Takeover 2.0 (Open)

The doorknob turned, and then the door opened as Jynx shifted to put one foot on the ground so that she could actually see who was coming in. In walked a female with a cloth covering her eyes who gave off the distinct smell of earth. The female was dressed in what seemed to be black – she couldn't see that much detail but it looked dark enough to be more black than brown – and she had what was clearly a medical band around her left arm which was the classic sign of a medical nin: or so she had read in one of the books still in the basement. The female left the door open a bit, and Jynx wondered if she had done that on purpose to keep Jynx from feeling uncomfortable; something that she was definitely assuming in a more concrete way given the way the woman was speaking. She called herself Hikari, Hikari Yanagi, and spoke of having a twin. She said that she was a friend of Alec, and that she was also a medic: which meant that Jynx had the proper assumption.

Hikari went on to explain that she wanted to examine Jynx, something that made her uncomfortable, until the female added her reasoning’s as to why: she wanted to make sure all was well since she doubted that those who held her captive took very good care of her. This caused Jynx to relax once more in her chair and listen to the rest of what Hikari said; which was that she was also here to explain the Yanagi clan history, as well as answer any questions she might have.

Jynx smiled gently but nervously and nodded. ”Uh, alright... You can close the door if you want, Hikari. Um... do you need me to lay down or something? Or can I stay in my chair?”, she asked in a soft spoken voice. She was nervous about the examination, but she had no reason to think that the female would actually harm her, which was the only reason she was agreeing to it.

He had to see what was at the end of all of this, especially with where the other pieces of this old map were hidden. They were all around the village, at the tops of towers, to the interiors of some of the buildings, to down below the city in the sewers. Whatever it was, it had to be good... or maybe it was so old and forgotten about, that maybe it was just a pile of dust by now. Either way, Alec's curiosity had gotten the best of him.

The closest piece of the map was on top of the tallest tower in Kurayamigakure, which was connected to a nearby temple. Alec didn't really have an issue with heights, so the climb up there would be easy. He went downstairs and outside, walking down the steps of the porch and began down the long path that lead to the Middle Class District.

More people spoke and waved to Alec, and were surprised when Alec waved back, blindfolded. Some asked him how he did that, to which he responded "it's one of my many secrets." It wasn't long before Alec was walking onto the temple grounds. There were statues and fountains in it's courtyard.

After putting on his fingerless mesh gloves, Alec jumped to the roof and began the climb up the tower, using the hand-over-hand method to quickly scale the structure. Alec nearly slipped twice, but he wasn't worried; were he to fall he had a technique to save himself from going splat on the concrete below. Alec was never one to panic, so his cool head allowed him to quickly right his situation and continue the climb to the top.

Alec pulled himself up. The view at the top offered a spectacular sight of the village and the surrounding lands, as well as those off in the far distance. Stuck in the top most shingle on the roof of the tower was a piece of paper. It looked weathered from past rains, but within was another piece of the map.

"1 down, 3 to go..."

”You can stay in your chair.”, Hikari would respond to Jynx before turning and grabbing the handle of the bedroom door. She would push the door shut, while giving Jynx the chance to get comfortable where she was, before she would turn and walk over. After grabbing the back of one of the nearby chairs she would push it forward so that it was in front of Jynx before sitting down. ”Alright, we're going to start slow. If at any time you feel uncomfortable just tell me and we'll stop, alright?”, she would ask. If Jynx would reply positively then Hikari would start the examination.

She would start the examination by taking a closer, rather focused, look at Jynx's eyes. It hadn't escaped her notice since she walked in that Jynx had a single foot on the floor instead of being completely comfortable, so she figured that that likely meant she used Shinsai because she was blind. ”I'm going to assume you're blind, considering that your eyes aren't reacting normally to my stimuli. Have you ever been able to see through them? Or were you born this way?”, she would ask curiously.

After waiting for an answer she would move on to checking Jynx's ears; creating a variety of soft snapping noise around them to see how they reacted. If they reacted by swiveling and shifting like an actual monkey's would then she would move on to checking her mouth; ensuring that all of her teeth were intact and healthy looking. Finishing up with her mouth she would grin a bit, ”Feel free to ask me anything by the way, it's only fair with me asking you a hundred questions...”

Hikari said that she could stay in her chair which was rather nice considering she was already pretty comfortable. She watched through her earth sensing ability as Hikari closed the door and then walked over, pushing a chair in front of hers so that the other female could sit down in front of her. Hikari then proceeded to say that they would start slow and that if she felt uncomfortable at any time she just had to say so and they would stop to which Jynx nodded her approval. She liked the idea that she had the option to say no and put a halt to things; and it helped her to feel more comfortable.

Hikari started checking her eyes; she could feel fingers examining her and could sense that she was being closely stared at; none of which Jynx could actually see. ”I've been blind for as long as I can remember, and I never heard those.. people.. say I ever could see. I've never even had a sliver of sight. I've always relied on this ability I have to see through my feet.” Jynx was feeling comfortable enough to give up the information willingly; the other female wasn't causing her any pain, and seemed to be going slow so that Jynx had a chance to stop this anytime she wanted.

Hikari then moved on to checking Jynx's ears, both of which responded normally to the tests she was doing. Following this where her teeth which – outside of having not been brushed in the past few hours – were likewise in perfect health. Hikari then reminded her that she was free to ask any questions she wanted, which got Jynx thinking.

