The old town of Enrai - north [mission, DE, closed].

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

The old town of Enrai - north.


Music: Here.


Appearance: Here. Credit goes to the photographer.


Weather: – 2 degrees Celsius or 28,4 degrees Fahrenheit. Clear skies.


Description: The old town of Enrai was build centuries ago. It used to be a trading district where people sold arts, crafts as well as homemade food. The streets between the houses are barely 6-7 feet wide. But the main street is 20 feet wide in order to provide access with carriages. None of the houses are more than three stories in height due to the danger of earthquakes.

This is the second least populated district in Enrai. This is because most of the buildings serves as shops instead of houses. Most of the people living here owns one of the shops or the cafés on this street. They usually live next door or further down the street. All the houses are in very good condition despite being so old. This is because the city council and the people living here take good care of the houses.

[Deleted]

Shiki stepped into the old down and did a quick pack down to make sure all his gear was still where it was at the start of the mission. All his weapons were still there, his medicines, potions and gems all still accounted for in his pouches and armor systems. He paused for a moment and started to look over the crowded area around him. He was comfortable in this temperature underneath his cloak. With the benefit of having the cloak around him people would be less likely to notice the armor and gear he had clung to his body. 

He took a deep breath and started to look around with his substance locator and taking a deep breath from the air around him. He let the scents of the city around him fill his nostrils as he started to separate the different scents around him. He savored the scents and tried to see if there was anything around him that would give him his first clue. The substance locator continued to scan over his vision looking for any traces of narcotics or chemical residue that he could track or trace. He ran his fingers over the curves of his two swords and continued moving. 

[Starnaess]

After hiding the wire wings back into her body the twins were now ready to follow shiki into this new adventure. They would make sure all their stsrting gear they had were still all there, and they were glad it was so. After all one can never know especially after jumping out of shiki's flying machine. As they pulled their hoodies up te twins would walk behind shiki, following him but making sure to keep enough dostance as to not let other people know they knew eachother.

With every step they would make sure to check their surroundings for any possible signs rrgarding their mission, any detail hinting toward a good opportunity for either information or possible infiltration wouldve been golden.

As they kept walking they would notice just how different this part of town was conpared to the others they saw before on the roof, they didnt like it very much , it gave them an uneasy feeling but they couldnt quite put the finger on it

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

It appeared as if the old town was ready for another morning. The managers of the shops were locking up the doors while pensioners were sweeping the streets. A couple of paper delivery boys were biking around with their carriers. Two maikos (geisha apprentices) were on their way towards a geisha house at the south end of the street. But Shiki, Calynn and Caela would notice that something was off.

A tea house called ‘Elemental tea’ had a hole in its left wall. Said hole appeared to be two feet wide and the wooden exterior had burns on it. What made this even stranger was the spots of ice on the ground. Even though it was winter, there was barely any snow on the ground. A couple of carpenters arrived to the café two minutes after the shinobis had arrived. Another odd thing was how tense the atmosphere was.

Both maikos walking down the street had a cautious look in their eyes that their elaborate makeup could not hide. A similar look could be seen in the face of the paperboys. This was further emphasized by one of the headlines at the front page. ‘Ruthless geishas attacks tea house! Tradition is no longer a guarantee’ read the article.

There was no photo there apart from the one of the owner. Whoever had attacked the tea house had apparently done a terrific job. They had frightened the people in the old town with their antics. Especially the seemingly innocent geishas and maikos. What would the Kumogakure trio do next?

[Deleted]

Shiki looked over at the hole in the wall and sighed. "This is already not worth my time." He said out loud. He was expecting actual crime... not some kids putting holes in a wall and vandalizing tea shops. He frowned and he debated leaving right then and there. He moved from the roof tops silently as he continued to observe the area around him. He frowned as he glanced at the burn makes of the exterior of the building. "Someone broke into the building... they didn't break out." Shiki said bored. "one of you two go grab one of those news papers... The other one go drop a tracer on a geisha."

Shiki paused as he set his gaze on the entry way. "I'm going to use my substance analyzer to determine if it was chakra or a bomb that broke this wall down." As he did he took a deep breath and tried to catch the scent of any sort of material or specific scents that might linger from the area. He then looked for any footprints in the ice or the area around the entry way. If they blew a hole in the wall then stepped inside it would be incredibly easy to find foot prints. 


- S rank scent
155/125 tracking 
225/125 observation
225/125 sense motive 

[Starnaess]

The sisters nodded as they received their orders. Calynn would head toward the side of the street for the delivery boys appeared to have dropped one of the papers they were supposed to deliver. As she picked it up she would quickly read it while heading toward the geisha's location accompained by her sister. HAving her sister walking in front of her looking at her , her back facing the geishas, they would make it  seem as if they were talking and as they got distracted by the conversation they would casually bump into them.

As that happened Caela would touch them as she bumped into them and place the tracer onto their victims. As they apologized for the inconvenience they would notice the gheisa's face expression. They were uneasy and that bump made them more agitated than they should've been, a blessing for the twins as that facilitated the placing of the tracer by alot. After separating from them they would head back toward shiki, making sure no one followed them.

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

Shiki:

The male had been right - someone had tried to break into the café rather than breaking out. His substance analyzer however would not reveal anything out of the ordinary. There was no trace of explosives or components used for them.
The smell was a bit faint since this had happened 15 hours ago. But it was definitely there.

Shiki would be able to pick up a scent of burned wood. Which was not odd since this house was made out of that. But there was an additional faint scent of some aftershave or cologne.
There were two sets of footprints near the restaurant. Both sets were a bit faint since it had been 15 hours since the attack.

