Maybe It's Tomato Paste...Or Maybe Not.. (Tsumi)

Mission Name: Timeout
Mission Type: Assassination
Mission Rank: B
Mission Goal: Assassinate a Loyalist Rabblerouser
Description: A Loyalist Rabblerouser, code-named Spider Monkey, is conspiring to bomb St. Memori's Cathedral and lead an attack on the Jashinists. He cannot be permitted to succeed for the sake of the peace. Assassinate him and his inner circle.
Payment: 25,000
Requirements: Jounin+

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Akari waited patiently on the shoulder of her Dominus, sitting with her legs together across the front of the puppet as she waited for her mission partner to arrive. She wore her red blazer with black trim, white button down shirt beneath and her black skirt with black leggings and boots. Her hair was in her usual hime style cut and she was simply doodling in her notepad as she waited. Dominus stood, eight feet tall and hugely wide, a seemingly muscular powerhouse of black wood and metal, trimmed in red. A tattered black robe around its waist.

The mission assigned was to assassinate a man intending to bomb the church. For the sake of the peace they were to kill him and his inner circle before that could happen and Akari was simply waiting for the man who was to be her partner for this mission to arrive. Now, Akari normally did not need partners. Generally she would simply go into the mission and use Dominus to crush the targets into paste before leaving to turn in the mission. Or use some Genjutsu to make them kill each other and again, leave to turn in the mission. This time however the powers that be had chosen to assign a partner for this mission. Idly the woman would begin to kick her legs back and forth as she drew, bopping her head to some music only she could hear.

[1]

Tsumi had spent all morning at the market going between the different weapon stalls trying to find a weapon that could withstand his strength to no avail. Each time they assured him their goods were built to last. Each time they grew flustered and angry when their weapons snapped or shattered in a single swing. One of the thicker weapons had only bent and cracked but it wouldn't last a second swing. He was losing hope in actually gaining equipment that would suit him. His sensei and that mysterious business woman had both offered him equipment but for now he just had a pair of gauntlets. Still a messenger nin had found him and informed him of a mission requesting him to meet up with a partner. Excitement flooding into him as he would thank the man before rushing at a decent speed to the meeting point. He hadn't been on a mission in a long time. The last time he had been a genin and he was breaking up some drug dealers house or something. He had hospitalized them but they lived to face their fair trial so he didn't feel bad about it. Good times with his cousin.

Tsumi would slow down on his approach as he spotted what likely was to be his mission partner. She sat upon a puppet roughly the same size as himself in full demon form. It was an impressive piece of equipment and looked like it could probably withstand him. Still Tsumi would slow to a walk on the final approach. Wearing black jeans over steel toed boots with the steel on the outside. A purple button up shirt hung open with a white tank top underneath. His headband hung around his neck while his red horns matched his red eyes. His white hair in stark contrast to them both as it hung wildly on his head. The gauntlets hanging from his belt for the time being as they were useful for blocking weapons but not for every day use. His muscles were toned and extensive as he was clearly built for taijutsu. Still he was tall but not against her puppets height. Some part of him wanted to transform to match its size but that was just a waste of chakra. Instead he would stop in front of her by three meters and look up from where he was. Announcing himself.

"Yo! I'm Yokai Tsumi of the Oni branch. You here for a mission too? Gotta say I am surprised they wanted two of us for a B rank. I can likely handle those on my own ya know? By the looks of that obelisk you can too."

As she drew she would note the approach of a rather tall and well muscled man. Looking up she saw the approach of who appeared to be Tsumi. Looking down at him Akari would tilt her head to the side in curiosity. Most came nowhere near the size of Dominus however Tsumi wasn’t too much shorter than it all things considered. It was curious, and interesting. Idling, without realizing it, she had turned the page of her drawing pad to a blank one and begun to draw him. Her eyes never leaving him as he introduced himself. By the time he was finished she had already sketched his shape and was beginning the line art as she spoke. Her natural coordination lending itself well to her talent for drawing and artwork of any kind really. “Good morning, I am Akari Chinoike. It doesn’t matter to me how many they assign so long as the mission gets finished to the desired specs within the mission scroll.” She would say as she finished up her drawing and tore the sheet out from the book. She held it out to Tsumi, on the page a perfectly drawn, if in black and white due to pencil, and highly detailed picture of the Yokai.

