Merchant Protection [Mission]

Mission specs:

It was only early morning, but Sosuke couldn't help but being already awake, looking forward to the rest of the day. The reason? A mission that seemed quite promising if the details were anything to go by. Whereas the previous ones mainly existed of the basics a shinobi should know, this one appeared far more interesting, exciting even. From what he could make out of the report, it appeared a local merchant had been receiving various threats, detailing that they were coming for his life. Unaware who they were coming from, the man requested the village's help in protecting him.

Putting on his ronin robes and carrying a standard katana on his side, the Kirigakure swordsman would head out and travel to the merchant's mansion which in turn was the meeting point for those participating in the mission. Soon enough, the Hyuuga knew they would find out whether or not those threats should be taken seriously, or if they were nothing more than a pathetic attempt to scare someone off. Not that it mattered to Sosuke, he knew what was expected from him and what he had to do, as simple as that. Even if it did end up being a childish prank, the Mist shinobi still had a job to do.

After walking for what only seemed a couple of minutes, the Hyuuga finally arrived at the merchant's home, noticing nothing out of the ordinary just yet. For now, the young swordsman would simply stand guard at the gate, waiting for anyone else to show up, friend or foe.

(WC: 260)

It was Jaidens first official mission in a long time. He hasn't really done much as he spent a lot of time at the orphanage and was practically being a guard there. The Goka would be dressed a bit differently than what many ninja would expect, he wore what seemed to be a bespoke suit, with the vest and tie but it's been altered to be a more flexible ninja attire even his shoes were made of the same material as a Kiri ninja were. After he read the mission dossier he would make his way towards the mansion. His hands working his dreads into a ponytail as one dread hung freely in front of his face slightly swaying with each step he took.

As he came closer to the mansion he would notice someone standing in front of gate, a swordsman. Jaiden took this person as someone who was very clearly here to do the mission as well because of it was an enemy it would be strange for them to just be standing in front of the gates then again they could be doing reconnaissance. Jaiden would approach the person a bit cautiously though still on guard. "Hello there." He was eyeing him a bit looking for his headband or anything that would tell him he's here for protection. Jaiden headband would be around his bicep as he was working on getting it turned into a belt but that's for the future. He would slide a hand into his pocket as he prepared to do one handed seals just in case.

WC 263

Merchants were a dime a dozen inside of Kirigakure. Folks that allowed the trade of different materials and equipment came and went inside most villages, but here, trade was the lifeblood of the village. This also meant that competition was fierce within the walls of the capital of the land of water. As such, the rumors circled that one of the wealthier merchants was receiving threats from an unknown source inside his property, which would be bad for the village. It could drive away new merchants and trade, and as a result, must be stopped. Their village had grown from what it was when he was the Mizukage. Yet he knew that now was a good chance to show that they didn’t allow threats such as this within the village. The Deputy exited the Kage’s manor, his white Hakama having been replaced with a dark grey one, sword strapped to the left side of his hip with his blue scarf wrapped around his neck. A black shirt and pants covering the bodysuit he wore underneath. His Byakugan was active while he made his way to the coordinates of the mission location, finding two people he didn’t recognize within the gates. One of them was wearing a headband around their bicep, while the other was wearing Ronin robes, with a sword at his side.

“Greetings! I wasn’t aware that others had taken up this mission!” He said. He would walk towards Jaiden and Sosuke. His byakugan would still be active, a showing of his bloodline’s ability, even if he had lost his other nearly a year ago. He would walk past Jaiden, and seeing Sosuke there, he wondered if the man was simply a guard bought out by the merchant, or a genin as well. Not like it mattered too much, as he’d make his way between the two genin, 2 meters away from both of them with his arms crossed.

“If we aren’t waiting for anyone else, has anyone talked with this merchant yet?”

WC:334
TWC:334

Prim woke up rather early that morning. Normally she would sleep in and start her day late, but she actually was awoken by a knock on her door! Someone handed her a mission scroll, so she had to meet up with some others in the village? Why not? May as well! Prim got dressed in her normal attire. Black leather tank top and black leather pants and boots and pulled her dark hair up in a ponytail on top of her head! Done! She ate a little breakfast and decided to head out the door to meet up with whoever else was running this mission with her.
“Wow, hi! I know you two but not you! Hi, I'm Primrose Uchiha. I already know Jaiden and Shiro. I'm kind of new to Kiri, this is my first mission here.” Prim said talking to the other guy she had never seen! She was slightly nervous at the thought of meeting new people but she really did need to get out more. “Am I the last person? Is it just us 4?” She asked them curiously. When was the last time Prim did a mission? Maybe in Volcano? She shrugged at the thought as she waited to follow whatever the other three were doing.