One of the sets belonged to someone who used size 11 in shoes. The foot print was not overly wide or narrow. Set number two had an owner that used size 10 in shoes. This person had more narrow feet compared to the other set however.
Both sets appeared to be from standard winter boots. But that raised a question - what kind of geisha wore giant winter boots?


Caela and Calynn:

The article had some information that would be important for the trio. The attack had found place at 4 PM last afternoon. This was just 15-16 hours ago.
According to what the owner told, two geishas had attacked the tea house seemingly out of the blue. One of them had used a firebomb of some sort in order to burn through the exterior of the house.

The geishas were long gone when the police arrived. But searching for clues had been very hard. The only thing they had found were some footprints. Other clues such as hair strands, blood or fabric were none existent or completely burned up.
One of the policemen had told that there was a lot of ice surrounding the crime scene. This was quite odd since it had not been snowing that day.

Caelas plan had worked out perfectly fine. "Ah! Please be more careful!" told the maiko who Caela had bumped into.
She was a bit more on the edge than an average calm maiko should have been. But people had not been looking kindly at them after the teahouse attack last afternoon.

The tracer had been planted on the right sleeve. It blended in quite well since the kimono fabric was in nearly the same colour as the tracer. Both geishas were walking towards a tea house at the other end of the street.
But a person working inside one of the shoe shops had seen this "commotion". They knew something was not right...

[Deleted]

"Too easy." Shiki said as he paused for a moment and started to analyze the footprint. There was so much information that could be gained from a footprint. While they were faint he could still gain some real pearls of knowledge. By checking how deep the footprints went into the dirt he could determine the weight of the person. Depth of tread would display other things as well. By judging how far apart the foot prints were on a pair of tracks Shiki could determine how fast they were moving and if they were moving in a hurry. Casual stride would denote their height as well. 

The width of the steps between right and left would indicate if the person walking was man or woman. All this information would be very important. Getting the number of people that orchestrated the attack would be good enough. Shiki would wordlessly move from the roof top and continue to move towards the direction of the footprints. He would move from the rough tops keeping a low profile as he followed the steps towards their destination. If they robbed the place then they would take all the stolen goods somewhere. 

"Let's see where the trail goes." Shiki said quietly as he moved. 

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

((OOC: Starnaess, please post as soon as you can))


Shiki:

The smallest pair of steps were nearly the same depth as the male investigating them. But the bigger pair of steps would be a bit more shallow. It was quite ironic that the person with the smallest feet weighed more than the person with bigger feet.
The ice around the area would make it a little difficult to follow the steps. Especially since it had been 15 hours since the attack.

If Shiki looked closer, he would see that steps were a bit wider than the steps the maikos had made. The attackers must have been male or a woman who preferred to move with wide steps. Another notion was the distance between each step.
The distance between each step was rather long and they were running in a zig-zagged line. The pair had apparently tried to dodge other people.

The steps would continue further up the street in the same direction as the maikos. The guy should be able to follow them since one of them had a tracer planted on them.
But 20 meters north of the damaged tea house, the steps appeared to have vanished. Or rather - they had moved to another place.

The steps had vanished just in front of a narrow street that lead to another street parallel to the one he was at. There were not many foot prints there since the street was too narrow for carts or horses to get through.
On the left side of the narrow street was a souvenir shop. On the right was a 24 hour kiosk.

What would the Kumogakure shinobi do next? Both of the shops were open and there were people inside them. But he had to act fast since the trail was notably weaker here than at the damaged tea house.
Despite the old-fasioned exterior, both shops had rather modern interior. Maybe that could help him finding out what was going on.



Meanwhile...

A clerk in the shoe shop straight across the street would go into the back room once the Kumogakure shinobi had passed. The person closed the door so nobody could see them. The clerk picked up the phone and dialled a number.
'Better be safe than sorry' thought the person. "Aoi tea house, can I help?" asked a person at the other end.

"Hey, can I please talk to Fujiyama Ichiro?" inquired the person. "Sure. Just wait a little" replied the voice.
The line went silent for a few moments. "Hello?" greeted a voice at the other end.

"This isn't good. I just saw someone checking the injuries at the tea house. They weren't wearing a police uniform or asked the people working at the tea house" informed the clerk. They made sure to talk in a low voice so nobody could hear them. "How did the person look like?" inquired the guy at the other end.

"It was a guy with white hair. I think he's in his twenties" replied the man.
"Thanks for telling me. I'll keep an eye out if he comes to the tea house. See you later" replied the person before hanging up the phone.

[Deleted]

Mistake number one was assuming that their words were private. Shiki was a master tracker and a master huntsman. There was nothing that was going on around him that he would not be able to sense or see. Shiki was an omnipresent force on this case and there was nothing going on that would slip past his focus. All the walls between him and the man speaking into the phone might as well be non existent. He paused for a moment as he listened to the man speak about him. He closed his eyes and stepped backwards into the wall so that his back was pressed into it. 

The tracks were important... but it wasn't enough to pass up a lead like this. Shiki smiled as he realized there was no reason to give up both. He made a series of hand seals and summoned forwards a lighting clone. The clone would be enough to conduct basic recon. With the camera built into it's visor it would be able to send pictures back to Shiki while he went after the man speaking. The clone started following the tracks that Shiki pointed out to him. As the clone would not have his tracking ability it would still have his equipment. Using a live feed Shiki would be able to direct the clone with information where to move, what to say and how to relay that information to him. 

