father taught him forced him to continue being cautious. So he decided to come back she he could keep an eye on Mother Abigail and what she may be planning. It was hard balancing his internal rage and suspicion of his supposed caretaker while also trying to maintain a facade of normalcy. He had to maintain the ruse just until he was ready to strike, but he understood that patience was key.
After finishing the morning essentials Sugimoto would head back to his bed and pull out the chest were he kept his Shinobi gear and proceed to put it on. As he slipped on his katana and sheath to his side he could not help but conjure up the runic blade from memory. If the sword he saw in the lord’s study was indeed a Yamato clans bonded runic sword, that would mean he would have finally identified his clans ancient enemy. He was conflicted about how he felt about this, on the one hand he would be happy to have found out who his clans and families murders where. But that would come at a high cost, most of the people Sugimoto has managed to make a personal connection to are related to this clan. From the investigation he started into the Hoshinori clan Sugimoto has found out that Mother Abigail is the Lord's older sister,while Ken was the Lord’s estranged younger brother. The reason why Ken used Kanta as his last name was because Ken hada falling out a few years ago with the Lord and was forbidden to use the clan name from then forth. So from the very beginning he could have been falling right into a trap, or it could be fate playing with sick irony.
After putting on his gear Sugimoto would just sit on his bed and think for a moment, his right hand would rest on the hilt of katana by his side. His father told him stories of how the Yamato clan use to fight with mighty arms and armaments that were world renown during their time. But every Yamato had weapon bonded to them, something they themselves forged. This weapon was the embodiment of the crafters soul, it was more than a tool or merely a weapon. It was a instrument to enact the will of its wielder. The hunk of metal that hung by his side was just a tool and a weapon, he wanted to forge a bond but he knew nothing about how this process was done and knew of no one who could teach him. Maybe if he found that runic sword from the lords, he could try to re engineer it so he could learn about its secrets.
Sugimoto would pull himself from the bed and head out of the orphanage, he had a to continue his investigation into the Lords affairs before he could sneak in and find the blade. But has he was heading through the orphanages kitchen a familiar voice would call out to him. Sugimoto wanted to avoid this but he spent to long thinking about Yamato blades. Mother Abigail walked into the kitchen from the door behind him. She would stop him in his tracks, and offer him some food. Sugimoto tried to dismiss her with a “I got to start some shinobi work, so I can’t stay.” But Abigail was having none of it and would pull him to sit down at the kitchen table. Before all of this, he thought of her as mysterious but kind. That has all changed, he could never tell if she was genuine or just trying to trick him. The concern in her voice felt real, and the way she looked at him made him feel like she was wanting his well being. But he could never fully trust her, do to her hated lineage.
Mother Abigail was cooking eggs and pork rinds while she talked over her shoulder to Sugimoto. She would talk in a tone that seemed like she cared and would ask “Have you been sleeping well? I know you have been waking up quite early as of late and in the line of work of a shinobi sleep deprivation could get you killed.” Sugimoto could not tell if that was intended to have a double meaning or was he just being paranoid. So he sat there and assured her that he was getting enough sleep but she did not seem convinced. Would would transfer the food from the stove top to a plate and place it in front of Sugimoto, then she move to sit in the chair across the kitchen table from him. She would lean in and ask “I know you are going through a ruff patch, I got one of my contacts within the leadership to send me a copy of your mission report. I am so sorry that one of your first missions ended like that. Do you want to talk about it?” She said the last with a bit of pleading in her tone. But Sugimoto would shake his head and say “No, I really do have to get going. There are things I have to do before the battle with the missing ninja. Thank you for the food.” She still looked concerned as Sugimoto got up placed his dishes into the sink and headed out to start his day.
Sugimoto would head out of the orphanage and make his way through the village of Kumo. The sickly sweet scent of death still lingered in the tainted air, it was a ever present reminder of the new life he lead. Sugimoto knew that what he was planning would not technically be considered “sanctioned”, but it had to be done. He needed to find out once and for all who his ancient enemy was, he need a target for his rage. So he walked through Kumo, quickly making his way to the bar to meet Fumihiro. It was now time for the next step of his plan, he has spent the last few days researching information on the Hoshinori clan. The clan fit the criteria, they were a ancient clan within Kumo. They have been mentioned in recordes going back hundreds of years. Plus it seems the Hoshinori clan has their hands in a lot of businesses, they control a lot of infrastructure. They control the carpenters guild, blacksmiths guild and other groups that have their hands in businesses that repair and maintain the village. So they have made their clan’s money from cleaning up after all the wars of Kumo from over the years.