“For you.” She would say simply, testing to see if he might be someone who was interested in being a friend.

She only offered what she drew to those she was interested in in regards to forming a friendship. Most times she kept her drawings and added them to her collections at home. She liked to ‘collect’ people as it were, by capturing their image in drawing, painting, or sculpture. When she offered what she drew, painted, or sculpted to them, it was essentially an offering. Although she knew intellectually that those she offered them to couldn’t know that. Still, if Tsumi took the drawing she would smile warmly at him and if he declined she would nod before sealing the page into the pad. She could retrieve it later. Whether or not he took the picture it did not change the mission.

“We’re to assassinate a local bomber who intends to bomb the church. Him and his inner circles are slated for death and we’re the team being sent in to see the job is done. He makes his base in the old unused part of the sewer system. Back from decades ago when the village was much smaller. Are you ready?” She would ask, her dark eyes looking at him curiously.

[2]

Tsumi would watch her furiously scribbling away and his eyebrows would raise in curiosity. He had no artistic talent himself. Not even really much talent outside of taijutsu. He was curious about what talent she held. Perhaps she was like that one clan that made ink tigers and lions and bears. Oh my the thought of it was causing a tingling on the nap of his neck. He wanted to see but he wouldn't rush her. Instead listening as she spoke while she drew. She seemed to speak on technical terms and he struggled to keep up a little. Mission specs seemed straightforward enough. Though at this point he wasn't certain what the mission was. Still she would finish drawing and hold out a sheet of paper for him. Letting him know it was for him. Tsumi would blink a couple of times before collecting it in both hands and staring at it. Water began to build up in his eyes as a small snot bubble would appear before he would inhale. Taking in the snot bubble with a bubbling noise before he would carefully a meticulously fold it before putting it in his inner breast pocket. Eyes shifted to the ground as he used his arm to dry his eyes.

Just a quiet "Thank you." was all he managed a moment. It was rare that people gave him gifts or made him things....and they all seemed to disappear. Dying or falling into a coma while he stayed the same. His quiet apartment was mostly empty and no one ever visited him there. He had a room at the palace but that just felt like someone else's memories. Someone else's house. His apartment as empty and quiet as it was had been home all his life. No parents or siblings. Just women in the clan he called aunt. This was something he would tape to the wall later. Something to look at before bed other than his work out equipment. Still she would go over the mission and red eyes would glance up to her before nibbling his lip a little. He was nervous clearly but the issue wasn't if he could handle enemies...He just didn't seem to see the consequences that happened to those he brought in under arrest. Since he didn't kill them he wasn't aware of how they were executed or sacrificed after he left. Making the innocent sounding sentence he would say next just naivety.

"I....But I have never killed anyone.... Isn't killing wrong?"

Akari smiled widely as Tsumi took the picture she had drawn for him and quietly thanked her for it. She would simply nod her head in acceptance of the thanks. Went she went over the mission however he would seem to become nervous. He nibbled his lip a bit and looked to her, seemingly confused, and anxious. His next words caused her to blink at him in confusion for a moment before her mind caught up with the rest of the situation. Killing? Wrong? Someone who had never killed anyone? How..novel. Still it was overall a problem and one that needed to be rectified. “Killing isn’t wrong wrong Tsumi, murder is. The act of taking a life is not in itself wrong or evil. It’s simply a part of a cycle. We’re alive now, and when we’re dead we’ll be in the next part of that cycle.” She would begin to explain as met his eyes.