”Well, um... Can you tell me something about the Yanagi clan? I never knew my mother, those people said she died when I was born. So I know nothing... I can kind of see that your eyes are covered too, so you're blind... are all Yanagi that way?”

Alec climbed back down the tower. He ran across the roof of the temple and jumped the rest of the way to the ground, landing in a crouch, surprising several people. "Sorry, sorry," he said with a grin as he stood. "Working out. Keeping the rust off, y'know?..."

He left off of the temple grounds. The sky above became darker than usual, and Alec noticed storm clouds come rolling in. There was some rumbling above while Alec made his way back into the village streets, where some were still cleaning, splashing the streets with soapy water, some were reclaiming their properties, some were preparing to re-open shops that had been shut down by the headband gang. A drizzle began that slowly started to turn into a downpour.

Alec pulled on the hood of his cloak. The next piece of the map appeared to be on the top floor of a large apartment complex in the center of the Middle Class District. The darkness was briefly illuminated by the occasional flash of lightning, and soon after came the boom of thunder. People began to hurry and scramble in an attempt to get out of the pouring rain.

Alec approached the apartment complex. It looked sort of old and run down. Some of the windows on the lower floors were boarded up. Alec made his way to the front doors, opening them and stepping inside. The inner hallways seemed abandoned, with clutter and garbage littering the floors. It seemed like no one lived anywhere in here. A large room was on the top floor that was surrounded by armor plating, and in the back of this room was what looked to be a large walk-in safe. Alec grinned when he noticed several individuals inhabiting this room, all colored red through the chakra radar. This had to mean that these guys belonged to the headband gang, and didn't hear the commotion around the city when the rest of the gang was cleared out, probably because of the armor plating surrounding the room.

Alec started walking, heading towards the nearest set of stairs. Cutting up more of these guys would be fun.

Hikari listened as Jynx explained that she had been blind for as long as she could remember, which she figured meant since she was born since her captors had never said anything contrary to that. She also mentioned that she used the earth sensing ability of the Yanagi clan to see, which made Hikari grin. ” Yup, I'm blind too, I have been since I was born. Shinsai is what the Yanagi clan calls that ability to see through their feet; the stronger you get the stronger it will get. You'll start seeing things in better detail, as well as you'll be able to see further out. All it takes is practice. Most of the clan is born blind, but there are a few like my twin brother, Kurai, who are born completely able to see; and in case you were wondering he does still have the ability to use Shinsai to see as well.”, Hikari would explain.

She then moved on, checking the girls stomach and noticing that she was indeed thinner than what someone her age was supposed to be: but, that would be fixed soon enough given she had full and total access to the kitchen now. ”Alec told me that you were given total access to the kitchen, which is good. Just, try not to go over board in eating the first few times, okay? If you eat anything too rich, or too much, too fast, you could end up making yourself pretty sick. Your body needs to adjust to all of those nutrients and the heaviness of the food.”, Hikari would explain quickly before moving on to begin checking that her arms moved as they should, as well as her hands.

As she worked she pondered over the questions that Jynx had asked her. ”As far as the Yanagi clan history; it's pretty long. The clan was created several centuries ago; and we've been blind just as long. Our clan's creator gained the ability to see through his feet and started passing it along to the rest of the clan; teaching it too them. After a few generations they no longer needed to teach it; it was simply something that every member of the clan could do. We used to be out of a village called Iwa, but the clan moved from there due to some conflict a really long time ago; since then we've been kind of spread out.”

By now Hikari was checking her legs, ensuring that they bent properly at the knees, and that she could walk correctly. She also checked her feet, noticing the way they differed from a humans: thankfully though Hikari knew enough about monkey's by now to know that they worked properly for what they were. ”Alright, seems like we're done here... everything works like it should – or well, like it should for the various parts of your body. You're a little thin, but that'll change after a few weeks after your body has adjusted to better food. Do you have any other questions for me?”, Hikari would conclude with before falling silent.

Jynx absorbed the information that Hikari was providing her with like a sponge: after so long of waiting she would finally have some of her answers. Hikari said that the majority of the Yanagi clan was born blind, but that there were a few rare exceptions like her twin who were able to see both with normal eyes and through the earth sensing ability that Hikari called Shinsai. Hikari also noted that if Jynx practiced with it it would eventually grow stronger and would in fact allow her to see further out and in greater detail: it was a goal that Jynx was going to strive for.

Jynx was completely relaxed as Hikari continued on with her examination: checking her stomach, her arms, hands, legs, and feet while she talked. Jynx kept quiet, listening to it all, especially as Hikari began to explain a bit about the clan history. The clan was several centuries old and the one who had created it had been a blind man who had gained the ability to see through his feet. He had taught several others in the clan to do it too, and after several generations they no longer needed it taught to them but instead had the ability automatically which explained why Jynx knew how to do it since she was a baby.

Hikari finished up, and outside of saying that she was too thin but that that would change soon enough – as well as a reminder to eat slowly and carefully until her body was used to the food – she said she was in perfect health which made Jynx grin. ”I don't have any questions right now that I can think of, but can I come find you if I have some later on?”, she would ask curiously.

Alec didn't mind walking up 5 flights of stairs. The rain outside started to pour a little harder as he reached the top floor, and began to head towards the room in question. As he approached, Alec could see that the whole room was meant to be a giant safe, with another safe inside. Perhaps this was a vault meant to hold something very precious, or maybe it was a panic room. The door to the room had 2 doors: one normal and another one with armor plating. The armor door was open but the normal door was closed.