Sugimoto also found out that the Hoshinori clan may have made some deal with the last true Kage of Kumo, Mortarion. Sugimoto had a hard time finding out the exact details of this deal, but he find some paperwork that referenced a deal between the lord of the Hoshinori clan and Mortarion. He wanted to figure out more about this deal but time was of the essence. While out scouting the clans mansion Sugimoto saw serfs packing up a carriage for some kind of long trip. Later that same day the Lord Hoshinori left the village that carriage, probably to escape the war with the missing ninja. So now was the best time to sneak in and investigate the lords study for that runic sword. This forced Sugimoto to ramp up his timetable but it would be well worth it, to mitigate the risk of Lord Hosinori finding out about him. Lucky for Sugimoto, he was going to meet one of the key cogs in his plan at the bar he was just walking into.
This bar seemed like any other disreputable joint in a dying village, it was a shabby tavern called “The Tipsy Shinobi”. The tavern may have been nice at one point, but with years of mismanagement and disrepair seemed to leave nothing but a bar, everything else was dust covered and dilapidated. But yet at the bar sat Fumihiro, the Lord Hoshinori’s drunkard for an heir. Sugimoto has been keeping an eye on the foolish lad, he seemed to work, sleep, drink at any bar that wouldn't kick his ass out. He would then finish most days by heading of too the red light district. The man was a fool, no, a useless fool that would tell the “Masked Shinobi” anything he asked for after a few cups a sake. Even though It was really early in the morning, it seemed Fumihiro managed to pass out from the night before and the barkeep let him sleep it off on the bar. So Sugimoto would take in a deep breath and head over to the drunk, the masked shinobi would give the sleeping mans shoulder a quick jolt. It did not seem to be very effective at waking up the drunk lad. “Jeez, how drunk did he get last night? He is out cold!” were the first thought that ran through the mind behind the mask. “Guess it’s gotta be the hard way then.” So the ninja would casually walk behind the bar and make his way to the sink, no one would stop him since the barkeep probably went to sleep hours ago. Then he would fill a bucket full with the the mucky water that the barkeep left some dishes in and would proceed to dump the buckets contents onto the head of the soundly sleeping young lord.
The shock of the slightly slimy and surprising cold water nearly drowning the young lord would work wonders at waking him up. Fumihiro would jump up while gasping for breath but his legs would give out and knock the stool from underneath him. Still drunk, the young lord would move around frantically as he tried to reorient himself to his less than dry surroundings. Leaning over the bar the masked shinobi would ask quizzically “Have you come back to the living?” The first anwer the masked shinobi got from the now wide awake and seemingly quite pissed off young lord, would be a simple but direct “What the Fuck!” Sugimoto heard something creaking from above, after a few second the barkeeps voice would yell from his upstairs apartment “You payed to stay but if you keep screaming this fucking early in the morning, I am going to kick your ass right out the door. Go to sleep!” Fumihiro would mouth the words sorry before turning a angry gaze to the shinobi, he would address the masked alarm clock in hushed but clearly pissed off tone “Why the how did you find me and what why would you pour water on me?” He still seemed to be too drunk for Sugimoto to get any real information out of him so he would have to let the fool sober up. “I will come back once you more coherent, you better be sober enough to talk the next time I find you or gross cold water will be the least of your worries.” With those words said the masked shinobi left leaving the drunk fool sober up.
Leaving the bar and heading back into the village streets Sugimoto needed to work out the next part of his plan. The Hoshinori clans mansion was like a maze, it would be impossible once inside to navigate safely throughout the building without getting caught. But through his investigation, Sugimoto figured out that Riyo’s father built the manson years ago. So he was on his way to Riyo’s house, he was going to see if he could find blueprints and use that to map out his way into the Lord’s study. How was he going to convince Riyo to help him out? Should he just let Riyo know it was him? Na, that would potentially expose him to getting caught. So he would probably just continue with the story that he has been feeding Fumihiro.
