Help Wanted

[Sia]

Shinobi Wanted. That was all the request had said, Ikanbi had seen it, she knew a few others had to have seen it too. There was, realistically, just no way that anyone that happened to have been out on the streets that day in the city could have possibly missed it. Why? The music, the flyers, all of it. Everything pointed in a direction somehow mysteriously towards one particular bar. Ikanbi followed it like a trail, walking through the streets carefully a few mere inches off of the ground subtly through the utilization of her boots.

What was going on? She had heard a bit through the tunnels already, but, the gist of it was that there were some spirits causing great havoc deep in the tunnels of the forest at the edge of the city and they were causing a huge problem for the miners. Truly, they could not work and so were growing rather frustrated. They could not work and so could not be paid, their bosses could not be paid, and their bosses bosses could not be paid.

Down the line, someone eventually hired shinobi, realistically, from anywhere and we do mean absolutely anywhere. It would just so happen by pure dumb luck that it would be Ikanbi and Aizen of all people that would respond to the call, though Ikanbi wasn't sure just how much suited to the task the other one may be. "You look young, are you experienced?" Ikanbi asked him playfully as she stared at the notice board.

[King of Cats]

Aizen had been traveling through Miracle Country for a few weeks now and he was growing tired of sleeping in his little leather tent. One morning he decided he would head into a nearby town and find a way to earn some money. It was long past due that he got a shower and the long haired missing ninja looked pretty ragged. He folded up his tent in the woods and sealed it back into a scroll he kept in his back pouch. Aizen planned on a successful day.

Walking into the village Aizen was alerted to a mission board posted in the town square. It had sparklers lit up all around it and smoke was filling the air above. Aizen saw the smoke signal from a long while away and headed over tot he mission board to get a lead on some money. It had been a long time since Aizen worked for a dollar and he felt like he had speed in his ass. Aizen was buzzing with excitement as he read the note.

"Attention all ninjas! Meet here at dusk on Friday for details on a top paying mission." Aizen was hooked. He instantly resolved to be there for the mission and walked back into the woods where he was camping. He didn't have much to do really besides collect some food, so Aizen figured he would occupy himself with that before dusk came.

In the forest Aizen hunted rabbits. Holding a demon wind shuriken he transformed out of a regular shuriken Aizen was on the prowl. His weapon was folded up and just barely hanging an inch off the ground. Aizen was stalking a large wild rabbit. He had been following it for fifteen meters now and the rodent had no clue an apex predator was on it's tail. Aizen silently unfolded his shuriken and prepared to swing it forward. The rabbit didn't suffer at all, Aizen cleanly severing it's backbone and killing it instantly by cutting off it's head.

At the fire he roasted the rabbit. Aizen didn't have any plans for the bones or hide so he had dug a small hole next to his fire where he buried the left overs. Skewered on a stick was the loins of the rabbit, dense, tough muscles but they were filled with the gamy taste of wild rabbit. Aizen drooled over the fire as the rabbits cooked.

When dusk time came Aizen made it back to where he had found the flyer and to his surprise there was another ninja there. She was an average height woman that seemed to be from a foreign land like Aizen. The Fukusha didn't recognize any distinct family characteristics, but as he was looking at the woman before replying to her Aizen noticed that some of her flesh seemed to be dusting apart like sand. The wind was particularly active on that day. Aizen had never seen something so strange but instead of mentioning it he kept the observation to himself and replied with a friendly tone of voice. Aizen said to Ikanbi, "I am familiar with many things. Shinobi conduct being my specialty." Aizen gave the woman a sharp smile.

[Sia]

She had heard some rumors in the area of course, she had done a little digging around. Why wouldn't she? After all, information was her business, and it was a super highway that flowed throughout the city wildly and she navigated it with ease, traversing from bar to bar, store to store, drug den to drug den, silently sleuthing along the ground and listening in and creeping around just out of sight around the walls and corners and along the edges of buildings in places where it was only really convenient for her to be found.

That is, being that she could walk through the walls of stone and the ground and generally just walk through the air as her leisure, Ikanbi had generally no problem going wherever she damn well pleased.

"So, you need to make a little extra money then eh?"

Ikanbi took a few steps directly into the air, lifting off of the ground and turning to face the young Fukusha straight-on, here rice sun hat covering her eyes at first and obscuring her face. She was very fond of this particular hat for it disguised her chakra signature and caused her to appear to sensors to be a regular civilian, which she most certainly wasn't.

