Open Suspicious Individuals

[Daijamitsu]

RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT,
EARLY EVENING
​

It had been a long few days for Daijamitsu. He had just returned from the desert expanse, where his attempts at locating a summon contract had been in vain. Or rather his attempt to locate a specific summon. The chances had been slim, but had still been higher than not trying at all. And Daijamitsu refused to stagnate on his path to growing as a shinobi. The events in the desert had given him some practical training in survival techniques, even if the prize had slipped through his fingers, so it wasn't all for nothing. And so the Genin returned to his village, dusty and parched, and in need of a rest before returning to his missions the next day. His head was low, but his determination remained, despite the setback.

Living in the poorer part of the residential district, Daijamitsu was accustomed to seeing suspicious things. But when his yellow eyes caught sight of a pair of individuals trying to break into a house a little down the way, clearly both men working at the window with crowbars, the Genin felt inspired to chase them off. It would be two fold: a good deed and a chance to vent some anger at the desert failure.

"Hey!" Daijamitsu called as he rushed toward the pair, holding the strap of his bag securely so it didn't fall. The thieves jumped, startled, and looked over to see the shinobi charging toward them. They ran. Daijamitsu kept pace easily enough, smirking, looking forward to exercising his skills against the two. Ahead, the criminals ducked into an alleyway, likely trying to lose Daijamitsu in the back ways. The Genin rounded the corner and entered the alleyway, in hot pursuit of the pair of thieves... only to run into a considerably larger group.

Over half a dozen to be exact.

Daijamitsu stopped, kicking up a cloud of sand. He narrowed his yellow eyes, his lip curling in disdain as the pair of thieves rejoined their companions and the group began chuckling and commenting to themselves. Several had makeshift weapons, little more than wooden bats and knives, but it was enough for the Genin to reconsider his actions and frantically begin seeking a means of escape.

"Bad luck, little ninja boy," Called one of the larger thieves, as he stepped forward and pointed his bat. "Time for some hurtin'!"

The small Genin turned, fully intent on leaving the alleyway rapidly, but was smacked across the face by a meaty fist. Apparently there had been a thief in the shadows in the entry to the alley, waiting to flank behind the surprised - and distracted - boy, succeeding in landing the sneaky attack. Daijamitsu was sent to the ground with a grunt, even as his young mind raced to recall his training, to regain the advantage and evade the danger of being outnumbered. There was no point in dying to ego or pride, Daijamitsu certainly wasn't a self-righteous hero who couldn't tell when it was time to get out.

Still, Daijamitsu was surrounded. Six behind, one in front. That made the choice a lot easier, though, and springing to his feet the Genin launched at the lone thief with a spinning kick aimed for his head -- and promptly had his boot caught in the large man's hand, to which the muscular thief punched Daijamitsu in the stomach. The wind was knocked out of him, but the Genin kept his calm and forced his mind to slow down and process things properly, despite hanging upside down. Daijamitsu focused, and performed several handseals rapidly, before thrusting his palm into the chest of his assailant --

"Pressure burst!"

-- Daijamitsu shouted, as a blast of wind exited his palm, hitting the thief squarely. He was let go, to which the Genin flipped with inhuman flexibility and landed on his feet. The muscular thief was stunned, having been pushed back into the wall with a thud. Now it was time for Daijamitsu to make good his escape... but before he could move, he felt a hard object smack against the back of his head, causing the world to spin, as the other thieves pounced the Genin!

Oh no... this is bad.

 

[Raizo]

There were a blessing and a curse to being who he was. At this time, even though he had been serving in the role for almost a year, he was not fully recognizable by the village at large. While most would vainly want all of the attention focused on themselves, he still appreciated the moments he could enjoy just getting away and wandering the village without a crowd. Where most of these people lived their whole lives here and had grown numb to the mundane existence of everyday life, he was still a new spectator to it all. Every adventure just wandering through the village provided him with some new exciting or interesting thing to take back with him to the Tower.