The story he told Fumihiro was that he was a Kumo Shinobi investigating the claim that a potential missing ninja is targeting elites from the village to kill and compromise for the future invasion. So he was investigating around lord Hosinori’s house so possibly find this missing ninja, he could not let his mission be revealed. So he needed all of his cohorts complete silence on all matters involved with this investigation. It was still early in the morning so traversing the streets of Kumo were much quicker than they would be during the day. Only minutes to traverse most of the village, Sugimoto would find himself standing before the awesome house of the carpenter Riyo. Every time he came to this house it always impresses him, from one craftsman to another the work he did on this home was phenomenal.
Sugimoto would walk up to the house, ready to knock on the front door when he heard the sound of work coming from Riyo’s backyard workshop. So he would start to make his way to the back of the house. Riyo’s workshop was just as impressive as his house, it had all the necessary woodworking tools plus some extra tools that just made things easier. Riyo was at a workbench using some sanding tool to smooth out a long two by four. Sugimoto would walk up to Riyo, since Sugimoto had his mask on Riyo would not be able to recognize him. Sugimoto needed to keep this personal mission as far away from his name as possible, so keeping his identity hidden was a must. So the masked shinobi would walk up to Riyo and call out in a tone that did not sound like his normal voice “Hello, Are you Riyo? I have a favor to ask of you.” The older man would look up from his work to see who was addressing him. Riyo was covered in wood dust and would take a second to dust himself off, once he was satisfied that he was dusted off he would address the masked man that stood before him. Riyo would eye him up and down, taking note of the mask and the Kumo headband tied around his arm. He looked like he was summing up his own opinion on the ninja that stood before him, then he would address the ninja. “Yes I am Riyo, how can I help you?”
The masked shinobi would smile behind his mask, Riyo seemed to not recognize him, so that was going well. He knew choosing his words carefully was of the utmost importance, he could not reveal to much information on his plans. So he was probably going with the story he told Fumihiro. So with his thoughts lined up the masked shinobi started spinning his tale. “I am here on official Kumo business and we need you help with something. But everything said must be held in confidence, before you agree to help you need to promise me you can keep everything confidential?” Riyo would look quizzically and answer “I am willing to aid the shinobi of Kumo, also if secrecy is necessary I can keep my lips shut. Yet I am unsure of what I could possibly do to help, but I will do what I can.” The masked ninja walk around the workshop while listening to the old carpenter, his workshop was full of half finished projects and a pile of scrap wood he used to make the training poles that the ninja destroyed at the training grounds. After the old man finished his words, the masked ninja would turn from his surrounding and address the confused carpenter. “I am conducting a secret investigation and I heard you may have the blueprints of the Hoshinori estate. I am going to need it for my investigation, so could you go and get it for me?”
Riyo looked slightly taken aback at the request quizzically asking “Sure but, why would you need that. You could just go there and….” The masked shinobi would cut off the old man “Sorry, but I can not go into details. So can you go get it for me?” the masked ninjas tone made that statement seem less like a question and more like a demand. Riyo would give a slight bow and say “Of course I can please follow me.” and with that Riyo would lead the shinobi to his work shed. Once inside the old carpenter would walk over to a pair of ornate oak cabinets, he would then open the left one up and start to rummage through it for a few moments. While he was looking through the papers Riyo would start some idle talk. “You know my great grandfather built the Hoshinori estate many years ago. Both of our families have been living in the village of Kumo for hundred of years. Ahh here it is.” He would then pull out a folded piece of paper. Closing up the ornate cabinet and bringing the folded paper to the table that laid to the right of the room. Riyo would then unfold and lay out the paper on the table, beckoning the shinobi over. “This is the Hosinori estate blueprints you wanted. Is there anything else you need?” Rio stated then asked as he seemed to try and goad some more information out of the masked shinobi. However the ninja did not take the bait and just scooped up the blueprints, the masked shinobi would give Riyo a small nod and say “Thank you for your help and remember everything here must be kept in confidence!” Riyo would give the shinobi a small bow and say “I will keep this a secret you have my word.” Eyeing the old carpenter from behind his mask he would only leave after he believed he would keep his word and he headed back out to continue his investigation.
Sugimoto walked away from Riyo’s workshop and unconsciously touched the pocket that held the blueprints. With it in his possession he could easily navigate the labyrinthine like building. He could try and just infiltrate the Hoshinori estate now but he wanted to get some more insider information form the drunk Fumihiro. So the masked shinobi made his way back to “The Tippy's Shinobi” he hoped Fumihiro sobered up enough for him to get what he needed from him. The sun directly overhead let Sugimoto know that it as around midday, “That drunkard Fumihiro should have sobered up a little by now.” Sugimoto thought to himself as he walked down another street.