“Ignoring that in itself however, we’re shinobi. We’re literally trained assassins whose job is to kill whom we are told to kill. Yes we have other tasks at times, including apprehending enemies instead for the sake of information gathering or simply for a much more public execution. If you’ve never killed anyone before. Then that means you tend to ‘apprehend’ criminals? They were probably killed days, if not hours later. For that matter the recognized religion of ‘Jashinism’, of which our own Kage is the brother of its head. Is a religion that’s main ritual is that of human sacrifice.” She would continue to explain, her words unhurried. If Tsumi was one who did not kill, but was naive to think that changed the ultimate fate of those he defeated. Then Akari felt he needed to be educated on the matter.

If he still wished to only ‘apprehend’ targets to turn them in only for them to be inevitably killed later then that was his decision. But he would at least make it fully informed. She wondered if she could get him to knowingly take a life today. To see if maybe he had a taste for it as she did. Oh she didn’t go overboard and murder people. But when she had a mission to kill? She took her time and enjoyed it thoroughly. To exquisite facial expressions as she tried to cause as much agony as possible always drove her into a nearly feverish pitch. Many had the capability to feel similarly and simply did not know because they did not willingly take a life. Willingly look into the eye of the defeated and see their life fade as they heartbeat ebbs beneath the touch of the victorious. It could drive someone crazy and give them a lust for killing that was hard to control.

It was important that Tsumi figure out what kind of killer he was. At least to Akari, because if he was the type to enjoy it too much and crave it. Then he needed to learn control. If he was the type to dislike it, as many were, then he simply needed to learn to recognize when the deed was necessary. “Regardless, today our mission clearly states we’re to assassinate our targets. If you’ve never killed anyone before Tsumi-san then you need to do so today. Learning to recognize how you feel about killing is only truly complete when you’ve actually knowingly taken a life. Besides, how would you feel if you froze up the first time you did so and your friends and comrades needed you? You could cause them pain, or even death if you haven’t recognized that you could do it and either reign in the desire to do so. Or recognize when it’s necessary to do.” She would explain, finally finishing her explanation to the demon on the topic

[3]

Tsumi would quietly listen as his eyes widened. He hadn't really ever done much thought into what happened to them before. He had just assumed there was some prison system in place for them. That they would be healed and rehabilitated somehow. Not once had he ever actually asked them what became of them after. For Tsumi to be so unaware of where he lived was mind boggling. He hadn't pain any attention to religious or government conversations because it all just seemed to go over his head. To have assumed because of his comics that villains just spent time in prison was so naïve. Had he asked even once they may have told him before...public executions? Human sacrifices. He had no idea all that was happening behind the scenes. His hand twitched as he realized something. He had dragged men to their deaths. Did they know? Did they blame him as they were sacrificed to some god he didn't even worship? He had never wanted to be a monster because his demon horns left others with that impression...he wanted to be the symbol of a hero to the people and give them something to believe in....someone to love. Tsumi was in the wrong profession it seemed.

He would flinch a little as she told him he would need to kill today. Not that it was an option but that it was the mission. They weren't being sent out to arrest or rescue. It was an elimination mission. She explained how freezing up would cause those around him to suffer. His red eyes shifted down a moment. Who though? Who was around him to protect? He had no family...no friends...Tsumi was the definition of expendable to the village. Not a single person to miss him left. He grit his teeth as he cut off those thoughts. No....he needed to be strong. Just because he was expected to kill bad people didn't make him a bad guy. He just needed to do hero work on the side. Eliminate the threat for the people who deserved happiness. His eyes shifted to a girl with her father. Getting ice cream nearby. They seemed so happy. He had never experienced that. A flash of a memory....sitting with his legs through the bars on the railing outside his apartment. Sitting alone watching the other kids below in the playground with their families. A popsicle melting in his hand as he watched with quiet eyes.

He would take a breath before clenching his fists. The veins in his arms becoming more apparent as he lifted his eyes to look at his mission partner. A resolve there to protect those who deserved it. To do what he had to to make sure kids could smile with their parents. To make sure they didn't end up like him...he knew what loneliness felt like. He knew how hopeless it was. He would protect them from that feeling.

"Who are they? Why do we need to kill them? Please explain along the way. I won't hold us back."