Alec opened the door and stepped inside, closing it again behind him. The 6 guys in there all turned to look at Alec with confused and weird expressions. The room looked - and smelled - like they'd been holding up in here. All around the room were shelves that seemed to once hold valuable goods, and small drawers that could be locked with keys. The walk-in safe in the back had 2 doors just like the outer door: a big thick combination door that was open, and a smaller barred door that was closed. Inside of the walk-in safe looked to be several females. There were several other females in the room too, chained up. All of them were dirty and looked mistreated. These guys looked to have been using them for pleasure purposes.

"...What the--who are you?" one of them asked. All of them wore the same headbands as the rest of their former crew. Alec couldn't understand how Kuro missed these guys, but he wasn't complaining. More exercise and slicing off limbs with either of his swords he always welcomed, especially when it came to scum that deserved it.

"Hi," Alec said, taking off his hood and attempting to shake some of the wetness from his cloak."The name's Alec. I donno if you boys have been paying attention to what's going on outside. It doesn't look to me like you know what's been going on the past few hours so i'll inform you. Your bosses are dead. All 4 of them. All of your fellow foot soldiers have been cleaned out and run off. This village is under my control now. I'll let you all walk out of here if you release these girls and politely vacate the premises. If not, you can die, right here, right now. These are your options."

The females began to beg Alec to help them, both the females chained up, and the ones in the walk-in safe. "Shut up!" the same goon yelled, slapping one of them in the mouth "...We supposed to just go for that, blind man? What the hell can a blind man do? You can't even see! We supposed to be afraid of you? You expect us to just believe you killed all of the bosses by yourself? A fucking blind man?" Some of the other guys started laughing.

Alec laughed with them. When the laughing ended, Alec retook a serious expression. He was ticked off because of the way these girls were being done, but kept his cool... for now. "I never said I killed them all personally," he said. "Nor did I say I came alone. I'm giving you a choice. My people outside? They don't negotiate. They just kill. The Taijutsu chick in the ghetto area? Dead. The Genjutsu master over in the rich area? Dead. The armored man right here, in the middle class area, with the two swords? Dead." Some of the guys started to look worried and scared. The females began to look hopeful. "And your big boss man up in the north area, the one who could make himself faster, and turn his skin into metal? I killed him myself, along with his two pals who both could do what he did."

"...You're lying, blind man!" The same goon yelled, who looked to be in charge of those in this room. He looked strong and muscular, but Alec had him figured just to be another goon. He wasn't even half as strong as the big boss was. He had knives in either hand.

"I am? Alright then. Come at me and i'll prove that i'm not just all talk. When you're dying, remember that I offered you the chance to walk out of here."

Hikari glanced over to the open windows, seeing that it was an all out downpour now outside. The rain didn't bother Hikari, even though she knew she was going to be spending some time out in it sooner rather than later – though a stop in the kitchen was definitely in order to grab a bite to eat. She then glanced back over to Jynx and nodded with another smile. ”You can ask me whatever you want, whenever you want. If you can't find me around here I'll be getting the village hospital set up and running properly and you can definitely find me there. Or, if you get your hands on a wireless communicator you can reach me through that because I always have mine in my ear.”, Hikari explained.

”If you need me, let me know, alright? I'll see you around, Jynx.”, Hikari added before turning and walking out of Jynx's bedroom, closing the door behind herself. She headed down into the kitchen where she would make herself a quick sandwich for herself and grab a few pieces of fruit for Shiro who was resting in the hood of her top but whom would surely be hungry later on.

Eating her sandwich she walked back through the building and outside, off to find a location for the new village hospital....

-Exit Unless Prevented-

Jynx smiled as she heard Hikari tell her that she could ask her anything she wanted, whenever she had a question. She listened as Hikari explained that she was going to set up a hospital for the village and she could most likely be found there – Hikari also mentioned getting a wireless communicator like the one that was in her own ear and that if she did so she could get a hold of her like that, too. Jynx nodded in understanding and then waved goodbye before Hikari turned and walked out of her room.

When her door shut she got up and went over to her windows which were wet on both sides due to the downpour outside. She closed the windows the majority of the way, leaving them cracked enough to allow the pleasant smell of the rain to still get into her room. When the last window was closed all but an inch or two of the way Jynx yawned softly and stretched. She shifted her attention to her bed and shuffled her feet across the floor.

She reached her new bed and practically fell onto the thing. She grabbed the blanket and rolled so that she was covered up; out like a light only a moment or two after that.

After a loud yell, the goon ran towards Alec, who remained where he was, and didn't even take a defensive posture. Charging head-on towards a killer of his caliber... a bad idea. The goon made a wild, predictable lunge towards Alec's head, which Alec easily leaned back to avoid. The goon made other swings towards Alec that he leaned and ducked around. Alec even swatted and pushed aside several of the swings in a manner that made those watching assume that Alec knew what was about to happen before it happened. All of them, even the girls, watched with wide eyes. How could a blind man be this good?

The goon swung at Alec until he was sweating and out of breath. Alec didn't even look worked up, keeping his sarcastic smirk. He pulled his walking stick from the back of his belt and propped it in front of him like a cane; a usual stance that he took. "You done?" Alec asked. "You're free to leave at any time. If you insist upon this course of action, you'll have no one to blame for what will happen to you but yourself."

