Demolition and Immolation

Missions:

Malik yawned as he stretched his arms out in bed, his alarm clock was blaring at him to wake up and get on with his day, but his sleep had not exactly been the most peaceful. Following an interruption hours earlier due to the sounds of a woman screaming and crying out in anguish, Malik had been forced (tempted by the promise of payment) to leave the comfort of the Inn he was residing in and retrieve her stolen puppy. The small furry companion had been taken by another family for whatever reason, and Malik had agreed to go to their home and take the little Oscar back. His impromptu mission had been an easy one with no interruptions, aside from the not so little boy waking up as Malik was leaving his room with the dog in hand. The large mountain of a man chuckled as he remembered the fear in the boy’s voice as he spoke, he had likely defecated himself at the sight of the Missing Nin in the shadows. Oh well, thieves were not exactly deserving of pity in Malik’s eyes.

It was the start of a new week though, so Malik had decided to make the most of his time by focusing on completing some more missions. His wallet had been revitalized by that morning’s endeavour, but there was always more space for him to fill up. Yawning again, Malik finally got up from his comfortable bed and made his way over the bedroom’s ensuite bathroom. Performing his usual preparations, Malik took his time in the shower. He was stiff and exhausted still, so required some more time to prepare himself today. After 20 minutes of preparing, the large man finally exited his room, dressed in his usual white attire. He walked past his neighbour’s room on the way out, hearing the soft snores of the small woman and her recently rescued puppy coming from within. Malik smirked, all it took to shut her up was the dog’s return, people could be so fickle sometimes.

As he walked up the stairs from the Inn’s basement, the sounds of music and people laughing, drinking and singing began to fill his ears. It was still quite early, but this Inn rarely slept. The locals loved this place and would be in attendance all day round, filling the Innkeeper’s coffers to no end. Thankfully, the rooms downstairs were completely sound proof, meaning that Malik could get his sleep no matter how loud the patrons were. A blessing for them all, as the large man felt like he would rip their heads off if they interrupted his sleep. He HAD gotten close to doing this to the small lady next door after all, murder would not be a good look for his residency here…

As he finally made his way into the large room, Malik was greeted by the sounds of cheers from a booth of drunk old men on the far side of the room. The mountain of a man was somewhat surprised, but kept his face cool and straight at the unusual greeting. These were the same men that looked at him in fear and disgust the first time they lay their eyes on him, whispering and muttering behind his back as he passed. He gave them a curt, but polite, nod in response and made his way over to the notice board on the far side of the room, deciding to look for some work before anyone else could poach the jobs as he ate his breakfast.

Walking up to the wooden board, Malik took his time looking through all of the numerous listings. Many of them were menial and boring jobs; tending to flower patches, working at under staffed restaurants, helping rich old hags with their weekly shopping sprees. Malik growled silently as he looked at all of them, these were jobs for slaves, servants and butlers, not trained killers such as himself. He had already degraded himself by taking rubbish jobs in the past, he had no intention of doing this to himself today though. Finally, a job grabbed his attention. An old and decrepit building was due for demolition, and strong Shinobi were required to assist in this endeavour. A far cry from the more gruesome work he had been accustomed to, but if it meant he did not have to clean some fool’s backyard for money, then Malik would happily oblige. He took the note and made his way over to the Innkeeper for some breakfast.

As he approached, the old man gave him a kind nod as he continued to wipe down some glasses. “Just the usual today, Large Protector?” He spoke without blinking, Malik raised an eyebrow at his new moniker. “I understand the Large part, but Protector? I do not exactly have a reputation for protecting people… But yes, the usual today will be fine.” The old man chuckled at his response, yelling out some instructions to the cook in the back before turning back to face Malik. He invited Malik to sit at the bench as he continued to speak, “That’s what the folk in here have begun calling you, lad. I had my doubts at first, but it has really come to be true in the end. Your presence alone has warded off the usual miscreants and hooligans from coming in and bothering us after all. You have no idea just how difficult it was to run this place smoothly before you arrived. You had better not be leaving anytime soon, ye hear?” They both chuckled at this, although Malik decided that it would be best to keep his mouth shout at the last comment. He HAD been thinking about leaving over the last few days, he felt as if his time in Hoshigakure would be reaching its final chapters soon.

