[Plotboard] Blood and Ale

[Isuzu]

The wind howled outside as a lone figure in a black cloak traveled over the land, riding atop a black stallion. It was cold, as evident by the steam coming from the horse nose as it made its way down the winding, cobblestone road. The moon was full tonight and cast long shadows, allowing the swaying trees that dotted along the sides of the road to set an ominous tone.

"...I hope these guys prove to be worth all this trouble ... We have important things to do..." A sinister voice spoke like whispers from inside Takeshi's skull. The guest occupant of his body had been a bit more skeptical than the shinobi had been on the offering from the parchment that now resided inside his cloak pocket. "...Now Greed - you should trust me on this one. I see promise in their proposal..." Takeshi retorted only within his own mind to Greed, his spirit that resided within. Coming over a hill, the lights from the small village could be seen, meaning he was getting close. "...For their sake, I hope you're right...". The sinister way in which he said this gave Takeshi a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. The two of them could practically finish each others sentences by this point. And they both agreed that wasting their time was a quick way to get on their shit list - a list no one wanted to be on.

---

Having made his way successfully into the village, he rode through atop his horse - as if a King among peasants. He was sure to take in the look on each one's face as he walked through. He savored the expressions on their faces, a smirk creasing his face, obscured by the hood of his cloak. Right as he passed an older woman his horse released it's bowels mid-trot, leaving a trail of stench and poop behind it. The lady audibly gasped - much to his amusement. He let out an audible "Tch." She mumbled something under her breath, but Takeshi didn't hear her nor particularly care what she had to say. She was beneath him - and he was running late.

He jumped off of his horse when he saw the tavern in the town he'd been summoned to and walked up to the hitching post. He tied the horse's reins around the post and pet it's snout a few times. Kingu had been a good steed, so he put a bag of oats over its snout and allowed it to eat. It was a long journey back - he'd need his strength. Cloak and hood still on, he opened the door of the establishment and made his way straight to the bartender. The place was full of all kinds of people, ranging from large, angry looking men to big bosomed women. He didn't take a seat, instead electing to simply order Shochu with 3 cups. There were two people next to him being particularly loud, something about arm wrestling. He let out a small laugh to himself, before motioning to the bartender. "A bottle of your best Shochu. With 3 cups, please." The man he'd spoken to leaned over the bar, his arm supporting his weight. "I don't serve a man whose face I haven't seen." He pointed at his head, insinuating Takeshi remove his hood before he'd serve him. Begrudgingly, he slid the hood off of his head, showing his short white hair and piercings. The two men shared a short stare into each other eyes before the bartender began getting Takeshi's drink prepared.

He was supposed to make his way to a table in the back and, well, wait. But his patience was already wearing thin - "...They better make this quick..." His eyes scanned the room for who he could be supposedly meeting, as well as accessing any threats. "...Now, now, Takeshi - I'm sure their proposal will be well worth the wait..." Greed enjoyed poking fun at Takeshi, much to the annoyance of his host. "...Shut it..." The demon cackled a little in Takeshi's head, the latter's eyes still scanning the room.

[Trusted Grader]

Chikara knew that he rather keep his prospects waiting rather than to be the one who came there first, he had been used to being the one that came early and that always ended up with him being out of it and cause himself to embarrass himself. He had his new partner in crime towing with him, and knew that that he had to keep him busy otherwise he would lose him to his obligations; which were to convert people to Jashinism. Chikara wasn't very fond of that religion but knew that every man had their duties, and no matter what he would support the man as long as he didn't betray him.

"So... This guy is from Kirigakure and had recently escaped, so I think that if we play our cards right then we can gain a new ally to our cause. Worst case scenario he might help us on our mission and we part ways." Chikara chuckled as he had to be realistic, he had lost many agents along the way and wasn't sure of people anymore.

