Kizmaru was hanging around the more urban area of Iwagakure while he was loitering around. He didn't really have much to do today, or any day for that matter. So, he decided to spend his days just goofing off and wandering around. it was quite misty today and that was just fine with Kizmaru, meaning he'd probably be disturbed far less than normal if he keeps to himself and lays low. On his way through the town, Kizmaru decided to stop and take a break. All this running around was starting to wear on his nerves and he decided to take a quick break. He was taking a stroll from the last request to the a place where he could potentially rest which he had recieved earlier direction to come to this specific part of the area a bit away from the town square.

Looking around, it seems he made a wrong turn somewhere and ended in what seems like the slums of iwa. Made no difference to him whatsoever. He was just gonna continue on his way and make it to his current destination after a short break. He went to a near by stoop of an abandoned building to rest. Kizmaru decided to let his mind wander for a little while. He daydreamed a bit about fame and power but not fortune. He always thought having a lot of money made people change who they actually are sometimes but for the most part he didn't really enjoy being poor either. As he thought about this, he overheard a near by argument between some rich noble and poor couple. It's not his style to eavesdrop but it's always funny to see other people in conflict with each other.

"So, what if you guys are already having trouble funding your slum of a neighborhood's education tax. Nothing good would come from us funneling money into already dead economy. Your children would be better off just serving the upper class people of Era in the future instead of trying to make something with their meaningless education. If you want proper education, maybe you should try and scrounge up what little change you can find lying around and send them to the school where my children go but wait, you can't. You should remember your status and live with it. I have no more time for quarreling. That elder rat has been stirring you ants up and been giving you false hope about raising more funding for schooling in this dump." said the snarky noble. With that, he had climbed into a rather lavish carriage and was carted off to the nicer side of Iwagakure.

How pitiful. Quarreling like that in the middle of the village. He thought this place was a bit more untied then that but it seems he was wrong. Kizmaru got up and made his way back to the decent side of the village. By this point, he found himself getting pretty hungry, famished even. He looked around quickly and spotted a little noodle shop not to far from his position through the mist and decided he'd just settle on eating there for the time being. He hoped the noodles were as good as the aroma they gave off a she got closer towards the shop. Entering the shop, he spotted a girl sitting at a window seat by herself. He decided he would also take a window seat at a separate table not too far from the girl's location and look at the menu to order some noodles of his choice.

W.C: 603

The village had managed to make itself fairly boring this morning, a far cry from it’s normal hustle and bustle as Taiho sat precariously on the edge of building and watched it from outside his rather bland apartment. Today marked the fourth anniversary of his arrival in the nation, and it was safe to say that his life had definitely made a stark two hundred and seventy degree change in how it looked originally. Much had changed about himself for him to make it to today, he had effectively been exiled from his home by a rampaging demon lord that had not only killed his father, but had also resurrected and corrupted him before turning him into one of his generals. He had been shipwrecked by what could only be considered a random storm leaving him without a ship or a people as he floated all the way to his current location. He had been beaten, interrogated and starved all in an attempt to figure out who or what he was. He had been spied on, observed and documented due to his unique circumstances. And then he had been experimented on to see if he was even remotely fit for service, and all of this in just the first year.

And now here he was, in this dusty ass village working his ass off for what felt like measly scraps. Normally he wouldn’t complain considering Guardian training was harsher and didn’t grant any amenities at all, but having grown rather accustomed to the lavish life of being a prince as well, and the fact that now he only got bread and soup as a ration, well you could see his frustration. Luckily for himself he was resource and was able to find ‘work’ that allowed him to earn enough ryo to buy himself better food. He’d place his hand on his knee as he looked about for anything remotely interesting, a soft gurgle in his stomach reminding him of his previous thought as he let a dismissive frown cross his facial features before disappearing only seconds later. As whimsical as he felt right now, he was certain that if he didn’t get any food within himself soon he was going to do something drastic, like attack a random civilian or get in a stupid fight because someone else wasn’t aware of their own surroundings.

