Mission Oasis of Theives

[Santaru Kazuma]

As the team of young shinobi ventured into the unforgiving desert, they would see an elderly man named Karim standing waiting by a small boat at the Oasis. The scorching sun beat down relentlessly as they approached, and Karim's deeply wrinkled features bore the marks of countless days spent under the desert's harsh embrace.

"Hello young ones, Im Karim" Karim greeted them with a warm smile, his voice carrying the gentle cadence of a lifetime spent in the arid lands. He extended his hand in a gesture of camaraderie. "I've been watching over this Oasis for a long, long time. It's more than just water in the desert, it's life itself."

His tone turned solemn as he continued, his eyes reflecting the wisdom of his years. "But lately, this place ain't what it used to be. There's a gang of bandits causin' chaos 'round here, robbin' travelers, disruptin' trade, and scarin' folks away. They've got no respect for the Oasis or its history. The last straw was when they took our offering! Its a statue of buddha, with a large gem in its forehead" he said in an angry tone. "We just don't have the resources to investigate right now"

Karim leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a hushed tone, "There's a rumor going around that these bandits have found some hidden underwater cave beneath this very Oasis. We have no way to know for sure but we figured hiring out you guys would be better than us."

He looked at the young ninja with a mix of concern and determination, "That's where you come in. We need someone brave enough to dive into that cave, and bring back any clues or treasures they've hoarded. Can you do that for us, for the Oasis?"

 

[Hojirozame Samezuka]

God sometimes did he hate the desert, it dried him up and made him felt like a lazy old raisin sometimes, the young troublemaker much preferred the cool shade and refreshing touch of water and everything it had to offer. The two others he was seemed like two opposite ends of a spectrum, one looked really boring, but if you looked at him it's like he could feel a piercing zap coursing through his skin. Ouchie. In fear of becoming fried bait he focused most of his concentration on his other partner, she was humongous being over 6ft it's like they were a scale, with him being slap dab in the middle. Although she seemed much more fun than the little storm walking on his left, "AAAAAArrrhhhh. It's so hrawt... so... thirsty!!" Fuku was really getting on his nerves at this point, his little bat companion kept flying and causing a ruckus around his hair, finally grabbing the little runt he angerily threw him in to Megumi's flowing bird nest of hair. Nestling around Fuku fell asleep in the wild locks of hair finding it peaceful and comfy. "Grawd... fuku can stay there... please..."

The day went on as they eventually made their way in to his previous homeland Hoji smiled in joy and desperation, ignoring the old man as he ran with a feral agility leaping in to the water as he delved deep in to the tide, his outfit only consisting of his signature swimming trunks were perfect for this moment. Swimming back up in to the surface as he sprayed water from his mouth directly over Megumi snickering and laughing as if challenging her, he definitely was being a nuisance and he knew it well. Although his concentration was fixed on to the elderly man as he felt the clear change in his tone becoming one filled with anger and vengeance. Quickly paddling back to the shore as he laid on the beach his attention now fixed intently on what they'd be doing. "Underwaturh.... crave?" Really Hoji didn't understand why he was even here, it seemed that Sora sensei had signed him up for quite a few things without Hoji even realising, just great. Would he even be rewarded? Only time could tell, a good meal would do.

"You want us... to swim? Eheheeheheh, easy..." This was his bread and butter and he be damned if he couldn't explore in his natural habitat, the water was his everything and his ability to breathe inside of it like air would prove invaluable today, his shark like head and many scales would show clear that his body was made for this, or... rather made to be like this. "I am... Mr Samezuka.. but we are... team so.... call meh Hoji! Bad brat is Fuku." Scratching his head in thought as he let out a watery burp he stared intently at the shimmering ocean which laid in front of them, "I can breathe in watuh... can ya?"

[WC: 497]

 

[Ryuzaki Megumi]

Traveling through the desert was pretty, and the sun was a beautiful gold. The desert had its own tones and golds, and the sweltering heat may have been enough to melt some but the desert sun was what Megumi had grown up with so she was very much used to the heat and in fact had not really known any life other than the cruel sun. That's why she didn’t tend she wore just a chest wrap - forced by virtue of her womanhood to maintain some sense of modesty and a loose Sarong around her waist. The exposed skin aside, the sun rarely tanned or burnt her. There was no jutsu or trick to it, not even sunblock. It had some how come that she was the oldest and she had found a sense of amusement in that. It was not missed by Megumi the fact that her team seemed to be “ascending” in height with the shark boy taking to the middle, and Kazuma to the other side. As they traveled Megumi would do an occasional cartwheel, and she ”Weee!” She would squeal each time as if it was a novel experience, despite her having done so several time during the trip. She also took every opportunity to slide down any beachfront sand dunes. It seemed that the entire trip she had been making up some kind of game or another to pass the time. Just where did she get her energy from?

