This was an awkward time for Ryu. he was too accustomed to fighting to survive. From the prison to breaking into the ninja libraries to get stronger to fighting in the streets for territory. He had thought himself a king at one point. Strongest fighter around for the citizens to gather to. Fighting to keep that authority and power and taking what they needed and well, what he wanted., Even during the war he had been skimming around the outskirts and hitting supply routes for his own wants. Getting wealthy was the goal. Eventually moving camp out of this wasteland when he thought he had enough to start up a nice village for him to rule over. He didn't care to have much but luxury and people answering to him. A village would do just fine and he knew how to make it prosper. They would export alcohol and everything. He was going to live his life at ease. Only fighting when some dumb ass tried to rob his village and otherwise just taking it easy. Let the others work and just manage the trade documents. It was all so easy and going as planned. However he had waited too long.

While he had been picking through the scraps of the dead and enemy camps left behind he had missed the village returning to order and sustainability. His little village on the outskirts however had not and after much debate they had decided to thank him with a few gifts and returned to their new homes. Eager to be a part of something they had become homesick for. He didn't really have a good excuse for them not to go and soon was left in an empty camp. The well and his tent left behind as he had stubbornly refused to travel with them. His men even went with in search of a less life threatening life style. At first he had cursed and threw a tantrum as soon as they were all gone but then he recalled all the buried treasure he had. If it was enough to build a village....it was enough to make a life in the village easy. Sure it was stolen but it was stolen from the other villages. So he could likely barter all of it away to this new village that would need such things. If he could sell all of it he would retire to a manor.

So he had purchased a small shop and set up. All of the weapons and general supplies on display. Cleaned and polished. Shop had been set up but he had mistaken one thing. No one had any money really to buy more than something here and there. His general supplies and less expensive weapons were selling slowly but he had barely recovered the cost of the store so far. Needless to say he was grumpy. Sales were less than expected and now he was just a lowly shop keeper with no one to take it out on. No fight calling his name or anyone claiming him their champion. Just a forgotten thug with no territory or gang members under him. He would huff as his dark hair fluttered out of his face. At least no one was looking to put him back in prison anymore. His coat was hanging on the wall behind the counter. Long and dark with the symbol of the jackal on it. He himself was sitting on an old but sturdy bar stool tilted back precariously. His booted feet up on the counter with blue jeans over the cuffs and a black tank top on. His eye patch was over his right eye as always and he was pushing himself back and balancing out of some sort of boredom. A glove rested tightly over his left hand but only hummed lightly. Unbeknownst to him there was a group of about five masked thugs getting ready at the back door to bust in his shop and claim all these displayed treasures. It was supposed to be an easy hit. One shop keeper, a good distance from any shinobi posts, and lastly no guards. They simply didn't know who this shop keeper was...or who was watching them already.

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It would be only hours after her avian symbol would take flight that the first caravan would arrive. It was a group that obviously was no more than a nuclear family accompanied by a few not-so-realated but clearly close companions. They bore nothing more than the packs on their backs. It was likely that this group had never really found a permanent place to reside, as so many had in the years that has passed since the downfall of the village that once was. Well-worn packs and mottled inventory of what was obviously their personal belongings was indiscriminately piled on top of scraps and sheets of metal marked them as one of the many who had turn to scavenging for survival. Nova had not recognized them, though it was not all that unlikely that she had spoken to them no more than the day before. So many faces had briefly made their way into her memory they all seemed to blend together. Though she was there to welcome them into the magnificent but empty city, it felt strange to show them nothing but empty halls and rooms. Despite all that was not here, this small family would thank her profusely as she showed them one of the several “family” homes that encircled the entire new village. Tears welling in her eyes, the matriarch of the soon-to-be-housed household would grasp at Nova's hand and bow deeply. Nova couldn't bear it, such was the intensity of this woman's inner strength yet such a deep display of emotion. Awkwardly accepting their thanks, Nova would detach herself from the conversation just in time to welcome the next wave.

Days had passed and still people arrived by the hundreds. Nova had no clue how long it would take for those on the outer edges of the land of wind to reach this admittedly inconvenient location. For now though, no matter how many or few were left still traveling, her focus now was to ensure things were sunning as smoothly as possible. Already there had been more bumps in the road than she had anticipated, though that was a mistake on her part to not expect problems. One of the most concerning of which, and came to no surprise after the type of lifestyle they become accustomed to after these years, was a ring of bandits an thugs. Nothing was special about these men, and they were all in all rather plain and unimposing but for their bad attitude and penchant for finding the most wealthy of the new residents, (though even the most so were not all that wealthy at all) and robbing them blind. The hard part of course in deterring such crimes was finding those responsible. Not completely incompetent, these men were educated or trained well enough to remember that hiding one's identity was a key part of being able to continue their life of crime. Other than that, they all seemed to be fairly ordinary. Average build and height, no visible tattoo's or blemishes or even hair color was visible with a hood pulled up over their heads and masks upon their face. Lack of consistency in victims and locations and good stolen made it all the more difficult to find a pattern or trail. While Nova was not sure that her detective skills were worth anything, if she were to maintain any sort of respect she needed to help the people in her village this was a task that needed to be done.