Shiki with his back still pressed into the wall focused on his body. His density shifted and he moved through the wall effortlessly. He slipped through the solid wall and glided through the buildings wall after wall passing over every solid object. Without difficulty. Shiki moved right behind the clerk as he was finishing the phone call and Shiki waited for the man to hang up the phone. When the clerk turned around he would find Shiki's form right in front of him. "Fujiyama Ichiro." Shiki said in a low growl. Shiki would set his eyes on the clerks eyes and let him gaze into his. Shiki knew that this man would melt under his gaze and fear for his life. 

"You have one chance to tell me everything before I start cracking skulls. Speak." 

The Lighting Clone:
The clone stepped forwards following the ever faint footprints. Shiki was used to dealing with tracks that were weeks old. Keeping track of some people moving through the city would be no problem. The clone followed the trail and peered over the trail again. People just didn't vanish like that. No petty criminals just started levitating... did they? The clone would continue the search taking photos with his helmet.

---

Ooc: If the tracks are 12 hours old its a Difficult tracking check. Even with lots of through traffic its a very difficult check. But I'm well over that skill level. I basically can't lose a track unless it simply no longer exists. IE they started flying away or walked on water. Every 24 hours passed since the first moment the tracks were it adds 5% to the tracking difficulty. In other words. Unless they teleported away I shouldn't just lose their tracks.  

-Observation 225
-Animal hearing (canine)

SPOILER: Click to show

Pervasive Hearing
Rank: "B"
Type: Augmentation
Effect: User's hearing becomes sensitive enough that they can pick out conversations and noises several rooms away, despite walls or floors.
Special: To perform: 3 hours; Duration: Permanent
Drawback: ---
Description: Internal - Takes up 3 Augmentation Points. User gains a +20 Ritual bonus to Observation checks pertaining to hearing. Furthermore, user may make Observation checks against characters in other rooms, on other floors of a building, or in areas otherwise separated by walls, stone, or other obstructions as though the barriers were not present. User suffers no penalties to Listen checks against targets in separate, enclosed spaces.
Limit: Must be a Ritualist for Augmentation Rituals.
Cost: Market Price: 23,000 Ryo Performing Price: 17,000 Ryo

Stern Gaze (20 +8 from sterner gaze +3 from jutsu focus +4 from fear charm +2 from divine chance) Total save against: 37
Rank: "B"
Skill: Supplementary
Effect: The Venatores are skilled at sensing deception and intimidating their foes.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: A Fear, Mind-Affecting Technique. Venatores are skilled at sensing deception and intimidating their foes. A Venator receives a moral bonus on Sense Motive checks equal to 10 per Class Level. They say that just by looking into the eyes of a Venator they are able to strike fear into their targets. Those who see the eyes of a Venator and is within 30 meters of the user will have to make a save (10 + 2 per Class Level) or become Frightened for 1d4 rounds. If the user knows Discern Lies, they are also able to sense deception (actions that reveal evasions).
Limit: Must be a Venator.

Sterner Gaze Learned 4 times +8 save
Rank: "B"
Skill: Supplementary
Effect: The gaze of the Venator can break those with weak wills.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: Some have gazes that are stronger than others and they use this effective against their foes. The Class Level of the Venator is treated as being 1 effective Class Level higher when determining the morale bonus from Stern Gaze. User can learn this technique multiple times increasing the effectiveness of the Technique (increases by +2).
Limit: Must be a Venator. Must know Stern Gaze.

Density Manipulation (34/33)
Rank: "S"
Type: Augmentation
Effect: User is able to increase or decrease their density, granting them the following abilities.
Special: To perform: 12 hour; Duration: Permanent
Drawback: User may only use one of these at a time.
Description: Internal - Takes up 6 Augmentation Points. Reduce Density: Gain the ability to become incorporeal. Increase Density: User can gain Damage Reduction equal to 2 per Class Level. Furthermore this Damage Reduction stacks with any other form of Damage Reduction the user might already posses, including Techniques, Armour, Rituals, and Traits. User may use this ability a number of times equal to 2 per Class Level per day.
Limit: Must be a Ritualist for Augmentation Rituals.
Cost: Market Price: 48,000 Ryo Performing Price: 36,000 Ryo

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

Shiki:

"Fuijiyama Ichiro" growled a voice behind the smaller male. He felt a shiver run down his spine. The poor clerk turned around slowly to see a man who looked quite terrifying.
Even though the height difference was just two inces, the poor man felt tiny. Especially since the other guy had a death stare like no other.

"You have one chance to tell me everything before I start cracking skulls. Speak." told the white-haired guy.
The clerk swallowed while he fixed his name tag. It read 'Matsuno Shuichi'. His clothes consisted of a navy blue sweater, jeans plus a pair of winter shoes.

"I-I am not Fuijiyama Ichiro. My name is Shuichi Matsuno. I-I have not done anything wrong, I swear!" replied the man.
He was avoiding eye contact while his voice was trembling. Even an idiot could tell that the guy was terrified of Shiki.

"H-How did you get in? I couldn't hear the door open. A-Are you a shinobi or something?" asked Shuichi.
There was a faint trace of hope in his voice. But why would someone be hopeful by the sight of a frightening shinobi?



The lightning clone:

It was a wise decision to use the goggles to look for the tracks. The narrow alleyway between the two builings was 6 feet wide and 30 feet long.
The clone would find the tracks at the other end of the alleyway. It seemed as if the duo had somehow taken a super long step from one end to the other.

The walls on either side were just ordinary seven feet tall walls. They did not have any tracks or dirt on them. The duo must have used a shunshin or a similar technique in order to get that far without leaving a footprint in the snow.
The back alley looked like something taken out of a samurai movie. It was 15 feet wide and ran 30 meters (100 feet) up the street until a fence blocked the way.

