[S.T.R.A.T.O.S] Who am I?

[Trusted Grader]

Yoho walked with his hands on top of his head, one eye closed and a smirk running across his face as he knew that Royoto was following him, asking him questions he knew the answers would be incorrect, misleading, that wasn't the right word either, see, in Hotaru's mind Yoho was a real person and in the eyes of the citizens of Kumogakure this was a fact, but tragically this wasn't so, this was just one of Hotaru's many elaborate disguises, the goofball Taijutsu genius was none other than her herself, the one, the only super spy, the Ghost of Kumogakure.

"If I gave you the honest answer then I'd have to kill you." Yoho chuckled and poked out his tongue, he would then place himself next to Ryoto and gently wrap his arm around his shoulder. "I am none other than Negaigoto, Yoho, the super lazy laid back, Special Jounin. I would ask who you were if I didn't already know about you Mr. I hate authorities. It's a shame because you will never grow to the person you wish to become by negating those before you, you know that right? That's how generations are created, unless you want to be some trend setter or I don't know, breaker of chains." Yoho chuckled, Hotaru on the other hand did not find this amusing, she despised the idea that Ryoto had an issue with authority, for in her mind only order made sense.

She tried to keep the two personas separate but if he was going to give her a tough time then she would school him until he understood the difference in their power levels, she would show him how she got to the point where she was considered to lead the most powerful organisation in Kumogakure, no, the world. But if he was truly going to be a hard head then she would most likely just put him to sleep and let him wake up at his home and make him believe this was all just a dream, for who's to say that he wasn't still passed out back in that ally with Yoku?

---

MetaShow

I Am Not
A-Rank Discipline Taijutsu
Prerequisite: Method Acting, Master Voice Actor.
To perform this taijutsu the user must spend at least half a post preparing for the role of her life and as long as she continues to play the role the more convinced she becomes that she is that character. With enough practice the woman could copy anyone's mannerism, characteristics, tone of voice and style of which she has gathered enough information of. At this level she is able perform great improvisations. The target needs a perception technique equivalent to the rank to see through her lies.

Mind Reader
A-Rank Discipline Taijutsu
Prerequisite: Subtle Movements
Through the art of being able to read their subtle movements, readings of emotions and appear to "predict" the outcome of the situation making it appear as if they are reading their minds. In order for this connection to be linked, the user must study the target for 4 posts, gather enough information about the targets behavioural patterns, speech and it will only works if Hotaru has higher/equal Will Power to/than the target.

[hobnob]

The white haired youth was following the teen hastily. With no clue where he was going, just that this guy would show him a way to get stronger. That was something that put him in a better mood and gave him something to look forwards to. But Ryoto could not shake the strange feeling he got from this guy. The way he behaved was strange, and for the moment Ryoto was not keen on him. Being told his name was a good start. Being told that honestly would mean death was something he was not sure whether to take as a joke, or if Yoho was being deadly serious. Thinking about the situation analytically; Ryot knew nothing about this person, only that he was a lot strong then himself and he called himself Negaigoto Yoho. It was probably good to assume they youth was being truthful about the threat. But simply accepting things was not something Ryoto did. If Yoho was not going to be honest with him, then Ryoto would do the same.

When Yoho wrapped his arms around his Ryot was not sure what to do. This was the first time something like this has happened. He simply looked over at him once he finished speaking and said; 'Bro... I'm thirteen... Get off me.' Following that, the thirteen year old tried to process what Yoho had said. It appeared that the lazy, and clingy, special jounin knew a fair bit about his behaviour. Everything Yoho said was true, Ryot knew it, but not necessarily agreed with it. 'Listen, yeah? I don't know what loser invented our culture. But old ways are not always the best ways. We gotta' adapt yanno?' With that said, Ryot began to wonder why this guy, who apparently just happened to be close by, was there in the first place. It was obvious he knew a fair bit about Ryot, just how much was a mystery the youth would have to figure out.