She laughed as a bat that kept the Shark boy company found a nest in her hair. ”Huh!? Bats sleep upside down!” To help the bat sleep she did a handstand and began walking on her hands for the rest of the way until they reached Karim. As he greeted the group with his warm smile and gesture, Megumi returned the greeting with her feet, waving them as if they were hands. As he explained the story about the bandits, she would chime in ”Bandits! Meanies who take everything! Oh no! How dare they take teh Buddha! That isn’t even their gem! They are meanies! Don’t worry Mister Karim we will find the Buddha and his forehead gem!”

As he leaned in and spoke in a hushed tone Megumi flipped right side up causing the bat to tumble into the sand. She stood with her hand to her ear leaning forward in a conspiratorial manner to listen to what Karim had to say about the rumors. She nodded enthusiastically as he explained the rumors and the underwater cavern. ”Oooh”

The Shark boy seemed to boast that this was going to be so easy. He had already hopped into the water and was swimming around and started. He swam up to the water and sprayed water from his mouth at Megumi. ”Eeek that is cold - and Guh-ross!” He squirted that out of his mouth, hadn’t he!? Gross gross gross! Megumi retaliated by jumping into the water with her legs tucked to make a cannonball dive and splash the shark head boy back. ”Wheee! Yeah! Take that you bastard! I’m a good swimmer, Come on Kazume lets find this underwater cave!”

She dove into the water to begin the search.

wc 544

 

[Santaru Kazuma]

Kazuma dressed lightly for the mission, bringing some more aquatic-themed clothes since the description they provided him alluded he would be on the water. His team for the mission was a pair of colorful ninjas, the young man with him stood well over his height, his face shaped like a shark or some other creature, honestly, he was too afraid to ask she he just kept to himself a bit and did not interact much. It seemed the shark man decided to do the same as much of his attention was on the young girl with them, She was of huge stature, woah, It's like she was a giant he thought as he examined the girl, she was one of the happiest go lucky people he had ever interacted with in the village and her large stature was surprising, her bright smile and energetic personality where a nice reminder of how he used to be back home.

It seemed Kazuma was the youngest of the three in this team, genuinely confused about how they got paired up but he was happy to be part of a team either way. His usual being alone most of the time had started to take a toll and a chuckle would seep out every once in a while at the two older shinobi with him, unsure if they had an actual gameplan he listened to the words of the elder Karim. He looked over to Hoji and spoke out to him "I can't sadly but this couldn't be more perfect for you, do you think you can scope out below?"
Kazuma then looked out to the girl who dived in before, diving on top of Hoji as he asked him the question, he couldn't help but laugh at the well-deserved hitback. When she resurfaced kazuma looked over to the man who had assigned them the mission "Thank you for entrusting us with this mission, we will get it done" he said with a bow before also diving in with his team now paddling around he tried to gather the 2 of them to plan things out "I think Hoji should take point on this since he can go down further than all of us, if you have any abilities" looking over to Megumi "That can help underwater let me know, I'm not going to be of much help here, I can't risk all of us getting zapped"

[WC: 403]

 

[Santaru Kazuma]

The elder man then spoke out to the group as they all dove in, pointing to a direction south of where they were "I think it's in that direction, good luck young ones" he said after waving goodbye to them. Should the young shinobi choose to look they would see a large ship sitting on the water several hundred yards down become visible as they moved towards the direction Karim pointed to, its anchor cast into the water. The ship looks pretty much abandoned aside from one or two shady individuals roaming the decks and launching boxes over into the water where they seem to sink into oblivion away from sight. They were about 20 feet from the shoreline, where they were in the water at the moment was about 15 feet deep, still able to see the ocean floor but it had begun to become less visible as they ventured further out. To the right of the ship, a large cavern would be found about 30 ft down, there a large man in full aquatic gear was taking the boxes further down through a cave and rising up to a hidden cavern. They where not very away of their surroundings as it appeared these men had been drinking if you watch their demeanor, laughing and moving erratically as they threw the boxes overboard.

 

[Hojirozame Samezuka]

Hoji looked at Kazuma with admiration it seemed like he misjudged him for being a snot nosed brat, if anything he was the exact opposite. Despite being the youngest he seemed to fill quite a wise role that reminded him of a few people… well piranhas, that he once knew. A bit surprised and caught off guard flustered he answered back to the young boy “Y-yeah!! Piece of crake for mWUAA-!!” Whilst in his own world he was caught off guard by the Titan that accompanied, her crushing blow propelling him hurdling in to the deep as the water sprayed graceful yet powerfully around Megumi, it seemed like it worked alongside her. Bouncing back and reaching the surface he rose to his two teammates laughing in joy, in usual circumstances he would likely go to hit back as soon as possible. But something about the two gave him a familiar happy feeling, a cheeky giggle left his mouth as he swam around holding his belly.

“Eheheeh, I’ll get you brack latuh!” Listening to Kazuma and his the leadership role he had taken he decided it was time to help out his newly found allies. “Okaaaay! I will check ovuh.. there..” With a steadfast initiative he hurriedly swam through down in to the sea, his eyes and sense were made to be able to scout in both land and water, his speed was definitely the fastest out of all of the three and he made sure it was clear. Shifting up and down as he slithered around the ocean without needing to break for a breathe he found a ship which looked pretty empty from an initial glance as he peered his eyes above water. For anyone else looking it’d seem as if a shark was swimming around the area, with his fin piercing through the surface of the sea. Not being so far from the shore they’d likely be able to make it back without being spotted.

Noticing with his electroreception it was clear that some object of sorts was being dumped in to the water below the ship, to get a closer look he traded speed for stealth, silently soaring down a lot of his life was spent stalking prey, so this was second nature to him. Getting clearer to the boat bottom of the boat a rush of bubbles would flow as an object crashed through the surface, a box…? Multiple boxes all across the floor? He would have taken the chance to pry open the box but a light peered through the shadows down on the ocean floor, a figure could be made out taking and lifting these boxes in to some sort of cavern? This must be a whole operation and whilst he could fight underwater would his friends be able to keep up? Kazuma stated himself he’d likely fry the lot and he wasn’t hoping to be fished out as seafood this early. Megumi had some connection to the water not to far off of Hoji’s, so she’d likely be able to help to some degree. “Blublublubblblblb..” was what he spoke to Megumi as the two were underwater whether she understood was another question. But what he had said was ‘Brest not to fight, too many, need more thinking, run, no, swim!’

Quietly making his way back to Kazuma who was a decent way away whilst still remaining in the water, now away from the ship and unable to be spotted from the perpetrators regrouping with everyone he spoke to what he swore. “Underwatuh… boxes being thrown and… taken! Stored… Old geezer was right. Should make a plan for next trime… Did good?” It’d been a while since he worked in a team but this was one where initially he wanted to make a good first impression.

WC: 632

TWC: 632 + 497 = 1129

 

[Ryuzaki Megumi]

The Oasis water was clean and pure and it didn’t hurt when she opened her eyes beneath the surface of the body of water. Given how clear it was, she didn’t need any special senses to follow behind Hoji, who all but made a bee-line towards the underwater cavern. She followed after him, her long arms moving like two great eagle wings and her powerful legs kicking steadily. There was something here beneath the water. It wasn’t just the treasure. No, it was the water itself, but it was stirring something. The Legatus. She hadn’t learned much about the Legatus, but she had heard her other family members call the name of the spirit or speak about it behind closed doors she wasn’t privy to for while she was a member of her clan in blood and in name, she hadn’t been raised as a Ryuzaki and that meant that she wasn’t a true Ryuzaki. She had none of the discipline, nor any of the ritual. When she had been captured by the desert nomads and her organs harvested and sold and she was kept alive only through her sheer desire to be alive she had flitted in and out of consciousness. Thats where she remembered the one called Legatus.

It was half asleep then, just as she had half stepped into its domain.

The Water, she realized, it felt like the Legatus’s domain. A place that she had been through many times before her rescue by Raizo. A new swiftness filled her limbs as she found herself moving much more easily in the water with this new understanding. This new familiariness. She didn’t move as a fish did in the water, but she moved like the water were another limb. She followed Hoji to the ocean floor and he gestured to a figure that was moving the boxes already into the cave. There were too many boxes to check before the figures returned and aside that what if the one with the buddha was already taken inside of the cave? Hoji started swimming back towards the surface. Her curiosity was begging for her to go down and gather more. She felt a stirring in her soul. The Legatus? It was awake. Just barely. No, it was because she was in his domain - the waters of land of Wind.

’Why flounder and kick and struggle? Use the water. If you can’t even do that much you deserve to drown.’ The voice was like a babbling brook in her mind. A picture began to form and become clear to her. The water became like steel cords and wrapped around the boxes and tied itself to her waist. Hm. She placed her hands together and formed the seals. The water wrapped around her waist like steel wire and wrapped around the boxes that had remained on the bottom of the water bed. She pulled against the weight and found herself like an ox chomping at the bit. It was too heavy! Even for her. No… She had to use the water right? She held out both palms and the water began to condense and swirl into spheres that would in turn become more compressed. She held it for as long as she could before firing the jets of water behind herself.

