A-Rank Mission: Beheading the Dragon

Spoiler:

Shuri stood at the village gates alone. It was very early in the morning, 6:00, and the sun had just begun to shed it's light. The morning mist was cool and soothing against a person's skin. It was nice. For a dark person like Shuri, people would be surprised to know this was his favorite time of day. Everything is so beautifully devoid of human life. The only sound you could hear were birds chirping. The peace was just Heavenly. Though Shuri knew that soon he would be hearing the complete opposite. Soon he'd be hearing the sound of flesh being torn, screams echoeing, begging to be spared. And he would be the one causing it. Shuri very much enjoyed causing true fear and suffering in others, but he didn't enjoy killing as much. The only reason he would take on a mission such as this was the Hokage. It was an A-rank mission and she trusted Shuri more than anyone else. The target was a C.E.O of a very profitable company, selling art. Shuri, a writer, was in nature a lover of art and had even purchased work from them. To see such creations tainted with drugs and the sort, it angered the artist inside him. Jojo had summoned Shuri from the Funeral Home and given him the mission. Shuri accepted instantly, and headed out, not before hearing concerned orders from the Hokage to stay safe.

As some birds flew overhead, Shuri also took flight. The company wasn't far from the village, he'd get there by nightfall. As Shuri leaped from tree to tree, he ran the mission over in his head. Heike Tsutomo. He was a well built man, and kept himself well groomed, so he didn't look as old as 65. When he appeared in media, he was always kindly smiled and spoke gently. No one could suspect him of such sinister deeds. A man as powerful as him surely had many skilled mercenaries and deadly employees. Even a skilled Jonin elite like Shuri couldn't just charge in there like a wild bull. He needed to avoid a stampede and sneak in. This mission would define the very image of what a ninja was. An assasin. An invisible force. The mission would be over before anyone knew it. After a couple hours of travelling, Shuri's stomach began to growl and he stopped at a small dango shop.

As Shuri walked in, he noticed two very rough looking gentlemen. They carried swords and were covered in scars, yet their behavior didn't match their appearance. They sat very quietly and civilized, and distanced themselves from other customers. The two looked around before whispering to each other. As Shuri ordered his food, he listened in on them.


"...I got everything just like you asked. But it's going to cost 1,000 ryo." said the one on the right.

"How do I know this is the right stuff? How do I know you're truly from Shirokiya?" said the left one, apprehensively.

The right one looked over his shoulder, and stared at Shuri for a moment. Shuri began to flirt with the woman at the register, and she laughed and smiled. Satisfied no one was watching, the man pulled out a card and showed it to the other.

"The boss has us carrying these cards to show proof that we're sellers." he said.

With his worries gone, the man forked over the ryo, and the other man gave him a bag filled with a white substance. They sat in silence until it got dark before the buyer departed. 10 minutes later, the seller sat up and walked outside. He walked in the woods for a while before stopping. He lifted his arm, and looked at it.

"Blood? I got cut? By what?"

He turned around and gulped as Shuri stood in the moonlight, holding a huge scythe made of skull and bone. The man couldn't move. He was paralyzed by fear. What about Shuri was so terrifying? Everything about him, his hair, his scar, his long bony fingers, made the man want to fall down and scream.

"I hope you don't mind...but I'm going to need that little card of yours. If it isn't too much trouble." Shuri said in a polite and dark voice.

"A-are you...a Shinigami? Are you Death?" the man stuttered, so scared he could hardly speak.

Shuri, using his superior Jonin speed, appeared beside the man and reached into his pocket, taking the card. He then whispered right into his ear.

"Yessss."

The man screamed and in an instant he pulled his sword from it's sheathe. Shuri prepared himself to dodge but the sword didn't fly at Shuri. Instead, the man had run the sword into his own chest, and fell to the ground. Shuri stared silently for a moment then shrugged and walked away. With this card he'd be able to sneak in easily.

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Word Count: 843