Pushing himself up so he could swing his legs back over the ledge, he ran into his apartment to grab his wallet, keys and headband before looking through his closet to find something decent to wear. He had a rather decent assortment of clothes, most of which were rather effeminate due to him preferring their look and feel over the more masculine clothing that was provided. Picking out a rather modest baby blue graphic tee and pairing it with a nice jean sleeveless vest before grabbing a pair of tight pants that stopped at his knees and finishing off with a pair of white and black converses. Standing before the mirror, he’d stick his tongue out before bending forward and letting his long blonde hair drape over his face before grabbing it all and tossing it back as he lifted his head suddenly. Wrapping up the bunch in a simple bow, he checked his appearance in the mirror before smiling and leaving out the door, making sure to lock it as he left.

Walking down the stairs and onto the street, he’d look away curiously for a good place to eat. Even after living in this new land for the past few years, he still hadn’t located every food location. Walking mindlessly, he spotted a rather familiar if not annoying face in the crowd and noticed his general direction of travel. Seeing a rather small and out the way noodle shop, which was odd considering it was on the main road, Taiho would shrug and follow along if only because noodles sounded rather delicious right now. He wouldn’t speak up to the boy, and would even go out of his way to find a seat by one of the window counters away from him, but nearer to a girl with bright green hair. He decided to ignore any features about her beyond that and instead focused on the menu he had just picked up so that he could get a decent order going.

“Decisions, decisions...”, He said softly to himself as he waited patiently for one of the service members to attend to him.

WC: 748

Relaxing at his table, Kizmaru had looked around the shop a bit. it was pretty cozy in here. it was a nice place for him to hang out and he didn't really mind waiting around too much. He didn't really have any plans for today or recently as of late. All he wanted to do was find something to quell his hunger before moving on to some other cozy aspect of life. Sure, there was a few people here and there around but not enough to people to get i'm all angst and nervous. A few very short moments later, a waitress had brought him the menu for this shop. Kizmaru thanked the woman and nodded to her as he felt some sort of acknowledgement of some kind is needed so he didn't look strange or confused. Carefully looking through the menu, he slowly traced his along the food list until he found something that would seem to be to his liking. The Shirodashi Pork Rramen was it? He has never tried it before but figured it would be delicious so he decided that was the order he would choose if the waiter came back. Licking his lips in anticipation, He couldn't wait to taste the noodles sliding down his throat. He was somewhat caught up in his daydreaming of how delicious they would taste, that he didn't notice the commotion around him until later.

It started when he was about to hail the waitress over when suddenly he noticed that the waitress that gave him the menu was currently being held captive. Kizmaru's neutral face turned into a frown as he watched the situation unfold. People were robbing this shop and taking a hostage out in the open like this? They weren't too smart ti seems, it would only take a matter of mere moments before chuunins and jounin to swarm the place. Why would anybody have thought this was a good idea. Still, there wasn't much to be done in a situation like this so he decided to bide his time and wait for a chance to strike. He would sit there, frowning trying to gauge the distance between himself and the mask robbers before he made a move. He was helpless since he had no equipment on him so he figured it's best to give into their demand for the time being.

W.C: 405

T.W.C: 1007

“Mmm, this restaurant actually has quite a few choices...” he mused to himself as he read through the various menu items. The rather large number of combinations of noodles, broth, vegetables and varying forms of meat, actually seemed to flow together better than Taiho would have liked to admit. He honestly had never had ‘ramen’ before. Noodle based dishes were typically banned in the nation due to being considered a waste of valuable wheat and rice to make any noodle dish worth their sustenance. As such Taiho actually felt uncultured for once, his eyes covering every inch of the menu in hopes that it would better help him make a choice. Humming softly to himself, he’d tap a finger to his lips in thought. ‘They all look so good...’, he’d think to himself. One in particular that caught his attention was a honey red pepper chicken ramen that apparently had scallions, carrots, cabbage and a healthy helping of pork for broth flavoring. The whole combination sounded absolutely amazing and if he was honest, incredibly filling. Waving down one of the waitresses, he pointed to the dish in question before also ordered a glass of water and a plate of dumplings as an appetizer to hold him over until his food arrived.