The two of them continued to speak as Malik waited for his food, he had been pleasantly surprised to find that the Innkeeper had gotten comfortable with his presence recently. Malik preferred solitude, that was not a secret, but understood that having someone to talk to every now and then was not the worst thing in the world. The conversation kept up until Malik received and finished his food quickly, before paying and saying his goodbyes to the Innkeeper. “Time to work ey? Very well, get on out of here and get some more money to pay me!” The old man laughed as he waved goodbye. Malik exited the venue as the bright sunlight from outside finally shone on his fairly pale skin.

Hoshi was quite busy today, the village was loud and bustling with people making their way around. It was the middle of the day, so many workers were having their lunch breaks, as well as most of the elderly meeting up with their friends for the usual recreational activities old people performed. Malik was surprised to see that even children were out and about today, it must have been a school holiday or something similar. He sighed, the nagging and wailing of children had never been something he enjoyed. But no matter, he had a job to perform and money to make, so he decided to push forward towards the building due for decommission. His walk was somewhat peaceful and uninterrupted as he forged his way to his destination, that was until a familiar voice rang out just further ahead of him.

“Malik! Over here you big old brute!” The words were loud but spoken with a gentle softness, Malik suppressed a smile as he saw Marla waving from the juice stand. She was wearing a rather cute green uniform that matched her even brighter green eyes, a large smile was painted across her face. Behind her, the coworker that Malik remembered being named ‘Hina’ was looking at her in horror. She had clearly not realised that Marla had conversed with Malik on their first meeting. The rowdy woman had even thrown a fist at the large man, although that had resulted in quite a bruised hand. He made his way over as Hina quickly made an excuse under her breath to Marla before dashing away.

Marla simply laughed as this happened, looking back at Malik when he arrived, “I don’t know why, but that poor girl is TERRIFIED of you!” She gave him a sly wink as he could not help but chuckle at the situation. “Indeed, I have been only kind to the little soul, perhaps she is intimidated by my dashingly good looks.” Marla rolled her eyes at this and threw a strawberry at him, which Malik subsequently caught and ate. “I will assume that one was on the house. Anyway, I must be off, I have a building to help demolish.” Marla was surprised at this, “Oh? That old hunk of crap next to the apartment complex I live in? It’s about time that one got torn down, it is such an eyesore! My window is far too close to it and it really ruins the décor of my room. Make sure you tear it down quickly, I’m sick of seeing it!” Malik smiled and gave her a nod, before continuing on his way.

He finally arrived at the destination, the building in question was indeed a hunk of crap; the windows were all boarded up, the paint was peeling off most of the walls and there was a horrible stench coming from within. He was most definitely in the right place for the job. Someone that he could only assume to be the foreman was waiting out the front, who walked over to Malik as he approached. “Good afternoon sir, I take it that you are here in response to our mission request? Perfect! The workers are already in there doing their thing, everyone is at the top floor so you can head up there to join them. To be safe, we want everyone on the same floor at all times and begin from the top, that way nobody is at risk of getting hurt below. Just follow their instructions at all times and this will go smoothly. Thank you again sir.”

Following the foreman’s instructions, Malik made his way up to the top of the building. The inside was even worse than the outside. There was stink and mould everywhere, he could see why Marla hated it so much. At the top, he met with the other workers who were using sledgehammers and other large tools to tear the place down. He was instructed to grab one for himself and assist, but Malik proposed a better idea, something stronger than a sledgehammer. His fists. The men laughed but did not refuse his idea, instead their jaws dropped as the large man began to tear through the place. The shock was replaced with cheers from the group, his efforts were already speeding up the process and his precision was impeccable. Not only that, but it was safer, with less debris crashing outside the building.

Over the next several hours, Malik and the construction workers continued to tear the place down, floor by floor. The work was tough and the large mountain of a man was actually beginning to enjoy himself. It felt more like training than a job, allowing him to work on his strength and endurance as he continued. Everything was progressing well, until another Shinobi joined the group for their construction. He was some upstart Genin who was full of himself, exuding smugness and superiority. The next hour was infuriating for all those who worked near him. He would resort to Ninjutsu to complete his work, making a bigger mess than what was necessary. It was annoying, but the headache turned into a nightmare when he decided to show off for the group.

