Time to Jingle some Bells

Kota was waiting patiently. Staying in position to be a clock came naturally to him. Once he had to wait an entire nine hours covered in swamp mud to find a rare toad. Another indicator of how growing up he was heavily influenced into the person he was today. He was still just to the moment the thieves had gotten into the house. Kota wanted them to come closer, the closer they were, the easier it would be to avoid damage to the house.

At times like this Kota was glad he could communicate with Del. He just wished that she had a way to communicate with others besides chirps. It would have been great if he could coordinate with Musu through her. That gave Kota an odd thought. Why didn’t Musu just put the telepathy seal on them? He learned about it in a book. Judging by the Uzumaki’s proficiency in the sealing arts it should not be hard for him. Compared to the seal that Kota had never heard about till just then.

Like a trap going after the mouse. Kota sprang when they got close enough for him to be unable to miss. He did not even bother using a technique. He finished his disguise off and drew his bow back as if taking a breath. The furthest thief was the first one to notice and opened his mouth. The arrow sailed through the air. His words turned into a scream instead. Kota had the second arrow strung and ready to sail as he glared the other thief down.

“I only need one of you alive. That one is already injured and should be easier to manage. You on the other hand are an option. You move too quickly or do anything abnormal. My hand will slip and you will find yourself painting the floors red. Do you understand me? A small head shake will suffice for an answer.”

The bandit looked at his compatriot and back at Kota giving the nod of affirmation. “Is it only the two of you? If there are more, how many? Keep in mind anything but the truth will not work in your favor.” Kota was giving a stern look to the guy. The other thief was not even on his radar with the shoulder wound. Kota could have annihilated him but did not want to scar the fragile Asuka.

Again this would have been a moment for telepathy to be useful. He would have asked Asuka to heal up the other dude just in case. That and see if Musu could spot anyone else from the top. There were numerous areas they could have improved upon when it came to the mission they were doing. The only thing Kota wanted to do was move forward and through it.



WC: 468
TWC:1,644

As the two thieves began to make their way towards the window, Musu would watch as Del started to ruffle it's feathers, but also began to concentrate more on a location beneath them. The Uzumaki of the Sands didn't know exactly the relationship between Kota and Del but he gathered that in their travels they had indeed grown close. Perhaps Musu would ask Kota one of these nights what exactly was going on there between the two of them. 

Musu watched as the two goons entered into the house, like a pair of street rats trying to score an easy meal, and instead sprung the trap that was waiting for them. While Musu couldn't see anything, he could hear and sense the power of the Hunter, claiming an easy trophy while doing minimal damage to the interior of this building. Musu would wait a moment to gather his thoughts as Del would look at the jounin inquisitively. Musu didn't know much about the animal, save that it was more intelligent than it let on, but decided that it was time to follow Del back into the home and began the next step in this operation.

AS Musu quietly descended from the top of the house he would land on the ground and enter through the same way the thieves did. Walking up towards them, Musu saw that Kota had the situation under control, clearly prepared to do whatever needed to be done to get answers. As the jounin made his decent he would first enhance his senses to see if he could find any other ninja, thieves, or allies of the two within range. Realizing soon that there were no other beings present, save the ones already accounted for, Musu figured it was time to move down towards the house and see what work Kota had made of them.

"Well done, Hunter. Agile, quick, and effective as always." Musu would reply with a smile. He clearly saw that within the encounter he had damaged them but for the most part they did appear intact.

"No further beings around, looks like it was just you two" The jounin would say. After which time he would look towards Asuka, the genin clad in white, but appearing to be unmoved by the situation. Musu would ponder the implications of this: Was Askua riddled with fear, observing the carnage, or lost in their thoughts. It was an interesting observation to be sure, considering how eager they were just a few hours before, but for now the Uzumaki would simply look back towards the thieves as two chains would emerge from his hand, stretching outward towards the captives.

"Now, as my colleague had mentioned, it's better for all of us if you give us the information we need. Help us and we'll help you." Musu would say in a strange attempt to be menacing.

The two captives would quickly share their story to the three Suna Ninja. They would spin a tale of woe and worry, how the mean streets of the village forced them into a life of crime, and how they recently met "The Grinch". A crime lord of sorts that was the one behind all the robberies. As the two men divulged their information, Musu would continue to wrap them up in his chains and usher them out of the building.

"Interesting, there have been reports that these crimes were led by a... 'Mastermind', clearly that wasn't you two. Still, thank you for your cooperation." 

If not stopped, Musu would return to the village headquarters with Kota and Asuka, ready to de-brief the events of the incident to those in charge there, and if not delayed would make his way home; ready for a nice rest and a nice reward for this mission.