It was nearly entirely luck that Nova would find anything at all. Walking around the outer circle of buildings, she was watching people scurrying around with purpose to get their lives together in the newly created streets of Sunagakure to see if there were any denizens behaving suspiciously. As she were about to turn a corner onto a wide walkway, out of the corner of her eye she would spot a figure slinking towards a narrow alleyway. Dressed head to toe in black, though a mop of sandy hair was visible for just a moment before a mask was pulled on while he moved. Slowly and cautiously, Nova would angle herself to peer down the darkened path between buildings. Not only was there the man Nova had watched attempt to disappear there, but several more. At least five men, all dressed in the same black clothing as they gathered around a door. Nearing the entrance to the alley, Nova would watch closely with fingers twining in anticipation of needing to use the tools at her disposal.  

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Ryu sat in his surprisingly cool shop in defiance of the sheer heat outside. A wolf alone in his den waiting for the young and naive to visit. To come to the Jackal and pay his price for his deals as steep as they were. Silly little children trying to live forever. Seeking treasure and adventure. He would sell them what they needed to be more than pups but they would learn the price of these weapons came with more than coin. There would be blood in the sands and the water. He knew some were little more than lambs to the slaughter. The price of greed was to great for some but the people wanted to feel secure. They wanted to feel protected and his weapons provided comfort as did his alcohol. Still there would be some who would not know better. His customers were based on that mostly. Among them though were fools that did not know his name or his reputation. Fools that would challenge him and their price would be far higher. Thugs and thieves that thought this rebuilt nation meant easy stomping grounds. Ryu might be all but retired but he was once a strong warrior. Once a warrior, always a warrior. Another beast in the animal kingdom.

Suddenly there was a pounding on his back door like something heavy was attempting and failing to break it down. The first hit was solid enough for him to lazily glance at the shaken wood. Dust crumbling off of it. The second hit and third were faster and more panicked. They had lost their element of surprise and now were trying to just brute force their way in. Almost lazily Ryu would grab a small gourd before popping the cap and sipping off it. Shuffling over to the door he eyed it as he sucked on his teeth until a fourth hit echoed. With that he undid the latch and let the door creek open as he leaned against a beam behind him. Looking to the assorted masked men staring at him in shock. Having expected him to maybe barricade himself in. They only had a few minutes before shinobi arrived after all. For a moment there was a stillness filled with silence as each of them glanced at each other. Only broken when Ryu lifted the gourd to sip at it. Clearly he wasn't bothered by their numbers. Five nobodies was the same as one nobody.

Finally the leader of the group, a rather large man, stepped forward. All in black with a mask on. Likely he was very warm in that get up but if they stuck to the alley they would stay moderately cooler. It was clear he was the ring leader of the idiot brigade. He would crack his knuckles and chuckle as he stepped forward. "Alright little man. You stand there quietly and nobody bleeds. Let us take what we want and you keep all yer teeth. If not yo...." About that moment the man had crossed the threshold of the shop and Ryu smiled. Now this man was trespassing and threatening him. Even if he was just a citizen he was in the right to defend himself. What cut the man off was Ryu lifting his hand with the glove on it. The glove hummed with life and Ryu merely tapped the man on the sternum. There was a massive bang as sound waves unleashed from the chakra tech device and the easily three hundred pound man flew back. The white of his eyes already visible as his sternum shattered and he hit the wall on the other side of the alley with a crash. He wasn't dead but he would need to spend time in a recovery bed.

Now Ryu walked out of his establishment taking another swig of his drink as he walked into clear view now. The heat difference hitting him before he brushed his hair back. The glove had discharged but it was already slowly humming back to life with a new charge. His blue eye not covered in the eye patch would begin to glow despite the dim light in the alley as electricity crackled around him. He would grin in such a way that anyone looking at him would know he didn't care if he had to issue to some violence on folks. It was the kind of grin one fighter in the street might have when faced with something that held no threat to him. Still he didn't need to draw too much attention to himself. Just a shop keeper after all. So he spoke and looked to each of them with his piercing gaze one by one as he spoke.

"Now here's the deal see. You bunch just stumbled onto a hell gate. And the demon inside usually would just take your lives as payment. However you lads have a stroke of luck. I'm feelin just a wee bit lazy at the moment. So you have the option of dragging the dumb one out of here and letting all your allies know. The Jackal ain't a wounded puppy right? You come steppin at me door like that again, and you don't walk away. Savvy?"

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