Retrieving An Artists Greatest Work [Mission]

[Jenosaido Bruinetto]

Long has it been since Bruinetto has been requested to take active duty and follow through with his duties as a shinobi. While he would never ignore his civic duty they often tended to be troublesome as they took him away from his research. The mission at hand however was not one that would require him to leave the village. That did not however make the situation any better as there were some serious complications to this matter that struck a cord in him. Often working with young people he had a soft spot for growing minds who have such great potential waiting to be revealed to them.

The task at hand he had been given was to track down the daughter of Gyuru Daiko. Earlier in the day Bruinetto went down to the estate to talk to the employer first hand. From the way the father spoke of her, you could clearly tell how devoted he was to her and how the love he had for her was ingrained in every single beautiful word he used to describe her. The house was littered with portraits Daiko-san had painted himself displaying the girl in such vibrant and majestic ways. To him, this girl was his greatest work of art and would do anything to have her back. Getting more information on the matter from the house servants there seemed to be no inclination of Tsunumi being a troubled child that would be at ends with her father. For some reason unbeknownst to him the wife was no longer around and Bruinetto presumed it was through sudden tragedy as opposed to a separation.

It firmly cemented even more so why Daiko-san was so distraught over the disappearance of his daughter. Had his wife been taken away from him in tragedy certainly losing the only piece of her he had left would be devastating. While this information gathering was vital into attempting to gather a clue as to where to start looking it served the dual purpose of extra motivation. While earning a pay check as a result of a job well done was nice, it was the safety of this child and bringing relief to this broken man that spurred his motivation to the nth degree. After ruling out that this girl merely ran away and that there was no foul play afoot at the estate he would take the only lead that he had. Daiko-san earlier on in his career as an artist in order to gain capital for his supplies, storage space, and the opportunity to display his art to get recognition had associate with a group of shady characters. While he adamantly states he made his payment in full after becoming successful these mobsters felt they had a right to residual income from their investment. A common tactic amongst thugs in order to milk out whatever money they could an old client. All he needed was a name of their group and nothing more specific than that in order to take to the streets. That was as much as Daiko-san was willing to give, and it was just a simple word: Aoitora.

 

[Jenosaido Bruinetto]

Borrowing a phrase from a work of media that would have no way of existing in this world, but the in the slums of Sunagakure you would never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. If one could manage to slither in through the front gates of the village it was an optimal hiding place for criminals and low-lives. Such is the nature when you live underground, you will find some of the creepiest and dangerous creatures who were seemingly bred to live in such conditions. While Bruinetto was not one to normally dress like a shinobi his formal attire that he was use to wearing would make him stick out like a sore thumb. On one hand it could make him look like a potential employer that was looking for the services of these men for hire. That would certainly help lead him to the man he could be looking for but that was a gamble. If he entered the wrong territory and refused the help of another group of mobsters that wouldn't be an optimal situation. This would lead to what he felt could happen on the other hand. He would be viewed as prey who had money and was ripe for pilfering. Had he gotten attention of the Aoitora as a result if they did kidnap Tsunumi he would likely end up in captivity with her. Either situation could actually work out, so long as he managed to land in the right territory.

When first entering the slums Bruinetto found his best bet would be to start off disguised as a local to the area. His appearance would look far more disheveled and dirty as his face was covered with stubble. Wearing a black vest over top of a white beater going along with the ensemble was a pair of ripped jeans, a black belt, a chain connected to a wallet in his back pocket, a knife holstered to the belt, and a pair of dirty old boots. Seemingly he blended right in presuming a character role of a preconceived notion of a jaded and cynical man looking to make a quick buck in Suna's underground. With each run down dive bar he frequented bits of his facial features would be changed in case rumors began to spread about a strange man asking too many questions. It seemed he was nonchalant enough about how he carried himself that he barely even managed to be a blip on the radar. After several hours of hard sleuthing he got a grasp on the idea of where about the territory of the Aoitora was considered. With each passing moment something horrid could be happening to Tsunumi and he couldn't afford to waste time. With great haste he would speed off to their territory as he was burning what little “daylight” there was left. Darkness was starting to settle in and soon the creatures of the night would begin to prowl the streets preparing to prey on the weak. What they were unaware of, was that their prey was the kind that could feign weakness and lay in wait long enough to hit them where it hurts most.

 

[Jenosaido Bruinetto]

Standing on the rooftops in an area of the slums considered Aoitora territory it was time to switch disguises. This time around Bruinetto would put on something a little closer to his normal attire. It was a simple grey two piece suit, a white dress shirt, a black tie, bowler hat, matching black belt and dress shoes, and a pocket watch. The pocket watch he brought him was not the normal one he carried with him which displayed the Jenosaido symbol engraved on the casing. He did not want to leave anything that would tie his family to the mission in case the mobsters wanted to try and take some revenge after this whole task was done and over with. Pressing his hands together into a simple hand seal he would change his physical appearance. Bruinetto had aged himself a few decades giving himself the appearance of a nearly fifty year old man. While his hair was predominantly brown there was a mixture of grays intertwining with it. Stealthily he slunk down into the shadows and onto the streets. Coming out from the alleyway he would begin to walk casually through the streets.