“No no no, listen here men. I am the best in my class at Ninjutsu. Look, let me show you just how good I am!” Then the idiot performed a Great Fireball Jutsu. On the fourth floor. That went straight through a wall. And into the building next door. It was a nice looking apartment complex that had a view of this hunk of junk. That sounded familiar to Malik… MARLA! It must have been her home, what made matters worse was the screaming that came from within. The fire was growing rapidly and people were clearly trapped within. Not only that, but the fireball had also caught onto the building THEY WERE IN. The walls around them began to light up and the smoke quickly set in, causing everyone’s breathing to struggle. The stupid Genin began to freak out as the rest of the workers began yelling amongst themselves in fear and confusion. Taking control of the situation, Malik roared out for them all to hear him. “All of you! Down the stairs and outside NOW! We do not have time to waste. This place will also be going down if you do not hurry up!”

He led everyone down the stairs and outside the building. Where the foreman was yelling out in fury and confusion. “WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED IN THERE! WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS?” Malik grabbed the idiotic Genin by the neck and threw him at the feet of the foreman. “This fool, but his punishment can wait, the people in that building are trapped and I am going in.” The foreman was shocked but tried to stop Malik from going in. “Look, you are clearly strong and talented, but you will not survive that, you can not save everyone in there! The fire brigade is already on their way, so please just wait for them!” Malik would not have it though, he simply walked past the man and kicked down the front door of the complex, before rushing inside.

---

WC: 2,301

Jurei presently sits at one of the benches that faces toward the dilapidated building beside an apartment complex. With a notebook in one hand and a pencil in the other, she sketches a rough outline of the scenery before her. The sketch is incomplete as it only consists of the buildings and their surroundings but nothing else. She hums to herself as she continues to sketch, taking her time to get the details just right. Another familiar face from a month or so ago sits behind her, otherwise standing around 5'4" tall and sporting a tiny frame, feminine features are complemented by a light, fair-skinned complexion, and brown-colored locks tied up in a ponytail. She's dressed traditionally in a light gray crop top with short sleeves and a high collar. Her village's insignia, Hoshigakure, is proudly displayed on the right side of her chest. She's also dressed in a navy blue pleated mini-skirt and brown leather sandals.

As she continues to sketch out the details of the dilapidated building, she notices that Mina has gone back to reading her book. Jurei smiles to herself as she continues sketching, enjoying the quiet company of her friend. The two continue to sit in silence until they hear a loud crash coming from nearby. They both look up from their respective activities to see what's going on.

She busies herself with reading an interesting book while Jurei sketches, but she occasionally glances up at Jurei's notebook to see how the sketch is coming along. "How does it look so far?" She asks Jurei as she continues to sketch out the details of the dilapidated building. "I think it looks pretty good so far, Mina," Jurei replies as she continues sketching. There's a brief moment of silence until Mina speaks again. "Say, what got you interested in sketching to begin with? I mean, I know you're into art and all that, but I never knew you were into sketching."

Jurei pauses for a moment to consider her response before answering, "Well, I've always been interested in art since I was a little girl. I used to draw pictures of my family and friends when I was younger, but as time went on, I found myself becoming more and more interested in capturing the beauty of the world around me rather than just drawing people. So, one day, I decided to start sketching the things I saw around me. That's how it all began." Jurei continues sketching while she speaks, her pencil moving quickly across the page. "But, I guess at some point, I just stopped drawing altogether. The older you get, the more responsibilities you have to deal with. It's hard to find time to do something that you enjoy when you're constantly being pulled in different directions."

Mina listens intently to Jurei's story as she sketches away. "That's really interesting," Mina says after a moment of silence. "I never knew you had such a passion for art. It makes sense though, considering how good you are at it."

Jurei blushes slightly at Mina's compliment. "Thanks," She replies, smiling softly.

Mina pauses for a moment before continuing, "So, what got you back into sketching again?" Jurei pauses again as she thinks about how to answer Mina's question.

"Well," She begins, "I guess I just needed something to take my mind off of things for a while. And drawing has always been a good way for me to do that."