[Trusted Grader]

Hotaru wanted to hold but chose not to, but before she let him go she would show him how much stronger she was, how hard it was for him to push of Yoho before she admitted defeat. "Ooph, haha, wow, you got spunk kid. You seem to talk like you know your own personality, didn't you like... Just recently enter puberty or something? Crazy right." Yoho turned around and shrugged as he continued to lead the way downtown, he had a goal in mind, especially after he had witnessed first hand how his personality was, it was rather amusing for the Yoho personality, while Hotaru was growing increasingly frustrated, it seems that she might have chosen the wrong personality for the task, an issue that could easily be remedied in due time, all she needed was patience.

"That's an interesting way of seeing things..." Yoho rubbed his chin. This kid is some sort of idiot or something? Hotaru wasn't right for thinking like that, she just didn't like the way he thought, but that could easily be remedied with a bit of life experience. "Do you eat with utensils? Because they are old ways of doing it... Do you use ninjutsu? Old ways, the way we build buildings, old ways... Dunno kid, seems that sometimes things are the way they are for a practical reason, but if you truly believe you know what's best and how we should handle the future... You know what? Actually, I was going to lead you in this mission I had planned on taking you and Yoku on, well, I can't take Yoku anymore because he is passed out in that ally but, since you are a man of the future, I will let you lead it. Hell, I'll even let you do it on your own because authority be damned right?" Yoho chuckled at the thought of putting him on blast, this time Hotaru did find it amusing.

Now, she wasn't going to send him to his death, she was going to infiltrate with her second personality in order to make sure that he got back in one piece and to make sure that he didn't defect just because the mission required that their hands got a bit dirty. Their mission, should they choose to accept it was to infiltrate a criminal organisation that had been working on undermining the authority of ninjas, a perfect mission for kids like Yoku and Ryoto, but since she was left with only one of the rascals she figured that she would have to join in herself as she was sure he wouldn't be able to handle this mission on his own. "I am sure a bright kid like you should be able to handle this mission, or do you find it... To be I don't know, against your beliefs or whatever?" Yoho poked out his tongue again, Hotaru wanted to test his theory of whether a ninja should just follow orders for the greater good or if he truly believed that he knew best.

[hobnob]

The grip Yoho had on his arm was pretty fierce. With each passing moment Ryot was hoping that he would let go. Another notifier that this guy was not to be messed with, or even taken lightly. It slowly began to get through Ryots thick skull, that if he did something wrong, or said something Yoho was to happy about, he could end up in a whole world of trouble. It would not go like it did with Yoku, this would be swift. So swift he would not even have a chance to react. It was time for him to calm down and actually pay attention to the world around him. But when Yoho spoke, it seemed as if he tried to shift the focus onto him and his age. Frustration weighed down his usual calm facial aesthetic as he began to realise he was about to be grilled for what he said. The next few minutes or even hours, would just be awkward. Awkward was not something he dealt in, best thing for him to do right now was to run - is what his animal mind told him. Fight or flight response kicked in and he was ready to go. But he managed to get a grip of himself. If he did in fact run, he would be easily stopped and it would most likely result in even more awkwardness. Ryoto just took a deep breath, and prepared himself mentally for what he thought was coming.

The next few moments were spent with him just shaking his head in frustration. Of course everything that was said was true. But those were not the things he spoke of earlier. But he was not going to go ahead and cause further arguing and bickering between them. He did not want this awkwardness, and Yoho said something caught Ryots attention. 'A mission? Well that sounds awesome. Let's go!' The youth thought, and suddenly the heavy frown on his face lifted with a speed of a thousand gazelles. Now he just had to figure out how to stop Yoho from ranting and get him to go on this mission which sounded so interesting. Ryot did not even care about the teasing comments anymore, he was in full shinobi mode. He wanted this mission, he wanted to show off his skill, it was time to go. 'Missions are different. I'm ready to go. Let's go. Now! Come on! There is no time to waste!' The youth went on at some length about how they should get going right this instant. It was true, a mission waiting was a potential threat causing havoc somewhere. And that was not how Ryot liked to play things, even if he did dislike authority. In his view, a threat to Kumo could eventually influence their authority over the village. And that was not something he would allow. His views were all over the place, maybe its all because he's thirteen?