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!!" yelled the goon. More rapid swings came, blocked with the blind fury stick, the sounds of the knives impacting the scabbard loud in the armored room. The sword was drawn, and swings were made so quickly that ordinary eyes could not keep up. A look of shock appeared on the goon's face while this transpired. Alec ended when he re-sheathed the sword and kicked the goon in the chest. The goon flew backwards, allowing his arms to simply drop to the floor in several pieces. The rest of the goons jumped up, some terrified, some angry.

"The same offer goes for the rest of you," Alec said, putting the stick back onto the floor, the smirk still upon his lips. "Walk away, or die. It's simple."

"You think you can take us all at the same time, blind man?" asked another goon. The arm less goon was lying near the walk-in safe door, screaming his lungs out, bleeding out onto the floor.

"You want to find out? The rest of you are free to try me," Alec answered, making a "come on" motion with his left hand. Two of the goons, one of them being the goon who just asked that question, ran toward Alec from 2 different directions, drawing kunai and rearing them to swing. Alec moved forward so fast that it looked like he disappeared. He performed a 360 spinning motion while making a simple swing of the Stick Sword. Sheathing it again, he stopped and propped it in front of him once more.

Both men froze where they were. After so long, the red appeared on their shirts. Both of their kunai fell apart, and the top halves of their bodies fell from the bottom halves. The smell of insides added to the stink that already lingered in the room. "Are you still not convinced?" asked Alec casually.

The test of the goons looked scared out of their minds. Their two friends on the floor were now twitching as they were dying. The arm less goon was now silent, beginning to turn pale from blood loss while he was dying. The females even looked scared, even though Alec had no plans of harming them. Some of the goons were trembling in fear.

Temaki had taken most of the journey at a fast run – as fast as she could go, actually – which meant that instead of it taking her weeks to reach Kurayamigakure it had taken her, as well as her two horse sized wolves, Blast and Cana, hours. However, as she got within a quarter of a mile from the village gates she slowed, as did Blast and Cana. The idea behind it of course was simple: she didn't want to be taken as a threat, and her speeding towards a village freshly taken over with two large wolves? That could likely cause some issues she didn't want. She wasn't here to cause trouble after all, she was here to help: to extend a hand of friendship and perhaps work up some trade agreements if she could swing it that way. She had nine years of Kage experience backing her, so she was more than used to dealing with this type of thing by now.

Before having left her village she had dawned her Kage robes and hat – even though she hadn't wanted to – so she was definitely attempting to announce her arrival and who she was due to the symbol on her hat speaking clearly what village she was from. Normally she didn't bother with the hat or robes because she hated the symbol of power that made her anything but equal to her villagers, but she felt in this situation it was needed so it was clear who she was.

”Come on, guys. We're almost there. Let's go try and make some friends, mmkay?” Cana responded by giving a dignified nod of her huge head much like a human would, Blast meanwhile entered briefly into puppy mode and ran a circle around her happily with his tongue hanging out. Temaki simply chuckled at her two wolves: they were like night and day. Blast was orange and red in color and acted – despite his age and size – like a fun loving gentle puppy all of the time. Cana, all white with three scratches across her nose, acted like a proper lady: she would play and rough house the same as any wolf would but only when it was the appropriate time.

Temaki turned her attention from her wolves and onto the village gates of Kurayamigakure as they came into focus. She kept her pace comfortable, and her posture relaxed and calm. Blast remained on her left side while Cana remained on her white. Temaki was sure someone was likely watching. ”Expect someone to show up; I'm sure someone has to know we're here...”, she commented softly to Blast and Cana, a way of ensuring they didn't go into over-protective mode the moment someone appeared.

A sentence was spoken into the party line:"We have an intruder."

Kinzoku had found his place of dwelling. It was the same building used by the former boss of the slums, the female taijutsu expert. The building looked shabby on the outside, but the inside was lavishly decorated. The entire bottom floor was a bar/nightclub. Since the head band guys were controlling the village, the establishment wasn't seeing much business, but now that they were gone, Kinzoku told the owner he didn't care what happened down there. The place was jumping again, crowded with patrons.

Kinzoku wasn't there. He was on the tops of buildings, patrolling. It was what he did back home, and it was what he was going to do here, especially seeing as not all of those head band guys died. Some managed to get away, so word was probably spreading out there. These guys probably had allies; allies that would come to see what happened for themselves, and if at all possible, re-take control and issue new bosses. Kinzoku wasn't going to let that happen if he had anything to do with it.

So, when am absurdly strong female approached with 2 dogs that looked as big as horses, there was cause for concern. She was dressed like a Kage, but that could have been a ruse. Kinzoku had seen it all before. Currently, he was seated on the roof of one of the buildings near the main entrance into Kurayamigakure. He'd felt the female approach, quickly at first, then noticed her slow her pace as she got closer to the village, probably as to not seem like a threat.

Kinzoku, however, wasn't falling for any tricks. They'd just taken control of this village, by force. It came as no surprise that someone was already coming to investigate.

"Okay... Okay," said one of the remaining goons, looking terrified. "You win, blind man. We'll... we'll let the girls go. You're---you're gonna let us walk out of here, right?"

"Sure," answered Alec. "I'm a man of my word. Leave this village and don't come back."

The goon pulled out a set of keys. He dropped them several times because his hands and arms were trembling with fear. He attempted to unlock the chains to the girls, but with the way his hands and arms were trembling it was proving difficult. Alec shook his head and chuckled some. "Leave it to me," he said, approaching when the goon dropped the keys again. "I'll take it from here. Just go, while i'm still in a good mood."