The houses on the left side of the alley were two stories tall and were made out of wood as well. None of them had windows that faced the street or back yards.
The trail would continue further up the back alley in the direction where the geishas were going. If the clone followed the trail, they would continue to the other end of the back alley.

Due to the lack of people, there were few footprints here. There was no snow there either. However, there were numerous trash cans plus 'bio degradable' trash in the narrow back alley. Second was the smell. The trash had a rank smell and there were two cafés plus a tea house nearby.

[Deleted]

Shiki leaned in closer to the man. His hands reached over to his own waist and with a sudden lunge forwards he had the man pinned against the wall. His free hand pulled a blade out from his hips and held the blade against the mans throat. "I'm the one asking questions." Shiki said with anger building up in his voice. "Who is Fuijiyama Ichiro?" Shiki said once more forcefully. Shiki pressed the flat edge of the steel against the mans neck. "I'm not exactly thrilled when people start talking about me in hushed voices... warning others of my presence seems like an awfully guilty thing to do." 

Shiki considered slitting the mans throat there and being done with it... He watched the mans eyes for any indication he might be lying. 

---

The clone paused for a moment. He knew enough about the shunshin jutsu to know that there was only a couple of meters that the footprints would be able to travel during a shunshin before they hit the ground. The walls were completely spotless... The clone pressed a button on the side of the visors and switched and toggled over to the x-ray vision of the googles. The googles had a massive zoom range. The clone looked through all of the buildings and objects looking around for the footprints. People don't just vanish and neither do tracks. 

Shiki would be able to find the prints and keep moving. Even through the fallen snow the tracks would leave an imprint. 

[Starnaess]

Shiki had his plan and was following his lead - the twins decided to take a different approach and keep an eye on the geishas from afar. Making sure that they were not seen, the twins would pull their hoodies up concealing their faces as best as they could. keeping a safe distance the twins would split up one on either side of the street taking pauses with each step giving the geishas time to go about their business. With this tactic the twins would have two views on their targets while mantaining their concealment.

While they were doing just that the twins made sure to keep an eye on their surrounding.
They didnt notice anything wierd ,beside the gloomy mood of the town, before or after the encounter with the geishas. Even though the old city gave them a weird vibe, no one seemed to stand out. Their plan was simple, follow the geishas and see where they would lead them.

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

Caela and Calynn:

Neither of the maikos were suspecting a thing. Unlike the twins, they were not trained in stalking, assasination or ninjutsu. The streets were more crowded now since people were getting to work or school.
The twins did a great job in blending in however. Teenagers dressed in hoodies was a common sight in Enrai.

Both geishas in training were walking towards a tea house at the other end of the street. The two females following them had to keep a close eye at them. Losing the sight of two people in a crowded street was very easy.
The tracer was still attached to the kimono of one of the maikos. How would Caela and Calynn approach this challenge?


Shiki:

"I'm the one asking questions. Who is Fuijiyama Ichiro?" inquired the male in a more forceful voice. Shiki pressed the flat edge of the steel against the mans neck.
"I'm not exactly thrilled when people start talking about me in hushed voices. Warning others of my presence seems like an awfully guilty thing to do." told the guy.

The clerk was so pale that he nearly blended in with the creamy white wall behind him. "Ah-all right. I'll tell you. Just don't cut my throat open" told the male. He adjusted his glasses slightly with his left hand.

If the shinobi looked closer, he would see the gold ring the brunette was wearing. It had a small sapphire on it as well. "Ichiro Fujiyama is a-a manager working at a teahouse nearby.
My husband works as an accountant at the same place. He told Ichiro that one of the geishas who damaged the teahouse looked a lot like him" whispered the man.

"Ichiro got really mad. He said he would kill me or my husband and make it look like an accident if we told the police. If we didn't wanted to get killed, we had to report to him if the police or suspicious people were investigating the scene.
But I really don't know if Ichiro Fujiyama is his real name. I mean - Fujiyama is one of the most common family names in Kaminari no Kuni" told the clerk.

His eyes were a bit fleeting, but it was mostly due to fear. The tone in his voice was quite earnest too. There was no doubt that the guy was scared of the shinobi in front of him.
Shiki had to spend his time wisely. It would not be long until the manager noticed that the clerk had been gone for some time.


The clone:

The close investigation would pay off. In front of the fence was a fallen trashcan. Most of the content, which consisted of rotten food, was spread all over.
The fence itself was build of thick wooden planks. All of the planks had been painted in a deep brown colour.

If the clone used his goggles, he would notice some faint footprints near the fence. One of the sets would literally walk up the fence. This set of footprints was quite clear since the fence had not been cleaned.
Set number two was at the top of the trash can. One of them had apparently walked up the fence while the other had used a trash can to climb higher.

The prints were easier to see here since few people walked in back alleys. But the amount of stinky trash would reduce the scent. There were clouds forming at the sky as well.
The clone had a trail to follow. But where would it take him?

[Deleted]

Shiki-

"What does he look like?" Shiki said lifting him up off the ground. He would wait for him to answer and then drop him to the floor. He would gaze into his eyes and would know if he was lying. Once he got the information he needed he would let go of him and pull his blade back. "If you so much as whisper a word to this to anyone... I'll do far worse then kill your husband." Shiki said letting his menacing voice fill the room. "I'll make you two wish for death..." Shiki said with a faint whisper. He let go of him and pulled the blade backwards as if he was going to stab him. He lunged the blade forwards at his throat and right as the blade was amount to make contact he phased through his body. He walked through his body and moved through the wall behind him. It was time to follow the next lead...

Clone-

It was on the right trail. It just had to keep moving. Taking extra care to make sure that he wasn't dragging to much attention the clone threw his hood up over his face and continued to follow the foot prints.