[Trusted Grader]

Yoho chuckled as he heard and saw the difference in energy, the swiftness of how the young kid sprung to life at the idea of going on a mission, which made Hotaru rethink how she saw the kid, she wasn't usually someone who was wrong but today she would have to admit that she might have judged the kid far too early, though that didn't mean that he was left off the hook. He was still a massive liability and he still needed to learn a lesson or two, he needed to understand that authority was all that mattered to spies.

So, she cracked her neck and grinned as she tried her best to portray someone who actually cared about his life, though truthfully she knew that she couldn't just send Ryoto to his death, but she couldn't careless if he died, for that was the way of ninja, if he was useless then it were one mouth less to feed. "Good, that's what I like to hear, but again, since you hate authority I'm going to send you on this mission on your own, you will have to figure out for yourself without guidance how to infiltrate a criminal organisation and stop them from rebelling against this great nation. I will only guide you to where you might find a member or two and from there on out it's all on you." Yoho chuckled, she was going to be pretty close by, heck she was even going to infiltrate the organisation with him but not as Yoho as that personality had grown to famous in Kumogakure, which ironically was the opposite of what she wanted but because it was her go to "face" it slowly grew to the lazy war hero, yet Sakuran, the wandering samurai had mostly remained a secret. It didn't matter to be honest, as long as the Ghost of Kumogakure was still hidden, they'd never know the real her.

" Now, If you need help then just blow on this whistle and I'll be there. It'l probably take some time but due to it being a magical whistle it will send a tingle down my spine through chakra and that will reveal your location to me. Okay? Good!" Yoho chuckled and gently pushed Ryoto before he tossed him a metallic whistleblower, she was bullshitting him about it being able to send chakra through it, it was literally just a regular one, causing Yoho to chuckle but it was masked as an enthusiastic laughter.

Yoho continued walking towards downtown and would make sure that they kept their pacing because he had picked up intel by other S.T.R.A.T.O.S members who had been tailing the gang for a while that they were mostly hanging around this area, not because it was the best place but because they always seemed to love to eat in a specific restaurant, one which Yoho was about to send him to, depending on his answer of course, for all she knew he could still back out.

[hobnob]

This was very exciting. Ryoto was eager and ready to go. All he needed was the information about the mission. About the criminal organisation Yoho had mentioned. But even without it, the youth probably would not be in great distress. Because of his attitude and views, he did sometime hang around with dodgy crowd, he'd probably have to spend some time running around the village trying to gather information. In the end however, he most likely would manage to do it. A mission is a mission, and any initial direction or help with the mission is great as it saves precious time. Ryoto walked alongside Yoho patiently waiting for the information he needed and anything else that the mission would require. But when Yoho offered the youth a metallic whistle, Ryoto simply put his hand out and refused it. He was young and stupid, he was way too arrogant to accept something like that, not the whistle itself, but what it represented.

'The only way is through...Senp-... Geezer.' Ryoto almost slipped up there and called Yoho his senpai. That was way too authoritarian, and he was kicking himself mentally for it. That would never happen, he would never refer to anyone by any honorific. Things like that made his stomach churn, he was disgusted by it. Or at least that is what he thought, when not in full control his body seemed to be happy to call him that. What a complicated creature this youth was. If only he knew, if only he understood himself he would have a much easier life. A much smoother, more exciting life. Right now, the only thing he understood was this mission, infiltrating a criminal organisation and stopping them in their tracks. It sounded dangerous, but Ryoto was keen to bust some skulls, even if the risk was lethal. There was no stopping him, he would carry on as if it was something he did everyday.

[Trusted Grader]

Hotaru was impressed that he refused the whistle, although it was rather dumb, fortunately for him she would always be close by, but the next time he might be so lucky, he didn't even know what rank the mission was and still he refused back up. Interesting... Hotaru scratched the back of her head, she placed the whistle back in her pocket, or so she made it appear before she would gently step next to Ryoto, she would slip it in his pouch with one hand as she pointed towards the restaurant with the other.