Heading through the broken down and empty streets the location he was strolling through seemed for the most part even more run-down and abandoned than some of the previous areas he was frequenting. Many of the houses were boarded up with either signs of them being condemned, foreclosed, repossessed, or otherwise prohibited for entry for safety reasons. While there were street lamps many of them were in disrepair having either rusted, being bent and mangled, glass casings broken, or simply not even working. It created a strange myriad of shadows as he walked down the street. Cautiously he looked around not spotting anything in the darkness immediately. Finally after quite some time he would catch a glimpse of a brutish figure leaning against an entryway to an abandoned house. For a moment the two would make eye contact was Bruinetto would quickly look away as if he was trying to avoid being noticed. It was shortly after that, where he could hear the slight patter of foot steps echoing around him. Whoever was trailing him now was trying to be discreet, but they lacked the appropriate form to eliminate all noise.

Turned down a road looking up ahead at the end of the block there were two figures standing there menacingly on either side of the side walk. The closer he would proceed towards them they would begin to converge as they noticed he was going to try and walk between them. Coming to a stop the sounds of the noises behind him would come to a screeching halt. Turning his head to the side he would notice three more behind him. Included in this was the brutish figure he saw from before. Looking back in front of him he muttered the words, “Can I help you gentleman?” He wasn't met with a response aside from wild cackling from all sides. Where they trying to intimidate him? If so, he would start to play the part as he took on defensive body language. “If it is money you want... I knew not to bring too much here. My wife warned me to leave my wedding band at home.” One of men before him seemed intrigued by these words as he made the notion for him to come closer. Slowly moving forward it became apparent this signal was for the brute behind him. Staring into the shadow that was approaching he braced himself for an attack. Seeing the swinging of a blunt object from behind he would move is head as to not be knocked out cold as he allowed himself to be struck. Falling down to the ground he sputtered off a whimper and feigned unconsciousness. It was here that they would take him to where he needed to go. To the eye of the storm.

 

[Jenosaido Bruinetto]

For a long while he feigned being unconscious as he was dragged through the slums and taken to a remote location in the heart of the Aoitora territory. All the while he kept his ears open for any information that may benefit him in the long run. For the most part these imbeciles prattled on insignificant details about their wretched and criminal activities and other depraved behaviors. Honestly some of the things were enough to make a man sick if you weren't prepared to hear such things coming out of a degenerates mouth. Normally he would tone this kind of talk out but he needed to listen for a detail, no matter how insignificant it may be. Just any clue that would give him any insight onto the situation. His painstaking sacrifice would pay off after listening to such drivel. “The girls father hasn't responded to the ransom. Seems like we can go ahead with plan b. She'll earn us a pretty penny on the black market. They tend to like the young ones.” Bruinetto had to absolutely restrain himself from tensing up in this moment. The connotations of those words were horrendous and despite the depraved words coming out of his mouth they were said with a humorous tone. These men were despicable and vile creatures.

Finally reaching their destination Bruinetto was dragged down a flight of stairs after hearing a pair of old creaky doors behind opened. Judging by the sound it was probably the entrance to a cellar, or even an old run down bar located underground? Inside he could hear the sound of a dozen other voices boisterously speaking between one another. The group that entered clamored about their successful victim and what he could potentially be worth. From his visual appearance he seemed quite old and they expressed knowing that he was worth more so alive than he was dead. Nobody in their line of work would want to be aged organs that have stood the test of time. Their shelf life wasn't nearly as long after all. Compared to what they said earlier about the little girl it was said to say that this wasn't all that bad in retrospect. This type of horrendous talk, he wished he did not have to endure through. All of this was for the sake of Tsunumi and he couldn't put her in danger. A dominant voice of the group silenced the thugs and instructed them to take him to their holding area. Slowly acting like he was coming to his eyes would open to view several cages. They were all dirty and covered in all kinds of filth but the bars and the locks themselves appeared to be well maintained. Forcefully Bruinetto was tossed into the cell to land in a pile of who knows what and skidding across the floor.

Exclaiming in “pain” the brute who was handling him the whole time carefully locked the cell door. “Welcome to your new home. I am it's not what you are use to, but if your wife cares enough about you I doubt you will be here long.” The man chuckled as he left the area leaving a single guard in charge over him. Sitting there for a moment and taking in his surroundings he could barely make out a figure hugging a corner in the darkness. Her sobs were soft and muffled as she was confined in her own world trying to desperately deny the one she was forced into. Looking over to her, he would nonchalantly perform a few hand seals being sure that they are unseen by the guard who was barely paying attention to him. “Do not make a sound, and do not be alarmed. If you are Tsunumi, move your hand down onto the floor beside you.” Watching the girls body language carefully from the moment he started to utter words in her head, she perked up and looked around for a moment. Wondering where the voice was coming from she complied with his order. “Good. Tsunumi, your father sent me here to find you. I will get you out of here, you just have to trust me. If you trust me, turn around and face the man thrown into the cell next to you.” The girl turned slowly looking to the disguised Bruinetto. Looking to her face he could see the dirt caked onto her and the lines drawn on her face due to the tears that had been pouring down. “No matter what happens, don't make a sound and keep calm. I will handle this.”