Once they reached the village, he would head towards the tavern and pass a black horse, seeing as it was the only horse around, gave him the sensation that this was most likely the lone riders. Entering the cavern, he would inspect the crowd before he would take a step out of the tavern and push Enzaragi to the side. "Holy fuck! Ey, ehm... I think... You know what, stay out here and try not to draw too much attention to yourself okay." Chikara's eyes were tense, for he was serious. What he had seen had brought terror to his core but once he had finished his sentence he would enter the tavern.

He put on a black robe and hid his features as he walked past the woman with a massive scythe, he narrowly dodged her eyes and walked past a man with a huge scar running down his eye. Chikara continued until he reached the bar and cleared his throat, when he saw a man seated by himself with three drinks in front of him. His appearance screamed ninja, so Chikara did his best to move up to him without attracting too much attention to himself. "Yo, I heard you were looking for a job... Though... We have to get out of here." Chikara's eyes shifted towards where the woman had left then back at Takeshi to indicate that he was scared of her.

[Mre-face]

Enzaragi was with Chikara on a job to met a ninja and potential recruit, if they did just as Chikara said and "played their cards right." As they entered the village he noticed the large stallion giving of this majestic presence but that was shattered as soon as he noticed the smell. As the two closed in on the tavern just as Enzaragi was about to enter Chikara pushed him to the side. While this annoyed Enzaragi slightly he fully understood why, "Really? Fine I'll keep watch, I'll be outside if you need me." He had to be a lookout for all he could know the shinobi they were recruiting could be working undercover to eliminate any missing ninja in the area. He was kirigakure after all a village with ninja know for their ruthlessness. Well whatever you do don't screw this up.

He pulled up his black hood and put on his mask, He then gripped two of his swords in case anyone would try to sneak up on him and also put on a more serious and intimidating appearance to help scare of any troublemakers that might be lurking around. Or any drunk that would try to pick a fight with him, Enzaragi was completely calm almost relaxing even but still on guard enough that he was ready for anything to happen. Watching every corner, roof, side, houses even. For what was the use of spotter if he wasn't searching for any threats. Everything seemed to be calm until he noticed a beautiful woman with white hair and a large skeleton like scythe. It reminded him of someone, someone he knew. As he gazed closer upon the woman he finally realized who she was his eyes widened in disbelief, there was no mistaking how she was Nehan....

Chills immediately ran down his spine as the angel of death made her way unaware of his presence, he was in complete shock and horror and as such did not want to revel himself to her. Enzaragi hid all his sword immediately in case she noticed him and recognized them. He knew her wrath so reveling himself 2 years after abandoning her would surely be the end of him. To see her again after 2 years with her half raven black hair completely replaced with white, her tattoos faded and no longer visible. He never realized this woman possessed such beauty only being used to seeing her skull like facial tattoos that inspired fear, Watching her walk away both saddened him and relived him of his anxiety. She was the one to save him from slavery and he was her travel companion, only meant to be used as a mere tool sure but there was still something likable about her. But he knew that if he said something and showed himself now, that would be it for him and no one could stop her. Chikara and would never believed what he had just seen only moments ago.

[Isuzu]

Takeshi was surprised to hear the words spoken behind his back. He was very difficult to sneak up on when he wasn't vigilant, nye impossible when he was. He looked back over his shoulder at the man who'd spoken, taking inventory of the one who'd been seeking him out. He noticed the glance he gave to the woman who'd been causing a bit of a ruckus, moving his eyes to look at her for a moment. She was also small in stature but seemed strong. There was an aura about her that seemed to excite Greed. "...Ooooh, I like this one..." Greed's giddiness towards spooky women was seemingly insatiable. "...Not my type. Sorry..." Takeshi liked his women easily controlled and younger. Younger looking, anyways. He turned a bit now to face his new, shorter friend. He made a point to stress how much bigger he was. "You're shorter than I expected." He let a smirk cross his face as he slammed down the rest of his drink. He was joking around - a sign of his happiness. Hopefully, the Nara wouldn't mistake his playful attitude for small talk. Being in a shithole like this one was already wearing thin on Takeshi.

They were here for business - and business only.