"You are to infiltrate a small wing of Yakuza that has been trying to create an establishment here, they usually eat here and discuss business, although I don't expect you to just be able to walk in and get to join, especially dressed like you are and with smut all over you... Remember... Fighting is dirty business." Hotaru patted his shoulder to show him how much dust shot out of his clothes, she made sure not to use too much strength as she didn't want to harm the boy, she just wanted him to realise that when it came to infiltrations one must always be in tip shape, well, that depended on what crew you wanted to infiltrate.

So she pointed him towards one of the clothing stores, threw him a sack of ryo that she was willing to share. "It's on the house buddy, if you succeed you will get another bag... Now go buy yourself a nice suit and get going, because you don't have all day... Oh! and seeing as you didn't want the whistle, well, I guess I'll find you once the mission is done... And trust me... I will find you... Ooooooh" Yoho was already backing away from Ryoto as he spoke, his whimsical ways was getting the best of Hotaru but she knew that she had to keep up the charade while in this disguise, but once she turned corner she would mad dash so even if Ryoto followed her he'd lose sight of her the second she turned corner, as if Yoho was never there.

The mission had now begun, first objective, buy some nice clothes.

[hobnob]

They youths eyebrow twitched a little when he heard that his first objective was to buy clothes. Clothes buying was not exactly action packed. And that’s exactly what he wanted. it just seems that there is one obstacle after the other with this mission. With a sigh he grabbed the little sack of tho and placed it in his pocket. It was time to get suited and booted.

Without realising the little whistle in sat casually in his rear pouch, the youth continued on to the suit shop down the road. This was very conveniently placed considering a mob that is well known for dealing with their business matters at a restaurant at the other end of this very road. Ryoto could not help but let out a little chuckle as he pushed the door inwards to get into the shop.

The shop keeper, a small old man, jumped out of his chair as if he just woken out of a deep lumber. ‘Argh hello!’ He called out as his assistant just appeared out of the back room. The assistant was a young woman who seemed to be switched on. Immediately she offered the youth a drink, and to his surprise asked whether he was lost. He immediately understood what happened. A shop like this most likely only gets older customers. At least older than thirteen.

Ryoto chuckled once again. ’Im here for a suit. I haven’t got time for messing around so get on with it.’. He said with a rather intense tone. The assistant looked very surprised at his tone, and became even more in awe once he chucked the sack of tho onto the cashiers desk. She quickly got to work and took the measurements she needed to get a suit ready for him. Then she disappeared into the back room once again, without saying how long it would take.

’This is a great crack…’

[Trusted Grader]

Hotaru prepared to change character as Ryoto entered the store, fortunately for her she had a set of clothes prepared for such an occasion, her Sakuran personality would soon emerge out of the shadow with an entirely new outfit and outlook on life. She would walk down the ally and into the restaurant ahead of Ryoto. Once inside she would peer around until she sat next to the cashier, she ordered tea and oden, which she began to chow down, not only to help with her cover but to replenish some energy she had expunged.

She kept peering around until she found the two well dressed men seated in the corner, they were both dressed in nice black suits, which made them appear rather professional. She could tell that they were up to no good as they seemed to be talking in a lower tone, but at the same time they seemed rather paranoid as one of them kept looking around while the other kept an eye out on the outside. Sakuran was a personality that not many people within Kumogakure recognised as she used to be blonde, but now rocked a black hairstyle, because it was important for this personality to make some minor changes depending on what criminal organisation they interfered with, as to not arouse to much suspicion.

Sakuran would keep an eye out on the group and wait for Ryoto to enter, she wouldn't interact with him as he would have no idea that this was Hotaru, and there would be no reason for her to interact with him as far as he knew. She wanted to see how he would approach the situation and how he would do his best to find a way to infiltrate the organisation, because there were several ways but it would be up to him to figure it out.

---

MetaShow

Age: 20
Gender: Female.
Cover: Samurai.
Type: Fearless, dedicated & honor-bound.

