The rain was still pouring down over the village and people were running for shelter through the streets. They wanted somewhere to hide from the rain, to stay safe and dry. But there were those who would still willingly stand out in the rain, just to get the chance of having a little fun. A plume of smoke rose up from around them, but not the kind from jutsu fires. The grey sort of smoke that came from cigarettes, the pungent smell of the cancer-sticks polluted the air around them. Their smokers were almost as repugnant as the things they were smoking. They were around 14, in the final year of their examinations, and really should be in class around now. But, instead, they were standing in the rain talking and laughing about what they'd done recently. They had been responsible for a recent crime wave, a bunch of petty thievery, graffiti and other stupid and almost entirely pointless crimes. What was worse was that they had no good reason to steal. They all came from well-respected families, and everyone of them could have earned that money honestly. But no, instead they thought it was a good idea to try and earn money without doing anything for it. Their laziness was almost suffocating, as suffocating as the smoke-filled air around them.

The leader of the boys, a young black-haired teen, began to talk. His voice was gravelly, and rather unpleasant, like someone who was suffering from a severe throat infection.
"So, what did we get this time?" His question was completed with an inquisitive little glance to a member of his gang, a girl who had clearly not developed yet, judging by how young she looked. She could easily have made someone thought she was innocent, and that was a trick she frequently used. Pretend to be lost, get someone to show her around, steal their wallet and bring it back to the group. However, unlike the leader of the group, her voice was honeyed and could actually be cute if you didn't know what she did.
"I got that idiot from the Senju clan to show me around this morning. He had a fat wallet full of ryo." Her words were callous and despite her voice, they were foul. They actually stung all the worse because of the form that was saying them. She pulled a small bag out of her shirt, before tossing it over to the leader. He opened it up and smiled as the ryo pretty much bulged out of the top of it. This was a good haul, very good. It seemed to be around the same amount of money that someone doing a B-rank mission would do. They were so obsessed with the money that lay in their hands that they didn't even notice a man standing in the shadows a little further down the street.

That man, standing cloaked in the shadows of the street, was busy rewrapping his bandages. Ever since he'd taken it off in his argument with that damned Senju, they had been way too loose. It always felt like they were going to fall off, and he'd had to retie it several times. It was irritating, why couldn't he get it right? Finally giving up two minutes later, he looked down the street and started walking, making sure to stay as deep in the shadow as he could. He didn't want to give his location up too easily. After all, he might be stronger than them, but they had the number advantage. Four of them against one of him. Oh, he was sure he could take three on easily enough, but the fourth one might be a bit tricky. He'd have to do something about that. As he got closer and closer, their conversation became audible, talking about how easy people were to rob in this town.... Maybe he could blame his own little antics on these kids? There was nobody who knew that it was definitely him, and they were already known robbers. Who would believe known criminals over the guy who went out of his way to bring them in? Nobody, that's who.

His cheeks puffed out as he continued to shoot through his jutsu signs, before letting out an odorless, invisible gas. The wind blew it until it surrounded the kids, but they were too busy talking to realize what was going on just a little behind them. Finally it settled and concentrated around them, as he moved into his second jutsu. The ram, the bull, the snake! A large concentration of mud seeped out of his hands, elongating and sharpening until it was in the form of a sword. However, finally the light under his wrapping was noticed by one of the gang members, but before he could cry out, Kai's sword set itself on fire. Whilst this was fastening it into a true blade, it also had a much more immediately effective effect. The sudden influx of heat detonated the gas, causing a large explosion that wrapped around the hoodlums and trapped them in the fire. It cleared seconds later, two of them on the floor as he held his sword aloft, pointing it at the gang leader's face. The sharp edge was between his eyes, and it was clear that a single thrust would be enough to deprive him of the rest of his young life.
"You're going to stand down, understand?" The boy nodded, gulping violently. If there was any fight in him, it had gone when he'd been caught in the explosion. He backed away slightly and fell over onto his ass.
"W-who are you?" Why was that question always one that ended up being asked? he didn't see how it mattered, and he was not going to give them an honest answer.

"I'm the guy who got paid to deal with you. Now, that bag of ryo." he said, pointing to it with the hand that was still free.
"Give it to me, and don't ask questions." A quick throw and a catch, Kai ended up with his bag of ryo. Slipping it into his coat pocket, he did the obvious thing.... and slammed the kid around the side of the head with the flat of the blade. It wouldn't do any lasting damage, but the strength behind it was enough to knock him unconscious. He doubted if the little brat would try skiving off anymore, and he certainly wouldn't try doing any more crimes. He smiled slightly to himself, patting his coat pocket. That bag of ryo... he knew he would be expected to bring it back and give it to the people that it rightfully belonged to, but honestly, who cared about what was right? This was his money now! Who was going to know, anyway? yet one more donation to the clan.

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