[Starnaess]

The twins didnt want to lose their targets in the ever growing crowd, they had to decrease the distance between them, thanks to the many people and their hoodies however it would've been very hard to notice them. As they kept following them they noticed they were heading into a tea house. Luckily for them the tea house had plenty of windows so they could still keep an eye on them from outsite the shop without the need to enter.

Caela decided to stay outside and keep the entrance on watch while , at the same time watchingthe geishas. Calynn instead decided to enter the shop a minute later going onto the opposite side of it and sitting at a table that gave her the view of the entrance, the back exit and the table of the geishas.

Calynn wasnt the one that bumped into the geishas so them recognizing her face would've been almost impossible.
After a few seconds a woman came to her and asked if she wanted to order something.

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

Shiki:

"What does he look like?" inquired the male while he lifted the poor guy off the floor. The other man cleared his throat as he tried to remember what his husband had told him.
"H-he was about six feet with a very lean body build. He had short brown hair plus deep grey eyes. His skin was not particularly pale or dark" informed the clerk.

"My husband said that he was probably in his late twenties. But he could be older or younger than that" told the male. He was then dropped to the ground.
"If you so much as whisper a word to this to anyone...I'll do far worse then kill your husband." told Shiki in a voice that would have been perfect for a horror movie. "I'll make you two wish for death..." whispered the male as he literally disappeared into the wall.

The poor brunette took a deep breath before he exited the room. He had only been gone for two minutes or so. His manager was busy with preparing the cash register for a new day.
'I hope that scary guy catches Ichiro. I wonder if he was a shinobi' pondered the man.


Caela and Calynn:

The tea house was 80 feet long and 70 feet wide. The back wall, right wall and left wall had three windows each. To the left of the entrance was a counter with an older man serving as the cashier.
On the right side of the entrance were the doors to the kitchen. A smell of tea, boiled vegetables, fried foods plus spices came from that area.

Ten feet into the room was the restaurant part. Most of the tables had four chairs around them while some had two. Since it was quite early in the morning, there were quite few customers there.
Both of the maikos were sitting with two business men at a table that was quite far in the back. The table was at the right hand side, so people did not see them immediately.

A quartet made out of pensioners were sitting at the right hand side. They were sitting at the center and were laughing of something in the newspaper. A male waiter in his late teens plus two female waitresses were walking between the tables.
"Can I take your order?" inquired a violet-haired waitress dressed in a navy uniform. She looked at Calynn with a polite smile and did not notice the twin standing outside.


The clone:

At the other side of the fence was a rather large back yard. There were six trashcans that were behind the two establishments. One of them was probably a ryokan* since they had several windows facing the back yard.
But the establishment that was further away seemed to be a restaurant or café. A smell of tea, boiled vegetables, fried foods plus soap came from the said establishments.

There were three trashcans next to each back door. The set of foot steps with the longest feet went towards the trash cans behind the ryokan. Set number two was heading straight for the restaurant or café.
But unlike the rest of the back alley, there were at least three other sets of foot steps. It most likely belonged to the staff that worked at each establishment.

Inside the middle trashcan behind the ryokan laid an important clue. At the top of the trashcan laid some old bed sheets that were quite ragged. But under them laid something that looked like a thin kimono.
This kimono was deep blue in colour with some flower decoractions at the bottom. It resembled the kimonos the maikos wore.

*ryokan = traditional Japanese hotel.

[Starnaess]

While her sister was standing outside the shop, concealing herself by reading the previously picked journal - Calynn replied to the woman with the same gentle tone, "i would like the house's specialty thank you...also if possible, could i change table and go to the empty one near the window? id like some scenery while i drink." Calynn wanted to sit near the geishas so she could hear what they were talking about.  For now their tactic was quite simple, stalk the geishas and learn as much informations as they possibly could. Since they were in a shop their options were limited. If her request  worked, calynn  would change table and focus her hearing on the geishas.

[Deleted]

Shiki moved through the building and started to sprint towards his clone. He moved to the roof top to cover more ground. He was getting to the point where he would be able to hunt down and find the person responsible for all this. Hopefully the rest of the team would be able to take on their respective rolls. Shiki moved down through the alleyway to where his clone was. He sent his clone up to the roof top to just help provide some extra eyes over the area as he started to examine the evidence. He grabbed the outfits and brought them to his face and took a big deep breath as he caught the scent of the uniforms. He put the smell to memory and continued to follow the trail into the cafe. 

[Marii K. Kazeraikou]

Calynn and Caela:

"I would like the house's specialty thank you...also if possible, could I change table and go to the empty one near the window? I'd like some scenery while I drink." inquired the teenager.
"Sure. You can sit at the table over there" replied the waitress. She gestured towards a table that was fifteen feet behind the tables where the maikos sat.

The apprentice geishas were talking in quiet voices with the two businessmen. Both of the businessmen had their backs facing Calynn. Both of the maikos would be able to look at the female if they wanted to.
The two elegant young women seemed to be calmer compared to earlier. They were at work after all.


Shiki and the clone:

The male would find it a bit hard to get through the street than earlier. It was more crowded for starters. Secondly, it had started to snow.
He would however reach the café without anyone stopping him. Most people thought he was in a hurry after all.

Entering from the back door would lead him straight into a small room. There were four doors there. Both of the center doors had a poster that had the kanji for "man" or "woman". The door on the far right read "clean zone" and a scent of food came from behind it. But the door on the far left had no poster or any particular smell coming from it. Speaking of smell - the scent from earlier would end right here.

It was a smart move to send the clone to the top of the roof. This gave him a good view of the entire street. Since this was a traditional Japanese building, the roof was triangle shaped. The roof had tiles as well to maintain the traditional appearance.
The clone had to be careful however. The snowfall could increase the risk of falling down.