Alec leaned over to pick up the keys. One of the remaining goons got it into his head to attack Alec while his back was turned. Alec didn't even attempt to dodge even though he saw the attack coming. The Symbiote hardened up before the kunai could make contact, causing the sneak attack to be foiled, and the kunai to break on contact. There were more surprised and terrified looks. "Hummmm... some of you never learn, do you?" Alec said, standing up straight again with the pair of keys. "Then you always end up begging for your life and crying for mercy when you could have just left and went on with what's left of your pathetic existence..."

The goon that tried to sneak him looked somewhere between being scared and being angry. He made a wild, obvious swing towards Alec's head. His wrist was grabbed and his arm twisted. His elbow was bent in the wrong direction until there was a pop and crunch sound, followed by screaming. The arm was bent further, producing more pops and crunches from the shoulder area. Alec kicked the goon many times in the mid-section, so many times that he'd began to vomit blood.

The goon was violently thrown across the room to slam through shelves, impact the wall, and fall onto his head. Alec turned his head towards those remaining, his sarcastic smirk returning to his lips. The remaining goons stumbled and tripped over each other as they made their way towards the door and ultimately the exit. "The only ones with brains it seems..."

Alec went to unlock the girls, who all looked scared out of their minds. "You're---you're---you're n-not go-going to-to kill us, are-are you?..." one of them asked.

"No," Alec answered, unlocking the chains and pulling them from the wrists and ankles of each of the females. He went to the walk-in safe next, unlocking it and releasing those inside.

"Wha---what are you going to do to us?..." another asked.

"Nothing," answered Alec, looking around inside of the walk-in safe. "You're all free to leave. Go be with your families."

"...Just like that? You're... you're letting us go?"

Alec looked behind him, towards the exit. "There's the door. I'm not stopping you. By all means, go..." The females all began to hug Alec and tell him thank you, who kept his sarcastic expression while trying to get away from them. Some asked how they could repay him. "It's not necessary, seriously. Just get out of here, go home..."

When he managed to peel himself away from the hysterical females, Alec continued looking around inside of the walk-in vault. When he managed to find the piece of paper lodged in the ceiling above the light, it was around this time that he heard Kinzoku say that they had an intruder over the party line. After opening the slip of paper to find another piece of the map, Alec then turned to exploit his radar.

There was a female coming towards Kurayamigakure. She had a boatload of chakra, meaning she was strong; Kage level of strength. She was dressed like a Kage as well, but Alec wasn't stupid. Disguises came in many shapes and forms. On either side of her were wolves. Both were nearly as strong as she was. There were no evil intentions about her or the animals, but Alec knew that even his special vision could be exploited, should one have knowledge of the Holeman radar and know the proper way of going about it.

Alec didn't know what to expect. She was either a Kage from one of the other villages, here to investigate, or she was putting on a perfect ruse and had other things in mind. Alec was new on this continent, and intruder himself. He wasn't taking any chances with anyone, and would have to handle this situation with care. Putting the map piece in his bag with the others, he left the walk-in safe and the armored room, headed toward the stairs that would lead him down to the ground floor.

Temaki kept up her leisurely pace as she neared closer to Kurayamigakure. Cana kept pace at her side, and so did Blast minus when in a burst of puppy-like energy he would circle around her and then return to his position. Temaki was all too used to Blast's antics by now to be bothered by them, so she let them go for now: she knew he would act as proper as Cana once they ran into someone after all.

Each footstep brought her closer and closer to the gates until, finally, she arrived. She paused a moment, glancing to the left, to the right, and then finally upward to see if anyone was around. Blast, acting more serious at this point, and Cana both sniffed the air to see what they could smell. Cana spoke to her in a soft series of growls and soft yelps, informing Temaki without speaking a human language that there was something nearby that smelled like blood.

Temaki herself then sniffed the air, confirming this. However, it didn't bother her: she had been told a blood bath had taken place here upon this new groups arrival, so she wasn't going to let it worry her too much. Instead, Temaki simply called out, ”Hello, anyone there?”, to see if anyone would reveal themselves.

Blast shifted next to her: he was itching to position himself protectively in front of her but was holding himself back in an attempt to look appropriately non-threatening. Cana meanwhile kept completely still; relaxed even. Temaki meanwhile simply reached up, pushing the rim of her hat up a little more so she could see; her rainbow colored hair peaking out from beneath the shadows of it.

Alec walked down the several flights of stairs and came outside. He could see the remainder of the head band gang run through the streets and out the main entrance of the village, past Temaki and her 2 large wolves. None of them said anything to her, they just ran, terrified for their lives. As Alec walked, nearby he could see and also feel Kuro and his crows. Kinzoku was seated on the roof of a building near the front gate. Not too far away, on another roof was Kurai and Little Kong. Apparently they'd all heard Kinzoku's warning on the party line and had all come to take a peek.

Alec couldn't see anyone else out in the wilderness hiding. If they weren't underground, there was no one else. The female wasn't coming inside of the village. She was probably playing it safe. Keeping a close watch on her, she still didn't have anything hostile about her, and the two wolves were guarding her. It was expected of them. Getting into a fight with animals that big probably wouldn't end well. They were probably highly intelligent just like Little Kong, Shiro and Minerva, and probably knew animal jutsu all their own. Alec wasn't eager to find out exactly what those jutsu were.

Temaki would see a towering individual come walking towards her down the streets lit by dim lamps. He was wearing a hooded black cloak, the hood down; the cloak actually much more than it seemed. He had white shoulder length hair, a young face, and a blindfold over his eyes, yet he moved as if he weren't hindered at all. In his left hand was a polished black walking stick; it too being much more than what it actually seemed. At his left side was strapped a Katana, the scabbard glowing a white color and illuminating the darkness next to him; the glow leaking off of the scabbard as if it were smoke, leaving a trail behind him that eventually dissipated. This individual carried with him an obvious air of mystery.

Though blindfolded, this man bravely walked close to the female visitor, "looking" right at her with a sarcastic grin on his face, his finger less gloved hands propped on that walking stick as if it were a cane.

"Greetings," said Alec. "A gang of scum recently ran this village, enslaving and extorting the population. My associates and I took control of the village from them by force. Those who didn't run away died... violently. It comes as no surprise that word of our deeds would already be spreading. It has recently come to my attention that this village has a history of being run by scum that stretches back decades. I aim to turn that around. Have you come to get in the way of our efforts to become a prosperous village, ma'am?"

Blast circled around her once more before coming to rest again at her side as a group of individuals went running past looking terrified. She reached down and placed her hand lightly and calmly on Blast's head; the gesture relaxed the wolf and kept him from moving about too much more. Given that the individuals didn't seem like a threat Temaki and her two wolves allowed them to pass without giving them any trouble.

It was then that Temaki's gaze focused onto the tall individual walking towards her. She gave him a once over; noticing the walking stick, the fact that he was blindfolded as if he were blind and yet moved directly towards her as if he could see, and the katana he had with him. He looked as if he were alone but she highly doubted it; she was sure there was likely someone or something hiding in the shadows that she hadn't seen, yet. Still, Temaki kept her relaxed and calm demeanor.

As the individual began to speak she listened as he explained that a group of scum used to run the village, enslaving and extorting the population. He went on to say that him and his associates took over the village by force and that he came as no surprise to him that word of this had begun to spread already. He said that it had come to his intention that the village had a history of being run by scum, and that he aimed to turn that around. He then asked her if she had come to get in the way of those efforts.

Temaki shook her head as her usual smile spread across her face. ”Not at all. My name is Temaki Inuzuka I am the kage of Morigakure. This is Cana...” she would nod towards the all white female wolf ”... and this is Blast.” she would nod towards the orange and red male wolf. ”I received a report that someone was taking over the village, and according to my source these individuals planned on doing some good with the village. I decided to come take a look for myself and see if I could help out if that was the case. I've been the Morikage for soon to be nine years: so I make it my business to keep tabs on what's going on; especially when a group of individuals suddenly appear who are strong enough to clear out a village in less then a day...” Temaki fell silent then, her smile still on her face and her stance still calm and relaxed. Her words were truthful; she was the type of person who liked to help those in need, and if these individuals wanted to get this village off of the ground she was willing to help if they needed it.

The Kage of Morigakure, Temaki Inuzuka. Inuzuka... he'd had dealings with several of them in the past. One that was frail and prone to stay out of combat. One that ran his mouth; talked big, but did nothing to back his words. Others as well, who were like family.

Alec wasn't going to hold past dealings with other members of her clan against her. There was still nothing hostile or misleading about Temaki; if there was, Alec would notice it immediately. She confirmed that word had spread about their deeds to turn this village around. She could have sent some of her underlings to come have a look, but she came here herself. A seasoned Kage, she was offering up help, and stated that it was her business to know about people strong enough to take over a village in less than one day. It was possibly to be ready if those behind the take over planned to expand to other village, which Alec didn't plan on doing.

Alec turned, motioning for Temaki and her animal comanions to follow him. Kurai was ahead of them, standing on a roof with Little Kong, looking down at them. Alec waved a hand, his way of saying "it's cool, don't worry about it." The rain had slowed to a drizzle at this point, and the last of the crimson had been washed off of the streets.

"My name's Alec Kane," he said as Kurai and Little Kong turned and moved off. "I guess that makes me the Kuraikage. Sadly I have little experience running a legitimate ninja village. To be honest and blunt with you, i'm a former Missing-Nin and crime lord, and my associates around us," Alec said, waving again to Kinzoku, to the right, standing on a roof with that glowing gourd. Kinzoku nodded his head and moved off next. "They're my former lieutenants and under bosses. We've...'turned over a new leaf,' so to speak, and truly intend on running a legit village. I'd planned on traveling around and introducing myself to the other Kage to make these intentions known."

Kuro was walking nearby, with crows hovering about, cawing and scattering feathers everywhere. Alec nodded his head to him, and Kuro nodded back, before seemingly vanishing into the darkness of the surrounding shadows. As he was headed towards the north district several villagers happened by them, speaking to Alec and looking at Temaki and her dogs. Some of the villagers said they were hungry, and Alec gave them some money out of his own pockets. They thanked Alec, with the kids hugging his legs, while Alec kept his sarcastic look and told them anytime.

"I suppose you'd want to be setting up a trade system between our villages," Alec said. "I haven't been able to take a detailed look around the village just yet, but I can tell you that our marketplace has a large harbor and fishing holes, hinting at an exotic selection of sea foods, and in the south district there are rock quarrys and mines; an excellent source of coal and various other minerals. When I have time, I can make a detailed list of our goods and specialties, and possibly travel to Morigakure and deliver it to you myself?..."

An opportunity to go out and have a look around these new lands, and around the other villages. Maybe take Jynx with him so she could see more of the world beyond that basement room.

Alec turned and motioned for her to follow which she, Blast, and Cana did. The wolves remained at her side while she moved: Blast was completely relaxed with his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth, while Cana kept a relaxed and get proper air about herself as she always did. Temaki noticed Alec wave a hand and glanced up to see a male with a monkey companion who turned and moved off at the gesture. ”I'm surprised you're so willing to give up that kind of information; but I'm going to assume since I have never heard of these deeds of yours that you're not from around here... so I won't hold it against you since it seems you're really turning over a new leaf.” Most kage's likely would have acted more wearily, but Temaki was clearly able to see the way the people responded to Alec, and it reminded her very much of home: they liked him, which meant that he couldn't be all that bad.

Temaki then focused her attention back onto Alec, listening as he introduced himself and said that he assumed that would make him the Kuraikage of this village. Alec then went on to make a somewhat startling announcement: that he was a Missing-Nin and a crime lord and his associates around them were his former lieutenants and under bosses. None of this information caused a physical reaction to Temaki; she kept her completely calm and cool composure though curiosity would show plainly in her eyes as she glanced up to see an individual with a strange gourd moving away.

Alec went on to say that they were turning over a new leaf, and intended on running a legit village. He commented that he planned on going on and traveling to the different villages to introduce himself to their respective kage's. She then noticed an individual with crows hovering nearby who likewise seemed to just disappear: she assumed these individuals were likely the village security but she didn't comment on it out loud.

Temaki thought over what Alec had said so far before listening to him continue on. He said he supposed she wanted to set up a trade system, to which Temaki nodded her head yes. He then went on to explain that he hadn't taken a detailed look around the village, yet, but that their marketplace had a large fishing harbor and they also had mines and quarries and thus were capable of producing a variety of goods.

”Aye, that sounds like a good plan.” She grinned suddenly. ”But, I'll apologize before hand... in my village there's little formality: I dress and act just like any of my other people. It's why I'm known as the unconventional kage. I like to keep myself equal to my people; I only wore the hat and robes today because I felt it would better identify myself; and would be expected. I'd burn the damn things to ash if I had the option...” It was a fair enough heads up she figured; she didn't mind Alec coming, but she didn't want him to be surprised that she held herself to equal standing as her shinobi and civilians.

Alec reached behind him into his bag to pull out a slip of paper. He unfolded it and "looked" at it. The next piece of the map, the second to last piece, was in the sewers. Alec was not looking forward to potentially swimming around in shit, but whatever this map lead to had to be good, so it was worth the risk. He'd be severely disappointed it he was lead to nothing but a pile of dust, or some old bones.

"Fine with me," Alec said, folding the paper up and returning it to his bag. "I don't dress like your 'normal' Kage either, and I understand why you came dressed as you did."

A sewer entrance was nearby. It didn't look too hard to open. Once he was down there his radar would work a little better, but he would be limited since he would be underground. If things really got too difficult down there, he would have to rely on his actual eyes.

"Well then, I don't want to drag things out too far, Temaki, you must be a busy woman. I'll show the symbol on your headband around to my people, and your citizens will be free to come and go here as they please. We're still in the processes of getting our wheels turning, and i'm currently on a personal mission of my own, but as soon as i'm finished, i'll make a list of our resources and set out for Morigakure first thing. To the beginning of what i'm hpoing to be a long and prosperous friendship between our villages?"

Alec extended his right hand to shake.

Temaki noticed him looking at a paper, despite looking as if it were blind, which only caused Temaki to assume that he definitely had another way to see. Before she could comment though Alec began to speak again saying that he'd show her village symbol around to his people, so that hers could come and go freely if they wished. Alec then mentioned that he was still in the process of working on things, and was on a personal mission of his own at the moment, but that as soon as he was finished he would make that list and then come to Morigakure first thing.

Temaki looked to Alec's outstretched hand, nodded, and shook his. ”Aye, I'm hoping so.”, she said in agreement to his comment about a long and prosperous friendship between their villages. ”I'll take my leave now; I'll let my people know what transpired here, and to be expecting your visit soon. If there's anything you need in the meantime let me know.”

She would wait to see if Alec had anything else to say, and if he didn't she would turn and walk back the way she had come with Blast and Cana in tow; Blast running circles around her happily and more than willing to pause and allow any curious children to pet him: he was a big softy after all. Temaki would keep going at a leisurely pace until she was well outside of the village gates, where she would then pick up speed and take off back towards home.

Alec grinned some while kids were crowding around the big dogs, amazed that they could get so big. he thought of asking Temaki if she needed an escort to the border, but he didn't think she'd be the type, and besides, she'd brought two escorts with her. "Have a safe trip home, Temaki..."

The kids and villagers went with her as she walked back towards the village entrance. There was chatter on the party line as Alec kneeled and used his left Hidden Blade to begin prying open the man hole cover.

"You think she's legit, Alec?" asked Kinzoku. "She could be lying, setting us up."

"True, you never know," added Kurai. "She could have been here scouting. Taking notes, looking for our strengths and weaknesses. Word of our exploits back from the mainland could have spread here, the notorious Dark crew resurrected. How do we know a crew of highly trained killers won't suddenly try to come in here and rush us now that she knows what she's up against?"

Alec opened the manhole cover and pulled it aside. He dropped down into the stinking darkness and landed on a dry pathway next to a river of you know what. He had the symbiote form him a primitive mask because of his heightened sense of smell. "I can read people," Alec answered. "These eyes let me see more than you can imagine. If she had any sort of hidden agendas or were planning something devious, i'd have seen it. She seemed sincere, i'm gonna give them a chance. We'll have at least one village in our pocket; there's still others out there. No telling if they're gonna accept us taking over like Temaki did. Still, keep an eye on her until she's across the border..."