Jurei continues to sketch away as she speaks, her pencil moving quickly across the page. "But I think what really motivated me to start sketching again was the fact that I wanted to capture some of the beauty of the world around us before it disappears forever. So many things are changing so fast these days, and it's hard to keep up with them all sometimes. But when you're sketching, you can slow down and really appreciate the little details that make up our world."

Mina listens intently to Jurei's story as she sketches away. "That's really beautiful," Mina says after a moment of silence. "I never knew you had such a poetic side to you, Jurei," Mina says jokingly. Jurei laughs softly at Mina's comment. "Yeah, well, I guess you learn something new every day," She replies, then glances up at Mina with a smile. "So, what about you? What got you interested in reading?"

Mina returns Jurei's smile and says, "Well, my family has always been really into books. My mom is an author, and my dad is a professor at the university here in Hoshigakure. So it's only natural that I grew up surrounded by books." Mina pauses for a moment before continuing, "But I think what really motivated me to start reading so much was the fact that I wanted to learn more about the world around me. Books are like little windows into different worlds, and I love being able to experience new things through them. It's a way for me to explore the world without actually having to leave my home."

Jurei nods as she listens to Mina speak. "That's a great way of looking at it," She replies. "I never thought of books that way before, but you're absolutely right. They are like little windows into other worlds." Jurei pauses for a moment before continuing, "So, what kind of books do you like to read?"

Mina thinks for a moment before responding, "Well, I'm pretty much a fan of all genres, but if I had to pick just one, I'd probably say mystery novels. There's something so satisfying about solving a mystery and figuring out who the culprit is." Mina smiles as she speaks, clearly excited about her favorite genre of literature. "What about you? What kinds of books do you like to read? If that's something you're interested in, too, but I get the feeling you would be." Mina asks.

Jurei pauses for a moment as she considers Mina's question. "Hmm," She thrums thoughtfully. "I guess I'd have to say—" Then, a thunderous explosion interrupts Jurei from finishing her sentence as it echoes throughout the streets. The two girls look up from their conversation and turn towards the source of the noise, where a large plume of smoke rises above the buildings in the distance.

"What in the world?" Mina exclaims as they both rise to their feet.

"That sounded like it came from near the construction site!" Jurei says, worry creeping into her voice. Jurei closes her notebook and—taking advantage of the immediate pandemonium—stows it and her pencil away in a miniature space-time portal through one of her space buns, appearing as though she simply tucked it away behind her ear. "I'll go check out what's happening over there, Mina, could you inform the authorities to send the fire brigade to help?" Mina nods in affirmation and dashes off in the opposite direction to do just that, while Jurei dashes toward the deconstruction site.




As she nears the scene of the explosion and fire, she notices a large fireball erupting from within the old building they were sketching just moments ago. They watch in horror as the fireball quickly spreads to the apartment complex next door, setting it ablaze in an instant. People begin to scream and panic as smoke fills the air, making it difficult to breathe. She quickly surveys the area and sees that several people have been injured by flying debris from the explosion, and some are trapped beneath fallen rubble with groups of civilian volunteers and site workers assisting in their removal. Spotting one of the workers likely responsible for the project, perhaps the foreman, she beelines toward them and gestures at them with a wave. "Pardon me!" She bellows, catching the attention of the foreman issuing impromptu instructions for evacuation of the premises. "What's going on here? What caused this?"

The foreman shakes his head and replies, "Lousy Genin over here botched the whole thing using some fire Jutsu in the hopes it'd destroy this building here faster. And, well, you see for yourself how that went. Now, we've got to get these people out of here before the whole damn place goes up in flames!" The foreman points towards a group of people trapped beneath some rubble nearby. The foreman then turns back to Jurei and continues, "Hold on, you're a ninja, aren't ya? We can use all the help we can get to put out that fire before it spreads any further!"

Relief one moment, high-octane stress the next, Jurei nods and dashes off towards the burning apartment complex, where she sees several civilians attempting to put out the flames by throwing buckets of water at them. Performing the following hand seals: Dragon → Tiger → Hare, her cheeks quickly well up, looking fit to burst—and releases a torrential jetstream of water—which then spreads out into vaster amounts 10 meters toward the afflicted exterior segments of the apartment caught within the belching flames. The fire is extinguished almost immediately, but there still remain those embers that slipped through the cracks and infiltrated the establishment from the open windows of a couple of rooms.