Today would prove to be no different as his eyes would catch something he had never seen before.

Does... does that boy have yellow eyes?! Is he ill?! Is a demon!?

With his curiosity peaked, he would begin to follow the boy, keeping a large distance between themselves, while never losing sight of him.

Maybe a snake demon... oh! or could he be a snake himself... OH! what if its a cat... cat demon? Don't we already have that here... is he one of the cat demon people things of the village?! I need to start meeting those guys!

So lost in his thoughts of what the boy might be, he did not fully grasp that the young ninja was attempting to stop a break-in, but he did not lose sight of him and followed as the boy gave the would-be thieves chase. He would still be musing in his mind when the boy would stand before the now larger group, and it wouldn't be until the boy yelled out the attack name that he would snap back into reality. His eyes, now clearly seeing the full picture before him, would begin processing what to do. A smirk would appear upon his face as he would calmly make his way towards the group, who were now jumping on the young shinobi.

He would snap his fingers as chakra would begin to flood from his body and out into the atmosphere. Suddenly, a cloud of white would surround the downed body of the young shinobi, with puffs of the white fog shooting out from the openings in the dogpile that were collecting around the young one. Within moments, the child would be lost in the White Mist, which would also engulf himself as well, creating a fog barrier that would separate himself and the young one from the prying eyes of the thieves. He would approach the now confused group that had started to smother the boy, and would begin forcefully removing them, tossing them away from the area effortlessly. Since he himself was also cloaked by this jutsu, essentially making him and the young shinobi the focal points of the spreading mist, he would eventually find the child and pull him back up to his feet.

"Hello there... cat... snake... child..."

He was still working on his first interactions with people.

"What the heck is going on here?"

All the while, the thieves would begin to flail wildly in the white fog hoping to find the boy and the man.

Spoiler: Appearance

 

[Daijamitsu]

The small Genin was huddled on the sandy ground, his shinobi robes covered in dust and dirt. In between the kicks and punches, Daijamitsu chanced opening his eyes quickly, to see if he could find an escape or opportunity to take advantage of. As he squinted, the boy thought he saw a white mist that flooded the area, wondering for a moment if he was passing out. But true enough there was a mist, and just as suddenly the attacks stopped, as shouts and cries of surprise and confusion filled the thick air.

Now or never!

Daijamitsu pushed to his elbow, about to leap to his feet, when out of the mist a figure appeared. A strong hand grabbed the Genin and hoisted him up, bringing the boy face-to-face with... well, he couldn't really tell, because of the mist. Whoever it was, he was familiar, but more important things occupied Daijamitsu's mind. Such as either fighting or running out of the mist. All around the thieves were in various states of reaction; some continued punching and kicking, while some were fleeing the surprise counterattack.

"Cat? Snake? Wha--?" Daijamitsu commented lowly, before hearing the second question. "I was trying to stop a pair of thieves from breaking into a home nearby. Unfortunately there were more hiding here."

That about summed it up. And an explanation was the least Daijamitsu could offer his rescuer. Yet, there still remained the thieves themselves, and what the pair planned to do with them...

"Do we retreat or fight them back?"

Whoever it was in the mist, Daijamitsu catching glimpses of details such as bright red hair and a long white scarf, he seemed capable. And the mist clearly wasn't natural, so that mean ninjutsu. So the Genin would follow the senior shinobi's lead and would do his best...

 

[Takahashi Matsu]

Matsu perched quietly above on the windowsill of another home as the mist rolled in. Upon his right shoulder sat his salamander overlooking the scene. It would whisper quietly into his ear and Matsu would nod or shake his head depending on the subject matter. He frowned the entire time, though unlike his tenure before late, most of his body was exposed and his face could be seen. This would, of course, allow for his facial features to be observed. He shifted his weight and some metallic clinks as metal caps in his hair collided. He stroked his newfound beard and observed the mist spread between the two bodies and thieves go flying, with ease mindfully, away from the boy. "Well, that's something..."