Content with his choice, he’d glance around the rather small and quaint store with a serene smile across his face. For once following his instincts didn’t lead to him being disappointed in life and it seemed like everything that could go right was going right. Which is why when two goons walked in and immediately started doing shady things he knew that his good day was about to get much worse. Palming a fork, and hiding it in the crook of his fingers, he watched the men grab a waitress after barring the door using a chair. The two would then do the typical robbery shtick and demand a great deal of valuables as if robbing a small ramen shop would generate any amount of income for either of them. Of course ramen wasn’t cheap, but most people who ate it didn’t have much money to spare for better meals, and it offered just enough nutrients to be considered a slightly healthy meal, even if the salt content was high enough to warrant a visit to the local hospital. Breathing out through his nose, he stood up and approached the men simply, banking on the fact that the men didn’t actually come in with a plan and were playing off the cuff.

His mind kicked into overdrive, his Guardian instincts driving him to notice every important detail about the two men that he could pinpoint. He noted that one of the men seemed to have a slight limp, preferring his left leg over his right. This man was the one that had closed the door with the chair seeing as he also performed as few actions as possible while also maintaining an air of bravado that didn’t seem to match his bodily actions. The other man was definitely more physically capable, but he also seemed to be unarmed, likely the actual fighter of the two while the physically disabled man was the one who made good on the threats. A slight twitch of his eyes had him going over the clothes the two men wore and he was able to at least tell that the men didn’t have any visible weapons outside of what looked like a basic knife in the disabled man’s pocket. Of course it could’ve also been a kunai, but no ninja worth their salt would rob a store in broad daylight so that was out of the question. Stepping closer, he could tell that both men had a substantial height to them, easily over six feet for the both of them. This made the prospect of fighting either in a straight up battle slightly daunting, but judging from the fact that one of them was a lame duck, and the other had a hostage but no weapon, if he was able to garner at least a surprise attack on the more capable one, then getting rid of both should be an easy task.

Taking another step he’d finally garner the attention of the lame duck, the man actually hobbling around his partner to stand in front of him as Taiho now stood about ten feet away from the both of them, easily in rushing distance, but the wrong target was in front. The man shouted something intelligible from his lips as his partner sneered and looked around for anyone else who would try to walk up on them. The whole situation was turning into a shit show, but Taiho could still salvage it as long as someone was able to distract the injured man in front of him long enough for Taiho to reach the man in the back.

WC: 814 + 748 = 1562

This situation was getting out of hand quite fast and there doesn't seem to be an abort option. He was there sitting at this table,still gauging his would be opponents. Suddenly, a familiar girl stood forward, as if she was to challenge the the potential danger that lies in front of them. Is this older kid retarded? They have a hostage. How could she just walk up to them like that without a plan? What if they killed the waitress and proceed to ambush him? Well, it doesn't matter. What's done is done. Kizmaru, himself slowly gets up from his table and begins to pace forward. Before he continued though it seems another unknown person had begun to act as well when a sudden knife entered a man's throat. The partner in crime had turned to the man to help him remove the knife from the afflicted man's neck, his is back was being displayed for Kizmaru to see. Well, he guess now is a good time as ever to take action. Kizmaru got up from the chair he was sitting in and also began to walk towards the men.

While one man was helping the other get the knife out of his throat, Kizmaru picked up a near-by utensil, known as a fork and decided to run at the other man that was aiding in the removal of the knife. Crossing the distance between himself and the men in question, Kizmaru jumped up and swung the fork into the neck of the man attempting to help his partner get the knife out. Kizmaru clung to the man's back briefly in order to shove it as far in as possible before jumping off, taking the waitress held hostage and stepping back five feet with her hand in hand. He turned his head towards the first girl that walked towards him and nodded but kept his eyes on the two that were now both in pain.

W.C: 333

T.W.C:1340

It seemed that all three of them had been relatively on the same page in terms of their responses to the assailants. Little time had passed within the shop after the two men had entered, and in the time that the had managed to gain control of the area and somehow pacified the patrons of the store. Aside from the three ninjas in training, the shop was fairly quiet aside from the odd worried gasp or whisper. The one ninja on the move had already drawn the attention of the two goons as well and thus with their avid shouting and the various other ambient noises, it was no surprise to him when one of the goons, specifically the one in the back using the waitress as a hostage, found a knife in his mouth mid shout. The sudden silence that was immediately punctuated by a gasping, gurgling sound caught the attention of all of the patrons as well as the young man who had been approaching. He’d stop his procession forward, head turning towards the origin of the knife to see the young woman still with her hand outstretched from flicking the offending kitchen utensil. The idea that sound would outright murder a citizen in broad daylight astounded him, but he was convinced that it was an issue for another day.