He was able to see the crowd quite clearly. The clone would see the Caela standing outside if he looked down. A pair of young women were approaching the tea house. One of them had carnation pink hair tied up in a messy bun while the other had medium brown hair tied back in a French braid. Both of them looked up and would most likely see the clone at the roof. They would raise their eyebrows a bit, but did not seem to find him too weird.

Smelling the kimono would not be a pleasant experience. One of the most prominent ones was different types of tea. A smell of sour milk was quite prominent too.
A blend of rotten food had been strewn across the fabric as well. But there was a familiar smell that the guy would be able to recognize.

It was a faint scent of the same cologne found the crime scene earlier. The person who had been at the crime scene had worn this. But this smell would be very hard to catch on due to the time plus the other smells.
The foot prints had ended at the trash cans. The shoes had been thrown into the trash can at the right side.


In the kitchen prior to Shiki’s arrival...

'Hmph...looks like that ******** Raikage know I'm here. I better act quickly' decided the man after he hung up the phone. He was wearing the standard commis (junior chef) uniform that consisted of a white jacket, a black apron that covered the jacket, a pair of charcoal gray cotton trousers plus a matching skull cap. The guy went straight into the freezer room that was at the right side of the kitchen.

The hat did a good job in covering his hair, which had been cut into a buzz cut. The commis chef started gathering some chakra while he inhaled some icy cold air. He would have to change his appearance plus his chakra signature in case someone got in. 'I probably have to bring out the big guns. I doubt the Raikage would send some stupid low-level Genins to investigate this' thought the brunette.

He fired of a string of rapid hand seals while making sure the door to the freezer room was completely shut. It did not take long until a clone appeared in front of him. The clone looked exactly like he did at the moment.
"You stay here while you go to the kitchen. Both of you need to prepare something strong since we're in trouble" ordered the male.

His clones nodded and the commis chef went to step two. With some simple handseals, he changed his appearance. The man looked exactly like the co-worker he was supposed to cover for today.
Their similar age and physique would make this easier to pull off. The guy had not shaved or put on perfume today since he had been called in last minute.


'I even had to wear my coworkers uniform...oh well...maybe it will help me getting in character' mused the male. The duo exited the freezer room moments later while the third one stayed behind.
All three of them started to prepare their jutsus since danger was close. The kitchen was a medium sized room. It was 50 feet long and 40 feet wide with three stations.

The sauté station was closest to the freezer room. It was ten feet away from the door to that room. Station number two was the grill station where all the stoves and ovens were. The creator of the clones would stand there.
This station was fifteen feet away from the preparation bench where the clone was.

Last but not least was the kitchen line. This line was closest to the door at the left side of the room. This door would go straight out to the restaurant.
All of the stations would be facing the door in the back of the room. This door lead to the toilets, changing rooms, broom closet and the back yard. This door was locked in order to prevent people from entering the kitchen.

The ice clone would work at the sauté station. He would be cutting up vegetables, weigh up meat, clean the tools plus receiving orders from the restaurant. The real commis chef would be at the grill. His job was to help the sous chef with cooking the dishes. Thankfully, he was quite skilled at cooking.

There were four other people in the kitchen. The sous chéf, a female line cook, another male line cook plus an apprentice cook.

"Hey, nice to see you Honda-kun! I thought you called in sick after you got that burn" told the sous chéf while looking at the commis chéf. "Well, the clinic had a medical shinobi who patched me up in no time. Ichiro-san was nice enough to pick me up today so I got here safely" told the man while keeping his voice cheerful.

"Good thing you could get here. Honda-kun, you probably have to act as a waiter today. One of them have an exam today" informed the woman.
The man nodded before three waitresses entered the kitchen. One of them had violet hair in a messy bun, number two had violet hair tied in a high ponytail while the other had medium brown hair in a french braid.

"Hello brigade de cuisine! Are you all right?" greeted the pinkette. "Yes" replied the kitchen.
"Great. We have six orders here and three of them are from the VIP table" informed the oldest waitress.

The trio handed the slips to the sous chéf before they picked up the plates. "Listen up guys! We have two house specialties, two pots of green tea, one vegetable kuriyaki and one beef kuriyaki.
Both kuriyakis plus one of the pots are for the VIP table. Don't mess this up!" stated the woman.

"Yes chéf!" replied the cooks. The clone started to chop the vegetables required for the kuriyakis while the commis chef prepared the grill.
The apprentice had started on the tea while the other line cook was chopping up the meat. It was just a normal day at work.

SPOILER: Click to show

Jutsus and skills used [commis chef]:


Appearance before the henge: Like this, but with chef uniform and brown eyes.


Appearance after the henge: Like this, but with chef uniform.

Henge no jutsu (Transformation technique).
Rank: “E” Rank.
Skill: Ninjutsu.
Effect: A technique used to change into people other than oneself, but also has the ability to change into animals, plants, and even inanimate objects like weapons.
Special: “Handseals”.
Drawback: Unable to change into any size category larger than the user. May not change into anything that is smaller than tiny size category (1 foot). Unable to change their voice. Unable to change their sense of smell. Unable to change their chakra signature. Once the user is hit this technique is dispelled.
Description: Using this technique, the user assumes the form of a creature of same
size category as they are or smaller. User may freely designate the specifics of his new form
(such as height, weight, hair texture and color, skin tone, etc.) User doesn't change their movements, nor handseals speed. In the new form user keeps all their normal abilities unless they use a limb or body part that doesn't exist within the current form. This means the user cannot use any technique unless the body form allows it. User may create equipment so the new form may carry so long as they are not complicated items, or use chakra (Master crafted items, gadgets, explosives, summoning scrolls, etc). User is not automatically proficient in them and their physical strength is not the same as the item. Any part of the body or piece of equipment that is separated from the whole reverts to its true form. Technique lasts 10 minutes per class level.
Limit: Universal ninjutsu technique.