His eyes cast about the space and took it in as easily as breathing. He had been practicing. Breathing practices. Trying to just get a feel for the world and stone around them. He could hear it call out to his bones. Something deeper than his ancestry ever did. Loosening himself from his seat, his body fell to the floor below to be on an even level with the child and the one that came to help them. "I'd suggest fighting them. Not killing them of course, but capturing them with hopes to learn why they thieve and perhaps they can be rehabilitated." It wasn't his opinion that was asked, but he was there and felt it pertinent to express himself.

Wearing only a hakama, he crossed his arms over his tattooed chest. He wasn't a very large man standing only around 5'10" and he displayed very little muscle definition. If one simply judged him by his appearance, they would likely think he was a no-good hooligan covered in intricate ink. As one of the thugs was thrown off the pile and attempting to scurry away, Matsu's heel slammed into his back and pressed him into the earth beneath. A small cratering emanated from the impact and cracking could be heard not only of earth but only of bone. Hopefully, the thief would be alive despite what Matsu said about keeping them alive in the first place.

"I doubt you need a hand, but I am here just in case you do..." His voice trailed off as Fusen whispered something else in his hear before shifting from the current shoulder over to the left to get a better view of the action. His tongue clicked and he made a low grumbling noise as he observed. "In case you do, I am happy to be of service." Matsu concluded, arms still folded over his chest.

 

[Raizo]

Suddenly, another would appear, but his demeanor seemed to be different. This new person wasn't thrown off by his use of chakra, much like the thieves that had jumped Daijamitsu, so it made his mind go one of two ways; this was either the big bad of the group or this was a shinobi. There was a multitude of other variances that could have come to play in all of this, but he was a rather optimistic person so he decided it had to be, without any doubt, the latter.

"Oh my... he is right... I guess we should do that" would be what he would follow up with to Matsu's suggestion, which would seem to imply that he was verifying that they captured the villains. What he was actually acknowledging the fact that he probably shouldn't just condone killing them, even those his clan might have differed in that approach. Suna was definitely still a culture he was getting used to at this time.

"I think that would be great! Do you happen to have an idea for catching them all... oh..."

He would snap his fingers once more, dispelling the jutsu causing the white mist to disperse just as quickly as it had rolled into the area.

"...here, let me clear our vision a bit to give us a better lay of the situation."

A grin was slapped across his face, even though he had just given the thieves a clear visage of their opponents. Honestly, he didn't care, he was just super curious about the skills of the two shinobi, or at least the people he assumed were shinobi. He wanted to see just what they could do, it was always a treat getting to see shinobi in action.

I really do love me incognito days!

 

[Daijamitsu]

Daijamitsu glanced up at the new voice, listening as the individual proclaimed attempts to capture the thieves should be made, with plans to rehabilitate them. While the mist kept the speaker from view, it sounded like the man wasn't part of the group. Also, rehabilitate... that was a new word, one the boy could only guess meant to put them in prison or fix them? That seemed to make sense combined with capture, at any rate. So it seemed that fighting the thieves was the plan, and Daijamitsu had absolutely no issues with that at all.

Smiling an over-wide smile, Daijamitsu rushed toward the closest figure he could see in the mist who wasn't the mysterious rescuer with the red hair and scarf. Using his hyper-flexibility, the Genin twisted his leg around at an almost impossible angle, his boot catching the thief on the side of the knee. There was a cry of pain, to which Daijamitsu lashed out with his arm, his over-large sleeve flowing forward, and ejecting a purple snake from within that bit down hard on the thief's shoulder. Another cry, this time of surprise from the criminal.

"I can use some mild paralytic effects," Daijamitsu said to his mysterious allies, as he considered the poison pouch on his hip, and the toxin applied to his snake's fangs. "But I cannot get more than a few at a time..."