211

As he stood guard, Sosuke noticed three individuals approaching, each of them making their appearance shortly after the other. Upon their arrival, the Hyuuga would greet and offer them a polite and courteous nod. "Greetings" the swordsman spoke up, introducing himself as a Genin of Kirigakure. The first person to join was more than likely one as well, at least going by the headband tied around the man's biceps. Almost at the same time, the Deputy showed up as well, and with his Byakugan activated most would be able to figure out he belonged to the same clan as the man standing at the gates.

Lastly, the fourth and final member assigned to today's mission arrived as well, a kunoichi who introduced herself as well as sharing it would be her first as a Kirigakure shinobi. "Nice to meet you, Prim. And yes, with this our group is now complete". It wasn't that often a full team carried out a task, which came to show how important and serious the situation they were dealing with was. Given the circumstances, they could use more than a single pair of hands, even more so considering an entire mansion had to be protected and investigated.  "I was told the recent events scared him to such an extent he refuses to leave his room, understandably so" Sosuke answered Shiro's question.

With everything in mind, Sosuke couldn't blame him. After all, he was but a simple merchant, not a trained shinobi like everyone else. "However, I was able to get my hands on some of these letters" the Hyuuga referred to the messages containing death threats, handing them to the rest of them. The way they were written made him wonder, if the culprit did in fact possess quite the sensory and stealth skills, why go through such lengths if you plan to announce you're coming? Unless everything was nothing but a game, another possibility they might have to consider. Something just didn't add up.

Once everyone had a rough idea what they were dealing with, Sosuke would suggest what he considered a good way to approach. "One of us should remain here at the entrance, in case another letter is delivered and we can intercept the messenger". It wouldn't be the first culprit who'd return to the scene of their crimes, especially if they did plan to strike again. And there was still the possibility there was more than one person responsible, meaning they couldn't be certain these were all the acts of a single individual. "The others should stand guard at the merchant's room, as well as patrol the outside of the mansion since it might grant easy access through the windows". Since they couldn't rule out the option of someone on the inside being involved it was best to cover all bases.

In case anyone else had something to add, Sosuke would wait for them to share their thoughts. Assuming they were all in agreement, the Hyuuga swordsman decided to move towards the mansion in order to patrol the area surrounding the building. Whatever course of action the others went with would be completely up to them, but he simply hoped they'd choose the right course of action in order to secure the success of the mission. Even if most of them weren't of high rank, they were still expected to be able and make the right decision when presented with any type of scenario.

Following his own plan, for as far it could be called one, Sosuke patrolled the area, making sure to stick close to the mansion. Doing so, the Hyuuga activated his Byakugan, the lilac eyes granting him a 360 degree vision and in turn alerting him when someone would enter within a hundred meter vicinity. It was at times like these that the renowned dojutsu would truly shine, making it almost impossible for people to hide from him. Even so, he constantly remained vigilant, not allowing himself to drop his guard no matter what. He could only hope the others were having a fruitful search and protect as well.

Minutes passed. Five, ten, twenty, half an hour, and so on. Little over an hour went by and Sosuke still waited for anything to happen. Even though it would be in the Mist shinobi and merchant's best interest if nothing did, but at some point the Hyuuga had grown bored. "The culprit probably expected us to keep watch" the swordsman thought out loud, moving closer to the mansion. It wouldn't surprise him if whoever was behind all of this decided to lay low for the time being, aware his target might have hired some of Kirigakure's forces to keep him safe.  

Deciding to take a different approach, the swordsman changed locations. This time, he would head to the client's bedroom to make sure nothing out of the ordinary went on, especially considering most of the death threats were found in that exact place. Making his way over, Sosuke kept his Byakugan activated, scanning the surrounding area and mansion as he did. Doing so, Sosuke slowly opened the front door, being careful to not make a single sound in case it might alarm a potential culprit. Keeping one hand on his katana should the situation require him to act quickly, he started to explore and head further into the mansion.

There was a discomforting silence, one where you could almost hear a pin drop. "If I didn't know better, I'd say this is planned" the young Mist shinobi thought to himself. But then, he suddenly saw a figure approach from the distance, making their way towards the stairs that led to the merchant's bedroom. Finding everything about the situation rather suspicious, Sosuke was determined to intercept the man who could potentially be the culprit. Hiding his presence the best he could, the Hyuuga suddenly appeared from behind. "Omae wa mou shindeiru". Just kidding. The swordsman drew his katana, placing it on the stranger's right shoulder.