---

I Am Not
A-Rank Discipline Taijutsu
Prerequisite: Method Acting, Master Voice Actor.
To perform this taijutsu the user must spend at least half a post preparing for the role of her life and as long as she continues to play the role the more convinced she becomes that she is that character. With enough practice the woman could copy anyone's mannerism, characteristics, tone of voice and style of which she has gathered enough information of. At this level she is able perform great improvisations. The target needs a perception technique equivalent to the rank to see through her lies.

[hobnob]

The ninjapunks patience was wearing thin. This suit fitting was taking a lot longer than he was expecting. ’ would you hurry up already. I’ve got things to be doing.’ He said with a very frustrated tone. By the time he was done here his target may have already left the restaurant, making his life a lot more difficult than it was - although he was not aware of how difficult his life already was in this situation.

Brief moment later the assistant had re-emerged from the back of the shop with a suit that looked pristine. A warm feeling of satisfaction washed over the youth as he saw it for the first time. A moment later the girl laid the shit in front of him and have him the usual sales shpill about the product. He just nodded, trying not to come across as rude as this girl had sorted him out. In this suit the youth would look like he was a part of the mob, despite his young appearance. The moment he got the chance to change into the suit, he took it. Dashing into the changing rooms, he picked up a backpack on the way in for his old attire. Changed his clothes and dashed out of the fitting rooms, and the shop. This must have been a very bizarre sight to see for the staff, but he did not care. He had things to do.

He dumped the bag on top of the roof of the very shop, and then finally made his way to the restaurant. When he entered, he was in awe of the debonair interior. This was not something he expected from a venue in this part of the village. It was obvious to him that it was fuelled by dodgy money. Ryoto took a deep breath. It was show time.

The youth made his way over to the bar where he ordered some food and a drink to wash it down with. He wanted something alcoholic, but decided that it was best to keep his wits about him. After all he was not sure how dangerous this situation was. Once the goods were paid for, he was told that everything would be brought over to him, and so he went on to find a seat. The perfect opportunity to scout the shop. He only saw a woman and two men dressed in suits who were acting very shady. These were the ones he had to make contact with.

The youth seated himself close enough to hear them, but not close enough to come across as intrusive. While he waited for his food, he would simply listen to their conversation, hopefully it would give him enough to make up a story which would allow them to, not necessarily trust him, but be enough for them to let him into their little group.

[Trusted Grader]

"Honestly, I don't know how they expect us to find a way into the academy building. We are not even close to that rank yet they expect us to just what... Dress up as teachers and infiltrate it? Pfft, they will notice us immediately. " Ginkaku cursed under his breath, his facial scar and goatee would give away that he was already an experienced man as it wasn't all to uncommon to find older genins around, but he was sort of right, there was no way that they would be able to find a way in with such experienced faces and lack of ninjutsu skills.

"Easy Ginkaku, there's always ways we can infiltrate, it doesn't have to be us per say, we just have to find someone willing enough to do it for a bit of money you know... Some sucker or something." Kinkaku leaned forwards and grinned, his golden tooth and moustache was also too experienced for any true academy teacher to be fooled by. "Besides, who's to say that it wouldn't make any of these nationalists proud to be able to hand an academy teacher their trophy... I mean, if I was a sucker I would totally fall for it, heh." They both chuckled before Kinkaku leaned back and sipped his tea.

"You are right, maybe I was stressing over nothing. It's just we can't disappoint the boss again, because he seemed rather serious that this job was important." Ginkaku sighed.

"Yeah, boss said that if we fuck up again then we out... And I suspect that out means-" He motioned his thumb across his neck, indicating that they would be finito.

Both sighed and went back to their tea, they had a mission a head but so far they needed to figure out how they were going to get past the first objective.

[hobnob]

The atmosphere was mild. Despite the danger he was in, The white haired youth felt in his element. The danger have the situation a little edge, made sure his brained was operating at high capacity, just like he wanted it and liked it. Eventually his order arrived and he slowly began munching away at the food. It felt like he had not eaten in weeks. He took a brief moment to just run through the day in his head, a lot seems to have happened in a single day, it was a life changing day even if he did not yet realise it.

As the Food slowly disappeared from his plate, Ryoto was listening to the conversation of the two agents sat a little distance away. From just a few minutes of being sat here he had learnt a few important things about the individuals, and the potential events that may result from their actions. ’Ginkaku… infiltrating the academy… this could be bad on so many levels.’ Ryoto thought as he processed what has been said. A lot of people could be hurt from their actions. That was not something he was going to let happen. But he had to be smart about this. If something went wrong he could potentially lose his life here. He had to think of a plan.

Taking them out here would be pointless, even if he requested back up. Finding out more about the operation was the way forward. The youth finished his food, downed his drink and stood up. It was time to get this mission moving.

Ryoto walked over the the two with purpose. Standing before them and looking Ginkaku straight in the eye. ’Sounds like easy money that. I’ll do it’ With his hands in his pockets, he stood there watching them as if this was an everyday thing for him. But in reality, his heart felt like it was going to explode out of his rib cage.

[Trusted Grader]

Ginkaku and Kinkaku looked over at Ryoto and chuckled, they couldn't believe their ears before the larger of the two (Ginkaku) would reach out and pull the kid in, his superior strength would hold the kid close to table and force him to a seated position. "Raise your voice again and you die, say something so wild in front of other people and you die. You hear me?" A blade would be visible for only Ryoto as Kinkaku had now moved to block Hotaru's view, he chuckled and waved the waitress away.

"It's okay, it's just two brothers messing, don't stress it." With that Ginkaku would release Ryoto then gently pat him on his shoulder, while Kinkaku would go back to sitting in front of Gink.

"Now, if you are legit, yes, I could probably use someone of your age but first you would need to prove yourself... Can't just trust anyone." Ginkaku looked him up and down.

"Right, you might work for the authority." Kinkaku scuffed. "That would be problematic wouldn't it lil bro." He peered over at his younger brother.

"Indeed it would be big bro, but I don't think this kid has the muscle to handle us anyway... It'd be crazy for someone so young and fragile to mess with someone like us don't you think?" Ginkaku still kept his eyes on Ryoto.

"Indeed, but what are the odds that he just found us?"

"True... We have been rather careful..." Ginkaku still didn't let his eyes leave Ryoto for he was still deciding if this kid was trust worthy or if they should just take him out the back and end his life and try to figure out what they should do next.

All the while they were discussing what they should do and how he found them, Hotaru dressed as Sakuran would still eye them, although she'd keep them mostly in her periphery as she didn't want to draw too much attention to herself, though if she had to admit, the Oden was quite delicious.

[hobnob]

Ryoto was growing frustrated by the way Ginkaku spoke of him. I gathered that raising his voice in this context was a bad move. Indeed anyone could be listening. And it was true, the youth would not be able to take them both on, and he knew it. He was not about to let them sit here and talk so little of him. The boy respected himself and allowing that conversation to go on was the opposite of self-respect.

”Listen fat boy. I might not be a big strong boy like you. But what I miss in strength i make up for in wit.” As he spoke his eyes did not leave Ginkakus, and his heart was pounding even faster than before. If it continued, it would not be long until Ryoto started sweating. He hoped that this little outburst was enough of a marketing show to sell himself to the two brothers. Otherwise he was in serious trouble. With the blade of inches away from his body, it would not take long for the bigger brother to turn him into a cheese grater.

[Trusted Grader]

Hotaru chuckled as she heard what Ryoto said, she couldn't help but to wonder if this young kid had some sort of death wish? Well, thing is this could actually work with these dingus... Maybe they will find him respectable somehow. The super spy shook her head and continued to focus on her meal, she might be fast enough to stop them from killing the boy but seeing as he had chosen to do this mission on his own her hands were tied. She knew that if she got involved now then it would all be for nothing as it would not only tell Ryoto that she didn't trust him but Ginkaku and Kinkaku would most likely sniff out that something was odd, but that didn't mean that she didn't have an ace up her sleeve.

"Alright mr tough guy, settle down, no need for harsh words, a man is self conscious of their own weight" Ginkaku lowered the blade.

"Right, right, no need to get all personal, you have to understand that you coming up to us as some strange miracle is pretty suspicious is it not?"

"Right, right... So... You say you are up for this? Are you sure? Because if you fail us... We will be coming to collect." This didn't mean that they would just come after Ryoto, no, they probably would come for his family as Ryoto wasn't directly a stealthy guy. Using Ryoto's description would lead them directly to his home, this was something of a great first lesson when it came to the art of spying, always hide your traces, never draw too much suspicion.

"What's your name kid? And don't lie to us, because it's super easy to figure out your real name." Kinkaku grinned.

"It'd be easier than just calling you mail-boy now wouldn't it?" Ginkaku patted the seat next to him as he was now inviting the kid to join them.

Hotaru on the other hand started thinking about how she was going to force her ace in her sleeve to join in on this mission, she was a new operative that hadn't really been field tested but would probably work best for this mission, seeing as if Ryoto wanted to continue within this mission and make it out alive then he would need to go through with it, but that would make him an enemy of the state, but with her new field agent she would make sure that he would be able to both do the mission and still come out as the perfect undercover criminal.

[hobnob]

Ginkakus response made the youth smile, internally. It seemed that this oversized child was actually a big softie. This was something he could work with. The blade moved out of sight, and the young Igarashi had made a mental not of it. It appeared that he had played his cards well. Well enough for the pair to decide that he was no more a threat than each other. Ryoto was a little surprised and wondered whether he had an unnatural knack for this. To him it did not come across as something that would be a natural to anyone. This is a high risk game. And any high risk game was not something people generally approached for fun. Ryoto did not see this as fun, but it was something he had to do. These geezers were harming his village after all.

’I mean I guess? But all I’m after is some work. I have a pretty expensive lifestyle.’ The youth said, sounding a little confused as he spoke to the brothers. Hopefully that answered the brothers question and kept him in their good books. A moment later the other brother spoke something that sounded very much like a threat. Ryoto was not sure exactly what the brother meant, but he just assumed the worst, and simply nodded.

But when the question was asked about his name Ryoto was lost. He did not know what he should do. Giving his name away would definitely complicate things for him in the future, but if he lied they would most likely find out and he would lose their trust. The white haired youth had to think of something quickly, before the situation became suspicious. And it would not take long for that to happen. So once again, he decided to go in head first. ’Right guy listen. I don’t even know your names, I’ll be your contact, your little job boy. So call me whatever you want. Slick Rick will do.’ After he said that, the youth couldn’t help but let out a little laugh. That name just rolled off his tongue.

Now it was all a waiting game. And this could end very well, or very badly. Ryoto hoped the brothers wouldn’t pick up on his real motives and the mission would continue. Otherwise that whistle he did not realise that guy slipped into his pouch would be getting blown on rather quickly. If he even had the time to do so.

[Trusted Grader]

Kinkaku took a deep breath as he peered over at Ginkaku, it seems that the two of them agreed that this kid was something special, the way he spoke almost made them question themselves as to why they continued to listen in but at the same time he intrigued them enough to not warrant a shorter life expectancy, but when he commented on his lifestyle the duo peered at his clothes and chuckled as they both had to agree that his wardrobe was rather fancy and made the kid appear more lavish, which made them respect him somewhat.

"Right, we can tell by your outfit that you seem to have a lavish outfit... Now at least we both know what's at stake here no? Because we'd hate to shorten your lifespan young blood." Ginkaku chuckled.

"Right, right, I say he is sort of trust worthy wouldn't you G."

"Right, right... I'd say not really but we can't afford not to trust him K." Ginkaku nodded at his brother before their eyes locked on to Ryoto's or, Slick Rick as he called himself.

"Alright Slick Rick, we are K and G and that's all you need to know about us and trust me, the less you know the better." He would have to earn their trust before they would give more information about both themselves and the organisation but for now he had at least earned enough trust as to be invited into the mission at hand.

"Yeah, yeah, that's all you need to know for now... So if you are down then we need you to help us infiltrate the Academy and deliver this to someone special." Kinkaku pulled up a metallic briefcase before he hid it under the table, Hotaru managed to spot it in the brief second he revealed it to Ryoto, she took a sip of tea and then cleared her throat, though not loud enough to alarm the trio but to notify the waitress, who took note of Sakuran and then walked up to her.