Finally standing before the bar he could hear a slight bustle coming from the open windows, if the place was open it was more than likely that Fumihiro would be inside drinking. Opening the door and walking inside, the masked shinobi saw a colorful assortment of individuals. They seemed to be your typical group that you would find in a bar, there was local hobo who managed to beg for enough ryo to buy a drink and a cigarette. There also was a laborer from the shadier side of town and he was just at a table in the corner drinking a beer while a few empty cups laid around him. And sitting at the bar was the man he was looking for, Fumihiro was slumped over his drink of whiskey while he swayed on his stool. The masked shinobi would pull out the stool next to Fumhiro and take a seat. “Hello Fumihiro, So it seems you did not listen my orders!” The masked shinobi would grab Fumihiro’s drink and pour it over his lap, this made the drunk man fall from his stool and land ass first on the ground. Then the masked shinobi would take the cigarette from the mouth of the hobo and flick it into the down man's pants. It caught fire and the drunken lord screamed and swatted at the flames. “O’ look, it seems like the liar’s pants have just caught fire!” the masked shinobi scoffed. “Here, let me help you put that out” Sugimoto would stand up from the stool and start to stomp out the flames that coated the lords trousers from belly to knees. It would not surprise the masked shinobi if some priceless family heirlooms may have been damaged during this endeavor. But with in a few moments of some good O’ stomping, the flames finally were doused.
Sugimoto was kinda pissed, he wanted to get a little more information before he broke into the manson but this man was useless. He knew he made a big enough show, so he needed to get out of here and plan for the next step. The ninja through a sack of ryo onto the bar just in front of the bar keep. “Take this and if the lord tries to buy any more liquor make sure he gets none of it.” With that he would lean over the lord who was writhing in pain and say “Now the next time I see you, you better be sober!” The lord just nodded his head and whimpered a “Yes you crazy ninja, I promise I will be sober! I swear!” the ninja just felt like he needed the last word, so he could scare the fool. “I not sure if your body could handle another fire so keep your word this time.” With that said, the Masked shinobi would make his way back into the village.
He was making his way towards the Hosinori estate, Sugimoto was tired of waiting and he was ready to get some answers. The sun was beginning to set and night was starting to take hold of the tainted village. By the time he made it to the mansion the moon was illuminating the sky above. The shinobi watched the house for a while but he learned little that would help him with his objective. So when he believed most of the Serfs inside were asleep he would make his way to the outside window. If the blueprints were right, he should be just underneath the window to the sun room. He would use his surface walking technique to climb up the side of the building. Peaking over the window ledge the shinobi made sure the room inside, once he was sure the coast was clear he would use a kunai to shimmy open the latch that locked the window. Sneaking his way inside, the ninja would use his quiet footsteps jutsu and slowly make his way through the halls. The blue prints made it possible to navigate the maze like house with relative ease. He saw none of the serfs as he walked the halls and with in a few moments he managed to get himself to the Lord’s study.
The door seemed locked but luckily for him he had a set of three lockpicks he made just for this occasion. Jimmying the first pick into the lock the ninja plays around until he hears a snap. One lock pick now broken, the masked shinobi would pull out his magnet on a stick. Using this small contraption would allow him to pull out the broken lockpick pieces from inside the locking mechanism. He would then attempt it again with his second lockpick, fiddling around until he heard the familiar snap. The ninja would rinse and repeat the same process to retrieve the broken lockpick pieces. Now with his last lockpick in hand he would try again, this time he would succeed. Now that the study’s door was open the masked shinobi would make his way into the study but what he found pissed him off. He found nothing, the room was empty. The lord packed up everything and left, Sugimoto saw the lord pack up but he did not think he would take everything. This whole investigation was a bust he would have to try again but for now he needed to get out of here. Sugimoto escaped the same way he came in and left without a trace, but unfortunately for Sugimoto a set of eyes appeared from the darkness.
WC 4271
Claims 21 stats
Barrier Confining Technique (1500/1500)
Rainbow Fort Seal (1500/1500)
Kamaitachi (1000/1000)
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