[Exit, 628 / 2500

Mission Claims :

8,000 Ryō / 40 AP (Converted to 2,000 Ryo) / 2,000 Winter Equinox Tickets / 1x Crescent Dice (d6)
4,000 Ryō / 20 AP (Converted to 1,000 Ryo)/ 1,000 Winter Equinox Tickets

Talented (Fuuinjutsu) - 925 WC - Previously Trained Here
Mastering Chakra Chains (A Rank) - 1575 / 1875 (2500 - 25% Max Stat Discount) ]

Approved for Moosiah

In the end, Asuka didn’t even have to do anything, with Kota’s swift actions taking the thieves by complete surprise. His arrows were quick, and his threats more than enough to spook the low-level goons, who were obviously not proper shinobi. With both goons at Kota’s mercy, and Kota asking him to heal the injured one, the young man moved forwards to do his part. Hands glowing the soft green of the mystical palm, he set about healing the man with an emotionless expression. Mystical palm was a fairly powerful technique, so with his level of experience the wound was an easy fix as soon as the arrow had been removed. He’d even managed to keep his suit pristine, though his hands were now stained with the drying blood of the man.

He listened as the two bandits spilled their sob story, frowning heavily at the implications given. They weren’t the masterminds behind this? That could become a massive problem, especially with no real leads as to who this “grinch” was. Regardless, he did not interrupt, allowing Moose and Kota to deal with the interrogation side of things. He wasn’t much use when it came to intimidating opponents, not with his appearance. Instead, he ignored the feeling of dried blood on his fingers, watching and waiting quietly.

Musu had the two goons well under control with his chains, so he didn’t have much left to do but provide backup as the goons were marched out of the building. They needed to report their findings to the local authorities, something that had Asuka mildly uncomfortable. He really needed to find a place to wash the blood off, first. Even so, he accompanied his companions out of the building and down the streets, ready to get the debrief over with and return to the inn. He hadn’t expended any energy at all today, really, but the waiting itself had been oddly tiring. Perhaps the anticipation had been to blame, there.

The briefing was a blur, Asuka hardly needing to contribute anything since the majority of the planning and actions had been carried out by Kota and Musu. He was silent for much of it, though he did have to confirm both his healing abilities and the fact that he’d healed the shoulder wound of the injured goon. Having their witness bleed out would have been a terrible thing, and it would’ve resulted in more paperwork, most likely, since lethal force had hardly been necessary. Nonetheless, he was relieved when the men were taken from their custody into that of the authorities around here, leaving them free to return to their accommodations.

He was proud of his status as a medic, and glad he could still be of some use… but he really hadn’t done much today, had he? Kota had dealt with the fighting before he could even really move, and that was definitely a blow to his ego. Kota’s methods were certainly more violent than Asuka’s, but the albino couldn’t deny how effective the archer was. Perhaps he needed to step his game up as well.

WC: 515
TWC: 1,479
Claims: 4,000 Ryō / 20 AP / 1,000 Winter Equinox Tickets
8,000 Ryō / 40 AP / 2,000 Winter Equinox Tickets / 1x Crescent Dice (d6)
Putting 1479 words towards learning Mercury Release.

[Exit]

Approved

Kota was taking a small amount of glee out of his ability to torture. It was mostly physical but it was enough to give him the  answers he was looking for. It was not a surprise for him to find out that the real mastermind was someone else. These two lacked the needed braincells to pour water out of a boot with directions on the heel. The real culprit was someone named Grinch. It was a stupid name for a criminal but Kota did not think too hard about it. The dude was stealing from people in the village. Stealing things that could be given to other Suna ninja. The archer was a bit shocked that Musu simply wanted to report the outcome. He agreed on the surface as to not rock the boat. He would come back to remedy the situation later. The archer did not want to leave the random thief out to cause more terror.

Later in the day Kota would gather clues and evidence alone. He did not want to leave a thief out and about roaming. He camouflaged himself and moved as quickly through the land of snow as he could. He followed the clues until he could find the person in question. When it was done Kota looked at him. Nocked an arrow and shot him through the throat. He made sure the shot would damage the windpipe to prevent screaming. Kota was going to collect the body but thought it best for the other villagers to find it. They would be able to reclaim some of their losses back from the thief. That and it would be too much work to get rid of the evidence. The only thing Kota retrieved was the arrow. The thing was his and replacing them all the time was a pain. It would be easier on him to collect them when he had the chance to.

Finishing up a day's work of avenging and the like. Kota was happy to head back to temporary abode. He wanted to get a bit of light training in before resting and taking some time off. He was really putting in a lot of work here. He could not wait to head back to the village after it was all over.



WC: 468
TWC: 2,024

[Exit]

Claims: (Note Beloved Prescence for the Ryo and AP numbers for the combined two missions)

24,000 Ryō / 120 AP / 3,000 Winter Equinox Tickets / 1x Crescent Dice (d6)

2,000 is going towards my bird as 20 Chakra stat points. 120 AP is going towards her as well. 24,000 (brings my total up to 248,340)

2,000 is going to learned Nature Chakra Profiency skill

Approved for Kota