"Ehm, right, this needs this delivered A.S.A.P, but if we do it then we are sure to be stopped for appearing rather suspicious, but someone your age should be able to get in... " Ginkaku looked Ryoto up and down.

"Without drawing too much suspicion that is... Deliver this for us and we shall forever be thankful... Or something I don't know, that's how formal people talk." They both chuckled.

[hobnob]

The youth made sure to take mental notes of everything that was happening in that situation. From the pseudonyms they used to the objective of the mission to the little conversations they had with each other. The youth let out a chuckle at the comment G made about his outfit. ”You should see the rest of it.” The boy chuckled. In truth, his wardrobe was pretty non-existent. He pretty much loved his life in two outfits. And was not sure whether he’d be allowed to even keep this suit, but it did the job. He appeared lavish enough to get their attention and trust. Now onto the real mission.

Ryoto eyed the briefcase, curious about what exactly was in it. But it was obvious they would not tell him what was in there. Hopefully he would manage to figure it out and warn the correct authorities without them realising. But before he even got to that, he had to make sure they fully trusted him. ”Right… so you want me to deliver this briefcase to someone at the academy? By the sounds of things I probably won’t see you again after that so I want some sort of payment, in case I don’t see you again. That’s a risky job. Them ninjas are nosey bastards.” The youth said as his eyes remained on the briefcase. He did not know what was in it, but it could not be anything good. There were lives at stake here. Lives that have not really began. The boy tried to remain as composed as he could, but the reality was dawning on him. These people were scum, and he was beginning to realise that. He was hoping that he would see Yoho again, he wanted to pass on all the information over as quickly as possible.

[Trusted Grader]

Ginkaku looked at Slick Rick and chuckled before his eyes connected with Kinkaku, he would nod at him which caused his brother to reach inside his suit, he would remove a wad of ryo which was the equivalent to half what a ninja got payed for an A-Rank mission before he would slide it under the table into Ginkaku's hand. "This is half yeah, you will be given the other half once you deliver this briefcase to Akuri-Sensei, a teacher who forgot... Let's say... To bring it to work yeah? Tell him his wife gave you this briefcase and just... Be on your way... Now.."

"I hope you get that we aren't the ones to bail on people we try to work with, so don't expect us to just... Vanish, like we said before we will investigate you even further and you WILL see us again if you catch my drift..." Kinkaku looked over at his brother.

"Especially if you give us a reason to see you unpromptly but if you expect to get the rest of your earnings then you will have to deliver it... " Ginkaku reached under the table to grab the briefcase.

"Without opening it, because trust me... We will know if you open it." Both looked at each other and chuckled.

"Trust me... You don't want to open it..." Ginkaku's voice turned ominous.

"And once you take the money, you don't want to not bail on us..." So did Kinkaku's voice.

"Or turn us in to the authorities...." This was now a do or die mission, what was he going to choose?

"Now off you go little man, better hope you don't screw us up because we aren't your biggest threat... we are just..." Kinkaku stopped speaking.

[hobnob]

The situation was getting more and more shady. It seemed these two had an issue with some academy mentor. Ryoto was not sure who was at fault here. It seemed that both were pretty dodgy. The Sensei for getting involved with the likes of these, and these for being themselves. The youths interest peaked as more and more was being uncovered. Whoever this Akari was, the was not the type of person who should be teaching a new generation of ninja. The boy grabbed the suitcase and the was of ryo. He was going to deliver this briefcase, or make it look like he was delivering this briefcase. They would not know what hit them. Or so he hoped.

He acknowledged the two and informed that they had nothing to worry about. It was obvious that this was a time pressed situation and he had to move. And so he did. Almost jumping out of his seat. On his feet he walked with haste, but not too much as to not draw suspicion. Always paying attention to his surrounding - he took note of the samurai who got up almost simultaneously as he did himself. Now he knew the old samurai may be the third person. Another member of this gang, or whatever they were. Ryoto left the restaurant and made his way to the academy, not the direct way, but still a quick way. Hoping that by some magical chance, he would bump into Yoho.