She rocketed through the water and soon found herself on the surface. The tendrils of water pulled the boxes that had been carelessly left about on the oasis’s water bed were soon following here out of the surface, tethered to her by watery tendrils. As she breached the water’s surface she was ejected from it and flew a good fifteen feet into the air. She laughed and giggled at how high she had been flung into the air. Then the tendrils reached the end of how far they would stretch and she felt a serious sense of whiplash as the tendrils attached the heavier boxes pulled at her waist and brought her to smash hard into the sand on the shore of t he oasis.

It took all of the breath out of her and she lost focus on teh water whips which turned into splashes of harmless water followed by several thuds as the boxes fell onto the ground next to her. Owww! That had hurt so bad, but she gave a thumbs up despite the pain.

She looked back to the water - this had actually been her first time swimming. Being a child of the desert she had never experienced anything like it before. But now… she could feel it pull. If she hadn’t been smashed into the desert sand she would have doubtless found herself moving in a mesmerized fashion back towards the water. After all that was where she belonged. It was… calling to her. The Tide was calling to her. She had never thought much of the desert sand before, but now here on this beach it felt so coarse and rough, and it got everywhere. The water looked so cool too! The sun was absolutely hot - she could feel her flesh steaming already from the water on her skin being baked away into steam. If she were back in the water she wouldn’t have to worry about that. In fact if she just took a lung full of the stuff and drowned she water have to worry about anything again! She could become a part of it! The idea felt so nice that she desperately clawed back towards the water until she came to a halt - her senses coming back to her. If she did all that. She would die.

She shook it all off and blamed it on being punch drunk from the crash and smiled to her team and pointed at the boxes she had stolen from the bandits.

WC 968+544 = 1512

 

[Santaru Kazuma]

Kazuma decided to take a different route in their mission. While Hoji and Megumi ventured beneath the water to investigate the underwater cavern, he chose to remain on the surface and explore the ship. He felt it was essential to keep a watchful eye on his teammates to ensure their safety and make sure the drunkards were none the wiser to his team below. Though he had swum before, he knew when to rely on others for their strengths.

Kazuma moved cautiously through the ship's interior, his eyes darting around for any signs of danger, he planned to gather any information he could find that was stored on the boat. He carefully maneuvered around the drunkards making his way to the captain's quarters. He noticed several maps laid out, with several x's marked in different villages. Pulling out a scroll of his own Kazuma wrote the locations of these Xs while he thought "Possible future locations?", as he was finishing up he heard a loud thud, Kazuma quickly darted behind a door to hide. One of the drunkards made his way in and was looking for what was presumably more alcohol. He searched the desk without giving it much thought, reaching over and grabbing a bottle from the captain's desk before returning topside.

Kazuma let out a sigh of relief before returning the scroll to a container and making his way out of one of the portholes into the water, moving back a safe distance from the boat behind some cover. After some time catching his breath, he looked out and saw some bubbles forming over the water, his teammates looked like they were about to return from this underwater adventure.

Meanwhile, Hoji and Megumi were doing their best to retrieve the boxes beneath the water. After some time, Kazuma saw his teammates rising to the surface, successfully retrieving the boxes from the ocean floor and bringing them to the surface. Kazuma spoke out to Hoji "You did very good" extending his fist out to bump it, before looking over to Megumi and doing the same.

He couldn't hide his admiration as he approached them. "Hoji, Megumi, that was incredible! You both did an excellent job down there," he said, his face lit up with genuine praise for his new teammates, "we have a few boxes here we can give back for now, we need to come up with a plan before we return" He extended a hand to help Megumi up from where she had been ejected onto the sand. "Megumi, it's amazing how you pulled that stuff up. You made that look like a breeze," he said with a warm smile.
Turning to Hoji, Kazuma continued, "And Hoji, Great work, you were able to find the location of the main stache, I knew I could count on you to find it" Kazuma genuinely felt proud of his teammates' efforts and wanted to ensure they knew it. They not only retrieved valuable boxes but also solidified their teamwork and trust.

Now with his team completing their duty as per the mission, he swam back with them to Karim's boat, where he informed him of the bandit's plan. Unrolling the map before him and laying out where they could strike next. "Please, if you can, warn these villages before they too lose their loved ones or items," He said with a hopeful tone that the older man would comply. "Though we couldn't get back the statue today, we will return to do so, I promise," he said with a confident smile, the young boy was extremely proud of what they had accomplished in their first mission and was excited about what was to come


WC: 611+403 = 1011

 

[Santaru Kazuma]

[Claiming rewards for everyone]

 

[Chikamatsu Shin]

Link this post in your trainings to claim E-Rank double rewards mission with a mod. Kazuma gains mod bonus