Two in One

Advanced Guard Duty:

As luck would have it, it would seem as if Guren’s recent joining of Sunagakure had already yielded several opportunities for both advancing himself in the village and earning ryo. Really he was killing two birds with one stone here. The idea behind joining the village was to develop himself as a shinobi and be better paid than he was previously. Additionally, the previous missions of exploitation and shady services had kind of caught up to him at this point. For now he sought after performing missions with a bit better intentions. How long would he feel like this? Who knows? But mostly likely only until he recalibrated his internal moral compass to rid himself of the current guilt he faced. Taking morally “good” missions didn’t mean boring missions, however. Guren had no intentions of saving cats from trees or helping little Timmy with his math homework, thus he had to scout the mission boards for good yet exiting missions.

As he sat at a desk outside the Kazekage’s office, his eyes skimmed over three documents, all of which were mission briefings. The first two seemed to be nothing short of uneventful D and C rank missions. He mentally discarded these options and then scanned the header of the other document which read the below:

“Mission – Guard Duty:
To Whom it May Concern,
Hello I am searching for someone to keep me safe while I am visiting town on business. Unfortunately my work demands me to be here in Sunagakure, yet I suspect that several of my former colleagues and adversaries had taken refuge here after my faction chased them out. Now that I am forced to work here for the time being, I need to recruit some muscle. Please send over your finest shinobi to keep me safe!”

Guren smiled upon reading the description of the mission and stood up from his desk. This missions was promising as there was potential for conflict when he would be responsible for de-escalating. This was the perfect opportunity to try out the abilities of his newly transplanted and awakened bloodlines. As he began to walk away, Mia the receptionist approached him. “So did you decide which mission you’ll take on?”


“Yeah, I think I am going to do the Guard Duty one…” Guren indicated.


“Oh well, be careful. That is basically a two part mission. Although you will be protecting the businessman from his enemies, there are tales that he has some history here in Sunagakure. He is said to have been born in this village, and believes he was wrongly outcast by his brother. After fleeing to parts unknown, he struck it rich with this shady corporation. Rumor has it that his business’s assignment is to kill his twin brother, take over his identity, and smuggle drugs through the bathhouse that his brother owns. You need to keep the businessman alive for as long as possible yet simultaneously thwart his plans of chaos. We’re counting on you, now go! He is waiting for you outside the Inn!”

Upon receiving additional information from Mia, Guren thanked the woman and immediately set out from the hospital. Mia was as helpful as she was pleasant, seeming to always have juicy bits of intel and resources for the shinobi that passed through the hospital. Perhaps because Guren reciprocated the kindness she showed him, Mia seemed to always have extra tips for Guren. Today was no different. Without the second half of information she provided, Guren may have ended up missing out on completing the second half of the mission. Thanks to her though that wouldn’t be the case. He truly was in debt to her.

Once he left from the hospital, he walked across the empty streets and stood adjacent to the large sign of the Inn. No one else was there. Seemed like in all of Guren’s haste, he had arrived early at the rendezvous point. No worries though, for off in the distance Guren noted a man of smaller stature walking towards the inn. He was decked out in a fancy suit, and carried nothing but a brown, leather suitcase. This had to have been the businessman that Guren would be protecting today. Based on his Sunagakure headband across his forehead and his current location, Guren could easily be identified as the businessman’s protector.


“So…you the guy?” the man asked in a rather sketchy tone.

“Uhh…yeah? I’m G. Chuunin of Sunagakure.”

“Oh, good. The name’s Aston. I look forward to having your services here. You look to be quite…capable.” Aston replied in a somewhat mocking tone. Perhaps he underestimated Guren’s abilities based on his physical appearance. It was ironic of Aston, considering that his frame could best be described as a “pipsqueak”. Maybe if he stood on his wallet he might be taller than Guren.


“Let’s get to it then. Go ahead and check into your hotel room. The innkeeper is quite friendly.” Guren offered while motioning over to the entrance.

Aston nodded and started for the direction Guren pointed in. He would enter the building, and Guren would follow him inside. As he approached the front desk and began to check in and speak with the receptionist, Guren stood eagerly in the lobby. He was hopeful that at any moment, someone would leap out with a kunai looking to assassinate the businessman. Guren’s quick reflexes and sharp mind would deter any such plan from going underway, yet it seemed as if it was too early for this to happen. There was not a single person in hotel lobby except for Guren, Aston, and the receptionist. In no time Aston received his keys and was off to his room. Guren followed suit behind him.

“So she put me up on the top floor, said that my room would be a suite and should be comparable to a spacious and luxurious apartment. Really suits my standards, you know?” Aston said to Guren while giving him a slight nudge as if they were buddies.


“Yeah, quite fortunate for you.” Guren offered in response as the two began to walk towards the stairwell to ascend to the top floor. As they climbed up, Guren began to question Aston. “So, what business brings you to Sunagakure? Black market related affairs?”