Doing so, he spoke up. "And who might you be?". The man introduced himself as the butler. Of course, it's always the buttler. Noticing they were carrying a bunch of letters that looked awfully similar to the death threats, Sosuke demanded him to hand them over. Upon closer inspection, it were in fact the same messages that were left in the client's bedroom. "My hunch was right, the culprit ended up being someone close to the merchant". He would send someone to inform the others of his findings before bringing the felon in for further questioning. His part was done, and hopefully things were over.

(Exit)

(TWC: 1360)
Claims:
- 13 stats to Speed
- 500/500 to learn and master Genjutsu Release
- 500 to finish Whirling Defense Technique (previously trained here)
- 250/250 Cutting Board Style
- Mission rewards (6000 ryo, 30 AP)

Shiro nodded in kind to the younger Hyuga, noting his poise given his rank as he stood guard at the front gates. Shiro’s hand rested at the hilt of his scabbard while awaited to see if anyone else would show up at the blackened gates of the mansion. The Merchant said he would provide a pretty penny to those who would figure out these mysterious threats. Prim's arrival did not go unnoticed by Shiro, giving a small nod towards the Uchiha, his hand never leaving the resting place of the hilt as he did so.

“It’s a pleasure to see you as well Prim, however, it seems that our merchant friend wanted the best that he could get his hands on. Although I cannot blame him for not wanting to leave the safety and comfort of his room,” The One-Eyed Hyuga commented. Sosuke had begun to hand out the letters that had been retrieved, death threats of all kinds had been sent to the merchant, possibly as a way to get him to escape from the village, or perhaps this could be the case of someone who felt that they were wronged by this merchant. Whatever the case was, Shiro interest peaked as Sosuke began to take hold of the situation immediately. He’d allow the younger Hyuga to lead the mission since he had arrived first, curious what kind of plans he had.

“Seems whoever this person is sending the letters, they certainly know him personally. They talk about others that he has supposedly wronged in the past, not only that, they don’t seem to be friendly with Kirigakure either, given them calling it a ‘ Muddy breeding ground for murderers and scum that he should leave if he doesn’t wish to be killed ’, ” Shiro explained further, placing the note into his pocket, the deputy nodded his head towards Sosuke’s suggestions about position, while also adding in his advice.

“I’ll remain on the outside in case these threats become real. Prim, I’d recommend you on the inside, there’s a few servants and butlers inside of the mansion that I can see, if one of them looks suspicious, use your Sharingan to gain more information. Jaiden, I would recommend you guard the merchant's room in case someone tries to barge in. If things get dicey, inside of there, I’ll take care of it myself if I have to. I’ll leave the rest of the planning to you three.”

With that, Shiro would await to see how the three would plan out their situations, hoping that they would take the few suggestions he gave. He’d remain near the front of the gate. His byakugan allows him to see most of the land from his spot. Noticing that some of the servants were acting strange, the three on the inside should be capable of handling the situation. He was not here to babysit, he was here to guide them if things were to go south. Shiro noticed Sosuke slowly creeping his way into the mansion, curious, his vision focused on the young man, seeing his Byakugan made him know fully that he was a Hyuga, one that impressed him due to his attempted entrance into the Mansion. The door did not even squeak while the Ronin robes-clad shinobi made his way inside. It was here that the group eventually found their culprit, one of the merchant's very own butlers. Shiro didn’t even need to be notified when he suddenly appeared inside the mansion, traversing up the steps to where Sosuke was, grabbing a hold of the Butler with one hand, his white eyes turned towards Sosuke for just a moment.

“Good job for finding the culprit Sosuke, inform the others of a mission well done, and I’ll bring him in for further questioning.”

The butler’s eyes, weary and shellshocked, only looked towards the rest of the staff, before he and the white-haired Hyuga vanished from the Mansion without a trace.

WC:656
TWC:990

Exit and Claims
Ryo acquired: 6000 +10000 (Deputy Kage) = 16000

362800 + 16000 = 378,800 Current Ryo
Mastering Night Rain for Power:1140/2137

Shiro Hyuga wrote:
WC:656
TWC:990

Exit and Claims
Ryo acquired: 6000 +10000 (Deputy Kage) = 16000

362800 + 16000 = 378,800 Current Ryo
Mastering Night Rain for Power:1140/2137

Approved