Starring:
Date: July 25, 2012
Summary:
While Soujiro is on a D-Rank mission for a villager, Ataru and Soujiro talk about how to handle the Way of Peace
"Meeting of the Minds"
Bridge overlooking a stream in Konohagakure
Its early in the afternoon with a the sky looking a bit gray. It was a pretty windy day but at least the air was at a comfortable temperature. Just a few feet from the Arikan Bridge and a couple of more feet from the bank, Soujiro could be seen wading in the water with his boots off and his pants rolled up to his knees. In his hands is a rather large basin. After watching him for a moment or two it was obvious that the boy was filling it up with the water from the stream that flowed here. Once the basin was filled he would place it on the bank and grab the next empty one to repeat the process.
Strolling along he would whistle as he went, hands in pockets as he looked out across the bridge. Spotting a familiar figure in the water, he'd raise a brow and with a shrug head that way, hopping over the side lightly to move closer.
"Yo, Soujiro-san, how ya doin today? And uh.. whatcha doin?" He'd look between the water and the kid curiously with a light chuckle. "Gatherin fer someone, or ya just gettin ready ta take yer yearly bath?"
Soujiro looks over his shoulder as Ataru approached. "No no, actually i've been noticing how you've been stinking up the place so this is all for you." He would take a step closer towards Ataru and sniffed. "Yea, im definitly going to more water. Do you not believe in soap or something?" He finally managed a smirk.
"But no seriously, I'm just helping out an elderly lady with her garden. She'll go through this amount of water every two weeks. Its money in our pockets, ya know? So what are you up to?" He asks as he sets another filled basin of water down on the shore.
Ataru would sniff at himself, before laughing with a nod. "Yeah yeah. I know, all trainin and no showerin makes Ataru a stinky boy." He'd grin at Soujiro then. "Good idea. That kinda work is basic d-rank, whatcha would see happenin around here really for genin who can't really leave the village without a guard. So I'm glad yer workin hard ta help out." Ataru would shake his head slightly. "I think I foundja a Uchiha ta fight.. another genin, so he shouldn't be too tough.. which means ya should try ta go easy on em, hai?" Grinning at Soujiro, he'd lean back up against the bridge, arms folding over his chest. "Otherwise, I've been practicin my chakra control.. gotten good at it.. and can use it fer further skills.. my stuff's about ta get a whole lot stronger.."
"Oh boy, can't wait for that morning when i wake up in a hospital after a "light spar"." Soujiro was say as he elaborated with his fingers doing the quotation marks. "So in between all this training and fighting, are you raising any money for our cause? Oh yea, and what about that Sorai, Sare, fella? Have you talked to him yet?" The boy took out a handkerchief from his back pocket and started wiping his hands clean.
Ataru would chuckle slightly. "hai. I do regular mail runs ta Kadomai yanno.. I've got the run down ta a 13 minute trip one way.. full tilt. I'm workin on doin tree top runs now.. see how fast I can be ta get there from here." He'd shrug slightly. "I'm still watchin fer that way of peace stuff. We're gonna hunt them down since they're messin with a lotta stuff it seems. I've heard rumors of other attacks all over the lands." He'd muse to himself, a slow shake of his head given. "I ain't sure what they're up ta, but we definitely need ta get them beat down fast I think.."
"I bet there are a few shady folks around here that could point us in the right direction." Soujiro says as he puts his wrag back into his back pocket. "We don't belong to the village so by showing interest in some "dirty" work we might get lucky. Or…" The boy stops and rubs his chin for a few seconds. "There is always the off chance that by doing this we can stop a few bad people from getting away with some stuff. I wonder what they were after at tha gravesite the other day though. I mean, i did find that box but that could've just been random stuff belonging to the body in that particular grave. I think im going to go back and check out the site again once im done here."
"Make sure ya ask em fer permission 'fore ya go diggin back there, hai? Ya ain't wantin ta get in trouble and havin someone like Atsuro havin ta come fer ya, eh?" He'd chuckle lightly, a small nod given. "We might ask around.. but I think Fuuma is probably a better place ta go askin.. and I ain't able ta goto Fuuma mate.. I ain't ready ta take on the mob yet.." He'd nod towards Soujiro. "I ain't sure ya should really be goin there either.. place is dangerous.."
"Fuuma?" Soujiro cocks his head to the side. "I think my uncle mentioned that place a time or two. Isn't where all the thieves, murders, and crooks hang out? How does that city even operate with those kind of people making up the majority of the population? Anyways though, we dont have to head to Fuuma right away. We could just start small here. I'm sure someone at the sake bar has some dirty jobs waiting to be done. But as far as going back to the grave area, don't worry. I'll be polite, unless he thinks i stink still."
"They work on the other thieves, murders and crooks.. afterall, the boss gotta have him a mob.." He'd shake his head with a small sigh. Ataru stared at Soujiro, the gaze hard for once as he'd try to pin him there with the look. "There are plenty of people there that need help, Soujiro. I know. I was there for 2 years. We need to find a different way of looking for the Way of Peace." He'd relax slightly, a small grin given. "I dun wanna ruin what bit of good grace I've made with it gettin out I'm lookin ta be some ruffian. We can just track em down.. dun gotta ask fer dirty jobs.. hai?"
Soujiro shakes his head. "No, dumby. We wouldnt actually perform the dirty job. It would just lead us to other crooks and probably bigger ones. Think of it as going under cover but actually sabatoging whatever it is they're trying to do. Of course we would need a third person to do this. That person would get the information on where to meet, who to meet, what we're going to be doing, etc. Then what that information we plan out how we can stop or ruin whatever operation they are planning. But that third person cant be involved it has to look like they had nothing to do with us knowing their intel."
Ataru would muse about it, rubbing his chin with one hand. "Huh.. That ain't a half bad idea." Shrugging his shoulders slightly, he'd look at Soujiro then with a chuckle. "Alright mate. Yer in charge of findin the guy we gonna have help us ta get intel. Once the three of us know what's goin on, then we work out a way ta pass info without bein tracked. After that.. then the wreckin crew can begin it's work, hai?" He'd grin at Soujiro with that, a fist smacking into his free hand with a nod.
"Sounds good." Soujiro nods. "You never did say anything more about this Soren fella you mentioned the other day. Is he a shinobi or something?" The teenager would notice he had one more basin to fill. While Ataru answerd his question, Soujiro waded out to the stream and filled the container.
Ponders for a moment before a shrug is given. "He's a guy missin an arm. I escorted em ta Suna, so he could talk ta the puppet people, hai?" He'd chuckle slightly. "I ain't heard anythin from em since. But nothin sayin we can't set up ta go see em out there, hai?" He'd chuckle softly, hands sliding into his pockets once again. "Soren seemed ta be somethin akin ta us.. knows a lil bit ta be dangerous, but ain't got the real trainin like a shinobi does. I'm thinkin he might be perfect fer the group we're lookin at makin.. but we'll have ta talk to em fer sure."
Soujiro made his way back to bank with the basin full of water. "That doesn't sound like a bad idea. How about we set out this weekend to head to Suna then? That'll give us time to pack up and make sure everything is in order before we go. Here, gimme a hand with these containers, will ya?" He says nodding to the rest that sit on the ground with his head. "The lady's house is just a few blocks from here."
Ataru would nod, picking up one of the containers to put it on his head. Focusing himself, that chakra would start to glow about him, the dark blue being shaped to curl about the container on his head and hold it still. With that done, he'd pick up another one and motion with a hand towards the path. "Alright mate, ya show me where ta bring it, I'll help ya by bringin it there, hai?"