The waitress would waste no time getting away from the man who was now choking to death, and in his hesitation he had missed his chance to take out the other robber as another young man jumped into the fray. This time it was the young boy he had fought with the other day. The young man assaulted the older, taller man with a ferocious attack, driving his own eating utensil into the neck of the man in question. Blinking at the sight, Taiho would stand up fully and let his hands hand limply at his side with a rather confused look on his face. The sight still didn’t upset him as much as it should have, likely due to the fact that the men were interrupting the peace, but the lack of due process given to the robbers definitely left him with a few questions running through his head. Seeing that the situation was handled, he’d return back to his seat, not speaking a word to either person as he waited patiently for his food to arrive.

WC: 1562 + 400 = 1962

So much had happened so quickly and she didn't want to be held responsible for the mess that was made for today. Her appetite was gone now thanks to the two men dying and bleeding all over the place. Umeko didn't even flinch when another man attacked the partner in crime, she could only smile as she rose to her feet and made her way out of the door. Of course after this little incident she would probably be called in for questioning but if she could get home her parents would take care of her actions and clear the mess she made up. " I really wanted to eat here too... " She whispered the words as the door of the little shop closed behind her.

wc: 1763
- exit-

Well, it seems this little event was coming to an end. Shortly after he put his utensil into the man's neck, the girl who made the initial attack had made her way out for some unknown reason. This was fine with him since he figured, he could take it from here. He continued to watch the men try to pry the utensils from out of there bodies. Eventually, the man had managed to pry out the fork from the back of his neck but in doing so, punctured a major artery called the carotid which would cause him to bleed out over time. The man slumped behind a nearby by counter and held his neck as an attempt to slow the bleeding and try to hold on to life. Kizmaru's intention wasn't to kill but to neutralize but he had no qualms over letting this man die. He was a little conflicted since he's never actually killed a man before and didn't exactly want to willingly go down that route.

Sighing with a tinge of agitation, Kizmaru had called out to the shop to see if anybody was a medic or doctor and happened to be around to treat this moron. It was his lucky day, turns out there was a nurse that happened to know how to prolong fatal bleeding and even had some supplies on her since she was on her break. Kizmaru nodded at her to get up and treat the man. He took a swift glance at the other man in question, glaring at him as to send a message saying, "Try some stupid hostage shut again with this nurse and both of their lives end today." The man didn't really understand but he got the gist of the warning and decided to stand down and let the woman treat his partner until the authorities and doctors or medical ninja came through.

W.C: 322

T.W.C: 1662

The diner was eerily quiet as the nurse worked her magic, the two men obviously lucky for the fact that there was someone on hand with medical expertise, and that one of the two fighters had somewhat of a more conscientious approach to how they handled the resulting situation to their actions. This left Taiho with a feeling of melancholy at the whole situation, knowing that he had been unable to actually solve the issue. He had momentarily thought about striking the boy for taking what he considered his ‘kills’, but thought against it. Taking down two lame ducks wouldn’t have proved anything to himself, and if he was going to be completely honest, would have made him look overwhelmingly weak if he had struggled. The thought of even struggling against the two never crossed his mind however, it was inconceivable that two men would have even put up the slightest bit of challenge with their gimped frames. Huffing at the thought that had now managed to wind him up slightly, he turned back to his water and took a single sip of the beverage, swallowing it down with finality. Facing back forwards, he’d turn his introspections more inward as his meal finally arrived.