[Trusted Grader]

Chikara chuckled at the comment, for most always expected him to be larger than he was. Maybe it had something to with the mercenary life style he chose to lead or maybe it was that his rumors preceded him, either way here he was, standing in front of a recruit. He knew that this place wasn't safe and chose to nod towards the door they had entered. He grinned and lead the way towards the exit, once they found themselves outside he would introduce Enzaragi to the new man then continue to trek towards the edge of the village.

He would wait for the man to follow with his horse before he would then remove the hood and reveal himself. "Okay, I don't know if you know who that woman was but let's just say that it's best that we stay out of her hair... " Chikara looked around to see if she was out of sight, he was that terrified of her. "Anyway, my name is Nara, Chikara and this is Enzaragi, I always forget people's last names but that shouldn't be a problem. I contacted you because I heard that you were looking for a job and it just so happens to be that we are looking for a third party in our new team. But, before that we have to inspect you and see if you have what it takes. Now... We could do like any regular joe smoe team and just have a fight but I figure that it's just a waste of energy and it just leaves some of us bleeding." Chikara smirked as he looked at Enzaragi, for he remembered clearly how the back of his head bled the last time they fought and he wanted to avoid that at all cost.

"There's a caravan heading towards hidden stone that is carrying a bunch of slavers and we have been hired to stop that transaction. Now, if we are lucky then maybe we can score some extra while we are at it, maybe find some people with skills to help us on our future missions, whether that is intel or manpower. What say you? The pay is good." Chikara opened his arms as he proposed the idea. "And if you don't like the team then I say we part ways as business men."

[Mre-face]

As Enzaragi stood petrified from Nehan he saw Chikara and the ninja talking business, Chikara looked at Zaragi and chuckled at him he knew immediately what he was talking about, their brawl they had the first time he meet where Enzaragi had his arm cut-off. But before Chikara could move on to his next point, Enza pried in to fill in on how 'she' was. And removed his hood and mask to revel his face and look friendlier, "Well THAT woman was Nehan one of the most notorious known Nukenin. Calling her a force to be reckoned with would be a the most severe understatement ever said." After that little bit of information Chikara move on to the next point of his business offer, He waited for the ninjas to make their next move so they could move on their mission.

Their mission was to disrupt the slave trade which was something Enzaragi had experienced first hand, Being treated as nothing but property sure they had 'rights' but they were still slaves. Which meant beating or murder if they were not careful or obedient enough, Whips or fists it didn't matter as long as you were punished. So coming as no surprise he had no problem destroying slave trade and freeing slaves.

[Isuzu]

Takeshi stood motionless, body covered by his sleeveless robe and simply listened to the man's proposition. As the man was talking, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small cigarette case with a lighter, taking a puff before holding it in his hand through the opening in his cloak. At the mention of fighting leaving them all bloody, Takeshi let out a small chuckle. He took a drag from his cigarette and said, "What if I like bleeding?", the smoke slowly leaving his mouth as he spoke, before fully exhaling at the end. He eyed the two's body language to see their reaction. After a few seconds, he let a wide grin cross his face, his sharp fangs showing prominently. "Hahaha! I'm just fucking with ya, boys!"

He looked down, taking another drag of his cigarette before looking back up, a much more serious look in his eyes than moments before. "That's it? You brought me all the way out here to ask me to join a team" His inflection of the word team would no doubt stand out. "You boys sound like a bunch of amateurs. Of course I won't join your team," He took another drag of his cigarette, quickly exhaling it before continuing, ", but I may join your Organization" He began to speak again, somewhat filibustering anything else the others could have to say. "Pick your words more carefully going forward. I won't have my name associated with some lame team." He looked down, placing his hands on his head, thumb on one temple and the other four fingers around the other, shaking his head from side to side for a moment. "...these guys really have no idea what they're doin', huh? This isn't how these things are supposed to go at all. It's really pissing me off..." Greed began muttering to Takeshi, taunting him more about how much potential these guys could have. "...I mean, look at the guy in the back. He looks....tough, mhahaha" Takeshi took another drag of his cigarette, looking up at the guys with proper annoyance on his face.