[MFT]
WC: 762

 

[Jenosaido Bruinetto]

Sitting there in his cell Bruinetto looked over towards the guard and will just stare over towards him while he sits there. A look of disdain and hatred plastered on his face as their guard overtime would finally take notice of this. With the constant presence of him mean mugging the jailer their eyes would meet as he would stand up from his chair, “You think staring me down is going to free you old man?” Quickly the eyes of the old man would take on another form as they transformed into his Sharingan. “Drop your keys, kick them over to me, and remain motionless after wards without making a sound.” Intrigued by the spiraling motion of his eyes the man became hypnotized by them. Reaching to his side he grabbed a hold of the keys hanging from his pocket and dropped them to the floor. Slowly after that his foot rose up and would slide the keys over the floor by kicking them to Bruinetto. After that he would just pause in place unable to do anything. It was here that he needed to act quickly. Grabbing onto the keys he would unlock himself from the cage. Rushing across the floor he would put the man into a sleeper hold. Slowly the life was being drained from the mans body as he drifted quietly into his sleep. Letting go of the man he would hit the floor with a loud thud. Pressing his hands together he would release his transformation and go back to his original form.

Taking the newly acquired keys he would follow by releasing Tsunumi from her cage. The girl looking up with new found hope in her eyes came running towards him as she embraced him with a hug as she quietly sobbed but not with tears of sadness but of joy to her rescuer. “This isn't over yet Tsunumi-chan. I need you to close your eyes and plug your ears. I have to clear a path for us so that we can get out of here safely. I don't want you to get caught up in this.” The girl nodded as a silent reply. Stepping back up Bruinetto placed his hands together and would take on the appearance of the guard. Proceeding over towards the door he would casually open it and proceed to head on through the hideout of the Aoitori heading back to where he remembered the group of thugs were fraternizing with one another. Open getting a clear visual of all of them he would press his hands together into a myriad of hand seals. A strange music began to faintly play in the background, a soft but peaceful lullaby that each one of these thugs could hear. As their vision started to get hazy feathers seemed to be falling from the ceiling catching their attention as they all looked up. The feathers swaying back and forth through the air reminiscent of a swinging pendulum as their heads would lightly sway back and forth. Before long they all would begin to drift to sleep as the room would roar with thunderous snoring and heavy breathing. They all would be sleeping for quite sometime and the path was clear for Tsunumi's escape.

Heading back to the room where he left Tsunumi he transformed back into his original form. “It's safe now. You can open your eyes and stop plugging your ears.” Following his commands the doe eyed girl would peer back towards her savior as she would pick herself up from the floor. “All of them have fallen asleep. The door to get outside is open, I will meet you outside of here shortly. There is something that I have to take care of.” The girl still remaining silent would quickly scatter and make her way out from the hide out. Leaving this terrible play behind she would wait outside for Bruinetto to join her. In the meantime however, he had one last thing that he needed to take care of. Looking through this hide out it was clear that this use to be an old bar that had been converted to their wretched purposes. Walking over to a large barrel he twisted the tap as alcohol began to trickle out from it. Tightening the tap once more he leaned down towards the small puddle. Performing the tiger hand seal a small flicker of flame appeared as he introduced it to the alcohol. The content of the alcohol was quite strong and appeared to be flammable and very volatile. Heading over to several of the large barrels he loosened up the taps allowing alcohol to spill out onto the floor. Overtime the contents of the barrels would coat the floors and begin to flood this basement hide out. Taking his hand he would leave a combustive seal right on the stairs before making his exit.

Tsunumi-chan was waiting patiently humming a soft tune as her eyes lit up again seeing Bruinetto. Walking over to her he would pick her up off the ground and put her up on his shoulders. “You're my hero mister.” Bruinetto couldn't help but smile at her naïve innocence. “I am just doing my job. Your father is worried about you. We should hurry up and get you home.” With that Bruinetto would start to pick up the pace and would head with much haste so that he could finally complete the mission. In the meantime the combustive seals timer would release the stored technique as a fireball was released and would immediately catch flame to the alcohol. The alcohol acting as a fuel for the flame it would begin to spread rapidly starting to ignite all flammable items in the basement. Those “men” who were sleeping peacefully would never wake up. To be honest they deserved some far more brutal but at this point it could have been considered a mercy killing. Bruinetto has never had to directly take the life of somebody and actually stay there to witness the death. That trauma would come one day soon enough...

[MISSION COMPLETE]