Mission:

Yesterday, Kurai and his sister met some of the children of the survivors of Korigakure; revealing themselves to be mostly composed of bullies who'd insulted their clan and tried to belittle them. Kurai and Hikari responded by beating most of them bloody and senseless. That night and the next morning the Yanagi home was visited by the parents of the children who were beaten the most severe; Jin and Hitomi's parents among them. It seemed the apple didn't fall very far from the tree, as some of the parents were themselves bullies. Kurai knew his parents wouldn't be intimidated by the likes of them, standing up to all of them and explaining that their children wouldn't have done the things they'd done without a good reason.

Last night, Kurai was travelling beneath the earth below his new house, searching for a place where he could discreetly enter into the basement, when he came across an old green pack that had the symbol of a Leaf on it. Kurai had never seen the symbol before, so perhaps it was the symbol for a village that no longer existed. Taking the pack inside and to his room, there was a note inside from an individual named “Spook.” He explained how he was once a Shinobi from a village called Konohagakure, and that it was destroyed when the plague ravaged the lands. He explained that his home was destroyed and the love of his live was lost to him, so he'd given up on life altogether, and rather than commit suicide, he was going to wander the wilds and unknown territories. He left scrolls containing his best Taijutsu techniques in the pack, beckoning the person lucky enough to find the pack to learn and master them.

Kurai, figuring he'd found a hidden treasure left behind in the ruins of Korigakure, spent all of that night learning what he was capable of. There were other more powerful abilities within, and once he became stronger he planned to learn and master those as well. There was also a scroll that told of a clan of Sage Apes that dwelled in the forests just outside of a village called Niwaurushigakure. Spook, before deciding to give up the life of a Shinobi, intended on venturing into the forests to find these Apes. Sage Apes that lent their great strength to humans lucky enough to find and prove themselves. It sounded very interesting to Kurai, and gave him a reason to travel. First, he would have to become stronger, rank up, and learn the technique given to him by the Garden Caretaker.

So to pass the time and create an even better reputation in Hinowa so he'd be allowed to leave when the time came, Kurai took on another job. This time, he'd be playing bodyguard to the child of a rich family, “Little Miss Hai” she was called. His task was simple: follow her around all day, in school, and escort her back home. Her family was rich, so successful completion of this task would probably set in well with Kouki, and the other 2 founders of the village. Even though Kurai didn't say anything, he was quickly taken on for the job. Hai's father even complimented Kurai, saying that most youths his age these days “talked to damned much,” and that Kurai was “easy to talk to because he wasn't interrupting him every 5 minutes.”

Walking the girl to school was no problem. Hai and her fellow schoolgirls gossiped and giggled amongst themselves, occasionally shooting glances in his direction before bursting out into ridiculous giggle fits, but Kurai paid it little to no mind. Following her around school was no problem either, going with her from class to class and enduring the looks of her fellow school children, but this was no problem either. In lunch, there was a massive food fight. Kurai was successful in using his speed to deflect any food that came in Hai's direction, much to her amazement. Suddenly the giggles and hushed gossip stopped upon seeing what Kurai was capable of, and a barrage of questions came his way from she and her friends. Of course, Kurai said nothing.

Little Miss Hai seemed to be disappointed that she got no answers to her many questions; nevertheless her tone was now changed and she seemed to become one of his “fans,” so to speak. It was when escorting the girl up the front walk to her large luxurious house that the man dressed in black with a mask covering his features appeared from the bushes that went around the entire perimeter of the estate attempted to snatch the girl. Kurai saw him coming long before they were even near her house. Instead of the girl, he was given a furious combination of kicks that knocked him flat on his ass. The kidnapper jumped up and performed a jutsu in which he created 2 other clones of himself. Kurai couldn't feel them on the ground when they moved, letting him know that the kidnapper's clone technique was little more than a ruse; an optical illusion. Kurai let the kidnapper know that he knew about his fake technique by leaping and performing a new move he'd learned from Spook's scroll called “The Violent Heel.” his foot smashed into the jaw of the kidnapper, sending him barrel rolling 3 times through the air to crash violently and fall motionless.

Amazed and thankful, Little Miss Hai gave Kurai a hug, but he kept his hands to himself. Hai's parents were witness to the short brawl and also thanked him. Kurai only nodded his head, and went to leave as village security arrived to apprehend the attempted kidnapper. It was another job well done...

Word Count: 957