When the mist began to clear upon command from the redhead, throwing the area into clarity, Daijamitsu felt more relieved. While the blanket cover had been helpful against the group of thieves initially, it had proven harder to act when they scattered afterward. But now the alleyway was back, the mist was gone, and it was time to round up some criminals. Keeping the smile on his face, Daijamitsu prepared to launch himself at a pair of thieves that were backed into a doorway of the alley, his snake and fists ready...

[ MFT: 321 ]​

 

[Takahashi Matsu]

"Just do what you think you can." Matsu took a deep breath in and his skin rippled as feathersteel scales, like that of a lizard, began to cover his body. Although he had mentioned subduing the thieves, doing that might be harder than not. He felt a vibration ripple through the earth and in a moment the back of his left arm cut through a would-be assailant. Whether they lived or died was not yet known as Matsu had not time to perform a medical inquiry. It had been quite some time since he had gotten into an actual altercation and pulling his punches would be more difficult than he realized. No longer was he the savvy teacher, but a clumsy smith who had forgotten what it was to teach. "Apologies...if you survive."

Matsu frowned as his red eyes cast across the alley to two more thieves. A deep red smoke billowed from what would be his lips as he exhaled one more heavy breath. It would engulf them and bring them to a halt, though their bodies would shudder as the poison ran its course. Matsu was, among many things, a master of making people suffer. Be it through bleeding or choking on fumes or otherwise. Poisons and bleeding were how he primarily fought so that others would underestimate his wide array of abilities. The earth beneath his feet spoke as a thief plunged his knife into Matsu's flesh, parting the scales. He was sure that would be enough. Unfortunately, Matsu's body knit back together and tightened around the blade, trapping it and the aggressor to his back. Matsu's head turned and he looked back at the thief, a young woman, and she could see the contempt and disappointment in his face. "To most...a deadly blow. You are wise beyond your years. I suggest...reform?" He tilted his head as Fusen climbed further up over his shoulder to stare at her. Fusen blinked and she dropped to her knees, lost in the ravages of genjutsu.

 

[Raizo]

His eyes, now being able to see a bit clearer, would bounce back and forth at the two that stood with him. The boy and the man. They were indeed an interesting pairing. The man had the body of someone who had seen and experienced things. Good things, painful things, bad things, the worst things. His body was forged, not genetics. He understood it to an extent, being someone himself who placed a large amount of work into refining and defining his own body.

The boy was different. His eyes seemed eager, his stance seemed ready, but his aura read like a novice going through the motions of what to do. It wasn't a bad sign, he was young and had not allowed the moment to panic him, so there was plenty of potential to be had. Hopefully, the young man had found someone to continue his education, as it didn't carry himself like a student and even had a headband of the village. Yet he was young, and youth plus no clear path forward would oftentimes lead down a road of aimlessness.

"Oh..."

Matsu would dart into action. His display would be a mixture of barbaric and elegance. His methods were devilish but his execution was artistic. His attention would then turn back to the boy.

"Tell me, boy, how did you happen upon these nefarious scoundrels?"

His eyes would then turn to a burning orange hue as he would look back up, scouring the area for any thieves that the, at times, metallic scaled shinobi might have missed. Yet, he seemed to be handling the situation rather handily.

"Doing good over there, friend!!!"

He would then raise his right finger into the air as chakra began to quickly well up within the tip of the digit.

"Oh, hey... boy, what is your name?"

With that, he would sling his finger down in a cutting motion, releasing the chakra, as two of the ner-do-wells were approaching from behind the young shinobi. Nothing visible would come out, but Daijamitsu would probably feel a pressure surge over his head as an invisible tear cut its way through the two bandits. The gash would cause visible damage to their clothing would appear suddenly. Their expressions would fade from shock to pain suddenly as a clean, almost surgical cut, would appear across the two of them, as if a giant blade had been sent slicing down across both of their trunks.

He would look at his finger a bit as he would wait for a response from the boy.

"Hope that didn't kill them..."

 

[Daijamitsu]

Daijamitsu lashed out at the pair of thieves he had cornered, the snake within his sleeve biting one of the face painfully, while the Genin kicked the other in the stomach. Both criminals dropped, one crying out in pain as he held his face, the other having lost the wind from his lungs. To make sure they were incapacitated, Daijamitsu stomped down in quick succession, cracking the knee bones of both thieves with surprising force from such a small boy. Not far away, the Genin heard the man who rescued him speaking, and looked toward the redhead with a smile.

"I saw them breaking into a house not far away, they were using a crowbar on the frame," Daijamitsu said as he watched both shinobi taking down their targets with ruthless efficiency. "I chased a pair into this alley, and then the bigger group appeared. Luckily you were both here to help me."

The Genin continued to watch, a little awestruck, as the clearly more powerful shinobi cut swaths through the thieves. The criminals didn't stand a chance, as blood and limbs and screams filled the alleyway. There was an overwhelming pulling within Daijamitsu, as the death and corpses seemed to beckon him, to study them and overcome his guilt. This right now was how that night with his parents should have been, with all three fighting together and ending the lives of the bandits...

So caught up was Daijamitsu in his moment of reverie, with his eyes half-closed, that he didn't notice another pair sneaking up behind.

"I--" Just as the Genin spoke, he watched the redheaded shinobi lash out with a finger, and felt a whoosh of air above his head, followed by the sound of bodies dropping behind. Daijamitsu turned, yellow eyes blinking, as he regarded them both. "My name is Daijamitsu. I am a Genin who used to live in the orphanage. And you look familiar, are you...?"

Was it the Kazekage?

The other shinobi was also unknown to Daijamitsu, but there was no denying that both individuals were very powerful and skilled. In no time the thieves were basically defeated, having been sent running or brought down. It was inspiring, a real display of what a fully capable shinobi could do, and it spurred Daijamitsu on even more to want to improve and train and have revenge...

"I do not have much to offer, but I am in your debts," Daijamitsu said as he offered a bow to both men. "Can I ask your names?"

 

[Takahashi Matsu]

Matsu's body rippled once more as his rugged stance dropped. The scales quickly retreated from his body as if they were one and the same and he spat. If one had been watching closely they would have noticed that he always had some part of his body touching the ground or some element of the earth. He wasn't one to jump around or flip about. His eyes fell upon Daijamitsu and he lifted his hand and waved it. "They might have robbed me or anyone else. You don't owe me anything. That is what you do for your home and the homes of others." He looked at the other that helped and offered a nod. Matsu wouldn't want to fight him head-on if he had to. That would be too close a fight for his liking. Thankfully, he was not really in a position to be earning the ire of others. His eyes remained on the child before his head tilted to the side to listen to the whispers of his companion. He nodded and turned his back to the other two.

"Really you've just got that other one to thank. I just happened to be there. Wouldn't be much good for this place if I didn't help. Would be sad to see another kiddo gutted. Happens too often. Not like we live in the most welcoming place, right?" Matsu would make a clicking squelch with the side of his mouth. His left hand would slide up over his forehead and pull his hair back. Metal caps within his hair would clink together as would those in his beard. A minor scowl would cross his face as he thought about how, previously, he might have considered the death of children a boon. His face returned to its normal, neutral state before he turned his body slightly back toward the other two. "That it? We done pittering here?"

 

[Raizo]

And with that, the whole situation would end. Daijamitsu, as he would know the boy now, would inform him of a brief bit of his background, one in which seemed to give him some concern. He was someone strongly linked to his clan, growing up in that environment heavily influenced and molded him, so to see a young person without that same sort of support, it worried him. Where and how did the boy build his perceptions, and how many of the people did they just defeat that might have had a similar starting path as Daijamitsu? He would shake it off for now.

"Daijamitsu, it was a pleasure to help, but I agree with him; you did the heaviest lifting today. Whether by luck, intuition or skill, you became aware of a problem for this village that we were able to put an end to, so that is all on you!"