Thanking the waitress for her service, he’d pray over his meal and his chopsticks before snapping them apart and swiping them idly against each other until both were clear of any splinters. Finishing this simple ritual a few seconds later, he’d tend to his now steaming soup and dig in, dipping his chopsticks deep into the bowl to swirl a couple of noodles around the twin sticks before grasping a sliver of meat as well to complete the portion. Bringing the portion of food up to his mouth, his thoughts returned to his training and the strength that he had slowly began to amass. It wasn’t much, minor advancements here, a bit of progress there. A dominant fight here, a closer and much more furious fight there. He had clawed himself small victories that by themselves wouldn’t be much to write home about, but as he amassed them all into one singular package, he could just feel... that he was getting somewhere. The meditation had also done wonders for him. While not nearly as beneficial as some of the more radical treatments for his rather rampant and nearly out of control anger and aggression, the meditation had easily gotten him more intune with himself and at least had taught him how to defuse smaller less serious situations before they were able to be blown out of proportion.

It was slow going however, even now he could feel the urge to strike not only the two men down, but also the boy and girl who had thwarted his attempt at doling out justice to the two clowns who had tried to rob a simple ramen shop. His grip on the chopsticks grew too the point where the wood within had started to crackle as a precursor to snapping and the sound had somewhat garnered his attention causing him to calm down from his growing ire. Sucking his teeth at the fact that he was even getting irritated at the fact that he was getting irritated. It seemed like he couldn’t escape his nature just yet after all. Finishing up his meal, he’d pay for it simply before leaving out the front door, ignoring the remainder of the spectacle to prevent himself from doing something drastic. He would likely return to training after this, still dissatisfied with himself after all the work he had done.

[Exit]

W.C.: 599 + 1962 = 2561

Training [Stats]:

Reaction Speed: D-0 -> D-3 = 1175
Strength: D-1 -> D-3 = 850
Speed: D-0 -> D-1 = 325

Total WC Used: 2350

Fortunately for them, the nurse was quite skilled at what she did for a living. Still, just in case, Kizmaru had stood near her and the two men being treated just in case to make full well of his promise in case the two tried some impetuous and rash action that may endanger the nurse. If they had tried anything funny a second time, he wouldn't hesitate in killing them both. Kizmaru didn't really like the idea of pointlessly killing and wanted to keep his hands clean for as long as possible but at the same time, he didn't feel held back by his emotions or morals. If the time had come to get his first kill, he'd take it without hesitation after all he was raised and trained that way or he wouldn't even dreamed of becoming a shinobi for the village hidden in the rocks. Still, when the time was right, he'd bathe in the blood of his enemies. Kizmaru watched the nurse work her magic until she had did all she could for them, slowing the bleeding so they'd at least have time to be rushed to a hospital or something. Ironically enough, the authorities had arrived shortly after she was done tending to their wounds the best she could. A team of 6 which consisted of four chuunin and two jounin had arrived for the two men, three of them being medical ninja to continue treatment on the way their.


Kizmaru wasn't sure if they were doing to make it or not, after all him and that green haired girl had put some serious damage on them. An artery severed and a man essentially losing his eye was no small injury. Even if they lived, they'd potentially be crippled for the remainder of their life. Well, that was Kizmaru's problem. If they were just acting like good civilians, hell even basic rowdy thugs, they'd be alright. But instead they choose a lfie of hard crime and get their just desserts. Speaking of dessert, Kzimaru wondered if they served and here as he walked back to the table he initially sat at and continued to wait for his food as if the events hadn't recently transpired. Eventually, Kizmaru went and received his order of whatever it was that he had order before everything transpired. He remembered the name of it when it was finally served to him. Shirodashi Pork ramen, was it? He took the chopsticks and split them so he could enjoy the taste of ramen as he began slurping his noodles rather loudly. This was some good ramen he had ordered or maybe it was because of the quick and light exercise he had just before enjoying this meal. Either way, he hurriedly finished his soup and paid his tab before getting up and leaving the ramen shop. Today was a pretty eventful day over all, got to go in, fight some bad guys, eat delicious food and leave with a full belly. Not much more Kizmaru could ask for. He figure dhe'd go and turn in for the day since he figured that was enough excitement for one day.

-Exit.-

W.C: 525

T.W.C: 2187

Training [Stats]:

Reaction Speed: E~> D = 750
Perception: E~> D = 750
Endurance: E~> E-3 = 450
Strength: E~> E-2 = 225


2175 words used