"So you want me to help you stop some slavers and then...what? That's my test - but what's the big picture here. Talk big to me!" He grinned, taking the final puff of his cigarette before throwing it onto the ground and stomping on it. "And stop talking about that woman - I couldn't give two shits."

[Trusted Grader]

Chikara sighed, as he continued to listen to Takeshi, it was obvious that the man wasn't used to the life of a mercenary for the first rule was to not go around and talk about it as an organization. An organization was a dirty word to use around countries allocated close by to large villages, it was easier for them to catch wind of a missing nin organization mobilizing thanks Yaku and Enma's hand in destroying Konoha, that was one of the reason why most preferred to call themselves teams, which turned less heads but he was correct, this was in fact an organization.

Chikara then realized that he had to turn serious for a moment, for the man seemed to get overly cocky, which was to be expected from someone who didn't know who they were talking about. The short man might appear aloof but as Enzaragi learned, this was all an act. With one quick glance over at the Jashinist, the man told him all he needed to know, before he began to channel chakra and make eye contact with Takeshi, if he looked back into his eyes then he would see that his eyes swirled for a brief second followed by nothing else.

But for each consecutive moment that passed, he would feel the tension rise between them as the uncertainty of what his eyes could do would rise, leaving him eventually with the urge to either fight or flight. Chikara grinned as he would continue his speech after Takeshi was done. "The big picture is to gather more mercenaries, do bigger job and eventually become prominent enough to be part of the global scale, we fight for no flag, we don't fight for any creed other than our own, we have no loyalty to any village, party or clients. We fight for those who pay the best and when the job is set and done, we walk away. Then of course, if you want to be loyal to any party then go ahead, but that is up to you."

Chikara shook his head and turned his back to Takeshi and continued to walk towards the border of Earth Country, he knew that there was much to do and they didn't have much time to get it done. He hated the idea of being inside a rival country but when the pay told you to cross that said line, then that line had to be crossed.

---

JutsuShow

[Your eyes sees the truth]
B-Ranked Status Genjutsu
Prerequisite: Bijon no Kanshi
Chikara first channels chakra and once the target has stared into the doujutsu eyes for one post, the genjutsu will initiate. Within the status genjutsu, they will see feel as if they are not strong enough to fight Chikara, as if they are becoming overwhelmed by the thought of engaging in a battle with him. Lasts for 5 posts.

[Mre-face]

Enzaragi looked at Takeshi with a strange expression when he got all weird with saying he liked to bleed, but was relived when he reveled it was just a joke so Enza laughed with him. Strange humor but humor nonetheless. But immediately after that strange exchange he proceed to insult their "team" which was just an cover for their organization, his arrogance was confusing considering he knew nothing about the two. At least when Enzaragi was cocky it was more playful but this was downright insulting. Enzaragi and Chikara were far from amateurs individually, and as partners they were more then professional. And they would show that on their mission, as Chikara turned around to give Enzaragi a look he knew exactly what was happening and smiled at him. Enzaragi has felt the overbearing nature of Chikara's genjutsu before when they had their "little" brawl. Enza looked at Takeshi as Chikara continued his speech, surely now he would be convinced if not then this guy was as stubborn as a mule. He didn't even care when he explained who Nehan was and brushed it of as if it was nothing to care about, so Enzaragi simply let out a sigh knowing that it would not help to elaborate on her power to convince him to care.

He looked at Takeshi and realized the black horse was his and grew curious about it and asked what it's name was "Nice horse! Used to know someone that had one similar to yours, what's it's name?" Then Enzaragi turned to follow Chikara standing to Chikara's right side as they made their way to the border of his old home known as Earth country. Enzaragi was slightly reluctant to go considering his past, but he was over that now and they have a job to do.