He would nod a bit to the rather grim comments of the tattooed covered man. During his talks with Sousuke, and some of his own village watching, he had come to know of not only the darkness that had been growing in Wind Country, but that was very present within this village as well. Some of it was influenced by the greater evil looming in this country, but some of it was just naturally occurring calamity, the kind that can only be caused by humans.

"Appreciate the assistance, you seemed to handle this sort of thing way better than I think I was prepared, I mean you are a dangerous one, so I am glad you were helping us!" a chuckle would ring out following that line.

He would then bow to the both of them before tapping on his ear, activating the communication device he had resting there, "Could I get a couple of members of the SPF dispatched to the following location... I have... hmmmm, several arrests that need to be made."

After giving the details of their location he would turn back to Daijamitsu, "Daijamitsu, it was a pleasure meeting you and thank you again for helping bring this village another step closer to where it needs to be!"

With a large smile on his face, he would turn around and begin to march off, waving at the two of them as he made his way. Without any provocation, he would come to a sudden stop, turning back around to the boy. A look of disapproval was on his face.

"My goodness, my apologies... I can be a bit absent-minded. I never answered you back! My name is Raizo, see you... both..."

His eyes would glance between the two of them, Daijamitsu and the unnamed Matsu.

"...soon, I imagine!"

Two more people to keep my eyes on in this place... what an amazing village this is!

And with that, he would depart, getting lost once more in the hustle and bustle of the daily life of the village.

[Topic Left]

 

[Daijamitsu]

Daijamitsu remained silent, listening, as the shinobi spoke. When they talked to him directly, the Genin nodded and offered smiles, but really felt a little overwhelmed by the events. He knew that being a shinobi would eventually result in his having to take lethal action, but up until now Daijamitsu hadn't really harmed anyone to any great degree... and to see two older shinobi so brazenly using Jutsu with precision and deadliness, it had caused the boy to consider certain things much sooner than he otherwise would have.

This is a harsh world, Daijamitsu thought to himself, as he silently accepted the praise for assisting the village. And it has harsh lessons.

"It was the least I could do, and it was an honor to bring down the criminals alongside you," The pale Genin said in response to the redheaded shinobi, who seemed very social and authoritative. His manner was calming, his words meaningful and considered. "I hope to continue serving Sunagakure however I can."

When the redhead introduced himself as Raizo, Daijamitsu smiled and nodded.

"See you soon, Raizo-sama," He said in a chirpy voice, his eyes closed. "I look forward to it!"

And as the other left, there remained the pair - and the group of criminals in various states of injury or death. The Genin's yellow eyes shifted back to the clearly dead individuals, something inside drawing him in, wanting him to get closer and inspect. But another was around so the draw was controlled and pushed down, in order to keep up appearances and to avoid raising uneasy questions...

"I am willing to wait for the SPF squad to arrive, if you wish to continue on."

 

[Takahashi Matsu]

Matsu watched and shrugged. He had very little care for such things. "I guess my name was unimportant. Fair enough. You may call me Matsu. Speak to me if...you care to learn things beyond that which you already know. I am easy to find." Fusen skittered off Matsu's body and into the street away from him. He followed, barefoot if one were to care to notice, swiftly behind. He raised his hand up, back to Daijamitsu, as if he were to wave. He didn't care what the boy would be up to if he was going to wait for the SPF or not. Matsu would be on his way to see if there were other issues to attend to between him and wherever it was he felt he needed to go. His face remained in its neutral state as he let Fusen suss out where his help might be needed.

The earth swelled beneath his feet with energy and he followed it. He almost felt the suffering in the world around him that he once ignored with his previous understandings of the world. He had been forsaken by a liar and that, in its own way, hurt more than many things. "I wish you the best of luck and skill. You'll need it to survive here." Matsu would smile and the caps in his hair would bang together creating a mild ringing as he walked.

[Topic left unless stopped or followed]