Akari would watch Tsumi’s eyes as she explained the reality of the situation to him. What had probably happened to any he had apprehended before. What they were expected to do as shinobi. What their entire job description was. She watched his innocence slowly die, word by word. Now Akari was a sadist, she knew it, reveled in it even. However causing this type of pain was not something she found herself enjoying. However her mission partner clearly needed his eyes to become opened to the world around him. When he asked who their targets were, and why they had to die, why they had to kill them. Akari would retrieve the mission scroll from her pack. “A man codenamed ‘Spider-Monkey’ has concrete plans to bomb the cathedral during it’s regular mass. He’ll kill hundreds, if not thousands with the act. Our orders are to kill him and his inner circle. They’re guilt is already established and the sentence laid out. We are simply the deliverers of the sentence.” She would say as she offered him the scroll for him to see for himself if he wished.

“Imagine if he and his group succeeded. Imagine the pain and suffering that would cause. Now imagine that pain and suffering not happening at all. That’s what we can bring to the people of the country. We’re shinobi, the military of the Land of Lightning. We’re expected to follow orders and do what is necessary. We do it so that others do not have to suffer.” She would explain as she began to control Dominus to move, setting a simple pace toward the entrance to one of the older parts of the sewer system. As the village had expanded over the years parts of the system had been abandoned and blocked off and the resulting tunnels made for solid bases for the criminal elements.

“Imagine if that little girl and her father were at that mass when he blows up the place. Imagine how the rest of their family would feel. Imagine never being able to see that smile again. Now come to face with the fact that you can ensure it never happens. Or at least ensure that this ‘Spider-Monkey’ doesn’t do it by killing a small part of yourself and removing his life before he can. It’s what we’re expected to do. Not because it’s right, or wrong, but because someone has to. So we do, so they don’t. So they can be safe.” She would finish as she moved, unhurriedly. The mass was the next day, so they weren’t pressed for time at the moment. Especially when a reconnaissance team had already tracked down the ‘Spider-Monkey’ so it was simply a matter of traveling to a point marked on a map. “What are your thoughts, Tsumi-san?” She would ask curiously, her dark eyes turning toward the hulking male.

[4]

Tsumi would think on her words. Walking with her as for now her puppet in sheer mass made him look small for once. Despite his impressive muscle mass the figure she sat on was considerably large. He didn't seem to mind it much as he was distracted by these new rules in his world. No....they were the old rules....he just hadn't been aware of them. He wondered if the higher ups considered him a fool. They were right to think so but he hated the idea of being used unknowingly for slaughter. Sure he had only brought in bad men....but the fact that he had considered himself a Hero up until that point. His comics were just that. Fiction hiding a far darker reality. A crash of thunder would seem to emphasize her words as his red eyes looked up. His hands shoved into his pockets as they watched. The Storm clouds high above them that gave the village its name....they rumbled as if filled with endless power and rage. A deep anger he kept at bay more often than not. Was that the answer to getting stronger? Did he have to let go of childish ideals? He didn't take the scroll because of two things. He had no reason to doubt her words and he didn't have the ability to read and walk at the same time.

Still he would sigh as she asked his thoughts as they began to approach a large entrance to the sewers. His eyes staring straight ahead to the thick Iron bars across the entrance to where he assumed they were going. "I don't know really. It's an odd thing to accept that I've killed people. I didn't want to but that is how it works right? But thats a bad man planning to do bad shit to good people right?" Tsumi would hop ahead as they got closer before gripping the bars evenly between his hands. There would be a whining noise of metal bending and giving as the bars bent. The massive screws holding the gate in place would pop off and release the hinges as he calmly flexed his arms and ripped it free from the stone wall. Idly tossing it to the side as a red aura coated him. Red arcs of electricity would flicker ever so slightly around his glowing red eyes as he stared with determination down the dark tunnel.