“Ahh ha ha! No my friend, my business is a lot more…lucrative, and upstanding than any such black market. I am actually here to purchase several properties. One of which is a bathhouse, which may seem like a meaningless piece of property, but it holds significant…potential. Unfortunately that is all that I am willing to discuss on the subject. And with that, it appears we are at my room.”

Guren mentally noted all of the information that Aston shared, and confirmed some of his suspicions regarding the businessman’s purpose for traveling to Sunagakure. Right on cue, the two reached the front of Aston’s potential room. As he unlocked the room with the keycard he paused and looked over at Guren. “Uhm..Perhaps you should go first?” he insisted with a sinister smile.  


Guren nodded, for it was his job. In an instant he drew a kunai, activated his Ketsuryugan, and pushed the front door open. The room appeared in order, quiet, and most importantly empty. Nevertheless he motioned Aston to stay back while he would investigate the room. Firs the looked through the kitchen. Following this the living room. Then the bedroom. As he checked off numerous rooms from the list, the last to check out was the bedroom’s bathroom. Upon entry, his Ketsuryugan immediately detected a blood bearing being within the bathroom behind the shower curtain. In an instant, Guren pulled back the shadow curtain, locked his with the assassin, and immediately forced him into a genjutsu. With haste, Guren sheathed his kunai and caught the body of the man who would be falling unconsciously asleep in the shower before his body could thud against the wall to make an audible *bump*. Forming several handseals, Guren instantly performed a transformation technique and shifted the man’s body to take on the form of a kunai while he slept. Now looking to exit the room, Guren bore a faux kunai of identical resemblance to the one he entered the room with.

“All clear” Guren said as he motioned Aston to enter the room. From there, Aston would enter and insist that Guren stayed for several hours just so he could organize the information within his briefcase and change clothes. It seemed as if the businessman wasn’t looking to overnight in the hotel, instead he was only using it as a place to work for a short period of time before getting to business. This information was even more interesting to Guren, as he seemed to be in an unusual rush as if he was anxious. Guren kept this in mind as he stood guard within the room. After some time of watching the man in his hotel and escorting him to get food, he insisted that Guren was dismissed. Stating that all of the protection he required had been served. He personally handed Guren his reward, and requested that he simply escort him through check out and lead him out from the hotel. Upon doing so, the two shook hands and parted ways.

Defend the Bathhouse:

Once Aston was out of sight, Guren retrieved the faux kunai he previously tucked away and reverted the transformation technique. As he did this, the kunai took the form of the failed assassin, who was still soundly asleep on the floor. “Wake up,” Guren would say as he kicked the sleeping man firmly in the stomach. The man’s eyes would shoot open, and he would respond with painful coughing.

“You mother f*cker. That was my one chance to finally give that jerk some well-deserved punishment. I’ve had this plan set up for weeks, do you know how much money it took to bribe that receptionist to let me in Aston’s room? Now he will probably get to the bathhouse and God knows what he will do!”

“Wait…you know about the bathhouse?”

“Of course I do! My cousin owns it! That businessman you saved is my cousin’s brother. He is nothing but trouble and I sensed that his ill intentions brought him back here after many years to bring an untimely death to my cousin. Now you have basically paved the way for that.”

Guren chuckled to himself. “Ah so this is all about family affairs huh? Then my sources were accurate, and my hunch to capture you was correct. Listen…I am on your side here. Take me to the bathhouse and I will ensure that everything goes over smoothly.” Guren instructed the man, who visibly wielded nothing but confusion upon his face. His worrying was unwarranted but understandable. Guren was convinced that in due time, everything would make sense and everyone, save for one person in particular, would walk out of the situation quite satisfied.

Thus the new duo would proceed in the direction of the bathhouse. As they got closer, they noted that off in the distance through a restaurant’s window Aston was sitting at a table with a larger and muscular man. The man clearly outweighed Aston’s light frame, and from the looks of his equipment, he appeared to be some type of mercenary. The story could not get much clearer than what it now was. More than likely Aston was hiring that man to kill his brother, who owned the bathhouse which he claimed that he intended on purchasing. And the man who now stood alongside Guren was the cousin of the bathhouse owner who was trying to stop it all before it could develop. Guren commended the cousin, as he had good intentions and was ready to take matters into his own hands when it came to the protection of his cousin. Yet this was a job for shinobi. Guren would make sure that the situation was handled without any blood being spilled. Thus the two continued to the bathhouse.

When they finally arrived, Guren and the cousin spoke with the bathhouse owner and informed him of the situation that had happened and the events to come. The bathhouse owner understood, and agreed to comply with Guren’s instructions. He was to take his cousin and hide within the bathhouse to be somewhere safe. In the meantime, Guren would form two blood clones and transform himself to take on the appearance of the bathhouse owner. His plan was to tend to business in a manner than the true owner normally would; to be inconspicuously disguised. The two clones would hide within the bathhouse from strategic vantage points to be able to intervene once Guren gave them the signal. And so everyone would take their positions and await for the arrival of Aston and his henchman.