Jurei clicks her tongue, then performs the next series of hand seals: Tiger → Horse → Ram → Clone Seal. A vast cloud of off-white smoke explodes from the core of her person before dissipating, revealing two clones on either side of her that are identical to her down to the last pigment of her complexion. Without skipping a beat, she says the following: "One of us needs to get inside and evacuate any residents in the building. The other will stay here and put out any stray embers that may have made it inside."

The clones nod in affirmation before dispersing, with one dashing towards an entrance into the apartment while the other remains outside to continue putting out the meaning fires scorching the facility and from the fallen debris. The original Jurei watches as her clone disappears from sight, then turns around and begins helping civilians who have been injured by debris from the explosion.

As she's tending to a civilian's injuries, she hears a voice call out from behind her, "Hey! You there!" She turns to see a man wearing a Hoshigakure police uniform running up to her. He stops next to her and continues, "We've got some injured people here who need medical attention. Can you help us carry them?" She nods and replies, "Of course." The two of them quickly begin carrying injured civilians away from the burning building and towards a minor medical-nin encampment.

In the interim, the clone that entered the shambling apartment complex explores the ground floor for any faculty, employees, residents, and everything in between. They come across an elderly couple huddling together near a window on the first floor. The clone approaches them and says, "Are you two alright?"

The elderly woman looks up at the clone and replies, "Yes, we're fine. But our granddaughter is still up there on the second floor." The elderly man adds, "She was asleep when all of this started. We've been trying to get to her, but it's too dangerous with all of this smoke and debris everywhere. We think she might be trapped underneath something."

The clone nods and says, "Don't worry, I'll go find her and make sure she's okay. But, I'll need to get you two to safety first before I go fetch her. What was her name?"

"Tora. Jikaku Tora." The elderly woman answers, immediately.

"Jikaku Tora, OK. Let's get you two out of here. This way." The clone gestures, then turns around and guides them toward the emergency exit of the facility before she heads toward the stairs leading to the second floor. As they make their way up the stairs, they see that most of the second floor has already been engulfed in flames. The intensity of the heat rakes across her face, threatening to singe her skin if she doesn't act quickly. She dashes around and past any of the flames and subsequent blockades created by the former, searching for any sign of life past them.

After a few moments of searching, she hears a faint cry coming from somewhere nearby. She follows the sound of the voice and soon stands before a smoldering door. The clone hovers its hand over the door knob and quickly retracts it as a fierce heat whips across the palm of her hand. "Hot," They remark. "Hey! Is that you Tora?" The clone shouts. "I'm here to help!"

"H-help!" A young girl's voice calls back. "Please, I can't get out!"

The clone nods to themselves and says, "Alright, just hold on. I'm going to get you out of there." Thinking quickly, they check where the hinges of the door are located. They face the right-hand side, meaning it will open toward them... Great. But they have to try, anyway. Raising their leg and leveling their knee to their torso, throw a kick toward where the keyhole of the door is with the heel of their foot, a thud THUNK echoes, but the door refuses to budge. They try again and to no avail. The clone clicks their tongue and then performs the following hand seals: Tiger → Snake → Horse → Boar → Dragon, materializing a stack of gold coins in their hands before ejecting them toward the hinges of the door in an attempt to weaken them. To their fortune, the hinges give way and collapse under the weight of the coins, allowing the clone to push the door aside.

The clone enters the room and sees that it's filled with smoke and finds a young girl trapped beneath some rubble near one of the living spaces. The girl is crying and struggling to breathe as she coughs violently from inhaling smoke. The clone rushes over to her and says, "Don't worry, I'm here to help you!" They quickly begin removing the rubble from on top of her, though the larger debris proves to be difficult to manage. Thus, they perform the next sequence of hand seals:  Horse → Ox → Ram → Hare → Snake, altering the gravity and soon freeing her from its grasp. The girl looks up at the clone and gasps, "You're a ninja!"

