Daraku's eyes were alight with excitement as he waded through the sand, his cloak wrapped around his face like a shawl to shield him from the grains whipping around in the air. It seemed there was never a day where Sunagakure no Sato wasn't plagued by incessant winds, but he didn't mind, it gave him a feeling of nostalgia, brought him back to his childhood. His lips bent into a soft smile as, step by step, he neared the area where he was to receive his mission. Yes, a mission...since news of his return had gone through the underground black markets and the slums of Suna, many had been contacting him for their personal requests, most of which he rejected, but with this particular task, there was a specific incentive for him to do it. Firstly, it was a job that could easily be done in a clandestine manner; the fewer regular people who knew of his rise to power within the Ishido, the better. If too many people found out, bounty hunters and maybe even the Kazekage may come after him, and that wasn't a risk he was willing to take.

Next, the job had a ryo reward, and money was always a good reason to do something. And finally, probably most important to him, was the fact that the mission itself didn't necessarily have to be completed as assigned, in his mind. Daraku had a plan set out to do what they asked...or at least make them think that he did, when in fact he would be furthering his own agenda. From the letter they had sent him, he understood that he was to retrieve an amulet that was an heirloom in their oh-so prestigious clan. Problem was, the amulet had been lost for hundreds of years and no one knew where it was exactly. All they knew was that it was somewhere out in the Dunes. Daraku took it upon himself so he could make a decoy amulet, give it to them, and take the real one for himself to keep or sell if it had no practical use. He went over the plan again in his head as he arrived at their clan hideout, and said the pass phrase to the guard outside. "Patience yields diamonds and pain bolsters endurance." an odd phrase, but he didn't argue. The guard let him in without hesitation.

Daraku approached the clan head, and received his task in person this time. "Hello, Daraku-san. I would like to personally thank you for assisting us in this. Here is a map of the dunes and half of your reward, I wish you the best of luck in finding the amulet and you'll receive the remainder upon your return." Daraku nodded and left the compound, out into the vast sands and blue sky once again. His eyes were like sapphire crystals, holding true through the sandstorm, focused on the horizon. He walked at a fast pace, but his body didn't show signs of swift movement. Grace seemed to emanate from him like an angel, with his feet in perfect poise and his arms swaying to and fro as he proceeded. He lifted his hand up to feel his face...there was a thin scab from the cut his father's sword had given him. It wouldn't scar, though, unlike the stab wound he'd received. A deep mark was embedded into his skin where that had been, a permanent testament to his battle with his father. Easily concealed by his armor...

A shift in the terrain stopped Daraku. Something was happening to the sand, it was sinking. Quicksand? It couldn't be--too late. He dropped a foot and caught himself, gripping at the surface desperately, but each grasp only picked up loose sand, and he continued sinking, sinking, until he was completely submerged, and everything went dark. When his eyes opened next, it was still rather dim, but he seemed to be on solid ground. Cobblestone, bedrock, something of the sort. He knocked on it a few times with a clenched fist; stable enough, so he rose to his feet. He activated Fire Release: Suture to use the concentrated flames as a makeshift candle, illuminating his surroundings. The first thing he noticed were the scorpions...they were all over the walls, the ground, the ceiling...everywhere. Sand and patches of stone surrounded him, and the path ahead branched into many different halls. A labyrinth in every sense of the word. Daraku marched ahead, stamping down any scorpions in his path and crushing them. He had an amulet to find.

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Daraku was faced at the first fork in the dungeon, the glow from his hand just being sufficient enough to dimly light a meter or so in all directions...from what he could tell, the path to the left was a ramp that went up and bent into another path, and the path to the right was a staircase down. Just based on common sense, downward paths delved deeper into dungeons, and treasures always seemed to be at the deepest parts. His decision was thus an easy one, and he proceeded down the stairs, being wary of the scorpions. He'd already seen dozens of them, most of which were small but with each step deeper into the corridor there sized seemed to increase. He could only assume that the most lethal and largest scorpions lay at the furthest depths of this labyrinth. His will was set, however, and it did not make a difference to him. Killing some creatures along the way wouldn't be a setback in finding the precious pendant.

On and on Daraku walked, letting his mind wander as he did. It seemed that the images of his father's corpse wouldn't leave him in the coming weeks, months, maybe even years. It had already been one week and he'd had nightmares of it every night. Was he all that traumatized by killing the man? Yes. And every time he tried to push it out of his mind, it only came back with a vengeance, cries of agony, memories of the bloodshed, a pulsing feeling against the scar on his stomach. It made him sick, but all this time, he'd suppressed it for the good of himself and the rest of the Ishido. No one had time for weakness, not now. The air became thin as he reached what must have been the bottom floor. He could feel himself growing weaker, light-headed, time seemed to slow to a snail's pace. All he could hear was the sound of sand falling, grain by individual grain, onto the bedrock, and the clicking and tapping of the scorpion's armored legs as they moved across the ground. This was a dead end, but that wasn't a bad thing. There was a glimmer in the corner of the room, next to a large scorpion and a patch of sand. The chain attached made it clear, this was the amulet.

Daraku walked over and snatched it up, focusing his eyes on it carefully. It was gold with a large onyx stone of square-cut, nothing all that unique, but nonetheless valuable. He slipped it into his pocket with a smile. He unsheathed his sword and stabbed the large scorpion through the back, killing it immediately before pulling the blade out and turning back around. He couldn't stand the air down there anymore, he had to get out before he passed out. He hustled back through the corridors, up the stairs, and up the ramp until he saw the sunlight shining above. The fresh outdoor air was clean...well, cleaner, rather, as there was still the stiff scent of sand flying through the sky. He turned to the horizon, once more, and made his way back home, for the time being. When he arrived at the Ishido Castle, he went through the cabinets of his father's abandoned chamber, in search of any piece of jewelry he could...luckily, his father was a greedy man, and he found a large necklace soon enough. That would be the decoy, and it would work well for the purpose, too. Based off of the engraving on the back of the real necklace, he carved them into the back of the decoy, s he had "proof" that it was real. He turned away and left the building, waving to Kiyoshi on his way out, muttering a quick, "I'll be back in a sec, I have to go do a favor for some people," as he went. His footsteps in the sand were swept away as he returned to the family...

Daraku faced the guard once again. "Just let me in, I already gave you the passcode last time I came in."  The guard complied and opened the gate, and Daraku proceeded until he met the clan head face to face once again. He held out the decoy. "Here you go, I got your pendant." The man took it out of his hand with a suspicious look, and looked down at the scroll in his lap as he checked the engravings on the back. "Yes, yes, these do seem to be the correct seals and there's the clan emblem...well, thank you! Here is your reward." he handed Daraku a bag of a few hundred ryo and shooed him away. Daraku grinned and pocketed the bag, and took his leave. Oh, how gratifying this heist was to his kleptomania...now he had some nice cash and a rare amulet.

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