Sure enough in no time, Aston and the mercenary came barging in through the front door of the bathhouse.

“Everybody out!” he exclaimed, commanding all of the civilians to rush out and exit the bathhouse. “Except for you…” he said slyly while pointed at who he thought to be his brother.

“Now you listen, I have waited years…no decades to be able to punish you for requesting my banishment from Sunagakure. Sunagakure, my rightful home. I would have been a millionaire here. Maybe even commander of the shinobi forces. But you…you insolent…fool. You had to go and f*ck that all up for me. Now you have to pay.” As Aston continued his speech, Guren would listen calmly while still maintaining his disguise as the bathhouse owner. Clearly Aston had bought the ploy, and the mercenary which stood beside him seemed to be too dumb to be able to decipher that Guren was within a transformation technique. Because of that, Guren understood that neither of these men were shinobi. Instead they may have been capable of handling several weapons but that was likely it. Thus, Guren reconfirmed with himself that he would have to show level of restraint when it came to dealing with the two men.

“Pay?” Guren let out softly before being interrupted by the booming voice of an infuriated Aston.

“YES PAY!” he exclaimed while unsheathing a kunai and pointing it directly at the unwavering face of Guren. In unison, Aston’s bodyguard would hurl his axe over his shoulder and take two massive steps towards Guren. “You will pay in either one of two ways. You can either A, give me all the money you have and sign over the rights to the bathhouse to me…or B, get stabbed and sliced repeatedly and then die.”

Guren smiled within the disguise. “Well…What about option C?” he inquired. And thus the signal was given. With both eyes now reverting to their natural states, the left being oceanic blue and the right being crimson red, they each flicked between Aston and his henchmen. When they would do so, each men would fall victim to being trapped within a Genjutsu of Guren’s. The specifics of what they would experience would be invaluable, yet it was enough to paralyze them in place. At the same time, Guren’s clones would jump out and kick the men from behind their knees and bring them to the ground. Following this they would each imprison both men in two separate water prison jutsus formulated from the thick moisture in the air within the bathhouse. Now Guren’s entire appearance reverted out from his disguise, and the genjutsu he inflicted upon the two men would subside.

“Well, well, well. Look at what we got here. So this was your plan all along? Return to Sunagakure, and attempt to take the life of your own brother? Despicable…”

“You don’t understand G…he and I go back, way back. This was my chance for true revenge and it was a huge business venture. Work alongside me again and I will pay you handsom…” he continued before being interrupted.

“Cut it out. You are not in a position to bargain. My purpose here was to thwart any unnecessary violence to occur either to you or by you. My mission is complete. And now that I know what your true reasons for coming to Sunagakure were, I will turn you over to the police force. They will know what to do with you.” Guren indicated while looking down upon the two captured men.

“You, mercenary..” Guren began.

“Uh me? My nam…”

“I don’t care about that,” Guren interrupted once more. “Give me the money that Aston paid you to assist him with assassinating his brother and I will let you walk. As far as I am concerned you are just a hired hand and have no stakes in this. I know what that is like. That is my background.”

The mercenary agreed and Guren released the clone which had maintained the water prison jutsu on the mercenary. He rapidly turned over to Guren the ryo he received and ran out from the bathhouse. “And now for you, I imagine you won’t come willingly with me so I will make this easy.” Guren said, while forcing his blood clone to channel a lightning based jutsu throughout the water prison but only in a small enough dosage to incapacitate Aston. From here, Guren released the clone and in turn the clone released the water prison, causing the unconscious Aston to fall to the ground.

Guren bound Aston’s hands and feet behind his back and picked him up by the feet, his clone picked him up by the head. “Hey you guys can come out now. Listen, my work here is done. You shouldn’t have to worry about anything like this happening again.  I will take your brother to the authorities and all will be over with. I do not require a payment, as I took it from your brother’s…friend…Anyway, til next time.” Guren called out as him and the clone carried the man out of the bathhouse. They would head in direction of the police force department so that they could drop off the body and be over with the day. Guren got exactly what he had started off the day hoping for: to serve justice but also have his adrenaline flowing. The worked he performed today could likely be characterized as detective work, as he figured he kind of fit the role of a double agent. It was interesting and fun. Perhaps being a shinobi of such a unique village would be well suited for a man of his skills and background.

(WC = 3079 x 2 Event Bonus = 6158)

Claiming Missions Rewards x 2 Event Bonus:
- 3000 Ryo x 2 = 6000 Ryo
- 7 AP x 2 = 14 AP
- 3000 Ryo x 2 = 6000 Ryo
- 7 AP x 2 = 14 AP
- Chuunin/C Rank payment = 250 x 2 Event Bonus = 500 x 2 Missions = 1000

Using Max Stat 25% Discount on: 
Spending 3000 WC on Level 2 Seigan
Spending 3158 WC on Level 3 Seigan (3158/4500)

Approved