The clone nods and replies, "That's right. Now, let's get out of here." They pick up the girl and carry her out of the room. As they make their way down the hallway towards the emergency exit, they see that most of the second floor has already been engulfed in flames. A three-meter tall wall of fire blocks their path toward the stairwell. The clone clicks their tongue and says, "We'll have to find another way out of here." They turn around and head back down the hallway towards the other end of the floor, whereupon they find a familiar stark, white-haired brick shithouse along the way.

"Wait a minute... Mailk? Is that you? What're you doing—Gah, never mind. We'll catch up later or something. You reckon there's an alternative exit we can take out of here? Emergency exits closed off back there." They thumb behind themselves to the three-foot tall wall of fire down the hallway.


WC: 2,556
TWC: 2,556
TMWC: Complete/4,000

As he rushed into the building, Malik began sprinting through the hallways as he ripped open each of the doors he saw. This allowed for the trapped civilians to get out safely without touching the searing hot door knobs. Looking around frantically, he did not see Marla anywhere in sight. He would continue to do so on each floor he ran up to before finally reaching the fourth floor. Here he heard the sound of Marla calling out help, her voice sounded weak. Without thinking of his own safety, Malik kicked down the burning door that was between him and the sound of her voice.

Inside, he saw the Marla stuck underneath a large wooden beam, her legs completely pinned down by it. She was bleeding from her knee as well as her forehead. "Malik? Malik! Please... help..." She trailed off as she suddenly lost consciousness. Sprinting over to her, the large man grabbed the beam and threw it off her, it smashed against the wall. Picking her limp body up, Malik would run back out to the hallway and down the stairs towards the emergency exit.

As he approached, he saw a familiar face in Jurei. She spoke about how the way was blocked and they needed another path out of there. "An alternative exit? I will make one." He would suddenly activate the Fourth Gate as he turned to face a nearby wall. The building had mere seconds left before it would come crumbling down around them. With a sudden movement, Malik would punch through the wall with his free hand, his left hand holding Marla over his shoulder. "Quickly! Follow me or hop on!"

Regardless of whether Jurei and her little companion would hop on his back or not, Malik leap out of the building right before another explosion happened and the structure came crashing down behind them. He landed directly in front of Hoshi police officer who had his hands over his mouth at the scene. Without acknowledging him, Malik would push past and make a beeline directly to the nearest medical unit, gently placing Marla on a bed and grabbing a nearby medic but the collar, lifting him up off the ground. "You help her, or you lose your head." Putting him back down, Malik stormed over to where the stupid Genin that had caused this whole issue was kneeling down in fear, more than likely terrified of whatever punishment the village would bestow upon him for his actions.


Malik would grab the Genin by his right wrist, which appeared to be his dominant one. Without a word, he would crush it with Jotun Grip, causing the young Genin to scream out in anguish as the bones in his wrist were shattered into dust. Malik would then turn back to the medical unit and walk over, waiting next to Marla's bed as the medic worked to help her.

---

Jurei's clone wasn't about to wait to find out if their immediate instinct is to hop aboard his back and hook its right arm under and over his right shoulder isn't already obvious. She tightens her hold on him and Tora closer, who clings to the clone for dear life as a sudden burst of wind billows through their clothing before landing with an equally dramatic THUMP, to which both surprises and shakens the clone enough to loosen their hold of him before he rushes the girl on his left shoulder to the nearest medical unit. The scene thereafter isn't exactly child-friendly, either. She turns around to see Mailk confronting the Genin responsible for this whole fiasco. She watches as Mailk crushes his wrist with Jotun Grip—which elicits an ear-splitting scream from the Genin—before he storms off to where the young lady dubbed "Marla" who is being treated by a medic.

Resultantly, the deconstruction of the old building was... arguably a success. Sure, it's up in smoke and ash, but it's gone, to say the least. As for the apartment complex, that's another story. From a brief glance, the clone could tell the property damages to the establishment would ruin at least three generations' worth of wealth. But that is neither here nor there. The clone dusts off and soot and smoke on her person before she turns Tora, gently patting away the selfsame grime all the while. "Are you hurt anywhere?" She asks with a soft smile on their face. Tora shakes her head in response and says, "No." The clone nods and replies, "Good. Now, let's get you back to your grandparents."

