As it tends to be in Kirigakure, it was a misty morning. The streets were growing lively with people preparing to open their businesses for the day, all used to the greys of the skies and buildings. And among this growing crowd, was a lone ninja girl. Her long hair was black, with various highlights through it, a rather crude looking hat on her head. Befitting of the nature of the village, the rest of her attire was full of greys. This person was Alwen Sangotatsu, and for once, she was not wearing her forehead protector. In her hand, a piece of paper detailed her instructions. One of the rich houses has been robbed, and the things that were stolen must be recovered. Jewels were the one thing that were shown on the page with a picture. Furthermore, it is rumoured that the person who stole the jewels intends to sell them. Which meant Alwen was on a timer. Find the thief before they sold off the items, catch them, apprehend them, and all of that lovely stuff. This was exactly why they were dressed as they were. When she first saw her instructions, Alwen concluded that this was a time for sneaky subterfuge. For going undercover. Oh, this would be exciting!

She walked through the streets, making her way carefully through the bustling streets, doing her best to blend in. It was fortunate for her that her hat covered the top of her head, because otherwise she would stick out like a sore thumb. After all, it’s hard to go undercover with horns. So with that, she made her way to what she concluded was the best destination. Alwen nodded, as if to confirm her resolve as she made her way there. To the rough part of the village. Every village has one, a place where crime is more active, and most people tend to avoid it. It only makes sense that places like that exist. Crime and issues aren’t the sort of thing that can ever truly be rid of. Human nature and all of that gibberish.

It didn’t take too long to make it to her destination. The buildings alone showed the difference between the main parts of Kirigakure and here. Less weather resistant, the buildings were in disrepair, rusty pipes dripping with leftover water. Glass was scattered about the ground, Alwen making sure to avoid stepping on it and getting cut, her basic sandals not offering much protection. Her dusty brown shirt seemed to almost be the same colour as the walls she was manoeuvring around, although the walls were more dirty than dusty. She went from alley to alley. She’d heard rumours of this place, and of people who could perhaps help her find the person she was looking for. Taking a left, and then a right, she just kept going from place to place. Her presence was noticed, but not enough for people to care. Or, most people. A man clad in black, face obscured by what looked like a carnival mask, stepped out from a corner, having followed Alwen in curiosity. He was larger than the ninja girl, however none of his features were visible or defined. Alwen decided to speak before he spoke, wanting to direct the conversation in the direction she wanted it to. “I’m a collector… A collector of things such as precious jewels…” she paused, looking up at the man as if to discern a form of reaction, of which there were none. On top of this, she knew she had to form a plan to get information out of him. Was he a broker? A creepy guy that had just been following her and she had to beat him up? She had no way of knowing, unless she flat out asked. “So tell me… Are you the sort who can help me with my goal, or are you the sort I will have to kill?” of course, this was just a bluff. She wouldn’t kill him if he tried anything, but she had to at least sound tough. Alwen was fortunate, in the fact that the man clearly didn’t want to start a fight. With a nod, he simply pointed to his left. “Raggs might be the one you’re after. Recently ‘ad a nice pretty fetch from some o’ them richa blokes. Ya may want to hurry on over there though love, ‘as ‘e’s got this ol’ deal from what I’ve ‘eard.” She made a mental note of what she assumed he said, his thick accent not making it very easy. Before Alwen could ask why he said so much, the stranger in the mask simply shrugs and says. “I ‘ave my reasons for ‘elping. ‘alf of which bein’ I ‘ate the bastard ‘e’s got the deal with. So, do ol’ Guv here a favour, and sock ‘im one wouldya?” So that was his deal. A grudge. With a nod, Alwen turned and ran off on her way, leaving the man on his own. She’d try to avoid any conflict if she could, but realistically, that wasn’t going to happen.