"Will do, Alec," said Kurai. Kuro could be heard chuckling some.

"Already ahead of you on that," said Kinzoku.

Alec was literally in a world of shit. He moved quickly deciding not to waste time down here, being careful not to get any on him, or to step on any turds. He moved through several long winding tunnels, coming across several areas where it looked like some people had been holding out. Some areas had beds and desks, long unused with dust covering them. There were rooms with rusted doors that had beds in them as well, also long unused. He wondered why someone would have taken to living in the sewer. There could have been many reasons...

Alec came to a circular chamber there several tunnels converged and spilled waste down what looked to be an endless pit of shit. A very old top to cover the pit was suspended above the pit by large rusted chains. According to the map, the map piece was on top of the top. Alec was quickly on the rusted top, and found the map piece just as quickly. With this piece, there was only one left.

A climb up a ladder and a push of a man hole cover, and Alec was back above ground, on the street. he removed the mask and took a deep breath. It would have to be a good reason why he would go back down there again...

There were several books laid open on the rug in front of the fireplace of Artemis' room. Artemis herself was seated indian style among them with a book already in her lap. She was turning the pages quickly, obviously searching for something. In the end, not finding what she was looking for, she sighed and shut the book before putting it on the rug with the others. Frowning to herself she stared at the fire for a moment, watching the low but warm flames dance around. None of the books she had looked through had been helpful for her problem – or rather, the question she had.

After Artemis had left Jynx alone over an hour ago she had showered and then returned to her room. She had heard Hikari come in to Jynx's room and give the girl what had sounded like a thorough examination; she had also heard Hikari say that nothing was wrong with the girl outside of her being a bit too thin – a problem that would in a few weeks fix itself now that Jynx could eat regularly. Yet, Artemis had still felt the need to worry. Jynx had checked out physically, but how about mentally? Artemis had had a very happy life, she had no idea what it was like to go through what Jynx had had to. Therefore, she didn't know how Jynx was going to react; or rather how Artemis should react around her. Artemis was determined to make Jynx as comfortable as possible, to be her friend, and so she wanted to make sure she didn't screw that up.

Still, none of the books she had looked through for answers helped her, and in the end she knew she would just have to ask somebody. It was then that Artemis reached up to her ear, realizing that she had forgotten to replace her wireless communicator after her shower. She got up, leaving the books where they were for the moment and rushed into her private bathroom. She retrieved the communicator from the sink counter where she had left it and popped it back into her ear. She then returned to her bedroom and made quick work of picking the books up off of the floor and putting them back on the bookshelves.

Suddenly, an idea came to her, someone she could ask who might know the answer to her problem. ”Hey dad.. you busy?”, she asked over the comm.

He pushed the man hole cover back over the latch, stomping it twice to make sure it was in properly. Now way was he ever going down there again, not unless he truly had to. The smell, even through the mask that the Symbiote made for him, was just too much for his overly sensitive nose. He was lucky to not have fallen in or stepped in any piles...

The last piece of the map was somewhere pretty simple: the bazaar. It was a large building in the center of the middle class district, in the marketplace; a mall in other words. An enclosed building that had many businesses within. Right now, for the most part, it had been shut down by the head band gang for some reason. many of the windows were boarded up, many of the door ways were blocked, and many of the hallways were cluttered with junk and other useless stuffs.

As he arrived, there were a number of people attempting to unboard the windows and move much of the stuff blocking the doors and halls. Alec went to help them. Many standing around asked why the new leader was down here helping himself and not sending someone to do it for him; a crippled leader at that. Alec replied that - in his opinion, at least - a real leader went down into the streets to be with his people, helping them with his own hands, rather than sit back and command others to do his dirty work for him, crippled or not. Many began to admire and look up to him for that.

Alec helped clear doorways and halls. He even gave several money from his own pockets to help them restart their businesses. The inside of the Bazaar smelled old and unused, but he figured it wouldn't be for long, especially when fresh goods and merchandise began to frequent these halls. It was in a large center room that looked like a food court/lounge area that he got the call from Artemis, while looking up at the big light fixture that was hanging from the ceiling. Apparently the last map piece was up there somewhere.

Alec began to head up there by climbing across the wooden beams holding the ceiling and walls up. "Sort of, but not really," he responded to his daughter through the Wireless Comm. "I'm helping the villagers re-open the bazaar in the marketplace. Why? What's going on?"

Her father responded that he was helping the villagers re-open a location within the marketplace; that he was busy but not at the same time. Artemis thought of going down there, but decided to stay in her room just in case Jynx happened to come knocking looking for her. She figured she still had er spare wireless communicator in her bag and she would give it to Jynx later and explain how it was used: this way she could reach her no matter where she was. But, that would be saved for later, for now she needed some advice. ”Well, I heard that Jynx is okay physically; minus being a little too thin. But, Hikari said that would fix itself now that Jynx can eat properly....”

Artemis sighed and then frowned. ”But.. I was curious how she might react mentally. I'm worried about her. Being locked up like she wasn't isn't good for anyone, but she's been down there her entire life. So I'm worried about how she might react. I don't know what to expect from her. And I guess I'm worried I don't know how to help her right...”

Artemis walked over to one of the nearby chairs that surrounded her bookshelves and flopped down in it. ”I tried looking for answers in some of these books, but I couldn't find anything helpful. So I figured I'd ask you for advice instead...”