[Isuzu]

The guy had a bit of spunk to him. Takeshi liked spunk. His ambitions sounded good as well. A few high ranking mercenaries, assuming these two were indeed high ranking, could cause some havoc if they played their cards right. Still, the organization and delegation of duties was what really made a "team" successful, and Takeshi was interested in the finer points. What resources did they currently have? A base? Any other members? Henchmen, to do the legwork? What accomplishments did the group have already? The lack of answers was getting him a bit annoyed. Takeshi looked his new teammates in their eyes, first the guy in the back - then the one in the front. He saw a swirl of his eyes and a change in color - followed by a feeling of "power" coming from the first guy - Nara something. Whoever this guy was, Takeshi suddenly felt like he really wanted him on his side. "...Interesting, indeed..." Greed's thoughts echoed in Takeshi's mind as he stared in Chikara's eyes for a while longer, before briefly closing his eyes. He'd table those questions for after their incoming task. A sideways smile crossed his face. "Now that sounds like something I'd be interested in. It's all about how you frame it."

As Chikara began to walk away, Takeshi followed behind and got over to his horse. "His names Kingu. He's a tough guy - don't be fooled by his lovable exterior" Takeshi was obviously joking, as the horse was very imposing and dangerous looking. With a swift leg lift over the side of it, Takeshi hoisted himself up onto the back of the horse and followed behind the others, headed towards the Earth Country as well.

[Trusted Grader]

Chikara chuckled as he continued to lead them forwards, he knew that the road ahead would be long so he figured that they might as well start figuring out how they worked as a team. He knew little of Takeshi, save for that rumors on the streets being that he was good with ninjutsu, though it seemed that most people that he faced vanished from the face of the earth, or so they said. Chikara knew that Enzaragi was a their taijutsu guy so that front was covered and he himself was a genjutsu master, so they never had to worry about that front.

"So, ehm... Takeshi, tell me little about your fighting style, what do you prefer? Range? Close and upfront, ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu?" Chikara placed his hands behind his head as he turned around to look at both of them. "I use genjutsu, I love to mess with peoples minds, that guy over there is a master at hand to hand. So far I haven't faced anyone that could top him but I keep telling him not to let that get over his head." He chuckled.

He knew that the dangers were real, especially for mercenaries that couldn't really tell what was out there. There could be enemies from their old state gunning for them, or enemies of rival factions that were after them, so they needed to always stay vigilant. He'd hate the idea of either of them getting captured or worse, killed. Even if he was a missing nin, he still cared for those he took under his wings because he knew that the best bonds were created when one survived a life or death situation, a lesson he learned in Konoha, which was a shame that he never felt like he fitted in his old country.

[Mre-face]

As soon as that sideways smile crawled up his face Enzaragi knew they had him Chikara's genjutsu probably helped but still one more with them on their job, or potentially one more on their organization is something that Enzaragi would never turn down. He looked at the imposing horse that was as black as night and whispered to himself "Kingu" he then looked at Takeshi and sarcastically said "Yeah Kingu is lovely looking he speaks truly to the heart of little girls." He chuckled as they continued towards the border then Chikara began talking about their skill sets Enzaragi was close range Taijutsu, Chikara was a Genjutsu master and he hopes that Takeshi is a ninjutsu master or ninjutsu based completely balancing out the team. They were on their way on the mission without an obvious plan, Making Enzaragi even question if they had one. "So Chikara how do we do this we know our objective but what's our approach?" Hopefully they had one but improvisation could also work if they worked together properly. But if they did have a plan he just hopes nothing disrupts it as that can be a headache to deal with.

[Isuzu]

Takeshi let out a chuckle at Enzaragi's joke. Not enough people joked around with him anymore, he wasn't quite sure why. "You'd know, huh?" He let out another slight chuckle and took one hand off of his reins in order to wipe a slight tear from his eye from the laughter. He wasn't quite sure why this was so funny - but it was. Turning towards the Nara,"Where'd you find this guy, anyway?", continuing to chuckle to himself. Chikara now addressed the Jackal with a description of their fighting styles. "Is that right.." Takeshi pondered for a moment, as he'd never faced a really adept Genjutsu user. He wondered what that battle would look like - but quickly tossed out the idea as reality set in. "Looks like it's you guys lucky day - I'm you're missing piece!" He said, his elbows bent and tight to his body with his hands flared out slightly in a glamour pose. "Up close, Ninjutsu User. Blood, to be exact."