A rooftop position. That was where Alwen decided to make herself ready, watching down on the place the masked man pointed her to. It surely seemed to be a place a deal could be made, an alleyway with nobody else there. A minute of waiting resulted in nothing. Another minute, and it began to rain. Another five minutes, and something happened. From one end of the alley, a man showed up. He looked to be old, although this could be from the stress and aging of living in these conditions. His clothes were battered, and rather raggedy. Meanwhile, from the other end, was someone who looked completely different. Dressed in formal, dark clothes, someone who looked quite young and had long flowing hair made their way towards the other man. The two stopped about 2 metres from each other. A sensible distance, in theory. But, perhaps if this was the target, not the best for today. After all, it’d been raining enough to cause puddles on the ground, something which meant this was now an area in Alwen’s control.

The older looking man took out a necklace from his coat. It was gold and green, incredibly ornate. Exactly what she was looking for. She waited for the younger guy to stretch out his hand before she made her move. Rather nonchalantly, she dropped off the roof, aiming for the spot in-between the two. As she fell, she used her clan’s hydrokinesis to move the water from the rain and puddles. Slowly it gathered, building into a net that she used to catch her. Standing in-between the two, two thoughts crossed Alwen’s mind: That was cool, and maybe not the best idea. The young man didn’t waste another second, taking off in a sprint, several curse words being the only thing said. The other man however, the one left behind, was not running. Instead he struck forwards, hitting Alwen square in the chest. She stumbles backwards, raising the water up to protect from the oncoming pursuit. To further deter him from attacking, she began focusing her yin chakra into the water, the hue changing to a reddish colour. The instant the man’s fist hit the water, he jumped back, panting slightly as he found himself become drained. Alwen didn’t waste a second to counter attack. She clapped her hands together, an orb of water forming and shifting in form. This orb became a whip, a whip she wielded in her left hand. She cracked it towards him, the water growing green as she did so. It extended, and extended, gripping him by the leg. The thief cried out in pain as the end of the whip, which had formed into the mouth of a dragon, bit down into his flesh, barbed coils now wrapping around to further hold him in place.

“Please! Stop! Spare me!” he cried, tears welling in his eyes. Alwen watched as the man seemed to retreat emotionally, getting on his knees and begging to the genin. “I have a family! That’s all I’m doing this for! Please understand! My child is sick! I have to help him!” these words rung within Alwen’s thoughts. This man had a son who was unwell. She could empathise with him in that regard; the memory of her brother’s death was still strong in her mind. Allowing the water whip of hers to fade, Alwen held out a hand, asking calmly. “Can I please have what you stole?” Despite this, the thief, seeing an opportunity to escape, ran. Hurt by him saying such a story and then not being honourable, Alwen took out her kunai knife, propelling it towards his already injured leg. Stab! And then the man fell to one knee. Alwen, shaking her head, walked up to him, using her red hydrokinesis technique to form handcuffs out of water. The man shackled, she took the stolen jewellery off his person, and guided him out of the alleyway, trying to take the quietest route out of the slums as possible, so as to avoid her cover being blown. “If your family story was true, then all you had to do was ask our lady Mizukage for help. Sending in a request, someone would have been able to help. You only have yourself to blame.” She says rather blatantly. She tried to trust this man and instead he tried to flee. Her pity was done. With a sigh, she finally announced. “Mention your family problem at the trial. Your punishment will happen, but perhaps your family may get aid nonetheless.” And with that, Alwen handed in the criminal, returning the items to their previous owners. There were a few missing trinkets, but none that the rich people that owned the jewels cared enough about to worry. Mission complete, Alwen went home to contemplate and meditate. The man mentioned family, yet seemed ready and willing to abandon them for self-preservation. She couldn’t pretend to understand his feeling. She grew up in a clan household with all that she really needed there. But she could understand the feeling of family. Which is what hurt the most about his attempt to escape. The sheer lack of morality that he had to have in order to try to avoid judgement. It sickened her. And so she meditated. Thinking. Mind wandering to all the possibilities of how today could have gone. It would have been nice if she had been able to apprehend the other guy as well, but at the very least she got the target. Mission complete.

1774/1000 WC complete
[EXIT THREAD]

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