They take Tora by her hand and walk over to where her grandparents are located, which isn't too far from where they stand. After a rather lengthy exchange of gratitudes and heartfelt reunion, it's not long until the fire brigade themselves arrive at the scene to resolve the aftermath of the fire outbreak. The two clones then disperse in a brief puff of off-white smoke and all the knowledge of the events that transpired between the duo transfers to the original Jurei who—coincidentally enough—is also stationed at the medical encampment, conversing with one of the Hoshigakure officials. After the dialogue, she hears a familiar, feminine voice call out to her.

"Jurei! Hey!"

The voice belongs to Mina, who arrives in tow with the brigade's medic unit. She waves to Jurei from afar before jogging over to her.

"You're okay! Thank goodness..." She sighs with relief as she approaches Jurei. "I was worried when I saw the building collapse." She says, her tone of voice laced with concern as she looks at Jurei up and down.

Mina then looks over at Mailk, who stands next to Marla's bedside. He seems to be waiting for news about her condition. Mina turns back to Jurei and asks, "Is he... your friend?" Her voice is quieter this time, almost hesitant.

"More like an acquaintance, we did a mission together a while ago, but nothing more than that. He's pretty OK, though. A bit rough around the edges." She says with a shrug as she glances over at Mailk. "I don't know much about him personally, but that girl over there seems to mean a lot to him, so I'd leave him be for now." She adds, with a twinge of jealousy in her inflection.

"Oh..." Mina replies, looking down at her feet for a moment before looking back up at Jurei. "Well anyway, I'm glad you're okay." She smiles softly. "Are you still needed here or can you leave?"

"I think I'm good here, I'll probably go home and take a shower. I smell like smoke," Jurei says as she sniffs her clothes with an expression of disgust. "Why? What's up?"

Mina nods in response to Jurei's question. "I was thinking about going to the hot springs later on... Would you like to come with me? You know, to relax after all this." She asks, gesturing towards the scene before them.

"Gods, would I?" Jurei replies, smiling back at Mina. "I could use a little relaxation right now after that kerfuffle. When'd you wanna meet?"

Mina returns the smile, "How about in an hour or so?" She suggests. "I'll meet you at your house."

"Sounds like a plan. I'm gonna go home and get cleaned up first, so I'll see you then." Jurei says as she turns to leave, waving goodbye to Mina as she walks off.

---

WC: 747
TWC: 3,303
TMWC: Completed/4,000

Requesting approval for the following claims:

Claiming the following *mission reward(s):

► Total Ryo Earned: +16,000 Ryo
► Total AP Earned: +80 AP

*Mission reward(s) doubled via Beloved Presence Skill

Investing the remaining 3,303 TWC into the following *Jutsu:

► Training Fire Release: Great Fireball @ C-Rank (750/750) [2,553 TWC Bank Left]
► Training Fire Release: Blistering Web @ C-Rank (750/750) [1,803 TWC Bank Left]

*25% Discount option via max stats

---

Investing the remaining 1,803 TWC into the following Jutsu for Ninjiro:

► Training Demonic Illusion: Flower Garden @ A-Rank [1,260/2,500] → (2,500/2,500) [563 TWC Left] (Progress found here)
► Training Familiar Enhancer @ A-Rank (563/2,500) [0 TWC Left]

Investing the remaining 1,803 TWC into the following Stat Points for Ninjiro:

► Training +18 Chakra (-1,800 WC) [49 TWC Left]

→Expunging the remaining 3 TWC.

Malik wrote:

Exit Thread

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WC: 493
TWC: 2,794
TMWC: Complete/4,000

Claims:
8,000 Ryo
40 AP

All claims at max stats
-171 WC to claim Digital Shrapnel at B-Rank (1,125/1,125), previously from this thread
-1,125 WC to claim Taijutsu Infusion at B-Rank
-1,125 WC to claim Claws of Bone at B-Rank
-373 WC toward Dance of the Camelia at B-Rank (373/1,125)

Approved!

Note: Bonus AP Total of 370 + 40 Bonus AP Gained = New total of 410 / 1,000. Don't forget to cite previous totals and new totals for Bonus AP!