He continued on horseback and simply waited for Chikara to answer the question. His answer would show his intellect, preparedness, and ability to relay information. All key aspects of being a leader and things Takeshi greatly coveted in his comrades.

[Trusted Grader]

Chikara listened at both and wondered what was funny, he wasn't the type to like being left out but let the two share their little moment for a brief second before turning to face the horse riding ninja. He took a deep breath and grinned once he Takeshi mentioned that he was a close quarter ninjutsu fighter, which was perfect, for that was exactly what they needed in their organization.

"Believe or not, I found him on the way to a mission. He was trying to convert me to his religion and somehow we ended up fighting." He left the part end part out because it was unnecessary to go into how it ended, seeing as they recently clicked as a team. "Yeah, so what we are going to do is meet up with one of my contacts, who is already in Earth Country as you can guess. From there on out we will have to find the convoy that's taking the slaves deeper into the country and take them out before they get the chance to end up in their checkpoint. If they manage to reach it then it's too late." Chikara sighed.

He didn't say anything else, but instead tapped on his head plate-which wasn't scratched-to indicate that there would most certainly be Iwagakure ninjas standing patrol by that checkpoint, something they would want to avoid at all cost at this point. Chikara and the crew could take out a hand few of border patrol ninjas but not an entire fleet, especially considering that the team would know exactly how one another fights, while these mercenaries had minimal experience fighting together.

[Mre-face]

Enzaragi and Takeshi shared a moment of humor, Takeshi even got to throws some shade. Leaving Enzaragi with nothing to say back only to admit defeat. "Aaaaah nice you got me." He chuckled before moving on. Takeshi wondered how Chikara had found Enzaragi and proceeded with the story, But what was more important was finding out their roles and their plan. they had found out that Takeshi is a close range Blood jutsu user. Balancing out the team perfectly. Then Chikara started talking about their approach Enzaragi felt like he could use his time as a slave to give some insight on how slavers operate. While he mostly worked in one place he was dragged around quite bit to help in other areas if they needed it. "Most slavers move around a certain route and have occasional stops by villages or in the road to rest. So if we could strike them while they are resting we could probably, Take them out and free the slaves. We could also free the slaves and then attack possibly making the slaves rebel and assist us, or just... destroy them on sight It's up to you really. " He smiled with confidence and waited to see the others reaction to his plan waiting for their insight.

[Isuzu]

The mention of religion caused Takeshi to scoff. He'd never seen it do much good, "Is that right?" Takeshi eyed the religious one up and down as they walked, "You're not one of those fanatics, are ya?" He'd dealt with those types before - they were part of the reason he had Greed within him now. "...Aah, now Takeshi - I'm the best thing that ever happened to you..." Greed's sense of humor caused a small smile over The Jackal's face as he lit another cigarette, this hearing out their "leader" as he talked. His plan was solid enough. Takeshi had no stake in Earth Country, so he'd have to take Chikara's word for it on this one. If all else failed, Takeshi doubted a few border patrol could best him in a fight - though he couldn't speak for the other two.

When Enzaragi spoke, Takeshi took the time to ponder their various ways of approach. "Makes sense to try to catch 'em with their pants down." He took another drag of his cigarette, leaning his head back slightly as he allowed the smoke to fill his lungs before looking over at the other two and exhaling through his nose. "Free the slaves and let them kill their masters for us. Then, we clean up whatever's left." Takeshi stuck the cigarette back in his mouth as he rode atop his horse.

The three continued down the path towards the border of Earth Country, the stars shining brightly upon their new friendship...

"...Friendship? My, my, I didn't peg you as the sentimental type..."

"...SHUT IT!..."