Standing plainly in the air a few feet off of the ground, Ikanbi crouched down, so that she was a little bit closer to the young Fukusha when she began to speak.

"My name is Ikanbi and I am a teacher of ninjutsu...If you need to make some extra money, I know where we can start."

Ikanbi's voice was incredibly soft but monotone, somewhat otherworldly, as though the voice came from somewhere other than her throat and chest.

She stuck out her hand and began to surge with chakra, a very visible surge of black and pink kuuton chakra beginning to gather around her feet.

"Want to go for a ride?"


320/???? D-Ranked

[King of Cats]

In the city there were lots of light and it was clear tha tAizen's eyes were lit up at the prospect of money. The young nukenin had been living it rough for quite a while and it was time for him to start living luxuriously. Aizen gave the woman a smile and told her quietly, "I definitely need some cash." He had a certain firmness in his voice that suggested he was ready for whatever this day would bring him.

In truth though the ninja was not actually ready. He had spent the last few years honing his survival skills, not his ninjutsu. Aizen certainly wasn't rusty, he was skilled with his Shogo-zumi and ninpou, a born genius with unprecedented talent in Iwagakure. He was not however practiced. He talked a big game really, but he was largely overestimating himself. Only time would tell how close to death he would put himself and Aizen had no idea what he was ready for. He did not know about rampaging spirits in the countryside. Where Aizen stayed, in the forests, the spirits were kept away by lots of people. In fact he had rarely encountered spirits, besides Tenpu.

Before Aizen could reply to Ikanbi there was a strange black substance leaking from the skin on his throat. The black slime formed a mouth with shiny black lips and needle shaped teeth. Tenpu the symbiotic spirit formed it's mouth quickly and before Aizen could respond to Ikanbi it spoke for him. "He needs more than cash." Tenpu snickered and then formed a white, sort of plastic eye on Aizen's forehead. "You look interesting madam. The name's Tenpu. And we will most certainly be going for a magic ride with you. Hehe." Tenpu loved the thrill of Aizen going through danger.

Tenpu was a spirit that attached itself to Aizen's body. It lived as a symbiotic ooze in his blood and was not as tactful as Aizen Fukusha was. Tenpu was curious to meet another ninja. Since it began traveling with Aizen they had been mostly alone. Aizen had told it tales of Iwagakure and the mighty shinobi force but Tenpu wanted to see it for itself. Looking from the eye on Aizen's forehead the symbiote said, "Let's go."

[Sia]

So, so many thoughts soared through Ikanbi's mind as she stared at the young one before her and she wondered what exactly it was that she was looking at that appeared from within the boy. Something living inside of him, clearly, but what was it? She didn't really know and it wasn't particularly her problem.

Well, she hoped it wasn't a problem. Ikanbi stared at the two of them and began reading their minds, wondering whether or not they were up to no good and to her surprise finding them to be rather good natured. Well, in that moment at least. She stopped reading their minds almost immediately, she didn't always like to pry after all.

"Ah, I see you have a little friend, well, that's okay...they can come along too."

Ikanbi waited for her arm stretched out, her body continuing to surge with chakra.

"Take my hand."

320+148

468

[King of Cats]

Reaching out with his hand Aizen grabbed Ikanbi's delicate hand. Despite being a woman's hand it was strong like a man's. Aizen wondered just what this lady had been through. She was certainly a powerful witch and Aizen couldn't help but notice that. He held her hand and closed his eyes. Aizen had a certain trust for Ikanbi despite not knowing her. Perhaps it was because she was a ninja and Aizen felt like he could trust someone trained in the same arts as him. After all he had been on the road for years now and he had been betrayed thirteen times, all by civillians. In fact Aizen had only met two ninja since he started traveling. Both of them were from Konoha. Despite being a bown Iwa native Aizen held no ill will for the Rock Country enemies. Aizen simply didn't care enough about political agenda's to become a racist.

Holding onto Ikanbi's hand Aizen and the woman would feel Tenpu's black, latex, plastic like slime oozing out of his flesh. The spirit sought to feel Ikanbi's flesh and manifested the Symbiote Suit's glove over Aizen's hand. Tenpu was quite curious of this mysterious ninja, though what he should have been more concerned with was the dangers that were lying ahead for the three of them. Aizen and Tenpu had no idea how hard a test could be on a casual Monday.