Henge-nin (Transformation endurance). Learned 3 times.
Rank: “C” Rank.
Skill: Ninjutsu.
Effect: A technique that strengthens the endurance of lasting in the henge no jutsu (transformation technique).
Special: “Handseals”.
Drawback: Must learn multiple times.
Description: Allows the user to endure multiple hits while transformed before reverting to their normal state. When 1st learned the user is capable of enduring a “D” Rank attack worth of damage before reverting back to their original form. The 2nd time learned the user is capable of enduring a “C” Rank worth of damage attack before reverting back to their original form. The 3rd time learned the user is capable of enduring a “B” Rank attack before reverting back to their original form. The endurance applies to any and all other henge type techniques. Each time learned user is capable of holding henge for an additional 5 minutes. For additional time length user may learn unlimited amount of times.
Limit: Universal ninjutsu technique. Must know henge no jutsu (transformation technique).


Cooking. Level: Master [125/125].
Rank: “E” Rank (5 TP at all times).
Skill: Skill.
Effect: Cooking and baking allows the user to create superb dishes.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: With a successful cooking/baking check, a cook can make nutritious meals out of just about any edible substance and can create hot meals even in the wilderness. Failure means that the food is disgusting and inedible. Cooking a meal generally takes no more than an hour, although the preparation of ingredients and dishes may take several hours.

Master: Prepare meals fit for the highest royalty (kings, queens).

When choosing this skill the user must choose either cooking or baking. Baking is the ability to cook by dry heat without direct exposure to a flame, typically in an oven or on a hot surface. Look in task skills thread found in the skills and traits index for more information. Each time learned user gets 5 die roll to increase the skill.
Limit: ---


Sense motive. Level: Master [101/125]
Rank: “E” Rank.
Skill: Skill
Effect: User is skilled at detecting falsehoods and true intentions.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: A successful check lets you avoid being bluffed (see the acting skill). The user can also use this skill to determine when "something is up" (that is, something odd is going on) or to assess someone's trustworthiness. sense motive does not, however, allow a character to determine whether a given statement is a lie. In addition, a character can use this skill to make an assessment of a social situation. With a successful check (very difficult difficulty), the character can get the feeling from another's behavior that something is wrong. Also, the character can get the feeling that someone is trustworthy and honorable. A sense motive check may be made as a reaction to another character's acting check. Try again: No, though user may make a sense motive check for each acting check made against the user. Look in task skills thread found in the skills and traits index for more information. Each time learned user gets 1 die roll to increase the skill.
Limit: ---


Observation. Level: Expert [80/125].
Rank: “E” Rank.
Skill: Skill.
Effect: This skill focuses certain powers of observation - sight, smell, hearing, and touch.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: Can be learned by an animal. A failed check indicates that the character is oblivious until the thing is pointed out to him. This skill is important for ferreting out advancing enemies or ambushes, generally real-time events and actions occurring, versus scrutiny, which covers static objects or areas. A game master may roll an observation skill check for a character any time there is an NPC, monster, event or happening that a character might notice, even if he did not specifically state that he is monitoring his surroundings. Characters are capable of noticing any event within their perception. Observation reveals only facts, not motivation. If user has 25 or more ranks in evidence analysis, user gains a synergy bonus +10 to observation. Each time learned user gets 1 die roll to increase the skill.
Limit: ---


Acting. Level: Expert [76/125].
Rank: “E” Rank (5 TP at all times).
Skill: Skill.
Effect: Acting enables a character to skilfully portray various roles.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: Acting is most often used as a form of entertainment, though it can also be useful in aiding a disguise or pulling a scam. A skilled actor knows how to research their role in order to provide a realistic portrayal to include mannerisms, speech patterns, dialect or jargon. The acting skill also confers a cumulative 5% bonus (per level above unskilled) to disguise skill check rolls. The list below gives examples of mastery and what the character can do.

Expert: Can independently ‘invent’ a role such as a lord, member of a cult, wealthy merchant, etc. Can dress and act the part with such skill that she can pass as that person.

Each time learned user gets 1 die roll to increase the skill.
Limit: ---


Suiton Soushi (Water Creation)
Rank: “A” Rank.
Skill: Ninjutsu
Effect: With this technique the user is able to create water from oxygen in the air for water techniques. When this water is created they can then manipulate the size and shape of the water, controlling it within their radius.
Special: This jutsu can be used as a source of Suiton jutsu without additional handseals.
Drawback: If the water is made for use outside specific jutsu or to manipulate the size/shape of water in their radius, then this jutsu requires handseals.
Description: By using their chakra a Kaishin member can manipulate the molecules in the air and allow them to take the shape and form of water. In doing so the user is capable of performing techniques that require a water source. The amount of water that can be made, as well as the radius depends on the rank of the jutsu. For D rank the user can create up to four cubic meters of water in a radius of four meters. At C rank eight cubic meters and a radius of eight meters. At B rank seventeen cubic meters of water in a radius of fifteen meters. At A rank thirty two cubic meters of water in a radius of twenty meters. At S rank fifty two cubic meters of water in a radius of thirty meters.
Limit: Must be of the Kaishin Bloodlimit. Must have Water Release.


Kuri Buki (Ice Harden)
Rank: “A” Rank.
Skill: Ninjutsu/Supplementary
Effect: In Description
Special: N/A
Drawback: Learning the ranks of the jutsu requires the specific class to be achieved.
Description: The understanding of this technique allows for a Kaishin user to truly harness the power of ice creation. This technique will determine how hard ice created is. The user must be the same class as the rank of jutsu they wish to learn. This means to learn the B rank version of this technique the user must be B class or higher and so on. At D rank the ice is as solid as regular 2 Hardness. At C rank the ice is as strong as 6 Hardness. At B rank the ice is as strong as 10 Hardness cannot be melted with fire techniques below A rank. At A rank the ice is as strong as 15 hardness and can’t be melted by fire techniques below S rank. At S rank the ice is as strong as 20 Hardness and cannot be melted by fire techniques. This technique is the base of all ice techniques used. The strength of every ice technique depends on this.
Limit: Kaishin Bloodlimit; Water Creation, Ice Creation


Makyō Aisu no Bunshin (Demonic Ice Clone)
Rank: “B”
Skill: Ninjutsu
Effect: Creates a clone made entirely out of ice which is capable of engaging combat.
Special: “Hand Seals” – Tiger, Rat, Serpent, Dragon
Drawback: The clone is only as strong as the user's level of Kuri Buki.
Description: By using an ice source or creating it, the user can create fully functional clones made of solid ice which can carry out limited attacks. Unlike other bunshins, the clone(s)’ rock-hard structure make it capable of withstanding multiple physical attacks before dispersing into the original source. The clones can preform techniques known by the user but only ice release techniques and they can only use the ice source from their own bodies. The clones cannot proceed too far from the user or they will revert to water. The range is dependent upon the user's level of Ice Creation. The hardness of the clones depend on the level of the user's Kuri Buki. When first learned the user is only able to create two clones. The user can then do C rank training to increase that number by one. When the limit of clones reaches five they then must do B rank training to increase the number by one.
Limit: Must be part of the Kaishin Bloodlimit. Ice Creation. Kuri Buki.



Preparing for the next round [commis chef clone in kitchen]:


Flying Water Needles of Death
Rank: B
Skill: Ninjutsu
Effect: Creates up to 500 needles made of ice to strike an opponent.
Special: Handseals, end with Tiger
Drawback: The user cannot control the needles outside of their Ice Creation radius. Likewise, they cannot form the needles outside of their Ice Creation radius either. Lastly, the water must be within the air in order for it to be controlled.
Description: Utilizing the Ice Creation, the Kaishin will freeze water within the air around them, transforming the water into 500 needles of ice. The strength of this ice is dependant on Kuri Buki. The Ice Needles will stay suspended in the air as long as the user holds the tiger hand seal. During this moment of suspension in the air, the user can aim their Ice Needles to strike at the target. Once The Seal is released the Ice Needles will fire off in the last direction they were aimed at.
Limit: Kaishin Bloodlimit. Water Creation. Ice Creation.


Preparing for the next round [commis chef clone in the freezer room]:


Hyouton: Ice Bomb Sphere
Rank: B
Skill: Ninjutsu
Effect: Creates a ball of ice which will explode to unleash water needles.
Special: Ox, Hare, Ram.
Drawback: Ice Spheres take one post to prepare, explodes within the user's Ice Creation radius with a max of 500 needles in a full 360 degrees. The needles do not distinguish from friend or foe, likewise they can also harm the user as well if they're in the path of the needles.
Description: Utilizing their knowledge of Flying Water Needles, this jutsu allows the Kaishin to create various ice bombs to serve as offensive or defensive traps. The user will use the Water creation jutsu or utilize an existing water source in order to shape the water into a sphere with needles protruding from all sides of the sphere. They will then freeze it after creation, turning them into ice spheres. These spheres will glow with a feint white chakra signalling their active. When the user is ready, they can form the tiger hand seal and explode the ice spheres, launching their needle contents in a 360 degree radius around the sphere. Unfortunately, the sphere's must be within the user's Ice Creation radius in order to be activated.
Limit: Kaishin Bloodlimit, Water Creation, Ice Creation, Flying Water Needles.


Preparing for the next round [commis chef]:



Hikui tenkuu assaku no jutsu (Low air pressure technique).
Rank: “B” Rank.
Skill: Ninjutsu.
Effect: ---
Special: None.
Description: The user after performing the needed handseals does two things. The first thing it does is it allows the air around the user when breathing in to stay normal, to allow the user to perform normally. The second thing this technique does is it drops the air pressure around the user within the distance of five meters radius. This radius never decreases. Within the first round the opponent feels sleepy as they begin to yawn greatly, their reaction time becomes slow, their capability of performing handseals becomes drowsy. When the second round comes in the opponent or those that are within the same room whether an opponent or not, will fall into a deep sleep. The amount of time for them to stay in a long sleep is that of twenty rounds, which is equivalent to two minutes, or within the length of a small skip such as binding an opponent.
Limit: Must have wind release.



Auto jutsu:


Master of the Secret Arts of Water and Ice
Rank: “A”
Skill: Ninjutsu, Supplementary
Effect: Through rigorous training and profeciency in the Clan's techniques and Bloodlimit, a Kaishin member is able to perform the clan's techniques for a fraction of the chakra cost.
Special: 25% less chakra is used for Kaishin Techniques.
Drawback: This ability cannot be combined with jutsu outside of the clan's own techniques/bloodlimit jutsu.
Description: Through diligence and training alone, a Kaishin clan member practices the art of Water, Wind, and Ice. Their experience with the clan techniques have now blossomed as they're able to utilize the clan's jutsu for less chakra than before.
Limit: Must be of the Kaishin Bloodlimit. Gained automatically after an user has gained 500TP in Kaishin Jutsu.