Romance of Light and Shadow

[|Ayame Unbound|]

SPOILER: Click to show

Stop the Phantom Thief
Rank: S
IIC Length: 2 days
Difficulty: Moderate
Description: A wealthy and powerful citizen of Umi no Kuni has sent a message to the Raikage. It seems that a scroll with an unknown content has been stolen from him by a powerful thief. Security cameras within the house have caught a glimpse of the thief's face and it turns out to be the self-proclaimed Phantom Thief. It is rumored he knows many potent jutsu and can steal anything that he wishes to. A team of one or more shinobi is to be sent to track him down and retrieve and return the scroll as well as capture the Thief Lord, alive if possible, dead if not.
Objective: Recover the scroll and bring back the thief, alive if possible. Do not unseal the scroll. May be repeated once.
Personnel Requirement: One Jounin/ANBU and 2-3 others of any rank
Reward: 25,000 Ryo (20,000 for a Non-nin)

Private | NDE

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The bitter cold winds blasted against her cheeks, leaving an icy spray in their wake. Machiko Kana normally dressed lightly for a mission. Her weapons being more important than clothing. The icy blasts of winter disagreed with this mindset though. Salt water felt like ice as it splashed on board the ship. She dressed sensibly for the weather in black silk leggings covered by thick wool pants. Her tank top was covered by a long sleeved shirt designed for warmth. Over all of this went a fur lined cloak to keep her warm. Bundled amongst her clothing was Athena and her butterflies, none of whom liked the cold much either.

Her weaponry was extensive. An umbrella with a Katana was secured across her back. Her senbon arm shot, fully loaded, was tied over her wrist and her senbon Taitoku gloves. In one butt bag she held a variety of things from blood clot and solider pills to senbon. Bo shuriken, chaff and smoke grenades, bolas, and vials of the predacat poison. All of this was only one pouch. Another held nearly thirty exploding tags. Yet another held senbon coated in the venom of the blue throttle. Her cloak held light and chaff grenades as well as a world map. She also had a range finder, a multi-tool, a mini-gas mask, a lock picking kit, ear plugs, and a communications device.

All of this went through her head as the waves rocked her to and fro. Some may say she was over prepared but she had gone against the so-called ‘Phantom Thief’ before. Her face screwed up in annoyance as she thought back to the occasion. He had appeared in Kaminari no Kuni, sending a note directly to her. He told her exactly what he planned to steal, and through deduction she realized he told her exactly how. In plain view of an entire AnBu squad, three groups of ninja, Kana herself, and half the village, he had managed to steal an emblem of the Raikage.

A hand rested on her shoulder and she looked up. They had arrived in Umi no Kuni. The Phantom Thief would not best her this time. She murmured her thanks to the crew and disembarked, opening her cloak. It was warmer here in the south, she didn’t need the warmth now, just the weaponry it held.

|Move to Umi no Kuni|[/font]

[👺 Usiel]

Moved

[|Ayame Unbound|]

She wasted no time travelling to the home of the man targeted by the phantom thief. Her eyes flickered as she cased the mansion. It seemed to be crawling with an unusual amount of people. Without a second look she identified them as undercover guards who did a terrible job of fitting in. She knocked upon the door and perhaps a little harshly gave the nervous maid her name and purpose. Quickly she was shown to a sitting room and offered tea whilst she waited for the man. She had just started her cup of tea when he arrived.

Largely overweight and unattractive. Her lips twitched ever so slightly as she looked upon the man. He seemed overly comfortable in his fortune. Not like the Kumogakure who had been targeted, not for the value but their prestige. She rose and bowed ever so slightly. “I am Machiko Kana, sent from Kumogakure. You requested assistance in the matter of the thief.” His beady eyes looked her over as he wrung his sweaty wrists. “They only sent one? Cheap idiots, and a little girl nonetheless. You can tell your Kage you’ll not see full pay from me! Sending you! What an insult!” Her lips pressed together firmly for just a moment before she trusted herself to reply.

“You speak ill of my village. I am the past Raikage, having stepped down by choice. Beyond that I am an accomplished ninja and far stronger and more skilled than those poor excuses for guard you have undercover on your grounds.” She informed him coolly. “I will take no such reports to my village, if there is any discrepancy in pay however you may speak to me directly.” She snapped coldly. Her crimson eyes pierced the man, hating every fiber of his being. It was a moment before he spoke. “Ugh! Just go! Stop this idiot! God help you if you don’t girl!” He shouted.

“I am assured Kami-sama will forgive me given the circumstances.” She replied dryly. “But all the same I need to see the note he left you.” In a tizzy the man went and fetched the note, all but throwing it at her before he disappeared. Her crimson eyes looked at the note and she frowned. Something seemed off.

Tonight at mignight I will steal the scroll. Look east for a bit of magic. You may try to stop me but you will not succeed.
Phantom Thief!

The note lacked the finesse of the Phantom Thief’s writing. He hid his method of attack behind eloquent writing and witticisms. Something else was missing too. A picture. The thief always included a cartoon rendering of himself with his signature. She wanted to ask how the note was found but it was not worth finding the moronic owner of the property. She may have only personally gone against the thief once but she had studied his work over the years and this just did not seem right. Wordlessly she tucked the note into her pouch and rose. She had work to do.

[|Ayame Unbound|]

Midnight approached. The elegant Phantom Thief was soon to arrive. Security nearly tripled around ten o’clock. Kana sighed from her perch on the roof. Something still felt wrong to her. Her eyes were facing East but she kept a careful watch all around her. That annoying feeling would not go away. She double and triple checked her gear though she knew it was all there already. Athena watched the western area silently, ready to alert Kana just in case anything were to happen. It was really just a waiting game now. She wanted badly to fidget or walk around but she was hidden by shadows and such movements would give her away.

Her mouth was a hard line as the clock began to strike, calling out that midnight had arrived. It was now or never.

[Elgar]

The sounds of bells would ring through the air as midnight struck. With each passing strike he would move closer and closer. As the final bell struck a shadow would appear at the top of the tower. The moon would shine down to cast his shadow across the entire estate. Standing around six feet tall the man would be covered head to toe in black. A mask would cover the bottom half of his face and a crimson scarf would flow in the wind. Guards would rest on his shins, wrist, and shoulders. On both legs rest knife holsters each holding three knives, and a single katana resting on his back. His breath would come through his mask as the cold air made it easy to see in front of his face. The soles of his black boots would move as his body became shadows. His body would leap from building to building until finally he would disappear into the shadows.

As his feet touched the ground he would begin to head towards the house. Making absolutely zero sound the Phantom Thief would move around the building looking for a way in. With the girl and her pet bird on the building with the scroll things would become a bit difficult. Closing his eyes he would quickly open them. The veins in the side of his head now bulged out he would see all that there was with this girl, her pet, and the whereabouts of the scrolls. He would remain thirty meters away as one of the passing guards came by. As he turned the corner he would grab him. Wrapping his right arm around his neck he would lock his left arm and choke the man out. Dragging him into the ally he would slowly move towards the main house.

Theif