"If he is that bad...he gave up his humanity. He is a haunting spirit over innocent people....Lady.....The Yokai deal with bad spirits you know.....and the Oni branch....my branch are fighters. This spider monkey wants to play bad guy? Fine....the last thing him and anyone trying to stop me gonna see is a real demon. I won't kill thoughtlessly but...he has it comin."

She would listen quietly, giving him the respect of speaking his thoughts and feelings on matters without her interruption. When he asked if that was how it worked, and tried to confirm that it was a bad man trying to do bad things to good people she would nod at him in agreement. Mind you, Akari wasn’t entirely convinced the church goer’s were ‘good’ people. Something had to be wrong with someone to participate and watch in human sacrifice. Even if the ones being sacrificed were criminals. As they arrived at the sewer entrance she would watch in mild fascination as he walked over and simply tore the grate out of the entrance and set it aside. Arcing bolts of red lightning seemed to flicker around him and his eyes were red as he looked into the dark tunnel.

She would listen as he explained how the man gave up his humanity, comparing the individual to a haunting spirit over innocents. She listened as he said he would not kill thoughtlessly, but that this one has it coming. She considered her words for a moment before finally speaking. “Leave him alive at first. I want to see something, something that needs to be handled earlier rather than later if you’ve never killed knowingly before.” She would explain as she began to maneuver Dominus into the large sewer system. She had to move down to sitting in its hands, it was already taller than Tsumi and with her sitting on its shoulder her head would scrape the ceiling of the place. So she needed to get lower. So Dominus cupped it’s hands in front of her and she sat there, leaning against it essentially. She could still fight with it like this if she needed, although it wouldn’t be ideal. Holding up a finger she would spawn a light on the end of it. Simply white in color to provide better illumination. The Fusee technique was simple, but it would provide them a light source as they moved through the sewer system.

“We have a general layout and location for their base of operations down here. Do you know hand signals? Much further in and our voices will probably carry to them and alert them of our presence.” She would ask, purposefully stopping just inside the entrance to prevent that little problem from occurring.

[5]

Tsumi would pause a moment as she continued. So she wanted the target alive? That was something he typically preferred. But why go over the need to kill if he wasn't supposed to? An odd piece of thought to him. One he would easily become confused by. His red eyes would pause a moment as he looked back to the woman now being carried by her puppet rather than sitting upon it. She continued on to come up with mentions about stealth and he would glance to the puppet. How stealthy could she be with that thing with her? Besides that he had barely passed the class that went over hand signs back in the day. It had been years since he used them so he had to ponder that one. He could remember one or two but beyond that he may as well have been a gold fish. He thought he remembered move up and stop....mostly but he wasn't certain. Besides that he wasn't one for stealth really. Still they had a lay out? Well in that case they could consider other options right? Or was she the mission lead? Was it alright to speak up. He would rub the back of his head as he spoke up anyway.

"Leave the main guy alive...I got it... But uh...well I honestly don't remember my hand signs...and stealth wasn't a strong suit of mine....But like...I bet this guys a coward right? Choosing a bomb is a very non personal way to do things. And targeting civies that can't fight back. So uh...well I was thinking maybe since you got like a map or somethin....I could kick in the front door. A little bit of a display of strength and he goes running I bet. Even if its rigged to go off when I do....I bet he doesn't have the kind of bomb it would take to hurt me anyway...but I'll do it in demon form to make sure. You could cut off his escape and do your thing while I eliminate anyone with him. I guess...or somethin like that."

Tsumi would scratch his chin as he finished the complicated explanation of circling to the back door and doing a pincer attack. It was clear he had really struggled to explain that one. Though he seemed extremely confident in his durability. Not to mention he had said something about a demon form. Meaning the display of strength outside was just his base level. And he could achieve a level beyond that. In truth that made it a miracle that he never accidentally killed anyone. Though he had snapped one guys spine and led him to retiring. Matter of fact everyone he sparred with in that 3v1 fight had retired from the shinobi life. He was an idiot but Tsumi was more of a monster than he seemed.

exiting thread due to Kumo being destroyed
5 posts at 10 exp a post = 50 exp