Trilby pulled his lighter from the pocket of his jacket. It was a sleek, black square with a red Ouroboros carved into the side, custom made. Opening it, he struck it, using the flame it produced to reduce the scroll he was holding to ashes. A new mission had fallen into his lap. Burglary, specifically. It wasn't his first time dealing with theft, but unlike his first case, this one was a hit and run with a suspect, rather than a consistent, unknown burglar. An elderly man, in his fifties at least, standing 5'10 with long grey hair. He worked as a night guard for a Sunagakure bank, before he raided the vault one night and fled. His home was apparently found stripped of all immediate important possessions when they arrived, like he had fled in a hurry. Still, it was the only place he had to start, so Trilby made his way to the man's old apartment. The distinct musk of old age wafted through the air as he opened the door. The apartment was trashed, clearly it had been raided in a hurry. The clothes were gone, and a safe in the corner was open, empty. Trilby wandered through the ransacked apartment. An old photograph was on the bedside table, a picture of a man fitting the description in question. Pulling it out of the frame, Trilby looked around the apartment for more clues. The set of drawers at the foot of his bed were quite intricate, but, checking every drawer they had, Trilby found them empty. Odd. It was too... Tidy. Everything else in the apartment was trashed, even in the wardrobe he had left scraps of clothes, yet the drawers were immaculate. Examining them closer, the top drawer had a fake bottom. Trilby carefully removed the bottom, revealing various withered pieces of paper, and an old book. Quickly looking through the notes, a town named Demizu was mentioned multiple times. With no other leads to go on, Trilby decided to investigate this strange town

Upon consulting a map, he found it was located a days trip from Sunagakure, to the south. Packing his combat gear, and the photo of the man, he hit the road. It didn't take too long for him to reach the village, by which time the sun was setting. Still, no time to stop working now. Trilby made his way for the inn, purchasing a room for the night and showing the innkeeper the photo. “He doesn't look familiar, but then again I see so many people, everyone blurs together” Damn, he should've known it wouldn't be this easy to find the guy. Still, he'd catch the bastard eventually, he always did. But for now, it was time to retire.


The bang of hammers dragged him from his sleep. The sun was just beginning to rise and construction was under way on the building across the street. Still, it made for a good alarm clock. Dragging himself out of bed, Trilby got dressed and went into town, picture in hand. He would find this thief if he was here, and make him pay. Demizu was a miserable little town, full of depressed looking people shambling about without purpose. Apparently, the local mine had been closed, and the people were out of work. Still, Trilby didn't particularly care, he wasn't here for them or their issues, he was here to find a thief. Random people on the street either ignored his questioning entirely or denied knowing the individual, so after an hour of asking the foot traffic, Trilby decided on a different approach. One by one, he entered the local groceries and merchants, questioning the shop clerks and salesmen about the identity of his mystery thief. After a long series of people pleading ignorance, he finally found something with substance. The small cafe was reasonably dusty and unloved, the weariness of the town had clearly been seeping in. The elderly woman greeted him with a smile and a wave. ”How may I help you sir?” she said energetically. It seemed like she hadn't seen a customer in a long time. Trilby slid the photo of the elderly suspect across the counter towards her. ”I'm looking for this man, have you seen him?” The woman stared intently at the photo for a few seconds before her eyebrows shot up. ”Oh I know him!” Touzoku, grew up around here. Moved away when he was... 16, 17? I haven't seen him in at least thirty years. Trilby grinned. A local. It made sense he'd have headed in this direction once he realised shinobi would be on his tail. ”Where did he live?” ”Oh... He lived on the outskirts, in a small brown shack, red door. Funny little house. No one's lived there for years... why?” Trilby didn't answer her, grabbing the photo and running off. An empty shack, his home from his childhood. It made sense that he would head there if he had to hide.

The dingy shack stood out from the rest of the houses in the outskirts, by it's bright red door. An unusual colour for a door, after all, especially for the slums. Trilby made his way for the back, seeking a back-door of some kind. Trilby walked up quietly to the door, turning the handle gently. The old door turned in smoothly, letting out a small squeak as it's aged hinges saw their first action in years. Trilby snuck in quietly, searching room by room. The lounge, kitchen and bathroom were all empty. Trilby eventually stumbled across the only shut door in the house, most likely a bedroom. If Touzoku was hiding here, this would be where he'd be. Trilby unsheathed a kunai, slowly turning the door handle before swinging it open. The old man stirred from his sleep, screaming as he saw Trilby in the house, weapon drawn. ”Oh god I'm sorry don't kill me!” the man howled, backing into a corner. Trilby advanced, Kunai still raised. ”Where is the money, Touzoku?!” ”In the wardrobe!” Trilby stashed the kunai, forming a quick few handseals. He spewed forth a doppelganger of himself that went to restrain the thief, while Trilby went to grab the money from the wardrobe. Time to head back to Sunagakure and turn this maggot in.

Word Count: 1048/1000

Spoiler: